Work: PM1 heat therapy & middle-distance handwalk/PM2 groom. Evaluation: warm weather = happy, pleasant horse = happy, pleasant me. Bodes well for summer. Ramblings for the day: Everything from philosophers to Hallmark cards tell us that happiness is within our own heads. But where? How? Anuscha Rees, on a post in her blog into-mind.com, talksContinue reading “What Makes You [Horse] Happy?”
Category Archives: Horse Behavior
Life As a First Draft
Work: AM heat & short walk/PM groom Evaluation: Easy day. Although I was proud of him for holding it together yesterday until we finished, his fit means that he found the work taxing. It is beyond me why he finds wandering around his own pasture to be difficult, but that’s not my call to make.Continue reading “Life As a First Draft”
Baby Steps
Work: AM heat therapy & handwalk/PM groom & groundwork – weave cones, reverse, 360o turn, and crossrail. Evaluation: The long walk from yesterday but by ourselves. He led me up the hill but didn’t charge and was almost dogging it on the easy sections. In the ring, he did 90%, including the walk back toContinue reading “Baby Steps”
What is going on inside that pretty head of yours?
Horse Work: AM heat therapy, “extended” walk in company/PM short liberty session. Evaluation: On our group walk, Greg led Mathilda, I led Rodney. At her time of life, Mathilda doesn’t do anything without a steady stream of carrots. Rodney spent most of the walk mooching his share. I don’t think he noticed how far weContinue reading “What is going on inside that pretty head of yours?”
Crosstacking
Work: PM heat therapy & short grooming Evaluation: Cold weather puts him in a mood. Some days it’s better to just walk and come back tomorrow. Went to a Western used tack sale and bought two wool saddlepads: A Navajo-style plaid and a inch-thick felt. Rodney appears to enjoy warm over cold. He loves hisContinue reading “Crosstacking”
Head Games
Work: early PM – heat therapy, long-for us-walk to the top of the hill/late PM – 2 grooming sessions in an attempt to deferalize. Evaluation: Dawdled up the hill with his head down & yawned twice halfway up. Since he used to pull me up the hill, I’m counting this as a solid win. RodneyContinue reading “Head Games”
How I Learned to Think Like a Horse
The legendary California horseman Jimmy Williams once said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that’s important.” When I was in my early 20s, I finally had my own horse, had leased several horses, had graduated from US Pony Clubs, and had been a working student at two barns. I knew it all.Continue reading “How I Learned to Think Like a Horse”
Virtual Brush Box 