First snow today

  We woke up to some light snow this morning.  It looked pretty for awhile and then the sun came out and it started to melt.  By the afternoon it was all gone and that to me is the best kind of snow.

1st Annual Horse Fundraiser for M.A.R.S of southern Illinois

Midwest Animal Rescue Service of Southern Illinois (M.A.R.S) hosted their first annual fundraiser on
November 6, 2011.

It was as good way to learn about the Equine Rescue program and learn about taking care of horse's also.  Amy gave a short demo of  training techniques similar to "natural horsemanship".  From lunging the horse using only body language, halting, drawing in, lowering and relaxing the head.  She also showed us the proper way to hold the reins and about using leg cues.

Amy runs an not for profit animal rescue for dogs and horses.  This Horse fundraiser was to help feed and take care of her 8 horse that are currently in her rescue program.  They are costly to feed and maintain but they deserve this second chance that she is providing them.  Besides feeding and grooming the horses she also trains them and works through any disciplinary issues that they may have arrived with.
This take a lot of patience, consistency, devotion, and above all else...love of what you do.

Pokey

All but one of the horses in the pictures are horse's in her rescue program.  Pokey is one of her boarder horse's that is currently in training along with the owner.

Fiona and friends

Fred with Big Mac

I brought my own horse to Amy last year.  She thinned down my fat haflinger and put both of us through training.  I started as a beginner since I hadn't ridden in so many years.  I highly recommend her to anyone who needs a tune up, horse needs a tune up or a complete introduction to horses, like I did.  She teaches all levels of horseback riding in both Western or English disciplines.

All donations went to the Equine rescue program at MARS of southern Illinois.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYN-9eUYajs

http://www.dogsfrommars.net/
http://www.equinenow.com/farm/midwest_animal_rescue_service.htm

Haflinger and Jersey antics

Our beloved haffie Meika and jersey cow (her best buddy) Josie decided it would be great fun rolling a square bale of hall down the hill.  My husband witnessed this and couldn't get to his camera fast enough.  Otherwise we would have pictures.
  Josie the cow is the Alpha horse when it comes to the water trough....Meika is Alpha when it comes to food.  Gotta love 'em.

New saddle for my fatty hafie

I just purchased this from my trainer/friend for my fatty hafie.  Yes, she has once again managed to put on the weight.  All I can say is she found the right family.  We understand....really we do.  But we know it's not healthy for her so we are dry stalling her a part of the day.  I already told my trainer/friend my next ride will be with her present.  I was reading on my Yahoo haflinger group about some of their horses doing the "haflinger statue".  I read that and my jaw dropped.  My hafie has done this same thing to me and not once.  I've never had a horse that just planted its feet and refused to move....never!  I will get past this and so will my horse.

Fred's birthday/Memorial weekend party

  This year we had a bbq and horseback riding party for Fred's birthday which fell on the Memorial weekend.  We started out with drinks, a nice BBQ and followed that up with horseback riding and many more drinks. I think everyone had a good time especially the birthday boy..:)

Lesson's resuming

Ok, lesson's should be starting back up after a hotter than normal summer.  It's been way too hot and humid to do anything but try and stay cool.

I can't wait and I'm eager to do some refreshers with Meika and figure out what I've been doing wrong.  Amy says it's my "mental frame of mind".  Nah, that can't be it...lol

Dirty girl and boy

  Bath time!  It's hot here so I got out the bathing suit and flip flops and grabbed the hose.  Now our dirty girl isn't so dirty anymore.

They clean up well don't you think? 

Lesson 6-22-11 Wednesday

Off night for sure.  I started lunging Meika without a lead rope which we had done before with good results.  Not tonight.  She was plugish and slow and didn't want to draw in.  She did it once and then was non compliant after that.  I put the lead rope on her twice after that.  She knows this, I know this but for some reason not tonight.

I did saddle and bridal her on my own tonight so this was a first!  The cinch was alittle loose but other than that I did it right.  Yeah me!

Fred lunged Serenity for a bit then mounted her.  He was tense for whatever reason.  At the same time Meika was giving me hell.  She knows the rails around the pen but tonight decided she didn't want to walk the rail.  I kept having to make her get closer to the rail which made me frustrated at me and her.  I don't think Fred or I were in the right mind set tonight.  More lunging, more training and more patience is in order....next time.

Sorry Amy.  We'll do better next time.  Promise.

6-15-11 Lesson

  I was a little nervous after my last ride with Meika on Sunday.  I'm fortunate to have a wonderful trainer who not only is training Meika but myself as well.  She keeps me grounded, focused and above all calm.

Amy and her gorgeous baby Appaloosa Fiona

  Before our lesson we walked around the round pen and picked up pieces of glass that seem to appear there overnight.  I'm walking and Meika's following.  I stop and bend down to pick up glass and I feel her breath on my back or butt.  It was pretty funny.  I even felt a nibble on my hat.  She can be cute.

  This afternoon I lunged Meika without a lunge line and using only a lunge whip.  Meika was wonderful.  I tried this last time the lunging went well, but the drawing in was 2 times out of 10 tries.  Tonight....4 complete draws.  I took one step back and took the draw stance, patted my thighs and made the clicking sound.  That worked each and every time.  I was so damn proud of her!

  Then we moved on to opening the gate and not letting her charge through it.  We did a lot of whoa, stopping and standing still.  Then moving up a foot and repeating that process.  Finally Amy opened up the fence to the field and Meika and I walked through it.  The main focus was getting her to turn and go past the open fence and continue on.  The first couple of times were rough but I didn't let her get away with it.  We did turn and finally walked passed it to where I wanted her to go.  Ok, got that down.  Hopefully, I can still do this without Amy.  

Sunday's ride on 6-12-11

  Fred and I decided to go riding around the smaller pasture with Meika and Serenity our boarders beautiful paint horse.  Serenity was busy giving Fred a hard time apparent she wasn't used to the bridal after our trainer fixed it the right way.  They had all the bits going the opposite way for some reason.  We decided that she probably needs a broken snaffle bit vs the leverage bit she is currently using.
  So Meika in the mean time is having her own set of issues.  I'm anxious for some reason.  I tried 3 different times to back off and just chill.  I now have mounted her 3 ocassions and dismounted when I didn't feel comfortable.  Meika is feeding on all of this.  Poor baby she has such a neurotic mommy.  Damn shame!
  I finally gave up but not wanting to end on a sour note, I led her to the round pen and mounted her again.  She just didn't want to listen to me.  I ended up letting Fred ride her which probably wasn't a good idea for reasons I won't go into.  She is my horse and she needs to know and listen to me is the bottom line.
  There are days when I just love her and see us riding off into the sunset at a ripe old age....then there are other days when I want to sell her on Craigslist and buy something I can ride.  Not sure what that is...lol

Water baby 5-11-11

Ok, not exactly but Amy did get in her the water and not just once.  A couple of time she was even playing with the water.  It was so cute.

Mother's day ride

  Today Amy came over to go for a ride with Meika and I.  We still have flood waters at the end of our road and she wanted to see if she could get Fiona in the water.  Fiona loved it and even went for a swim with Amy.  


  Meika was a different story.  Amy doesn't think she has ever been on a trail ride in her life.  Meika didn't seem comfortable with following or leading.  She also seemed to have barn sour going on even tho we don't have a barn per say.  She had a real problem with my neighbors driveways, one of which has horses.  Both driveways connect to their horses so either one was good for her.  I would try and turn her one way and kick her to go forward and turn her again and kick her and she would turn and back up.  I was becoming flustered and frustrated to say the least.  That didn't help matters.  I finally got her moving with the help of Amy.  We walked back up towards my place and turned in, Meika started trotting back home.  As she was turning in I started turning her back around.  I did this several times, the last time she hit the electric fence and got shocked.  Amy said she high stepped out of the wire and then did a sharp turn with her backside.  That's when I slid off still holding the reins.  I told her good cowgirl up.

This old cowgirl is nursing left butt cheek and right clavicle tonight.

All in due time....baby steps until then

4-29-2011 Lesson "Cowgirl Up"

Tonights lesson was both good and bad.  It seemed like all the animals were stirred up for whatever reason.  One horse and one cow both in season.  A 2 year old colt realizing his manhood...yikes!  Lets throw in a ground pen built on unlevel land where Jadie managed to squeeze out of during his training.  Everyone seemed to be having a day.  But, like Amy says "stop making excuses, they will do what you ask of them"

Meika did fairly well in the round pen.  It was a different story outside of the pen.   We traded places and I rode Meika outside of the round pen and Amy took Jadie into the round pen to start lunging him.  At first things were going fine.  She gave me a bit of trouble when I asked her to turn around and go.
She kept giving me trouble around the hitching post.  I would turn her and she would act like the  only way she wanted to turn was into the hitching post.  I really think she had had enough and was letting me know.  Still no excuse.

I was too busy being the bossy one, the one where you will go for me only frustrating both of us.

I started turning her one way and then the opposite way and then for good measure tried backing her up.  She had enough of me and layed down.  I first thought she was stumbling but no, she went down!  I quickly got off of her thinking she was going to roll but she didn't.

Amy came over and asked if she could borrow her.  She wanted to make sure we didn't end on that sour note. I gladly handed her the reins.  She and Meika went for a walk down the road where she behaved quite nicely after that.  She brought her back and we unsaddled her and let her go eat with the rest of them.

Meika sunning back in March

Flood waters putting a damper on things

Horse training for today has been cancelled.  We have had so much rain that we now how a lake in our backyard.

Our neighbors next door are going to have to move their horses if the flood level gets any higher.

Looks like we are having a dry spell from now until Sunday and then it starts all over again.

Our road is flooded out towards the north of us

This has been the wettest spring I've ever seen here.  We've had 10 inches of rain in the past 4 days, plus about 4  tornado warnings so far.  Very scary considering it's only April!

The flood in our backyard

Trying out Amy's Aussie saddle

Tonight I was trying out Amy's Aussie saddle to see if I liked it.  She only used it a couple of times and would see it due to lack of use.  So we put it on Meika.  It didn't seem like it fit quite right but I tried it anyways.  She seemed a bit off in the round pen, like something wasn't right.  I asked Fred to look at her and see what he thought.  He said she looked fine.  I still thought something was off with her.

I thought the saddle seat was comfortable enough but I didn't like how it made my legs feels.  You're almost in a straight up and down position and that made my legs and feet feel tired for some reason.

I tried her up to the hitching post and removed the Aussie saddle much to her delight!  Then I brought out our saddle and put that on her.  I rode her around and she was fine.  She was the "old Meika".  So I think it was that saddle for all the flack I was getting from her.   Heck, I liked the old saddle better too!

Our true test was after the pen area was left open, so I took Meika in there and walked around with her.  The door was still wide open and Fred was starting to put the hay out.  She thought there for a minute that she was calling the shots.  She learned different...:)

I learned several things tonight:
Trust your instincts
Listen to your horse
(and less of your husband....:)

A horse doesn't care how much you know until he knows how much you care.     - Pat Parelli

4-20-2011 Trot a Lot

2nd lesson of the year went well.  Started off doing lunges, stopping and switching direction.  I did the switch twice but on the 3rd time she didn't want to do it.  Stubborn mare she is.  She finally did it.  Amy brought a couple of trainee/students with her so after our time training she had them work with Jadie in the round pen.  I was still riding Meika riding around our property.  I know it sounds trivial but for some reason I was afraid to ride her anywhere other than the round pen area.  So tonight was a first.

I had told Amy that I didn't want to trot her in the round pen.  There were a couple of really muddy spots for all the rain from the night before.  She laughed and said fine.

When I was riding her around the area I got her to trot and I loved it!  So much so, we did it several times.  I walked her over to the driveway, around the bradford pear and into a trot we would go.  Meika has the nicest trot.  It's not choppy at all.  It's a nice, relaxing trot like she's just taking her time and strolling along.  All I know is it sure feels great on one's behind....well that, and the padded saddle I have!

Now I can't wait until the next lesson.

Peppermint Treats

Peppermint Treats

Ingredients

10 crushed peppermints
2 cups flour
2 apples
1 cup of oats
1/4 cup of molasses
water
Directions

Mix flour and oats together
Add molasses
Add water slowly until mixture is doughy
Add peppermint
Add apples
Cook at 350 degrees until golden brown

Recipe for Horse cookies

I saw this in a magazine and saved it.  They sound good and easy.

Horse cookies

1 cup carrots (grated)
1 apple (grated)
2 T. corn oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 t. salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly grease cookie sheet.
3. In a large bowl, mix carrot, apple, corn oil and molasses together.
4. Fold in salt, oats and flour until well mixed.
5. Spread dough out in one big piece on the cookie sheet.
6. Score dough with a knife to make it easier to break apart after baking. (Or, roll dough out and cut with cookie cutters)
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown.
8. Let cool.

Bake at 350 on a greased cookie sheet

New saddle to me

We went down to the Goreville Livestock and tack auction in Goreville, Illinois a couple of months ago.  We picked up a thick neoprene saddle pad, a used leather saddle, and also a few other items and paid $120.00 for everything.  Not a bad deal.  I highly recommend checking out your local auctions if you want to save some money.



I really wanted a leather saddle vs synthetic.  I've heard good and bad things about synthetic saddles, not to mention the prices are very affordable compared to leather.  A very good friend of mine suggested the padded seat for comfort and my trainer didn't like the idea of synthetic at all.  This saddle has the best of all worlds for me.  It's affordable, cushioned seat and leather.

Here's what it looks like.  

Refresher course - 2nd year

I was a little nervous at first.  My trainer said ok, show me what you do with her.  So I led her around and when I stopped, she stopped.  Good so far.  Backed her up. she did that too.  Then I went to lunge her....no deal.  I tried the right side, then the left side.  Each time she walked straight towards me and I felt that I was the one being lunged and not her.  Finally, with her insite and corrections I got her into a lounge and things were much better after that.

After that, she saddled her up and let me ride.  I was surprised how well she did after the last two sessons.  She was somewhat stubborn several times but nothing I couldn't turn around.  I'm just so tickled how well it went tonight!

First couple of rides.

I finally got the nerve to climb up on her and ride even tho it was only around the round pen area.  The first ride was in January and it was great.  She was well behaved and pretty much did everything that was asked of her.  

The second ride was a little more difficult.  She only wanted to follow Fred around the pen and didn't want to listen to me.

The 3rd time, well let's just say it wasn't good.  

My trainer is coming out tomorrow for a much needed refresher course, and boy do I need it.  

Learning how to lunge Meika

Too old to learn new tricks?

Last June I saw an add on Craigslist for Horseback riding lessons.  We had just bought our first horse in April.  We had our neighbors friend coming over to help me ease back into the saddle, although we didn't have a saddle just yet.  She was nice and showed up a couple of times then stopped coming.  I thought great, now what?

Then I saw Amy's ad on Craigslist.  My first thought was am I really too old to learn this again?  I haven't ridden since my 20's or 30's and here I am in my 50's.  

The answer I realized was no.  However, the method of riding that I once knew is out of date.  Growing up our family spent our summers in Utah visiting our grandparents.  I have the best of memories of those times.  We helped feed cows, chickens, drank Ironports at the soda fountain in town and rode the neighbors horses.  The kick and go method I knew has been replaced by Natural horsemanship.

My lesson with Amy

Me and Meika

I've been going to lessons once a week since last July.  I really enjoy it and can't wait to start up lessons again now that winter is finally over.  I saw ladybugs on the porch door so I think that spring is on its way.  

"When you count your blessings, count your horse twice."

"When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something.  When you're my age, you splatter.  ~Roy Rogers"

Our little Haffie named Meika

  We bought our first horse last spring.  We were told she was a 4 year old Haflinger mare but it turns out she is closer to 7 instead.  She is beautiful with big brown eyes, likes people and loves to be groomed.

  She also loves Sweet feed and to graze free range.  Unfortunately, she put on too much weight so the Sweet feed and free range snacking had to come to an end.  She wasn't real happy about this.  No one likes to diet, not even horses.

Being a big girl with a lack of manners, she tended to be a bit pushy and tried real hard to show she was the one running things.  This was a hard time for me.  I thought I had waiting so long to own my own horse and this one is proving I don't have what it takes.
Double check here.....I need a trainer and I do have what it takes and if I don't....I will have!