Horse Training – Page 4 – The Hermits' Rest

The Salmon of Knowledge

I said I’d draw a card from my new deck daily for a while. The one I drew today sure fit! It was the Ace of Water (cups), and it has my favorite Celtic symbol, the salmon of knowledge.

Yesterday I drew the 10, which focuses on the return home. The Ace is about starting a new path to your heart’s desire. Spot on!

Today my neighbor, Vicki, and I had our first lessons together with Apache and Drew. I know for her it felt like restarting her desire to work with horses, and for Drew, it was a start working with a new human.

Drew discovers he has to do what Vicki says.

We all ended up very tired after many hours in the sun, but we were happy. Drew was happy to be back at work, especially since he’s so tubby he can’t even buck properly when he can’t canter right. There’s work to be done!

Apache is doing better, too, and everyone survived the trailer experience with Vicki’s vehicle. I look forward to finding out what’s next on this journey. May the salmon grant us emotional fulfillment and knowledge!

Very Small Pasture Miracles

Today I was distracted by concern for two people I care about who weren’t doing very well. It’s always a relief to have some good little bonuses to balance out your concerns. In the meantime, send out those healing vibes into the Universe!

Both of my little miracles happened when I was out doing my daily sauna…I mean working with horses. First, Apache had a great attitude on the ground and in the saddle, for the most part—he just gave me his opinion for a little bit, then literally sighed and started doing what I asked. After all the stopping, starting, circling, and side passing was done, I decided to see if he’d do any better on the trails Lee has mowed for us (Drew loves them).

Imagine my shock when I realized we’d been moseying along the paths calmly and steadily with no sudden jerking to eat grass or wheeling around to try to go back! He was just fine the entire time we were out. A horsie miracle.

The second miracle I attribute partially to my skills. I was taking Apache’s bridle off so we could head to the trailer to unsaddle. He was very interested in the lush long grass in the playground area, the only part of our property Lee hasn’t hit with the lawn mower. I was asking him to pick up his head, when I saw my shoes and jeans were covered in fire ants. Not just a few, a lot. Usually it’s Apache who steps in them! Here’s the miracle: I managed to brush all the ants off and ended up with only one bite! That’s unbelievable!

Kathleen, who has very bad luck with bites, is probably shaking her head at my luck. Here’s something pretty for her and you.

Not a miracle: the fact that both Apache and I were as wet as if we’d been swimming by the time we were done. It’s weird that the rest of the week’s horse work didn’t affect any of us that much!

Hot (but not that hot) Apache from earlier this week, thinking he had to pee.

Suna’s Longest Day

Today was quite a slog, but not without its highlights. I have not been sleeping well for a few days, so 6am came quite early. Sigh, as hard as I try not to turn other people’s issues around and blame myself, it sometimes happens, especially when I’ve messed something up. Hence, little sleep.

But it was worth getting up early to make it to an 8am horse lesson with sleepy Apache. He was feeling a bit better today, plus he had some excellent entertainment in the form of two curious foals who shared the training arena with us. Those babies have lost all their shyness and found Apache fascinating.

He did a great job playing the patient but grumpy uncle role. The filly just marched right up to him and said HI. She only left when he snorted at her. The colt, who has been less brazen in the past really wanted to be Apache’s buddy.

Both foals did that cute mouth snapping they do to show they mean no harm, but the little guy did try to taste Apache’s mouth and substantial hindquarters.

Tarrin road Apache a bit to work on his turning and the little guy followed them like he wanted to do some work, too.

His mom, who’s trying to recover from a rough patch, kept telling him to stop, but it really didn’t work. That’s okay, it was great practice for Apache (and me) to focus with lots of cute distractions.

All that circling and baby stuff wore me out. Gotta pee.

We made it home in time for me to shower before work started. That’s good, because things did not let up for the rest of the day. Finally, at 7:30pm I was able to leave my desk. Whew. It’s a good thing I’m so peppy for an old gal. I wasn’t even phased to walk into the chicken coop in time to see a turkey egg going down a rat snake’s throat.

Tomorrow I hope to have a book report for you!

Drew Makes a New Friend

A quick note about some fun we had today. My neighbor Vicki is looking for an energetic horse to ride, since she hasn’t had a horse in some time. Today she came over to meet Drew, who was quite happy to meet a new human.

He was a good boy and came running when called and walked up to be haltered. Of course, he showed Vicki his pushy side, but she handled it just fine. We groomed him all up and I did some ground work to show what he can do. He was extra perky, having not worked in a while, and really seemed to enjoy himself.

It was a very positive first meeting! She’s hoping to lease Drew and do lessons on him.

Later in the afternoon, Vicki came to watch my lesson on Apache, which was good for all of us. We hadn’t had a lesson in a while, and not much practice thanks to the rain and my job’s hours. But we learned through his stiffness and had a good time. I’m glad Vicki got a chance to see a lesson before she has hers with Drew next week.

Hoping some fun times are ahead. I need encouraging horse experiences! And Apache needs more exercise with all this green grass around.

Apache and Suna Get Presents

While I was wandering through ghost towns yesterday, things were hopping on the home front. My horse and I were the beneficiaries of it all.

First, Lee was kind enough to mow the area where our round pen got moved. I was a bit afraid of snakes in the long grass. He then mowed some nice paths through the field, even nicer than his last ones.

That’s not all! Work has begun on a new horse playground for me, Apache, and any other horse I can get practice on obstacles for shows, entertain ourselves, and have fun. The first item is a little hill, like the one at Tarrin’s. It’s more of a berm.

The darned backhoe decided it was time to have yet another new problem (hey, it’s older than my kids), so it didn’t get done. But Apache and I tried it out and loved it. We will get so much use out of this tool.

The backhoe has plenty of stinky dirt to move.

Apache and I also tried out a turn in a box and corridor obstacle. I’ve made copies of the obstacle instructions from the Working Horse Central book, so I may be getting more obstacles as well. Riding will be so much more fun.

One path we walked on, framed by flowers.

Later in the day Apache and I rode out to the paths and pen to test them out. We both liked the mowed round pen, and he did pretty well in there. We even walked along much of the paths.

But, the end of the ride was not ideal. I guess Lee had run over some rodents while mowing that were starting to smell good. A Turkey Vulture decided to check it out, which was not at all fun for an already nervous horse.

Bonus: he didn’t flee into the poison ivy patch.

A great deal of crow-hopping and jumpiness ensued, but I didn’t panic. I did allow him to briskly head to more familiar ground, but I eventually helped him calm down enough to walk over some poles and pay attention to me. That was a win as far as I’m concerned. He even let me wash off all his nervous sweat.

He deserved a piece of weird ice cream cake. It’s made with ice cream and self rising flour. We humans ate it for him.

Poor Apache. That was a lot of new stuff for one day!

Horsey Improvement

My riding lesson was the only real highlight of today, since otherwise I did volunteer work and tried to figure out my financial status with Social Security. 💤

I watered my plants. So proud of them for growing from seed.

But Apache and I had our best day ever! I was so pleased to hear from Tarrin that Apache looks better than she’s ever seen him. I have to agree. He has more muscle and less fat than ever, and even his mane is longer than ever. Just a bit of cresty neck is left.

He really has improved in so many ways, and I’m supposed to tell you that the work I’ve done with him at home has helped (that means it’s not just Tarrin’s work). His turning, trotting and gate changes are improving by the week. Today it was so much fun practicing. We work well together at last.

Me getting ready today, as reflected in the horse trailer.

Then we went back to the round pen to practice cantering. I lived! I feel like I’ll be comfortable at it soon. I never thought I’d be able to say that, being so poor at trying new scary things. But hey, I was petrified of trotting when I started taking lessons with Tarrin (and Apache trotted with his head straight up and bouncing).

This morning, we cantered like a normal horse and human. I wish I had photos, but we were busy. Apache sweated a lot.

Good news. I can erase the horrific memories I have of when Sara tried cantering on him when he was young, before the bodywork, muscle building and training both she and I did with him. He was so unbalanced he couldn’t start to canter without a little hitch in his step or a buck…which is exactly what happened when I tried to canter on Drew and I hit the dirt. Geez. No wonder I was a bit hesitant!

But all the preparations Tarrin carefully led us through, including my one step in January, had us both ready. I think we were equally happy to achieve this. This slow and steady approach is really slow, but sure seems to work.

Becoming a better rider and partner to Apache has been a dream of mine for over a decade. I’m enjoying this process so much.

Onward, I guess.

Today’s Holiday

I set a record today. I was only glum about Mother’s Day for a half hour or so. Two things helped. First I gave myself a good lecture on how this holiday was originally (1870) meant to be a day where mothers celebrated peace, started by Julia Ward Howe. Yep. The same one who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic. It’s a pacifist holiday at heart. I’m a pacifist and I produced two babies, so I can celebrate!

I was cheered at the idea of so many fascist pro-patriarchy women getting flowers and cards today. I’m not sure what emotion that really was. But, yay for peace on earth, end to wars, and love for all. That probably makes me a criminal these days, but I’m sticking to my figurative guns.

The other thing that cheered me up was taking my morning walk, which once again was filled with birds and flowers. Oddly, I walked for over an hour, and the only vehicles that passed me were members of my own family. Country life.

Just me, mutant flowers, and flower scarabs.

The second vehicle contained my next-door neighbors, also known as my offspring and his partner. I pointed at them so they’d stop, just hoping to say hi, but they gave me gleeful greetings of the day and said they’d go eat with me next week. Those smiles made my day.

Mama cows approved. These are solid animals.

I walked all the way to Walker’s Creek Cemetery, where I paid my respects to the mother and grandmother of the guy across the road, and my friend’s mother, who just passed away, making it a hard holiday for my friend. My mom died in 1984. So long ago.

So I’ve had a fine day, though I’m still feeling poorly. Just tired. I think adjusting to not working is harder than I’d expected. But the weather is beautiful and I can ride horses anytime I want to.

Someone is still not thrilled with his new “round” pen, but he did his trotting practice, which included mostly walking due to him being jittery.

I hope you all found a way to make peace today or enjoyed your traditional celebration. It’s all good. Now I must go re-dye my hair ends orange. I accidentally neutralized it by using purple shampoo. Oops.

Here are some photos from my walk.

May Ranch Update

I’ve been home a few days and haven’t updated on what’s going on here. May is always a fun month in central Texas, because it’s not too hot or cold, rain falls every so often, wildflowers are in bloom, and bird migration is in full swing.

Texas Striped Sweat Bee with a lot of thistle pollen.

I’ve been enjoying the birds especially. I thought I’d seen a lot on my trip, but whoa, I’ve seen a lot in the last few days. Yesterday? I identified 74 birds between my house and Tarrin’s. That’s way more than my previous one-day high total!

Here’s an Eastern Kingbird, which I’ve seen in both locations.

I was sorta giddy when I saw the list I ended up with. There was even a new lifer, the Magnolia Warbler, one I’d always wanted to encounter.

I do use a lot of abbreviations. It’s hard to fit that many birds on a page, you know?

In other areas, the horses seem good, except that Apache’s expensive boots got lost while I was gone. All my fault. I didn’t remember to take them off before I left.

Spice is all settled in, too. She has taken over as Head Honcho of the herd. Drew and Mabel follow her everywhere.

Your boss mate doesn’t have to have perfect confirmation or perfect feet. She has to be firm and smart. That’s Spice.

With a swish of her tail, she gets things done.

Apache and Dusty just hang out with Fiona and eat. I guess they’re the second tier. They all seem happy.

Everybody but Dusty, who’s at left, eating.

Apache really is doing well, even though it’s been raining, which makes grass grow, which isn’t good for his metabolism. We had a lesson yesterday, and he was just fine, health wise. He did forget how to trot all straight and soft, but it was fun to work on it.

Funny story/segue: I had a very pleasant morning yesterday. I woke up plenty early to make coffee, get Apache ready, and drive serenely to my 9am lesson. I had a nice chat with a friend who was also at Tarrin’s and was about to saddle Apache when Tarrin yelled at me, “You do realize your lesson is at ten, right?”

I heard the Mockingbird mockingly laughing right then.

Of course it was. I wrote it down in the wrong time zone. But did I let that intrude upon my serenity? Nope! It was a beautiful, cool morning, and there were all those birds! So, I got out my portable chair, drank coffee, and listened to birds, even Tarrin’s ducks. I was completely happy, except when Apache pooped upwind from me.

Yow, it’s taken a long time to get to where I can at least occasionally stay unfrazzled. This is good!

Also good: my first zinnia blossom from seed.

Today has also been fun, though with not quite so many birds. I’ve been logging them all on eBird, because it’s the Global Big Day. But while I was out, I checked out the wildflowers and their pollinators. Let’s take a look. I’ve got more coming later, I hope!

Horses Coming and Going and More

Whew! I’m glad to be in my spacious, bland hotel suite and resting up for a bit, because it’s been quite a day of coming and going. It started early when I blasted through tons of errands and things on the to-do list so that I could focus on the horses for most of the day.

I guess I could have concentrated on caterpillars. This grows up to be the pretty salt marsh moth. *Estigmene acrea*

The horses had no idea what they were in for, though to be honest, they never do, except they know food shows up when I pen them up. I had a terrible time getting them to come in to eat. That all ended when the familiar rumble of Sara’s trailer coming up the driveway. They know that means someone is coming or going.

I ran around and arranged the gates so that the paddock with rocks in it is separate from the rest of the pasture. That way, our surprise arrival will have her own space.

Well, VERY long-time blog readers may remember this red-and-white mare. It’s Spice! Spice showed up a decade ago when Sara realized Apache had so many foot issues that she couldn’t do what she wanted to as a rider. Spice had more of a spicy red mare temperament and love of movement. So, Sara started working with Spice and I inherited Apache to groom and love on (and ride when he felt good). When Fiona showed up, we had quite the riding group.

Eventually Spice started having pain issues, which is when Aragon showed up with his fancy moves. He was quite a few levels up from Apache and Spice! Thus, Spice retired to hang out with the other horses for the past few years.

See? From Sara’s memories. Past Spice and Apache in his standard high-headed stance.

Apache has always loved Spice. He looked longingly at her sometimes after he moved to our pasture. So when Sara planned her move to Wisconsin, knowing her older and arthritic mare couldn’t come, I offered to take care of her for her remaining years. Happy to help out my old friends!

Fiona and Dusty haven’t reacted much to Spice.

We will try to keep Spice separated for a few days so the herd can get used to her.

But wait, there’s more. While Spice was coming in, I got Drew all dressed up to go on a date. I think he knew it was important, because he was a perfect gentleman as I groomed him. I even got burs out of his perfect hooves. That cracked me up.

It was my turn to drive a horse in a trailer, as I took Drew over to Tarrin’s. He met a woman who needs a second horse without some of the issues of her other one. They got along great, too. So, there’s a chance Drew may have a more appropriate place to live with someone who can keep him working and sound. I’ve felt sad that I’m unable to do what he needs to feel good.

Because as you can see, he’s a cutie pie. And I want him to have his needs met.

Anyway, Drew was on his best behavior and made a good impression. We will see if anything comes of it, but I was proud of him no matter what. The idea of rehoming him has taken a lot of thought. I wouldn’t do it with anyone Tarrin didn’t recommend. And I felt good having her share about Drew honestly.

A funny thing happened as we were talking in Tarrin’s parking area/pasture. Drew found something interesting on the ground and started sniffing it. Then he curled his lip in a spectacular Flehmen response.

He kept sniffing and curling for a long time.

He finally settled down. Tarrin thinks a wild animal must have peed on the ground, which no doubt smelled extra intriguing!

When we got home, Drew immediately checked out Spice, very politely. However, Apache was having none of that. He inserted himself between Spice and Drew. When Drew tried again, Apache was very firm. We will have to see how this additional feminine energy will affect things. Luckily, Mabel and Spice seem fine together. I hope I won’t have to separate the boys and girls!

The weird thing is I was supposed to leave for Hilton Head today. I moved it to tomorrow so the horse stuff can happen. So, as soon as I got everything settled, Lee and I took off for the Austin airport. I leave in the morning.

Yeah, we got the upgrade for no good reason. It’s pleasant, and I got to eat at the restaurant at the airport Hilton, which I always like, even though the menu was different. I had celery root/asparagus soup and zucchini noodles with rainbow broccoli and delicious mushrooms. No photo of the food, but here’s a sparrow that got into the hotel.

Sorry this was so long. It was an emotional day.

Good News and Fun

I know I’m getting pretty dull, you’ve noticed, judging from my sad stats and lack of comments. But hey, that’s not stopping me from my relentless blogging. I’m pretty pleased by the lack of drama in my little world (as opposed to outside of my hermitage).

But look! A frog! *Lithobates sphenocephalus*

Yesterday’s drama with Big Mabel seems to be resolving. Once Tarrin looked at the video I sent her, she put together what the symptoms meant: Mabel wasn’t eating and was pawing at food because an adverse reaction to a vaccine made her unable to lower her head! Poor horse!

The Gang of Three were not amused. Mabel is the big one.

This morning I fed everyone early so I could test out the theory that she’d eat if the food was higher. See for yourself.

Thank goodness! After a day on hay only, my ribs were starting to show!

She ate her food, the food Fiona rejected, and Apache’s leftovers, which I held up for her. I did notice she could put her head almost to the ground, so she improved. Fiona was grazing on the edges of the pen, so I felt good about her, too. They all had good times the rest of the day, helping Mabel find stuff to eat other than the three hay bags I put out.

Greenbrier shoots. Taste like asparagus.

A busy weekend is afoot. Tomorrow is horse stuff, as Drew gets to meet a new human and the herd gets a new member. You’ll have to check back tomorrow for details!

Meanwhile, you can ponder what the back of this tanker truck means.

After that I set out Sunday for another visit to Hilton Head, though without any fun sisters. Boo hoo. I’m glad Kathleen is back and able to help with horse stuff. I dread flying. I don’t want COVID again.

We did do exciting errands this afternoon. I returned my underperforming Viasat satellite receiver and got more horse food. The reward was going through the fancy new Buc-ees car wash. It has that dang beaver all over it.