An update on Mr. Tweed who I'm trying to prepare for June kindergarten. I don't want to instill any bad habits in him, so I'm really only concentrating on the basics -- at the heart of which --- is rewarding him for try.
He stands tied everyday --- started with Uncle Cowboy --- then progressed to time alone --- each day the time tied increases --- his release is when he cocks a leg and relaxes.
The work Shirley did with him sure helps with this, but it's never fun for a horse to stand for long periods of time alone. When he goes to training, he will consider that time his chance to relax. He will stand tied for hours a day -- but that's for June --- this is now --he stands tied about 30 minutes.
We grab a glass of wine or clean stalls while he is practicing being tied. The dogs even get in on the watching action. I kind of feel sorry for Tweed, but I know it's going to make him a better horse -- and golden horses always have a home in this world -- no matter what happens.
We started lunging after a long winter break.
la resistance'!
la blow up'
Like every horse, he is great at doing just enough --- but take him slightly past just enough -- you will discover resistance. That is our goal -- find it -- remain calm -- continue with your plan -- do not let him get away with it. Um no, I asked you to continue on that way, T'weed.
And voila! You get a well-mannered boy.
And well-mannered boys get some lovin'.
He is trying to understand what I want and give it -- but I'm trying to get him to the point that he understands that when we're together -- it's a creative process -- different ever day --- no time limit -- no set amount of laps on the line -- it's an all in experience for however long it takes.
I call it a work ethic. He's going to need it in June. He's going to need it in life with humans.
A couple day of packing various blankets. I work with him until I can drop his lead, have him stand "ground tied" and allow me to throw the blanket all over his back, butt, neck, head -- from both sides -- as well as --- drop it on the ground on both sides -- pack it at a trot -- allowing it to fall off on both sides as he's moving.
The blanket training was interesting. He was quite scared of the blue bareback pad. I would hold it out in front of him --- and when he looked at it, I'd withdraw it. That advanced to when he put his nose on it -- I'd withdraw it. And all that advanced to him not caring one wit about it.
The training wasn't about the pad -- really -- it was about facing what he fears and seeing the scary thing move away. Oh, he's so powerful, that boy! He just looks at the monsters --- and they dissolve!
We're still good buddies, and he still comes trotting up to me when I come out to get him. I guess we're okay.
I sure am going to miss him when he goes to kindergarten.
The weather has been unusually spring-like, which has given me time with my horses. I've ridden at home and on the trails.
(A mild winter was good for Cowboy!)
I took it slow with Leah--ground work, then light riding in the arena, and obstacle work. She did great. I really feel that SLOW is the new FAST when it comes to horses. Solid steps forward are priceless, as they build the relationship with your horse. She and I will go out on the trail together this week. None of the horses have shoes yet, but the ground is soft.
As you know, much of my herd is geriatric, so I ordered a new swayback saddle pad today by Reiner. It has great reviews, and I'll do my own when it arrives. The horses in my herd which it might help: Cowboy, Foxy, Little Joe, and Leah. If I like it, I will order another. (I'm not a fan of neoprene, but the reviews were glowing.)
I have continued to progress in knitting: hats, baby blankets, and shawls.
I experimented with my own leather labels--ravens, with my initials on the flip side. Knitting is very relaxing for me and helps the time pass on road or plane trips--or while watching TV at night.
I also threw myself back into guitar study, but this time I found a GREAT online course by Guitar Tricks. I've been at it for a few weeks, going way back to make sure I fill in the holes of my self-training, and it is an amazing course. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone wanting to learn to play the guitar. They have awesome, easy tutorials, play-alongs with their bands, downloads of the sheet music and lessons. It's remarkably incremental.
Tumbleweed has a reservation for kindergarten training in June, and my daughter, Shiloh, who has been working horses with me, decided to take her horse Cowgirl, at the same time, for a refresher. I couldn't be happier, as that will give Tumbleweed a herd-mate and lower his stress level.
She's not Foxy, but she is the herd leader, and is the one who tells them all what to do and when. I often find she and Tumbleweed together in the turnout. He lives a charmed life.
My trainer is amazing at putting a solid foundation on horses, foundations that stick. As long as I've known her, she has had waiting lists to get in, especially during spring/summer--so I reserved T'weed's spot over a year ago. He'll go for a month, then come home, grow up, and go back for 60 days next year. At that point, I'll probably do the rest myself through lessons and clinics. I expect that he will be easy, but he does have a stubborn streak, and a mischievous side--like most babies. She's used to that.
Oh, another thing about T'weed--he's a natural herder. He herds Cowboy around in the turnout--running him down the fence, getting out in front of him, turning him around, running him again.
My granddaughter came over Saturday (I gave her the Penny hair bracelet--it was small, but she was able to add an extender onto it, which made it perfect) and T'weed was herding Cowboy as we all watched from inside. It was quite the show, and everyone was amazed at how genetically wired he is for it. Movement is good for Cowboy, too. Cowboy was never a natural herder, but he always liked bossing cows around. A natural omega, he makes a great practice cow for Tumbleweed. LOL.
miraculous: highly improbable and extraordinary and bringing very welcome consequences.
(Penny doing her thing, training the young ones, 2018)
In my post about Penny last week, I wondered if I'd be able to look back from the future and consider her recovery another miracle. And here I am, doing just that.
I came so close to having her put down based upon these facts:
1. Low probability of survival through the first few days.
2. Lack of improvement after IV and plasma infusions.
3. Her general demeanor. She appeared to be on the verge of death.
4. High probability of secondary factors, even if they could get her through the antibiotics: adhesions, laminitis, diarrhea, colic.
5. Cost. We were at just under $3,000 in the first couple of days. (I know it's not ideal, but cost is always a factor in these decisions. I told the vet where I wanted to be, and she thanked me for being so clear. She said it is what they prefer.)
6. Age. Penny is at least 24-27 years old. But the vet said she would have the same low odds, no matter the age.
7. Lack of definitive primary diagnosis. Despite all the tests and the ultrasound, they could only speculate on what the primary cause was. They knew the colon had been damaged and leaked, causing a bacteria infection, inflammation, and peritonitis, but whether it was a temporary thing, like a sharp object or stick--or a long-term issue, like cancer--they weren't sure.
However, walking her out of confinement, into the sunshine, seeing that little spark of life in her eyes--something else entered the equation, the
X FACTOR
What is the X Factor? The X Factor is what I have found over and over again in keeping a large herd of horses. It's the thing you can't quantify or test. I would say, it's the will to live.
It is why we canceled euthanizing Cowboy after he broke P3, which had bone displacement into the coffin joint, and had been misdiagnosed as an abscess for the 3 months. We let him be free the moments before his scheduled departure and, to our shock, he ran from one end of the pasture to the next, bucking and kicking and loving life. It was obvious he wanted to live, but it was a choice HE HAD TO MAKE FOR US because of the time, and confinement, his recovery was going to take.
There is nothing scientific about my belief; it's all based on personal observation: the power of the herd, the home, rest, time, and the innate, deeply coded, equine survival instinct. I see it as a spark of life still there--dim, but resolute. It's what I saw in Penny when I altered course about euthanasia.
Sometimes, we're asking a lot of them--the cure--the road back to health--can be long and very, very hard. For example, there is no way we could have injected Penny with one more dose of antibiotic. Her poor body was just so tired and broken by that point. In fact, there's not a day that went by that I didn't have doubts about my decision not to euthanize. But I felt she was telling me that she wanted the chance.
As I watched her charge out of her stall into the sunshine today--with lots of healthy, well-formed, and plentiful manure left behind for me to clean--I thought, no matter how this goes down the line, it is certain that TODAY, I did, indeed, get that miracle I wondered about.
I know what horsemanship should feel like..for me. I know all my blog friends are the same way. We know, and we continue to grow into it, our horses, and ourselves.
I used to hate riding bareback, now I love it...with Cowboy. Everything in its own time and season. Will I want to ride bareback on Tumbleweed? Probably not...for a long while.
I savor this phase of life--knowing to trust myself and my horses and not being pressured into doing things I don't want to do.
I want to be happy. I want my horses to be happy.
I don't have anything to prove to anyone...except myself. And what I want to prove to myself is that I'm a horsewoman who listens...
It can be a lonely world when you go your own way, but the type of people you will attract are those who will make your life better.
And in the end, when the noise quiets down, when all the friends are gone, and you're alone, reflecting on past joy--
all that will matter--
all you'll truly remember...
is how you made your horse feel.
So, how does horsemanship feel? Horsemanship should feel...horsemanship WILL feel like what you know in your gut your horses felt.
(Photos taken by my husband, who feels horsemanship the exact same way.)
(Loping ahead of the ride, trying out the new Best Friend pad.)
As all of you know, I love to ride bareback. Up until now, I've ridden bareback sans pad because I didn't yet know which one to buy that would meet my needs:
#1 The closest contact possible--ie. a thin sheet with a cinch and a little padding at the withers to protect the private parts in a fast stop.
#2 Something with storage possibilities for the trail.
#3 A pad that won't slip up and down hills & that keeps the rider's seat in place, too.
(Tacking up for the ride.)
When I was a kid, and the adults would only let us ride alone if we rode bareback, I felt very sorry for myself, and I thought the adults were jerks. One day, out riding in the desert, my friends took off running back to the barn and my horse, not wanting to be left behind, followed them full-on Kentucky Derby run away. My flimsy pad "slid off", and I ended up on the ground, walking home alone. It made me hate bareback riding, and when I was finally old enough to have my own horses and saddles, I felt like I had hit payola. No more falling off. I had a horn to hold onto and stirrups to balance myself with--yeehaw!
But a few years back, in winter, I was very cold, and putting a saddle on my horses for a short ride just seemed silly. So, I didn't. I went bareback and started to love it. Not only was it super warm, but I could feel the muscles in their backs--which gave me extra information and better communication. I could feel the tensing up, the release, and the heart beating super fast (fear) or slow and steady (relaxed). And I started to use that information to get past some big road blocks with Leah.
I'm a better rider than I was as an 11 year old. I have better trained horses who know me, rather than my friend's super spoiled ones. A better, more balanced, seat means the pad doesn't slip. I always blamed the pad, but in reality, I think I must have slipped off the horse and made the pad shift.
I've done a lot of research on bareback since then, and read the pros and cons, but I feel comfortable riding my horses bareback for short rides here and there. My horses seem to love it. There is definitely a feeling of oneness when riding bareback. Not only can you feel their every breath, but you're also a bit more vulnerable. You can't just ignore them and become a passive passenger. You really have to be thinking about them and actively riding with them. You must always pay attention to where you're placing your weight--if you don't, you get instant feedback.
I've ridden sans pad now for years, but getting off my horses and having dirty, sweaty butts of my jeans wasn't working too well. I needed to find a pad that imitated riding with nothing.
******
I want to introduce you the pad I purchased after reading many, many reviews and talking to many different equestrians who already own one--The Best Friend Bareback Pad.
(My friend is trying it out here on Cowboy. She ordered one yesterday.)
And here is a video of the first look.
My thoughts:
The #1 thing I wanted out of this pad was for it to be thin enough that I could feel the heat from my horse, the heartbeat, and the movement of the muscles. As I said before, I would be happy with something as thin as a sheet for that part. This isn't as thin as a sheet, and it probably can't ever be, if you want to keep the sweat from saturating your pants. We did a two hour ride in 50 degree weather and the seat of my pants was a little damp--so there is some sweat through--not much though. It definitely kept my pants clean. Bottom line: I could feel his heat, his heartbeat, and his muscle movements very well.
The wither padding is excellent, and if you're a bareback rider, you will appreciate that. It also has a suede type top that keeps you from sliding around. It comes with an adjustable cinch with rollers--which I love. It has pockets and D rings so you can take what you need on the trail. I didn't experience any slippage, and we went up and down pretty steep hills and trotted and loped.
I could have ridden in it much longer than two hours. I felt great when I was done. Cowboy seemed to love it, too. It probably gave him a little protection from my seat. He moved so freely and had such energy. He even gave a little buck of happiness when we first started loping in the arena. (It was Day 3 of his Equioxx treatment, and he was like his old, younger self.)
I like it so much that I just purchased a second to have when guests want to ride bareback with me. I bought the blue version.
Here are some more photos from Amazon.
Note: I am not being paid for this review, and I did not receive this product from the company, I paid cold, hard cash! However, if the company reads this and wants to send me another one...I would be very appreciative! (just kidding. not kidding.)
