I played with Aravis yesterday and today.

Yesterday we played with getting off adrenaline.

Today we played with thresholds leading up to the round pen. :)

PS, Merry Christmas.

Gender of Santa's reindeer?

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.
Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring; therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen- had to be a girl.
We should have known. Only women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.

What brings a smile to my face

 Aravis, (Freestyle, 45 mins) rode her bridless (without anything on her head) in my wintec English saddle..... shhh! This shouldn't be happening in level 1!!

Reality

It's what everyone wants to escape.

I've noticed that a lot of people with a hobby and a passion take part in their activities to escape. Escape reality. Why? Because deep down inside, we know we aren't whole, we are incomplete, we are broken, we are dead.

For some reason, our routines, our "lives"... they make us aware of the dullness of sin. The grind of the world. That's why some rich people have their own kind of "happiness". The ability to afford lots of different "experiences".... It really creates a numbness, a distraction from the grind.

As Christians, God has saved us from the grind, the urge to numb ourselves instead of seeking him. As Christians, reality is a wondrous word. The reality that we are sinners, the reality that Christ took on our sins and came and died for us to pay the penalty for them. The wonderful reality that we not only are truly free from the old reality, we are now able to spend eternity with God, forever separated from the grind.

I play with horses to be closer the the new reality. I take my bible down to the horses and read it, sometimes aloud, sometimes crying, sometimes silent. This helps me to remember my new reality, especially on a hard day.

Why do people use reality as such a bitter word?

-Elrohwen

the advice given

I'm not into giving advice anymore. Especially regarding my horse life.

I will not give advice to someone wanting a quick fix anymore. If someone wants advice, they will get an answer similar to, "take the time it takes to make a good relationship with this horse... everything else follows."

The truth is, after you've taken the time to say "how interesting!" and thought, your horse is most likely ready for the next thing. He's licking, chewing and asking questions.

I know how to get a positive response fast from a horse. That's because I've taken time to develop my skills and thought through ideas, studied, before going to my horse. I have learned a flow, yet I've only scratched the surface. And studying with my horse. If you don't have time to study with and for your horse, you shouldn't be with your horse. Or anyone else's horse.

Mmm... just a thought.

-Elrohwen

and it's gone!

What happens when the 14 year old (me) gets a good idea... 

THE CARPET IN HER ROOM GETS TORN UP! :)  

Coldness

It's raining here. Not nice, refreshing rain. Cold, wet, soaking, drizzly, persistent rain. I had to blanket the horses because they were starting to shake. Now they're nice and warm with those thick, burly things on them. Aravis was relieved, she started chewing and relaxing after I put it on. :)

How many horses does it take to change a light-bulb?

Thoroughbred: Who ME?? Do WHAT? I’m scared of light bulbs! I’m outta here!

Arabian: I changed it an hour ago… C’mon you guys – catch up!

Quarter Horse: Put all the bulbs in a pen and tell me which one you want.

Standardbred: Oh for Pete’s Sake, give me the bulb and let’s be done with it.

Shetland: Give it to me. I’ll kill it and we won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Friesian: I would, but I can’t see where I’m going from behind all this mane.

Belgian: Put the Shetland on my back, maybe he can reach it then.

Warmblood: Is the 2nd Level Instruction Packet in English? Doesn’t anyone realize that I was sold for $75K as a yearling, but only because my hocks are bad, otherwise I would be worth $100K? I am NOT changing lightbulbs. Make the TB get back here and do it.

Morgan: Me! Me! Me! Pleeease let me! I wanna do it! I’m gonna do it! I know how, really I do! Just watch! I’ll rewire the barn after, too.

Appaloosa: Ya’ll are a bunch of losers. We don’t need to change the lightbulb, I ain’t scared of the dark. And someone make that Morgan stop jumping up and down before I double barrel him.

Haflinger: That thing I ate was a lightbulb?

Mustang: Lightbulb? Let’s go on a trail ride, instead. And camp. Out in the open like REAL horses.

Lipizzaner: Hah, amateurs. I will change the lightbulb. Not only that, but I will do it while standing on my hind legs and balancing it on my nose, after which I will perform seven flying lead changes in a row and a capriole. Can you do that? Huh? Huh? Didn’t think so.

Miniature: I bet you think I can’t do it just cause I’m small. You know what that is? It’s sizeism!

Akhal Teke: I will only change it if it’s my owner’s lightbulb and no one else has ever touched it.

Andalusian: I will delegate the changing of the lightbulb to my personal groom after he finishes shampooing my mane and cleaning my saddle, but only on the condition that it is changed for a soft blue or green bulb, which reflects better off my coat while I exhibit my astonishing gaits.

Cleveland Bay: I’m busy. Make the whipper-in and the hounds do it.

Saddlebred: My ears are up already, please please get the lightbulb away from me! I’m ready to show, really, I promise I’ll win!

Paint: Put all the lightbulbs in a pen, tell me which one you want, and my owner will bet you twenty bucks I can get it before the quarter horse.

POA: I’m not changing it. I’m the one who kicked the old one and broke it in the first place, remember? Now, excuse me, I have a grain room to break into.

Grade Horse: Guys? Um, guys? I hope you don’t mind, but I went ahead and changed it while you were all arguing.

good... better...

Aravis, (On Line, 60 mins) Played online with the weave pattern for the first time. It was good. Then I introduced the S Pattern, it was really good for the first time. I think I'll try falling leaf next time to help her confidence. She was so beautiful. I had a HOW INTERESTING moment with her. Last week her circling on one side was very bracy and tense. Today it was PERFECT! Better than the other side! Hmmm!

the trot

Warmed up Aravis to ride. We worked on some porcupine stuff and played the games. That went well.

Then I rode! It was fun, I had been getting some opposition to trotting previous tries, I didn't push it but today I wanted to find out why. Well I did!

She has a big trot.. A very big trot. Not bumpy, it's just a huge stride with a dramatic rise and fall. It's a good trot, I'm just not used to it.

The reason she didn't want to trot is that I was not yet fluid with her and I bounced while I rode it. She didn't like that but today I was able to do better.

I went into the pushing passenger position and she held the trot much longer... Hmm! How interesting! :)

-Priscilla

some holes..

Aravis and I had a review of Level 1 today, she got it all very good according to the self assessment sheets. She only had three things she couldn't do perfectly- porcupine hind quarter yields, fore quarter yields, nose and chest yields, and touch it.

We have stuff to play with! :)

-Priscilla

and she can be a pill too....

I played with Aravis the other day while my friend Morgan was watching. She's sorta stiff circling to the right. I went out there and I was just going to circle until all the brace left.

She is the most teachable horse I've known, but she's not a goody-two-shoes.

She trotted about 10-14 laps until her brace started to leave. Mmm. That was interesting.

Good session with her.

Cricket was SO active. She ran around bucking, jumping, snorting and bolting at liberty for about 30 mins... All left brained. Hehe.. cute. She's so exuberant now.

:)

-Priscilla

shootin'

I didn't realize this but I think I look a little intimidating though that was not the effect I was trying to have at all. I was just focusing. "You wouldn't be talkin' so sassy if I had mi' gun!" -Granny from the beverly hillbillies.