KonMari My Winter: A Heart for Now, an Eye to the Future

We were a bit spoiled in the northwest, but winter finally did make her appearance.

It's not easy to spend time in the barn without feeling like your fingers are going to freeze into ice cubes and fall off your hands--even with heavy gloves.  So, I do my thing: feed, clean stalls, work with Tumbleweed.  We don't do much.  He stands tied for his supplements, and then I stand in the breezeway and work at petting his face.

T'weed had started this bite, jump, bite, jump routine, that needed some smoothing.  Being a baby, he doesn't know what to do with his mouth and, invariably, he nips at Foxy and then turns to run.  But it was also filtering into our relationship.  I'd try to pet his face, he'd try to nip, then he'd turn to avoid getting kicked.  But I don't kick.  So, I wave my  hands around his face, ask him to look on in the center, then pet him in the middle of the face, between his eyes.  I do it over and over until  I don't get a reaction from him.  So far, it's working.  When I'm petting him, and he wants to taste my hands, I just rub his lips with my other hand, and that seems to take care of it.

We installed cameras in the barn since we don't get to be out there as much.

They rotate 360 degrees and have night vision and audio.  I can hear them and talk to them.  Leah is by far the most responsive to my voice, and Cowboy comes in second.  Leah, will whip her head up and look right at the camera source when she hears me call  her name.  I think that means she's the hungriest and she knows my voice means food.

So, I'm surviving winter with an eye to spring.  I've started doing yoga--holding poses that will strengthen my core: Goddess pose, Warrior 1, 2, and 3, Dancer's pose, Triangle pose, Dolphin and pigeon poses.

I set my mat up in front my bedroom window, face looking out at the mountains and pastures (where the horses are eating), next to my Echo, then I ask Alexa to play new age or meditative music.  I light a candle, and start by meditating and stretching, then ask Alexa to set timers for two minutes, as needed, when I hold the poses.  (Alexa is a very helpful assistant.)

(the book that got us to think differently)

I had this mat for a long time, as well as two great books on yoga, but I didn't start using them until after I KonMari'ed, and simplified my life.  As we were deciding what to keep and take forward in our lives and what we no longer had use for and would give away, I found the mat and the books and was reminded that this was something I always wanted to do.  Then, I found two different articles about yoga that help you strengthen your core for horseback riding--and I chose those poses.   Here they are:  One in Dressage Riding Training and one in Horse Illustrated.  They don't recommend the dancer's pose, but I find it really helps with balance.

I also do a relaxation exercise at the end of the poses--asking Alexa to set a timer for five minutes.  It is always the fastest five minutes ever.  I lay flat on my back with arms down at my side, palms up, and start with my toes. In my mind, I tell them to relax--breathe out tension, breathe in relaxation--and let them fall to the ground.  I move up my body and focus on relaxing each part--letting them fall to the ground--all the way up to the top of my head.

I've also started surrounding myself with flowers: azaleas, hydrangeas, lilies, and some unknown (to me) flower.

the essence of KonMari is choosing what to KEEP,  not throw away--even though you do end up discarding a lot.  when we really examine what brings us joy, we also want to experience that item.  the vase below was made for me by my youngest son, but it was stashed away where I couldn't see it.  I pulled it out and placed it in our main bathroom.  It sparks so much joy to see it every day.

the platter behind the next set of flowers is one I etched and painted when we traveled every week to Gig Harbor, WA. another good memory.

With inspiration from both KonMari and my sister (who was born to KonMari without ever studying her methods) I remembered that I had a Shopko framed picture in my bathroom that I didn't even know what it was about--some little girl on a beach in a gilded frame. Maybe it did spark joy for me when I bought it, as a young mother, but it does nothing for me now, and we use that main floor bathroom all day.  On the other hand, downstairs, in a guest room that is rarely used, one of my favorite pictures has been hanging, virtually unseen, for twelve years--Audacious, by Nancy Glazier.

I took the time to buy the limited edition, signed print, and invested a lot of extra money to have it framed, but I NEVER got to see it!!  Well, as you can see, I remedied that!  And, I also added a candle underneath. (Not shown in the picture--as well, as decluttering the magazines--unshown)

We had our first guests over since the big change and when the husband exited the bathroom, his first words were, who is Audacious?!?

I replied that I think of it as Cowboy, my heart horse--because he is who I saw when I fell in love with it.  Cowboy. In fact, my house is full of art that sparks joy because it looks like Cowboy.

Here is the original horse, Cowboy:

And here are the paintings I have around my house:

Sense a theme?

It's a journey, and our feelings change about things (like I can envision some pictures of buckskins in my future), but each day I do ask myself what is most important to me, and I try to make those things  happen--or pay closer attention to the beings and things I love.

Photos to Paintings

We received our first snow yesterday, which will slow things down around here.  So, I've been playing with my photos, using two programs to convert them into paintings. I'll share some of them, and their multiples, so that you can see what can be done.  And for my blogging friends, if there is a photo you'd like me to convert to a painting for you, I would be happy to do so.  Just send me the photo, I'll convert it, and send it back to you in a few different styles.

They blow up onto canvas pretty well.  I sent the one of Cowboy and I riding bareback in to Costco photo center and they printed them off beautifully for under $30.  But you can send them pretty much anywhere and do the same.  

I have so many I love, it would be enough to fill up every wall in my house....maybe I will.

The Goal Has Been Reached, And I Am Better For It

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? 

Tell me, what is it you plan to do 

with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

I know my days on earth are finite.  The average lifespan of a female in the US is 81.2 years.  In other words, 29,638 days.  Of those days, I've already expended approximately 19,000.  Three years ago, I decided to be a better steward of those days, because as Benjamin Franklin so wisely said, "Lost time is never found again."

But there was more to it than that.  It was also this thing I learned long ago--the concept of Time = Love.  Where do you spend your time?  Well, that is what you love.  If not, you are certainly wasting your time, because your soul needs so desperately to do what it loves.  The beings that you love so desperately need your time.  

Today is the 183rd day of my 2018 Challenge.  My personal goal was 183 days of either riding or actively training a horse.  (And when I say training, I mean more than just grooming, feeding, cleaning their stalls.)  Days that I drove up to Canada to see and work with Tumbleweed, were included in that count. 

The Time = Love equation works in several ways  ---

1. It reveals what you love.

2. It makes the thing you love feel loved.

3. It makes you love, the thing you love, even more.

I can tell you that #3 is what has surprised me the most.  The more time I devote to my horses, the more time I want to devote to my horses.  Lucky for me, 2019 will give me that opportunity.

Here is a brief recap of my 2018 Challenge:

Leah

Leah and I had trail ride after trail ride this year.  I learned what a solid mount she is--wherever I took her.  On one ride, we got lost, and we had to ride several miles of paved road with loud trucks going by.  Leah was golden.  We rode Rustler's Gulch during in spring, and then again, in fall during hunting season.  We rode Hog Lake, Fish Lake, James Slavin, Palisades, and Riverside State Park.

I reached day 183, today, with Leah. After working on the touch exercises yesterday, I rode her bareback and practiced the same theme-- "kind" hands.  Riding bareback, I can feel her every twitch--instant feed back if my hands become rough.  Leah is sensitive and she wants to do it right.  Proper release is ever so important--timing--gentle asks--praise.

She responded well to "kind hands," and after our ride, I did a touch session with her.  Look at how relaxed she was. 

Our biggest milestone was opening and closing gates.  Leah would work herself up with gates, and a few years back, she fell over and almost landed on me during gate work--which compounded the anxiety.  This year, we worked step by step, stopping to allow her heart to rest--and soon enough, we had that gate opened and closed.  Once she mastered it and felt confident, gates were no problem.

Beautiful Girl

Things were going really well for Beautiful and I, until I decided to push her too hard.  That earned me a well-deserved "buck off."  Unfortunately, it set us back, but life with horses isn't all about the good things; it's also about dusting ourselves off and starting over.  And, that's where we are.  

My biggest milestone with Beautiful has been forgive and forget.  The forgiving was easy, and the forgetting is coming by replacing that bad memory with new good ones.  

Cowboy

What can I say about my heart horse that I haven't already said?  He has given me wings to fly, and for that I can never repay him.  He is 23 and living on borrowed time with that previously broken and displaced front P3 (coffin bone).  We are 12 years post injury, and everyone who knows how bad it was at the time shakes their head to hear that he's still going.  He also had, and still has, Head Shaking Syndrome--probably from the issues of that P3 that has developed arthritis.  

All that is to say--EVERY DAY IS A GIFT.

My biggest milestone with Cowboy was riding bareback and no reins, something we're still working on together.  That, and riding him bareback on two long trail rides.  Yeah, now that I think back, those bareback trail rides were the pinnacle of our time together this  year.

I've had a lot of time with Cowboy, and there is a lot of LOVE between us.

Tumbleweed

I committed to Tumbleweed the first week of his life.

 I mean, who couldn't fall in love with this sweet soul?

Everything fell into place, like it was meant to be, and the next thing I knew, I was driving to Canada every few weeks to see him.  And, I finally got to meet my blogging friend, Shirley, from Ride a Good Horse.  I had long admired Beamer's babies, and now I have one.  

I love him so much, it scares me.

Today, the vet came to give him shots and follow up wormer.  She did a short physical and thought  he seemed very healthy.  She remarked that he'd grown a lot since she last saw him.  She taped him at 350 pounds a month ago, and now he is taping at 500 pounds.  

I don't know what our future holds, but I'm going to enjoy every minute I'm given.

****

I hate to leave out the rest of the herd, because I have spent time with all of them, and I'm getting ready to start riding Foxy.  She is going to be the horse I use to pony Tumbleweed around.  I have a lesson set up for this Sunday, to help me get used to her, and try out a few different bit options.  She and Tumbleweed are currently sharing a large stall and turnout.

I just realized a 4th thing about Time = Love, and that is, when you do what you love, you are loving  yourself.  

I'll end with an excerpt from my own poem, The Breathing.

I hear their breathing,

each year stronger,

and something like love,

pulling me there.

What is time, 

but a rotation under the sun, 

a perception of what has been, 

a perception of moving 

toward what is to come.

Should You Ride Your Horse Bareback on the Trails?

Yesterday, a well-meaning friend, who saw the picture above, lectured me on Facebook about the dangers of riding bareback.  It kind of went back and forth, but her last statement was this:

Riding on your property bareback is great, but you never know what you’ll encounter on a trail. Your horse isn’t going to worry about your comfort, only about his flight instinct to get away fast from danger.

I ended the exchange saying that I can handle whatever he dishes out.

It got me thinking, how many other people think that trail riding bareback is just beyond dangerous--and borders on irresponsible.  I googled it and found this interesting thread, where most of the commenters simply LOVE riding bareback on the trails.  Horse Forum: Riding Bareback on the Trails.

Here are my thoughts on "Riding Bareback on the Trail."  And by the way, these are only suggestions--each rider needs to determine for themselves what they feel comfortable riding.

1. The same rule of thumb for trail riding, in general, applies to riding bareback on the trails--you need to be confident on your horse at every gait--walk, trot, lope, and canter.  You have to be ready to handle whatever comes your way out on the trail.  If  your horse goes into flight mode, you need to be able to sit whatever its response is.  In other words, if you can do this--

You're probably safe on the trails, my well-meaning friend!

2. Do it at home first.  I rode with a friend two weeks ago who had never ridden her, otherwise solid, horse bareback.  She was aware that it might spook him, so she got on in the arena.  Indeed, it did spook him, and he bucked her off into the sand.  We moved him to the round-pen and I held him as she got on again, and he was perfectly fine.  For some reason, the feel of bareback initially unsettled him.  But we rode for miles that day and he was golden.  Also, she rides her other horses bareback a lot, and can sit almost anything.

3.  Bareback riding will improve your core balance--and FAST.  When I first started bareback riding, and those who follow my blog know it has been recent, I was initially fearful.  Part of that was because I was using muscles I hadn't used before, and it was demanding more core strength and balance.  But my body learned very fast and soon I was able to balance and ride all gaits.  I started gripping less and less and balancing more and more.  That core balance is good for me.  When I get done with a bareback trail ride, I actually feel like I've gotten a work out.

4.  Bareback riding in the heat is going to make your pants sweaty.  (No explanation needed.)

5. Bareback riding in the winter is going to help keep you WARM!  (applause here)

6. It's easier to slip off bareback than get thrown off in saddle, and getting off and on your horse bareback is good practice for slipping off, in an emergency.  How many of us actually know how far it is from the back of our horse to the ground without stirrups or mounting blocks?  Well, you find out pretty quick when you dismount bareback.  And that information is not lost on your brain.  You can actually feel your brain calculating the length of fall, the impact to the feet and legs and joints, and adjusting the body to accommodate it all.

7. Riding long distances will not be kind to your "bare" seat.  (If you know what I mean.)  Wednesday I rode miles with no padding, and suffered the consequences.  Yesterday, I rode with a semi-diaper, and it was much better.  All of this is to say, SOMEONE needs to invent bareback riding pants!!  They need some padding in the seat, and they need a full leather seat to grip the horse.  I rode in my Kerrits winter riding pants on Wednesday, and when I was going up steep hills, I was slipping and had to grab onto Cowboy's mane.  Yesterday, I rode in jeans, and there was much better grip.  But if I had a leather seat in my pants--I'd stick even better, and it would withstand sweat.  So please, someone invent BAREBACK RIDING PANTS.

8. Every new (and even experienced) rider should get lessons riding bareback.  When I went full-on bareback, my riding improved in saddle.  Shocker!  Now, I'm a believer in starting bareback.  When I was a kid, my friend's parents would let us ride their horses, but NOT use their saddles.  Thus, all I knew was bareback riding, and I hated it.  When I finally got my own horse, and a saddle, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  Stirrups.  Yay!  But I've come full circle.  Looking back, I realize they did us a favor, and every young person learning to ride should first ride bareback--on a well-trained horse.

9.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, will  make you feel more at ONE with your horse, than riding bareback.  I swear, you will feel the slightest thought in your horse's brain trickle down its back and into its feet.  Likewise, your horse will feel your slightest thought. You'll find that the saddle is a barrier between your communication with your horse, and you will be surprised at what they're trying to say, but for the most part hide.  Yesterday, we rode in a group of four.  Cowboy hates groups more than 2 or 3.  He was giving me signs, all through the ride, that he was uncomfortable in this larger group.  They were subtle, but I felt them every time a horse would get too close to his bubble.

Today, I'm going to go shopping for full-seat winter pants.  I have already found some online, but I don't know what size to buy.  I'm thinking that I'll start using them for these bareback rides through winter.  They don't have padding, but I may be able to sew something in and invent my own bareback riding pants.  Maybe a little memory foam--or who knows--I'll just need a trip out to Hobby Lobby.

One final thought: I'm not advocating that everyone ride bareback.  I think it's easier and more fun than we give it credit for, but it's not without risk.  Nothing with  horses is without risk.  In the end, you have to do what you feel comfortable doing with the horse you have.  I only wrote this post to get off my mind what my well-meaning friend brought up--but that I didn't think was Facebook length.  Therefore, I've subjected you all to it!  Sorry 'bout that.

And happy bareback trails (or just trails--whatever!), my friends!