6 posts tagged “horses”
Sure don't post very often but now that I have a shiny new laptop, I don't have to get in line for desktop computer time :D. Maybe I'll post more often. On to today's topic.
Last Saturday I took Riley, my 16.3 Tennesee Walker gelding to the vet for annual vaccinations and to have blood pulled for a Coggins test. It was a windy day, suddenly very chilly and spitting rain. Usually my horse takes all of this in stride and behaves pretty well. I had unloaded him on the outer drive at the vets' office where I normally do, right along side the paddocks. I was aware that there were draft horses in them, but that is as far as my perception went. Riley was very nervous and I was focusing on him to the exclusion of everything else. I foolishly assumed that the weather was the cause of his antsy dancing and souped up nerves and believe me 1200 pounds of bone and muscle and get pretty souped up. About the time the vet came out to see us and suggest that we move inside the clinic, Riley jumped in my direction and landed squarely on my left foot with the edge of his hoof grinding into the nail bed of my big toe - Ow, really major ow. I got him to move off of me and then out of the corner of my eye I noticed the big Percheron stallion staring at Riley. AHHH DAWN CAME TO MARBLEHEAD! By not paying attention to what Riley was paying attention to, I didn't keep him safe. He was, in his mind, trapped, 30' away from a threat is not safe and he was being held in line of sight of a dominant stallion that was sending out serious threat messages. Once we moved inside out of sight of the stallion, Riley calmed right down and stood for the examination, shots and blood draws as docilely as a sleepy puppy. When we went back outside, I asked DH to move the horse trailer to the other side of the facility way out of sight the stud. Neither horse had made a sound. It was all body language. Horses survive on reading body language, sensing intention. He knew he had to stay where I had him, but he also knew that if the stud came over the fence, he was dead. He couldn't get away, so he moved as far as he could and right into and onto me. Fortunately, my foot is fine and loading and the trip home were uneventful.
My point is that we must not focus so totally on what is right in front of us with no sense of what is going on around us. As a veteran horsewoman, I should have been aware of everything in the vicinity just as Riley was aware. In his estimation, I had him in danger, not an action worthy of his trusting me. The few times I have been injured by horses, it has always been for this reason. In the classroom, things have gone bad when I focus too intently on the lesson, or the student acting up, or the point I am trying to make, unaware of what is going on at the back of the room or under cover.
Keep a part of yourself always aware of your surroundings. It just makes sense to keep aware and responsive. My horses and my students are constantly teaching me :)
It is nearly zero but thank heavens the heavy winds and snow are done for now. This may sound really stupid but I was smelling my horses tonight. I went down to feed and I stay with them til they are done with their grain so that chubby Abby does not run lean and muscley Riley off his grain and get ever fatter. We don't lock them in their stalls at night. They can come in the barn and their stalls at will. So, I was rubbing them and talking to them and going from stall to stall and sniffing. Then I decided to compare scents because years ago I noticed that there was a huge difference between the scent of my arabian and the scent of a thoroughbred that I was boarding for a friend. The difference was so apparent that I could have picked them out by scent blind folded. Riley definitely has a stronger and "spicier" scent than Abby. She has a very mellow scent. They are all horse but different but similar. Am I making sense?
How weird I am, but I remember being a little girl and fighting my mother about washing my hands after stroking a horse. I wanted to keep the scent as long as possible but she wanted me clean. Now I can just bathe in the scent and get as high as I want, and it is all legal.
How wonderful.
Written by Lauren Davis Baker www.flyingchanges.com
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God gives us horses and compels some of us to love them. Yet why does the horse, an animal with such a big heart, live such a short life? Perhaps it’s because if our horses lived any longer, we wouldn’t be able to bear losing them. Or, perhaps it’s because God wants to jump. Perhaps God looks down on the fine horses we raise and decides when it’s His turn to ride. He gives us a few good years to care for and learn from them, but when the time is right, it’s up to us to see them off gracefully.O.K., perhaps not gracefully. Blowing into a KleenexTM is rarely graceful. But we can be grateful. To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one’s toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful. Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle—or a computer–a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily, we know we’ve made the right choice.  Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you—you’ll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You’ll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you’ll swear they’re intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves. If you weren’t raised with horses, you can’t know that they have unique personalities. You’d expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it. I found one of ours on the front porch one morning, eating the cornstalks I’d carefully arranged as Halloween decorations.Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many “types” of horses as there are people—which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting. If you’ve never ridden a horse, you probably assume it’s a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday—but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car in “drive.” In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he’ll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you’ll swear he’s trying to kill you. Perhaps he’s naughty or perhaps he’s fed up with how slowly you’re learning his language. Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences—if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership—and partnership is what it’s all about. If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you’ll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You’ll discover just how hard you’re willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn. And, while some people think the horse “does all the work”, you’ll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you’ll get to heaven. You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work. If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our oversaturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we’d like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures. If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life’s true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders. When you step back, it’s not just about horses—it’s about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow. We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give. To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle. Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return. Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion. In the end, we’re not certain if God entrusts us to our horses or our horses to us. Does it matter? We’re grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place. And so we pray:
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I think I have brain freeZe 
I am just in from doing chores. The temp is -4 and we have about a 10 knot wind. I put on my husband's Carhart facemask hat, my sweatshirt hoodie over that, my snowmobile suit and my winter barn coat over that, my BOGS (insulated water proof knee high boots) and heavy gloves. The horses have been in their very large stalss for nearly two days and I wanted to get them out, though I didn't think they would go out. I did open the east door for the horses and opened their stall gates but like I thought, they looked at me like I was crazy and said "Hell, NOOOOOOOOOOO" The big water hydrant handle was nearly frozen but both hands and lots of muscle got it open. The chickens' water bucket was frozen and they were all huddled around it or sitting on it looking like impatient victims. So, I got the water running, the ice knocked out of their bucket and refilled it, filled their feed trough and collected TWO EGGS I was thinking stew pot 
Anyway everyone is fed, watered and as cozy as a barn in arctic Michigan will allow.
We must have gotten another 5 inches last night with a strong drifting wind to help us out. I'm not whining, really I'm not. It seems normal to me. This artic cold is almost comforting because it is the way things used to always be. We just get ready for it and truck on through. I put a drop light on the handle of the hydrant, hung a couple of work lights in the chicken coop and one in the barn for the goat and shovelled a path for the kitties to get to their food. I will say though that the two square inches of my face that were exposed to the wind going and coming to the barn are giving me a burning sensation. I am sure that you southerners who fight the heat in summer have your survival methods in place .
I am going to make another pot of this wonderful coffee and get under a comforter. I bought 8 O'Clock hazelnut beans, and boy does this fresg ground coffee taste great.
My lesson tonight went really well. Riley and I are beginning to work together. In the lesson setting, an indoor or outdoor arena at the trainers, I am very confident and relaxed. I was able to get Riley into his flat walk and a couple of times the running walk. He is a Tennessee Walker who has not been damaged or sored in anyway. I do not comprehend people who can do such a thing to a beautiful trusting and willing animal. When I get myself in the right position, he gives me a great ride. I'm usually the problem. I slip out of position, put the wrong pressure on or too much leg pressure or just go all thumbs and lose the gait. We had a few moments of great connection tonight and that gives me hope. With practice and patience we will really become a working pair. He is such a calm horse and so forgiving of mistakes on my part. He tries hard to give what I ask and as I get better at the asking and more coordinated, we will get it right. I don't ever intend to show him in any Twalker classes. I would like to try some trail rides, maybe even some competitive trail rides, where you win on the basis of the horse's finishing condition. One of my life goals is to participate in the cross Michigan trail ride. It is a ride that takes about a week maybe longer and horses and riders ride from Lake Erie on the east to Lake Michigan on the west. Campsites are set up in advance and riders have people who drive ahead to that night's camp and set things up. There is no racing of any kind but horses and riders must be in good condition to make the journey and enjoy the trip. I have the horse who can do it now I just have to get us to that point. What a great day this has been.
