Lightness, Not Push or Pull

We want to have lightness in our lives.
Not Push or Pull.

There are times to be firm in situations such as with children.  Yet how to be firm can be a choice how to act too.

Horses are very sensitive.  As horse trainer- clinician Buck Brannaman says, "They can feel a fly land on them". 
They're sensitive to energy, their surroundings and others.

Lightness of aids-working with a horse can win over any kind of pushing or pulling.  Especially with an animal as big and strong as a horse.
There are ways to work with an animal and have cooperation.

I'm continually fascinated with horses and the interaction with them.

Lightness comes up.
It sometimes requires one to take a different approach and not react.

I've had moments when riding when it was such a lightness and connectedness I could almost hear the "music of the dance".  Wonderful.
Yet I've also found it's not just when riding. 

Some moments in my day at volunteering at LAH farm.

I had finished cleaning one paddock with a small amount in the wheel barrel.  I moved onto Lady's paddock.
I did Lady's paddock and the wheel barrel was getting full.
I had to do her stall next.  For a moment I thought about dumping out what I had.  I spoke of it-  yah  I talk to myself.  But I didn't follow through.  I thought I'd just finish the stall.
Lady was in her stall.  I gave her a couple of nudges on her side and asked her to move over.  She didn't move.  I tried again, and she just kept eating.
With a sigh, I thought.  Then I choose to go dump the wheel barrel and come back to it.
I dumped out the wheel barrel and came back to her in her stall.  This time I made sure I was more light about it and gently asked "Can you please step over. She did.  I asked for one more step over.  Good- perfect.  I thanked her.
Was it my pushing?  Did she pick up on my wants to dump the full wheel barrel or just finish? Did she feel my uncertainty?
Perhaps
I gave her a pat.

Another time it was Cozmo.
I was going to enter his paddock.  He greeted me at the gate.  He was being sort of nosy and wanting attention.  I moved his face away and said, "Can't I just come in".  ( yes I talk to them) He just stood there.
He didn't want to be pushed away.
I had an idea.  To take a different approach.  Use this big brain with the sensitivity.
I thought "he wants to be near me".  So I moved to the corner of the fence and asked him to come to me.  He did.
Guess I got it right, because I then was able to enter the paddock.  I talked to him as I cleaned.  Good

Reframing to lightness.
Clearer, softer message.



    

Rawness of Nature

Rawness of Nature

One day as I walked home from seeing my girls off at school, I saw a baby bird on the sidewalk. It was chirping like crazy. I looked at it and it just chirped. I didn't see an adult bird around. I gathered by the fact it couldn't seem to move that it had fall out of a nest.

When I got home I called the local animal rescue. Then I checked on the baby bird.

Unfortunately my efforts were to no avail. The little bird didn't make it.

I'm not sure what kind of bird it was. It looked like it was pretty young with only a few short feathers.

Nature takes it's course. Things happen in a way that spells the future or not.

This was not my first encounter with animal rescue.

Last year I managed to save a young Robin from our next door neighbor's cat.

I had noticed the cat in our yard was eyeing something that it wanted to get near. Yet something was keeping it from doing so. I walked out in the yard to look. In the garden was a young robin amid-st the green plants. The cat kept eyeing it. The Robin started to move away by walking through the plants. It appeared to not be able to fly. It kept struggling. It appeared the bird was favoring one wing. I put myself between the cat and the bird. The cat backed off. I grabbed a small pail and we managed to get the bird in it. I called the animal control and they said they'd be there soon. I decided that the pail wasn't such a good idea since the bird would start to spook when I tried to move the pail. We grabbed a big cardboard box and slipped the bird into that. Then we took it to the front of the house to wait for the animal control to get there. We made sure the bird was out of danger.

The animal control person came. I showed her the box it was in. She gentling took hold of the bird and picked it up. The bird seem to look at us and the animal control person. It's mouth was open, yet it didn't struggle as much.

I asked the animal control person what would happen next. She told me that there is a wild animal rescue in the state and a woman who's known as the “Bird Woman”. She rehabilitates the birds. That if this bird had signs toward recovering they'd see it through.

She gave me a number to keep.
I called a week later and was told the bird was moved to this woman's place and eventually would be released back out in the wild.

This bird was a fledgling and looked similar to an adult bird yet not there yet.

My husband noticed later that an adult Robin seem to be hanging around our place. He thought maybe it had to do with my rescuing the youngster. I don't know for sure, yet feel good.

Nature can be quite raw, yet also amazing.

Fly Free

One evening a Fly got in the house.
Couldn't find it.

We had windows open to let in air.

We went to bed.

Morning- I wake up to see Fly on the ceiling near the light.  I put the light on to look at it.  Shut off light.  It flew.
Unlike others I try to free the Fly.
I open the windows so it can be attracted to the open  window and land on the screen.  I then shut window trapping Fly in between window pane and screen.
Fly was curious and went to window.  I shut window.
I waited until the Fly settled on the screen.  Then opened window slightly to push up screen- way out.  Of course this took a couple of times because Fly flew a little around space. 
I had time and patience.  Once Fly settled I got it done- opened window to push up screen.  Then I closed window so Fly doesn't fly back into house.
Fly finds- notices opening and flies out.

I check to make sure Fly is gone, then open window. 

When Max got back from his walk I told him I got Fly out.  He mentioned he knew Fly was in the room, just couldn't find him.
I can't be bothered to look for something that small and that can fly.
Window method has worked a few times.

oh, sometimes when I find a spider I get it into a plastic container with cover. Then walk outside to drop it in the garden.

Strange I know. 
Am I  strange because I'm an artist or the other way around.  oh I guess it doesn't matter.  :-)
oh yah, We're suppose to be strange- that's what society expects.  :-D
Good to be complying with such permission.  Lovely  

Like Speed?

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Like speed?

It's been hot lately.

I got to LAH farm as early as I could to do my volunteer work.

- though it's not easy to get there really early since the kids are still in school and I work as the monitor at the school's breakfast.

After school work, I eat a breakfast and then get ready to go.

I made sure to put sun screen on and to have water with me.

Deb's been riding Lady at shows on the weekends. Cool.

Deb seems to especially like the speed events, as barrel races and gymkhana. They did good. She mentioned she hadn't really done shows before so this was new for her. They're enjoying it. Sounds like the two of them are good partners.

She shared her pictures with me.

Cool

I mentioned I have showed before though not speed events.
I did shows in Berkley that had equitation, trail, and low jumper classes.

She likes the Speed events. Like speed.

me- not so much.

Though it is fun.

Not'in like feeling the wind in your face and really moving.

There was one lesson I was riding a black QH.  Instructor Carol asked me to do a canter.  A canter is sort of like a gallop but slower--and technically a three beat motion.
Note- riding some horses at a canter can feel like riding a moving rocking chair,  rolling forward and back while motion forward.  cool
I had had a few months of lessons and was feeling quite comfortable.  I asked for a canter lightly and we went.  We were mov'in.  woot.
Halfway down the long side of the arena she asked me to slow down and change direction.  I did so- sort of aw, OK- yet smoothly.
She asked me if I thought it was a canter or gallop.  I was  like "um".
She said, "That was a gallop".

"Oh, I thought I felt the wind in my face", I said with a big smile.

I'm sure she felt good too since I was clearly at ease with it.

Another time I was riding Instructor Carol's thoroughbred, Cameo, in lessons.   Cameo was going OK. 
There was another student I knew that was watching me too in my lesson.  I guess they were talking amongst each other.
Carol asked me to canter in 2-point position.
2-point position- like a hunter or jumper rides. I've done 2 point at trot and walk.
My first attempt down one long side wasn't quite right I bumped back into saddle because I didn't quite have my feet at the right position. I softly said, "sorry Cameo, didn't quite have it".  I kept riding at canter - seat in.  Carol looked at me to try again.
I was like OK.  I knew how to correct it.
Around the short end of arena Cameo looked at me in a "waiting" manner.  At the corner I set up in 2 point position and took a small amount of her mane between my fingers for "just in case".   This time I "got it".
There was a slight glance back at me, then Cameo lunged forward into a gallop.  Man, it felt good.
Halfway down the long side I could feel the position right too.  A Tia Chi kind of position.  Like nothing could knock me over. Amazing.  I let go of the mane between my fingers.  I was in balance with her.  At the corner I asked her to adjust through the turn.  She responded-  ..made a great turn at high speed.
The two of them at the other end of the arena yelled and woot-ed, "Go Lisa".   Oh, what fun.  I rode her the full arena then slowed down.
So cool.

Pride.

So yah, sometimes it's great. 

Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near.......

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Nice to see E-pig's pen was finished and in a spot with trees for shade. E-pig lounged in the shade of the trees. Lovely. She always grunts when anyone visits her. Sweet.

Meanwhile, I got to scrubbing a couple of the water troughs.

Most of the horses are good. I'll say “hi” to them whether they come over or not, just to acknowledge them.

Mooney-horse stood by me quietly when I was in his paddock. He stood and just watched me clean and fill the trough.

Caliber -horse is young and can sometimes not have as good manners.

As I cleaned his trough He stood over me and nuzzled me at times. I would take one step away and try to get him to give me my space. He's insistent and nosed the trough and me. So when I finished cleaning the trough I placed it so and stepped outside the paddock. I filled the trough from outside the fence.

He still tried to stretch out his head to me yet the fence was in the way. Maybe eventually he'll learn. He's still young.

He was taken later to the side pasture, which was good.

I then cleaned his paddock alone.

Barney, the Great Dane mix-who is a lovely dog, likes to sit on his haunches when I pat him. He always seems to end up sitting on one of my feet as I give him attention. I don't mind since he does move on when I stop patting.

Closeness

Other creatures seem to value closeness too.

Others have some sense of curiosity.

I remember once when I was younger I was out in the yard. I sat down in a spot where I could lean up against the back wall of the house. I sat there quietly thinking of things. I don't remember what I was thinking about, though it's not important here.

There's a small bush at that side of the house too. I felt I could be alone with my thoughts. Well, at one point I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. I wasn't startled, just noticed it. When I looked to the side a Robin was standing near- within a foot-inches, from me. The bird sort of looked at me. I looked away figuring it would fly off since I looked at it. Well, I looked again and it was still there for a few moments more.

I was like “hmmm”, then “huh, cool”.

I wonder what that Robin was curious about, why he came so close.

I couldn't help think of that song from The Carpenters, "Close to You". “why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near...”

anyway

You get what you Need

"You get what you need....."

The words from one of The Rolling Stones song. 

yup

I participate in illustrationfriday.com's "word of the week" event.
Last week's word was "Sweet".

After some thought I decide to post my pastel portrait of "Missy and Foal".















Interesting. I've had horses come and go in my life, though I've yet to own one.
hmmmm

"Missy" as most called her was one of those horses.

I remember the first time I saw her.
I had been taking riding lessons at Haskins farm in Berkley.  There were "school horses" one could ride if one didn't own their own horse.
I rode a couple of different ones over time. 

This one day when I got to the farm I heard one of the mares had a foal.  I went with one of the girls to go see it before my lesson. We stood on a stool and peeked into the stall.
There they were.  The foal was sleepily lying on the ground. Standing over the foal was the mare- Missy.  She was a dark brown, almost black horse with a little white star on her forehead.  The stall's light made her dark coat shine. She was a proud mare watching over her newborn foal.
The girl with me said, "oh, isn't the foal so cute." I was like "yah, and her mom is beautiful". 
Yes the foal was cute, yet something about this mare struck me- she was beautiful. 
Missy was a broodmare that was bred to the farm's stallion. She was owned by the farm too. 
They would  breed a couple of mares to the stallion and would then sell the babies.
I remember wondering about whether there would be a chance to ride her.  At the time she was a broodmare on the farm.

I just didn't know.

I remember thinking about her.  Time passed and I was enjoying my lessons. 
Then one day I arrived for a lessons to have my instructor tell me to go get "Missy" to ride today.  I was surprised and so happy.  I got the chance to ride her after all. 
That was just the first day of our rides. I would ride her mostly in lessons and at shows for the next two yrs.  We developed quite a good bond working together. There were many ribbons and a trophy won.  There were also a couple of foals to see too.  She was a great mare. I loved the time with her.
Later at one point she developed a stifle problem.  It can happen to some mares that have foals. She could no longer do the riding program. She was sold to a woman who didn't ride so frequently- more of a pet.
Though I've never seen her again, I think of her. 
She came into my life for a time.
That was special.
She'll always have a special place in my heart.

Sometimes things come and go, ..are in and out of our lives. 
Perhaps it's perfect in it's way.

Not that long ago I was missing being around horses.
I did an internet search to see what would come up in our area.
I found a place to volunteer so I could be around horses again.  Lend-A-Hand farm. 

One can only imagine what will come into one's life next.

 

Run like the Wind

Tuesday I was at the farm. 
I can't seem to say enough how therapeutic I find it going there.

At one point I happen to look out toward the far pasture to see Cozmo going for a run.  His long, white mane and tail flowing behind him.
His breeding is the Haflinger breed.  They have gold- light or dark- body coloring, white socks and a beautiful white flowing mane and tail. He sports a white blaze down his face.
The breed is build broad, sort of drafty, yet as all horses, they are strong and can go fast.  
Seeing him run made me feel good to.  Like"Yay, Go for it".  So free. 

I haven't ridden in a time, and seeing him run reminded me of the times I have had the experience of riding with the wind in my face going fast.  What a thrill. It's so freeing.
When I was in high school, many moons ago, I volunteered for a time at a riding stable.  I cleaned for a chance to ride.  For a little while the other kids and I would take turns riding a horse the owner had bought to resell.
Then there was a time it was just me and another boy there.  The owner let me ride her horse.  She had palomino coloring- gold body, white main and tail.  I think she was a quarter horse. 
Similar to Cozmo who isn't a young horse, Star was about 22 yrs old.  Yet she had spunk still in her as Cozmo does. I'd ride her around the yard. The barn was set sort of on a hill.  When we'd get to that part she'd insist in cantering up the hill every time. 
I certainly honed my skills through that.  She was attentive too.  If I seemed a little unsure she'd go a little slower. 

There was one time in early spring.  We started around the yard, but there was a bit of snow still in areas, so I turned her around to go back up a slight incline the way we had come.  She seemed rather happy to be out.  As we got to the end of the fence she looked back at me on her back.  Her eyes twinkling and ears turning back and forth.
I sensed what she wanted, "lets go fast up incline".  There was only a little snow there maybe barely an inch.  I thought and barely spoke, "yay, OK" when she went into the most flowing trot up the incline. The cold wind brushed my face. Her warm body was beneath me- I rode her a lot bareback. Her hoof steps were rhythmic crunching sounds in the snow. 
What a ride that was that day. 

Run sound and free.