The Greatest Teachers

Just what can a horse teach you?

Well, they can teach you infinite lessons, you just have to sharpen your senses and pay very close attention to them.

They speak very loudly if you know how to listen.  

They have taught me to watch and listen closely as far more is said by what is not actually verbalized.  Because horses are very subtle creatures you have to rely on viewing the smallest of gestures and movements that they use to communicate.

It has also taught me to be more aware of the subtleties of human body language as well, not only in the message that I convey to the horse or other people but also to the messages that I receive from the people around me.

So much is said in the world by what is not said.

I am still learning so much each and every day that I am with these magnificent animals.  They are the most amazing teachers.

In working with so many different horses, you have to learn how each of them communicate.  Although similar they do have subtle differences between them.  I rely on my intuition when I work with them as well and it is a great tool.

They have taught me to let go of my day, and just be present.  You can't work with a flight animal when you are all tense and worried about something else. They will feed off of you and you will open yourself up to injury simply because your edginess will be passed on to them.  

They have taught me that you can't win a fight with someone who outweighs you by 1,000 LBS.  If they want to win, they will win.  Instead you need to respect them and in turn teach them to respect you. 

Many horses are disrespectful, pushing themselves into your space, turning their rump toward you or in some cases completely ignoring your presence which can be very dangerous.  It is vitally important to remind them that they must stay out of your space unless you invite them in.  And in that vein, when you are working with a horse, your full attention should be on the horse, not on everything else that is going on around you.  Your safety depends on it because horses are very reactive and should something frighten them, their first instinct is to flee.  If you are busy texting someone or daydreaming, you may be laying under a set of hooves.

They have taught me to be more compassionate and to recognize the subtle signs when they are not okay.  They hide their pain and discomfort unless it is really severe.  I check in with my horses before a ride to see if they are acting normal.  There are days as well, where they are in a mood that is not conducive to going for a ride.  If you disregard the signs, there is usually an issue or a wreck coming.  I know that every time I have disregarded my horse's signs, I have paid in one way or another.  

It has made a huge difference in my life.  This body awareness has transformed who I am out in the world and in my everyday life. 

And many people say it's just a hobby...  

The Photo

So the other evening I had a brainstorm that I would like to have my picture taken with my 5 lovely horses--something that I have never done before.  It actually went pretty went considering.  So to get to the end result, here are some of the not so great photos.  

Thank you to my patient friend Val who humours me in my impulsive moments.  :)

(My horses from left to right:  Sully (Arab), Sonny Boy (Appendix QH), Jacob (QH), Cleo (Paint), Story (Paint)

A Clean Slate

I hear  these statements time and time again.

 "My horse is a rescue" 

or

 "My horse has been abused"

I almost cringe when I hear this depending on the context.  I love to hear someone saying that their horse was a rescue and that they are out in the world riding them and having a successful relationship.  In that context a rescue is no different than any other horse.

What I don't like to see is how people automatically want to label their horses because maybe they are skittish, unhandled or more sensitive than the average horse.

And yes, kudos to all of the horse rescues who are out there taking in unwanted horses, or outbidding the meat buyers at auction.  You are amazing, selfless and dedicated people.

What I want to differentiate here is that horses are by instinct sensitive, high strung and flighty creatures.  

Many times horses come from circumstances where they have been virtually unhandled and they are absolutely terrified of humans.  

I have worked with many of these types of horses.  They were not rescues.  They were well fed and cared for.  However, they were not handled at all and wanted nothing to do with people.

They hadn't been exposed to anything so every single experience was scary.

All they needed was time, handling, patience and more time.

I don't like to give any animal a "label".  Even if they are a rescue, they deserve to come to me as a clean slate.  Their life is starting anew.  I don't want to label them for they become whatever that label is.  Same goes for people.

I am a strong believer in that.  Even when horses have a name that labels their temperament as something, I immediately change it so they can become who they are without any preconceived notions.

I have a little horse named Story who I have written about in the past.  She could be labelled as a rescue.  My friends outbid the meat buyer at auction.  She had major trust issues for sure but I knew that she wasn't abused.  I actually chose to call her a project. And I didn't mean a horse I was taking in to flip.  I meant it more as knowing she was a horse that was going to need a lot of time to get through to.  Today, she is a confident, kind 4 year old who is going very well under saddle.  She and I are strongly bonded and I love her to pieces.

My gelding Sonny was a very difficult horse who could have mistakenly been labelled as "abused".  If someone bought him at auction not knowing his history, I guarantee you they would have said he was beaten which is entirely untrue.

He had extreme issues with being touched around his head and poll.  When tied in certain places, he would throw himself over backwards or just kick at the barn wall for no reason. Because I know his entire history, I can tell you that he was never abused, hit or beaten in any way.  

The truth?  He had a horrible case of strangles as a yearling.  It came out all over his face, on his forehead and below his eyes were rivers of disgusting discharge.  He was a very sick baby and lost a tremendous amount of weight as a result of his illness.  Even pumping the food into him didn't help for a very long time.  His full recovery took a few years.

He had a lot of behavioural issues over the years and I took him on as a long term project. He was supposed to be sold, but I couldn't in good conscience sell a horse like him because in my opinion he would either hurt someone or end up being canned.  It took me a few years to get him sorted out and he still has days where he is all silly about his head being touched.  I have approached him with an attitude of not trying to fix specific problems, instead ignoring them and just working with him in general.

I ended up purchasing him a few years ago and he has become such an amazing and beautiful horse, his problems disappearing much to my delight.  For the most part he now lowers his head for the bridle instead of losing his mind on me.  It just changed one day.  I can't really say why specifically.  He is the horse that I can take anywhere and he is calm and wonderful.  He is happiest if I am within sight, but still behaves himself regardless. He is cold backed but I found something called a "Back on Track" therapeutic pad that goes under his saddle pad and since using it, he is no longer bracy or humped up when I get on him.

So all I am saying folks is everyone deserves a chance without being painted with a particular brush. If you look at and work with each and every horse (and person) as an individual and keep an open mind, listening to what they have to say, you will be amazed with what you discover.

Just my two cents...

A Heartwarming Equine Friendship

I have a horse named Sully.  He is an arabian.  They can be a much maligned breed because they are incredibly smart, in most cases far smarter than their human counterparts.

He is a super cool guy and I love him in all of his arab-ness.  He is actually a pretty level headed man with a very strong spirit.  I completely respect that spirit and in doing so he has completely blossomed and is a pretty happy horse.  The one thing is...he is definitely an outcast in the herd.  

He prefers to be in the pasture as opposed to a paddock so I have come to respect that but I have always felt sorry for him because he was always off by himself.  I even saw another gelding in the pasture viciously put a run on him and chase him as far away from the herd as he could get him.  I'm not sure why he doesn't fit in but there must be something different about him.  Horses don't like different.  

Two years ago, I put him out in the pasture with another gelding named Royal.  Royal, in spite of being the largest horse out in the pasture, is one of the lowest in the pecking order.  

Strangely enough, the two of them forged a fast friendship much to my happiness.

I brought Sully up and had him in a pen away from Royal for over a year.  Sully hated being in a pen so I put him back out into the herd only to see him shunned once again.

I introduced Royal back to the herd as well and the two of them immediately resumed their friendship.  It is one of the most heart warming things that I have ever witnessed in inter-horse relationships.  They are inseparable and it seems that now that they have each other, the rest of the herd leaves them alone. They stand close together, grooming each other or sometimes just resting a muzzle on the other guy's back.   They are usually off by themselves within sight of the main herd but very content in each other's company.  The strange part is, they are not really herd bound. If I take Sully out to ride him, Royal is okay with it.  

You don't often see equine friendships that stand the test of time, I think because horses are very much in the moment creatures since in the wild, their very survival depends on it.  I think these two have something very special, very special indeed.

Here are some pics of the two of them.

Taken 2 summers ago

Taken this summer

The Value in Knowing Your Horse's History

Don't you wish that sometimes your horse could tell you exactly what their history is?

Right now I am lucky to own five horses and I know the complete history of four of them. It makes everything so much easier when you are working with and training them.

This is not a post that is against taking a horse on with an unknown history for I am all for it.  It just means that you have to listen so much harder to what your horse is telling you if and when they do have issues.

For example, we have the sweetest little shetland type pony out at the barn.  She is fairly young, likely around 5 or 6, a very pretty little girl.

The sad part is she is so fearful of adults.  It is tough to know if she was abused or if she is afraid of us because she is so small and we're so big.  

She is difficult to catch and when you finally do catch her, she stands there compliant, but you can just feel the tension in her body and you can tell that she is ready to flee at any second.  

About once a week I have been going in her pen and doing rudimentary ground work with her just to get her accustomed to contact although I may need to step it up and do it daily so her family can enjoy her.  I also choose to do it at liberty at this stage so she doesn't feel all trapped and panicky.  

She came from auction so we really don't have any history on her at all.  I feel awful for the poor little beast as she is very kind, just very afraid.  We can trim her hooves and everything, but she is so scared the whole time, her little body tense and on alert.  I know she will come around and honestly it will just take time and patience.

I look forward to the day when she is happy to see me and comes up to visit of her own free will.  I just wish she could have told me her story.

Just my two cents...

The Power of Equus

When life gets me down, there is an invisible thread that draws me toward my horses. They are my peace, my anchor.

When I feel like I am lost, a few hours with them and I am found.  The more I am with them, the more I respect them.  In respecting them, I have found a whole new relationship with them.

It is based on such a deep, unconditional love for they give back far more than what they get.  

It is miraculous how predator and prey are able to relate to one another in such a deep and profound way.

Spending time with the foals brings joy to my heart.  Watching them explore, learn and play, so innocent and precious.  That moment when they tentatively come over and summon up the courage to touch you for the first time.  It just brings the biggest smile to my face.

Time spent in the pasture with the main herd, well it's like catching up with old friends. A number of the horses follow me around, nuzzling my hair or nibbling my ear.  Some just like to rest their velvety noses against my shoulder.

I have raised a few of them from foals and they just like to be in my company.  There is a mare that I have nursed through a nasty injury and an illness and she is so bonded to me. She lays her head against my legs or in my arms and just snuggles in.  She trusts me and understands that I am there to help her.  She is one of the sweetest mares that I have ever met.  

The power of their presence in my life so profound and pure.

Just my two cents...  

Catching Game...Or Not!

I am a person who gets bored easily.  Thankfully, being around horses is ever changing and always keeps my interest.  

If you have the privilege of working around multiple horses, you begin to realize that although you can do similar things with each one, they are all individuals and can't be treated exactly the same.

I have this young mare who likes to play the catching game with me.  If she was a typical horse (which she is not) I would chase her until she got tired of being kept moving and she would give in.  

Well, I happen to know if I tried to play that game with her she would definitely outlast me.  So today she decided to challenge me and started playing her catching game.  I kept her away from me for a while.  Every time she would try and come past, I would chase her away.

Eventually my mare who is the sweetest and most compliant horse I have ever had the privilege of owning came up to me and I put a halter on her.  I turned away from my game playing mare and took the sweet one toward the gate.  When she realized that she had lost my attention, she came up and stood quietly to be haltered, which was exactly what I hoped she would do.  

She made me smile.  They are such funny creatures sometimes but the bigger lesson is that you just can't treat them all the same.

If nothing else she keeps me interested.