Winter Blahs

Last week I was reminded of several things that I had temporarily forgotten:

1. I hate winter - specifically January.  It is the month after Christmas and appears exceptionally dark and dreary without the glitter and sparkle of the holiday season.  It is smack in the middle of winter - too close to the beginning to say that spring is coming.  It is cold - very cold.  Yesterday's low of -28 degrees Celsius is cold no matter how hard you imagine yourself on a tropical beach somewhere.   Even more than I hate winter - I hate looking at photos of people playing with their horses at the Parelli campus in Florida.  Or worse, looking at photos of people playing with their horses at the Parelli campus in Florida and then going to play with your horse in the cold arctic -28 wind and snow of Canada.  Darn. I hate winter.

2. I am the first one to tell you that my horse is brilliant.  Tido's super ultra high play drive and LBE horsenality makes me proudly boast how brilliant he is.  But he can't read.  Nor can he watch DVD's.  And he doesn't have a wireless connection between his brain and mine.  So, when the weather outside is frightful, and I curl up to watch, read and generally absorb my vast supply of Parelli materials from a nice warm spot in the house - get this - HE ISN'T LEARNING ANYTHING!!!!   Darn.   I hate winter.

3. No matter how creative and progressive I am - 5 minutes isn't enough playtime for 21 month old girls with - get this - super ultra high play drives and LBE horsenality (see a trend here?).  Heading to the house with frozen fingers, toes and snow frosted eye lashes, so proud of playing with Jess for a full 5 minutes - I hear .. "thunk".  That, my friends, is the sound of the heated float hitting the barn wall as it is removed from the outside water trough.  Yep, she can't talk but that sound very clearly says, "how dare you tease me with five minutes of playtime!! What am I supposed to do for the other 23 hours and 55 minutes left in this day??"  Darn.  I hate winter.

I can't change winter.  Positives?  Let's see, there must be some:

1. My Parelli saddle arrives in less than 28 days!!  Now that might inspire some winter riding!!

2. Laughing keeps you warm.  Simulations with the Parelli playgroup are best done in the winter - the moving around and inevitable laughter (and of course the fresh baked cookies that find their way to the gathering) make you temporarily forget how cold it is.  For a few minutes anyhow ...

3. Time - to watch, listen and read all those materials that you don't have time for during the "good" weather.  And while I try to figure out how to hook up the wireless brain connection between Tido and I, he does benefit, eventually, from my learning.  I have a better plan which makes me more positive and progressive.

4.  If I stand by the kitchen window - there is enough room to "throw" my 45' line down between the fridge and the island,  and coil it up again ... over and over ... and over.  Ron said to get good with it before I use it on my horse.  I don't recall a requirement that I had to get good with it OUTSIDE!  

5.  Marked on the calendar is "May 11 - 15 - Parelli Experience with Don Halladay & John Barr".  Only a mere 105 days (or 15 weeks) away.  Before I know it - it will be here!  While it may not be Florida in January - I can settle for London in May.

So I finish this with the resignation, I may not like it, but January doesn't last forever.  And before we know it, the horses will be shedding and the mosquitoes will be biting and the humidity will make us cranky and we'll be thinking of January ... fondly.

Back to Blogging ...

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted on my blog!! I have truly missed being able to journal my experiences and am happy to be back to the keyboard! So much has happened in the last year, I don't even know where to begin. I think I will need to blog several posts to catch up!


This first post is about a trip Tido and I made, in June, to the outdoor playground of one of our Parelli Playgroup members. It was our first trip out together, in the 13 months we've been together, and it was so refreshing to get "off the farm" - so to speak.  We had a great time, challenging ourselves with all the obstacles at Teresa's playground and Tido having his very first swim! The best way to show you is in pictures!  We can't wait to visit again and, if the weather cooperates, both of us can swim together!

Our first look into the deep, scary ditch!  Tido is very uncertain ...

Taking the time it takes - one tiny step at a time.

"It's okay buddy - take your time."

SUCCESS!!!  60 minutes from start to finish! 

He went right through every time after!

Following the leader.

Picture entitled "The Medal Winners!"

Tido's first pond play - having fun with his feet.

"Oooh this water tastes good!"

"Look mom - I am a fish!!"

WOW - What a Weekend!! Clinic Day 1

The morning after my fourth clinic with 3-star Parelli professional Ron Pyne and, as always, he did not disappoint! My mind is full to the bursting point with new information and I am exhausted mentally and physically. Where to begin, where to begin? Because we covered so much in two days, I am going to journal it in two pieces and try to recall and capture the key topics ....

Level 2 - Refinement Clinic - Day 1
One of Ron's main keys throughout the weekend was one of "expecting more". As advanced level 2 students he stressed how important it is to strive for the best responses from our horses and to be very particular when playing - something that is necessary to become a successful Level 3 student. We began the two day clinic with snuggling our 7 horses together and "protecting our herds of two"! Difficult when you have 7 horses who don't know each other and would love a chance to visit with each other! Throw a mini in the middle and things really get interesting! All the horses soon settled and we had a chance to chat with each other and discuss what we hoped to take away from the clinic.
The Saturday morning online session began with some porcupine game - moving the hindquarters and the forequarters in a figure of 8 pattern - all while striving to be as light as possible. "Addicted to Lightness" is my favourite part of all the 7 games and, as I soon realized, has some room for improvment!! Lucky for me Tido is quite responsive but this segment of the clinic served as a reminder that I need to keep playing with it. We also played with turning our horses loose (removing the halter), disengaging the hindquarters and having them turn and look at us before they moved off into a pasture (or stall). Important for safety and building the relationship. While this is something I try and do regularily, this session made me realize how important it is to do EVERY time!
Next we began to play with the driving game from zone 3/4 to prepare for the afternoon's adventure of riding with the carrot sticks. For me, remembering to bring my life up and let Tido make the first step forward was key.
The afternoon's riding was truly an adventure!! All 6 riding partipants looked like fish out of water