Escure Ranch House

Amy and Tristan in the Evening

Nice sunset ride

Tonka, Eager for Breakfast

Beautiful Sunrise

Morning Heron

Getting ready - Lea and Bob

Laura, Alexa, and Tristan

Amy and Laura

Bob and Mary

Mary with Black and her newly adopted filly, Sally

Heading out!

Tonka's pretty mane

Tristan and Dyno

Lunch Break

Tonka's having lunch too

Ridin' the range

Amy and Tristan

Beautiful Sunset

Ready to go again

I just liked this picture

our mixed crew of hikers and riders

I love this picture, and it was fun riding up and down the little butte

The sky!

Mule deer

Tonka didn't mind the bridge at all, but the water noise bothered him a bit.

Another quiet evening ride

Adorable ears, and a beautiful view

My handsome guy

We had a wonderful time meeting up with the Mustang Club for our campout at Escure ranch.  LOTS of riding, and we didn't even see half of it I'm sure.  What a great getaway.  I'm already wanting to go back.

Oh, and the funniest part of the trip was when Henry was hiking with us.  He's geting ready to climb Mt. Rainier this summer so he carried his big pack.  Tonka didn't mind it for the most part, but every now and then he'd look at it like it was a monster perched on Henry's back, eating his brain.  He cracks me up with his little idiosyncrasies. 

I'm getting really excited for our camping trip.  Especially now that I know I'm taking my good horse Tonka.  He seems to be feeling just fine.  I think he really enjoyed our ride tonight.  It was a little short because a storm came in but I made the most of it by doing some good trotting up our various hills.  He made the most of it by suddenly dropping his head to grab a bite of grass, no matter what we happened to be doing at the moment.  The gall!

I'm still totally not ready for my trip.  That seems to be pretty normal for me, last minute packing.  And I'd been thinking I'd have my trailer, so everything is packed in there, but now we're taking my sister's trailer so I get to move it all into my truck and hope I don't forget anything important.  I have plenty of time in the morning so it shouldn't be a big deal.


We saw this nice moose when we were driving to town.  She walked right out in the middle of the road and stared at us, clearly baffled.  Then she turned back around and hightailed it out of there.  I guess it wasn't that pressing an engagement on the other side.  I wish we'd been quick enough to get a picture while she was standing there looking so confused.  It was very cute.

Well I went ahead and got Bella out today, and after spending about an hour on her tangled mane we saddled up, did a little bit of ground work, and rode.  When I trotted her on line she didn't seem to have a limp at all, or if she did it was very slight.  So I opted not to do too much circle work so I don't cause her to start limping again.  Riding went really well, amazingly well, so well I got tears in my eyes at one point.  She's a good girl.  Once we got through re-establishing the basics and just rode out, she was really enjoying trucking along and taking in the scenery.  I think she just wanted to keep on going.  Whenever I took her into a new area with new distractions she'd need to be reminded not to let her anxiety make her rush, but out in the field she was totally in her element.  I couldn't have been more pleased.  And I never felt a limp as we were riding either, but of course we stayed at a walk so she shouldn't have been limping anyway.

Tonight Katia and I both wanted to ride.  Tonka had been such a racehorse in the pasture that I decided to ride him and see if he was able to carry me without stumbling and having a hard time.  He was totally fine!  Yesterday I had put him and Scout in a pasture with more grass.  I wonder if all the discomfort I was seeing was just gas.  I know Scout had big gas because I could feel it rumbling in his belly even through the saddle when I was riding him, and he even belched in my face.  I put them back in the more sparse pasture this morning, with lots of hay.  Maybe the gas dissipated and he'll be fine now.

Soxy seemed to enjoy her ride.  Katia rode in a saddle, under protest, because I think it's easier on the old lady's back.  As we were walking back I mentioned that I'd give Soxy her goodies in the stall, and she gave me a very eager look.  I hadn't realized she knew the word "goodies."  They're so smart.

I've been riding every day to get ready for the Mustang Club camping trip this weekend.  We even got Scout out (finally) for some refresher work.  He didn't do real well on day one, but I rode him twice yesterday and he did a lot better.  I still don't know if he'd be ready for the hubub and strangeness of a camping trip though.

The only reason I'm even considering taking Scout is that Tonka is bad off with his EPSM.  I was really disappointed when I found him pretty uncomfortable yesterday, with all the muscles in his hind end fairly firm.  I hope he's 100% improved today but there's really no reason to think he'd improve that fast.

I even considered getting Bella out and seeing how she does.  She's a little more level-headed than Scout is, but she's been lame, so she probably couldn't go.  I don't know what I'm going to do, but I don't want to go horse camping without a horse and get left behind in camp while everyone else rides.  If my family was coming with me we could at least go hiking, but we can't figure out who'd take care of the critters while we're away.  So...  We'll see.

Katia even went riding with me the other day.  It was fun to have company.  Old Soxy did pretty well.  We had to stop and let her breathe sometimes but other than that she seemed very happy to get out and do something.

In case anyone is looking - I'm selling the nice lightweight Fabtron saddle I bought last month for $215.  I need to buy supplements for Tonka and it doesn't make sense to keep it.  I love the saddle, it's so light and comfortable, but I don't really need it - maybe you do? 

I can't believe how much sun we've had!  I love it.  And now I'm off to enjoy some more of it.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Tonka and I had an awesome ride tonight.  We didn't do anything all that interesting but he was so cheerful and cute I could hardly stand it.  Maybe it was the hour of grazing in the good grass near the house that had him in such a good mood.  I like that I can just turn him loose and he doesn't do anything stupid, just eats and eats.

Work at the vet clinic really wore me out today for some reason.  I almost didn't ride after I got home even though the sun was shining.  Glad I did though.

Day before yesterday Tonka got to meet the big green Parelli ball at my sister's house.  I figured he would either be really scared or not really worried at all.  He wasn't scared.  He wasn't as interested in pushing it around as I thought he would be though. 

So as of yesterday our family is without income - John's job is done.  The business he put years into building up was taken over by a bigger company last September, and they kept him on as a manager but it didn't work out.  We knew it was coming but it's still scary.  It will be a good thing in the long run - can't get a much worse job than the one he was doing.  Hopefully he'll hit the ground running with better pay and maybe even health insurance.  That would be awesome.  We may have to move but we'll do what we have to do.  Hopefully if we do have to move it will just be up to Spokane.  And I can get a job doing something or other if John doesn't - he'd be able to take a turn being the stay at home parent, which I think he'd like.  And he's a much better housekeeper than I am.  :)

Scary thought though, possibly having to sell our place.  This was our first house, I've never had to sell one before.  The thought is overwhelming.  But all the work that needs to be done is a good distraction from all the uncertainty we're going through now.

I'm positive there's a great big silver lining to this cloud though.  It'll all turn out fine.

I'm still sick, even sicker than I was, but I had to get out anyway today.  It wasn't raining!  My sister brought her horse over and we went up the road from here.  She took some nice pictures.  I didn't take any.

This is a big old church with McCroskey state park in the background:

The mountains east of here (I think):

And here's Tonka motoring on home:

He's a wee bit barn sour.  He was poky and sticky all the way out, and speedy and impatient all the way home.  We'll have to work on that. 

The cat bite is healing.  I learned my lesson - go get antibiotics right away.  I waited a day and it got pretty nasty.  It took two days after that before it felt better at all.  Now it's still real swollen and I broke the deeper part open when I was riding, but it's so much better than it was Friday and Saturday.  

Now I'm going to go feed early so I can go to bed early.  I feel like I'm either going to float away, pass out, or just fall over.  I can't wait to feel like a normal human being again.  I'm not very good at being a stoic sick person.  I think I have a Man Cold.  Which is to say I'm a big whiny baby when I don't feel good.  :)

I have the blahs so I thought I'd see if I could type.  It looks like I can!  Yay!

Why wouldn't I be able to?  Yesterday a cat bit me pretty bad.  Poor critter was scared, should have had a note on his carrier to "watch out" and I got him out to weigh him, with bad results.  After we got him anesthetized we found a nasty infected bite on his leg (looked a lot like my finger did when he was done with me) that explained his bad mood.  I probably touched his leg as I picked him up off the scale and I bet it hurt.

I think I'm going to have to go to the doctor.  Dang it.  It's hot and swollen, not unbearable and not oozing or anything, but looking online it seems like antibiotics are the prudent thing to do with a deep cat bite on a hand.

This month I was sure I was going to make it to the Mustang Club meeting (it was yesterday).  I had everything arranged just perfectly.  Then Katia's team scheduled 2 games at the last minute.  I had hoped they'd be rained out like all the other games so far, but they did end up playing.  It was a 2 hour drive each way but it was a pretty drive along the Clearwater river to Orofino.  We saw most of one game and the start of another.  They won both games!  They're playing really well.  I can't wait to see how they do for the rest of the season.  But I wish I'd been able to go to my meeting.  You'd think that I could manage to get away to do ONE thing a month, but no. 

Other than that, it's raining like crazy here, and my house is a mess.  Exciting times...

I wonder if we could grow rice here?

I took Tonka out to see how flooded the lower pasture is.  It was fun to splash around. 

 Blue was afraid of the neighbor ladies.

Some cowdog he is.

Everyone got their 5 way vaccines today and they all stood nicely while I did their shots all by myself.  Tonka's muscle felt different than the others, kinda crunchy as the needle went in.  Wonder if that's just because he was tense (he'd had his blood drawn a couple hours earlier and might have been fed up with needles) or because of the EPSM.  Interesting, anyway.  So all my spring health work is done.  Love that feeling.  And Tonka and I had a great ride. It's a good day.

The weatherman was wrong today, in all the right ways!  It was beautiful, sunny, and warm all day long.  I am still fighting the flu, so I was dizzy and nauseous all morning, seeing spots even.  Eventually I made myself get outside and do some yard work anyway.  Liam and I dug up some trees and put them in pots, hoping they'll root well enough to stay alive and be relocated.  I love our cottonwoods.  I haven't been able to successfully move one yet though.

While we were working on that I saw Bella fall down.  Actually I missed the falling down part and saw her struggling to get up.  I don't know what happened.  She wasn't even in a particularly muddy or steep spot.  When she finally got up she held her hind right leg up for a long time, trying and failing to put it down several times.  Eventually she was able to put it down enough to hobble off, and then she seemed to be moving okay, if not well.  Later she seemed like her normal self and I couldn't find any swelling or heat.  That whole episode makes me less likely to want to ride her though.  I've been leaning toward not riding her again and this just makes it more likely that she'll be retired at the ripe old age of 6.  Dang it.

Tonka and I had a good little ride today after an intensive grooming and grazing session and some warm up work on line.  We went up and down the road a ways.  Nothing real exciting, but it was a nice ride in the sunshine.  Then he got his massage and I put him up.

Yesterday was the yearly horse health clinic.  The boys had their blood drawn for health certificates and Tonka is getting a test done for trace mineral levels.  They both got their strangles vaccines because I hate doing intranasal vaccines myself.  The vet is so fast they don't know what hit them.  Afterward I ran to town and came home to a message that Tonka's blood didn't spin down correctly so we'll have to go back in and have it drawn again.  No biggie, these things happen.

I wish this good weather was going to hang around but it looks like we're in for a lot more rain this week.  Yuck.

Tonka and I went on a snow ride today.  It just looks wet and miserable in the pictures but really it wasn't.  It was peaceful and quiet.  The snow was falling pretty thick and it was very calming to just sit there and watch it come down.

Our ponds are pretty full and the old cedar fencing is much worse off after the winter.  More work to do this year.

I finally took a picture of my new chinks but it doesn't show them very well.  I really was grateful for them today though.  Not only did they keep me warm and dry, they gripped my saddle really well too.  (Shh, don't tell Tonka I told you because he might be embarassed, but he did have a big spook today, poor guy.)

 

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Happy Spring!

I've gotten back in the groove with the horses and it feels great!  Today Tonka got his exercise and a long massage (I'm going to be spending a lot of time rubbing this horse's arse in hopes it helps his muscles), and John and Scout joined us for a walk around the property.  Yesterday I rode both Tonka and Scout.  Scout was such a good boy!  You wouldn't have known he'd had months off, which is pretty good for a coming 4 year old.  Tonka saw the chiropractor yesterday so I only rode him for a couple minutes before our appointment.  He'd been stiff on his right side, and now that's all better.  Liam rode Soxy a bunch yesterday, and the chiro's daughter got a good long ride too.  Soxy seems to have more stamina now that she's out with the rowdy bunch getting more exercise.  Last week was a good week with the horses too.  It's all good.  :)

I'm not much in the mood for a long blog post but hopefully soon I'll get back in the blogging groove too.  At least now I'll have horse stuff to talk about!

Something to think about today.

Our local animal shelters are no-kill shelters.  Which made it easier for me when I had to take that stray dog in there last year.  Thinking in terms of individual animals it makes it easier to know they aren't going to die.

BUT...  Our shelters are full a lot of the time, and they just turn people away.  There aren't enough adopters.  I heard a story today that really opened my eyes to why this isn't good.  There was an older person who was so overrun with cats it had become a health concern.  Some well-meaning neighbors took the time and expended the effort to catch the cats (with permission from the owner), and they took them to the shelter.  They were turned away.  No alternatives offered, just turned away.  So the cats were taken out and shot.  Humane?  I'd prefer a lethal injection.  But then I don't think euthanasia is that big a deal.  The critter doesn't fear death, doesn't even know what death is.  In most cases it's painless and it is very quick.  On the other hand, I don't know how good a shot that person was with the cats.  A bullet could go wrong in a lot of horrible ways.  How sad.

What do you think about no-kill or kill shelters?

On another note, and a much happier one, I got another job yesterday!  Totally out of the blue, thanks to a recommendation from my trainer friend.  I'm going to assist our local equine dentist.  She travels all over the place but I'm just helping out here at home. It's very part time, and it won't make a huge difference in the bank account, but it will be so much fun and I'll learn a lot.  She's a regular vet too, but specializes in equine dentistry now, and I think I heard she was a farrier at one time as well.  So there are all sorts of opportunities for learning.  Love it!

On another happy note today, I got to spend lots of time with Mama Cat, who has been MIA a lot lately (don't worry, she's spayed).  She let me start her annual shearing, and I got about half of her back and legs, and even some of her belly clipped.  I just use scissors and stay patient.  My clippers don't work right, and I'm not sure she'd tolerate them.  She just sat there and purred and loved it, until she didn't anymore, and then she was DONE.  That's about how it usually works.  :)

Liam rode old Soxy today and Tonka came out to play too.  I helped spay and neuter 4 dogs and 6 cats. Made chili for dinner and then shaved the cat.  I'd say that's a pretty good day.  Oh, and the sun was shining and it was WARM!  :)

Please watch this.  All of it.

 I haven't had much time or anything interesting for blogging lately.  So I figured I'd take some pictures to write about.  Above (because I just finally went to the new version of Blogger and haven't figured it out yet) are our two hens - Blackbeard and Blondie. Not a very interesting picture but it is fun to have them escort me out to the barn in the morning.  And that means the weather is nice enough for them to come out and forage and quit pooping on all my stuff in the barn, which is very nice.  Das, one of our original hens, is still here and going strong, although not laying.  Her daughter Peekaboo was in a nest this morning, so maybe I'll get an egg.  They're so good at hiding them, and the dogs are so good at finding them, that an egg for us is a very rare occasion.  :)

These girls next door have been dropping babies right and left.  It was strange, they really got going the night we had very cold temperatures - lots of babies the next morning.  Poor critters, born into this cold world.  They all seem healthy though, as far as I can tell. I feel lucky to have them next door for me to watch.  Soon they'll start having crazy calf races, I love that!

 Despite my optimistic last post, my arm is still very painful and not very usable.  I've lost so much strength trying to baby it and make it better.  My current tactic is to take a lot of ibuprofen and use it anyway.  But I also broke down and got a lighter saddle yesterday.  Just a cheap used Fabtron.  It's so light I can toss it around no problem.  It seems to fit Tonka like a glove, but not Scout. 

My good Huckleberry in the brush: 

Blue is getting big!

 

He's an annoying little brother.

But he's still super cute.

And very intense at times.

India is the cuddliest dog ever.

So sweet.

Blue is a pest.  India tells him off but he knows she's all bark.

 

India's arthritis is getting a lot worse.  I took her to the vet I work for and she thought we'd be lucky if she makes it another couple months.  She is getting slower to get up, and easier to fall down.  She is in a lot of pain too, even with meds, but she still happily runs around outside and she still eats, although not as much.  So it's not time yet, but I can see it getting closer.

I'm still working at the Spay Neuter Clinic and loving it.  I may get a paid position there soon.  I hope so, it would really help with the finances.  I've been doing a lot of eBay selling for John. That can be interesting when I don't know much about what I'm selling.  Luckily eBay has a lot of the information on cell phones already there for me to use.  I've been reading a fair amount but am now almost out of books - any suggestions?  I also got my house pretty well in order but you know how long that lasts when you have kids.  I still have some painting to do too.

Saturday was Shearing Day out at my friend's farm.  Even though it's work I always enjoy it.  John and Katia came along too this time.  They both had fun.  John got to spend the day "sheep tipping" as he put it, and Katia helped with skirting.  She did a good job, didn't have to be nagged to get her butt in gear.  :)  She liked the work and wants to keep doing more stuff like it, so she's going to help me with the garden this year.  (Little did she know she was going to help me with that anyway.) 

This update seems to be getting a little boring so I'm off!  Hopefully I'll have some horse adventures to report soon, now that I have a saddle I can lift. :)

I trimmed hooves today and it didn't kill me! I've been having this dang elbow problem for so long now. I've put off trimming because I didn't think I could. But I found this awesome stuff, it's a capsaicin cream called Capzasin HP and it totally kills the pain. Well, it did until after I trimmed, and it didn't hurt that much then. I highly recommend it if you have chronic joint or connective tissue pain. But I wonder if you do more damage because you don't feel the pain you should be feeling... And don't stick your finger in your eye after you use it. It is a hot pepper cream after all. And it does burn mildly at times. Not too bad but I'd imagine some people might be more sensitive to it so it would be a good idea to do a small test area first.

Anywho... I was surprised at how little needed trimming since it's been a while. I just got the girls done today, will get the boys tomorrow. They're pests. I have all the horses in the same area now and they were in the adjacent stall making all kinds of racket while I was trimming Bella. She didn't appreciate it. At one point she decided she had to leave, but I think that was more because of the dogs barking at Liam who looked like a crippled Jedi coming out to visit me in his bathrobe, trying to keep it closed to the wind. Kids...

The horses are obviously loving being pastured together. The mustangs all stand in a red huddle with their blaze faces so close together. Then they play chase, graze a bit, and take a nap. It's all so loving and harmonious. Soxy stays separate because she's old and protective of her space, but I know she loves the company. And she enjoyed teasing the boys and then squealing and striking at them, all from the safety of the other side of a gate of course. She still has to be separate a lot of the time because she gets special feed.

I was going to make a trip to the Seattle area tomorrow to visit my good friend but I had to cancel it. I'm bummed. So I'm "window shopping" online for a bit of retail therapy, even though I can't buy anything.

Check out this awesome barefoot hoofprint pendant on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/79384557/copper-barefoot-horse-hoofprint-pendant You see so much horseshoe art around but not much like this, and not this well done. It's so small I was thinking it might make a nice charm for a bracelet if you're into that sort of thing.

I also like this shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SJZywar?ref=top_trail

This one isn't horse related but I LOVE it: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63937768/oak-barrette

So many beautiful things on Etsy. It inspired me to make my own turquoise and leather barrette tonight, and to attempt to fix an old handmade silver barrette I've had since I lived in New Mexico. I don't have a lot of faith in super glue though... But I really want to do more of this soon. Maybe experiment with horsehair too, and I have a beading loom. So many possibilities, so little time! And I am notorious for starting projects and then stuffing them in a box. (Remember the saddle blanket I was making a year or so ago? I still want to finish it, but it's still barely started.)

Speaking of projects, I've been on a roll. Painting the trim inside the house, giving everything a thorough scrubbing, rearranging all my wall art. My living room is actually kind of relaxing now. Still have a huge TV blocking my big back window but I haven't found a lower table to put it on yet. Speaking of which, I went antiquing the other day and boy could that be an expensive hobby! So many things to fall in love with. I contented myself with an absolutely wonderful ceramic bread bowl that is over 100 years old, for only $30. I first saw it a couple months back and I looked at it several times since then, and I finally caved and bought it when it was still there a week ago. There's something about it, I just immediately loved it. Maybe it was mine in a past life. :)

So anyway, I think this supplement I'm taking is really helping with my energy levels. It's amazing how much I can get done in a day. But I don't know if it's a permanent effect or if something in it is amping me up. Either way, I'll take it. Until I need to quit taking it, that is. Hopefully the energy will stay with me.

On that note, I better go get a few more things done before bed. Good night!

12 years or so ago I bought my first new car, a Toyota Echo. I loved the name, the interior, the mileage, the look, and of course the low price. They didn't seem to understand how important it was to me that I get a green one. But it was, so I had to special order my new car and wait a few weeks.

She was beautiful and shiny, and when I picked her up she only had 3 miles on her. Eventually I named her Darby. I've always loved her, even though these days I mainly drive the truck. John drives a lot for work and at 35 MPG of course he drives the Echo.

She had a big milestone today.

Almost there:

300 thousand miles! Never thought I'd see the day!

Middle of nowhere, near Plaza, WA.
(I love the center mounted dash console - the wheel never blocks my view)

And here we are, 300K after the first time I got behind the wheel:
What a good car she is.

(We had a good lunch, too, and a great visit with my stepdad who, coincidentally, was with me when I bought my car, and cosigned to make it all possible. Thank you, Henry!)

It was a dreary day here but I didn't feel it a bit. I did my morning "run" on the treadmill (actually it's walking and jogging) and then some housework, some horsework, some time with my sister, a chiropractor visit, a trip to the DMV, and picked up my boy who had had a bad day, then got dinner and came home and became a vegetable.

This morning as I was walking back from feeding the boys, our old dog India preceded me with a deer leg she'd found. She was soooooo happy. Talk about walking proud. When she stood at the door cheerfully expecting me to let her in I had to put my foot down. She enjoyed it thoroughly outside. It reminds me that I keep meaning to pick up some bones from the butcher for the dogs. They're really good for keeping their teeth clean. And of course the dogs love them.

I took Scout for a walk around the property, looking for the dead deer. All I found was a small bone for Blue to enjoy. But we did find that the pond on the far side of the property is pretty full, and Scout walked right in, got a drink and splashed around, over his knees in the water. I like his playful inquisitiveness. Meanwhile Tonka got his exercise running and calling for "his" colt. So when I put Scout back, after letting him enjoy some of the tiny delectable green grass by the pond, I got Tonka out. He was all sweaty and breathing hard but he also enjoyed his turn at the green grass. He did walk in the pond when I insisted, but only on the very edge and he pointedly did not enjoy it. We walked around some more and I gave him extra grazing time. I know that EPSM is supposed to be adversely affected by sugars in the grass, but I think that it does Tonka good because of the extra vitamins in green grass. He always does better when he's grazing fresh grass. So I did a couple chores while he ran loose stood around eating, then I put him away. Baby Blue doesn't know yet not to walk right under a horse, as he showed me a couple times today. But he didn't learn his lesson, they just ignored him.

The rest is pretty boring but it was a good day overall. Hope you all had a good day too!

I'm feeling a little weird lately. I haven't said more than a couple words to my horses this week. I've been spring cleaning. I've been working. I've been worn out at the end of the day.

I feel like I'm in a state of potentiality. Like when the stream is caught in an eddy, whirling, gaining energy, but not going anywhere... yet. And I don't feel like I can (or want to) shape the direction I'm heading. Yet. I feel like I'm waiting, whirling, energizing, and the waiting is difficult. Normally I can wait calmly. Or maybe I'm not normally waiting, maybe I'm normally sitting stagnant. Right now I really wish I could direct this energy somewhere, but I don't know where it's going yet. I know that wherever I'm headed is right. I just have to wait, and make ready to flow back out into the river again, then start paddling.

Maybe I'm crazy. (I bet I sound crazy.) Maybe it's springtime in my bones, wanting to burst forth. Maybe it's this supplement I'm on. Maybe I'm getting healthier? Maybe I ate too much salad today. Who knows.

I'm not discounting the possibility that nothing huge is going to change in my life. That maybe all this means is that my house will be cleaner. But that's a change for the positive, and bigger than it sounds. I'll take it. :)

I've gotten farther along in my Real Riding book and I can't recommend it enough. I just finished Part 3: Mindwork. It's really important stuff. At the end of the section he talks about the state of true being with horses: "Have you ever had those moments with a horse when time seems to stand still? You feel totally uplifted by the experience. It is as though you are floating on air. You feel completely connected with the horse and your surroundings and totally at peace inside yourself. Everything you try to do with the horse happens easily and simply, as though the horse were part of your inner self, reading your mind and carrying out your wishes even before you have asked."

A little excerpt from the same page: "Imagine you're a horse... You form deep bonds; you love your friends and family." Yes, this may sound obvious, but did you ever just sit there and think about how deeply they bond? How much they love one another? I'm sure we've all experienced the magnetism of the herd, often in a very frustrating situation. Wouldn't it be nice if they were herdbound to us?

The next section is Partnership Work and I think it's going to be pretty amazing too.

On another note, there is a video I'd like to share with you. It's titled Horse Training with the Initiator Signal - Asking your horse's permission. I totally love it. Mostly I love it because this is something that just naturally came to into being in my training with Bella, but they've made it much more more clear and consistent than I did. I don't give treats and I don't have a consistent signal, but I do ask her to acknowledge me before I move on to something I know might stress her into mentally retreating. I think I ought to make my method clear like theirs, now that I know it is a method. :)

I'm having a horsemanship crisis of faith. I want to find a system that I think is fair, but that is also clear and easily understood, and I can't find it. Perhaps that's partially because so much of horsemanship is based on experience and feel, not words and techniques. You can't always look at a 2D image and get a feel for the horse and handler's state of mind, or how exactly the horse is bent, or what their breathing sounds like...

I don't like the idea of chasing horses in circles when they're freaked out. I don't believe that's natural horsemanship. I don't believe that a horse who cares about another horse is going to chase them around when they're scared. Sure, they do that as a dominance game, but it's not a friendly game if one horse is seriously scared. Friendly chasing happens in comfortable times, in safety among friends. Aggressive chasing is not among friends. Even if the chaser is in a calm state of mind, if the chasee is not, it's not friendly (in my opinion).

(Feel free to correct me if you disagree with the following.) A loving leader among the horses will still reprimand at times, and will still claim the better food, the better place to stand, etc. But when their buddies are scared they might reassure with a touch of the nose on the shoulder or neck. Or sometimes just ignore the goofy spooky horse. Perhaps they spook and run with them, and then show their unconcern or even advance on the scary object, which helps the scared horse realize there's nothing to worry about. They say, "I see what you're worried about, but it's okay." Maybe they don't really care how the other horse feels and they just experience and feel their own feelings, but they don't exacerbate the problem their buddy is having unless they also are afraid. Aha! Maybe we chase horses because we also are afraid? That sure doesn't put us in the fearless leader position, does it?

All that said, I do understand that often a horse needs to move its feet to "get the crazies out." And I'm not against doing what it takes, for as long as it takes, to keep a horse from jumping into my space. I know that sometimes horse training does not look pretty. And I'm not claiming to be an expert on horse training. I don't really know what I am saying. But I do know that I like my relationship with my horses, and I don't like to chase them around (unless they're being naughty on purpose, which the boys have been known to do, but even then circles are not always the answer). And I know I'm in a serious seeking phase right now. So, any suggestions? Books? Videos? Articles? Websites?

Blah. I keep going back and re-reading what I've written and it doesn't seem quite right. Don't think I'm not happy and thankful for the many wonderful teachers we meet along our horsemanship paths. There are so many gems and jewels to gather from them. And I'm not claiming everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm just uncomfortable in my own self about some methods. They obviously work for a lot of people. Maybe I've misunderstood, or read the horses wrong. I don't think I have, but I don't claim to be infallible. :)

Anywho... Enough second guessing my writing - I'm going to sign off now!