Step off the Path into Silly

How did I get here?  I don't know the exact moment I arrived ... here.   Three years ago, the thought of just walking into the barn would cause me to vomit.  Yep, I was that scared.   Fast forward three years through starting with Parelli, finding my dream horse and taking-the-time-it-takes.  I am now surprised to find I am riding bridleless, taking the first few tentative tries at Liberty spins and getting Tido measured up for his new cradle bridle as we venture into Finesse !  We are loading up and travelling out, considering clinics and seminars I never dreamed of being able to participate in, meeting the most amazing and wonderful people (and their horsey partners).  But the biggest and most prized accomplishment - we are having fun.  Everyday.  Lots and lots of fun. 




  Living in a time that is fast paced and high-tech, it is so easy to lose the fun - in working life and recreational pursuits.  It is easier to postpone fun to another day when you have more time, and less laundry.  But what if everyone decided to have fun everyday?  Even for just 5 minutes?  Just this morning, as I did my morning ritual of watering the plants, the dogs, the horses ... I suddenly dropped the hose and ran to the kid's trampoline for a 10 minute jump-fest!  You can imagine how surpised my 3 kids were, but they recovered quickly, picked up their jaws, and quickly came running to join in.  So we jumped and laughed and laughed.  And its funny how later (when my post-kids bladder started to stage a revolt to the jumping) picking dirty socks off my son's floor didn't seem quite so mundane. 

It is amazing what we can accomplish when we open the door and invite fun into our lives.  In my younger days - my time spent with horses was always fun.  As I venture further down the natural horsemanship path, it becomes easier and easier to recapture some of that silly fun with horses. 
~ its steamy hot out, fill some barn buckets and launch a full out water gun war.  
~ you are sitting on your horse bareback, relaxed and enjoying the day - lay back and put your head on his hindquarter and appreciate at the beautiful blue sky above you.  
~ practice dismounting off the right side, a clumsy landing will have you giggling for sure. 
~ take your horse swimming.  Or canter through the snow bareback!  
~ spectate a clinic, workshop or competition that you have never heard of before. 
~ maybe you have a secret wish to ride with cows - find a way to do it!! 
Whether a big fun goal or just a little bit of silly, how can you add fun into your horse time? For most of us, horses are a hobby.  Any hobby that you devote time, effort and money to - should be fun.  Sometimes all it takes is to step off  the path and just have some plain, old fashioned silly!

The sister to silly fun is the "fun" of acheiving your goals and realizing your dreams! Having goals is necessary to keeping us focused and progressing, but the journey and the acheivement should still be fun!! The other day, I slipped Tido's bridle off for our third official bridle-less ride.  I have gotten over the "holy crap" novelty of seeing my horse's naked face from a mounted perspective but this is still so new to us - I am constantly amazed!  After a short ride that included a considerable amount of trot segments - we headed to the big ball for Tido's favourite playtime.  For the next few minutes we trotted around playing ball - digging it out of corners, swinging his hindquarters around to line up behind it .... and forgot everything else in the exhuberance and enthusiasm of our game.  Like a lightening bolt, that tingly realization hit me - "he doesn't have a bridle on!!!!"   Wow. wow.   And I started to laugh.  How fun was that?!!!

I wish everyone the joy of finding your "fun" in your life and most especially, with your horses!  With it comes a deep satisfaction and a quiet peace that could only be defined as ... happiness.

Road to Walter Update: I have been making positive steps towards my future ride with Walter Zettl. Since arriving home from Parelli Experience camp on May 15th - I have lost 10 lb and am starting to see improvement in my fitness level. I have been focused on acheiving balance in the 4 savvys by improving our Freestyle riding and have tackled some of the early Finesse tasks taught to me by Don Halladay, with regular consistency.   In early August, I will have the opportunity to sit with Walter for one of his teaching days to become accustomed to his teaching style and learn to "hear" his instructions (mental preparedness).

When An Accident Happens .... are You Ready??

Last week my 2 year old filly suffered an injury in the pasture.  The injury was serious enough to require sedation, stitching, bandage changes and a host of other medical procedures.   I approached this situation with as much savvy as I have and maintained that our relationship was first and had to be balanced with the medical procedures she required.  However, during those first days post-injury, I quickly became frustrated at our lack of prior and proper preparation in the area of emergency preparedness.  While in many regards, Jess was a trouper and handled much of it calmly and confidently, but several times the pain caused a real change in her horsenality and I was left feeling overwhelmed.
So live and learn, this situation caused me to think about all the tasks that are important for responsible horse owners to do with EVERY horse in their care (the pasture potatoes have emergencies too!).   The more prepared you are, the more successful you will be when illness or injury adds that extra element to a situation ... pain. 

Physical Preparedness
Think about all the horses in your care and then honestly consider the following questions ....
Can your horse stand still and calm during needling? What about repeated needling?  Often during illness or injury, horses require more than one needling session! 
Can you hose down your horses legs, chest and belly with cold water? Often necessary for reducing swelling and keeping wounds clean.
Can you calmly and confidently load your horse in the trailer in the dark, wind, rain, snow or other common weather conditions for your area? If you had to evacuate or transport an injured or sick horse to a remote equine clinic - your horses need to be able to load in any weather or time of day, not just when the sun is shining!
Can you put your horse in a stall and have them be relaxed and calm for a length of time? Confinement is often necessary during injury.  Do you have a stall or small area to confine an injured/ill horse? Is there a "buddy" to stay with the patient to help them stay calm and quiet?
Can you spray aerosols on all parts of your horse's body?  Some injuries require antiseptic sprays to keep them clean and help them heal.
Can you operate the clippers over all of your horse's body including legs, head, neck, ears and muzzle? Some surgical procedures require the effected areas to be shaved.
Can you pick up all four of your horse's feet and confidently handle all four legs?
Are you physically fit enough to handle an injured or sick horse? These situations can sometimes require lengths of time without sleep and assisting veterinarians with medical procedures can be physically taxing.

Emotional Preparedness
Be very honest with yourself and think about how you handle emergency situations.  It's normal to find these challenging, but understanding yourself and taking steps to cover your shortcomings will help both you and your horses!
Can you act calmly, think logically and make well informed decisions in an emergency situation?
Can you call in some support to help you through especially trying times?
Can you keep safety as a priority in order to help your horse without putting yourself in danger?

Mental Preparedness
There is no doubt we love our horses. Anyone who has owned horses knows that sometime you will have to deal with the natural situations that arise during a horse's life. While not pleasant, these trying times are a reality and deserve some advanced consideration. Sometimes planning for the unexpected means thinking of potential emergency situations and thinking through how you would handle them.  Kind of like preparing your will and buying insurance for ourselves!
Have you analyzed your finances and have a realistic price you are willing, and able to pay, should illness or injury arise?
Are you able to make the decision to humanely end your horse's life if the situation warrants?
If you were to lose your horse suddenly, have you thought about how you would dispose of his/her body?
If you live in an area where natural forces can require evacuation - do you have a plan in place?

My goal for young Jess was to have her come through this injury without any lasting negative responses that will affect her future.  So even though an injury isn't the best time, I was focused on taking the time it takes and putting our relationship first throughout the whole ordeal.  Today at her follow up 5-day veterinary appointment, Jess let me know that she appreciated my efforts by standing perfectly still for her fourth round of needles.  You couldn't erase the smile from my face!  Jess is on the road to a full recover and hopefully only a minor scar as a reminder. 

 

P.I.T.'s and Rattle Snakes

What a week!! Lots of horse activity going on and lots of positives.  First I wanted to comment on the Humanality/Match report.  Mine arrived on a rare day when I was down and out with the flu and ironically, it was one of the best afternoons I have ever spent!! Having a sick day (rare, I can assure you), gave me some undemanding time with myself to really read and absorb the reports.  I was floored ... no... astonished to find out I am a RBI!  But not just any old RBI - a RBI Axis Point!  What this means is that although RBI is my main quadrant, it is very, very mild and my dot is very close to the centre.  The result is that I can easily shift into LBI and RBE and occasionally LBE (possible but only occasionally).  So, speaking in positive terms, I have the potential to be very adaptable to the horse I am playing with.   The reports are very, very interesting and very reflective of what I have been facing with myself and my horse.  Since reading them, I feel I have a real understanding of the positives and the challenges that Tido and I face as a partnership.  What also hit home, again, was John Baar's discussion regarding labelling.  He advised that we not think of LB and RB as "good" and "bad" and certainly now that I find myself an RBI, this is never more true!!
    
     As things finally started drying up here in south western Ontario in the last week, I got a chance to start playing with my filly. I currently have her identified as a P.I.T. (partner-in-training) because she flip-flops so easily between acting like a partner and behaving very instinctively. Since passing her second birthday on April 9th, I am starting to see more consistent partner-like behaviour as she gains in size and maturity.  But she is still very young, and those prey behaviours surface regularly.

     Throughout the winter I took advantage of every opportunity to play with any of the games that I could - in the confines of the barn.  But as the good weather has moved in, I have begun advancing those games outside!  In one of our first official plays of the year, I was busy placing barrels, flipping cavaletti, setting cones and generally getting things arranged in the outdoor arena.  I was casually dragging the 22' behind me and allowing Jess to trail around after me at Liberty (she's great at that - I call her my pocket horse).  Using my periferal vision to keep a close eye on her whereabouts, her sudden movement caught my eye.  The leather popper on the end of the 22' suddenly came up out of the grass and caught her attention.  After following it with concern for a few moments, she made a small hop into the air with both front feet and came down on the ends - finishing her display with a short tap dance.  Then in a brisk walk with a look of concern on her face she came within 3 feet of me and turned crosswise so her zone 3 was between me and the end of the 22.  She looked back at me over her shoulder with a confident expression that said, "it's okay, I've got this under control."  How can you not laugh??!!   While initially I thought this behaviour was quite instinctual, with some "hhmm .. how interesting" pondering, I have concluded that in many regards, she was actually behaving very much like a partner.   I know in her mind, the leather popper was a rattle snake (which is quite instinctual).  But instead of taking flight, she took as much calm confidence as a two year old can muster, and "killed' the snake to protect her herd of two.  While in the future I will need to watch carefully that she doesn't become dominantly protective of our herd, it was deeply reaffirming that our playtime has some very real meaning for her.   And if we ever ride through the wilderness, I'll be safe from rattle snakes! 


     I leave you with two recent photos of Jess.  The first in her new designer, gold mesh with lynx trim, fly mask. If you can't have fun dressing up your little girl - who can you have fun with??  The second shot was taken at sundown last night.  While I rarely consider her "angelic" - doesn't this photo give her a certain glow??


New designer flywear!




I always knew she was an angel!





5 day Parelli Experience

I arrived home just a mere four days ago from the 5-Day Parelli Experience course held at the 17 Ranch in Thamesford last week.  Honestly, it has taken me just this long to soak and process the experience ... and what an experience it was!  Where do I even begin to blog about it??  I am going to attempt to answer the much dreaded, nerve wracking question asked in Parelli-land - what did you learn?

1. I learned that I really, really love my horse.  This experience reconfirmed that he and I are indeed a perfect match.  When he is unconfident (like when he got off the trailer and was face to face with a very big, and very scary rock!!) I am there to help him through and when I am unconfident - he is my support.   The right horse is better than winning the lottery in my books.

2. I need to be more confident in myself.  I have alot of savvy and am solidly in Level 3 and moving into Level 4 (not Level 1 like I sometimes tell myself).  Instead of being so focused on the proper sequence of the program and frozen with worry that I am not ready - I need to trust that if I think I am ready to progress into something new, I probably am.  Trying to summarize this concept, I need to remember that I don't need permission from an instructor in order to progress - my horse will tell me when the timing is right.   Never was this more evident when I nervously attempted my first ever official Liberty session. I laughed outloud at Tido - he did everything I asked with an expression of "well its about time!".

3. I am responsible for my journey.  Period.  If I have a question - no one is going to knock on the door to answer it.  If I want to acheive something - it is my responsibility to get out there and put together a plan to do so.  And people are there to help.  I was a little bit intimidated to ask John Baar a question - but am I ever glad I did!!  He is a very approachable instructor with a relaxed yet knowledgable teaching style.  And it is comforting to know that Linda has faced some of the issues I face with Tido. 

4. Grab a hold of opportunities and just DO IT! My favourite saying (which could very well be a Parelli-ism) echoes this: Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right! So I learned .... I can, I did and I will.



So I am home, older, wiser and changed.  I find it amazing what 5 days can do to someone.  I came home with a clear path to where I want to go and what I want to do with my horses.  But I do want to thank a few people before signing off on this blog episode:

John Baar - thank you for coming all the way from Kentucky.  Thank you for being approachable and knowledgable and for telling all sorts of wonderful stories about Pat, Linda and your time spent at the Parelli Centres. 

Don Halladay - I truly think you are one of the kindest people I have ever met.  Thank you for keeping safety as the cornerstone of all your teaching.  One day I will be at a level where you will ask me to ride your cutting horse - and I'll be ready and answer YES!

Randee Halladay - it was a pleasure to meet you and I love your "tell-it-like-it-is" style.  I look forward to seeing you in Mt. Forest in July.

Maureen Owens - witness of my first official Liberty session!! Thank you for your one on one time and for supporting my journey.  I look forward to working with you to put together some teaching sessions for children in our area.

Todd Owens - I don't even know what to say.  Thank you for putting together such a wonderful event, supporting my goals and modelling how to be positive, progressive and natural.  I look forward to learning from you again in the near future. 






So I finish this blog post and am looking through the door to the rest of 2011.  People to meet, tasks to accomplish and ever closer to the highlight - my ride with Walter Zettl.   Keeping it natural!!

The Road to Walter

I originally dubbed 2011 as my own “Year of a Million Dreams” (thanks to Disney for coining the title back in 2008). Since my Parelli life began, I have a lot of horse-related dreams. A LOT!! So many so, that I get overwhelmed and burdened by the shear volume of things I want to accomplish with my horses. So in an effort to ease the dream burden, I have renamed 2011 as my “Year of 7 Dreams”.  I have broken my dreams into two groups: short term and long term (I know this is pretty high-tech stuff but stay with me ..). Here they are:

Short-Term Dreams (able to be accomplished by Dec 31, 2011)
    1. Learn and execute a ½ barrel jump online.
    2. Ride a flying lead change.
    3. Go on a half day trail ride – relaxed and confident.
    4. Formally audition for the first time.

Long Term Dreams (accomplish sometime between today and someday)
    1. Ride bridleless.
    2. Load Tido while sitting on roof of trailer.
    3. Ride with Walter Zettl.

Simple enough, right?  As 2011 has moved along, logically, I was putting more focus on the short term goals (after all: the deadline for meeting those is much closer!!) and spending very little time on my long term goals. UNTIL ……. I realized that my opportunity to ride with Walter is much closer than expected!! I knew that Todd and Maureen Owens had Walter coming into Ontario several times in 2011. On a whim, I decided to ask for more information about what level Walter expect his students to be at. “Solidly in Level 3” was the answer. My stomach did a flip as I realized – I am in Level 3!  So my nerves kicked into overdrive as I put together my Road(map) to Walter:

Physically Fit
This is my weakest of the 3 “fits”. So I head to a Weight Watchers meeting on Thursday and have immediately added an ambitious (but do-able) physical fitness plan to my schedule (thanks to Michele at www.naturalhorselover.blogspot.com for inspiring me). 

Mentally Fit
This is where I think confidence resides. I am planning to spectate Walter giving a lesson this weekend – to begin preparation for my future ride. I have asked Todd and Maureen to give me an assessment at the Parelli Experience Camp next week to see where my horse and I are in Level 3 and to help me put together a plan to prepare for my ride with Walter. I need to become “solid” in Level 3 and confident in my horse and myself.

Emotionally Fit
This "fitness" is going to be tough. I have had a dream to ride with Walter for a very long time – even before Parelli came into my life. Taking dressage lessons in my early twenties, his name coupled with the title “Dressage Master” was prominent in dressage circles. My dream to ride with him is on par with dining with the Queen and meeting Tom Cruise. A dream, but not likely to happen. So as the reality that my Walter dream is now an actual possibility, I quickly realized that I need to remove the stars from my eyes and learn to get my sweaty palms under control. I need to not be overwhelmed by his Master-ness in order to make use of every minute of his teaching! The answer is prior and proper preparation – … gulp!!

So my Road to Walter begins with the estimated accomplishment date moved from “someday” to October 2011 – May 2012!! I know that as I work on my 3 Fitnesses the lingering doubts of “Can I really do this?” will disappear and my dream will be reality. Watch for my Road to Walter updates ….

A Start to a Better World for Horses

    It was with interest today that I read Parelli's E-news outlining their plans for stepping up on a charitable level to make the world a better place for horses through the Parelli Horsemanship Fund (read the entire white paper found at: www.parellihorsemanshipfund.org).   As a Parelli student and avid horse enthusiast, I read with interest.  The fund is to be aimed in 4 main streams: 
          1.  Youth Programs
          2.  Educational Scholarships
          3.  Horse Rescue Centres
          4.  Therapeutic Riding & ParaEquestrian Riding
There is no doubt, and I am sure that everyone will agree, that these are very worthy choices to focus the funds and time necessary to invoke change.  However, immediately I have several important questions that arise:
    ~Will the Fund be aimed at the above four areas worldwide or just in the countries that contain Parelli  Centres? 
    ~ How will they administer their fund to Youth programs when so little has been directed specifically to youth in the past? It would be fair to say that only the Youth of Parelli parents have access to the program and currently none of the 5 Parelli Professionals I know of make any effort to have youth involved on any level. Will some of the Educational Scholarship funds be directed to people who seek to become a Parelli Professional specifically to teach children?? 
    
     After reading through the aim of the Fund, the second section gives some steps on how I can help.  It seems simple, in order to be more effective, the number of Parelli students needs to increase.  However, this where I think things get a little off track.  Think about it for a minute, "You spread the word. We Donate. Horses and Humans Win."  Seems simple right?? Until we realize that the majority of Parelliers are already spreading the word.  Alot.  To anyone who shows an interest.  
    And this is where I have trouble with the Parelli model.   People seeking information about Parelli are directed to the website and the current free Level 1 program.  All good.  But to really get a feel for Parelli, the best option is to take a Level 1 Clinic.  The snag - we are being told that Parelli Professionals are only able to teach to Savvy Club members.  The reality is that joining the Savvy Club is too much financial commitment when you are just getting started. 
    To get more people trying Parelli and seeing for themselves what a great program it is for horses and humans, I feel more needs to be done at the Professional and Corporate Level.  There should be a reduced rate for all Level 1 clinics.  I am not saying they should be free but more attractive for first time participants.  This would in turn bring more people into Parelli.  Professionals would be busier than ever with a larger number of active students!  And demos.  There should be Parelli representation at all major horse events and festivals in countries where there are active Parelli Professionals and students.  Here in Ontario, Canada, Parelli is almost an underground movement.  There are no advertisements in our horse publications.  There are no Parelli booths or demonstrations at our large horse events and festivals.   To find Parelli - you have to know someone or be really motivated to find out where to start.   Parelli students are already spreading the word but more needs to come from higher up.  

It is a start and certainly more than most other horse organizations are doing.  And while I consider myself generally optimistic - I sincerely hope that what I have read doesn't benefit an elite few and we feel and see the benefits close to our own Parelli homes. 

Keeping it Natural!

It isn't Easy Being Green .. er ... a Parelli Student!

There should be a disclaimer on all Parelli home study products and clinic forms that states, "Warning: becoming a Parelli student will cause you to look at all horses and their handlers differently from this point forward!"   Parelli makes you more sensitive to instances of horses that are in distress and in situations where they no longer have their dignity.   While there are some horse events that I now consciously avoid simply for my peace of mind, every so often a situation will catch me off guard.  This past weekend was one of those times.  It bothered me so much, that this afternoon I sent a letter to the event organizers in an effort to invoke change for the future.  While a letter may not be a very outspoken way to make the world better for horses, it is a start and more than I would have ever dared to do in my pre-Parelli days.   To the buckskin gelding that was in Auditorium 1 on Saturday March 19th at 6pm - this letter is dedicated to you.  I hope you find your perfect partner and are never scared again .....

An Open Letter to the Organizers of
Can-Am All Breeds Emporium 2011
March 18 - 20, 2011
London, Ontario, Canada




I have attended Can-Am All Breeds Emporium several times in the last few years and enjoy it immensely. It is a wonderful event with lots of seminars and presentations by a wide variety of presenters from all disciplines. And of course the shopping is always enjoyable!! Having been involved with horses most of my life, I take pride that I actively seek opportunities to continue my learning. Can-Am makes learning easy and I often attend seminars I know little, if anything, about to continue expanding my horse knowledge.


Such was the case on Saturday March 19th at 6:00pm. At the last minute, I decided to attend Rick Wheat – Noavell Headset Bitless Training (Auditorium 1). Having no prior knowledge of this piece of equipment, I was curious and thought the seminar would be interesting. The introduction of Rick Wheat made at the beginning of the session sounded promising as well.


However, once the introduction was finished, the seminar took a bad turn. The horse brought in for the demo was obviously quite stressed about the situation. Rick Wheat claimed that the horse had been pulled out of the field and brought to the event (confirmed by the horse’s muddy and unkempt state) and eluded to the fact that the horse had not been ridden in many years, possibly due to some behavioural issues. Rick and his assistant then proceeded to saddle the horse (right over the mud and dirt). The horse continued to appear stressed and as they asked him to move about the space – he became quite panicked and began hopping. They then proceeded to ask him to put his head down and after standing so for a few minutes – the assistant mounted up! The rider was in a braced position – as one would see in a rodeo – waiting for the horse to explode. The entire situation was quickly becoming dangerous, not only by the horse’s panicked state but by the fact that the auditorium only had rubber matting on a portion of the concrete floor. It was at this point that I left the seminar, unable to watch this horse in his distressed state.


I was very upset by this seminar. I am deeply disturbed that a presenter at Can-Am would a) subject an obviously ill prepared horse to this “training” and b) imply to audience members that it is fun and okay to get on a horse that is so obviously not ready to ride!! Rick and his assistant joked throughout the 25 minutes I watched about the possible harm that may come when riding this particular horse during the session. What message is that sending to attendees??


This seminar presented by Rick Wheat was not of the quality that I have come to expect from Can-Am. I hope by stepping forward and voicing my concerns regarding this seminar, you, the organizers, will reconsider this presenter for future Can-Am events.


                                                                                      Sincerely,      Shannon South