Sonny's Sunday

This week, I've been able to get Sonny out several times. We have ridden a bit, done some ground work, and just been able to hang out on the lawn together.

Of course, DAT must make sure that she is right in the thick of things too. We have dubbed her our new Supervisor, in charge of ropes.

This particular day, Sonny had been waiting on me to get my butt in gear. I had removed his blanket at breakfast time, and he was i-m-p-a-t-i-e-n-t to say the least. Since I took my sweet time picking his paddock, and getting some other out door stuff done, he decided to stand by the gate.

And paw.

And look from me,
To the gate,
Back to me,
Back at the gate.

When that did not work to get my attention satisfactorily enough, he rolled.
At the gate.
In the muckiest spot he could find.
And when I laughed at him, he stood up to his full height,
Shook his head at me,
Stomped his feet,
and had a bit of a tantrum.

Who ever says horses can not understand us when we speak obviously never spent time around this horse.
He.
Knows.

When we did make our way to the lawn, he grazed for a few moments, and proceeded to find
The Perfect Spot
for a roll. This *is* Sonny mind you, and he can not tolerate being grungy and dirty. A roll on dry crisp grass is just what he needed to knock off the worst of the grit from his gate roll.

I love the expressions on his face. Sonny, not one to do things half heartedly, puts huge effort into his jobs. Rolling is one of his all time favorite jobs, and he makes sure to scrub every single inch that he can.

Being an expressive sort, he rolls his eyes about, twitches his lips in the most spectacular fashion, grunts, groans, snorts, and sighs. All his way of showing immense favor for the activity.

He will even smile a time or three, just to show how happy he is.

Being a talented sort, he'll even roll completely over several times, making sure to "clean" both sides of his large body, and get all the itchy spots.

By this time, I knew he was building up a big Happy Dance, starting from the tail and working it's way forwards....

His eye is still soft, but knowing Sonny, the soft eye is a deliberate deception.

One last good scrub. and then it's time to pop up...

Shake his wild mane, wiggle his long tail, and try to do a little dance.

See? Here he is, dancing.

Trying to do his version of the Electric Slide, I think. It was great fun to watch. At this point, I wished for nothing but about five acres, filled with crisp winter grass, for him to romp and play in to his big red hearts content.

Since I had to limit his shenanigans, he settled instead for a most impressive shake session, flopping his head and ears about, wiggling his big red behiney, all the way to wringing out his lovely (and now grass filled) tail.

Not one to let *me* have the lost word, he looked directly at me, and invited me to dance with him too. Of course, his form of dancing was more than I was up to tackling, but we compromised on me rubbing him in all the right places, scratching his belly, and hanging out on the lawn grazing for almost two hours.

Our ride was the next day, and he did wonderful. I'll have time a bit later today to get him out again, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for our chill time.

Man I love this horse. What a character he is turning into!

Ka-POW!

Hmm. Maybe I should have said "SHA-ZAM!" but either way, it works! GunDiva, fellow equi-blogger and shooter tagged me with an award this morning. While I'm at it-- and before I forget (which y'all know I will) GunDiva will also be hosting guest bloggers on Wednesdays at her "Tales From The Trail" blog. All are invited to play, so be sure to hit her blog for the details and chime in. Sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun. (Oh-- and I'll be there on March 3rd. Be sure to pop in and check out a "tail" from my youth!)

Now onto the SHA-ZAM! Ba-da Bing of the day. Oh HorseFeathers, home of Sonny Bunz, Kitty Biscuits the DAT, Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog, and The Rest of The Asylum, have been awarded a prize.

ETA: If you have delicate sensibilities, skip directly to the bloggers the award has been passed along to. Trust me--- it's One Of THOSE Days at The Asylum, and it SHOWS in this post.....


I am to tell you seven things about myself, and THEN tag 15 other bloggers I follow. Now the tagging is supposed to be 15 *new to me following* bloggers.... which might be tough as I think I've been following most of y'all for a while now... But, we'll give it a go!

Now, onto Seven Things You Need To Know About Me/ Us/ The Asylum:
(Hey, knock off the Twilight Zone music back there!)

1) In Real Life, I am a 93 year old man, with an artificial hip and a missing testicle. I don't know what happened to the testicle- just got up one morning and POOF .... it was gone. I suspect the Testicle Fairy came in the middle of the night and stole it.

2) In Real Life, not only am I a 93 year old man missing a testicle that was allegedly stolen by the Testicle Fairy, I am only 4 feet tall too.

3) In Real Life, I am a four foot tall 93 year old man missing one testicle, and I hate to wear britches. Which can get kinda drafty in the winter time. And sometimes folks don't like it when I have to bend over in public... don't know why.

4) In Real Life, I am a four foot tall 93 year old man who *WAS* missing one testicle, but I just found the other one! It was dragging along on the ground behind me.

5) In Real Life, I am a four foot tall 93 year old man and my memory is not all that great.... and I completely lost where I was going with any of this.

6) ............. *snore*.............

7) ...................................................

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OK so by now y'all know that A) I hate talking about myself, and B) my sense of humor is NOT suitable for young children. Which is bad, since I *have* two young children. Who fortunately do not read much more than three letter words at the moment, and just shook their heads and walked away as I cackled away writing this....

Onto fifteen blogs I follow, to award this too:
(Note- this is NOT in order of preference. I literally closed my eyes, and poked a finger on my computer screen.... Cause you know, if I did not LIKE your blog, I would not FOLLOW your blog!)

1) JennyMac, at Let's Have A Cocktail keeps me entertained, with good reminders on WHY I don't work in the corporate world. A Mom, wife, and talented writer, she keeps me giggling.

2) Oregon Sunshine rocks. In love with her *new* life, battling with her old at times, devoted to her family and horses, Oregon Sunshine is just darn good folks. She keeps it real, and let's us know we are not alone out here.

3) Kate, from A Year With Horses. Kate has a challenge at the moment, with a situation with her daughter's horse. With an excellent ability to communicate ideas, and help people understand things, Kate's blog is well worth spending time at.

4) AK Pony Girl is cool. Well, literally now, cause she is nose deep in winter way up there in Alaska. She shares some really fantastic pictures, and what life is really like in that hard land. She's got some sweet horses too!

5) Val, out at Fantastyk Voyage always posts great pictures and stories as well. I've loved watching her beautiful Arabian foal, Yalla!, grow up these past months!

6) Lisa, at the Laughing Orca Ranch has come to be one of my favorite spots. She shares with us all her incredible photography, her family, and she has convinced me that chickens just might be wicked cool.

7) Merri, from The Equestrian Vagabond deserves in a share of this as well! Be sure to check out the story from February 20, about Amigo. I sure hope we can get updates as the story unfolds!!

8) KT Sparks over at The Wild Wood is really just a fantastic person. Last fall she shared what was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime in Scotland with us. It didn't turn out to be what she had wanted, but... well, dig up the story and see how she handled the difficulty with grace and humor!

9) Lopinon4 and that handsome CJ at No Hoof, No Horse? details the journey of a traditionally shod horse, who developed Navicular Syndrome, to bare hooves and better health.

10) John and Regina Zdrvach (HA~ let's see you say THAT name five times fast!) at Horse Talk Indiana are always up to something, and her mare Zora has the most awesome tail!

11) Janice at Own A Morgan always keeps me looking. She has some beautiful BEAUTIFUL Morgan horses. True Morgans- strong bodied, big bones, well built- just lovely representation of the breed. Pay a call to our Canadian "neigh"bor and admire the horses yourself.

12) Breathe at HorseCentric is on one heck of a journey with horses herself. She shares her adventures with her new gelding, and her family, openly and well. Stop in and see how the crew fares with out their Captain for a few days...

13) Jennifer at How Did This Happen? is a good read too. Started as a journal for her progress with her two handsome geldings, Romeo and Ransom, Jennifer and Ransom were recently on Horse Master with Julie Goodnight!

14) Sydney at Bitless Horse: Science VS Tradition is a great read too. And let me tell you- the girl has SKILL with braiding horsehair. If you need a memento, this is the young lady to contact.

15) Sue, from Stories From Sweet Grass Farm, is a new Grandma, a new home builder (with her devoted husband,) and an all around wonderful, talented lady. Check out her horses! She has BEAUTIFUL Drafts that she rides and drives.

OK, that's that y'all. Take a look- they are all incredible bloggers, good folks, and well worth spending some time with.

Now, I hope everyone can forgive me for the seven things.....

Hoof Handling Part III

I've started writing this post at least four times now, and end up deleting it every single time. Why? Because the use of tools to teach a horse to lift his feet is delving into training. Granted, you ARE training your horse every single time you interact with them, but this blog is not intended to teach you to train.

Why not?

Because EVERY horse is different. EVERY handler has different skill levels, reaction time, and ability to read the given situation. I am not comfortable putting a set of suggestions in writing, for all levels to read and digest as they will, and chance someone getting seriously hurt. Working one on one with people and their horses is wonderful, and for those who have a true passion to learn, it IS something I dearly love doing. But to put generalized (or even specific) information in a forum such as this, knowing that there is that chance that someone out there could get hurt... I just can't do it. I have to be able to sleep at night, knowing that my readers and their horses have not been injured by my writing.

I will say that I have used dressage whips to extend my arm in the past, to help horses accept touch on various portions of their bodies, and I have also used (and love) soft cotton ropes to teach horses to lift their feet. Used carefully and intelligently, they are most remarkable tools.

Instead, let's take a look at questions:

- What to do with / about a yanker? (YANKER you Brits-- NOT WANKER!)
- How do you handle leaning?


First, let's take a look at the horse who tends to yank and pull their feet away from you. The big question is: Do you hold on, or let go?

Well, how strong are you? Are you stronger than your horse? (I'm not.) Most horses will only give a half hearted try, just to make the point that they COULD, if they REALLY WANTED TO, pull their feet from you at will. Some horses are really serious about getting their feet back, and will wind up throwing you across the paddock in their efforts to get those feet back. Either way, you will get hurt should you try to hold on tightly.

IF your horse is only toying with you, then yes, growl at them, and hold on. That is a rather large IF though, and you need to read the situation carefully.

If your horse is serious about getting that foot back for whatever reason, let him have it.

And then, make the wrong thing hard, and the right thing easy.

For instance:
Sonny tends to pull his right front hoof away, *just because*. Rather than picking a fight with him, he has to work. Not in a space where you can do circles? Right- no problem. Back three steps, come forward three steps, back four steps, come forward four steps. Disengage the hind quarters. Back up some more. Disengage in the opposite direction. Back up some more. Watch your horse- when the eyes soften, and their head begins to dip down now and again, try lifting the foot again.

The Wrong Thing:
Pulling away the hoof.

The Consequence:
Controlled continuous movement.

The Right Thing:
Standing like a gentleman for hoof handling.

In most cases, this quiet, confident treatment and handling is only called into use a few times. Unless you have a horse like Sonny, who will toy with you *just because*.


Onto Leaners.
I hate leaners. Ever tried to hold up a thousand pounds or so? Come lift Sonny's left hind. When he puts his mind to being snotty, he will sit on me with that hind leg. Lucky for me, he does not lean as much these days. (Oh dear. I really hope I did not just *jinx* the crap out of myself...)

Leaning can happen in front and back. This can be a dangerous situation, if the horse is leaning from fear/ lack of understanding. If the horse is just being a putz, the danger level is a bit lower.

When I encounter a leaner, I'll hold them as long as possible, and wait. I'll wait until they have just about all the weight on me, and drop them. BAM. Sounds mean, but they stop leaning. I'll keep the leg under the horse, make sure my escape route directly to the side is clear, and I'll simply remove my hands and step off to the side in one smooth motion. If for some reason the horse tries it again, they will get dropped again, and then have to move their feet in the direction of my choosing at the speed of my choosing.

For kickers and strikers- same dance, but I'll take the owner/ handler out of the equation. Tools are set aside, and I'll use a longer (12 to 15 feet) soft cotton lead. The horse and I will step off out of the way to a quiet area, and we'll begin a quiet educational process. Generally by the time we're done "talking", horse is trimmed and good to go. The next few sessions go smoother and smoother, until the horse realizes that hoof care is no big deal and they stand like good horses do.

The biggest thing to remember when dealing with your horses is don't dwell on what you DON'T have -- ie: no round pen, no arena, etc. Instead, look at what you DO have, ie: long soft rope, clear safe area, etc, and use those to your advantage. Think "sideways" if you will, and turn what you do have to your advantage. Your biggest and best tool is your ability to think and reason. Use your head for more than a hat rack, break things down into smaller steps for your horse, and you'll be able to sort out a huge number of sticky spots.

Fire Away y'all......

Sonny's Sunday... And Loose Ends

The sun is shining, weather has been blessedly amazingly beautiful this week. Sonny and I have managed to sneak in some time together, but I honestly have just been bushed. Too tired to ride. Which is just absolutely horrible in my opinion, as I gaze upon my big red monster, begging to get out of his paddock and do something FUN. (OK, who am I kidding here? He just wants to get out on the lawn, and try to find the tender green shoots of new grass, doing it's best to poke through the ground.) Sonny has however, had a good time on the line. He is learning that bucking and carrying on are NOT allowed actions, and that keeping a steady pace is a good thing. He still loves to lope, and I love to watch him go.

Now, onto the loose ends....
Above, see the adorable, and oh-so-innocent face of The Culprit. AKA: "DAT". Why "DAT"? Because Kitty Biscuits is suffering from an identity crisis. Seriously-- she is. She does not know if she is a CAT or a DOG. It used to be, I had to only keep an eye out on the dog and the Little Mens. The dog has learned to stay out of the way, and the Little Mens mostly do as well.. however.

Biscuits is a whole 'nother story. She tags along after me, just like Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog. She wags her tail, just like Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog. Shoot, she even comes when I call her. Now how many REAL cats will do that? None that I've known in the past, that's for sure.

Dear Husband said he is waiting for her to bark at him.

I am waiting for Sonny to kick the snot out of her, as she attacks his tail WHEN I AM WORKING HIM or RIDING HIM. Maybe DAT stands for "Dumb Ass Thing"... I don't know, but Kitty Biscuits really needs to learn quick to stay away from the horse....

AND.

I believe SHE is the one who brought about the whole Lizard mess.

Here is the view inside my washing machine. See the funky red mark to the right of the light? Yeah. That was all that I could find of the Lizard for the rest of Friday, and most of Saturday. By late yesterday afternoon, my laundry pile was reaching epic proportions, and I *had* to do SOMETHING to tame the mountain, before it gained life of it's own. (Not Lizard life either.)

I made a decision. Laundry HAD to be taken care of.

I set the water control thingy, and filled the drum part way. And I left it like that, for probably an hour, checking every few moments to see if the lizard would surface. He never did... I really expected his tiny body to float out from where ever he was hiding, and I could scoop him out for a proper burial.

After all that time passed with no sign of the little dude, (and using a mirror, I even checked up under the rim of the washer,) I sighed and started to tackle the mountain of laundry.


I started transferring the towels, shaking them out as I went, before tossing the towels into the dryer...

I heard a tiny little "thump"....

And there he was.... the lizard. Very dead.

Very clean too, but that is beside the point.

With a heavy heart, I scooped up his tiny body, and took him outside for a proper burial.


When I came in, I rewashed my towels.

~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@~~@

With any and all luck, I'll have the oompf enough to pull Sonny out for a ride in a short while. When I do, I'll send a prayer out to Kristen and her horse Laz.


Happy Hoofin' Y'all. Enjoy the time you have with your horses and loved ones. Sometimes, that time is all too short.

~MM

Just In Case You Wonder WHY It Gets Quiet On Here At Times...

Take today for instance.

It has thus far been filled with the following:
-Help Dear Husband repair the faucet in the shower, that just... exploded last night as he tried to turn the cold water off.

- Children. Feeding them. About eight times.

- Horse. Feeding him. Cleaning his paddock.

- Horse. Tightening his fence. Again.

- Daily check in on in laws.

- Laundry.

- Dishes.

- Starting supper.

- More laundry.

Which brings me to the latest thing that gave me a mini-cardiac arrest.

There is a (no, not WAS- IS) a tiny lizard in my washing machine. That was filled with CLEAN clothes. That had been washed this morning. Sans Lizard.

WTF? How the hell did a LIZARD, missing part of his tail, get INTO my washing machine?

And the Sixty Four Thousand Dollar Question of the afternoon....

How The Hell Am I Going To Get Him OUT Of There, so I can finish the fricken laundry??

There is going to be a name change. We are no longer going to be known as Command Central. Oh no. The only "Command" of late has been the children, expanding their "command" of the English Language. (Trust me-- you don't want to know 'bout THAT.)

Yes, I believe it is time to refer to Home by it's true name:

The Asylum.

Welcome to the Insanity y'all.... Grab a seat and Hold on TIGHT.

Hoof Handling -- Part II

Right, now that you have your horse behaving with some manners, and respecting your space, it's time to start thinking about how to lift those feet and legs.

Many people will grab/ pinch the chestnuts.

That reminds me of a quick story...

We were at a new client, trimming away and a friend of the client showed up. (That is always interesting, because nine times out of ten, we hear about how THEY do the job, or how good The Other Guy is, yada yada yada... Entertainment while we work, ya know? Good thing.) So this friend shows up, and starts in on how Wonderful Their Horse Is To Trim and how well he picks up his feet. I was working on an older mare, who was quite stiff and who was not overly interested in picking up her feet. As I was doing my favorite trick- the pastern scritch- Friend chimes in and proclaims... (Ready for it? It's my *favorite* phrase...)

"You're doing that wrong! You need to use the Parrelli Pinch!"

"Uh-huh"... I mumble, still pastern tickling away....

"Yes! The Parrelli's, whom YOU have obviously not heard of, invented this Wonderful Trick to pick up the hooves! Just grab the chestnut and PINCH, and VIOLA! The horse will pick up her feet for you nice as can be!"

"That right" I say, as the mare carefully creaked her hoof gently into my hand...

Friend went on to educate me on the Wonders of Natural Horsemanship, and how the Sainted Parrelli's could do wonders for my practice... and on.. and on.... and on....

Three horses later... she is still telling me how to lift and hold hooves.... and on

And on

And on....

Finally I'd had more than enough and stood up. Handed her a rasp. "If you can do better, here you go."

I walked away. Got a drink. Hit the ladies room.

Came back, and she was still working on lifting and holding the hoof of another older mare with arthritis.

"So. Did ya use that there Pinch thing? By the way, did you know that Race Horse Trainers have been doing that since well before the Parrelli's were even a twinkle in their Daddy's eye? No? Gee... learn something new every day. Hey you think if you maybe shift to be UNDER her body, that old mare won't throw you around like that so much? She never did that to me before..."

Friend tried to Cowgirl Up and make it through one hoof, but all the sudden she was reaching for her "vibrating" cell phone and had to leave. Funny thing that... since when she showed up I had her turn the phone off and there were no lights on the screen when she "answered" it..


ANYWAYS. Back on track here.

A lot of folks like to pinch chestnuts to teach their horse's to life hooves. As I mentioned, I like to rub the pastern with my index finger. It puts my hand in a better position to catch the hoof as the horse bends at the knee, which lifts the heel off the ground. If my hand is way up at the chestnut, most of the time I'm not quick enough to get my hand to the hoof to lift it the rest of the way up.

I've also seen horses who were VERY sensitive at the chestnut, and they don't gently lift their hoof- they snap it up so fast that you can get hurt. Badly.

Again-- INTENTION comes into play. You must FULLY INTEND to lift that hoof GENTLY and quietly. Do Not Anticipate Disaster- you will indeed get a disaster. Run your hand down from the wither, down the leg, behind the knee, down the back of the cannon, to the pastern. Reach your index finger down, and gently rub/ tickle the back of the pastern. Increase pressure until your horse picks up their feet.

Over time, by the time you reach the knee area, and eventually the elbow, your horse will already have released at the knee and is lifting his leg for you. Lucky for me, Sonny is now at the stage where I can tap his leg behind the elbow and he lifts his front feet. (Not so much for his hinds- we have a lot of work to do there.)

Words of caution:
This takes time. Do not expect it to be an instant fix. BUT- once your horse understands, he will have it for LIFE.

Do NOT stand with ANY part of your body (read Leg or foot) in front of the horse's leg. Should they snap that leg forward, you will get hurt.

Stand At the Side, facing the hip. NOT arms length away from the horse. When you do that, you are telling him you are scared. When you are scared, he thinks you are not in control. (Which you aren't.) Stand close, in line with his body, and BE CONFIDENT.

With hind feet- again- stay in line with the body. Stand close to the body. If your horse tries to kick, you can deflect the energy of that kick with your arm, and actually use your arm and shoulder to push the kicking limb under the horse, in effect making him kick himself. Usually they only do that once or twice, and they stop kicking. (Not Sonny- but he is a case unto himself.)

Use your lessons on moving the feet to keep you safe. If your horse fights your efforts and dances around you, have him move out. Don't tie him for this- chances are you will need to move him for a while before things quiet down and he decides to stand for this procedure.

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at using tools to help teach your horse to lift. (Such as a soft cotton rope.) For now, fire away...

Hoof Handling - Step 1

It's Winter. (Oh, Thank You Captain Obvious!) Most of us are dealing either with snow up the wazoo, or mud. Deep, sucking, sticky, nasty crappy mud. Horse time for many is limited to grooming and checking the legs and feet over, blanket adjusting, muzzle smooching, and endless mucking. (Which mucking is endless no matter what time of year it is.)

Our training time is limited to what small things we can do on the ground.

Like, picking up feet. Politely. Gently. And holding those feet up. Politely. Gently. Not laying on you.

We are often asked the best way to teach a horse to lift their feet. My answer usually surprises people, as we stand and watch their horse pushing into them, pawing, moving around, or in general just being obnoxious.

I tell them not to teach that horse to lift his feet.

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Did you re-read that a couple times yet? You saw it correctly- I said, "Don't teach that horse to lift his feet."

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Coming from someone who needs to be UNDER that horse, you would think that we'd WANT him to lift his feet, right?

Yes-- But.

(You knew that BUT was coming, right?)

That horse needs general training. Handling his hooves are the least of the owner's worries. If the horse can not stand politely, and patiently, with out fidgeting, wiggling, walking over the handler, and being a pushy bugger, I'm not getting under him.

Sure, there are a lot of short cuts that could be employed to *make* the horse be still for hoof care, but do you really want to *force* him into something? Seriously? What exactly, will the horse take away from that session? What will he behave like next time? And the next? And five years down the line? Will you need to resort to better living through chemistry for hoof care?

Do you really want to watch the battle escalate, when ten or so minutes a day of PREVENTION can provide your horse with a life time of manners?

It's less expensive in the long run.
It's healthier for the handler.
It's safer for the hoof care providers (and vets.)
It's safer for the HORSE.

Where To Start:

- First, the handler needs to realize he is SO NOT in control of that horse and his feet. And that he needs to make a Firm Decision that this behavior needs to stop. The time for massive Ego telling you that you are indeed in control is long gone. Listen up, and play it smart please.

- Second, Handler needs to discover The Art Of Intention. By that I mean simply identify the End Goal: standing still. And use the Intention intelligently to reach that end goal.

Horse wants to wiggle and move?
No problem! Allow him the room to move, but YOU are going to control the direction of his movement, AND the speed.

This can be accomplished in a round pen, in an arena, or in the middle of a wide open field on a line. You, the Handler, are still in control of direction and speed.

Horse wants to poke along at a slow walk? Push for a jog. Horse wants to charge about dangerously? Quietly but WITH INTENTION ask for a direction change. And keep changing the direction, until Horse's head lowers, and he begins to relax.

-Third- WATCH. YOUR. HORSE.

Read what he is telling you. Look for head bobs. Look for mouth movement. Look at ear position. Watch. Your. Horse. What is he saying?

-Fourth- Horse is starting to realize that you are assuming control of his feet.

Ask Horse to stand. When he is standing, give praise (verbal, and a rub are my favorites.)

-Fifth- When Horse can stand politely, ask him to lead politely. On the side of your choosing, with his head at your shoulder.


You'll work your way to his feet in a bit- right now, for the next few days or weeks- or however long it takes for you to communicate your INTENTION of his good behavior- work on manners.

Do. Not. Touch. The. Feet.


A quick word about this ground work:
This is NOT advice to run the horse into the ground until he is lathered and panting. The only thing you teach a horse that way is that he needs to run away from you. This is not about wearing a horse out- this is about gaining the upper "hoof" in control. This is about establishing communication that YOU are Boss Hoss, and he is NOT. This is about manners. Safety. Establishing a working relationship that will benefit everyone who comes in contact with the horse for the rest of his life.

There are no time limits. If you only have time to work on one thing- such as walking- fine. Take that and build on it the next day. Establish that you can- bit by bit- CONSISTENTLY- have that horse move. Break things down to small steps- make it easy to understand for YOU, and your horse will understand your Intention. Move him forward. Back him up. Side pass to the right and left. Turn on the haunches. Change direction often. Keep yourself calm and quiet, and Confident.

If there are key phrases to take away today, they would be:
- INTENTION
- CONSISTENCY
- CALMNESS
- CONFIDENCE

There is much more ground to cover on this subject, but digest this part first. As always, fire away!

Sonny's Sunday

Nope, that isn't the Big Red Horse you've all come to expect seeing on Sundays. Sonny does not have much of interest to report this week, since it has been cold, wet, snowed, and wet. We did get in one work/ ride session, for which he was his typical Good Boy.

Instead, we have a very special day. Not only is it Valentine's Day, it is also Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog's 8th Birthday.

Sonny graciously offered up *his* blog time, to wish Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog a Happy Birthday. I was shocked.

So here she is- 75 pounds of happies, smiles, and dedication- Jo, the Best Dog In The World!

Now this is a funny one, since Jo, part herding dog, is terrified of anything bigger than she is.
But she'll tag along after me as I ride, and stays within ten feet of me and the horse.
Go figure.

She loves her kids.
The pillow too, but mostly she loves her kids.

This shot was after Cub shoved Wrecking Crew off the dock.
She and I groaned at the same time...

Playing Submarine.

Her favorite past time, aside from eating,
BELLY RUBS!

Jo smells like a swamp rat for most of the summer. She loves to splash with the kids,
even though she won't actually SWIM.

When we get out in deeper water, she whines and grumps until the kids get closer to her.
And she LOVES to jump up and catch water with Cub.

Jo is known for her Supervisory abilities.

Happy Birthday Jo.
You're the Best Darn Dog on the Planet.

Here's hoping we have many more years to come.

Holy Fricken Cow

Maybe "Holy Frozen Icicles!" would be more appropriate.

The Little Mens are tucked in bed, snug under their covers. Deep in dreams, anticipating a very rare event for the Southland- that of snow.

Shortly after tucking them in, I made my way slowly to the couch to begin my nightly ritual of allowing my brain to shut down, when I happen to look up and out the window......

And see snow.

Big, fat, flakes, drifting down slowly. The rain is changing over, and the snow is here.

Holy.Fricken.Cow.

I keep saying, "You don't have to shovel it."
Which is good, since I no longer OWN a snow shovel.

There is no need to put on tire chains, attach a plow, or dig out endless numbers of winter clothing (nope, no idiot mittens for the Little Mens yet...)
Since I no longer own a plow truck, tire chains, or even a single solitary pair of idiot mittens, it is good that this will melt quickly.

But it's snowing.

A bitter-sweet night my friends... bitter-sweet indeed.

Stay warm y'all....
~MM

You Get What You Pay For...

An old adage well worth remembering. Be it a five dollar haircut, to low priced equine services, you really DO get what you pay for.

I got a reminder of this not long ago, when I accepted a "free" subscription to a horse magazine. The magazine was one I had loved in the past. I'd look forward to the slick, glossy pages, the amazing breed centerfolds, and all of the articles jam packed with information. Over the years, I'd grown fond of several magazines- everything from Horse & Rider to Western Horseman, Practical Horseman, Equus, and John Lyons Perfect Horse would at one point in time or another find their way to my mailbox. I'd spend all month pouring over the information inside, gleaning as much as I could and admiring the photographs contained between the covers.

Considering my past love of horse magazines, I was pretty excited by the possibility of getting one of them again. When not one but two months worth showed up in the mailbox on the same day, I could not wait to dive between the covers, and see how my memories stood up to the product in my hands....

Eagerly, I scanned the cover, picking out the articles that looked the most interesting. I felt the weight in my hand... and thought it seemed... well, lighter. Chalking it up to my hazy memory, I set my prizes on a shelf, until later on when things would be more quiet, and I could enjoy my reading time to the fullest.

The kids were tucked into bed, Dear Husband was working on something online, and I curled up with Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog to read to my heart's content.....

And I was hit with a barrage of shiny, slick advertising, articles that contain little to no actual useful information, and a sense of disappointment. I'd truly gotten what I had "paid" for.

The magazine? Horse Illustrated.

At least the photographs of the breed centerfolds are still there. The Gypsy Vanner Horses featured this month are beautiful. However, I confess- I could not bring myself to read the text that accompanies them. My disappointment in the entire magazine truly hit bottom, as at the back of the magazine, sandwiched between endless pages of advertisement, is a monthly column by someone I really can not bring myself to have a single solitary ounce of respect for.

You see, FUGLY is featured there. Oh sure- arguments abound about her eye for conformation (which is negligible,) and how she champions the rescue efforts, calls out backyard and irresponsible breeders, and works tirelessly for the good of the horse.

Argue all you want--- two years ago, her followers interfered with a rescue effort by our very own Mikey. They caused Mikey untold amounts of grief, and made her life miserable. Not only that, but they put the lives of the animals Mikey was working to rescue in jeopardy.

For people who claim to be all about the horse, and rescue, their actions were disastrous all around.

The question ultimately boils down to responsibility. Was it the responsibility of FUGS to control her mob? Maybe not, as we as adults have our own personal accountability to think of. At least some of us do. Did FUGS go out of her way to try and help the situation any? Not that I recall. (If I'm wrong, let me know.)

Yes Horse Illustrated, you let me down. Not only did you hire someone who has a pretty poor reputation all along the west coast (and thanks to the Wonders of the Interwebs, her online reputation is pretty poor as well), but overall your magazine has spiraled downhill. It has become as lightweight inside, as I initially thought of the overall outside. It has a use in my home, to show my sons the different breeds of horses. But for overall educational material? Not so much. Maybe it is because I'm a good bit older now, and I've spent an incredible amount of time learning everything I could about horses. Maybe the tough times for print materials today has had an overwhelmingly negative impact. (Although maybe if you printed actual useful information, you'd have a wider subscription base for your print magazine. Maybe instead of pushing your interactive website so hard, you'd have more subscribers as well.) Time changes all things, and memories sometimes are best left as just that. Not only do you get what you pay for, but maybe there is something to the other saying- that of you can't go home again.

At least most of the pictures are decent.....

Because the Sun is SHINING...

It happens to really nice out right now. Bright sunshine, warm temperature, and just... lovely. Until tomorrow that is. Yep- you guessed it. More. Rain.

So, since it IS so nice today, I'm showing you ...

WATER PICTURES!

(Yeah- just something wrong with that idea...)



This is the view from the lake today. From the shoreline, the decking on the high dock was replaced last April, and the addition with the drop down was built on. The Floating dock and bridge came early in the summer. The *reason* behind this was because due to three years of extreme drought, the lake level had dropped off considerably, and the kids could no longer jump off the end of the dock into the water.

Thought this was cool- the ramp USED to slope DOWN to get to the floating dock. Not any more!

Below is what things looked like last April. Yes, the children went swimming. It's the south. It gets warmer here than up North much quicker.
This section is now completely underwater, with water about to come over the top soon. A few more rainfalls like we've been having, and it shouldn't be long before I can post shots of water over the decking.

Finished extension. Funny to look at this picture, and look at how full the lake is today...

Won't be long now before we're back in the lake, swimming just about every day (and watching for gators, feeding fish, and looking for baby ducks and geese.)

Wild how Nature takes care of things isn't it?

Now, I am off to spend some time with my horse. I need a Sonny kiss!

Sonny's SUN(!)day!

Sonny wanted to share some of what his pond... err PADDOCK- yeah, PADDOCK, looks like right now, and also show off the sweet, fresh, lovely hay his "Daddy" and I scored for him. There have been a couple days this week where the sunshine tried to come out- it really did- but riding? Not happening around this little piece of the swamp. Not unless you happen to grow feathers off your butt, have webbed feet, and QUACK.

The sun is strong today though, and we have hope that the next two days at least can evaporate at least SOME of this standing water. The pump is running full bore, trying to suck water out of the far corner, and I have used all the old hay I could lay my hands on to "build" Sonny two dry spots- one outside to eat in, and one in his run in, so he can be somewhat comfortable when it rains. (Which it is supposed to do, again, Wednesday or Thursday. Our last rainfall? Only brought an inch and a half more. Which by rough estimation brings OUR total at Command Central to .... Ready for it?......... Pushing 14" of rain since January. Yes, you read that right. Fricken FOURTEEN INCHES. *sigh*)




But, that new bale is a Bright Spot in more than one way. The fellow we bought this bale from warned us, saying, "Now, these are real big bales!" We pulled up, and Dear Husband took a look in the barn where they were stored and he said, "Holy Shit. That IS a big bale." Took a bit of finagling to get it loaded, but load it we all did and safely haul on home. (How tall is it? Well, in these boots, I'm 5' 9" tall.)

Sonny about pee'd himself when he spotted that roll on the back of the trailer.


Look- Over my head-- proof of BLUE SKY!!!! Time to do a Sunshine Dance huh? Need more of that wonderful pretty blue sky to be around....


This is the sweet loveliness that was snug inside the wrapping. I opened it up, and stuck my face in it..... and Sonny stood just to the other side of the fence, stomping his front foot, nickering at me. I think he was more or less telling me in NO uncertain terms that HE, King of Command Central, wanted to stick HIS face in that hay too, and EAT it. Can't say as though I blame him. It smelled so good my belly rumbled, reminding me that I had forgotten breakfast--- again.


Here's the view. The water was... let's see now--- well, on Friday, the water was darn near touching the back of the shelter. If I had to guess, I'd say it was about three feet from getting into the shelter.

At night lately, when the temperature is still in the 40's, I hear peepers singing away. While it is a lovely sound, it is not quite one I wish to hear THAT CLOSE to my bedroom. Seriously now.



There is one small, tiny area that has packed sand, and is not under water. Sonny has been napping there through the day, and trying to stand in it, to try and dry his feet and legs even a tiny bit. I don't hay him there, not because of sand ingestion worries, but because if we mix hay into it, and encourage him to spend even MORE time there, it will get churned up and in no time- be a disaster like the rest of the paddock.

So, he has his two "beds" built, and a little packed sand spot to hang out in. Poor bugger. I don't dare take him into the yard- his hooves will tear it up badly. The driveway in spots is taking a major beating too, and we just about had to put the truck in 4WD to get in to off load the hay.

Ah well.... at least the sun is shining. It is warm, Sonny has hay, and the Sun Is SHINING. It can only get better from here, right?

Stay dry, stay warm, and don't be quacking out there!
~MM