Rocking Horse Canter

Rocking Horse Canter

Near Randolph, MA, where I grew up, there was a conservation area called Blue Hills. There was also a summer camp called, Ponkapoag camp. When I turned 13, I was the right age to be in the horse camp that they offered. I learned a lot about horses and how to ride a horse. There were a few different horses that each camper would get to ride.

One of my favorite horses was named, Ceasar. He was a medium size quarter horse. He had a neat coat color referred to as Blue Roan. It consisted of back and white hairs that blended into each other. When the sun shown on his coat it would have a look of tinted blue. Thus the name of his coloring was called Blue Roan. His mane, tail and legs just below the knees were black. I thought he was the coolest horse. He was very gentle and patient with children.

I'm riding Ceasar here at camp Ponkapaog Horse Camp

One year I was able to move to the advanced group. We would work on walking, trotting and would add learning to ride at a canter. A canter is similar to a gallop, but much slower. It has a 3 beat rhythm. It has a rocking back and forward motion that the rider experiences. Some horses move smooth and steady in a canter, that can feel like being in a rocking chair.

Ceasar had a smooth and steady canter.

The day came when we would do our first canter ride. I was riding Ceasar that day. When it was my turn to canter my instructor not only instructed me in what to do but told me Ceasar has a real nice rocking horse canter. "Once he goes just sit back and enjoy it." she said.

I asked for the canter with my "outside" leg, right leg moving in the direction to the left. Ceasar went into the canter. He moved off into a rocking motion. It felt really good. I felt relaxed and moved with his rocking motion. It was really good. We slowed down as we got close to the end of the line of riders. My instructor said "Good." Then added "How was that?" I exclaimed "That felt really good. Awesome."

Horses can be Amusing

Time with horses- they can be anusing.

Moony:
I decided to groom him in his stall since farrier truck was here and working hot metal. Moony doesn't like the smell.
He does know how to open his stall door. 
I told him "i'm grooming you in here".
When I'm not looking he takes a step and pushes door open.
Me: "hey" close the door.
Moony: does it a couple of more times.
I'm like, "not funny" amidst laughing. couldn't help it. He was playing with me.
so I do a hala- lift arms up in front of him - play right back at him. grin emoticon

Mint: I go to put his full sheet on. He just had to circle at least twice before settling and letting me put it on. Doesn't care for the fussing of putting it on. Oh well,
He did fine. I got it on.

Feeding Time

I arrive at the barn for the breakfast feeding time.
Some mornings  I get quite a variety of greetings from the animals there.
The two dogs will bark a greeting.  I say "Good Morning" and give them each a pat.
Sometimes they'll whine, a sweaky sounding whine, a little  wanting to be fed.  Yet the owner is the one who feeds them.  I'll just reassure them she's coming and carry on.
There are ducks that quake when they see me or anyone go by.
And chickens that cluck, too.
oh, and I can't forget the cats too.  They meow at me.
I walk in and turn the light near the door on.
I pass some horses on the way to the feed room.  Each goes to their stall door and puts out it's nose.
I will let them touch and/or smell my hand for a moment.  I say "Good Morning" to each of them.
I get soft noses, soft snorts and some neighs.
Then there's Cosmo who likes to bump the wall with his hoof.  He could bang to the band.
They'll shift in their stalls and look for me coming with their bucket of grain.
I place their grain bucket just inside each stall and they start to eat.
Once all have their grain, I give out the hay.
Sometimes I get snorts to "Hurry up".  Some of them get done with their grain quickly.
Once they're all fed they settle in and eat.

There's something satisfying and sort of calming about listening to the horses eat.
They munch in a soft rhythm,as they chew up their food.
Not only is it rhythmic but it's a continuous sound. Soothing in it's repetition.


Morning At the barn

Dogs bark
Cats meow
Horse snort, stomp and neigh
Ducks a Quaking
Chickens  a clucking
Oh the sounds of  a new day.

A Mouse In and Out

It was morning at the farm.  I walk into the barn and say "Good Morning" to each horse as I pass their  stall.  Some horses whinny while others shift and snort.   They are hungry for breakfast.
I enter the feed storage room.  There are barrels of grain lined up along one wall.  Most mornings the grain buckets are ready, having been refilled the night before in readiness for the morning feed.  This morning, as occasionally happens, the buckets weren't filled.  So I begin by taking off the barrel lids to fill the buckets with grain.
I open one barrel to find a mouse inside it.  For a split moment I let out a short scream and shut the lid.  Then in the next moment realize it's not useful to freeze since I have a task at hand.
I open the lid and look at the mouse.  Mouse gets nervous since big human is standing over barrel that it's in.  It occurs to me how senseless it was of me to scream at a creature so much smaller than I am. Especially in contrast to how large I am: human being vs a mouse.  Yet it is what it is.  I got startled so reacted.
Mouse runs and tries to jump up to get out.  It fails each time to get out.  Apparently mouse is lower in barrel than it can run and jump out.
So I choose to help it out.  I try to get the mouse into a scoop to lift it out, but it runs and tries to jump out more.  So I stop for a moment.
Mouse stops for a moment too.
--then there is the incredible moment.
Mouse looks up at me.  I mean really looks at me.  Our grazes meet.
Mouse's eye look soft  and shiny.  The feeling I get- "Please don't hurt me".
I say, "I'm not going to hurt you.  I just want to get you out of the barrel so I can do my chore- to feed the horses.
Mouse seems to relax a little. I position scoop and shift it under him and lift him. He accepts the lift then moves - jumps out of barrel and scurries away.
Out loud to myself I say "Now I can get to the chore at hand-feeding the horses". I turn to pick up a grain bucket.
Out of the corner of my eye I notice mouse momentarily still for a moment under the wire shelf on the other side of room.
Mouse looks.
In a soft voice I reply, "Your Welcome".
Mouse scurries off to do what mice do.
I move to do what's at hand.  Feed the horses.

Ask for help and You receive

I've been thinking lately about business and how some think being an entrepreneur is about doing it alone.
The truth is it's not done alone at all.  It takes a team effort to make an idea into something real.
So I ask my self, "do I have the support?  Do I Ask for help?
well, not always.  I probably should ask more often when needed.  

It can be amazing where help can come from.

Like the other day at the farm, I was to bring the ponies in from the pasture before I left.  It had been rainy off and on.
I walked out to notice that they weren't out back in the lower pasture.  So I guessed right that they were up on the hill.
I've only been up on the hill maybe a couple of short times to check on them. There's a lot of rocky places and quite a bit of brush-trees, bushes.
I put the lead rope on Moony.  I looked around and realized I was unsure of the best way-path down the hill.  I chose to unhooked Moony, so I could figure out where to go before leading him.
I felt a little lost and spoke to him about it.  "I'm not sure which path or opening in brush to go, ...can you help me?
Moony moved down a small pathway through brush.  Bubbles, gray pony, followed him.  For a moment Moony looked back at me to follow.  I followed at the rear-----all the way down to the barn door.  :)
Such a smart and good sport Moony is.
I clicked lead rope on Bubbles since he can be nervous like and put him in his stall.
Moony decided not to wait for me, and just walked down the aisle into his stall.
I said "Thank you" to Moony.

See you never know where help may come in or in what form it will show up as.
So don't be afraid to Ask.
-I'm telling myself that too.
:)

Farewell to "E" Pig

I first met "Emily" Pig when I visited Lend-A-Hand farm.
She was a rather large, black and white adult pig.
She would wiggle her nose and grunt.
When I volunteered  there, I'd walk by her pig pen in the morning as I did chores and say "hi" to her.  She always seemed to reply with soft grunts- perhaps content-- happy sign.
Of course if she were hungry the grunts would change.

Lend-A- Hand closed. Thus a change.

At the new farm, she was in a stall.
Apparently we were all experiencing the adjustment.
   "change is a constant"
Timing of feeding changed.
She got out of her stall a few times.
She seemed more grumpy in waiting for her food.

One morning when we approached feeding her, she pushed her way out.  To keep her in the aisle, I faced her off with a pitch fork.  I didn't touch her, just make it so she wouldn't want to get passed me.  My working partner showed her her feed bucket.  We got her back in.
Second time, I talked to her through the stall door and let her see I had a pitch fork if need be.
She calmed down, so I opened the door and passed the food to her.  She was much better.  And she seemed satisfied and good.  whew
Last few feeding went well.  She seemed to settle in.
I've checked on her water dish too, and she seems content.
Nice to leave that impression on her.

Well, with arrangements made, she'll be going to a new permanent home in PA.  Sounds like a good "pig" place.
I imagine she'll get a pig pen again and be very content.

May she find a pig paradise.

A sweet Farewell to "E" pig.

I know she left an sweet impression on me from the start.

Best to you.

Out to the Pasture, Finally

So we finally have some warm weather tickling our fancies.
Yesterday was near 40's.    Snow is melting.

With that it was decided that the "big girls", as I like to call them- Sophie, who's actually average height for a Quarter Horse and Eclisp, 17.2 Hanoverian/paint cross, could get to go out to the back pasture.

With the amount of snow adding up with each snow storm throughout the winter and pretty cold temperatures, using any of the pastures was out for quite a time.
Some of the other horses are placed in paddocks that have open stalls.  There are 4 of those paddocks.
The "big  girls" have been usually placed in the indoor arena, while the barn is getting clean.  It gives them time outside of their stalls in winter.  They're good with it.

Yet as all of us experience, when the end of February and beginning of March come around we're all itching for spring weather.  Warmer and brighter days.


So they got to go to the back pasture.  They spend a good part of days there in the other seasons.
-winter has it's challenges, as we know.

I led Sophie through the arena to the back pasture.
She was rather excited, when she caught on where she was being led.  Nostrils, breathing the excitement in and out.
I found myself for a moment trying to keep pace with her.  Then realized, "Ah, I'm the leader, eh".
So I made her do a small circle with me to refocus some.
After I un-clipped the lead from her halter and stepped away, she did a Happy hop.
Eclipse was excited too.  funny- for just a moment she chose to check out the hay on the ground, then not.
Both lowered themselves down and rolled in the snow.  Eclipse wiggled on her back.
Then they got up and ran and raced around the pasture, which had about an inch or two of snow left.
Breathing, snorting and totally in joy.  Pieces of snow flew through the air as they kicked up their heels.

We just stood and watched them.

It was contagious.

In a nearby paddock, Zoey caught the excitement and ran up and down her paddock.
On the other side, Lady and Prince stood at the corner of their paddock taking in the scene.

Electric

oh, what Joy to experience.