Sylvana, an awesome natural horse trainer (and mentor), met me at the barn after work to help me with Kasane. Sylvana and Chris, the barn owner, have given me tips and suggestions for working with young horses using natural horsemanship methods. I’ve always done traditional training methods and always enjoy learning new techniques and methods. Sylvana watched me work Kasane. The Bay Wonder Mare Junior was frisky at first: she bucked at me...
Continue reading...Kasane
Back at the barn
After over a week of being away from the barn, I finally got back out there on Sunday. Sunday morning I realized just how much stress I’d been living with because I felt shaky and off kilter. The best solution when I feel like that is to go to the barn. Not to ride, but just to see the girls. Just putting my hand on Isis washes away the stress and everything is...
Continue reading...Lessons from riding
I’ve had a riding lesson for the past two Saturdays. It has been a roller coaster where my riding skills fluctuated from newbie to advanced. Had my skills degraded? Muscle tone wasn’t as good as it had been in 2008 when we were able to ride more. In 2009, riding time was minimized due to Isis’ and my medical issues. Even though it was hard to ride when Isis tripped several times every...
Continue reading...All kitties to the vet tomorrow
All of the kitties are going to the vet tomorrow morning. Ambush and Stella are having fluids. Kiesha is going to be tested to see if she has a UTI like the other two, and if so, she will needs meds. The farrier is also coming out tomorrow morning for Isis and Kasane. He’ll check Prize’s feet to find the best way to get her on the same schedule as the other girls....
Continue reading...Two peas in a pod
Prize arrived on Saturday. It’s hard to describe what it is like to having a horse come back after so many years. I couldn’t stop smiling all day at work on Friday. Saturday I was bouncing off of the walls and wanting to make everything perfect. I had Prize’s halter, photos of her as a yearling/weanling, and her old tack box with her name on it with a backwards Z (from when I...
Continue reading...Almost riding
It’s been a while since I wrote about Kasane’s progress on the Great Path Towards Riding. She’s learned quite a bit this winter: left/right/whoa/back while ground driving, bits aren’t nasty when given with treats, and dressage saddles aren’t scary. All of the exercises Kasane and I do build towards riding. Voice commands when lunging teach her the words so when I’m behind her ground driving she’ll understand walk or whoa. Ground driving teaches...
Continue reading...Wet weekend
It was a very wet weekend at the barn. Isis played on Saturday and apparently enjoyed herself so much that her front right tendon was swollen. She wasn’t lame and the swelling wasn’t warm, so I put some liniment on her and put her back out. Kasane’s cut looks much better. I went out to the field to check on the cut and it was a little goopy. (Amazing what mud + scab...
Continue reading...Bay Wonder Mares
It was gorgeous today. No clouds in the sky. Amazing warm weather (60F) and a light breeze. I weighed in at Weight Watchers today and then wanted to skip out of work. Instead, I went back, finished up some projects, and got out of work early. I was itching to ride Isis and work both girls. I didn’t care if I was in my work clothes. I wanted to be out with the...
Continue reading...Kasane with the bit and saddle on
Ever since Isis’ choking episode in November, I have been thinking about wanting to ride Kasane. I love riding Isis, but she can’t be stressed. (If she is stressed, it is possible that she will exhibit similar symptoms to when she had her EPM episode last summer. These symptoms will persist in some form until her nerves are fully healed. The vet said that it can take one to five years for nerves...
Continue reading...Why did Ceffyl disappear again?
Ceffyl has been stressed: Three sick cats: two have recovered from a UTI, third might have one (or she has a behavioral issue). My mare, Isis, was diagnosed with EPM (serious neurological disease) and just finished the first month of treatment. All of this started in May. If you know me, then you know this is my kid and anything that happens to her gets me Seriously Upset. Unsure about my job. I’ve...
Continue reading...Silly pictures of the girls
I took a friend out to the barn. He had a new Pentax K10D DSLR and wanted to try taking pictures of the horses. He ended up with the picture below of Kasane. It’s probably one of my favourites of her so far. She’s making a face because I’m scratching That Spot on her belly. The flies are out again, so both girls are wearing their fly masks. Or at least they are...
Continue reading...Out of town this weekend
I’m visitng my parents this weekend, so I’ll be possibly posting. Depends upon how exhausted I am from working at the barn. It’s a good exhaustion. 🙂 Mom has Isis’ daddy, Sirdar, and several of Isis’ sisters. She also has Kasane’s sister, Kenya, who is by the same sire and out of Isis’ sister, Farah. I am looking forward to seeing how Kenya looks compared to Kasane. Rajiyyah is also there. Sweet grey...
Continue reading...Day at the barn
There was an informal natural horsemanship session at my barn today. One of the ladies started a three year old filly under saddle. The filly is a buckskin, Quarter Horse/Arabian cross. She is a rescue case and has not been handled much. She knew how to lead and not much else. It was amazing watching how the filly responded and learned what was being asked. She is a smart little girl. She picked...
Continue reading...Clinic and Riding Lesson
The Bay Wonder Mare Senior did well in the clinic and in our lesson on Sunday. We did the in-hand work and also the under-saddle work. It is easy for me to forget how bright Isis is. One of the exercises in the clinic was to encourage the horse to lower his/her head by massaging and applying a little pressure behind the ears. When the horse lowers the head a little, you remove...
Continue reading...Sunday with the kids
Sunday morning was the weekly riding lesson. My last riding lesson was last Sunday and it went well. Unfortunately, my back hurt so much the morning after I had to stay home from work. Last night, I went to the company holiday party. Three hours of walking around in heels plus moving boxes out of my storage unit meant my back was a mess this morning. I took 400 mg of ibuprofen and...
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