The Continuing Adventures of Miss Miyake

2008-06-02T15:42:00.001-07:00

Sunday was a lovely spring day, warm and sunny, the perfect day for sleeping on one's side with legs stretched out. Which I did. Repeatedly during the day.

Luc went first in the working. He seemed to very much enjoy his ride. Partly because I was jealous and partly because of the aforementioned weather conditions, I decided that it was a good day NOT to work. Fortunately for me, Mom agreed. Unfortunately for me, she decided that if I didn't want to work, I was going to run around. When will I learn?

I ran and ran and ran. Luc ran with me from time to time but mostly he stood in a corner and watched me run. When I was soaked in sweat and breathing hard, I let Mom catch me and hose me off. Again, I ask, when will I learn? I would have worked much less hard if I had just gone to work!

Monday about midday we were very surprised to hear our horsebox being hitched up. We looked at each other in surprise, and then looked to see if our mistress would come for us. Sure enough, she did, and with mints in hand, which meant no messing around. We both decided it was in our best interest to cooperate, so we loaded up and headed off down the road.

We went to the Big Barn. When we got there, we were led together into the barn, and we stopped at Pegasus's stall so that Luc could go in there. I was intended to wait beside my human until Luc was settled, but I knew I was going into the next stall so I just put myself in there and watited patiently. When my human realized what I had done, she laughed out loud and told me I was the best girl ever. :-)

She took Luc out to ride him in the field. He came in smiling and said it was tons of fun, that he did everything just right and she didn't have to raise her voice to him not once. I've had enough of his cocky attitude. I vowed to be BETTER than he was.

Before I went to work, I got to meet my new Aunt Kim and her horse Henry, who is almost my twin except that he's a Quarter Horse and he's a he. But he's the same color and he has identical markings to me. He's very nice too. He and I and Heart all got saddled up and went for a trail ride, down the road, through the hay fields and then down along the river. It was lots of fun. We just walked and I was soft and stretchy and used my back nicely.

When we got back, we headed out into the field for some work. I was good, not great, but I tried. I wanted desperately to be showy and to run hard but I knew I shouldn't so I really tried. I didn't use my back well but I did use my neck well, which was good enough for some nice praise. We jumped a few small jumps at the trot and I responded well to half halts in the canter, and then a long walk until I was cool.

Right as we got home, it began to rain, which made for just enough mud for a delicious roll!

2008-05-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more lovely shots of myself from the Open Barn. More pictures are posted on the website!

Monday was a holiday for most people, myself included. Not so lucky Luc, who had to work for the first time in a while. However, he seemed to really enjoy his ride and I was almost jealous. Almost, and then I remembered how hard I had to work the day before.

Later on Monday Mom and Dad came to the barn with the truck filled with brand new hay out of the field! We only got a little bit because it was very fresh and rich, but it sure was yummy!

Wednesday we got an extra day off because it rained all day long. It was a nice rain though, and we had hay - so we didn't mind a bit!

Today when Mom came into the pasture with a halter in her hand, I went right to the forefront and said, me please. This made her smile, and I was in a mood where that made me happy. We had a nice groom and then we saddled up and got started. I have learned that if I come out relaxed and supple, then I am allowed to pick what kind of horse I am for the day - saddleseat, field hunter or dressage. But if I am tense, stiff, unbalanced or otherwise not soft, then my lot is to be that of a dressage horse until I get soft. Mom likes to say that dressage is the cure for the ordinary horse. Today was a dressage day.

We did some suppling at the walk and then went into the trot. We trotted for what seemed like forever, on the circle, using an opening rein and a firm inside leg until I softened around the leg and bent my body. When I did this both directions then we left the circle and if I stayed relaxed I got to have a little rein; if I stiffened up, it was back to the circle. When I had done this enough to please the slave driver, we walked a piece and then went to the canter. Same exercise in the canter. Throughout the ride, I tried very hard and my downward transitions were very balanced and I did not fall on the forehand. In fact, I got to do a canter to trot which I am never allowed to do because done improperly, this transition promotes rushing downward and an unbalanced trot, but we gave it a try today and I managed to nail it. We then trotted a bit more and I began to really ask for the rein and use my back and stretch. We finished with my favorite thing, jumping over the bigger jump. I was not expecting to go to the jump so I was a little stretchy and had to really jump around the jump so I jumped rather big but I enjoyed the feeling in my back and my rider stayed with me so it was all good!

2008-05-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Monday was a lovely spring day but Mom had a bunch of stuff to do so we got to just hang out and be horses. Truth be told, I think she just needed a day with no horses in it! Hard as it may be to imagine that anyone would ever want a break from my beautiful self, I can see it happening.

Wednesday I was highly motivated to work. I accepted the halter readily and after a cursory grooming we got right to the work. I thought it would be a day I wouldn't enjoy because we started out with some walking and walk/halts, but I must have satisfied the minimum requirements because we quickly went on to bigger and better things. Quite a bit of trotting, not much cantering, no jumping. I was asked to be slow, balanced and cadenced and I warmed to the topic at hand quickly. After, we took a walk up to the road and into the area next to the house to have a look at all the small plants growing there. I felt like a ranch horse, carrying my rancher around to survey the crops.

Friday was supposed to be a day that Luc went first but I stepped up to the plate and said I'd like to go, so I got to go first. As it turned out, Luc went not at all, because when it was his turn he ran away and Mom said, "fine, be that way." Kind of spoiled his fun. At any rate, it was a good thing I didn't pull that stunt because I quickly revealed myself to be quite toxic! I broke out in hives in several places during what turned into a very complete massage. It was supposed to be quick and somewhat perfunctory, addressing my known problems but I stated that I was a mess and had the hives to back it up. I had tightnesses in all kinds of other places than usual, so I had a very thorough massage.

After the massage, I tried hard in my ride. I did lots of balanced transitions, not falling on the forehand in my downwards. I tried hard not to get tense and stiff in the back, but to swing my back muscles, newly released, and cover ground with my stride not my speed. I got to jump my higher jump several times and I was really jumping around the jump, not over it, by arching my back and using my whole body, lifiting my legs to my body instead of making sure that all of my parts were above the jump by overjumping and letting legs dangle.

Saturday I came strongly into heat and the decision was made that I should get the day off. :-)

Today I proved mildly toxic in muscles, releasing hives at two locations, but highly toxic in attitude. I wasn't too bad during the grooming, and even when the baby chickens were near me, and another hen tried to pass too close, and one of the mother chickens attacked her, and the two battling hens bounced off my leg a few times, I stood just as still as a stone. But I was really quite ugly about the work I was asked to do. I didn't want to be, honest, but the hormones, they make me act in a most unpleasant way. However, we managed to salvage something good out of the ride and the last thing we were to do was a lovely animated saddleseat type trot, my reward for having grasped the concept of moving my back, not my legs, and so we were doing this lovely trot and it felt so good and I just slid into the canter and it was so relaxed and yet powerful and so we went a little faster and that was just so inspiring that I... well, I bucked. Hard. Like a bronco. And then threw my head up and bashed my rider in the head. Well, the visor of her helmet, so not really her head, but still, it scared me... She spanked me most soundly and then made me work - hard - another ten minutes, so I'd say I learned my lesson. Then we walked for the longest time until I was cool, and then I had a most difficult shower, because the water was turned on my head and left there until I stopped arguing, which, since I hate water on my face, was quite some time....

However, once the Chinese water torture was over, there was a mint and some grass and I quickly forgot my snit and the rest of the day I was quite loving to my mother and even came over to say hello to Uncle Tommy when he came to see the baby chickens. We got to go back out in our grass after another five days in the shade paddock, and we cavorted a bit and put on a little show for the neighbors outside watching us! We love an audience!

2008-05-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

Thursday had some delicious rain, so on Friday the pasture was still a bit too wet for any serious riding, so we had massages instead. I quite enjoyed mine, shoved my sore parts into the hands of the masseuse to make sure she got them all. In fact, I broke out in hives across my right hip, showing that I was releasing the toxins that were bound up in my muscle!

Saturday afternoon, when it was time for us to be fetched for working, we looked at each other and said, "you know, we haven't had a good hard run in some time..." and so instead of being sweet and cooperative, we took off running and we ran, hard, for about 20 minutes. The weird thing was, though, that our human just stood there watching us the whole time. She didn't send us around and didn't really participate, except that when we'd stop, she'd approach us to see if we were done - which we were not. When I was running, she'd stare at me with this creepy smile on her face. I mean, I know I am gorgeous and I am moving better than ever these days, but still, it was creepy the way she'd just watch.

Finally she gave up and went to get a mint. Luc dove for the mint but I remained aloof, so he went to work while I stayed behind. After his session, she tried again with the mint but I was having none of it, so she went for a bucket of grain and after she dumped it in the feed pan and pretended to walk away, I came in for a bite and decided it was too much work running away.

My bad mood carried over into the ride. I was tense, uncooperative and generally not a pleasure to ride. My rider really gave it to me - I feel like this was the first time she really stood up to me, totally and completely and didn't back down if I was being scary - which I did a little of. She was really tough on me, saying "You were rude to me, I can give it right back." She made me carry my head lower than I like, and forced me to go slow, instead of inviting me to go slow. She made me travel like a snail in the canter; not collected, which is shorter, smaller steps, but full sized steps that just went slower. It was hard and I got mad, but we got it done. When she turned me out I heard her tell the chickens that today she loved me but didn't like me all that much. The feeling was totally mutual.

However, we did get to go out on our grass for several hours, so that was very nice. It had been mowed the day before, so we had access to all kinds of green bits, and we very much enjoyed our several hours there before we went back to the shade paddock and our hay. I am getting quite a round belly from the hay; my girth is two holes looser than it was a week ago!

We got a chance at redemption today. We had our breakfast and then an hour later we were let out onto the grass for the day. About midday we were approached, mint in hand, and we had both learned a lesson about being rude so we about knocked each other down, trying to get to the mint. I won.

This ride I was significantly improved. We trotted a long time, and if I wasn't quite stretchy and swinging my back, at least I wasn't tense and hollow. We trotted over the log a few times and I was soft and easy and could go with a loose rein, so we had a go at the bigger jump, which stands about two feet tall. I jumped it with a nice arc, if a little stiff in the neck. After a brief walk, I did some canter which was again better than yesterday but not as good as it has been recently. Another walk, then some trot, and over the big jump again, with much improvement in the neck. We circled around and jumped back over it from the harder side. Stiff neck again, so we tried another time and this time I was perfect. I landed in a soft quiet canter and went around a bit staying soft and quiet and I got to canter over the log. We quit on that note, had a nice long walk for cooling out and a mint and then a good roll in the dirt. Later on, it rained and cooled things off nicely and made just enough mud for rolling in!

2008-05-14T17:15:00.001-07:00

Sunday following our party was rainy and so we spent most of the day standing under the trees and eating hay. We got some carrots and some nose kisses but that was about it.

Monday was raining for part of the day and we got another day off with just a nice grooming and some more nose kisses.

Tuesday we were all ready to do some running around but Mom came home late so we had to settle for some snacks and some nose kisses.

Wednesday midafternoon I was so ready for some attention! When she came in with the halter, I walked right over and said, "me please". We had a nice groom and some simple massage and some leg stretches, and then we saddled up and went to work. I have decided that the rides I like best usually start with jumping over the log on the way to work, and this was no exception.

We walked a short piece, and then trotted through the woods and over the log. Then we trotted for what seemed like ages. The last couple weeks I've been mostly training in "war horse" frame and been encouraged to be upright and showy. Today I was invited to a more dressage shape and asked to concentrate on my body and my balance. All the canter I've done lately has made me more fit, so now I am able to work on finesse.

I am learning that if I lower my head a little bit, from the shoulder, not by flexing in mid-neck, it allows me to lift my back and that allows me to reach under myself with my back legs, thus giving the famous Arabian power stride that covers so much ground with little effort. When I started doing this I kept tipping onto my forehand, so I had to have a little help to stay perfectly straight so that I could use all four legs evenly. "Straight" when making a circle or turn means being bent just exactly as much as the turn that is being made.

After several changes of direction at the trot I was really starting to get it, and so we went over the log five times. I didn't even break from the trot, that is how balanced I am in my trot jumps. After a brief walk, we worked on canter. I am getting better about not rocketing off from the preparation leg aid, but we still had to spend some time working on that. When I would stay soft and supple, the transition was wonderful and the resulting canter easy and enjoyable. When I tensed, stiffened and launched, the canter was uncomfortable and awkward and I'd break in a few strides if I hadn't already been brought down to the walk. I started getting the idea and then I discovered that if I lowered my whole neck and lifted my shoulders a little, the canter was so easy that I could do it for much longer! Occasionally I'd loose my balance and tilt forward - sometimes I'd slip down into the trot and sometimes I could be rebalanced and fix it myself.

After I had several successful canters each direction, we walked a bit more and then did some trot, finishing up with one last lovely canter. Today was quite the hardest workout I've had in a while, not counting last week's ride in the field which didn't feel a bit like work because it was such fun. I am ready again to go out on a field hunt so I hope I get to go soon!

My pictures are now posted at the main website, and videos of me, Luc and everyone else on the YouTube link, so if you haven't seen them -go have a look!

2008-05-10T17:21:00.001-07:00

Wednesday I thought we might have the day off, having had such a busy day the day before. In the afternoon Mom came out into the pasture. We went to see her and she petted our velvety noses and then said, "shoo". I kid you not, that's what she said. So we shooed. She took a bunch of pictures of us but only a few were any good:

We didn't go very hard or very long because we had just been adjusted the day before. Then she caught me and took me in and brushed me very thoroughly and then put on all my fine green and gold clothes again, took me up to the circle and rode just a couple of minutes each way, to be sure that I wasn't going to be bothered by things swinging all around me. As if. I am unflappable!

Thursday we did some running around, but just a little. Friday she came to get me, I told her no way, so she took Luc instead. Immediately I felt bad and ran to the gate to say I was sorry but she ignored me. She and Luc had a nice ride and I stood and stared at them and tried to make them feel bad but it did not work.

When it was my turn, I was in a bit of a mood. I was well behaved enough to get started, but after we warmed up a bit and I was asked for the canter, I gave one single solitary good hard buck. Then I was done with it and I was in a pretty good mood. We didn't work long, just going through all the gaits a time or two.

Saturday bright and early here she comes as if to feed us, only instead, she took us and put us in the horse box. Up to the Big Barn, in the stalls, food. That part was good. A couple of the other horses came in and then she was running around doing all this stuff. I asked Luc what was going on. He said, "remember that big party last year that you thought was all for you? It wasn't. We have one every year and this is it." At first I was offended, but then I got it - that's what the fancy clothes stuff was about! I get to show off. Cool...

After a while people started to show up, and a little bit later, she came and got me and took me outside:

Then I went back inside and waited while Leah and Luc did theirs, then it was my turn again:

Check out the fancy clothes! I felt just like my ancestors the war horses! After that, I stood around a little bit more, and then she came to get me to go ride again! This wasn't with music or for anything special, this was just for fun. Luc was being ridden by someone else so that was kind of fun, to ride together, and some other people were riding so I got to be a real horse and I enjoyed that. We rode all around the field and did some canters and a few jumps and then we went back and rested until it was time to go home.

Once we got home, we went into our shade pasture with a big pile of hay and a big tub of water. What more can a horse ask for???

2008-05-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I've been so busy I haven't even had time to share!

Let's see if I can recall the high points...

Sunday was a day just for me. I had a massage and a wonderful bareback walk in the pasture, because it was just a little too slick for working but perfect for bonding.

Monday it rained all day, so lots of sleeping and eating new grass.

Wednesday we worked on transitions until my legs fell off. Tons of walk, six strides canter, walk, five strides trot, walk, six strides canter... you get the picture. However, I felt well used and my muscles were singing at the end of the session.

Thursday it was totally dry and we ran and played and leaped our logs.

Friday Mom came out to get Luc first, and I stepped forward and told her that I would like to go instead, and she just melted and got all silly and fussed over me. Fine by me. We worked a good hard ride, lots of canter and I was super stretchy and working into the reins almost from the beginning. I was so good that we got to jump a few logs at the trot. Fun.

Saturday we ran around and got really sweaty.

Sunday when she came to get us, we looked at each other and said, last session was really hard, let's boycott! and so we ran for a little while but she didn't give up so finally we did. And we cantered up the hill from the gate and right over the log and I never batted an eye. We went on to do a good bit of jumping along with a whole lot of moving from collected to stretchy and back again. I was pretty pleased with myself. And I got another bath, a real bath this time, squeaky clean!

Monday I got groomed and while I didn't get ridden, I did have some weird clothes put on me. All green velvet and gold tassels and I gotta tell ya, I looked pretty darn smokin' in the outfit. I'm not sure what it's for, but I wanna wear it again!

Today, Tuesday, we got in the horsebox and rode up to the Big Barn. At first it seemed like just another day until one by one, all the other horses came in to their stalls. That was when Luc got a funny look in his eye and he said, I know what this is about... a little while later a strange man came into the barn. He went from stall to stall doing something to each horse. When it was my turn, he patted my neck, then jabbed a sharp object into my neck and attached a tube through which my blood drained! Aaaahhh! I felt myself going faint. Surely I would die from the loss of blood! That was when Luc told me to suck it up and deal, that is was only a tiny fraction of all my blood and no way was I going to succumb. So I snorted and pretended I was a lot tougher than I am. He took my blood to test and be sure I do not have a horrible communicable disease. I do not, of course, because I am perfect!

After a while I got saddled up in the pretty green saddle. We went out into the field and I stood like a stone while Mom climbed up. We headed out and walked all around the big fields. Then we trotted for a quite a bit and right from the start I was soft and supple. We jumped over a small jump and I landed in a canter and from there we cantered for at least fifteen minutes without stopping, all around and up and down and through this cool thing called a bank, where I had to leap up about a foot and a half because that's where the ground went. And over a log here and there, and then some walking, and then more cantering, and then more trotting and a few more logs, and then I was sweaty so a shower and then, finally, a nap!

Later in the day, we got to go outside in the sun and eat the grass around the barn while we waited until the wonderful Spine Lady came to see me. I hadn't seen her in quite a while and I was stuck in my left neck, at the middle and at the base, and a little stuck in both hips, though nothing all that bad. I was a perfect lady although I did not release my tension very easily. But at last I sighed a big sigh, licked and chewed. It was a pretty eventful day and I had fun but it was nice to get home, eat my own grass, and roll in my own dirt!

2008-04-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy!

Saturday we ran and played for quite a while in the pasture, in the afternoon. We leaped our logs and took turns with who was in front of who.

Sunday we rode. We did a lot of transitions and I was very focused. No canter, just trotting. I really started to use my back and by the end of the session, I was offering to stretch to the rein, indicating that I had effectively bridged with my spine and been very correct!

Monday it rained... so we practiced our considerable skills at rolling in the mud.

Tuesday we had a nice session of removing hair.

Wednesday we rode. It was still a bit slick from Monday's rain, so we just walked, about twenty minutes of bend, counterbend, collect, extend, stretch, resume, leg yield, halfpass, and turns on the forehand. Who says walking in boring?

Thursday Mom got to come home earlier than usual, and the ground was totally dry, so we did a session of chase. We were pretty fired up because there was some wind and just because we felt like it, so we put on a pretty good show.

Friday we went to work late in the afternoon. As I was being groomed, I indicated a soreness in my right back, probably from all the leaping the day before - I did jump a lot of logs! - and so Mom paused to deal with that issue. Then she left. There I was, all tied up, and she just walked away. How could she? I mean, seriously, how could she leave such a gorgeous and lovely thing as myself, particularly when in addition to being physically attractive I am sweet too? I was pondering this point when she returned with an armfull of carrots. I quickly forgot that I had been perturbed, when I got the first one.

Then I got trimmed with the buzzy things, and I didn't move a muscle, not even when she got awfully close to my right ear. I was pretty impressed with myself. Another carrot. Then we rode. We cantered up the hill and around for a while, doing some lead swaps and some transitions. I was expected to be very light in the bridle, on the aids at all times, and to give neat and tidy transitions. This was very hard work but I rose to the occasion. A couple of times I couldn't hold the canter and so we'd slip into the trot and I started out very engaged and upright in the trot but by the end of our session, the trot was like relief for me and I was stretchy and supple and I begin to see that I am being pointed toward figuring out for myself that I can do things uptight and wound like a spring, or I can do them by being relaxed and bringing myself softly together. I was so good that we decided to try jumping a few logs. I remained relaxed and unhurried and the third and fourth logs I jumped on a totally loose rein. I thought my neck would wear out from all the patting it got! I was exhausted by the end of the session but totally pleased with myself. More carrots.

Prior to the ride, I finally had a satisfactory picture of myself taken, wearing my Christmas present bridle. It is not that we haven't tried before to take this picture- I know it is hard for you, my fans, to believe, but even something as lovely as myself can take a bad picture, and as gorgeous as my good pictures are, equally hideous are the bad ones. However, this one is acceptable, and shows my fine bridle to good advantage:

Following the ride - I got a bath! My first bath of the year, and it was really a pseudobath, as I was not hosed except for my legs and my tail (which I protested mightily, by the way!) and the rest of the bath was done via a bucket of suds and two buckets of clean water - but I feel so shiny and clean and my legs are white again!

Saturday Mom came home early and thought she might have a ride with us. We discussed among ourselves and she was pretty tough on the both of us yesterday, so we decided a unanimous "heck no!" about letting her catch us, and off we ran. She picked up a stick and chased us, so we ran. Let me tell you, forty minutes later, we were thinking maybe we should have just let her catch us! We did a lot of trotting, yes, but still, she didn't let us rest that entire time and we worked far harder than we would have had we just let her ride. Hindsight is 20/20, however, and what was done was done. After she was done torturing us, we got three carrots apiece, though, and we forgave her for being horrid and mean and making us work. Later on, there was a lovely rain that washed the dried sweat from us and made new mud for rolling - life is good!

2008-04-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was all about the playing. When Mom came out to get me, I walked right up to her and didn't even feign disinterest like I sometimes do. We went in and had a good grooming and got off a whole lot of hair, then we saddled up. I stood very quietly while she got on via a metal trashcan that should have been scary but wasn't.

We warmed up by walking in the shade paddock, which we haven't been in for a while since two trees fell in there and smashed the fence, and strangely enough, we aren't trusted to stay put inside the fence where there are opportunities for egress. We walked around in there, then we walked through the woods and as we came out into the open along the road to the house, we picked up a canter and cantered all the way down to the barn! It felt great!

Then we went into the pasture, pausing to practice opening the gate, which we hadn't done in quite a while, and went from a standstill into the canter, up the hill, around, over the log, around the oval, swap leads, back around the oval, out over the log, down the hill, through the woods, over the log, etc. We did this for maybe 10 repeats, and then we walked a few minutes, and then we left the pasture, pausing to open the gate properly instead of just shoving through it.

Then we walked all the way up to the big main road. Farther than I had ever been before! On the way back we detoured into the woods on the opposite side of the road, where there is a brief path to nowhere. It wasn't a bit exciting except for the fake deer on the other side of the path. Real deer don't faze me but fake ones are scary. We cantered back along beside the road, down to the barn again. I like that.

I got stripped of my clothes and allowed to eat grass, then sprayed with the stuff that makes my hair very soft and shiny. As soon as my human's back was turned, I rolled in the dirt, so that I was soft and shiny and covered in small dirt.

Today I was looking forward to my ride but my hormones are beginning to stir, so I pretended not to be on board, for just a few seconds. We started out the same as last time but instead of walking through the woods, we went directly up to the road and across into the empty grass beside Mom's house. We hadn't ridden around in there for so long! We cantered all around, several times. I was smooth and not poppy but also very energetic. After several turns both ways we headed back down and into the pasture.

We cantered up the hill and over the log again, but then we got down to serious work. Mostly canter, but all very collected work. The point of the exercise was that I wasn't focused enough to pay good attention, so I could do what I wanted to do but I had to do it very precisely. The thing I really like about my human is that she doesn't start out with a plan for what we'll do - she may have a feeling about what she'd like to do, but she waits to see what kind of mood we horses are in and tailors our ride to what best will make us come out feeling good about ourselves while still accomplishing something. This takes a pretty good ability to read horses.

We did some trot as well, and no jumping because I definitely was not relaxed enough to be thinking about that. As I began to tire, I became less uptight and we had some very supple canter followed by some very classic trot, which felt good and I began to stretch my back. This made me more tired, but in a good way, and so I asked if I could stop. Permission was granted and we walked for several minutes until I was cool. Then I got a sponge bath, which felt quite nice, and ate grass for about an hour before going out for a roll and a nap in the sun!

2008-04-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Gosh - where to begin?

I have been slack of late. We have been so busy, and I am tired at the end of every day. It is tough work to hunt out all the sweetest new grass pieces, and then when I am worn out from that, I take a nap in the sun, and then when I wake up, I am hungry, so I have to sort through the remaining grass pieces and find the best that are left, and when I am done with that, I need another nap. Then, I want something different, so I eat some tree bark, but then I want something sweet, so I go find some more grass - you can see why I am tired!

But there was a point to all this. That point being, that we have actually been working! Let's see if I can recall....

Last Monday we went up to the Big Barn early in the morning. It was so warm and sunny, and we set out for our ride. I chewed on the bit a lot and I sneezed continuously, but I put in a good effort. Before we went into the ring, I was asked to walk through some pretty deep water, which I did not enjoy, and over a real bridge, about 6 inches off the ground, which I did enjoy. Then we went in and walked around and practiced bending.

We did some trotting, and tried a canter but it was stiff and stilted and neither of us enjoyed it one bit, so we went back to trotting and doing transitions. I tried my best and got tired quickly, so we ended on a good note, went back over the bridge and the water, and then we were done.

Tuesday we got the scraper thingy with the teeth used on us, to pull off a bunch of our hair. Luc went first, and I stood behind my human, presenting her with my side, waiting for my turn.

So you can imagine how surprised we were to go back again on Wednesday! This time I got longed at the canter before the ride, and then we trotted for about 20 minutes without stopping! Not so much sneezing and very little chewing this time, and I was much more balanced and cadenced. By the end of our 20 minutes we were totally in sync, my rider and me, so that one of us would think about a direction or bend change, and we'd just flow into it. It was pretty cool and I was just as happy as I could be about it!

When we were done, we went over the bridge and the empty channel for the water, and then we went out into the big field and walked all around, working on change of bend and moving away from the indirect rein, and then bending around the direct leg, and a little leg yield, and even a touch of half pass here and there.

Friday our pasture was finally dry from all the rain, and so we thought she might come and ride us. We were pleasantly surprised when she came in, stroked our noses, and then said, "Wanna play?" and sent us off galloping around the pasture. We hadn't done that in so long, and it was such fun! We galloped up, down and around, over our logs, through the woods, stop for water, then back to work. We played for about a half an hour and then we were kept moving at the walk until we had stopped breathing hard. Later in the day, we got a good brushing to take away the film of sweat that had dried over us from our efforts.

This was repeated the next day, by which time I had figured out that I much prefer to go first when we gallop, and I had also figured out a much better sequence for jumping so that my jumps from the canter and not hollow backed and stiff necked - most of the time! I worked hard enough that I decided to forego my pride and roll in front of an audience. I almost never do this, as it is very un-elegant and not a bit ladylike, but hey, sometimes you have an itch that just has to get scratched!

Sunday we were hoping for another gallop but instead we did a ride. My human decided to go for broke and warm up in the canter, since we'd had a chance to practice - and gosh it felt good! I was perfectly balanced, not hoppy at all, soft and supple, and not racing around like I do sometimes when I'm used to being able to gallop freely. We did some trot work too and it also was spectacular. I moved around the pasture thinking, "I feel pretty!"

After, as I stood tied to the wall, Mom came out with the peppermints, and without even waiting for her to ask me to, I reached around with my nose and touched both my sides, like she has me to by holding a mint there for me to reach around and get. I touched both my sides and then looked expectantly at her. I was rather puzzled - and a little hurt - when she burst out laughing and called me a silly sweet girl - but I got all the mints so I didn't care for long!

Monday we had plans for some galloping but a surprise rain storm came up and spoiled those plans. But we ran on Tuesday - although she changed the rules! She came in with a piece of black plastic and waved it at us! We weren't a bit scared, but we thought this was great fun and so we snorted and flagged our tails and ran around like peacocks. We ran and ran and ran - we are much more fit than we used to be! Then we trotted around some until we weren't breathing like trains, and then we had mints. The chickens were scratching around in our woods so we had a little fun scaring them, and then we went back to the hard work of eating all the good grass!

2008-04-05T18:52:00.000-07:00

Blech... is it ever going to stop raining?

I swear, it rains more here than I thought it could ever rain, anywhere. Luc tells me this is not normal, that he only remembers one year when it rained like this. And, there is green grass everywhere, which is nice, but there is also mud, everywhere, and my gleaming white socks are not at all gleaming!

We stay muddy and dirty all the time, which suits us. Sometimes during breaks in the rain Mom will come to see us, and usually she wants to scrape the mud off us but we usually run away once she gets started.

So, not much going on, pretty much we eat, sleep and roll in the mud - it is good to be a horse!

2008-04-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Things have been a wee bit boring around home.

Saturday and Sunday it rained. We spent most of our time in our stalls. Sunday was my birthday (Happy Birthday to me!) and I ate most of a bag of carrots and got a really nice grooming.

Monday was cold and blustery in the morning, then warmer and humid once the rain stopped in the mid afternoon . We got to go outside about 4pm and we ran and played just a little because we were slipping around - plus there was all this new grass to eat!

Tuesday when Mom came home she came in the pasture with brushes to groom us. I don't know about you, but sometimes I like to be dirty, so every time she got started on me, I walked away. So Luc got all clean and I stayed muddy. Fine with me!

Today we had breakfast over in the shade paddock. It was very muddy and squishy over there - perfect for a midmorning nap. Mom came down to do things with us but she said we were so cute having our nap that she didn't have the heart to make us get up, and she left us alone a while longer. When she came back, I was up; Luc was still out cold. So I got a Super Grooming - every inch of my copper coat gleamed - well, as much as it could, between the spots that were still wet from mud, the hair that keeps shedding out, and the dust that just won't go away until I can have a proper bath - but I was as gleaming as possible, and I even got the long hairs on my legs trimmed off, so I look like a fine harness horse instead of some draght hybrid. I feel pretty, oh so pretty! So I rolled in the mud as soon as Mom's back was turned!

2008-03-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday was a lazy day, but we sure made up for it today!

We went to work about 10am. Things have been pretty dry so the ground is firm and that means more exciting stuff for us. We started out with a walk up the road and back, and then we trotted into the pasture and around and over the low log into the work area, where I was absolutely lovely and unhurried, very balanced, so we went into the canter quickly, and I stayed balanced and cadenced and so we got to canter several times around and while I had to be guided to stay correct, I was very willing to be guided and so it was wonderful.

Mom told me that if I keep this up, I get to go on the Big Ride next Friday. Then we went the other way, and I was not nearly as good. I tried to tell her that it was no big deal, just let me canter always on the right lead instead of the left and I"d be fine - but no, she had to see if she could fix me so I'm as good left as right. We tried a bunch of things and I got better but still not as good, but evidently it was good enough for her.

We then trotted over some logs and we did an exercise where we'd canter to about 70 feet back, come to the trot and then jump from the trot. The first two times I was perfect, the third time I was thinking "I get it, I'm supposed to jump quietly, why must I trot?" and so I didn't come back to the trot but rather cantered the jump - in my canter style of jumping, which is called splinterbelly - head up, back hollow and stiff, absolutely impossible for a rider to get away from, so as a result when we landed she slammed me in the back which was less than comfortable for the both of us, so we had to work over a few more logs until I stopped anticipating the discomfort and jumped quietly. Then we went for another walk.

This time I got to choose where we went. We rode along on a slack rein and I decided we'd go around the house, and into the empty grass lot, and the only direction that was given to me was when I was told, "no, that's not our yard and we can't go there". After about ten minutes I was ready to go back to the pasture but then I saw a path in the woods that looked rather like a deer had made it, and I headed onto that. Mom got very still up there on my back and she told me that this was a path that she had made with Celeste and so she hadn't been on it for a year - because yesterday was a year since Celeste died, which means it was almost a year ago that Mom started looking for me. We went along the path, deeper into the woods and found a cluster of lilies growing in the middle of the forest - very odd. Then we turned around and went back.

We finished with something that I thought was great fun. We started a canter well outside the pasture gate, cantered into the pasture, through the woods, up over a log, around in an arc, back out over another log, and back down to the gate. I thought I did pretty well and evidently I was right because I got lots of praise, and I got to eat grass, and I got sprayed down with witch hazel, which cut through the accumulated dirt and detritus in my hair coat and I felt totally invigorated afterward! It smells funny though...

2008-03-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we followed our usual routine - breakfast in the small paddock, hang out there for the day. About 5pm when Mom came home she let us out to eat grass for a short time. That was pretty fun. She sat on a stump and petted the cat while we ate. Then we got herded into the pasture and chased around for a little while. We ran and played and then she started raising and widening our pile of logs that we jump over.

First it got a little taller; I sailed over it. Then it got a little wider. I turned back the first time, because it was a little scary, but Luc went over it so I followed. We went on with this pattern through a couple of changes, and I got very confident. When we started to get a little tired, instead of galloping and going over the jump, which by now was over two feet tall and nearly three feet wide, we trotted between two trees right beside it, and that was when Mom knew we'd had enough. So she went and got the shedding blade and pulled off more of our itchy hair.

Wednesday morning we got to have breakfast in our regular pasture. Midmorning was work time. I went first. I thought about running away, took a few steps in the opposite direction, then changed my mind and turned and walked right to my human. She was a little confused but then she was pleased.

I got dressed and stood like a stone for the getting on and fixing stirrups part. This is hard for me, because I am motivated and want to go, but I also understand that I should be obediant. We started out trotting around, which I didn't like, because I want to canter everywhere, but I had to be convinced that I should move round and balanced, not flat and long like I do when I run everywhere. After I "got it", then I was really good, and the rest of the ride was lovely.

We cantered a lot, and I started out stiff and poppy because I refused to acknowlege that I could move forward without going fast. I know good and well that I can do just that, but it isn't as much fun and I thought if I played dumb, I might win, but no luck. After I had demonstrated some skill in that department, we got to jump some logs. I dig this jumping logs in the field thing - it makes sense to me: there is a log in the way of where I want to go, so I jump over it. I don't get jumping stuff in the ring - it's in the way, sure, but there's tons of space on either side of it so why not go around? I only got to jump from the trot, not the canter, because yesterday in my free work I was still not softening my back and using my neck - I guess I don't get to canter jumps until I start to figure that out for myself.

After the jumping, we walked up the street and back twice, and Mom said if I keep doing as well as I am, that I can go on the next big long ride!

After I worked, I got to eat the grass while Luc worked, and then we both got to eat for a while longer until Mom had to go back to the house so we went into the shade paddock and we both had a good nap. Mom came back and forth a bunch, getting tools and stuff, and sometimes just to say hello and each time I went over to the fence to see her. We have a much better relationship when she is doing stuff with me. I love her more, because I feel like she loves me more. And so I like to touch her with my soft white nose, and she likes to kiss my soft white nose, and she scratches me behind my ear, and rubs me on my withers, and I lick her shoulder, and everyone is happy!

2008-03-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

Luc and I were both pretty worn out from our respective tough Fridays, but mid afternoon on Saturday Mom came to get me. I started to run, but she did that thing she does where she moves back and forth and it's just too difficult for me to figure out how to outsmart her - so I gave up.

I got a nice groom, pulling off lots of my itchy hair. Then we saddled up and went out into the pasture. We did a pretty long workout, but not a hard one - lots of short bursts of doing stuff, some jumping over logs, and lots of walking, but not doing hard stuff, just walking with my neck arched and rounding my back. Oh wait, I guess that is hard, but now I'm used to it so it doesn't seem like work! At the end, we walked over into the shade paddock and I walked through some mud and some standing water. I didn't want to, but I remembered how Luc had bragged about the day before and I was not to be outdone.

When we were done, I got put into the shade paddock, and soon Luc joined me. Dad actually came down and got Luc and put him out with me. Then Dad and Mom went out into the pasture with a weird piece of equipment that made a loud buzzing noise, and they did something to a bunch of the trees that were laying on the ground. Later that evening, we got put back out and we tried to figure it out, but we couldn't tell. We did, however, notice that Mom had moved the white tape again preventing us from standing up on the hill where we like to tear up the grass that is trying to grow there.

Sunday morning, we got enticed with our food over into the shade paddock. Right about the time we were done, Dad and Mom came back again. This time they went in and moved all the trees that they had altered the day before. I don't know what they did, exactly, but there was some mild cursing and they both smelled of sweat when they were done. Mom came to get me then, and I didn't try to run away because I was curious. I had a mani/pedi and I was super good for most of it, except my last back leg I didn't want to hold up and so I tried to make Mom support me. She got mad at that and smacked me and I went into my stall and stood there shaking. She showed me that she wasn't mad, she just wasn't going to let me hurt her, and we got that done. Then when she went to get my stuff, I tried to come out of the stall and she kept making me stand there, so eventually I was in the stall, just peeking my eye around the edge of the door so I wouldn't get in trouble.

We went out and rode around for a bit. It was pretty dry everywhere so we were doing some fun things. We came trotting up through the woods right by the gate and I realized there was a new small log in the way. I was just getting my head around that when I realized there was a BIG log in front of me that I was expected to jump! I tried to duck out but Mom squeezed hard with both legs and her reins were a little snug so I had nowhere to go but over it. I just trotted it, like it was no big deal, and I got lots of praise.

There were some other new logs in new places. I finally understood what all the commotion had been - Mom and Dad had cut up the trees that have fallen in the last month, and they had moved them around to make a bunch of cool new jumps. I thought all the new jumps were fun. I did all of them except the double wide log - I'm not ready for that. I cantered a few of them. I have lovely form at the trot, jumping, but when I jump from a canter I hold my head up and stiff and don't relax my back. I need more practice on that without a rider.

We also did a lot of trotting and cantering around in circles. I worked harder than I have worked in a long time. When I was done, I got my stuff off, and some mints of course, and then I was turned loose in front of the barn to eat the grass there. Mom went to get Luc. I thought I was supposed to be where he was, so I came to stand beside him while he was tied. All three of them ignored me, so I went back to eating grass. I ate the whole time Luc was working. When he was done, he got his stuff off, and as they started to lead toward the shade paddock, I figured I'd be ahead of the game, so I went and put myself in there.

Then I turned around to see if Mom was proud of me. She was standing there letting Luc eat grass on the rope, and she said, "what a good girl you are!" I beamed. Then she said, "now come here and get some hugs." I looked around to see if there was a cat or a chicken she was talking to, but there was just me, and she said it again, so I started out really slowly, in case she said "what are you doing?" I could pretend I wasn't doing what I was doing, but no, she kept talking to me and I walked all the way back out to where she was and she scratched my neck and kissed my nose and rubbed behind my withers like I like so much!

Then we went back into the shade paddock until it was almost dark when we went back into our pasture.

Monday morning was cold and kind of icky. By now I had figured things out - days in the shade paddock, both our meals there, and then turned back out on grass. So I ambled on down to the gate when I saw her coming. She thought that was pretty cool. She opened the gate and let me walk out and head toward the shade paddock, because, after all, that's where I was supposed to go, right? Luc, though, was dumb - he wanted to be near me and instead of following, he ran all the way over to the other side of the pasture where it shares a fenceline with the paddock. So Mom had to trek up there and get him and bring him by hand to the paddock. I stayed where I belonged the whole time, because I am the good girl!

2008-03-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

Whew! I'm exhausted from a busy day!

This morning, nice and early, we heard the horse box being hitched up. Luc came to the gate to see if it was for us, but I, beginning my hormonal streak, held back. Mother came in the gate with two halters, and Luc went right into his. I, however, took off and galloped the other direction.

Not to be outdone, my human took Luc away, all the way to the horse box, and I began to gallop in panic, screaming at the top of my lungs. Now, there were only two screams, but it was enough to wake the dead. Back she came, to get me, but I was having none of it. I continued to run like a wild thing, though I didn't bother to scream any more. Then I looked up and goodness! the back gate, leading to my stall, was open! I ran in there, thinking - oh, I don't know what I was thinking, but as soon as I was in there I realized - a trap! I was stuck! So I gave up and stood quietly to be haltered.

When we arrived at the Big Barn, we stayed in the horse box for a little while, and when we came out, Luc went into a stall, while I was led directly to the large pasture and turned out with the others. I ran to Adrianna, my good friend, and together we made a loop of the pasture. The other horses largely ignored me.

My mother, Aunt Hayley, Luc, Heart and Kitana all got in the various compartments of the horse box and drove away. What happened next is a bit of a blur for me and I don't remember really well so I am relying upon hearsay to put it all together.

About an hour later, Aunt Heather came to ride Adrianna. Adrianna was game for this, but I did not want to give up my playmate, so every time Aunt Heather got close, I'd gallop right past Adrianna and tell her to come quick, I had something to show her. She fell for it, again and again! At one point, Aunt Heather had Adrianna somewhat cornered, down by the gate into the small paddock. Well, that meant she had me cornered too! And I don't know her well enough for that to be okay, so I panicked and crashed right through the fence, and found myself in that little alleyway between the pasture and the riding ring.

I stood there with a dumb look on my face. Aunt Heather came through the opening and said, just like my mother would, "Get back in there!" So I went. Meekly. And stood inside the opening. Even when ALL the other horses ran past me to get out into the Forbidden area, I stayed where I belonged, on my side of the fence! Aunt Heather went and called Mom, who told her she was on her own, and Aunt Heather managed to herd everyone back into the small paddock, mend the fence, and let everyone out again. At any rate, that is what I am told happened - I don't have a memory of all this but it sounds much like something I would do!

Mom and Aunt Hayley came back a few hours later. On the ride home, Luc told me that Aunt Georgia had met them out at the place with the dogs, and that they had a lovely ride. He said that he went through water that was flowing, without any hesitation. He said that he cantered through water that was up to his ankles. He said that Kitana splashed through the water and that Aunt Georgia had to stop to "demud" her eye and that he just thought that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. He said that he really, really wanted to canter but when Mom firmly told him that he must trot, instead of hopping up and down like he did last year, he did what she said and she was very proud of him. He said he realized that he was not in good enough shape to run hard and fast and jump lots but that was okay because Mom isn't either. :-)

When they got back, after some chores, Mom came to get me. Well, I didn't want to go home! I wanted to stay and play with my new friends. So I ran around a while, even though she had mints and gave them out to nearly everyone else! At some point, as I was running around, I noticed an opening in the fence that hadn't been there a minute before, and I ducked in. Argh! another trap! I was stuck in the small paddock, and after another couple minutes of running around, I realized resistance was futile and I gave up and allowed myself to be captured. However, I was at least as sweaty as Luc, so he does not get to claim that he worked harder than me today!

2008-03-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Still no movies to share with your - but much excitement!

Monday, when our human came into the pasture with crinkly stuff in her hands, you can bet I was not making the same mistake twice - I was on her so fast she had to take a step back, to be sure I got my mints!

We had a day of leisure, just some rubbing to get off the itchy hair that is shedding off of us. It was wonderful, to just stand in the warm sun and be rubbed.

Tuesday in the late afternoon, here she came, mints in hand. We thought that was great - we ate the mints - and then she said, go on, git. So we ran around. We ran hard and fast, galloping everywhere we went. I prefer to lead, because when I am close behind Luc I have to keep my head up high to avoid his heels, so I try always to get in front of him. Sometimes it works.

I leaped over my tree with great aplomb. I like doing that! After some time, I decided to take a shortcut and immediately after my tree I cut to the right. There was a branch there, propped up on some logs, about two feet tall, and I hopped right over that and went on my way. From the exuberant "Good girl!" that I heard, I guess this was a cool thing to do.

So I did it a few more times. As we were beginning to tire, she put a big fat branch across the opening we had been using for moving between the two halves of the pasture. No big deal - I trotted on down to the log I had just learned to go over, and hopped back in. It took Luc quite a bit longer to figure it out. He kept circling back and galloping harder at the place that used to be an opening, and then acting surprised that it was still blocked. Eventually he was in the right place to be urged over my log, so he joined me on the other side.

Then to get back over. For some reason, both our brains shut down and for nearly fifteen minutes, we could not figure out to go out over the log by which we came in. At long last I did. I must say, during all this time, we were never urged to be faster, never told to run, we were just kept moving - canter, trot, even walk, it did not matter so long as we were moving. I was on the other side, and my evil mother raised my log prohibitively high. What was that about? Then I realized - right next to the place we used to go out when it was open that now was blocked by a branch, there was a pile of sticks on the ground - eight feet of opening, plenty large, with only eight inches of pile high - but about three feet wide. THAT was what she wanted us to go over!

I told Luc but he didn't believe me. He kept galloping at that same used-to-be-opening. Eventually however he stepped over the pile of logs and boy, was he proud!

All that night and the next morning, he went back and forth over the pile and I could not bring myself to do so, so I would stand there and stare at him.

About midday on Wednesday my mother came to catch me. I wasn't sure if she really meant it (although the halter in her hand should have been a clue) so I took off running. She didn't seem to care. I ran and played. Luc was on the other side of the logs, so I was on my own, until late in the game when he came out to join me, but by then I was a little tired so I gave up and let myself be caught. My human did not seem at all perturbed by my rudeness, just told me that I was nice and warmed up for her, thank you.

We saddled up and I stood like a statue for her to mount. This pleased her. Then we walked a while, and finally she encouraged me to walk over the wide, low pile of logs. Having done it once, I was amazed at how easy it was. We walked over all my logs and trees, and then back out over the low pile. The next time across, I kind of skipped and landed in a trot, and off we went, trotting over all my logs and trees, and I jumped the big one and she praised me and said what a nice girl I was. Then we walked out over the low pile. Then we trotted in over the low pile - and I jumped it! I was SO proud of myself! So proud in fact, that as we trotted around to the tree, I thought I should try to canter it - and I did - and I was allowed - and I jumped it in a canter and it was such fun! And we came back to a trot and trotted out over the low pile and then she said that was enough of that, that we were going to walk until I was cool. Which we did, working on stretching muscles and stepping honestly - getting me fit for all the fun we'll have this summer!

When we were done, she walked me back over the pile of logs, unsaddled me there, kissed my white nose and took off. I knew what she was doing - she wanted to see if I could find my way out over the log pile by myself! So I jumped it! See! I am smart!!!!!

2008-03-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, after Mom came home from working, she came into our pasture, petted us both, and then said "Let's play!" She had the movie maker with us but hasn't gotten around to putting together anything for you to see yet, and I did not present myself well for many pictures, just this one:

immediately after I had jumped the log in the background! She tried hard to get a picture of me actually jumping the log but any time her timing was right, I just stepped over it, and when I jumped it, she missed the shot, so, no luck for you. We ran and played, jumped the log lots, and at last when we were tired and sweaty she left us in peace.

We had to stay inside last night because there was some heavy rain. We didn't mind a lot, but first thing this morning, instead of letting us out to play, she took us up and put us in the horse box and off we went to work at the Big Barn. I got longed before riding, partly because I seemed very spunky and partly because my back legs were a little swollen from being stalled and I might be stiff for a few minutes. It is called "stocking up" and happens, particularly in horses that are used to being out and are stalled for some reason. It is no big deal and goes away with five minutes of exercise - which is what happened. I limbered up on the longe and then I was ready for work.

I stood better to be sat on, although I still fidgeted some. Then we went through the water again, which was much deeper since it had rained. I did not like it but I did it anyway. I was not nearly as distracted today so we did not have to go around the circle, but rather made figures all over the arena. I did poles in sets of two and three, and after a while I was pointed towards a long row of eight poles, nine feet apart. This was hard but I managed to hold it together. Luc says he does it in the canter and has even done eight jumps in a row, but I think he might be exaggerating.

At any rate, I did the poles several times and then we cantered. I was a little stiffer today, probably because my muscles have been worked three days in a row after months of almost nothing - so we didn't do much, and then went for a long walk around the field. This time, when she got on at the fence, I stood like a stone. I got high praise for this!

After Luc's session, we went home and had the rest of the day in peace. Later in the afternoon, here she comes in the pasture with peppermints, but I smelled a trap so I ran away. Luc walked right up to her, and wouldn't you know, the one time I play it safe, it was what it appeared to be and not only did Luc not get snagged, he got his peppermints and mine too. So when she came back later, bucket and shovel in hand, I was right there asking for my mints, but I only got absentmindedly petted and then she went and dug up some more plants. Where is the fairness???

2008-03-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

Finally, an adventure!

Bright and early this morning, off we went in the horse box, to the Big Barn. We got there before 9am, which is pretty amazing. We had a brief snack while all the other horses got their food, and then I went out to work. I got dressed in a very fancy new green saddle, which was my Mom's birthday present from HER mom. Nice. The green complements my redness in a lovely way.

I didn't stand very well to be gotten on, so we had to work on that. Then we headed toward the ring but first, I was asked to soil my pretty white socks by stepping into a ditch with deep water in it. I was appalled, and found a place where I could step across without stepping in, and that seemed acceptable.

Then we began by walking around the ring. As we neared the far corner, a huge flock of black birds took off from the ground in a cloud and it scared me to death. I did a split and flinched really hard but that was the end of it and I got praised for not teleporting. However the next two trips past that corner I was looking for trouble, so we ended up working down in the lower half of the ring, so I would not be distracted.

I was very unbalanced from lack of muscle tone, but not badly behaved. I got fast from time to time but easily accepted correction. My canter was a little bit Tigger-ish but did not seem to be overly short strided, so my overall score for the ring work was pretty good. We did trot circles and changes of direction, and then one good canter each way, and then we headed out to the field. Mom had to get down to let us through gates and for the first time I allowed her to clamber up onto my back from the fence, without any commentary, although I still started walking off as she stuck her second foot into the stirrup. We walked all around the field, for about fifteen minutes, working on lengthening and shortening the stride, changes of bend, and overall field skills. Then we headed in.

We got through all the gates and Mom got on AGAIN, and this time I stood stock still while she settled herself and waited to be encouraged to go. This seemed to please my human very much - disproportionately so, if you ask me. We walked through the ditch again, and then trotted down the grass alley beside the ring, and cantered back up. That was my favorite part. In fact, I did not want to stop but I did as I was told. There were mints in the barn waiting for me, and a brief mani/pedi followed by more mints. I got the last mint in the jar and I thought, with great glee, that there would be none for Luc.

Luc's ride was out in the field and he too is showing signs of losing muscle tone. I see a whole lot of regular work in the immediate future for us both. Fine by me! I like work, so long as it's easy, and if we do it often, it is easy. Plus, the more often we do it, the more different things we get to do.

However, I was bummed to see that there was another whole bag of mints in the feed room, so Luc got his mints after all. Then we went home, rolled in the dirt, and ate grass most of the day, with a couple of naps in the sun. This afternoon it started to rain a little bit. This is the first time we've been allowed to stay out in the rain, so we enjoyed it - we got a little damp and then rolled in the dirt - instant mud-on-horse!

2008-03-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

Life has not been how I want it lately. And I have been speaking out about it!

Last week consisted of a couple of days where Mom was too busy for us - I know, I know, she has to work to make the money for us to eat, but... - and one day where it rained so we had to go in our stalls only Luc wouldn't come in so while he was out running around I knocked a bunch of boards out of my stall and broke my door, and another couple of days where it was just windy and not nice for humans to be out playing.

Then there was one day where we spent the day in the shade paddock and when we were going back to the grass pasture I had to have a lesson about "every time a gate opens I don't have to go through it just because it's open but instead I am supposed to wait until I am invited" and I got spanked pretty hard so I got an attitude and reared and then I REALLY got in trouble...

And then there was the day that Mom came to get me, for whatever purpose she intended, and I ran away, because I don't think it's fair that she thinks she can ignore us, and then come to us and we'll be happy to see her. So she took Luc instead and he got the good grooming and he got the massage and I was just mad, so I ran over to say so, and she turned around said something like, "oh there's my girl come to see me!" and that made me even more mad so I ran away again and didn't come back until she left.

Then the next day I was sorry, and so I was extra sweet and there were lots of nose kisses, and I thought for sure we'd have some work but it had rained the day before and the ground was wet and all that....

So that brings us to today, which was a beautiful, sunny, warm day - and no human, all day, until about 3pm when here she comes, smelling, according to Luc, like wallpaper paste. Now, how does he know all these things?

Anyway, she comes in, all smiles, coming to get us, for who knows what, and I was just struck again by this whole "do whatever she wants, when she wants, without regard for my feelings thing". So I tried to run past her and she tried to fake me out. You see, it's not possible for one human (or even two or three) to actually corner a horse, but the human, if she is smart, can make it so the horse decides it is too complicated to try to figure out how to outsmart the human, and just give up, thus having the same effect. So she starts this stuff with me, and Luc and I decided to play a double team on her. This is how it works:

She comes towards me, I act like I am going to run past. We do the zig zag a couple times, and then Luc steps forward, with his ears forward and soft eyes, like he's interested in what she has to offer. We know that she is a sucker for this and falls for it every time.

So when she sidles up to Luc, thinking she'll abandon her quest for me and take him instead, thus making me mad and adding insult to injury, he waits until she is right there, and too far to make a quick pass back to head off me, and then he bolts. So we both get away, and she is left in the dust. It is absolutely hilarious.

However, we did this, and she said, only not quite so nicely but I am too polite to repeat what she REALLY said "That's it, the heck with you two, I'm not going to mess with you any more" and she stomped off. Back she comes in a minute - with a shovel - and we were thinking - oh goodness, we're really dead, maybe literally, although it would be extremely difficult to bury us if she had to dig the hole by hand with just the shovel... but all she did was dig up some plants and take them over to the chickens. Always with the durn chickens....

So we went down to the gate to try to make some peace. I guess she decided to do the same, because she came over with a peppermint and made nice and so I decided maybe I had been a little harsh, she means well, and I know she has lots of things going on so that she can make a better life for all of us... so I let her catch me, and I got a super grooming, lots and lots of hair coming off, and then a total body massage, excellent... and no riding, just bonding, we went and ate some grass on the hill. I don't really get this whole "I hold you on a lead rope and you eat grass" thing but whatever, I'll take the grass...

But I wanna go back to work! I am bored, and I am getting a bit of an attitude. And she promised she'd do more stuff with us... let's see if she keeps the promise!

2008-03-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

In the words of the immortal Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates."

Now, I never had the pleasure to meet the inesteemable Mr. Gump, and I've never had a chocolate, let alone a box of them... but I think what he means is that you never know quite what will come next. This is sure true of my life!

Sunday we worked at midday. Luc went first, and that was okay with me, since I had been first or only for a couple of sessions. Besides, I always like to see him get spanked and he got spanked in a large manner for being a total fruithead. I smiled. However, he turned out okay and even jumped over a few interesting looking obstacles.

When it was my turn, I started out surprisingly mellow. I was a little fast, but very soft in my neck and back, not at all tense, so in the interest of "pick your battles" I was allowed to rate my own speed so long as I stayed supple and not on the forehand. We worked for quite a while at the trot before going to the canter, which I found frustrating but I was obedient. I even tried out this whole stretching downward thing, even a little too much and bumped myself in the bridle, but I didn't fall onto my forehand!

When we cantered, I got a bit hot and had to be taken to task. Mom was evidently in the mood for some cowboying, first Luc and then me, she didn't take any bologna and she gave it to us good if we didn't straighten up posthaste. I got snatched and kicked more than I can ever remember in a single session - but I also got praised when I was good, so it's fair. I trotted over my log several times, even leaping it from a sneaky stride of canter once, and I was pronounced overall a good steed for the day.

When dinner time came around, of course we were right there begging. But wouldn't you know, just as soon as we'd been served, as our waitress was heading up to fix her own supper, we galloped off from our food to go and look at something in the woods, something invisible to the human eye but totally there and scary for us!

Monday morning we waited anxiously to go on our weekly trip. No such luck. Evidently "responsibilties" took the place of fun on this lovely morning and so we were left at home. Shortly after lunch time here came our human, halter in hand. We were a bit miffed at the whole thing, plus, at breakfast time we had been promised that it was dry enough for a good session of run and play, so we voiced our collective opinion that we should run and play instead of, not in addition to, any work. Fortunately for us, the human concensus was on our side, so that's exactly what we did, for close to an hour, including the walking to cool out, along with the several rolls in the dirt from each of us - yes, even our human got in on that part, although not with the same gusto displayed by us.

After, as she was busily constructing the latest special addition for the chickens, I decided to have a little fun. I have mentioned that a piece of the pasture is cordoned off, partly with logs and sticks but partly with nothing but white tape. I did something sneaky and caused my human to look up to see me looking very smug as I stood in the forbidden area with one piece of tape ever so slightly more saggy than it had been a few minutes prior. Calling me all sorts of names, she trudged into the pasture to mend my disruption. She lowered one piece of tape to the ground, and I believe the intention was for me to exit through that area. However, the red face and the steam emanating from the ears was a sign to me that perhaps haste was my best option in egress, so, after she tightened up the piece I had loosed and headed in my general direction to herd me out through the opening, I took the cowards route and went over the wall - literally. I jumped clean over that piece of tape, height two foot six inches, with room to spare, and some pride, if I do say so myself. And as I galloped off, head high, tail flagged, and just as glorious as a horse can be, I believe I heard a giggle and "well, that's what I get for teaching her how to jump!"

2008-03-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Well I'm just in such a state, I'm not sure I can even report on my day. I can, however, state that I passed my first test as a field hunter, and with flying colors.

Okay, I will try to compose myself enough to share. Mom had a light day for a Saturday so she came home itchy to ride us. She came to get me and I complied willingly. We groomed and saddled up and off we set out. We did a little walking, but just as soon as I was warmed up off we went in some canter/walk transitions. I was a little antsy off the preparation leg but I soon got the message and waited for the rest of my cue. We were on the fourth canter, going merrily along, working on stretching out the stride without getting faster, and we heard the greatest ruckus from down by the barn, where the little chickens were out digging in the dirt. We'd been out in the field perhaps 12 minutes by this point.

So, we took off in a dead run between the trees and around to the gate. I went nimbly and swiftly and didn't panic when Mom lost all her decorum and just told me to haul my behind on down there as fast as I could. We screeched to a halt at the gate, to see the stupid hawk just pounding away on one of the nicest little chickens. Mom wasn't even off my back yet before she started screaming at him, and I did my best not to panic, although it was pretty tough. The hawk flew off, and the chicken staggered around like she was drunk and then bolted for shelter. (As it turns out, we think she'll be okay, she doesn't appear to have been bloodied, just stunned, but we won't know for sure for a few days).

At any rate, I felt like the hunt horses must feel when they go in pursuit of the hounds and the rider jumps off to keep the hounds from tearing apart whatever they have run to ground. I confess it was really kind of fun. After that, Mom's concentration was shot - she got back on me but she was so rattled she even forgot to put her head protection back on and she had no focus - way worse than me on a bad day - and so we just trotted for a few minutes and then we gave up. Luc didn't even get ridden because there was no point. He just longed right there by the gate, close to the chickens.

So, I may not relax my stride and I may not stretch out and give economical ground covering steps but when it counts, I can get the job done, and that's a start!

2008-02-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Leap Day to everyone!

This morning, as we were having our breakfast, we heard the horse box hitching up - and driving away without us! We were mystified for a moment, until we forgot about it and finished our food, until I got this email from Kitana, who really is my bud in spite of the nasty show she puts on whenever I'm there to visit (I think she's just jealous):

"Hey M, guess what I got to do today? Heart and I went for a drive. Heart's mom got to drive the truck so we went reaaaaaaaly slow, but finally we got to this place where we'd never been before. It was all this grass and all these scary looking jumps, with red and white flags, and numbers on them. First thing we did was we walked all the way across the whole area to the very top of this big huge hill, from where we could look all around us and see for miles.

Then we rode around up there on top of the hill until our muscles were warmed, and then we headed on this wide path through the woods. We were trotting until we came to this place where we had to cross a culvert, and I stopped all of a sudden. I got the reins slapped on my shoulders so I decided to go onward. We passed a bunch of jumps, and then there was this little one so we decided to jump it, and then the one after it. I didn't much like the footing, it was uneven and a little slick, so we walked some after that.

Then we headed back to the beginning, and we stayed there for a good long time. I jumped several jumps there, mostly following Heart, because if I had to go first I was too scared to jump them and Mom didn't have a stick to smack me with. There was this one jump, that looked like a regular jump, only when I jumped up to get over it, I didn't go back down, but rather landed on the ground at the height of the top of the jump and continued up a hill. That was pretty cool, but hard.

Then we had a giant gallop up the big hill. It felt really good to stretch out. I was able to take big long strides instead of just getting faster. Then we did some logs, I jumped some really big logs that Mom didn't think I was going to jump so she said some bad words when I went ahead and jumped anyway. That was pretty cool. Heart jumped even bigger stuff. She's nuts.

A couple more gallops and a few more jumps, and then we went into this thing called the Starting Box. What it was, was some planks laid on cinder blocks, with one way in, and one way out. We stood in there, and then Mom pretended that someone had said, "go" and off we went, over three or four jumps and then galloping hard to the top of the hill. That was pretty cool. Then we walked until we were all the way cooled off, and then we ate grass for fifteen minutes until we were dry, and then we went home. Mom drove this time so we got home in half the time. Heart and I went out and rolled in the grass immediately. So what did YOU do today?"

When I read this I was immediately very jealous. I read it to Luc and he just tossed his long hair and said, "so?" but I think it's rude for her to do fun things wihth other horses. Then Luc said, "Babe, could you have carried her over all those logs and up that weird sounding jump, and could you have comfortably galloped to the top of the hill?" I said, "No, probably not, but I suppose you think YOU could have done?" and he tossed that silly hair again and said, "Of course I could, but that's not the point. YOU couldn't have, so she took someone who could. What's the big deal?" And I stomped off and ate a tree, because he just doesn't get it.

Right about then, Mom came home and she came to see us and I forgave her immediately and went to get rubs and kisses because, well, she's my Mom and I love her even if sometimes she leaves me home and takes other horses to neat places. One day it will be my turn!

2008-02-27T18:21:00.001-08:00

Tuesday we mostly slept all day. We came into our stalls in the morning because it was doing a cold, pelty rain, and since there was nothing else to do, we took one nap after another.

Today was incredibly windy but the air temperature wasn't too bad, and Mom has decided that she wants me to be maintaining my training, so we had a brief ride, just at the walk, working on my walk/halts and my bending. I now respond beautifully to very light leg aids, and we did more leg yields working into halfpass. I thought I did a splendid job. Luc did not get worked as well; he maintains more easily than I do because he's had more training. I maintain physically, but not mentally because I am still pretty much a baby in this work thing!

When it came time for dinner, we were on the other side of the barrier logs and we played dumb to see if we could manipulate our human into bringing the food to us, by pretending that we couldn't remember where we came through the barrier. However, she was having none of it, plonked our buckets down where they always go, and said, "You made your way through to that side, you can figure out how to get back!" And she waved at us and started to leave. I posed all pretty with my ears pricked and gave me very best performance of "you can't possibly be going to actually LEAVE us over here to starve to death?" but she was unmoved, so just as soon as she got out of direct eye sight, we ran down to the opening and galloped through and went to have our dinner. I bet she worried for a while that we were going to starve all night long!

2008-02-25T17:20:00.001-08:00

We had a very peaceful weekend, just hanging out in our grass, rolling in our dirt. We got groomed and loved on and mints, but no work! Sunday night we had to come inside because it might rain, and while the rain and the temperature were fine for us, once again we had to live like criminals because of the silly grass.

But it was ok, because Monday morning we got to go to the Big Barn! We didn't get to go outside and play, and I have no pictures because when Mom tried to take pictures of me wearing my Christmas bridle, I refused to pose and every picture makes me look like a donkey. However, we had a very nice ride. Mom has discovered that while I can make progress on two rides per week, I cannot even maintain on one ride per week. I was stiff and unsettled and totally unfocused. We did walk/halts for ten minutes, and then trot/halts for another ten minutes, until I finally began to focus on the job at hand. I was not bad, didn't do anything naughty, even managed to sneeze and not fall apart, but I just wasn't loose. Finally, after the trot/halts were making my eyes cross, we got to canter, and I did that much better than my trots, and much better than my canters have been the last few times. However, I never did relax enough for us to do any jumps.

After I had worked to Mom's satisfaction, we went out into the big field and we walked all around, working on leg yields and then, just before we changed bend, one or two steps of half pass. It was pretty exciting and really loosened up my shoulders. If we can work on Wednesday I should have a great session!

Luc was super good in his ride. He got to go across the street with Aunt Hayley and Heart, and he got to gallop up a hill. I wanna gallop up a hill! After my tension today, Mom is thinking that maybe it will take a little longer to make me a good field hunter, so we'll see how much galloping I get to do by the end of the summer!

When we went home, we went out in our grass for a while. In the later afternoon, Mom came down and moved our white tape barrier. We now have access to the part of the pasture we haven't been in for quite a while, but one of our favorite corners is blocked off, because we like to stand in it, and run through it, and do sliding stops, and we are keeping things from regrowing there, so we are locked out for the time being. Once we got into the newly accessible area, however, we couldn't figure out how to get out, when it was time for dinner, so Mom had to lure me with food. Luc decided that was too complicated and simply jumped a barrier made of logs. Mom smiled when he did this and decided that pile of logs will remain right where it is and be a jump in the summer when the ground is dry!

2008-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Not much went according to plan this week - Tuesday was windy and chilly enough that Mom chose to leave us at home. Wednesday was chillier and windier, and today was downright ugly most of the day. However, we did get to go out into our grass and that was tremendously exciting.

At dinner time Mom let us know that our food was in our stalls and we could come in when we wanted. Well, we didn't want. So she went and got a handful of peppermints and stood in the alleyway between pasture and stalls. I headed over first, but Luc overtook me when I was halfway there, so he got the first one. He got two mints and then he got shooed into his house. I ran away because I don't like to lose, but by the time Mom had his door latched, I was right there at her elbow begging for my mint. What can I say, I'm addicted!

So here we are snug as bugs in rugs, tucked in our stalls with a half bale of hay each, listening to the rain/sleet/ice as it begins to fall outside... it's a good night to be inside!

2008-02-18T16:31:00.000-08:00

We passed a peaceful and uneventful weekend. The most exciting thing that happened was that Mom came down each day with four ginormous carrots and we divided them among ourselves- a bite for me, a bite for Luc, a bite for her; a bite for me, Luc, her...

Monday morning we heard our motor coach being hitched and then she came for us. We went happily. We got to the Big Barn and we were put into stalls. We were hoping to be turned out but we didn't complain much. All the other horses got fed, and then, for once, it was my turn first!

I got all dressed up and then I had to stand around for a while as Mom and Aunt Hayley talked about stuff. I was so bored. I tried sighing, I tried nuzzling, I tried rubbing my nose on the wall... finally we went out.

We walked over the water/mudhole and across the bridge and over the poles, and then we walked around inside the ring. It was horribly windy and very scary so I was on high alert. We did lots of walk/halt/walk/halt until I was focused. We began with trotting and I was quite balanced and cadenced and overall very lovely. I spooked at something silly and I got snatched in the mouth for it. I did not care for that at all. Shortly after, I sneezed, a big huge sneeze that made me drop my head down low toward the ground. When I did this, I came into contact with the bit and I thought for just a moment that I had been snatched at again, which I thought was terribly unfair, so I threw my head up high. Well, my rider had leaned forward and given her hands in my sneeze, and so when I threw my head up, my neck zonked her helmet visor! This startled me so much so that I reared up because I didn't know where else to go. She grabben my neck to as not to pull me over, and that made me jump away from her hands, only the fence was right there so I did a very artistic pirouette on two legs. When I finally came back to rest on terra firma, I was shaking pretty hard. My rider just proceeded as if nothing had happened and called me a silly goose and that was the end of that. Subsequent sneezes I tried hard to not to overreact!

We did some more trot and then moved into the canter. I must say, my canter work has improved exponentially these last few weeks! I was most excellent today. I did lots of working and collected canter, lead swaps, serpentines, and other figures. I moved effortlessly between my gaits with the elegance of a swan. I responded nicely to leg aids, much to the chagrin of my rider who was rather hoping for an excuse for some travers today! We did do some halfpass or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof, and that was quite fun. That is like leg yield, only I was bent into the direction of travel rather than away.

We rode for quite a while, past the point where I had decided I had had enough. I began to fuss and fidget and so I had to walk a while until I settled down and decided it really wasn't worth the effort. Then we trotted a piece more and finished with a very nice canter section to a halt. A long walk outside the arena to cool down, and then I got to go outside and play! Kitana immediately ran over to kick me but other than that, things were uneventful.

Luc went for his ride next and he said he was fabulous. He tossed his hair as he said so. He said he started learning shoulder in, which is the precursor for renvers, the other side of travers. He said it was quite tough but he was up for it. He said he can practically spin in place at the canter so he expects to be working on canter pirouette by the end of the summer. Show off...

After he was done, he came out to play with us. He is so silly that he ran out to the back pasture while all the rest of us were in the side pasture. There is no passage through from one to the other at the moment so we ran side by side on opposite sides of the fence for a few passes. Mom stood in the gateway and videoed this.

Then she moved and I ran through the gate just as Luc came through the other gate, and so we switched sides and ran like that for a minute.

Then he came back through and we ran and played over there. Observe Luc's patented bloodhound maneuver, and also what to do if you are on fire.

Finally after much ado, we ran back over to where the others were, and there we stayed for the duration of the afternoon. Please note that the song for today's selection does not really convey my mother's opinion of myself, just fits for today and has a catchy beat!

We did not much want to be caught when it was time to go home, but a cheesey bribery with peppermint wrappers and false promises did the trick! We have been told we'll go back again tomorrow - I'm just glad we got to come home tonight rather than have to spend the night in the stalls! It is so warm out, I love this early Spring in NC!

2008-02-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

Friday morning dawned bright and sparkly. Luc decided it was far too nice of a morning to be inside, and he jimmied open his stall door and let himself out into the beauty. I asked him to let me out too but he couldn't be bothered. Thus, when our mother arrived, I was politely in my stall and he was standing in the middle of the aisle, having traversed the length of the barn and knocked over everything that could be disturbed.

Upon securing him in the stall, she proceeded to give us our breakfast, and then serve the remainder of the horses outside. Long about the time she finished, Aunt Donna arrived for her lesson. Mom took Luc out to ride him during the first part of the lesson. I stayed in the stall and cried piteously the whole time, big braying sobs of whiny-ness, for I was alone in the barn and I didn't like it.

When at last it was my turn to go out and work, we were working right along at getting ready, and then Mom and Aunt Donna started talking about something and before I knew it, they were knee deep in their conversation and it showed no sign of ending soon. I was bored, very bored, and my rope was simply looped through a ring, not tied, so surreptiously I just eased my way out of the tie and nonchalantly started moseying down the aisle. Without missing a beat, Mom called out to Aunt Hayley, who was giving Heart a massage in her stall, "Hayley, can you step out of your stall for a second?" and Aunt Hayley stepped out just in time to intercede my passage. Drat! Foiled again!

After that, Mom figured she better hop to and pay attention to the Princess. So off we went to ride. I started out all ready to go, so we walked until I relaxed. Then we cantered again, big long canters, no tenseness, changing directions and leads and going from open to collected and back to open, it was wonderful! Then we trotted, all Saddleseat style, very bold but unhurried. It was splendid fun, I felt powerful and elegant. After a while, as I began to be just a bit tired, I started to drop my head and we rode for a bit longer on a loose rein, all around at the trot. I understand this is called "hunter style" and is my preparation for being a Field Hunter. This was very exciting to me. I did so well at this that we stopped, Mom shortened her stirrups and said we would jump a little. I got a little hot again, and bobbled my poles the first time through, but had settled enough on the second pass that Mom thought we'd try that green jump again. This time, the green jump had a pole nine feet out from it, and a pole nine feet on the other side.

Well, you see, last night while we were bored in our stalls, Luc told me that I don't actually have to do the jumps that she points me at. He told me about something called "refusing" and that I have the right to do this. So I tried it out. I slammed on the brakes right in front of the jump. Let me summarize by saying this did not go over well, and even less well the second time I tried it! Eventually I got over it, and over the other one that I had done before, but it was not my best work. Plus I got agitated and so we decided to go for a canter, during which I decided that I was going to bend the wrong way, and when she applied leg to push me the correct way, I took off in a dead run - so we learned something new today! It is called Travers, and it is an upper level movement, actually it is a preparation for Half Pass, in which I traveled down the rail and instead of my hind legs following in the tracks of my front legs, my outside hind leg was actually inside the track of my inside front leg! So I was moving on four tracks, and locomoting down the rail at a pretty good clip with this very profound correct bend AND acceptance of the outside leg! It was one of the tougher things I've ever done, and the first time Mom has ever really conquered Travers, so she was pretty pumped about it, even if we did it because I was being naughty. After the Travers, we had a brief canter that was so light and airy, I wonder if we shouldn't make Travers, and its opposite, Renvers, a part of our daily work!

The video posted earlier in the week has been so widely appreciated that I have put together another small clip from that same day. You can look forward to more video next week, and not just us running around either!

2008-02-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

Later in the afternoon, Mom came back to the barn. We were all pretty bored but it was grey and cloudy outside and we didn't feel any need to be outside. She came in my stall and brushed me a little - I have begun to shed which means spring is officially around the corner - I have decided this piddly NC winter is not worth my NE winter hair. Then she put a longe line on my halter and took me out to play at the end of the rope in the ring. I trotted up a storm for a while, until I was tired. Then we went in.

A few other horses went out on the longe too, but none got groomed, just me. Then we all got water, and hay and lastly, our grain, and she left us in the barn again. Later that night, we all heard it begin to snow and we were glad she had left us in, even though when she left we didn't really understand why.

Bright and early this morning she showed up at the barn. She took a bale of hay out in the wheelbarrow, and when she came back in, she just started at one end of the barn and went to the other end, opening stall doors along the way. Everyone walked out their door and then trotted out the barn into the pasture! It was crazy! But it was really organized. Luc said she never used to do that when he lived there. Later on we talked to Adrianna and she said it was because the Thoroughbreds act like numbskulls when they are being led out after being stalled, but if they are allowed to put themselves out, they behave themselves. And if she does it for them, she does it for everyone.

At any rate, we were a little miffed that everyone but us went out. We knew we weren't going home because she didn't bring back the horsebox. But we had breakfast in front of us so we didn't really care. After several hours Aunt Hayley showed up and so we watched her do stuff with Heart, and then Mom came at lunchtime. She came right to me and kissed my face and told me that she missed me - that made me feel very nice. Then she took Luc out to ride him. I feel like chopped liver, she never chooses me first. Oh wait, the last few times she's tried to choose me I declined to acquiese to her request - I guess I can't complain.

When Luc came in, he said that Mom had ridden him for a little while and then Aunt Hayley rode him! He said it was lots of fun, that he took shameless advantage of her just long enough to show her that he could, and then he settled down and went to work. He said that she rode a complete dressage test and that he was close to perfect. I suspect he was making use of some hyperbole. He is never perfect for anyone but Mom!

Then it was my turn. We went out and walked around for a little while, and then we started out in the canter. I really do like to warm up in the canter. I started out kind of bouncy and tight but that was too much work so very quickly I relaxed and began to use all of myself and we cantered all around, changing direction and just going and going and going, wonderfully soft and supple, at least twenty times around the arena! then we walked a short bit, and then we trotted, and I wasn't at all racy and quick. I started thinking that I may have been silly to run away all this time if this is what she had in mind for me!

Then we began to trot over some poles. I did that very nicely but thought it was boring so I shifted up to canter. She let me, but made me go collected and soft and I did that and then we walked. And then we tried again, this time I stayed in the trot over all my poles, sets of two and three and five, and then we did two poles to an X and I hopped over it just as tidy as could be. We did that twice more and then we did a green X in the middle of the ring that didn't have any helping poles. That was a lot harder because I had to decide for myself when to take off. But I did it! We did that twice, then went back and did the gymnastic and then we were done!

I went back into the stall, and there we hung out for the rest of the day. People came and went and I began to see why it might be nice to live there - there is always something going on - but I miss my peaceful open space at home and I hope we get to go home soon! Tonight, everyone else is outside and we had to stay in again, which is kind of a bummer but Mom is afraid that if she leaves us out, Belle or Kitana might hurt us and so we're in for our own good. I really don't mind being stalled, especially if I have some hay to munch on!

2008-02-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

Our weekend was peaceful and lazy. Sunday was extremely windy and there were lots of things to spook at, but we didn't get ridden so we didn't get to have fun with the spooking, so after a while it wasn't any fun and we mostly just stood around.

Monday we thought we might go to the Big Barn but we didn't. Instead, we finally got to get chased around in our turnout! I think the idea was for us to trot steadily but we were having none of it - we ran hard and bucked and churned up our path with mud until my white socks were so black I looked like I was a bay. There is a narrow strip of water that runs though our paddock when it has been wet, and I practiced leaping over it. My first time through, Luc laughed at me and told me that I shouldn't go over my jumps with my head held straight up in the air, but rather to arc my neck and strectch across my topline. I tried that and it was much better. We ran until we were tired - which wasn't long at all because we are out of shape!

Tuesday morning we heard the horse box being hooked up and we started to get excited and then Luc said to me, hey, it's a Tuesday - maybe we get to see the Spine Doctor today! So then we got REALLY excited!

So off we went to the Big Barn. When we got there, instead of going in stalls we went directly outside and got turned loose with the others! How exciting! We immediately began to run and play with everyone. Kitana was quite mean and tried to eat us several times, but after the first minute, most everyone completely ignored us and we played amongst ourselves. Here is a teaser:

After our movie shoot, Mom went off to do her chores while we stayed outside. Mostly we were left alone, but every now and then Kitana or Belle would attack us out of nowhere which I thought was quite mean. Around lunch time, Mom came to get Luc and he went for some work. I should clarify - she came to get me, and I told her to go take a running leap off a cliff... so she took Luc. He said he had a lot of fun, that he cantered in and out of cones and that he ran barrels! He was pretty pumped up from his session. However, I was still not the least bit interested, so when she came for me, I took off running - and she went and got Kitana, of all things! That made me even more mad.

I was madder still when she brought Kitana out into the field to ride. They rode all around, galloping everywhere, having such fun. And get this - she'd gallop straight at me, as I stood watching and glaring at them - and they didn't look like they were going to swerve so at the last minute, I'd step aside and they'd run right over where I had been standing a moment ago! It's enough to give a girl a complex!

As they finished their ride, a slow steady rain began to fall. It was a rather unpleasant day to begin with, cold but not in the brisk nice way, rather in the dank, dreary way, and so when she invited us all to come in the barn, we were all more than happy to do so. Never having been part of the turning in at the Big Barn, I was pretty amazed by how it goes - she halters a few of the more unruly characters and puts them in their stalls, and then the rest of us were just allowed to run into the barn. Everyone seemed to know their stalls for the most part - of course Luc and I had no idea where we were supposed to go - I got Pegasus's stall and Luc got the empty stall. Pegasus got a makeshift stall in the shavings storage area. It was all very cozy.

We hung out there for a few hours, and then some people came for their lessons. It was still raining, and so they were to have what is called an in-barn lesson. This is where people learn all the horse related knowledge that doesnt' involve being on the horse's back. You can imagine my surprise when I was pulled from my stall and crosstied, and used as a model for having my body parts named and categorized! I was pretty appalled at this. I got pointed at and occasionally poked, but no rubbing, no stroking, nothing for my trouble. Until the end, then I got a decent rub, but by then I was so miffed nothing would pacify me.

Finally I was allowed back in my stall. I thought this whole thing was for the birds and I was ready to go home. Just about then, in walks the Spine Lady. Boy was I glad to see her! I had to wait a while, but eventually it was my turn, and she made short work of unsticking my right hip and sorting out my other minor problems. All in all she pronounced me "much better" which was nice to hear. So I got ready to go home.

But wait - here she comes dumping feed in all the horses' stalls - you see, everyone was to stay in this night. Okay, that's cool, they can eat and then we can go. What? Food in my bucket? Okay, I can eat while you finish up. How now? Hay in my stall too? very yummy hay it is, I'll have a bite for the road. Hey! why are you turning out the lights? I guess you'll come and get us next? You're closing the doors! and getting in the truck! and starting the truck! and LEAVING ME HERE ALL NIGHT LONG!!!!

Yup, that's right. She left me at the Big Barn, in a stall, with all the other horses, all night long. Can you believe it?

But it wasn't so bad. Mostly we slept. In the morning she came and fed us all. It was still raining, so we stayed in. None of us minded at all. It was one of those days, we'd just as soon be in. Even when it stopped raining it was still dismal and gray. Then the sun came out, but only for a little while. Now, we're just waiting for her to come and feed us again! I hear that it will rain, and possibly even snow tonight, so I guess we'll be in again. There's worse ways my life could be!

2008-02-08T18:33:00.001-08:00

Mean! that's what she is, just mean!

During the week, we got moved from our nice spring grass pasture, into the dirt paddock. You see, while the nice spring grass was, well, nice, it was too much work to pick at it, so I just started eating the trees. Evidently this is frowned upon, because once I was caught in the act, that was the end of it. I believe the exact quote was "I did not spend hours and hours and dollars upon dollars to fix up your pasture so that you may run around and tear it up and not even appreciate the grass!" Apparently it is okay if I eat the trees in the shade paddock?

Wednesday was some rain, but warm, so we did not understand why we had to get locked in our prisons, I mean our stalls, for part of the day and all night. Again, a quote: "just once in a while, your wishes have to take second place to what is good for this poor land that you nutheads keep tearing up!"

This morning the horse box was hooked to the truck and here she came to get us. Now, what you have to know here is that I am in the final throes of the world's longest heat cycle. This thing is not lingering, it is malingering and will not die. I have been in heat for over two weeks, I believe I have grown a follicle on one ovary and then on the other. This happens, and is nothing to be alarmed about unless I am ever trying to have a baby, but it makes for a really weird cycle. So, I am cranky. Luc was really annoying me and I did not wish anything but a big breakfast. I wanted nothing to do with going anywhere and doing any work.

However, a quick rattle of peppermint wrapper changed my mind. And off we went.

After a quick breakfast, Luc was off to ride. I was even more cranky that he was going first, until once again I got an explanation, this time it was that Aunt Donna was going to ride at the same time and she didnt want to share attention but instead to focus entirely on me. This pacified me for long enough for them to get out of the barn.

However, once they came back in, I was cranky about being ignored again. So, as she stood there resting her hand upon the opening of my stall, running her mouth yet again about something that wasn't me, I sidled up to her, rested my nose on her hand - and bit her finger! I got a saddlepad in the face for my trouble, but it was worth it, because I instantly felt better!

After a quick vaccuuming and saddling, off we went. I didn't want to stand for the getting on, which was the first clue, but then I walked through a deep puddle of water which seemed to redeem me. I broke into a trot as soon as we entered the arena, and that was allowed, but then we trotted for what seemed like forever and ever! Part of this was because I was up to my in heat tricks of going too fast, falling on the forehand, and generally being fussy. However, I did find a nice rhythm and settle in, but when we had done what I determined to be enough, I tried to make my feelings known. I tried to canter, I tried to walk, when none of that worked I tried trotting sideways and I tried wiggling side to side. None of this got me anywhere. So eventually (about five whole minutes later!) I gave up, we had a good round at the trot, and I got to walk.

Then we cantered. Well, we tried to canter. I was argumentative and difficult and for the first time ever, my mother threw a temper tantrum from my back! She jerked my face and kicked my side and told me that she really didn't give a rat's behind for my trouble, that by golly I was gonna canter and I was gonna canter now and I was gonna canter without feeling like I was going to leave the state. Well! When she put it that way!

So I did. We had a decent canter both ways and I thought for sure I was done. We left the arena and walked around a minute - and then, no fair, we went back in!

By this time I had let down a little and realized that yeah, I actually was a little tired. So when she put me back to the canter, there was no fight in me and I was really relaxed and hey, what do you know, the canter was a lot more fun! So we went for a while and I was happy about that.

Then we did a few rounds of the pole, pole, X thing. I did pretty well, did a little hop over all the X's and that seemed to make her content, and then we finished with a nice round canter all over the arena, soft and non contentious.

So maybe she's not that mean - but you should have heard the things she said to me! Sure, I was being rotten and opinionated and more than a little ugly, but she really didn't have to call me all those names!

2008-02-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

Well! today was very exciting!

First thing in the morning, we heard the horse box being attached to the truck. Now, that doesn't always mean it's for us, but we were hopeful. Sure enough, we got haltered and led up to the box. We were so excited we forgot to be upset about not getting our breakfast.

Just like last time, we went in stalls and had some snack while all the other horses got fed. I wasn't quite done and here comes Mom with a brush, and then she stopped and said no, I'll do Luc first. I started to leave my food and protest, until it was explained to me that some people who had never met me were going to be there, but not until later, and she was saving me to be shown off! So that was okay!

Evidently Luc was really good in his work because she was pretty well beaming when they came back in. By then Aunts Sandra and Kelsey had arrived, and I met them, and they exclaimed over my fine beauty and elegance.

So I got all dressed up and went out to work for my audience. We started on the oval again, with the circles inside it. After some warm up at the walk, we began a pattern of trot the top circle, go down the long side, trot the bottom circle, change circles, trot the long side, trot the bottom circle, go up the long side, trot the top circle, change circles. All of this while maintaining an even tempo and no lengthening on the long side. It was quite hard but I was good.

Then we cantered on the pattern, and I demonstrated my lovely flying changes, which were met with some appropriate oohs and ahhs. Then some seated trot, which I quite enjoy, because in order for it to go right, I have to be extremely balanced, and when I am, I feel as if I could fly and it is so very light. So here was me, enjoying my seated trot - and here I get a canter cue! Of all the nerve. I didn't even think, I just reacted the way I felt - a great big, giant, heel above my ears, buck with one leg. Mom said "Hey!" and that was the end of that - we went right back to the seated trot as if nothing had happened.

By this point, I felt bad, because I had acted out of turn. So I tried to canter to make up for it, and she said very clearly, "I didn't ask for a canter here.... I asked for a canter.... here" and this time I went right into it and we did some work on our canter/trot/canter transitions and I was lovely. Then, Aunt Kelsey came in and started doing something with some of the poles on the ground. I didn't pay much attention because I was being asked to trot over a whole bunch of pairs of poles that were laying around, nine feet apart. I must have gone over ten sets of poles, perfect on all of them, and then here we go towards something I had never seen before!

Picture this: a low, square box laying on the ground, about six inches square, and ten feet long. Nine feet after that, a pole; nine feet after that, another pole. And nine feet after that, two poles crossed at the center to make a shallow X. I didn't know what to make of all this, so I wobbled on the way there, but Mom pressed evenly with both legs to send me forward and straight and I just trotted evenly through all of it. I had to lift my legs a little higher on the X but other than that, it was really easy. I got praised and lots of petting on the neck, so I must have done alright.

Around we went, and back toward the setup. This time, I thought the whole thing was boring, so at the last second, I swerved so that instead of going over the low center of the X, I went over about halfway up the arm of the X. Only it was higher than I thought, so I bumped it with my back leg. Bummer.

Aroudn we went, and back again. This time, I was ready - I still swerved because the low part of the X was still too boring, but I hopped this time, just a little, to keep my leg from hitting the side of the X! And it worked! So Mom asked Aunt Kelsey to move the supports for the X a little closer together, to make the center of the X a little higher. This time I went over the center, and I hopped, and it was such fun!

So to finish, we went through it backwards, which meant I did the X, the pole, the pole, the box. That was way harder, because with the box and the poles before the X, my strides are all set for me, and this way, I had to figure out what to do with my legs myself. So I did the X just fine but then I got a little rushed - and the poles and the box showed me how to back my stride off a little and rebalance myself! Very cool!

These exercises are called Gymnastics, according to Luc. They are setups with poles and jumps, usually in a row, but not always, set at a specific distance for a specific result. They are designed to teach us horses how to think our way through a jump situation. I asked if that was in case our rider fell off, and he said no silly, if that happens we stop and don't do the jumps, but what happens is sometimes our rider (though not usually Mom, he says, except once in a while...) is nervous and forgets how to tell us what to do, and we need to know what to do to take care of them and make them look good. He said his exercise today was two Xs set at such a distance that he could go three quiet strides, or two forward strides between them, and that he did as he was told, each and every time!

So, I have officially learned to jump. Not much to it, if you ask me. Of course, Mr. Know-it-all Luc tells me that what I'm doing doesn't count, that it's beginner stuff, but hey, everyone has to start somewhere, right?

2008-02-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Sports Fans - looks like the Patriots are in line to win it AGAIN! edit to add - while posting, the Giants proved me wrong and ended a history making streak!

I haven't written in several days because I have been resting. You see, on Wednesday morning, after a nice restful Tuesday, complete with a little rain and some good mud to roll in, Mom came to get us and took us up to the horse box and up the road we went. We were pretty excited because we haven't been anywhere in a good while, although we were a little miffed we had to travel before we got our breakfast.

We got to the Big Barn and went in stalls and had a medium sized meal. Then I went out, and I got vaccuumed for the first time in a while, and I was very dusty. I got saddled and we went out to the steps to get on. Kitana was out there having her breakfast and she made faces at me like she might eat me. I was a little scared but Mom stomped her foot and made mean mare faces and Kitana went away so I felt relieved.

Then we went out to the ring, and the first thing I noticed was that way off through the trees, there were some men standing on the roof of the next door house and they were banging around and making some noise. They looked like aliens. Mom said to me, "however scary you think they are, they are over there, and I am right here, and I am way scarier than they could ever hope to be. So think about me, not them." We walked all around, and then we started working on this neat pattern, it was two circles that went inbetween poles and standards, and around barrels, and one circle went one way, and the other circle went the other way, so they made a figure of eight all together. We rode around it at the walk, and then at the trot. I was very balanced and steady, if a little bit "up"- I am, after all, a Saddleseat horse of very eloquent breeding, and I know it!

After a bit of trotting - and gosh it felt good to be able to move out and cover some ground, after so long of the terrain being squishy at home - we started to canter. I took my transition perfectly, and did the circles with the greatest of ease. Then we connected the two circles to make an oval by going straight instead of heading into the center of the figure of eight. This is harder because there are the two periods of straight thrown in there, during which I have to move my legs differently than when we are bending. Bending is easier because all the legs don't have to match.

Well, we got along to the top of the oval, by the barrel, and all of a sudden I noticed the aliens again. I jumped sideways, but the barrel was there, so I slammed on the brakes and hopped backwards. When I did this, I kicked up sand onto the barrel, so I did a small rear and went sideways while still going backwards. Mom had thrown herself up onto my neck during this and I was shaking pretty hard. When I landed back on terra firma, she tapped me pretty hard in the mouth and said, "what did I tell you about who is more scary?" and so we went on and I didn't think about the aliens anymore.

After that, I was pretty close to perfect. She was really pleased with me. After the work part, which went on until I was lightly sweaty everywhere, we walked over all the obstacles that are around, and out and around in the grassy areas until I was cool.

Then I hung out in the stall wearing my cooler sheet, while she worked with Aunt Hayley and Heart, and then while she rode Luc. And then we went home! We napped in the box on the way home, because we both were worn out! This was a good bit more work than either of us has had in quite a while!

Thursday we slept most of the day, and then we went in our stalls that night. It began a cold rain around midnight so we were glad to be in the dry where we could sleep comfortably. We had to stay in most of the day, until it stopped raining and then we went out and immediately rolled in the mud. Saturday we didn't have to do anything at all, and today, I got a really nice massage all over and then we rode without the saddle, for a ten minute walk all around our pasture, just being a horse and a human together. Today is when I realized how lucky I am to be a multipurpose horse, not just a show horse or just a trail horse, because I have this really special bond with my human and she loves me and spends time with me even when she doesn't want anything from me. The true art of being a horseman vs. being a rider, is that you stop asking "what can this horse do for me" and start asking "what can I do for this horse." And the true art of being a great horse is you stop asking "what can this human do for me?" and start asking "what can I do for my human?" When you are lucky enough to have a true horseman and a great horse together, there is nothing you cannot do!

Later in the day, she came down and started pulling aside some of the brambles and vines that she had cut about six weeks ago. They had died and were willing to come out of the ground, so she cleared a big space and made a huge pile of crinkly sounding dead sticks. We came over at first but when it became evident that she wasn't going to pay us a lick of attention, we went away. However, after she left, we went over and romped in the sticks. We delighted in scaring ourselves and then coming back for more. We are silly! Tomorrow we get to go to the Big Barn again, she promised us today!

2008-01-28T18:50:00.001-08:00

Thanks guys, my fan base may be fairly small but very dedicated and I've been asked to keep posting, so I will!

Today we worked again. I went first, since when Mom came out to get us I went to her instead of wandering away like I did yesterday. We had our blankets off first thing in the morning, so by lunchtime I was nice and muddy and needed a good groom!

We went up and started our circles, leg yields, walk/halts and some moving off the indirect rein. Right about then, Luc started running around like a madman, leaping in the air, snorting, taking off from right behind me with big scrabbling motions, and charging past me so close we could feel his breath. Apart from a slight tremor the first time (because he genuinely scared me!) I completely ignored him and focused on my work. This earned me lots of pats on the neck and the Perfect Princess Prize for the day!

There was one straight stretch of ground that has had more sun than everywhere else, and so we were able to trot and canter about twelve strides at a time, back and forth. It wasn't very satisfying, more teasing than anything, but better than nothing!

After me, Mom decided it was not wise to try to ride the Wild Man, so he got longed, down in the area where we eat, which is the only place that was dry in a circle. She kept him on a very small circle, which normally is not good at all, but she was trying to make him tired and keep him focused while at the same time working on his bend, and so he worked on the small circle and she'd tap the line and flick the end at him in sequence, kind of like tapping the rein and leg when riding. At first he fought and spun and went the other way, and took off and tried to tear the rope from her hands, but when she didn't give up, after about three minutes of silliness, he settled down and got to work. I stood up on the hill with a smug look on my face, observing. I am, after all, the Perfect Princess, which I guess makes him the Pea!

2008-01-27T18:09:00.001-08:00

Finally today was warm enough and Mom wasn't off at work earning the money to feed our fat selves, so we got a little work. It was still too wet to do anything but walk - as cold as it has been, things haven't dried up at all, so we did circles and walk/halt transitions and leg yields and half passes (well, Luc did the half passes, I don't do those just yet!) and then we walked over some poles and practiced changing our bend in the pole line. That was fun, because there was lots to think about.

Best of all, after the work, we got to go out without our blankets for the first time in a week! Sure, we had them back on at dinner time, but it was good to roll naked in the dirt!

Hey, I need to know who actually reads me - or am I just recording my adventures for posterity? So post a message here or send Mom an email if you are still reading and enjoying!

2008-01-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty quiet around here. By quiet I mean reallly cold, so we get fed twice a day and we get scratched on for ten minutes during the warmest part of the day, by our mother who is wrapped up so that all that shows is her eyes and nose - but we don't care. We have our food, we're not trapped in our stalls, and if we get sprinkled on a little here and there, well, it stops soon enough and then there's mud to roll in. If I had one thing I could change, though, I would take off this silly blanket so I could really get DIRTY!!!

2008-01-17T18:32:00.001-08:00

Monday we got groomed and loved on and nothing more - by then I was pretty strongly in heat and Mom decided her energy was best put to use somewhere else!

Wednesday we got longed, naked, just for exercise. We haven't done that in so long, I almost forgot how to do it! In fact, I forgot that I was responsible for balancing myself, and so I slipped in the damp leaves and did a total split. Mom said she didn't know a horse could stretch like that. She was quite worried about me but I jumped to my feet and bucked and took off to show that I was just fine. We worked until I had a light sweat and then I had a good face rub.

Luc did what I did and I stood and watched. He runs with his nose on the ground. After, I asked him why and he said it feels so good to stretch his spine across himself like that - almost like running yoga. Whatever.

Later in the afternoon Mom came down to the barn with the truck. We always like when she does that because it means she went and bought us food and we like to watch and see what she unloads. Sure enough, a bunch of bags that sounded nice and crinkly and full of stuff, and four bales of hay. It was about dinner time so we started licking our lips because we just knew we were going to get some good stuff. But no, she got back in the truck and drove away.

We weren't too worried because sometimes she goes up and puts the truck in its stall and then comes back. But she didn't come back, and it was starting to get dark, and we thought - well, we really thought that she had forgotten about us. Finally, just before it was all the way dark, here she comes, singing us a silly song. And she made us go in our stalls! We got our food, so it took us a while to realize we'd been tricked, but then, we sat up and talked about why she might have done this, until we got sleepy.

Some time after midnight, we realized why - it started to snow! I love snow! So I got really excited. And let me tell you - boy was I let down! This North Carolina snow is for a bunch of sissies! Where I come from, we got SNOW! This half inch of stuff that didn't even stay on the ground, that doesn't count as snow! I was thoroughly disgusted.

We had to stay in all day, because after the pitiful snow, it did a freezing rain kind of thing. I complained to Luc a lot but the truth is, it was nice to be dry in my stall with lots of hay, so I didn't mind too much. We got a big dinner and we thought we'd go out then because it had stopped dripping from the sky, but Mom explained that even though we could have gone out, she felt better knowing we were in, and we were cool with that.

For anyone who is interested, there is a short video of my dad, TC Miyake, from 2002 before he got hurt and can't be ridden, at www.youtube.com/MirageLTD if you want to see it. He's the chestnut :-) There is also one of my potential husband, The Hurricane. My dad has a really impressive front end and head and neck, but his back end leaves something to be desired, and that is a result of the way he was being ridden. If he was ridden by my Mom, he'd have had a little less front, but he'd have had more hind end, and the overall picture would have been much nicer. The Hurricane is being ridden by a very famous trainer but looking at the video, you'd have to wonder why. And that's all I'll say about that!

2008-01-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days that is a perfect day for this season - warm enough for humans to be comfortable, but cool enough for us horses with our hair to not get overheated. So we were kind of suprised not to be put to work until late in the afternoon - Mom must have had Very Important Things to do.

Luc went first, and I stood and watched his session. He has ambitions to be a saddleseat horse like me. He has to do many of the same exercises that I do - all the transitions, the lateral supplings, and the give and stretch, before he is allowed to go up where he is starting to want to be. I watched him do his collected canter and I was jealous.

When it was my turn, I didn't even walk away - I was ready to do it better than he did. From the moment Mom climbed up it was evident that this was going to be a different work session - no work, just play! We started off by cantering away from the gate as soon as we were in. I felt good and I got energetic but not naughty. Then onto the circle and long, focused stretches of work, four and five circles at a time! No extraneous transitions, and just focusing on power. I had a lot of fun. I was a little crooked, and not particularly supple in my hind end. Mom thought I might be coming into heat, simply because of the time that has passed since my last hormonal rampage, so she was on the lookout for bad behaviour. At the end, when I wanted to be stronger than she had in mind, and she asked me not only to slow down, but to go ahead and collect at the canter - well, I let her know my feelings with a very polite buck. She let me know her feelings with a very polite snap on the rein and the words "do not EVER do that again!" and we went forward in our canter with no hard feelings on anyone's part! We ended with a vigorous trot and then it was done!

When I was turned back out after my mints, I immediately showed Mom that she was absolutely correct, I am in heat, so today was significant in that I did not allow my hormones to get the better of me. I was not my best self, but I was amicable and gave a good effort - and that's all that anyone can ask for!

2008-01-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

The last two days were filled with intermittent lovely warm rain, so today I indulged in something guaranteed to bring a shine to the coat and invigorate the skin. I call it the European Spa Treatment. It goes something like this:

Wait until it rains. This works best if your coat is still damp from a sprinkle, but can be done from a dry state as well.

Find the muddiest hole that you can. Roll in it effusively, being sure to coat both sides, as much area as possible.

Stand in the sun until the mud dries to a crisp.

Attract the attention of your human by looking beautiful, at which point she is sure to notice how dirty you are and bring out the brushes for a very exuberant grooming.

Repeat as needed!

2008-01-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Monday Luc and I were both surprised when we got pulled in for a work session - two days in a row! That hasn't happened in a while!

Where the day before we did one hundred transitions, this time we worked on rhythm and cadence. So I got to GO for a while, and I was definitely moving like a saddleseat horse, but soft and supple across my back. Mom was pretty pleased with me, I got lots of mints after!

Tuesday we hung out and enjoyed the sunshine.

Today Mom came to get me first, and tossed my rope over the fence and started to give me some massage. She worked all across my right side, and did this weird thing holding her finger tips in between my ribs - it made my belly gurgle something fierce! Then she got back by my hamstring and there was a tight muscle there and she ran her thumb straight up the muscle and it HURT! So I squealed and jerked my leg away, because my reflex was to kick at the pain but I know better...

So then she beat and banged and pushed and pulled all around the muscle for a while, then took my leg and pulled it all the way out behind me as far as it would go. And you know, when she was all done, I felt better! Then we repeated the other side.

Then we went in and got dressed for work. Today was a combination of the other two rides - I have started to be very anticipatory about all the transitions, so this time, we went about a circle at gaits higher than a walk, and for the walk, we walked until I walked. No dancing, no prancing, no going sideways -I had to honest walk a half circle before she'd let me do anything else. Mom's favorite saying (after "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" and "more leg!") is "anything you learn on your own you'lll learn twice as well as anything I teach you" and that's what she believes for her students, equine and human alike. So she let me figure out that the only one I was bothering by dancing around, was me. And when I quit dancing, I got to go! So I got that idea pretty quick!

We had a great ride, lots of fun, and best of all, there was no energy left over for Luc. I feel so smug when I work and he does not!

2008-01-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

I hope the new year is treating everyone well!

Thursday was bright and cold but not nearly so windy. We did not see Mom more than a quick brushing but that was fine with us - the sun was out and with it, tiny new grass so we spent the whole day searching out green bits.

Friday was hard for Mom - one of the old horses at the Big Barn crossed the Rainbow Bridge and so she was very sad. She came to see me and I knew that she needed comforting so I blew on her with my soft breath and nuzzled her with my nose. Luc is not so sensitive so he did nothing. She decided it would help to ride me and so I was very careful with her. We might have been able to do more than walk but her heart was not in it so I didn't even ask - I was just very polite and obediant and when we were done with our 25 minutes of walk exercises, she thanked me for being so sweet and gave me mints.

Saturday was a party at the Big Barn to celebrate five whole years of Mom keeping horses there and teaching lessons and training horses and everything else that goes on there! Five years! That is almost as long as I have been alive! We did not get to go, as this party was to celebrate the reason Mom has been able to be there for five years, which is the people that pay her so that she can pay her rent! But we got emails from the horses there and they said that it was great fun, everyone brought food and there was cake and Mom made a speech and there is a very cool new emblem on the barn that is designed to invite good spirits and ward off bad ones. We got two small emblems on our barn too! One for me, and one for Luc, or one for us horses, and one for the chickens, however you want to look at it!

Today started out practically a heat wave compared to the past few days! Our water did not even freeze solid! So we weren't a bit surprised when Mom came down about midday to ride us. The past couple of cold weeks, what time she has spent with us has rather been quick and to the point - get us brushed, get us saddled, do the work, and go. Today was very leisurely and we all quite liked it. Luc went first, and I stood in the middle of the circle and watched their work. I got too close to the work path at one point- and Mom reached out and smacked me with her whip! How unfair was that!

When she came to get me, I took off running. But it was less of a "I don't want you to get me" and not even a "I'm jealous because Luc went first" and more of what she calls "joie de vive-itude" - when it is sunny and the ground is dry enough for running and I am running for the sheer joy of being a horse. This tends to pass very quickly, and today was no exception, and when I was done, I stood quietly and waited for her to come and get me. We started out walking our big criss cross and stretching me out, and then we went on the circle and it went something like this - six strides walk, halt; six walk, halt; four walk, halt; four walk, halt; four walk, six trot, four walk, halt; six walk, five trot, four walk, halt; six walk, six trot, four walk, six canter, four walk, halt; and on like that, both ways, until my transitions were just as crisp and solid as could be.

Then we worked on power for a few minutes each way, nice bold strides. I am a little unconditioned from all my recent time off, so I had to go a little bit fast in order to be powerful, but I never got speedy and I never fell on my front end, which means that what walk work I have been doing the past few weeks, has been all good.

At the end we had big long stretchy neck circles both directions, and lots of hugs, and of course, lots of mints!

2008-01-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

I have new heroes and a new goal!

Check this out!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=u0tVbXE9j9o

Don't know what event this is and they sure ain't Arabians - but doesn't that look like fun!

I did not work today. It was very windy, although not terribly cold, and Mom came to ride Luc and he danced and pranced and went sideways more than he went forward, and I ran around like a maniac most of his session, so Mom sagely decided that perhaps today was not a good day to be riding and she went back up to her house and left us in peace. However, later in the afternoon she came down and I got a good scratching in all my itchy spots and I quite liked that!

Here's to 2008!

2007-12-31T17:08:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Wednesday following Christmas Mom had to work at the barn, so we had a day off. Thursday she came home early and she and I had a nice ride, just us. I thought that was pretty cool. We did more circles in the walk, more collected-to-extended transitions in the walk, and lots of power building hind end exercises. I was tired when we were done, and so was she I think because she didn't ride Luc!

Friday she came and got Luc and took him in and gave him a hoof trim and a massage and the whole works. I was a little jealous but then I thought about how she and I had a day together the day before. Plus she worked him really hard, so that made me feel better. And then she came and got me anyway, so that was excellent. We worked at the walk for a short while and then we did six strides of canter, six strides of walk, six canter, six walk. It was hard, but fun and I did really well. Sometimes I would start to anticipate and try to take off on the fifth stride, in which case she would make me start over and count to six again. Blah. So I learned to just shut up and do as I was told, and I got lots of praise!

Saturday there was some rain, and Sunday it rained all day long! We spent the day in our stalls and it was very boring. Then we had to spend the night in our stalls too and that was just not what we had in mind. But then, this morning, she still didn't let us out! Something about it being too slippery and needing a few hours. So we had to stay inside, even while it was a perfectly lovely day outside! Not fair!!! So when she let us out about 3pm, we took off running and bucking. I slid and my four legs all went different ways and she made this noise somewhere between a cat choking and a chicken being slaughtered, but I recovered my feet and bucked hard and went the other way. About then she came out with food in buckets, trying to tempt us into eating instead of running but we were having none of it for a few minutes longer. Then we settled down and came to eat and that was the end of the fireworks.

So to all of you who have been a part of this, my first year in NC, I say thank you for being my loyal fans, and I look forward to 2008! And I gotta say, the weather here in NC beats the heck out of NE! Back home, I'd be buried in snow by now with no chance of getting out for months! But, there was always big round bales of hay and I do miss laying around in the hay doing nothign but eating!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas day and that if you were silly enough to go shopping today, that you survived!

I had a wonderful Christmas day, thank you. It turns out there was another present from my grandmother in MA that Mom didn't open until the morning, it is a beautiful brass plate with MY name on it! I would like to have it surgically attached to my neck but I think my mother has other plans for it!

We had a very nice Christmas day ride, in our new togs - me in my bridle, and Mom in her shiny new boots. Both fit us very nicely and although it was a touch too slippery to do more than walk, we certainly did an energetic workout at the walk, for nearly an hour, working on bending, and moving away from the rein aid, and then bending in the direction of the rein aid while moving away from the rein aid which led to leg yielding. I began to stretch almost immediately instead of sitting up above the rein aids, so Mom was pretty happy with that!

Here is me, today:

We were back in the paddock for the day, but we got to go back to our grass for the night - yippee!

2007-12-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

After a slow and somewhat rainy weekend, during which we got only medium love from our human, today was bright and sunny and a lovely day to be a horse. Mom had many things she needed to do before Christmas Day - like put together Dad's present! - but she kept popping down to the barn every thirty minutes - ok, so she was coming to make sure the hawk wasn't making a Christmas buffet out of those darn chickens but hey, each and every time she came over to the fence to see us and if we came over to her, she'd stand and scratch our jawline or stroke our nose as long as we'd let her.

Finally in the midafternoon she came into the paddock armed with a curry comb and a stiff brush. We were both wonderfully muddy, because after the rain of course comes the mud! And we had the best of all grooming sessions. She brushed me, then Luc, then me, then Luc, then me, then Luc, until we'd all had enough. And the best part? She didn't want anything from us at all, just to be with us. Even when we get massage, we are expected to be involved, to give our feedback, and to be open to being released from our tension. In grooming, we just are what we are and it was just so nice.

When we were all done, we got our gift - we got to go out into our grass for the night and Christmas Day! That was wonderful. The grass is so nice and green, without being too lush that it might make us sick - just perfect! It is important that we get to spend time on the grass without too much of an interval between, so that we won't run into the issue of our system not being able to handle it.

I also got a special present from my grandmother in MA - a new, shiny bridle! All for me, with that special new leather smell! I can't wait to wear it for the first time - which will be tomorrow if the weather will cooperate! Thanks!!! and Merry Christmas to all my extended family and friends, and even the chickens...

2007-12-21T18:35:00.001-08:00

Well this sure was a slow week for us!

Monday was cold and blustery. Mom chased us around for a little while but none of the three of us much had our hearts in it. Wednesday I got a little miffed because I know she was up there in that house for a good part of the day, I saw her car come home, and she didn't come and see us until feeding time. She smelled like paint and something that Luc said is called tile grout. How he knows what tile grout smells like is beyond me, but hey, we all know about lots of things about which we have no business knowing, so who am I to complain?

Anyway, she's been smelling like these things a lot lately. Luc says she has a Project going and that when it is done, she will spend more time with us, unless it stays cold and dreary in which case we will have more time off.

Today she actually intended to make time to spend with us, but, well, she came down the hill and found me and Luc engaging in some very inappropriate behaviour. So she knew it was pointless asking either of us to concentrate on her, since all we can think about is each other. Now, if I could just get Luc to follow through on his promises, but he's missing some really important pieces of his anatomy and so, all he can do is talk a lot.

So here's me, looking forward to warmer weather and the end of the Project that smells like paint and tile grout, whatever that may be. Of course, I will still have to contend with the chickens (she bought a new one last week and brought home one from the Big Barn yesterday) and the plants - now she has this insulated house for the darn things, it looks like a scary torpedo standing on it's end and I don't like it at all, and who knows what else... and it has to be nicer weather... so I'm enjoying my vacation while I can. As long as I get my food, scratched, brushed and petted every other day, I'm happy.

2007-12-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Saturday, was cold, and blustery with some stinging drizzle. We went into our stalls about 2pm and there we stayed, all through the night. Luc and I had some brief panic when we realized that we could only see each other if we were both at a specific place in the stall, and that place, for both of us, was nowhere near our hay... but eventually we got over it and we passed a peaceful night, eating our big piles of hay.

In the morning, however, we were more than ready to go out! When we were turned loose we ran and played as if we'd been stalled for weeks instead of just overnight. It was extremely windy all day so Mom came briefly to visit us, and groom us, but otherwise we got to make believe that we were in the Arctic today!

I forgot to post some pictures Aunt Ellen took of me last weekend in my Trail class!

Here I am working my cones:And coming back from getting the ribbon from the tree:

Placing the tennis ball on the cone:

Dropping the stick into the cone:

And trotting my poles:

2007-12-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a long week!

Saturday following our super performance, instead of having a day off like we expected - we had to work! It was an easy workout for both of us, mostly bending work, but still, it's the principle of the thing!

Monday and Tuesday we had off, however, which was nice because it was super warm and here we were with our winter hair! Blech.

Wednesday we did a light ride. I felt really energetic, in spite of it being a hot day, so I wanted to be brilliant and Mom didn't argue so we had a pretty hot ride! It was lots of fun, I like to show off. However, I also like our walks in the woods after our rides.

Friday we did some work, and Dad came and made a movie of us. There is a piece of the movie at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyUxhmF7_Vg Enjoy! And here are a few pictures:

Perfect:

Collected:

Extended:

In the middle:

Collected canter:

There is also video of me doing flying lead changes, presently being uploaded to YouTube. www.youtube.com/matselleste will get you there!

2007-12-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

Well here I am, having completed my first Trail class - and won it, thank you very much! Well, actually, I won it but my win was protested as being "not fair" since my rider was also the course designer - which no one would have minded had we not won! - so we relinquished the ribbon but we know that we won!

It was tons of fun. We had to do five obstacles - trot through some cones, ride a distance down and pick up a ribbon off a tree, go over a bridge, trot through some poles without hitting any of them, and take a tennis ball off a cone and go put it on another cone. Having completed those without any trouble, we then took a stick and placed into a cone on the ground, trotted a more complicated pattern of poles, unhooked a rope to let us into the ring, trotted four poles that were close together, and galloped down to the end of the arena, stopped and backed between two barrels. This last part was timed and that was where the argument came in, because we were nearly 20 seconds faster than anyone else!

You may see all of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuaxcgk_hHg and you may have a hint right here:

Aren't I lovely!

Luc did some classes too. He did jumps. He was very well behaved, did everything he was supposed to do, but he didn't go fast enough to win. Mom was just fine with this, as there is more to life than doing things as fast as you can do them!

I should add that we have been allowed into the whole of our pasture and we are really enjoying our new grass. We do not take it for granted, and realize that we may be deprived of all or part of it at any time... but while we have it, we love it! We rode lightly yesterday, I worked on my bending and moving off the rein aids, with just a little trot and canter. I am beginning to realize that while being brilliant is the most fun, being relaxed in my back and stretchy across my spine allows me to cover the most ground with the least effort and thus is the easiest. I knew I had been super good when I got my saddle and bridle taken off without even leaving the pasture! I immediately went to the greenest grass I could find, took a big bite, and while chewing, lay down and rolled!

Here is Luc soaring over a jump! Thanks to Aunts Ellen and Georgia for taking our pictures today!

2007-12-06T15:53:00.001-08:00

After the fun on Friday, we had a series of lazy days. We spent most of our time in the grass pasture, and when we got chased around, we did so in there, which was great because we hadn't done that before! We had several really tough Liberty sessions, during which we got nice and sweaty and definitely tired. We didn't get ridden at all, between it being kind of cold and Mom having lots of things that needed her attention, but we didn't lack for time with our human, and it didn't bother us a bit to be chased around instead of worked on a circle. Liberty work is so good for our muscles and our spines, and Mom insists that all the Liberty is why my canters have become so much more balanced!

At some point during the weekend I was astonished to see that evidently a giant had come by in the night and left his socks hanging on our barn! Bright green socks with red tops and gold trim, pinned neatly to our barn. I showed Luc and asked him if he had seen the giant, I must have been sleeping, and he laughed at me and said that Mom put those up, that they are our Christmas stockings and that she puts treats in them for us, on Christmas Day! I never heard of such a thing! In Nebraska we didn't have a stocking.

Finally on Thursday we got to have an adventure. We got into the horse box and traveled up to the Big Barn. It was pretty cold and I was feeling pretty good. We've been doing the run around thing almost every day and so I'm nicely fit, which means I have a good bit of energy. We went out and worked our obstacles, which I did almost perfectly, a good thing since the show is this weekend! Then we went for a ride with Heart just one field over and I did a pretty good job of relaxing down into my work.

Then, when we were done, I got put out in the big pasture with everyone else! At first I didn't believe my luck so I tried to follow Mom back out the gate, thinking surely she had made a mistake and I didn't want her to think I was trying to get away. But she told me no, I could stay, so I wandered off. Leah came to see me, sniffed me all over, and then told me I couldn't join the herd and tried to kick me. I ran from her, towards the other horses. When I got to where they were, they all pretty much ignored me for a while, until eventually Kitana and Belle chased me off and told me I couldn't play with the others. That made me mad, but I stayed on my side of the fence and ate some grass.

About this time, Mom came out to the pasture. I thought she'd finally decided she made a mistake so I walked away from her and went to visit Aunt Bri who was catching Dakota. She petted me and told me to be nice to my mother so then I let my Mom walk up to me - and she patted my nose and told me it wasn't me she was after! So I watched with very mixed feelings as she captured Trixie, and when they started to head in, I followed at a discreet distance. Mom glanced back and observed this and they took off at a trot. Nothing to do but follow along, so I trotted too. Then we all got to the gate and I realized where this was going and I did a u turn and went on back to the edges of the herd.

After a little while longer, Luc came out. He had gotten ridden and then he got a professional massage from Aunt Hayley! He had a lot of muscle tension going on that Mom didn't feel like she could take care of, so she got him a pro job. He said it was pretty darn amazing, and he felt really good! So we started to run. The field we were in was probably three or four times the size of our big pasture when it's not divided, so we reveled in all the space and we ran all over, just having a wonderful time. The other horses ignored us, which was kind of a bummer, I thought they might play with us, but then Belle decided we were interfering with her herd dynamic and she started threatening to kill me. She was really nasty and I tried to kick her in the head a few times. After about twenty minutes of hard running, we were tired.

Mom had come out about a third of the way into this running thing, and just stood watching. She made a few attempts to catch me and I was having none of it - until she went inside and came back out with a bucket of oats. Then I allowed myself to be captured and we went into the small paddock where we hung out with Peg and Cy and ate the remnants of their all day buffet, until it was time to go home, several hours later!

So it was a good day, not like the last couple of trips but they can't all be so amazing! And when we got home, I saw that even the chickens have a giant's sock on their pen, so I guess they get some Christmas treats too!

2007-11-30T19:46:00.000-08:00

Following the day of awesomeness, we had Saturday off, although when Mom came home from working all day and we were feeling frisky, she did chase us around for just a few minutes, just long enough to revel in our combined beauty!

Sunday was cold and blustery and so while she wanted to spend some time with us, she didn't want to ride, partly because it was going to be really hard to beat the experience of Friday! So we got a super groom and massage session followed by some galloping around, that was prompted by Luc taking off and snorting when a brush dropped from its resting place on my hip! Later that day, we got to go out in the grass, and we got to stay there overnight, which was a first!

Monday was misty and just a little uninspired, so we came in from our grass and ate in our stalls while we waited to see if rain would materialize. It did not, so we went out into the non-grass and hung out while Mom did inside chores.

Tuesday was of course a long day and we didn't see Mom until after dark. Every Tuesday I worry that she has forgotten us, and Luc tells me that she will never let us starve. I am starting to believe him but still, I wonder when she is late.

Wednesday we went out in the grass for a few hours and then she came to get us. I chose to go first, and I was nicely rewarded for it. Instead of a regular work session, we went into the non-grass turnout and rode around in there. I no longer panic when she touches my neck during riding, or when she shifts her weight forward and rests on my neck, so we worked on some of that, she riding me around like a jockey while I declined to be bothered.

Then we went and rode through the woods and back along the road at all three gaits. This is the first time that I had cantered in the woods and it was lots of fun!

Then we worked the gate, went in and cantered up to the grass turnout and back a few times, then through the woods in there! We had never done that either and it was tremendous fun. I felt a little bit like a mountain goat, powering myself along over the varied terrain.

Then Mom got down and let me into the grass turnout and in there she set four buckets 12 feet apart, and some big wide sticks on the ground in a row. She got back on and I had to trot in between the buckets, and walk and trot over the poles. I thought I did a pretty nice job, and I guess she did too, because after that we were done!

Thursday was another long day, but we got our hay in the dark so we were happy.

Today, we went out in the grass, and then about noon she came to get us, took us to the horse box, and off we went to the Big Barn. This was totally different from any routine we'd had before! I rode first, after being sucked all over by the vaccuum. I don't mind the vaccuum at all anymore, and I feel quite clean. I had a brand new saddle pad too so that was exciting!

First we went and did several obstacles out behind the barn. I have just one week until my obstacle competition, so we practiced quite a few different things for that. Then Hayley and Heart joined us and we rode much the same ride we did on Friday, except not quite so much cantering, but it was still wonderful fun. When we rode past the barn, Mom noticed that she had left the lights on in the vehicle that pulls the horse box, so we had to ride over there and shut them off. Because they had been on for about half an hour at that point, she wanted to start the vehicle to rejuice the battery so that she could be sure to take us home, so with me standing right there, she turned it on. It makes a big roar when it starts but I was brave and did not even flinch. I was also very good when we were passed by fast vehicles on the road. At the very end, we cantered all the way from the river up the hill to the road, Heart and me side by side.

Then Luc went on his ride. Hayley took Cherokee for that round. Luc said that when he and Cherokee came up the hill, they got to race a little bit, and he was staying right with his head lined up with Cherokee's tail, and then in the last twenty yards, he decided he wanted to win, so with no help from his rider, he just stretched out his stride, without going any faster, and left her in the dust! Then they went into the ring and worked on his jumps and he said he was on fire, that he was jumper-ish, making powerful tight turns, when he was supposed to be, and very laid back and huntery when asked, and he feels like his chances at the show are pretty good!

So all in all we had a pretty outstanding week. Next week we have one more practice for our show, and then Saturday we'll ride up there and compete for the glory!

2007-11-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday I was still wildly hormonal, and when Luc went out to get ready for his ride, I screamed and cried and ran beside the fence and generally made a nuisance of myself. This prompted a wise decision by my trainer that perhaps she should not ride me that day! Thus, instead of being ridden, I found myself stuffed into a surcingle and taken up to the circle and longed for what seemed hours, until I stopped arguing with things and went to work. At one point I bucked high in the air, another I leaped up and stomped the air with my front foot, but eventually I settled down and engaged the bit and displayed what an English Pleasure horse should look like.

Thanksgiving Day we got an extra bale of hay to snack on, and late in the afternoon we got a light run around the paddock, mostly at the trot.

Today, however, was the most amazing day! I almost misssed out on this opportunity - thank goodness I had recovered myself enough yesterday to be witty and charming and thus get myself in on the action!

We headed up to the Big Barn in the horse box, and Luc went out and did his jumps and then he rode off for almost an hour with other people along. I stayed in the stall all this time, conversing with Leah, because Mom didn't want to risk my misbehaving.

Then, I got to go. First we walked over all the obstacles, and I had to get close to a big tall cone with a tennis ball on it and let Mom pick it up, and then go to another big tall cone and let her put it down. I got it on the first try and it was lots of fun!

Finally we headed out of the trail area, around the hay field where I had never been. It was me, and Adrianna and Kitana. We went all the way around the field, and then across the street and through another field, and then we went past a big concrete circle on the ground and I walked right over it because I didn't think it was scary. Then down a hill and across another road. This time, just as we got to the other side, a big truck with the letters H U M M E R came by. I thought it would be fun to spin around and race with the truck. But Mom closed her hands on the reins and so I just spun, didn't go anywhere.

Then we went down a long hill and around, over and across a big huge field. There were several ditches to cross and lots of changes in color in the ground. I didn't think that was scary at all. Then we went back onto the road, beside the road for a while. Another vehicle came by but I didn't try to race with this one. We turned off the road and went into the woods until we came out into another field, and then into yet another one. In this one we got to trot and canter a little and it was great fun!

Then it was time to go home. But you can imagine my surprise when, upon arriving back at the Barn, I discovered that I was to go out again!

So we headed out again - this time it was Heart leading, then me and then Kitana. We trotted all the way around the hay field only I spooked when the wind rattled the seed pods in a mimosa tree. This time we went first into the last field, the one where we had trotted and cantered, and this time I got to canter a LOT! Then we went around and around the next field, then through the woods, out to the road, saw two cars that weren't scary, and then down the hill into the ginormous field. We stayed down there for about 20 minutes. I cantered everywhere, lots of lead changes, and some really beautiful trots. I crossed the ditches a hundred times, although I did not get to leap over them like Heart did - soon, I hope! Most importantly, I could be brought up to a trot or canter, pushed to go faster, return to a quiet more collected gait, and then walk on a loose rein without trying to do anything I wasn't supposed to do. In short, I acted the part of a well trained trail mount!

When we finally went home, I had been out for a total of two hours and I was still fresh and unwinded, although I was slightly steamy and so when my saddle came off, a sleek black sheet went on over my sweat marks to keep me from being chilled. I thought I looked most elegant. Black is very slimming and suits my red coloring perfectly.

Everyone said how very beautiful I am and Mom kept stressing how well behaved I am as well. It is weird to think that I have only been a riding horse for less than five months! I am amazing!

2007-11-20T04:42:00.000-08:00

So much to share!

Tuesday we all traveled up to the Big Barn for the day. Luc and I spent the whole day in the small paddock and the paddock behind the barn, with various other characters, except of course when we were working. I got to watch Luc do some interesting jump work, as he is going to compete in the Jumpers classes on Dec. 8. I rode out in the field again and we did much more in the way of running the whole length of the field, several times at the trot and once at the canter, which was tremendous fun. I got to work through some interesting obstacles, and over some poles - you see, I am going to be in the show too! I am going to do an obstacle class, where I will have to maneuver over, beside, and through things to allow my rider to pick up things, put things down, open a rope gate, and generally negotiate cleanly through challenges. I cannot wait! After, I got turned back out for the rest of the day. I met a few more horses today and we all got along great.

However, when it was time to go home, I very nearly made a fatal error. I believe my mother's words were, "the first person to offer me $2500 gets to take your sorry @$$ home!"

You see, I was having such a nice time that I didn't really want to leave. And I didn't back down from this stand. Five attempts over two hours resulted in me still running around loose, at which point it was beginning to get dark and so my mother chased me until I could not breathe, at which point I submitted to capture and we went home.

Wednesday she ignored us all day. I started to take it personally but I was tired anyway so I didn't care.

Friday was cold and crisp. In fact, starting Wednesday it was awfully chilly in the mornings, so we got hot beet pulp with our breakfast to help us start the day toasty. Of course, being horses, cold simply inspires us to be springy and Tigger-like, so it's a bit unnecessary to warm us up, unless of course we've gotten wet, but hey, it tastes great and it makes our humans happy, so who are we to argue?

So Friday we got chased around, more work at the trot, nice and steady. We worked a long long time. Being so cool, it took us both a while to settle down and stop galloping everywhere like madmen, so we had to work until we both trotted complacently around for a while. I really got to stretch my hind end with all the trot work. It was hard but felt inspiring.

Saturday after Mom got home from work we finally got one of those big long super grooms we haven't had in a while. An hours worth of combined currying and massage in all the right places. We both look upon that as a sign that everything is right in our world, and since things have been a little strained between us since I was sooooo bad at the Big Barn, so I was glad to see things return to normal.

I want to share a couple of pictures at this point - the first is of my little brother, my only full sibling. Isn't he adorable!

And this is my grandmother, BRA Quintessence by Mikado. She is a regal old lady and I believe I take after her in many ways!

Sunday was quite exciting. We have been living in the shade paddock all of the time now for about two weeks. That is okay, because we always have hay to keep us occupied. Well, Sunday morning we got taken out into our pasture - but not just to our pasture - to the new grass! Oh joy! So much lovely tender grass everywhere, it was heaven. We stayed there for about five hours, just blissful in our green paradise. Sunday was our first ride in nearly a week. I was a bit testy and pushy, but not in a hormonal way, simply in the way of horses everywhere who have had a bit of a vacation and aren't inclined to go easily back to work. We did a hundred transitions, walk to halt, walk to trot and trot to walk, walk to canter and canter to walk, never actually going more than about 20 strides without a change - very frustrating when you just want to GO! but I settled down and used the exercises the way they are meant and it was all good. After, I got rubbed with the wonder cloth and I was all sleek and shiny again!

Monday we went over into the grass again. I was hoping this would be a routine. When it was time for work, Mom played this game that she likes - she comes into our general vicinity and stands there with this goofy expression on her face and says, "whoever touches me first gets to go first!" Well, gee. Whichever of us is dumb enough to go over to her gets to go to work. That's a tough decision! And yet it is because we both love her and we're willing to allow her to make us do strenuous things because we like the oveall experience. I won the game on Sunday, and Luc won on Monday, which made me mad, so when it was my turn, I ran away.... But not for long, and then we had a great session. We opened by walking up the street and through our trail and then trotting all the way from the main road back to the barn, down the hill, over the gravel, past the chickens - it was great! Then a rolling canter from the gate up to the working area. Then a hundred stupid transitions again but I was even better today, not raising my nose and resisting, so it was a shorter workout. Then we walked the trail again and I was done!

I would like to send a message here to Simon, the rooster who likes to share my breakfast with me. Dude, you can take what dribbles out of my mouth and falls to the ground, that's no problem, but if you don't stop climbing in my feed tub and stealing all the sunflower seeds, I think I'm gonna stomp you!

2007-11-12T15:53:00.001-08:00

Does it make me a bad person if I secretly get thrilled when Luc gets spanked?

Saturday after Mom came home from work she let us out into the big pasture and she chased us for hours. Well, it seemed like hours. We had such fun - she brought in a big paper sack and that way she didn't have to walk around much, she just shook the bag at us and off we went! We ran and played and bucked and snorted and it was a blast. When we were finally tired we stood up in the corner and watched her leave and go to the tack room and then we heard crinkling noises and we were at the gate in four second flat, and we each got six peppermints!

Sunday Luc worked first and he was doing his stupid moves like spooking at the stand of honeysuckle that has been in the same place as long as I have lived here, or waiting until he is right on top of a patch of open ground to spook at it... when he does this he gets soundly spanked. I was by the fence eating some hay and I tried not to gloat but he is SUCH a goody two shoes and I like it when he gets taken down a peg. Am I all bad?

When it was my turn, I ran away briefly, to make the point that she really shouldn't ride him first, no matter what the reason. But when we got into the work, it was quite fun! I worked mostly in circles, big ones and then little ones starting from the same point. I started stretching over my back from the very first circle, and we just worked at being painstakingly honest. Every time I took a dishonest step we did a downward transition, which had two effects - it stopped me from the path I was on but it also rebalanced me and showed me where I should be. We didn't ride long - maybe about 20 minutes, and by the end, I was spot on and not making any mistakes, so then we rode on the loose rein at all three gaits for a few minutes and then we were done. We did something new too - she petted my neck while I was cantering. At first this made me very nervous because I didn't understand it, so I'd stiffen when she touched me, but then I realized it was her way of saying "good girl" and so I didn't mind, and so every couple of strides she'd touch me and so I'd be going on a totally absent rein on the inside, which was pretty cool!

Monday none of us felt much like working but we all wanted to spend some time together. She picked up a stick with a plastic baggy at the end and said very clearly, "how about we work at the trot?" And so we did! Instead of running like madmen, we worked around at the trot for about 40 minutes, not fast and not lazy, just a nice medium trot that really got us to use all of our legs. Luc really had it down, he had the float thing going and he made it look easy. I'm still learning how to move to my best advantage, but I had some pretty stellar moments. It is much easier to canter than to trot with great forwardness, so both of us would break from time to time, but overall we did a good job of working around at the trot and we were tired when we were done! There were more mints. As long as there are mints, life is good. I cannot believe when I first got here I thought Luc was crazy because he'd do anything for a mint. Now, I'll elbow him out of the way in an effort to be the first one to do whatever it takes to get the mint!

2007-11-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

Wednesday we had a day off, because we had worked on Tuesday and because my hips were a little sore. It was really cold so we just stood around and ate hay all day.

Thursday, as usual we didn't see Mom all day. In fact, because the time changed she didn't get home until it was barely light enough to see her!

Friday when she came to get us for work, I shuffled off to see what she would do - would she put effort into choosing me, or would she ignore me? She ignored me. I stood at the fence and watched her and Luc work and I just got madder and madder. How dare she do with another horse all the things we do together?

So when she brought Luc back and came for me, I told her in no uncertain terms that I was not on board with this. I ran around and pranced and danced and generally made a nuisance of myself, until I was tired and then I let her catch me. To her credit, when I behave in this manner there are never any repercussions, she is always just nice and polite to me when I finally succumb.

So we saddled up and rode. I was on my very best behaviour, which was easier because my hips were so swingy! In the trots, I never tried to break into the canter, because reaching under me didn't cause any tension! In the canters, after the first couple of strides when I realized I could really move my legs, I put my energy into moving out, instead of going quickly, so we were able to have a ground covering but slow canter all over the place!

When we were done, I was quite sweaty. I got rubbed with the magic towel, and then - she brought out this big scary looking piece of fabric and told me it was time to see if my blanket fit so we'd be prepared when we needed it. What? I had heard of this blanket thing, but back in Nebraska where the winters are a LOT harsher than I think this one will be, we lived out without any such things. So I was sceptical. I have to admit that once it was on, it does compliment my coloring and flatters my figure, but still, I was glad when it was off. Horses do not generally prefer to be blanketed. Mother Nature provides us will all the insulation that we need for protection from the cold - provided that we are fed enough - and all blankets really do is make it so that humans do not have to spend as much time cleaning us. Luc informed me later that Mom only puts blankets on us when it is wet as well as cold, so with any luck we won't have to wear them much this winter!

Another shock came at dinner time when instead of moving us back over to the big pasture for the night, she left us in the shade paddock with a bale of hay. I didn't mind - where I eat is not nearly as big a deal as that I eat!

2007-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

I have a new nickname - the Phoenix!

Monday I was extremely displeased to find that after all our wonderful bonding and repair of our relationship, when work time came around, Mom went for Luc first. I found that so very offensive that when she came to get me, I not only was having none of it, I played the oldest card in the horse's deck of misbehaviours and allowed my human to think that I was going to let her have me, and then danced away at the last second. I trotted off gaily, swinging my tail and arching my neck, and proceeded to run a few circles around her. I was in the big pasture at this point and I noticed that the gate into the fenced off area was still open, and so I ran in there, which was a mistake because then she closed it behind me and I was confined.

However, making the best of a less than ideal situation, I proceeded to gallop and play and strut, leaping in the air occasionally and generally putting on the show of a lifetime, spurred on not by curses and tossed rocks but by admiration and appreciation for my absolute loveliness. But eventually I tired of the game and allowed myself to be captured, and from that we went on to have the nicest ride, hence the nickname of the Phoenix, for I rose from the ashes of my witchy previous self, to be a gracious and elegant lady. Part of this was because it was explained to me that riding me first dulls the desire to do anything other than revel in the wonderfulness that just transpired. I am a sucker for flattery.

At any rate, we worked long and hard and I was very cooperative and really tried to be perfect. As I become fitter again I am hotter and more "up" and so I have to be reminded to stay soft and supple instead of getting a harder, more brilliant shape, because right now I need to be focusing on being soft through my back muscles to allow for better brilliance later on. After nearly 40 minutes of working, all of it good, I did my very first stretch at the trot, dropping my nose all the way to the ground and working on a loose rein without losing any of my balance and cadence! I did this both directions and I even tried it out on a right canter!

Tuesday morning we were taken up to the horse box before we even got breakfast. We hadn't traveled anywhere for about a month so we were quite excited by this. When we arrived at the Big Barn, instead of going into our stalls, we were taken out the back of the barn and turned out in the grassy area beside the riding ring. We had our breakfast there and that took about an hour to eat. After that, we explored our surroundings a little before settling down to pick at new grass sprigs.

Mom came out to see us about this time and we both gave her the cold shoulder. Too much else to do. So you can imagine my consternation when here she comes, out into the ring riding Leah! How dare she! I was quite miffed. Even more so when she came to get Luc and took him out for a ride, and then turned him into the small paddock with some of the other horses. I tried to remain distant but the truth is, I was so excited to be there that I couldn't stay angry.

We went out the back of the barn and through the small paddock into the back paddock, where a couple of horses came over and made threatening ears at me, and Mom stamped her foot and shook her hair at them, just like she was my boss mare protecting me. I thought it was pretty sweet, if a little silly, but the two horses seemed to respect her and moved away! Mom used the fence to clamber up onto me in a most ungainly fashion, for which I stood like a compliant statue. Then we walked across the pasture and past all the scary jumps to the big flat area, where we rode for about 20 minutes of perfection. I trotted everywhere without losing any of my balance, and I cantered all over the place doing flying changes and big and small circles with the greatest of ease, as if I have been doing this all of my life. It occurred to me that I am a far more impressive ride to observe than many of these horses who have been doing this much longer than I!

When I was done, I too got turned into the small paddock with Luc, Cherokee and Heart. The other girls ignored me so I just ate some hay. Then Kitana came in and she decided to show me up. She pranced and danced and snorted with her tail over her back like she was some kind of Arab. Not to be outdone, I snotrted and danced and pranced even better than her, with Luc running helter skelter everywhere like some kind of madman. It was quite comical but Mom chose to take Kitana inside because she didn't seem to be going to give up until she had established that she is a bigger diva than me.

About an hour later, the most wonderful thing happened - the wonderful spine lady came to see me! My left neck was much better, in fact it wasn't stuck at all, mostly because of Mom's great massages, but both of my hips were stuck and she loosened those right up for me. Mom was so proud of how much I have been trying for her even with my physical limitations, and she said that now I should find it so much easier and be even more willing! She said she wished that she'd had just two more months with me before going to the show! I think I'd like to do another show someday, but I'd much rather go to one closer to home where I'd be something of a novelty and all eyes would be drawn to me. Although, I do think it would be fun to go to an Arabian show and wear the Native Costume and gallop around and pretend to be a warhorse... maybe someday!

2007-11-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

In light of my last post I'd like to be able to report that I was a lovely, amenable, cooperative girl the next few days. Alas, that would be a lie. I was cantankerous, grumpy, and generally disagreeable. I declined to come to my mother unless she had food, I dodged her nose kisses as if she had the plague, and I glared at her from across the pasture rather than come to see her like I always do.

So after a day and a half of this, Friday afternoon she took Luc out and worked him and I was just so jealous of the relationship that they seemed to have. Everything looked so smooth and easy, it was hard to tell who was actually calling the shots on what got done because it just all was so fluid. That made me mad. I have a couple of days of feeling less than the top of my game, and he moves in on my territory. I resolved to kick him good, later on.

So when my mother came to get me, I was just as mad at her for cheating on me. But she acted like we'd never had outs, like she'd never called me all the names she did, like I'd never tried to forcibly remove her from my back in an unorthodox manner. Most importantly, she didn't act like she was more interested in Luc than in me. She just treated me like I was her best girl. She even told me that she had planned to just work me in the surcingle but riding Luc and him being so good made her want that for her and me as well. How to argue with that?

So when she got up in the saddle, and we set off, I kept an open mind. She was much more my trainer that ride than my partner. The last several rides - before I was soooo bad - have really been about her pointing me at a goal and then letting me find my way there. This ride, she showed me every step of the way exactly where she wanted me to be. I don't much care for being told what to do. I didn't exactly step up to the plate, but I didn't argue either, and it became a game of who was going to back down first. There was no hostility, no nastiness from either one of us, just a very passive battle of the wills.

I lost.

More specifically, as I saw that she was paying attention to the fact that while I didn't care to move out in the trot, I would do so in the canter, and so we did a hundred transitions, with me being allowed to canter when I protested that the trot was too hard, and me being encouraged to canter when I had given just a few steps of effort at the trot - when I saw how this was going, I thought maybe I should try to cooperate, since she was trying, and that maybe cooperating didn't mean capitualating - and so I tried to balance on all four of my legs at the trot and what do you know - it felt better! So it turned out that I had been fighting for something I didn't even want, for the right to do something that doesn't feel as good as when I do what she said.

So after that, I was all about the listening. And I discovered that when I listened, she stopped beign so strict. And so we went with lightness and elegance, trotting and cantering all over the place, lead swaps by the dozen, and it was good. I even got to do a little piece of collected canter that was honest, not stiff legged and false! That was really exciting, because I'd never done that before!

And when we were done, there was honest, genuine happiness between us again, not one of those "I love you but I don't really like you right now" kind of things. And that is how it was for the rest of the day and for Saturday and Sunday morning, I came to visit and be kissed, I returned the kisses, and I was happy. Saturday, even though Mom had been on her feet all day long and had judged a show at the Big Barn and she was very tired, she still found the energy to massage my hips where I am sore. If that's not love, what is?

So Sunday when she came to the paddock and said, "who wants to go first?" I was right there asking to go. And right from the first moment, the ride was so much better! I started to stretch after just the first trot. I reallly tried to stay balanced - I didn't always succeed but when I started to tilt, we'd come down to the walk and let me get settled, instead of forcing me to sort through it and figure it out, which is what happens when I'm being difficult on purpose. And the canters were incredible, and the trots were much better. Like most super athletic horses, I improve in my canters before my trots, and developing the canter actually helps the trot.

And so there was rubbing and mints and kisses at the end. And a big bale of just slightly green hay that was baled yesterday and still tastes like sunshine. Mmmmm....

2007-10-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yeesh.

Someone needs some anger management classes. Or, at least counseling on holding grudges!

Monday was a work day instead of Liberty day. Mom had brought this weird tube looking thing with her, and she got Luc out and tied him up and then brought out this tube thing and it started to make a really weird buzzy noise, much different than the normal buzzy things, and she ran it all over Luc's body and everywhere she had been, he was cleaner. I was skeptical but fascinated at the same time.

When it was my turn, I indicated that I did not particularly wish to be messed with at that time. However, that's usually a loosing battle so I gave up. I went in my stall because it feels safer in there, and then the weird thing - Luc tells me it is called a vaccuum - went all over me. I didn't much care for it, but I must say, I did like the silky feeling after. When I got saddled, I tried to walk away, and when I was bridled, I indicated once again that I was not really on board with this. A normal human would see these as warning signs, but not my mother.

I let her climb on without incident and then I walked like I was told. The ground was safer today so we opened with a canter. I started out listening and then I had just had enough, so I started to lean on the rein and pull off to the side, so she yanked on my mouth. And, I'm ashamed to admit, I just reacted. I reared. Yup, there it is, I just stood up in the air and protested. I almost lost my balance and I'm really not sure who was more scared, her or me, but when I came down to all four feet she was off my back and beating the snot out of me faster than you can say bad horsie. She thrashed me all around with her little willow switch and I was pretty shocked. I've had some takings too in my time here but never anything like this, and I got the point. But in my defense, I did tell her that I wasn't in the mood for working - you can all see that, right? And she did jerk on my face, which I just wasn't about to tolerate.

At any rate, after she got back up, I was very meek and obedient - for about five minutes. Then I started to push her buttons again, at which time she did her mental calculations - it was about time! - and realized that once again, this was hormonal. And so, she rode me until my legs fell off. She pushed me and argued with me and didn't accept less that perfection from me until I was drenched in sweat and I thought I might die - but we did it without confrontation and I was quite the superstar by the end.

I slept well that night!

I mentioned a short time ago that our pasture is divided in two. Every day Luc searches for a way across the barrier. He'll find a place he can crawl under the white tape by sticking his head in, lifting the tape, and scooting his body through the piles of logs, usually resulting in mayhem. She'll reinforce that area, and he'll search for another couple of days until he finds new ingress. I have always remained virtuously on the other side of the tape - until today. I went across too today, and when Mom came down about 2pm and found me there - you'd have thought I'd committed the most grievious of sins! She was horrified with me! She opened the opening and sent us back through, then closed up tight as a drum and reinforced that area, and then strung more tape!

Then she came back with the camera again. She had already announced that she wasn't riding us today, because she knew I'd be a zesty haughty witch, although she might have changed a few of the consonants in that. But evidently, she decided we had altogether too much energy and needed taking down a peg. Liberty is always so much harder when she has the camera, because instead of chasing us until she/we have had enough, we have to go until she gets her pictures! Today, that took a LONG time - although I think I heard her say, on many occassions, "not nearly enough penance" - hence, the need for counseling on grudge holding - all I did was stand on my hind legs and almost kill her, and then go across under the tape - it's not like I ran off and tried to have babies with a Quarter Horse. But, I think the end result was worth the sweat!

2007-10-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

We had six inches of rain over the course of four days - Luc and I spent a lot of time rolling in the mud!

Friday we went in stalls for the first time since I have come to live here. It was pretty cool. There was lots of hay and we hung out and slept for most of the day. We were glad to go back out though.

Saturday we got the Super Groom. Half an hour of being rubbed with the curry comb, with emphasis on all the tender spots. Kind of like a massage with a brush. I went first, remembering my lesson from last time - but when Mom got to a sensitive area behind my withers, I moved forward to shift her further back along my body. She took the hint and then hit another area in my lumbar region, so I went forward again. This time she left me and went to Luc. No fair.

So I went over there and put my head on her arm. She kissed my nose but kept on working on him. I opened my mouth and I saw her flinch because she wasn't sure what I'd do, but I just started licking her arm. I licked all up and down the arm, and then onto her shirt sleeve and across her shoulders, and onto her neck. She drew the line at me licking her face though - I guess my big teeth being that close to her face made her nervous. When she went to work on Luc's other side, I licked the other arm across his back. All in all I licked about 20 minutes straight. My tongue was tired when I was done.

Then I had more grooming. This time when I walked away she followed me, still working on the sensitive spots, until I gave up and let her work them loose. Sure enough, I felt way better after.

Sunday we worked. The ground was still a little slick from all the rain, so we took it easy. Luc went first and he was on fire, so I stood and watched him get taken down a peg for a while. He straightened out and then I got to see him do something pretty cool - he cantered in place and not because he was being bad! It was really neat - they'd canter around, then he'd slow to a virtual stop for a few strides, and then back to an honest canter! And then he did about a quarter of a turn in the stand-still-canter - I want to do that!

So when it was my turn, I wanted to get right to it. We warmed up with some walk and then we were going to try a canter but I insisted that I didn't have to stay on the area that has sand, but instead I could go off onto the grass, and boy was I wrong! My hind leg slid out from under me and I tilted over sideways and had to scramble to keep my feet. It was really scary and it sobered me up right away and made me focus and listen really, really well. We didn't do any more canter but we did lots of trot. To the right, I was able to work a really nice balanced trot that was somewhat collected - on the way to being a saddleseat trot, which we are finally back to working toward - very slowly, but since that IS what I am built for, the collected position is where I am going to be most comfortable, so after teaching me to relax and stretch on command, the next step is to bring me back up without introducing stress. We started that today and it felt GOOD! However, to the left, I was tight and tense and we had to focus on unlocking the back and reaching under instead of falling on my front end and racing around.

When we had done some of that, I got to learn something new! I like to learn new things, not because I get bored but because it means that I have done well enough to move on to new territory, and that is the same thing as being told I am good, which is my FAVORITE thing in the whole world. Well, after food. Also when I learn a new thing sometimes I see what some other silly-seeming exercise was prepping me for, and it makes me realize that maybe my mother doesn't just make stuff up for me to do.

At any rate, today's new topic went like this - walk forward, get the leg aid to bend right, then get the rein aid to halt while the leg aid was still in place. I was suppose to then continue walking with my inside back leg swinging under me and stepping sideways, so my outside hind leg got pushed over. Picture a soldier doing a march-in-place turn. Like that. It took me a minute to get it, but when I did, and the inside rein instantly went totally slack and I moved forward, I was like, "Yeah..." and I got it! So we did a dozen or so of those, and I nailed it, and I got lots of praise, which is always good!

The new hay is really yummy! We get lots of it and the chickens - well, the roosters, mostly - come out and pick through it with us. They are looking for little bits small enough for them to eat, and we are looking for the big chunky stems with the good seed heads on it!

2007-10-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

I have really arrived... finally I have my own picture page at the big website: www.serendipitystablesnc.com/miya.html filled with gorgeous pictures of my lovely self.

Also Luc and I have our first full length feature complete with sound - select "Luc and Miya go mobile" on the YouTube page. Fun! Video quality is not all that great but there is no mistaking which one is me - look for the socks!

You can expect Mom to update all the videos in the next several days, replacing short clips with longer ones and possibly some inventiveness!

2007-10-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Monday was Liberty day again. Both Luc and I looked very much askance at our mother when she approached us with a halter. She stopped, eyed us and said, "Okay, I can live with Liberty today - so git!" and we gitted. Got? Gat? Anyway, we ran around. We ran for a while and then right in the middle, she said, "I'll be right back." Here are some of the results of what transpired next:

I am pleased to report that Mom has continued her technological studies and has now figured out how to convert media types so that she may upload longer pieces of footage. So please check the YouTube page from time to time as you never know what she will do next! Plus now I can insert small pieces - or long pieces, when I have the patience for it to upload - right into my blog!

Tuesday it rained - oh such a lovely rain. But not until Mom and her friends had spent several hours putting up 700 wonderful bales of delicious hay for all of us to eat! It is much closer to the kind of hay that I used to eat in Nebraska, which suits me just fine!

Today, we were all muddy from the rain yesterday and this morning, so we got a super good groom, more like a massage combined with a grooming. I was offered first go but I walked away, so then when I reconsidered and turned back around, it was too late and she had gone on to Luc. When will I learn? So I had to watch while he got all the treatment - but then it was my turn so it was all good!

2007-10-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

Hope you all have enjoyed watching my fine self in action! Some more of me and also of Luc is being posted today. We are working on getting some current tape to put up!

Monday was a good session. We worked on the circle again, trying to get the striding between the logs just right. Not because we care about the logs, but because if I get the striding correct, it means I am loosening up my back and stretching my stride a little bit and that is what we are after. I also figured out how to drop my head down when I go backwards, and that makes it so much easier that I am willing to back for miles now!

Wednesday was more of the same; I got the logs right so quickly that I was rewarded by a quick canter around the larger area and that was such fun!

Thursday Mom came home a little early and took me for a ride. We rode bareback in the shade paddock, working on me stretching down while moving out in the walk, and bending side to side. We also worked on my not slamming on the brakes every time she shifts her weight forward, or says "good girl". I used to think that we did this bareback walking thing just when Mom was too lazy for a real workout, but now I realize that not only do I work hard when we do this, but so does she - so it's not easier, just different!

Friday it rained, and wasn't that lovely! However, because of the rain, we got firmly fenced out of half of our pasture. Luc has never been one to take no for an answer without a fuss, and so he spent all morning figuring ways to get through the barrier. I went along with him the first two times, but I saw how annoyed Mom got when she came down and saw us where we did not belong, so the third time, when he slipped under the white tape that to me was pretty obviously a "keep out" sign, I stayed primly on the proper side of the tape. Mom filled in the area that he went under with some big brushy limbs and we've stayed on our side of the tape, ever since.

Today when she came to get us to work, she offered us the choice of who goes first. Neither of us volunteered - it's a perfect sleeping day, because it's cool enough that you can lay in the sun and not overheat. But eventually we both got worked. I had my feet trimmed first, and my nailholes are all gone! However, I was such a snot about things, trying to lay down, rear up, or yank my feet away every 30 seconds, that Mom broke a rasp clean across my backside! I'm ashamed to say I deserved every bit of it, and so it was with some trepidation that I went forward into my ride. However, Mom separates transgressions from normal interaction, and since she acted like nothing had happened, I relaxed and let go.

We went right into a canter, which is always fun for me. I was much more relaxed and not at all stiff in the back. I got my logs on the first try, and many times thereafter. I guess this is what Luc meant when he said all the boring circles would pay off, because it gets easier every time to soften my body, bend, and stretch my back. We did some trot as well and Mom was able to shove her hand forward and me to stretch down and take the rein from her instead of raising my head and speeding up and losing balance. She was so thrilled with me that we took a good canter all around the pasture with four - count 'em, four! - flying changes! I'm such a good girl when I'm good!

2007-10-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

I'm on YouTube!!!

My mother has FINALLY caught up and gotten "with it" when it comes to technology and now, my lovely self is there for everyone to see, on YouTube. I am going to try to post a piece here. It worked! Click twice on the arrow to activate me!

My videos may be seen by going to http://www.youtube.com/matselleste My mother is going to add video of Luc from the show and also some older stuff, everything from Celeste and Adrianna to Jumpers and Open Barn stuff!

Luc had the day off today - he is still tired and a bit sore from yesterday, he worked much much harder than he has for several weeks and so he deserved a rest! Besides, that means more attention for ME! My hormones have subsided and I am largely sweet again, although I did walk away from my mother when she came to get me and she grabbed me by the neck and told me not to be a snot. Our work session was fabulous, I was much more balanced and not speedy and I listened tons better. We started working on cantering more than one pole in a row! I learned, by the end of the ride, that if I open up my stride a little I can get over the poles more easily! I guess that is why poles are used to teach a horse to open the stride, if placed properly!

Go watch my videos!!! They are short bits, as you are only allowed to upload so much to YouTube per video, and evidently my mother is using some antiquated form of video file that means the alloted MBs equate to under 30 seconds - how can you capture all of my beauty and elegance in just 3o second increments???

2007-10-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

Friday our mom worked hard all day up at the house. We heard her up there, sawing stuff and hammering stuff and she generally seemed to be busy as a bee. About 530 she came down and snagged us one by one and took us out and climbed on bareback and rode us around a while. I was perfectly lovely when it was my turn, turning off her leg and being soft in my neck and generally doing everything that I was supposed to do. She was very happy with me!

This morning she came and got us first thing in the morning and we got in the horse box and rode to the Big Barn. I backed out like I'd done it a million times! I went in Leah's stall and there I stayed. I was bored silly within an hour and so I started to eat the wall just to pass the time. Big mistake.

Next thing I knew there was this thing on my face, like a big black mask covering my nose. The thing is, it was sized for Adrianna's tiny little head and on me, it mashed up against my lips and made my teeth poke out the hole at the bottom! I was horrified and tried to lift my head up and back and get away from it but it was attached to my head! Mom, horrid thng that she is, laughed and called me Hannibal and then she added a piece of string so it wasn't on so tight, but still I was totally embarrassed.

Adrianna came in to hang out next to me and Luc went in the horse box to go on a long ride. Adrianna shared with me that she often has to wear the black mask, but she wears it because she is fat and it keeps her from being able to eat as much grass, where I was wearing it as punishment for eating the wall. She thought that was pretty funny. I did not.

When Luc came back, he told me about the fun ride they had, how there were all kinds of scary things set out because there is going to be a halloween party there and so there are scary setups all around one of the fields. He said they met a man on a young horse who rode with them for a while and he was very nice but they thought it was a little creepy that when they introduced themselves, he said nice to meet you and didn't share his own name! And he said he got to be in a high speed chase, that Madeleine got tossed when her horse Dan pulled a dirty stop at a jump, and then Dan took off running fast back to the trailer, so after Mom and Nicole made sure Madeleine was okay, they had to chase him. Luc said he never ran so fast in his life and it was really fun! Madeliene was fine and they caught Dan and then everybody jumped the jump. He said they trotted alongside the river and it was really fun, and they cantered almost everywhere else and he was very tired but it was a super good time. He said he is very sorry that they won't be going again until the spring.

So I got my black mask off finally and we got to go home. Mom wanted to ride me but I am in the last day of my hormonal cycle and she figured that was just asking for trouble, that Rome didn't get built in a day and so she'll work her way into this riding me when I am in heat thing.

When we got home, I backed off the trailer again like I have done it a million times. I wish she would stop remarking about it. Luc doesn't get praised for being good at things like this, and I don't like it when she calls attention to it because it reminds me of how silly I used to be and I don't like to be reminded!!!!

2007-10-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well, a body cannot be perfect all the time, or life gets pretty boring!

Monday was our day to be chased around the pasture. When we were moved from the shade paddock to our pasture, we immediately noticed that there were some changes! Our pasture is now split neatly down the middle, along the tree line, with big tree limbs tied along almost all the openings. Luc says he has seen this before, that the intention is to limit us into one half or the other of the pasture, so that the grass can grow in the other half. After he told me this, he chose one of the tree limbs that didn't look too solid, and ran right through it. Evidently this is why the barrier gets put up several days before separation is actually intended, to shed light upon areas that might not be up to par!

At any rate, we ran long and hard and we were very sweaty by the time we were done.

Today, we got dressed and we headed directly up the path. I thought we might go for a walk but instead we went to work in the empty grass next to the house. I was, for lack of a better term, an absolute snot. In my defense, if you will please look at the calendar you will see that it is time for the Psycho Hormonal Monster to emerge. However, Mom's statement to me today was "I'll be ********** if I'll have a horse I cannot ride one week out of every month. I may have to ride you differently but by golly I am going to ride you so you are going to suck it up and DEAL!" She rode me much more aggressively in the mouth today, having none of my grab the bit and pull stunts, and because when we cantered I went stiff legged and largely hopped in place, we didn't canter, but we trotted until my legs were about to fall off. She kept asking me "where's the fire?" which I take to mean that I was going faster than she thought was optimal.

After about 20 minutes of the two of us picking fights with one another, and neither of us giving in, I finally decided that just like most other things, she wasn't going to back down and therefore resistence ultimately was futile. So I softened and I went to work - and instantly, she softened on me too and we ended up with a really fantastic ride and some lovely canter work including several very soft and easy flying changes. After all this, we walked, not just to the end of our short road, but up onto the next road and all the way to the main road! I had never been quite this far, and there was a large dog that barked quite loudly at me and scared me a lot but I only flinched in place and didn't react. I got nice praise for this which made me arch my neck and strut just a little bit.

So I learned that arguing gets me nowhere, that my hormones are not an excuse for getting out of work, and that my mother really does love me but she's going to give as good as she gets, so ultimately my fate is in my own hands!

I'd like to add that I am now a big sister, my little brother was born this weekend, he is my only full sibling. He is unnamed as yet, he is bay with socks and is a clone of our mother. Our mother is 23 years old and is one of the last daughters of Pro-Fire living, and she has mostly produced half Arabian babies. There are only four of us that are purebred, and only he and I have the same father. My mother will not be having another baby with my dad, which I think is a shame since I am so lovely, but her next husband is quite a looker too.

2007-10-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so smart and pretty!

Friday, Mom hitched up the horse box and took off - without us. We were bummed. I got an email from Adrianna and she said that she went on the big ride and she had a really good time and saw two deer, a huge hawk, a snake, turtles, frogs, and all kinds of plants. When Mom came home, she came to get me and took me up to the box.

I saw that she had parked it again backed up against a slope. There was about a foot of drop. I went up to it and put my front feet in it, and then I was asked to step down from that. I did so. Then I put two front feet back in, and one back foot, and stood there doing a split. Then I backed down from that. Then I put all feet in, stood, and backed neatly out from that!

Mom went nuts. You would have thought that I just won the Kentucky Derby for all the fuss she made over me! We did it a few more times and each time I was picture perfect. Finally she led me all the way in, we stood up in the front for a minute, and then I backed all the way out. She kissed my nose and pronounced: "You are now trailer trained!" Shoot, I could have told her that!

Then we rode. We worked on transitions, so lots of stops and starts. And then of course our walk. I was delighted, after, to see that Luc did not get worked at all, it was just about me!

Saturday we got groomed. Today Luc went first (blech) and then me, and we worked on sitting trot. A lot of people do not like sitting trot and think that it is hard. These are usually the same people that think that sitting trot is something the rider does, when in fact, the ability to do a sitting trot is a function of the horse's actions - if the horse is not round and accepting of the aids, it is next to impossible for the rider to sit the trot unless all forward movement is squashed out of the trot. We trotted without squashing the motion and Mom was able to sit just fine!

We did not do our walk today. When Mom removed my bridle and gave me a moment to scratch my head on my leg before haltering me, I decided that I would go for my walk all by myself. I was about half way up the hill before I heard the crinkle of the peppermints and I turned around to come back. Eh, well, food will always win!

Post Number 100!

2007-10-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

This is my 100th post! how exciting! and how fitting that today was a lightbulb day for me! But I am getting ahead of myself....

Saturday Mom spent a good piece of the day cutting down trees and clearing away branches. I thought she might ride us but I wasn't terribly disappointed when she didn't, especially because we got a nice scrubby grooming under a tree!

Sunday Luc got ridden first. I thought this was terribly unfair, and I paced the fence the whole time he was working. When it was my turn, I was determined to be especially perfect so that next time, I could go first! And so I tried very hard to stay balanced and not lean into my shoulder and to bend to the right. And I got my first "good girl!" on a right canter circle in the lower left corner, where I always fall apart, when I held it together! After, we walked our trail but backwards this time - over the logs into the woods and then out and across the grass beside the road to the path to the barn. Then I got rubbed by my wonderful magic cloth until I was dry!

Monday we were in the shade paddock when Mom came to get us. All three of us were ambivalent about the whole ride thing, mostly because Sunday was such a great day for all of us that the next time was sure to be a let down. So when Luc suggested that perhaps we could have a chase day, we were all enthused about that! So we ran around in the shade paddock for a little while but it doesn't offer quite as much in the way of opportunity as does our big pasture, so Mom let us run across the chicken grass to the pasture and once there, we ran and played and had a high time. Lots of showing off, we had a blast!

Tuesday of course Mom was gone all day until nearly dark. I was pacing the fence when she got there because I know my routine and this was late, late, late!

Today, when it was work time, Mom came in the gate and stood there with the halter in her hand, waiting for one of us to come to her. I am used to her coming to ME and I turned up my nose at this notion that I am supposed to make the first move. I mean, this is not any kind of Sadie Hawkins affair, now is it? So, when Luc moved a foot - the little bugger got to go first again! I was mad but mostly at myself for letting my silly pride get in the way of things. He seemed to have a really nice ride and it was hot enough that he got hosed. I made sure I was right there at the gate when he was let out so that there would be no mistaking that I was ready to go to work!

And I was even better than Sunday! More importantly, I learned something! I finally realized how I should use myself so that I don't have to be constantly nudged by the rein into the position that really feels the best and makes it possible for me to stay balanced. I figured out how to hold myself, and for that I was rewarded by being allowed to go on a much larger route with straight lines and bends instead of varying circles which describe a constant bend. I worked on seamless transitions between trot and canter, and all of my canter corners were honest as the day is long, and I was covering ground in the canter and not speeding up in the trot and most of all, I was using my back, which was hard but oh it felt so very good when it was done! And we went for our walk and then we cantered back across the grass and it was just a great day to be alive!

I'd like to talk for just a minute about the pros and cons of the training that I went through in order to get me ready for the show, and how it has affected my general learning curve. I have mentioned from time to time when that particular kind of training has left behind something that needed to be fixed - but what I haven't said is that the specific training that I had also left me with an understanding of both the fact of obedience and the understanding of the need for immediacy in obedience that I might not have come away with had I not been drilled for perfections. Also, some of the responses that I have to things that occur during my rides - most notably, the tendency to suck back and lift above the bridle when confronted with either an external threat or a command I do not like, and the way that I will lean forward and end up trying to run off my feet to stay balanced - are due more to my conformation and my will, respectively. It is much easier for horses of my build to set up and look the part of a Saddleseat horse, then it is for us to soften and relax and appear a low level dressage horse. That is why we will only spend as much time doing this stuff as we have to. No one ever has as their aspiration to remain at Training Level for a lifetime. But it is an important stepping stone that has to be fully crossed in order to move up to more advanced work with the correct background. I have been gratified to see that Luc, too, has had to go back and do some rudimentary work to re-establish his command of his back end.

So, what I am getting at is that not only was my hastened show training not entirely detrimental to my long term training health, there are areas that may or may not have been affected by it that in fact would have been sticking points no matter what we had done for the past five months, and the fact that I have an absolute understanding of immediate obedience is actually a helpful tool in all of this!

Here's to bigger and better things just as soon as I am ready for them!

2007-09-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Did you know... that it is possible to be too smart for your own good? Apparantly so, because my mother told me today that I am!

We had a peaceful week, because Mom was resting her knee. We spent days in the shade paddock and nights in our pasture. I especially like being in the shade paddock because when Mom comes down to the barn, we are between her and the chickens and so she stops to talk to us FIRST!!!

Monday we got groomed; Tuesday was a long day away from us; Wednesday we ran around in the paddock and that was lots of fun; Thursday was a long day away from us; and today we got ridden!

I went first (of course!) and after a groom and a massage of my two trouble spots, which I moved away from, because they were very sore, but I released quickly, we saddled up and set out. We walked the entire pasture at a brisk walk. I have been resistant to stretching to the right, so today, just to mix things up, I pretended to have a problem with the left. Mom just thought her memory was faulty, until it came time to trot and in the trot I cannot fake it and so went back to being resistant to the right. That is when she said I was too smart for my own good and that nothing good ever came to liars.

But I was much better about trying, in spite of the fact that I have been The Hormonal Monster all week, thus it was a good week for Mom to not be riding me! (Or Luc, because he becomes obsessed with me - who wouldn't? - when I am being such a naughty tease). But then Luc, in the adjacent paddock, began running like a madman and so I perked up and sat back on my haunches a little and as long as I didn't stiffen through the back, I was allowed to be more saddleseat than dressage and gosh it was fun! When I started to fall on my forehand I got taken back to the slow stretchy stuff, but it was just so lovely. Then we cantered, and I was a hundred times better, attempting to be balanced and succeeding most of the time but most of all, just trying really hard to find harmony with my rider. When the horse is trying too, it's much more likely to come together than when the rider struggles for harmony on a horse that doesn't give a fig. That is why Arabians tend to do very well at dressage, because we are the quickest (by and large) to catch on to what the rider is trying to do, and try to help. Warmbloods (again, by and large) are actually better physically suited to do it, but they lack the necessary brain power (by and large!) to grasp the concept, thus it takes them ages to learn what we smarties can learn in minutes!

When we were done with both canters, we went for a walk up the hill, down the road and back through the woods. We did not work long, maybe fifteen minutes - Mom is just two days back to riding. Yesterday she rode Adrianna and Adrianna reported that if she had felt like being bad, it would have been a perfect day for it because Mom only had one third of her usual strength in that left leg. Luckily for her, Adrianna is a nice girl at heart and tried to help instead of being difficult. I felt no weakness in the left leg today and thought things were nicely balanced up there on top of me. But, because of the need for slow strengthening, we worked only briefly.

Then it was Luc's turn. I confess to some jealousy - Luc has a new bridle and I do not. However, when he told me that in seven years he has never had a brand new, just for him, bridle or blanket and that only last year did he even get a new halter - well, that changed things. I am not cold hearted, after all, only narcissistic. Mom told me she is hoping very much that Santa Claus brings me a new bridle, and that the one she got for Luc would not look as nice on me, as it has some pretty white stitching that would not go well with my white nose. Luc has a solid nose, so the white stitching is an accent on him where on me, it would detract. So I am okay with that.

From our new shade paddock, if I go stand at the very top corner, I can see into Mom's house! I like to stand there sometimes and see if I can see what she is doing. Most of the time she is outside, anyway, so I get to watch her as she does things. Today she did some sawing of logs and chopping down of small trees. I wonder what she will build for me next!

2007-09-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Friday we had a nice peaceful groom with a little massage on my needy spots- left neck, right hip. Then we rode, in the bridle this time and it was just so much better! I need the rein aid at this point to allow me to respond to the other aids. I made significant improvement in my right trot circles, hardly falling in at all; and the canters, while not perfect, are much less tense because I can be convinced to wrap around the bit and thus soften through my shoulder area. When I was done, I got to eat the grass in front of the barn while Luc got worked. I thought that was quite fair!

Today we got off easy. Mom had a nasty fall off Adrianna yesterday and while she's fine, her knee is a little sore and she thought perhaps she shouldn't push things. So I got groomed and massaged and my feet trimmed - my nail holes are almost grown out already! I grow feet very nicely for no more work than I put in. While I was having my pre-massage brushing, I signed repeatedly and very deeply when she brushed over my left hip, to signify that I would like it massaged today too. Sure enough, there was some kind of a knot in there. Also a tightness in my right lower back area. I ate grass again while Luc got longed. Then, the both of us got led into the fenced area beside our pasture. It has no grass but otherwise is very inviting - gently sloping, a goodly number and variety of weeds for snacking, and nice spots for rolling. It is very much like our pasture with woven wire fencing, except instead of being topped with the spiky wire, it has wooden boards along one side of it and the rest is topped with a wide white tape that I thought was quite scary. Best of all, though, it's all wooded so the sun doesn't bake us.

Luc and I trotted around for a minute to get the lay of the land. When I looked back, Mom was standing at the gate watching us. I thought that was a bit odd and I wanted to go see what she wanted, but Luc said we needed to run around and show off a little and since I am no good at standing up to peer pressure, I did. After we had checked out everything and found all the good weeds and decided which areas were scary, we settled down to some scavenging and when I looked up she was gone. I think we are supposed to spend some time in here this fall when it starts to rain again so that our pasture can rejuvenate. Maybe we'll spend our days in here and our nights in the pasture for a few weeks?

2007-09-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you about myself, I must share with you this email that I got from Kitana today. We became good friends when we went on the trail ride together, mostly because neither of us wanted to socialize with Belle because she is so uppity!

"Dear Miya - wait until you hear about my day! Our human came to the barn quite early this morning and thought that she could just walk up to me and put a halter on me. I set her straight, by running away rapidly, and after several minutes of this she gave up and went to get some feed. I rewarded this behaviour by allowing her to catch me. She put me into the horse box and off we went. I was not alarmed by this because I have gone alone before, and she will stop and pick up other horses from another place before we go anywhere. Today, though, I remained the only horse in the box.

We went all the way out to the place that we went last time. She spent a long time brushing me and while she did this, two other horses pulled up in their boxes. Eventually, we were all saddled and bridled and then two more horses came out of the barn. Our human got on me, and the other horses' humans got on them - and then all of a sudden, there were dogs! Hundreds of dogs - well, ok, maybe there were only about 25 dogs, but there were enough legs between them to make a horse very nervous. However, I quickly realized that they were not at all interested in me, and so I did nothing besides prick my ears and study them intently. I did not even move my feet.

We started out in formation - first was the tall lady that we met last time, on her gray horse. Then the dogs at her heels. Then another person, this one had a very long whip and if the dogs strayed too far and did not respond to her spoken commands, she'd crack that long whip and the dogs would all yelp but they'd come right back to the pack. Then the other two horses, and then us, because we had never done this before and we didn't know the rules.

The main rule is, don't step on the dogs! Most of the time this is not hard but every now and then one got tired, or stopped for a bathroom break. The other rule is, stay behind the whipper-in, so if she stopped, we had to stop. We set out walking, and we walked quite a while. Everyone was quiet, just getting the feel for the day. The dogs were exuberant but well behaved. We did the upper section of the property at a walk, and then we headed down toward the river, and there we trotted and cantered for about twenty minutes. It was pretty amazing. The dogs all stayed in their pack, and we stayed behind them, and we wandered all over, and then we stopped by the pond and practiced standing still. Evidently this is an important part of hound education, to stand still for ten minutes.

Then we set off again, more trotting with some cantering, and then we walked back to the kennels. All in all I thought it was quite fun although, if you want the truth, I would have liked to have gone a little faster some of the time. As if reading my mind, I heard our human call out to the others "I'm going to go up top for a bit - all that remains to make this day perfect is a good hard gallop and some crazy jumps - anyone care to join me?" And so we went off. We had our good gallop - three of them - and some wonderful jumps and then I was quite tired and ready to go home!

There was no fox, but I guess there was not supposed to be one. This was practice, teaching the hounds to mind the huntsman. If I was to go on a real hunt, our human has to have a hunting license and, can you imagine this, she has to be at the place (close by to where we rode today) and ready to ride at 8 am! We had to leave the barn at 730 to be ready for today, we'd have to leave in the dark to ride at 8! Maybe one day you can go chase dogs.... See ya soon, Kitana"

Well, I'm a little jealous. That sure does sound like fun. More than what I've been doing, that's for certain!

Thursday was our normal day off. Friday we usually work now but it rained! It was a wonderful rain that made enough mud for good rolling. Saturday Mom had to work all day, so we just got a nice scratchy brushing later in the day. Sunday we rode in the halter. The idea is that by making the rein aid less emphatic, it enhances the other aids. I did well in my work, which at the moment is to bend softly and use my hind legs, but I was still far too tense in my canters and at then end of the ride, when we do the bending exercises and the backing, I was really very naughty and I got spanked for lifting my front feet off the ground by way of protest. I did NOT rear, honest I didn't, they just came a half inch off the ground, but you'd have thought that I did a hi-ho-Silver thing, the way I got spanked for that!

There was more of the same on Monday. My work was a little better, the trot work was nearly perfect but the canter stuff was just tense and stiff and unproductive, and the baclomg stuff was a little better but still not very good. We worked at that for a while, just on principle I suppose, and then we walked up to the end of the road and cantered back. I much prefer straight lines to circles, I do say!

Yesterday we had off, and then today, just after I got the email from Kitana, here she comes to get me. We went directly up to the horse box, which was parked in a very strange place. I went right in like always, and then immediately she asked me to back. Well, I don't like that because I know I'm going to fall off the back, so I got pushy. And my mother cheated! She put her hand on my nostrils and squeezed! She knows I hate that and always move backwards away from it. She did that until I had stepped all the way out - and then I realized, I never fell off! She had parked the box such that there was only an inch or two of drop, by backing it into a hill. Very clever.... We went in and out a few times, until I was quite a pro at it, and then we went to work.

Evidently it had been decided that what I needed was a session in the surcingle. My mother is always very quick to blame herself and her decisions for what is wrong with me, and she knew that my stiffness was likely a result of two things - one, the halter doesn't give me clear enough aids for this stage of my training, for me to relax; and two, I'm still confusing expressiveness and expansiveness with fast, and slow with stiffness and stiltedness, so I needed to work on these things. She could have just tried to ride me with the bridle and see if that did the trick, but if it didn't, she would have wasted a day that could have been progress, and if it wasn't necessary, it certainly wouldn't do any harm, so a quick cost/benefit analysis led to the decision in favor of bitting work.

As soon as I got up on the circle, Luc started racing around like a madman. I forsee a total elimination of alfalfa pellets from our meals and it's all his fault. I love my AP but he gets too much energy from them! So I joined in. I ran and played and even bucked a little and I was allowed to do so because the whole idea was that I needed to work really HARD and as long as I went forward I could do what I wanted. When I had run and blown for a little while, the sidereins gradually got tightened until we reached a point where I was interacting with them moreso than not, and while I didn't relax and stretch my back, I did begin to engage the bit and that's what was today's goal. The saddleseat training encouraged me to lift above the bit, and to set up over it and kind of curl myself around it. This dressage stuff wants me to wrap around it and use it as my center. It is harder, I think, for a horse of my build, and that is why you don't see many of us in lower levels, where relaxation and submission is key; although we do shine at the upper levels where collection and brilliance get the nod.

I worked a very long time until I was quite sweaty. She seemed pleased with me and my attitude and told me that she was sorry that she hadn't permitted me to use my natural exuberance in a while, and that she would try to modify her training program to put equal emhasis on quiet work and on power and brilliance work. I hear tell that Celeste was the same way when she was coming off Saddleseat training - couldn't have forward without going fast, got sullen and unresponsive when asked to be quiet. If she could turn into what she was, for the last couple of years, then surely I can do it too!

2007-09-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

I had a very relaxing Sunday, resting my muscles that were quite tired from the long ride on Saturday!

Monday I was finishing up being in heat again, and so while I was mostly good for my ride, every time I got squeezed by legs, I pinned my ears back and made a really ugly face. After I did this a few times I got slapped on the neck and told to quit. I didn't, so the next time, I pinned my ears, and Mom jumped off of me and let me have it good! I was so startled that I forgot to pin my ears after that! We were just about done, and I did it again, and she leaped off again and spanked me soundly! Then she got back up a third time, and this time, as soon as she put her leg on with no ear pinning, we were done - except that when she got down, I thought she was going to spank me again, even though I hadn't done anything, and that made her feel bad, because I hadn't learned to associate the ear pinning with the spankings.

Tuesday we traveled in the horse box to the Big Barn. I wasn't sure why, because I thought the Tuesday trips up there were done. We went into our stalls and after a little while, a short little man came into the barn along with a tall nice looking one. There was lots of goings on for the next couple of hours. Mostly I stayed in the back of my stall, minding my own business, but I looked out through the wall slats from time to time and I wasn't crazy about any of what I was seeing.

After several hours, the man came to my stall. He put on me this blue halter that clashed horribly with my coloring, and was too large for me, instead of my sleek black one that accentuates my fine cheekbones. He led me out into the aisle and then - he stuck his hand in my mouth! What! I didn't bite him, even though I wanted to, and he felt all around on my teeth and my gums and it was just awful.

Then, he pulled out this tool that looked like a short version of what gets used on my feet. He touched me briefly on both sides of my mouth with it, twice, and then the center of my forehead. I started to back away from it and he said, "Move your feet" and so I moved my feet, right and then left. Then he touched me again. I moved again, he said, "move your feet" and so I moved my feet. Then he touched me again and I stayed still. And he stuck it in my mouth and began to rasp on my teeth!

Every time I started to move, instead of telling me whoa, he'd say, "move your feet" and he'd keep on rasping. After a very short time, not even a whole minute, I realized resistance was futile and I stayed still. This did not stop me from making some pretty dreadful faces at my mother, who had come into the barn during the "move your feet" portion of the drama.

This nice little man was surprisingly strong with the rasp but he never grabbed my halter and made me stay still. Instead he made me realize that I wanted to be still because the alternative was just too much work. He worked on my front teeth, and then he hung this horrid metal contraption on my face. It had lip-shaped plates that fit on my top and bottom front teeth, and then ratcheted open so he could reach my back teeth without being able to - accidentally of course! - bite his arm. I swear to you at one point he had half his arm in my mouth, and if horses had a gag reflex I would have vomited all over him! But we don't, so I didn't.

You may wonder what this was all about. Horses, unlike humans, have teeth that grow all their lives. As we chew, we rotate the upper jaw over the lower jaw in a circular motion. Over time, the outer edge of one jaw will develop sharp points, and the inner edge of the other jaw will as well. Someone has to come along periodically and file down these sharp points, and that is what this man was doing to me.

The whole thing took only about 25 minutes. It seemed like 25 days. At least I did not have to have any teeth pulled, like some of the other horses. After, I went back in my stall and I stood with my head in the corner. I was hoping that no one would want to do anything else to me. Then I heard a voice that I know! It was Dr. Spine Lady! I was so excited, because you know that my right hip was stuck again and my left neck very sore.

I was exceptionally excellent for my adjustment. Luc did not have to have an adjustment, she checked him out and said he is just fine. Mom was quite excited about this, because Luc is a chronically bad spine. During Mom's adjustment she made a lot of weird noises and a couple of times she said what I think are words best left unsaid in polite company. Words that she has called me when I am being naughty!

Finally it was time to go home. Luc and I slept really well, for having done no work all day!

Today, we thought we might have the day off because of yesterday's activities. In the mid afternoon I was fetched from the pasture, groomed, had my right hip and left neck massaged. I responded very quickly to the right hip work, releasing the tension almost immediately. The left neck was tougher but I made appreciative gestures to let her know that she was in the right spot until the tension let go from there as well. Then I got the left hip just for good measure. I do love my massages!

Then, she tied the lead rope to both sides of my halter and climbed on, no saddle. And off we went. We walked in circles for what seemed like hours. Always circles, never straight lines. I had to lift that right hind leg and place it under me to make the right circle, thus strengthening the parts of me that give way when I get stuck, and then go to the left stretching the right hind around me, thus lengthening the muscles so they hopefully will not draw the joint back to the bad place. Around and around and around we went, until she decided I had gotten the idea. I had to steer from the legs mostly, although she'd remind me with the lead rope if I wasn't paying attention.

When she got down I flashed back to Monday when she got down and spanked me, but the hurt look in her eye put a stop to that almost immediately. She rubbed my head for a long time and told me she doesn't ever want to spank me again but that if I act like I want to hurt her, she's going to make me think she's going to hurt me first. Makes sense to me.

Then, she got Luc and did the same thing to him. I tried to keep an open mind about all this but I was jealous. I remember when I was a little filly my horse mother told me that if a human wants to mess with a horse other than me, that I was to be grateful and to facilitate this in any way, because "better them than me". But I do not think that she ever had such a good relationship with any of her humans, and if she did any work, it was the hard kind of work and not the good kind of work, so I do not share her feelings and I was very sore that what we had just shared was not just between us. So I turned my back and refused to watch them do their thing.

Later, we got chocolate chip cookies in the shape of small bears, out of a blue box. I thought that was mighty fine!

2007-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well!

Today was My Big Day. When we went up to the horse box, I admit I was a little hesitant, because the last time we got in it, we went on the long trip and stayed away and I didn't want to do that again. But I got in just fine.

We went to the Big Barn, just like we always do. That was a relief. Luc and I went into stalls while Mom did some work for about an hour and a half, and then - she came to get ME! I wasnt' sure she really wanted me, but I was pretty happy to go!

We rode in the horse box for 50 minutes, over places I had never seen out the window before, and then we went slowly down this very bumpy dusty road. We parked and stayed in the trailer for a short while as Mom and Aunts Donna and Jennifer had to do some things. Then we all got unloaded, brushed and saddled, and then we were ready to go!

First we went down a long hill to the right of the parking area. It led out into a huge field with a big wide path cut all the way around it. We rode around the outside of the field, just having a very nice forward walk, until we were all the way to the other side of the field from where we entered in it - and there was a deer! Standing in the middle of the field and staring at us. We all stopped and stared back and she took a step toward us! I wanted to run at this point but instead I went forward to see who would back down first. Eventually the deer left and we continued around our field.

From there we went through the woods and came out into a clearing where there were some jumps and poles set up. We all rode around there for a short time, I cantered and did my flying changes and I even got to trot over a really small crossrail jump but of course I am not ready for any of that and I did not pick up my feet enough and I knocked down the jump! Then we rode up this long hill and back through the woods and on into the next field.

This field was just like the other one, with more deer, and on the other side of this one we went into the woods and walked right beside the river. It was very cool in there and very pretty as well. I stepped over some logs and went up and down hills like I had done this all my life.

Then we rode around another field, this one beside a pond that looked nearly dried up. Then we trotted through an overshaded area, past a bog and trees that showed evidence of beaver activity. As we came around a corner that looked like all the other corners, first Belle and then I slipped and our hind legs nearly went out from under us. It was very scary. Kitana was far enough back that she saw us and she went around that particular spot that was dangerous.

Then we walked over a ditch that was supposed to have water in it but did not, and into more woods. These woods had several ginormous hills that we had to go up, and I actually thought that was quite fun. There was a bridge, a big wooden bridge with sides that crossed another used to be a river but dried up, and I had to go first across it. I thought it was tremendously scary and I let it be known that if I had my druthers I'd quite rather not go across it, but in the end I did and it wasn't all that bad. We went along through some more woods and along a narrow path that seemed to drop away on either side. Then we went down some hills and crossed what used to be a river but is all dried up, and back through more woods - some trotting - and we came out behind the horse box! We had made three quarters of a circle of the property, in about an hour and it was time for drinks for all of us. The humans among us all had bottles of water and the equines got offered a bucket but none of us partook.

Then we mounted up again and went down through more trees to another field with lots of jumps. We did a little bit of trotting and cantering - I was very well behaved - and then went down another hill and up a big huge long one. I went in and out of some tire jumps that were very, very scary but I went through them anyway, although I cannot imagine jumping over them. Of course, I cannot imagine jumping over much of anything! Then we rode in and out and around more wooded trails for another half hour or so, just walking in a very peaceful manner. Until I came around a corner and a deer jumped right in front of me and scared me so badly that I forgot my manners and I sat down and spun like a reining horse! Mom was relaxed because we were so peaceful and she very nearly got unseated and I felt very badly after but she just patted me and told me I was fine but please not to do it again. Then we finished our walk in the woods and we headed back toward the horse box.

We got unsaddled and hosed off and then we got to eat some grass while the humans ate their lunches. Belle made a real nuisance of herself trying to eat Jennifer's sandwich and Kitana rubbed all over Donna and almost knocked her over, and she stole lots of her grapes and tried to take her banana too. Belle reached over and took my mom's banana right out of her bag! I alone was a good girl, minding my own business and just eating my grass. After we were all dry we got back in the box and we rode home.

I hear from Luc that when he would go, he would have to gallop some and jump over most of the stuff that I walked by. I think that would be lots of fun but I am not ready yet to do that. I am not balanced enough and I am certainly not in good enough shape! However, I would like to go again, in a few months when I can do a little bit more and work my way up to doing the hard stuff. It certainly was a nice change of pace, very different from our usual work, and very peaceful. I had a good time and I was a very, very good girl!

2007-09-07T18:42:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was Mom's long day, so we just hung out and snoozed and dug in the dirt for the non existant grass. Wednesday we got about ten visits for scratches and hugs and one visit with the curry comb. No work that day either. Nor on Thursday, so I was starting to get a complex and feel insecure.

Finally today when I saw her coming with the halter I perked right up and almost trotted over to see if it was me that she wanted - and it was! Yippee!

First thing, we went into the stall and out came the buzzy things. Now, mind you, the last experience I had with the buzzy things was less than great, so I was a little suspicious. But she went very slowly and talked to me the whole time and explained that she wasn't interested in my ears this time, and real quietly she worked over my nose and then moved up to the bridle path - I got a little nervous then but I trust her so I gave her a chance and she didn't let me down, didn't go near the ears, and then it was all over and the buzzy things went silent. And I let out a big sigh and chewed my tongue for a minute.

Then there was grooming and saddling and then we went into the pasture and we worked on how I have to stand still after she gets on, until she says that I can go. Finally we started off toward the circle, in our warm up walk - and then I slammed on the brakes! Because, in my circle, where they hadn't been before, were two contraptions made of sticks, too tall to be able to step over, and man did I think they were scary looking!

Mom told me they were for Luc, that I didn't have to concern myself with them, but for the first time in my life I met something I was genuinely afraid of, so she MADE me go over and see them, even though I kept insisting that they were going to eat me! When I got all the way up to them, I realized they weren't actually going to eat me, and there was even a part of each of them that I could step over, so then, it was no big deal.

We walked and stretched for a little while and then we went into the canter, and I did some flying changes, and then we trotted, mostly sitting trot, which I quite like because it's much more consistant than the posting trot, even if it is harder for Mom and more important that I be totally steady. It was a good session and when we were done, I walked all the way to the end of the road, past the giant scary dog that was taking a nap, and on the pavement the whole time!

2007-09-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, when Mom came into the pasture and got Luc, I felt a stab of jealousy. Then I thought, well, yesterday she ONLY worked me, not him at all, so I shouldn't feel bad. I watched Luc work on the longe line, going over poles, closely spaced together in the trot, then not so close in the canter. I watched him give himself a spinal adjustment - that was really neat! He was going along, being crooked, with his head cocked off to the left while he circled right, and then he did this weird hoppy thing and when he came down he dropped his head all the way to the ground and did the lick and chew thing and then he was straight! Huh. I need to learn how to do that.

So, I thought I was being mature about the whole thing but when he got turned out and she turned toward me, I thought, no way! and off I ran. He evidently hadn't been worked hard enough because he still had plenty of energy to race me around the pasture. Eventually I gave up, however, and allowed myself to be haltered. After all, I love my mom.

We rode a little harder that time. Still lots of walking first, working on getting the back swinging. Then some trotting, going over Luc's far spaced poles until my tempo didn't change all the way through. The only naughty thing I did was after we cantered the first way, I got antsy and wanted to go quickly the other way, and we walked in a circle until I quit asking. It wasn't a long ride, maybe about 15 minutes, and then we walked all the way to the end of the road and on the way back we cantered along a nice stretch of grass. That was the best part!

Today, I went first, and I was very willing this time. Yesterday I still hesitated when I was led to the tree to get on - but nothing like the first time, just a pause for thought. Today, though, I was all gung ho. We did the walk stretch stuff. I've decided I really prefer this style of riding, the kind that is focused on how I'm moving rather than what my silhouette is. However, as I got back into the swing of riding, I started wanted to be more brilliant and I had to be reminded that we are supposed to be dull at this stage in the game. We livened it up a little by doing flying lead changes both directions and of course, lots of work on the poles. The pole work will develop the muscles in my back legs but also across my back, and encourage me to swing my legs, if they are spaced correctly - the poles that is, not my legs. They are also very good for gauging tempo, so that I can maintain the same rhythm all the way through. I did get hot a couple times today and again we walked in circles until the urge passed. We rode longer, almost 30 minutes and then we took our walk again, but halfway down the road we saw a HUGE grey dog and it scared me, even though Mom talked to it and called it by its name, I was still afraid of it so we went back.

I am going on my big trail ride on Saturday! I am so excited, I cannot wait! I hear there will be deer, and possibly a white heron, and of course lots of rabbits to spook at. Oh and the hounds that bay and howl everytime anyone walks by. There are narrow trails and wide ones, and places that must be walked and spots that beg to be galloped. There is a narrow trail beside the river, and there is a big steep hill or two. I cannot wait! I will be the best horse there, I just know it!

2007-09-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that a few of my most loyal readers were quite saddened to hear that I did not intend to keep such a running monologue about my activities. Thus, though I cannot promise to be quite as prolific in my ruminations, I shall continue to record my learning process at least a couple to a few times a week - after all, my learning is not done, so why should yours be?

We had a lovely week of vacation, while Mom was away and then continuing yesterday. At first I quite enjoyed the rest, but by the close of the week, I was actually bored and looking forward to having something to do! About midmorning Mom came to see us and she scratched a few itchy spots, including the area between my udders, which good feelings do not stem from any kind of obscene behaviour but simply the fact that it is very difficult for me to scratch in there and oh goodness it felt nice! I did the hard nose wiggle again, in appreciation.

Later on in the day, in she came with the halter. Luc and I both jockeyed for position, to see if she had a specific goal or if she would take the first horse she came to. But she was set on having me! So I got a really nice groom, and then my saddle - MY saddle, the soft squishy flexible one, not the hard one for the show - thank goodness! I much prefer my saddle. And the plain bridle, no fancy bits, no martingale. As we headed into the pasture to get on, I had a sudden apprehension - I did enjoy my work the last few weeks but it got quite stressful at the end and I wasn't altogether sure that I wanted to go back to that. So I planted my feet and refused to move.

Bad decision. After a moment of surprise, followed by "are you for real?" I got the old standby: "You will NOT refuse to come forward when I ask" followed by a sharp jerk in the reins. Now, the purists will say that you should never, ever punish the horse with the bit - my mother is a fan of eye for an eye, which, in her translation, means that whatever is the offending body part of the horse, is the part that gets punished. So, theoretically, the legs should get a good crack if you refuse to go forward. However, horses do not generally associate such a thing, in the case of a refusal to go forward, and a much better pschycological motivator is "if you dont' want to go forward, then you'll go backward!" which is best accomplished (in a non-calm manner such as is needed for punishment) by a sharp jerk on the reins. It took twice before I realized that no matter what she had planned, this was not the way out of it.

Promptly as I came forward, so returned my nice, calm, peaceful rider, with a stroke on the neck and a kind word. She is very consistent- evil when I am bad, and entirely benevolent when I cooperate.

So she swung up and instantly I relaxed because with my saddle, I can feel everything and it is movable. Even if I do have a better feel for her bony seatbone - although, I say, since her visit home to her family, her seatbones are decidedly more padded!

So we headed out, and instantly I felt a difference, not just in the movement afforded me by my lovely treeless saddle, but the feel upon the reins was so different! Instead of being asked to curve my neck and fit into the bridle, I was invited to stretch my neck out a little bit and use my back to carry my neck, which is ever so much more comfortable. We walked all over the place striving for this lovely softening, which I was happy to do once I understood that yes, this was really what was being asked of me. So different from the past several weeks!

Luc instantly began to cause a ruckus. He galloped, he leapt in the air, he snorted, he danced in place, he generally put on quite a show, seeming to be just in good spirits and, if I had to guess, exhibiting some pure joie d'vive. Either that or the alfalfa pellets we've been eating (yum!) have gone to his head - not sure.

We just worked at the walk for about 20 minutes - but lest you start to be envious of what an easy session I had, let me tell you that I worked harder at that walk than I did in any of my sessions in the past month! We bent and we flexed and we worked on the notion that the first tap on a rein should result in a movement away from that rein, even as I bend in the direction of the rein - the body curves to the rein but moves away from the rein on the first step; if pressure remains on the rein the subsequent steps should be into the direction of the rein. We worked on maintaining momentum around a turn, for 15 degree turns, 45 degree turns, and 90 degree turns. And all the while, relaxation. I had to stay soft supple and totally relaxed while doing this.

I think my mother expected me to take several sessions to come down from the show training. Once again, she underestimated me. She's got to stop doing that! I never took a hot step, never tensed my back, although I did not maintain quite the full swing through my back the whole time - but Rome wasn't built in a day! Toward the end of the ride we did two circles at the trot, and here it became evident that I had lost some of my relaxation in pursuit of elegance, and so we stopped quickly because that is a lesson for another day.

We finished with something we have not done in at least three weeks and that is to walk the pasture on a totally loose rein, me stretching to the ground and any steering that happened being done by my rider's legs. I was quite good for not having done this for a while - especially when we got round to where some of the chickens had come into the pasture and I pretended to be scared, just to see my rider start to panic and fight with herself to trust me. I took pity and didn't do more than a pair of scared steps, after which I walked through the mass of chickens and blew on them to scatter them like dust!

I had worked up a nice sweat under my saddle, but not enough to hose - a good spritz from the conditioner bottle, a rub with a rag and I was right as rain - more so once I got to get out and roll in the dirt. We took the halter off at the tie stand and in appreciation for the peaceful ride, I gave my Mom's arm a good swipe with my tongue and then walked beside her to the pasture to be let out!

2007-08-31T17:10:00.000-07:00

A few more pictures!

The day after we got home, there was lots of visiting and good scratches and hugs. The next day, we got breakfast, and then nothing for the day, and then that night, Dad came to feed us! He has NEVER done this! I was a little alarmed, especially when he came back the next morning, and that night, and the next day, and then the next morning too! Finally, Thursday night Mom came to feed us!

I was very happy to see her but then I thought, now wait, she let me worry about her all this time, I shall give her the cold shoulder and see how it feels. However, by this morning I was over it and more than happy to accept the wither scratches that she offered and to make the funny expression with my nose and turn my face almost all the way upside down in pure joy!

2007-08-26T09:10:00.001-07:00

Pictures!!!!

2007-08-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Where to begin?

Thursday morning started out like any other Thursday. We had breakfast and then we went in the horse box to the Big Barn and we stayed in our stalls for a few hours.

Then, we got back in the box, along with Dakota, and we started moving. We traveled for a really long time, and when we finally stopped, there were all kinds of horse smells and sounds going on!

We waited in the horse box while bedding was put in our stalls, and then we each went into a stall. The stalls got decorations on them that indicated that we are Mom's horses. There was a big black curtain to keep out the sun and the dust and a whole stall just for our stuff!

After a while, Luc went out to work. When he came back, he said there were all kinds of places to ride in and that it was pretty cool. I wanted to go next but it was Dakota's turn. Well I thought that wasn't fair at all, so I walked around and around and around in my stall and kicked up a whole lot of red dust that went everywhere. Finally it was my turn - after both the boys got worked AND bathed! We went out and longed in one ring and then Mom climbed on and we went into the Big Ring. It is inside a building, has yellow netting around at head level, and all kinds of people and horses were in there! It was very exciting!

I walked around and around looking at everything. When it was time to do more than walk, I was just so energized, I hopped around a bunch and was pretty silly but I wasn't downright bad, just silly. Finally we got some work done and that was the end of that. I had a bath, not that Mom thought it would do any good.

We slept okay that night. There was a lot to think about, but we were tired from the trip. However once I woke up I got walking again and I was covered in red dust again. Bright and early in the morning things got going around us. I did not work in the morning session, but Luc and Dakota both did and their humans were happy with them. My turn came sometime after lunch. I'd had another bath so I was clean. We could not longe, because there was no space. I got all tacked up and then I got sprayed with so many different things - one to repel dirt, one make me smooth, one to make me shiny, and oil on my face to set off my pretty features. Boy that was a lot of fussing about! Mom put on a new outfit with a long flowing coat and a really cool little hat. She looked almost as snazzy as me!

Then we went to the warm up. It was insane! People zipping around every which way, not looking where they were going, and being rude to boot! I decided there was only one way to deal with all that, and that was to act like it didn't even exist. I didn't let it bother me, not at all! However, I didn't like the not longeing thing, and I let it be known that I was NOT going to trot. Nope. Only walk and canter. So that's what we did. Aunts Harriet, Kate and Lorraine were there to see me. So I made sure they would remember me for my beauty not my obediance.

All around us the other horses were coming and going. Periodically this funny little man that Mom spoke to as "Bill" would say something on the loudspeaker and a bunch of horses would go out the door at the other end. Eventually it was us who went out the other end. We were supposed to trot down this alley way into the Big Ring. Well, about halfway down was a very scary blue sign. So I had to stop and walk past that. but once that was done, I trotted.

Once I hit the Big Ring, it was like I was energized. I knew what to do, and I did it! We went in at the trot, and then we walked, and then we cantered, and then we walked, and then we reversed and trotted, walked, cantered, back to the trot, and into the middle of the ring to stand. There were people standing by the place that we came in at, that had been by to see me earlier, and I thought it would be nice to stop and chat with them. Evidently I was not allowed to do that!

But I held it together. I did not dance in the walk. I did not leap in the canter. Perhaps I was not as brilliant in the trot as I could have been if I'd been totally focused but I was WAY better than I had been the night before, so Mom was really pleased. There was one other horse in the class with us and it got a blue ribbon and I got a red one. I thought the red one was prettier anyway and Mom didn't seem to care either way. I got carrots. :-)

Later on that day, Luc had to go and work again. He came back with a really nice ribbon and Mom was really smiling about that. We all had another bath - what is with the cleanliness! - and got sprayed all over with all the stuff again. Aunt Jennifer had come to see us and she got put to work helping us all get shiny. We even got shiny stuff put on our feet!

Then I went down to the Big Ring in just my halter. We stood around for a long long time and then all of a sudden we took off running into the Big Ring! We ran in about 20 feet and Mom reached up to take off my halter. Right about then my muzic came on and I knew what this was! So I took off running! Except the Big Ring is really big and I got a little scared so I ran back to where the people were at the gate. They chased me away! And all the people in the stands were yelling and cheering, and Mom and Alex were in the ring with me chasing me! I ran and played and then the music was off and I stood to be caught because I am a nice girl.

Luc and Dakota both went, along with three other horses who were really bad. One of them wouldn't let his people take his halter off, and then he stood on his hind legs and threatened his people and tried to jump over the gate! But when he went, he ws really snazzy. Mom was pretty disgusted when he won. She thought Luc should have won. Come to find out, even though there is only one winner, I got listed as the runner up! That was pretty cool!

We all went back and went to sleep. Everyone was really tired.

The next morning, none of us had work in the morning. Mom took me out about 9am and let me play on the end of the longe line, and when I'd gotten all sweaty, she let me walk all around the back part of the place we were staying and eat some grass. I was more interested in watching the other horses work but mostly I was just glad to be out of the stall. I saw a lot of really weird things. I saw a lot of horses being ridden and they didn't look at all comfortable. I saw a lot of people who really didn't seem to be talking to the horses they were handling. I saw a lot of horses who looked really, really afraid of their people. And I began to be really happy that my Mom is who she is. Luc and I talked and he feels the same way, that we are really lucky compared to a lot of horses.

When we got back to the stalls, I had a nap while Mom went to talk to some people that she knew. When she came back, Aunt Mary was there to meet me! How exciting! We had a very nice visit, and then Mom found out that I was the only horse in my Junior Horse class. So we decided not to ride in it, and instead she took me out to work me for a few minutes. Aunt Mary came back to see me. We had a lot of fun because we didn't have to be serious. I am sure the other horses in the ring were very jealous because their riders were making them be perfect, while we were just having some fun!

Dakota and Luc had to work in the afternoon, Dakota went twice and Luc went once. Mom was really happy with all of their classes even though none of them got the ribbons. I began to understand that a lot of people go to these things for the ribbons, but Mom goes (when she goes, which is seldom) for another reason. She wants to get out and do something different, so see if we can do these things, not because she cares what anyone else thinks. After seeing the way other people ride their horses, I can understand why she doesnt' care about the ribbons - if she has to ride us that way in order to win the ribbons, I don't want her to ride us!

After Luc's class Mom took me up to a building beside the Big Ring and there a nice man took the shoes off my feet. I was a perfect angel and he said he was very surprised to hear that this was my first set of shoes, that I was that good!

So then the humans packed up all the stuff and we came home! Mom actually paid the photographer lady for the picture of me from that first class. As soon as it gets here I will put it up for everyone to see, along with any stills that I can take from the video. Right now I am really tired so I will close by saying that I'm really glad that I went, it was a good experience and I don't think I ever want to do the whole thing again. The worst part was being in a stall where I couldn't see anyone else. I wasnt' scared of anything, I wasn't intimidated, if I hadn't have still been slightly hormonal I think I would have had even more fun, but mostly, I'm just glad that it went as well as it did. If I was going to do this for my job I think I'd be pretty good at it, but I"m glad I don't have to do it five and six times a year. I feel sorry for all the horses that this is their whole job.

So, my loyal readers, you have watched me, in four months, go from a country bumpkin to a relatively polished show horse. I would like you all to know that not every horse could have done this. Even with all my mother's talents - and she does have quite a bit of that! - she couldn't have done this with just any horse, and she couldn't have done it in this amount of time if she and I didn't have the bond that we have. And that is one reason I don't think we'lll do this show thing again, because instead of keeping me hopped up and tight she wants me to be more relaxed when we work, and you really can't have both. So now I move on to a new facet of my life.

And you, my readers, have come to the end of my daily recitations. I will still keep you posted on my significant accomplishments, but my purpose in writing this blog was to let all of you be involved in my training process. And while that is by no means complete, it is about to enter the land of the routine and mundane, except for the new things that will pop up from time to time. If you are a regular reader I suggest that you subscribe to the blog and you will be notified of new posts, or just set a reminder somewhere to check once a week or so.

Now, I will be posting pictures tomorrow, and then again when the official picture gets here, so don't go away entirely! and thanks for being part of my learning process! love to all, Miya

2007-08-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we're as ready as we're going to get!

We did not work today, because we will work three hard days in a row and Mom knows that we all get cranky if we get pushed too hard. Too many people make the mistake of over-riding their horses leading up to a show without regard for how hard the horse has to work at the show. Mom learned this the hard way when she was 18 - her first show horse got sore and cranky and tossed her in the dirt on the way out of her Championship class!

At any rate, we had a leisurely day of being gorgeous horses, and then we had a bath in the late afternoon. First there was some more buzzy stuff, of the usual nose and bridle path variety. I was very suspicious but allowed everything except the bridlepath from the right side. I was very naughty and by doing so, I caused to happen the exact thing that I was dreading - because I kept turning away, the only thing Mom could grab to hold me still - was my ear. She held the ear, clipped the bridlepath, released the ear and went on clippping the bridlepath so I would see. I saw.

The bath was very thorough and there was lots of spraying of stuff afterwards. It appears to be about to rain again, so Luc and I were running around savoring the breeze in the air when it was time for dinner. We of course ran for the food - but then someone's stray white plastic bag blew past our fence and off we went again!

So tomorrow morning we leave for the Big Adventure. I am nervous because it is my first time away from home and it is my first competition, but I am excited because I am beautiful and if I can just stay focused I am sure to be a star! Saturday night I will report to you, my loyal readers, all about my weekend!

2007-08-21T18:48:00.001-07:00

Rain! wonderful, lovely rain happened today!!!

We went to the Big Barn this morning. We worked early and while I was still hormonal and relatively obnoxious, Auntie Janie did get some lovely pictures of me:

See how expansive I am in the trot! I am not at all soft in the bridle and my nose is too far out, but look at the reach in my hind end in that second trot picture! The first picture is lovely, the second is impressive, and the canter pictures are all powerful!

After the riding, I had a short bath. Then I went in my stall (well, Pegasus's stall!) for a little while, and then the most horrible thing happened. Remember the buzzy items? Well, today it seemed the buzzy items were going to come to my ears! NO! not my ears. Yes, my ears. My wonderful loving mother actually GRABBED my ears and pulled them down and stuck the buzzy things IN my ears. When I protested, she made Aunt Janie hold my nose and Uncle Alex hold my head still with the halter. It was horrid, it was dreadful and the only thing that makes it somewhat okay is that it is OVER! I hope I NEVER have to do that again!

The rest of the day was uneventful. There was no Liberty practice as I dont' need it because I am perfect. When we were all ready to go home, Mom and Aunt Jennifer stood talking in the parking lot until I felt I had to paw the bottom of the horse box to remind her about us. It worked. :-)

2007-08-19T11:15:00.001-07:00

It's the return of the Hormonal Psycho Beast!

Yesterday, I was a lovely, cooperative girl. Today, the Beast rears its ugly head!

Mom had noticed yesterday that I was flirting like mad with Luc. She had a timetable worked out for our schedule leading up to the show and it called for us to work this morning. I have to say, in my defense, that while I was argumentative and generally less than cooperative on some fronts, I was also decidedly not rude and there were lots of nasty things that I didn't do.

Because she knew what was going on with me, my mother picked and chose her battles carefully. Last time she did not know what caused my overnight change of heart. This time she did, so there were things that she overlooked because she knew they were solely in my mind. She made me go through my paces and she didn't let me get away with anything, but all I had to do was do things, I didn't have to do them well!

The funny part is, because I am such a temptress, Luc could not get his mind off me during HIS session, and so he got spanked much worse than I ever did because he didn't have an excuse! I stood at the edge of the riding area (of course making things worse!) watching him do his mediums, collecteds and extendeds at each gait and I have to say, I was quite impressed!

So this was our last ride at home! We'll have tomorrow off, and then Tuesday we go to the Big Barn for the dress rehearsal, and then Wednesday we won't work but we'll get clipped and bathed and otherwise prepped to go. And then we leave Thursday morning!

We'll practice and have massages on Thursday and then Luc and Dakota have classes Friday morning, I have a class Friday afternoon, Luc and Dakota have Championship classes that they'll do if they've been doing well, and then we all have our Liberty class Friday night. I hope I beat the two boys! The Liberty class has only one winner and that winner gets all the entry fees for the whole class! The winner is mostly chosen based upon crowd appeal, so it is not always the most exciting horse that wins, but sometimes a lesser horse is brought by a trainer with a barn full of horses - and thus a whole lot of voices to bring down to the ring to cheer for that horse. So it is not always fair, but sometimes it is!

Saturday morning we can all sleep a little late, for we have no classes. Then we all have one class Saturday afternoon, Dakota may have two. And then we can come home!

2007-08-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this? She asked us to work today before we had our breakfast! How unfair is that!

Luc went first, which I do not care for, so when it was my turn I started to do my usual "I decline to acquiesce to your request" and so she cheated and pretended to have a peppermint; when I came to get the treat I discovered she had lied and it was just a dead leaf, but by then it was too late...

We saddled and we longed a few minutes and then we rode. I think I was quite divine, if I do say so myself!

Here is what the shoes do for me:You see how open is my front end? however, look at the back end and see that it does not match. Compare with these:

Notice the better balance in each stride - in the first, I am on the way up and front and back are moving together, even though I am not totally relaxed in my neck. In the second, things are very nearly perfect - more reach in the front end but the back end is following through as well.

Here is the canter:

Two different phases of the stride, but balanced and honest all the way through, and notice the tremendous reach of the inside hind leg in the second picture!

This last picture is not a "traditional" picture and in fact is not even a good example of a trot, as the legs are not quite in a trot stride; however, you can see the raw power in me and so I include it for that! Overall, my ride was splendid. I was nicely balanced if not as bold - we work on the circle when we are working on balance and so there is no chance to really open up. I am certainly fancier with my new shoes and I'm learning how to use my legs with the added weight. I'm softer in the bridle every day, and Mom is learning just how much to hold me and when. Thanks to the short longe work before the ride, I'm not naughty anymore, although I do want to canter more than I want to trot, but I can be instructed.

Saddleseat riding is the ballroom dancing of equestrian sports: very elegant, requires a good partnership to be really beautiful, and largely useless outside of a specially designed venue. Also, something of a lost art. There are still plenty of people out there sitting in a cutback saddle, holding the reins of a double bridle and a horse that looks the part, but as far as really "wearing the bridle" there's very little of that going on. My mother has never claimed to be the best trainer in the world, but one thing she does know is how to get a horse to wear the bridle. It takes time, and so she really didn't think I'd be fully wearing my bridle before the show, but I have been doing so well that at the very end of the ride she decided to play around and see if I'd allow her to start teaching me that part.

The full bridle consists of the skinny snaffle bit, jointed in middle, and the curb bit, straight mouthed, with a tongue release port and shanks so that when the rein is applied, instead of acting in the corners of the mouth and on the bars, as the snaffle does, the curb action is felt in the groove behind the chin and behind the ears. For this reason, the curb bit can be nasty and if the horse is not taught to accept the bit and to use it (to "wear it") then it is both useless and dangerous.

Traditionally, the snaffle bit is used to lift and to steer, and the curb is used to finesse the head into position. The old time trainers had super light contact on their curbs and their horses were light and up in the bridle. Nowadays, most of the SS horses that you see will be laying on the curb with way too much pressure. The mouth is dead to the pressure, and the horse does not respond to the snaffle at all. The horse leans on the forehand and while he may be shod up for extreme action in the front, the back end is left behind, resulting in a very unbalanced movement. Judges, however, look only at the front legs and so this travesty is continued.

My mother's first instructor did a very nice job of putting a pair of hands on her students. My mother has super useful hands and knows just how to tell a horse to listen to what part of the bridle. Usually this takes a long, long time to accomplish - but I've chugged along and learned so many things I shouldn't have been able to learn so quickly, so it should not surprise any of you to learn that I am already open to understanding about the curb bit. We have played with the bit at the walk, but today was the first time that I felt the bit at the trot, and I immediately began to work with it, instead of either backing away from it, or charging through it, which are the two usual responses.

Backing away from it, if the rider does not immediately realize what is going on and totally release the contact, will result in a horse that feels trapped and panics, usually flinging the head all the way up and causing a great deal of pain, which generally leads to a horse that flips over on his rider. This is why the curb bit can only be used by riders who not only have a super steady pair of hands, but have the understanding of what the horse is thinking and can see this coming long before it does.

Charging through the bit means the horse leans onto the bit and goes faster. This is what you see in so many show horses, with the result that the rider pulls harder to accomplish what they want. The correct response to a charger is also to release - the horse then dips forward and looses his balance because the rider declines to carry his head for him, and there's a moment of panic, and again, if the rider is not savvy, the horse will fall onto the bit, scare himself, and rear.

So, the full bridle is not for the light of heart and teaching the horse to wear it is fraught with pitfalls that can be avoided completely by a skilled practitioner, and dealt with correctly by someone who has experience.

The correct response to the application of the curb is for the horse to lift his head up and at the same time tuck his nose in, thus flexing the neck tighter, not lower, and lifting the shoulders, shifting the weight back onto the hind end. This is shown a little bit in pictures 2, 4, 5 and 6. I am using my hind end much better in them than in 1 and 3 - and it is no coincidence that my hind end is not being used in the pictures that show greater "fanciness" in the front end. It is easier to fling out the front legs when the back is hollow. This is the other reason that most horses today trail their hind ends behind them - they are hollow, because the emphasis on front end has caused trainers to crank the heads up and forget the hind end.

So now you've gotten an education on the full bridle and on the state of the showring today - let's not forget why we are having this discussion in the first place!

2007-08-17T17:09:00.001-07:00

My first day in shoes was a good one. We worked on the longe line today, working on steadiness, not brilliance, and I thought I was pretty steady. I'm not quite used to my feet yet and so I'm a little choppy with them but when it all comes balanced, I've got quite a lot of lift going on. In a week I"ll be just perfect!

We had some wonderful scratches today. A good deep grooming before the session, and a quick bath after, because I was just grimy and needed to be freshened. And then, periodically during the day Mom came to see us and we'd get rubbed or scratched behind the ears - just some nice together time.

A week from right now I will have completed my first class under saddle and be waiting to go and do my Liberty class!

2007-08-16T16:05:00.001-07:00

Today we got in the box and we rode up the street to the Big Barn. It being Thursday, I thought perhaps it would be a regular Thursday, where Luc would go gallop and I would stay home. But shortly after we got there, a strange truck drove up, and Mom came and got me out of the stall and led me outside to this strange truck and the equally strange man who emerged from it.

He picked up my feet and looked at them, measured them with a weird little tool and pronounced them nice and even. Then he rasped them a little bit until they were flat. Wait! My feet are supposed to have a beveled edge so I don't trip over them!

Then he brought over a half circle of metal and he held it against my foot and looked at it from all angles. He took it back to the truck and he banged on it some, brought it back to my foot, looked again, went back and banged some more. One more comparison to the foot and he pronounced it just fine. Then he did the same thing with the other front foot.

By this point I was very confused. But Mom seemed to be taking it all in stride, laughing and telling stories with this strange man, so I figured it must not be anything bad or she'd be tense too.

Then he fitted a piece of leather to the inside of each of the half circles of metal, and tapped a nail into the leather, through the metal. Then he snipped the leather off so that it matched the metal part. He did this with both metals.

Then! He came over to me, picked up my foot, held the leather and metal combination against me and proceeded to hammer a nail right into my foot! What! What fresh madness is this?

Of course I jerked my foot away. This was insane! I looked at Mom and she actually said to me, "Now Miya, I bragged about how good you were going to be for this, don't let me down."

I was horrified by this whole thing. I was very torn between not wanting to disappoint my mother because I know she loves me, and the feeling that this was just very, very wrong.

So I compromised. Every time he tapped with the nail, I flung my foot, not hard enough to jar him or even shake him loose, but hard enough that they both knew my feelings on the issue. This went on until there were theree nails in each side of my foot. It was the longest twenty minutes of my entire life!

Then there was some putting my foot on the stand, some weird maneuver to bend the ends of the nails over and snug up against my foot, some smoothing out of my foot. There was an application of putty over the edges of my nails, and some gooey stuff squeezed into the backs of my heels and then Duct Tape put over the gooey stuff. Then my bell boots went on and I went back in the stall, entirely mystified by what just happened to me. I asked Luc, but he said he'd never had it done so he didn't know what to tell me.

The strange man left in his strange truck, and Mom put Kitana in the box and gave me a kiss and drove away. She was gone for a very long time. I ate some hay and dug a small hole but mostly I just wondered what was up with my feet. They felt heavy and every time I moved them I picked them up higher than I was used to. Luc was too busy feeling sorry for himself to be of any company. He was whining, something like this: "Why did she take her? Wasn't I good enough last time? Why are we here if she wasn't gonna take me? Why did she take her?" And on and on until I wanted to just kick him, like everything is about him! It's plain to me, she brought me here to see the strange man, and Luc had to come because he's such a crybaby when he's left alone, but she was taking Kitana for the gallop today, and clearly she was going to go pick up someone along the way because she didn't take anyone but Kitana.

When she came back it was late and we went home shortly. When we got home, she put the long rope on me and took me out and let me trot around for a minute. I trotted very differently, much rounder and tighter on the upswing and out on the downswing. It was weird for a minute but then I started to feel very glamourous and I quite liked it.

So this is the point in the dialogue where I'm supposed to explain why my mother, who is a staunch advocate not only of "horses don't need shoes" but "horses shouldn't have shoes; shoes are bad" - why she would have a set of shoes put on me, her most beloved horse? The answer is not simple nor is it easy - but it goes something like this:

Saddleseat horses are supposed to have a rounder, tighter motion than any horse can produce all by himself. If you do not have this motion you will not be considered appropriate for the class, even if you have the best, most balanced movement out there. So, a special kind of shoe is applied. Now, the unscrupulous among riders/owners/trainers will actually do things that are detrimental to the health of the horse in order to alter the movement. The true horseman will only accentuate what is already there. The combination that went on me today is a half round shoe and leather pad. The half round shoe, which instead of being flat like a traditional shoe, has a curve to the surface - think a solid piece of pipe, cut in half lengthwise - causes the wearer to roll off the toe and thus snap the heel up toward the elbow on the way up. Hence, a tighter, rounder curl. The weight of the shoe causes the horse to then reach outwards when placing the foot down. The leather pad adds a tiny bit of length to the overall package, without changing the angle ratio from toe to heel. To grow a natural foot as long as my foot plus the leather pad, I'd grow too much heel and push my toe forward and do great damage to my suspensory tendons. The nails don't sit flush with the half round shoe the way they do with a keg shoe, resulting in short cleats that give me greater grab on the surface and help me to maintain that round motion. I can tell you one thing, I wouldn't want to have to jump over a log wearing these things!

So, I am wearing these silly shoes to make me competative at the show. That is it in a nutshell. My mother wishes it were not so, and in fact it should not be, but it is what it is and what must be done is what must be done. The shoes will come off me following my last class on Saturday, so they will not be on me long enough to do any lasting damage. I do feel sorry for horses that wear this stuff all the time. The muscles get used to the additional weight and these horses are actually stronger for the wearing of the shoes, but horses in show padded shoes are working on angles that are not entirely natural for them, and there is stress in the muscles and in the spine. Not to mention, I can feel - or rather, I can't feel as much as I used to, in my feet, and I imagine it only gets worse until pretty soon I have no feeling in my feet and then I might put my feet down wrong on the ground or otherwise harm myself.

So here I am, shod up like a fancy show horse. I'm still turned out in my pasture, though, thank goodness - a lot of horses can't go out when they have on shoes like this because their silly owners think they will run around and tear off the expensive shoes. That is only the case if the horse isn't used to being out, or is only let out a little bit - then, sure they'll run like an idiot. Me? Not running like an idiot. I have my bell boots on so that the edges of the shoes can't catch the inside of my other leg as I learn how to wear these things. I guess I don't hate the shoes. I didn't enjoy the hammering onto my feet, but mostly I was just being contrary when I objected to it, because it was kind of fun to see the two of them be all consternated - is that a word?

2007-08-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today being the day after the visit to the spine doctor, we expected not to have to work. When Mom came to get me in the late morning, I thought, what can this be?

I got a light massage - nothing heavy, because you cannot have a deep tissue massage two days in a row, it is counter productive and can be quite painful. So what I had was more like Swedish massage, lots of light percussion and just stimulating the blood flow to the area. It was quite nice.

Then Mom climbed on with no saddle, just a lead rope tied to my halter, and off we went. She pointed me toward the pasture, but as we stopped by the gate to open it, I very quietly turned my head and took just a little step to the left. That way, if she said, "what do you think you are doing?" I could say "Nothing!" and get back to the business of opening the gate, but if by chance she was open to riding other than in the pasture... And she was! so off we went. We walked up and down the hill to the road, I wandered around the front yard and had a good look at the building where she and Dad sleep at night, and walked down the path that is meant for humans but is just wide enough for a horse. Good enough for her, good enough for me! We walked for about twenty minutes, just back and forth, some standing and looking pretty, getting the blood moving around in my recently adjusted spots. It was quite nice and relaxing, this being a regular horse, and I find myself quite looking forward to what happens after we go to this show!

2007-08-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a very busy day!

First thing this morning, we went up to the Big Barn. Luc and I hung out in stalls for about an hour, and then Mom came to get me:

There are more pictures but I am too tired tonight to upload them. I was very spooky to start with, all kinds of scary things to look at, but Mom thought that was great, because even though I was scared I was not a bit naughty (we did longe first, though, and for much longer than yesterday!) When we finally got going, I was really fancy. Mom was thrilled. She just thought this was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. I didn't do anything naughty at all, I was just really fancy and brilliant!

Then I went back in my stall for a little bit until I came out to dance to my song. As soon as the halter was off my head, I ran and played until the song was over and then I stopped and walked over to her and stuck my head in the halter. She was pretty thrilled about that too!

My final adventure for the day was to see the spine doctor again. I was in much better shape this time, stuck again in my right hip and a little knot in the left neck, but I fixed very easily this time, and I understood to give pressure against the pushes on my right hip and let her fix it. The doctor said, "You'll be a pro at this in no time at all!" I quite like her, now that I understand what she does. She really does make me feel better, and she said that possibly my unwillingness to back off the trailer might be because my right hip has been so stuck. We'll see about that....

2007-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today was my very first ride in all my show attire! Fancy saddle, fancy bridle, the whole works! I started out very nicely, but when we didn't get to going fast as quickly as I thought we should, I started prancing and dancing and generally being a nuisance. So Mom got off! What! and she slapped me, hard, and told me to grow up! Then she dragged me down to the barn, put the longe line on me, and chased me around for about 75 seconds. She told me she'd keep doing this until I straightened up.

Well it turned out that was all I needed. If she'd just have let me canter when she first got on, I'd have been fine. So she's stated that all of our next sessions will have me cantering on the longe line until I get whatever vinegar is necessary, out of my system!

After that, we had a lovely ride. We worked on the circle, because the ground is perfectly flat and the circle is consistent, and if I am being asked to be consistent it helps to have everything else consistent. I was lovely, if a touch brilliant going to the right. My right is consistently better than my left, which is good in that we finish the class to the right and so a last chance to impress the judge, but bad in that we open with the weaker side and some judges pin the class based on first impressions and only alter that original placing based upon errors. Of course we are not going to the show concerned about the ribbons, and we especially don't care if we lose because of a judge who pins in a silly manner, but still, it would be nice to know we're going to put our best foot forward all the way around the arena. So tomorrow I will go see the spine doctor again and see if she can work any magic on me. My left neck is sore again and that could very well be the root of my evil!

2007-08-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a cloudy, relatively crisp day and the best part - a breeze! We worked in the late afternoon, a session in the surcingle. At first I thought it was just because Mom was lazy and didn't want to sweat while we did, but then, I realized there was more to this - because I got introduced to my fancy show bridle! It is called a full bridle, or double bridle, and it has two bits - the skinny little bridoon I have been using and a curb with a solid mouthpiece and 6 inch shanks that hang down. There is also a chain that goes under my chin that will apply pressure when the shanks are pulled back, but the chain was adjusted at its loosest so no matter what I did there was no pressure. The reins were looped out of the way, loose enough to not apply pressure but there for counterweight. The side reins were attached to my bridoon bit.

At first I warmed up slow and easy, concentrating on being balanced and even. Now that I am really getting the hang of that, it is actually easier than being on the forehand. We'd work a few minutes one way, then reverse, tightening the side reins one hole each time. Most of the time, the first four adjustments, my side reins were hanging slack anyway, as I naturally carry my head in the perfect place while working!

By the fifth adjustment I was starting to really work. This time, when I got going, I started to sit down in the back and fling my feet out a little bit. Mom got this silly grin on her face and she said, "Wow girlie you look like an English horse!" I think for the first time she really thought I'll do more than just look pretty going around the ring - I might actually be a contender!

With two great sessions under my belt (and Luc too, as he was superfine on Friday and very solid in his side rein session) today was a perfect day for some Liberty work. We galloped and played and raced a little bit. We didn't work very long, but it was a wonderful exuberant display of beautiful horseness!

2007-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, being Thursday, we expected to go up to the Big Barn and all that Thursday usually entails. When that did not occur, we assumed it was because it was so terribly hot, but Luc got an email from Adrianna who said that she had gone on the ride, that it was nice, lots of walking, but that she stepped into a ditch and in spite of how dry it has been, she found herself in sucking mud halfway up her front leg and it scared her - and her rider - quite a bit!

It was so hot and humid that we both got the night off and we didn't complain at all.

This morning, we worked bright and early, before the day got too hot. The weather reports were for it to be the worst day of all but the air was moving and it was actually rather nice out. So nice, in fact, that after Luc worked and it was my turn, I wanted to play Liberty for a few minutes first! Mom didn't have any objections, so we ran and played and I showed off and had a splendid time, although I did get very sweaty in just a few minutes of running.

Eventually I not only allowed myself to be caught, I indicated that I was quite willing for this to happen. We got saddled up and instead of heading into the pasture, we went up to the empty field beside the house and worked there. It was great fun to be in a different place. I was balanced and steady and altogether a hundred percent better. I was where I was headed last week before I took a detour into hormonal psychosis. All you women out there, you understand me!

So Mom was really happy with my performance, and after, we walked down the street and into the woods for a few minutes. I cannot wait until I get to go out into the Hunt property and really do a trail ride! I am going to be so good!

Let's talk about the heat for just a minute. Mom has commented to several people in the past week that we, her horses, are not acting the way she thinks we should on these really hot days. Particularly the horses at the Big Barn. We are not avoiding the sun, even in the hottest part of the day. We are not appearing to be at all distressed by the high 90's and humidity that are driving all the humans inside. We are not appearing unduly lethargic and unwilling, but rather we appear to be going on with our life with little or no regard for the weather. Except for the really fat among us, but that's another story. So the conclusion is this: horses are more hardy than humans! Just as humans err and try to believe that horses are bothered by cold that makes humans cold but doesn't seem to faze the horses, so it appears that hot weather has less effect on a horse than it does on a human! Very interesting!

2007-08-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today was grossly hot and humid and quite disgusting. Luc and I spent almost the whole day hanging out under our favorite tree. It has been dry for so long that our pasture is completely withered and so we have been getting hay at night because there isn't anything else to eat!

So it wasn't much surprise that Mom waited until almost 8pm to come and work us. In fact, if it weren't for this show in two weeks we'd have just had the day off, but I at least needed to be worked, so there we were.

I was much a better girl this time. While I was being groomed, Mom finally noticed that my hair coat has gotten a deep down coppery sheen to it. That is the Sunflower Seeds taking a deeper effect and my entire hair is now supercharged, instead of just the surface. I am gleamy.

We rode in the hard saddle and the little bit. I think I prefer the little bit. It is easier to chew on. We did 900 transitions today - well, okay, maybe that was a bit of hyperbole, but it was at least 90. And slow trots, all of which were two beats and 90% of which were nicely balanced. All in all Mom acted quite pleased. I was not perfect, there was still some dancing and we had to walk a lot because I've decided that walking is boring and let's get on with it! There is a certain amount of that that is pretty standard for an English Pleasure horse - the real difference between English Pleasure and Country Pleasure is not in the knee action, where it is supposed to be, but in the attitude. English horses are excused a bit of attitude. However, I have too much and I need to learn to keep it in check. So that is why we walked and walked and walked until I realized that all that happens when I dance, is I have to walk some more! And if I don't dance, I get to get on with it!

When I started my session, Luc decided to run around like a silly thing. I think he was jealous, because he, who was a perfect boy on Sunday, had two whole days off - Monday, I got worked and he did not, and Tuesday as usual we both were off. So I think he was saying, hey, look at me! He ran around and around and played and snorted and did lead swaps and roll backs and generally put on quite a show! That is why a lot of people do not think it is a good idea to school horses in the pasture, but, aside from the fact that Mom has no choice, she has always maintained that it is a good thing because horses should learn from the very beginning to concentrate on the task at hand, rather than to be looking all around. I do know that it was a great relief to Mom to learn that I don't even flinch when hoofbeats come galloping up behind me - since that will most likely happen at least once at the show, it is good to have experienced that and know that at least I am not terribly stupid about it!

He did eventually settle down and just simply stood parked in the way of where I wanted to go; but he was sweaty enough that he had to be hosed down after me!

2007-08-06T18:06:00.001-07:00

Well it had to happen sooner or later.

I cannot be a perfect girl for ever.

We've gone three months without my Mom calling me a total witch (among other things) and it was bound to happen sooner or later.

I was ugly, just plain difficult and nasty.

I really don't know what came over me. It's been building the past couple of days - after the great ride on Thursday, it's just kind of slid downhill. Yesterday was a big disappointment to Mom, so she worked me today, intending just to have a nice light ride. We tried my show saddle to see if it fit me. None of my behaviour seems to be able to be blamed on that, and when I was leaping in the air, Mom felt nice and secure in the saddle. It did feel a little different to me, not nearly as soft and conforming, and Mom was up on top of me rather than draped around me, but we both got used to it quickly.

So, anyway, I was just difficult and snotty all the way through. We had our first knock down drag out fight in the saddle, I was a little shocked, but I thoroughly deserved it. And... I worked through the issue, check this out:

It doesn't get a whole lot better than that. However, it took some doing to get there...

But today was not without merits- I did my first flying change from my preferred lead to my less favorite one - we have only ever done them going the other way. Mom is still more interested in my being a cool horse than in me being a show horse -but she wants me to be both!

So what did I learn today? I learned that if I pick a fight, by golly I'll get one so I better only pick one when I mean it. I also learned that no matter how hard we may go at it, when it's all said and done we're going to finish with something fun, and that once it's over, it's over and we still love each other and there are still rubs and kisses and hugs - just, not until I've been hosed!

I had done some editing last night that evidently didn't show up - so if you viewed earlier today and didn't see the sequence at the very end, do go to yesterday's post and check them out!

2007-08-05T17:00:00.001-07:00

Today was a surprise video shoot! I was a little cranky, because I like time to prepare if I'm going to have to perform, so I was a little short tempered and slightly fussy but overall it was okay. I worked in my regular bridle and that was fine. I'm lighter in the skinny bit because it's different; if we overwork in it at home, it won't be different for the show and I won't be lighter!

This is an example of what it looks like when the back end and the front end are not quite in sync. You see that my front leg is forward, but the corresponding back leg is out behind me. However, you see the nice neat curl in my front leg - many show judges just look at that and overlook the hanging back end - it is possible to get much more "show" in the front end when the back is hollow, which is what is occurring when there is lag like this. However, look at my nice curved neck - had I shifted back onto my haunches a bit more, this would have been a lovely picture.

This is a different phase of the trot; however, you can see that the front and back legs are much more in sync, thus my front and hind ends are much more connected. You can also see from the angle of my grounded legs just how much I am propelling myself across the ground. This is called length of stride and it is a good thing. Many saddleseat horses have a very up and down motion without ground coverage. Arabians are historically very notable in their ground coverage. My neck is not soft in this picture however.

This is a totally differnt picture; you can see, though, the flexion in my hind leg, which is why my Mom likes this picture. You can also see the softness in the inside rein, which means I was curving my whole body into this turn rather than being stiff as I sometimes am on a left turn. You cannot see anything about my neck but you can see the relative match between front and hind legs.

And for something completely different - the canter. You can see the match on the diagonal legs; the softness and ease to the neck; and the propulsion. This was a good canter! I am more solid in my canters than I am in my trots. That is both okay and as it should be - really athletic horses tend to develop in the canter first, and then the trot catches up. So you can guess what we work on a lot - warm up in the canter and then try to have the trot as good!

Here are a couple more, stills from the video this time:

You can see the driving hind leg in all three pictures. Can't see much of the neck, but the overall impression is one of balance and elegance and that has to come first. So many trainers of saddleseat horses push for the motion before cementing the balance, and that leads to all kinds of problems - my Mom won't do that to me; it means I will not be as extreme as I could be with another trainer but my Mom looks long term not just show term and she won't create problems for herself she has to spend years fixing just to be super fantastic for this, what may be likely my one and only show ever!

2007-08-04T19:23:00.001-07:00

Friday I had my massage and I am pleased to report that I showed no pain in my lumbar region, where previously I have been quite sore, which is a sign that I am using my back more effectively when I work!

Saturday morning I came out for my work session, and first I had a quick trim with the buzzy things that I haven't seen in a few weeks. I was very good. Then I got groomed and saddled, but when it came time for the bridle, it was quite different. Instead of my usual bit, this one was pencil thin and made of copper, and only one joint instead of two. This is the snaffle bit to my show bridle, called a bridoon, and in the event that I decline to accept my full bridle before the show, I will show in just this skinny bit.

It was very thin and tasted different, but I didn't have any problems with it after a half circle of getting to know it. We worked quietly for a little while, working on being balanced and staying slow and just accepting this new bit. I was such a lovely girl that at the very end we did a big canter followed by a big trot, just for fun!

Later in the afternoon, I finally got to meet my grandparents on Dad's side, and also Aunt Amy came and she brought carrots and corn. I ate some of the corn this time, just because Mom had said that I wouldn't and I like to keep her guessing! The carrots were much better, however!

2007-08-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Did you know that, as a horse, if your rider is grinning from ear to ear, you can feel it in your whole body??

Today started out all wrong. It is Thursday, and when I went to get in the horse box, Luc was already in there! Mom decided that it is time for me to learn to get into a smaller space. Of course I was nonplussed by this, and declined to enter, until she explained to me that it was simply a rearrangement and I needed to get over it.

I spent the day in the barn with Belle who is very full of herself. I didn't have much to say to her because she just doesn't care what anyone says except for herself. Ugh.

So I was bored when Luc finally came back from his ride. He said it was the most awesome ride ever and he totally had a blast and he is bummed because he does not get to go anymore before the show - there are only two more trips before we go to the show - we leave three weeks from today! - and Mom does not want to risk him getting hurt so close to the show, particularly now that they do crazier things than they did at the beginning of the summer!

Because I was bored, I was chewing on the wall, because, well, why not? And all of a sudden a pitchfork (plastic, of course!) came flying in the window at me! Followed by "we do NOT chew on the walls, not ever, not for any reason!" Ma'am, yes ma'am!

When I went out for my ride, we rode out toward the ring but first we walked all around and loosed muscles that had stilled from being in the stall for hours. We walked everywhere, and then we walked in the ring and I went in and out of some orange cones and that was great fun. Then we cantered, and I was really powerful. Not in a bad way, but I think Mom was intimidated just for a minute, until I found my stride and turned the power for good instead of feeling like I might just pop her off at any minute! Then we cantered again each way but this time we transitioned down to the trot, and I was starting to hit my stride.

The second time we did this, when we dropped to the trot, I really rocked back onto my hind end and elevated my shoulders - and that's when the grinning started! And it was infectious - the happier she got, the bigger I got, which got her even happier, so she grinned harder, so I got bigger... and it was such fun!

And then when we got home, we learned that my older brother Huck's Berry Best, who is just a year older than me and has the same horse mom as me, has just won National Champion Saddleseat Equitation walk/trot 10 and under at Youth Nationals, and also Reserve Champion in the all-breed UPHA Challenge Cup walk/trot 10 and under - very impressive!!!!! My former mom sent an email that said that there is a man very interested in buying me, and my new mom said there isn't enough money in the world to take me away from her!

2007-08-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well.

Today Mom came and got Luc first. She just doesn't learn, does she? So when she came to get me, I was having none of it. I ran away and she threw the halter at me! I played games for a few minutes until she went and picked up a bucket and I thought there might be something in it for me so I went to check it out. She was rather brusque with me and I got the distinct impression that I had hurt her feelings. However, she didn't take it out on me in any way, just was all business.

When she got on, she made it clear to me that there would be no fooling around today. Sometimes I don't walk completely, I jig a little and if she leaves me alone I stop doing it. Today, she corrected me instantly and I started to get annoyed. I mean, who is she to tell me what to do all the time?

So when she asked me to canter, I just reacted, I didn't even think, I just did it. I bucked. Not hard, not high, but it was a real buck. Before my feet were even back on the ground I got my face yanked and my sides kicked repeatedly along with this, and I quote "No. Not ever. You will not. Ever again. Do you understand me?" Yes, ma'am.

After that I was very well behaved. In fact, I was more than well behaved. I was outstanding. Today was the first day I actually went like an English horse. Balanced and on all four corners but really moving, but moving out not down. She was amazed. So was I, if we're really being honest! I had no idea I could be so stunning!

2007-07-30T18:35:00.001-07:00

I have been very busy!

Yesterday, Sunday, I had an endurance type of ride. We worked only one time in the trot, reversing halfway through, and one time in the canter - I did a flying lead change! Yay! - but we went and went and went and went! I was supposed to work on being very consistent, which I did, and I felt very balanced and didn't keep trying to speed up and fall on my forehand as I have been doing. However, before I let my mom catch me, I expressed my desire for a little Liberty work and I ran and played and I bucked so high my heels were almost over my head! This is the first time my mom has seen me do it. I won't say if it is the first time I have done it, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it was the first time she saw it and she was pretty impressed!

Today, Monday, I stood to open the gate very correctly, and then we rode lightly, just asking for steadiness. At the very end Mom let me get brilliant for just a dozen strides or so. It was my reward for maintaining my balance so well! I do love to show off but I am not strong enough yet to keep powering off my hind end for a long time so if I get to it too quickly, I put all of my weight onto my front feet and that is not good.

I did have some more massage today. I have a knot on my left lower back area that is pulling my right hip out of order, so we have to keep loosening up that area. I am really getting the hang of interacting during the massage, I lean in when it's a tough spot, and when the spot is released I give a big sigh and I lick my lips to signify that it feels good. At the very end I have my tail pulled gently. At first I thought that was weird and I tried to walk away, but now I know how nicely it stretches my spine, and so I lean forward until I feel all stretched!

2007-07-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today I officially belong to my Mom! My new papers with her name on them arrived in today's mail! How exciting!

In my session today, we lost the martingale. I do not mean that we misplaced it - it is hanging in the tackroom right where it belongs. I mean that we ditched it! I do not need it any more! I have been working for a week with it on but that rein hanging, so today, we rode without it!

The martingale, a widely misunderstood piece of equipment, has its use and its place. The running martingale, in which each rein runs through a ring which is attached to the girth between the forelegs, is used on an upheaded horse (which a Saddleseat horse is, by nature) when you wish to tuck the nose in without drawing the neck downward, in the traditional steps to building a dressage horse. A true Saddleseat horse will never be comfortable for long periods in the training level frame and if possible, should not be pulled there. In the case of my lovely self, I have such a natural head and neck carriage that the martingale was largely unnecessary right from the start and it almost never came into play, even before we began in the Academy style of bridling.

At any rate, I rode with no martingale and not a thing was different except that I wasn't wearing a bunch of extraneous leather that flopped around on me! I was quite brilliant in my ride, in spite of the fact that today we worked on consistency rather than brilliance. If you've got it, flaunt it, right?

After my very comfortable ride, Mom pulled off my saddle but not my pad, and placed onto my back her "good" saddle, the one she was given on her 16th birthday about a hundred years ago, which is still the nicest saddle that she owns. It is the style of saddle that I have to wear when I show (I cannot show in my lovely treeless saddle, alas, silly rules) and so Mom wished to see if it will fit me. It appears that it will do so, although we won't know for sure until I go for a ride in it, which will probably happen in about a week.

I believe that Mom is having mixed feelings about this show. She believes I will be ready, and she believes I will be good, but in order to do this show she has to do some things that she really doesn't want to do, like put shoes on my feet so that I can have traction in the deep footing and display my natural beauty to its fullest extent; and teach me to wear an unforgiving saddle that may cause me moments of discomfort. On the other hand, she is going to this show for Luc and she may not go again for a while and I do deserve a chance to get out there and do my thing, so she wants to take me. And she's not taking shortcuts or cutting any corners with my training just to have me ready for this show - I will actually not be quite as fancy as I could be because she refuses to push me harder than I should be pushed. So it is all very confusing and I will go do my show and I will be stunning, regardless of any ribbons I may or may not win - that is not the point. The point is to do it, to have done it, and then, I can get on with the business of being a real horse not just a show horse. One nice thing is that since we have this show as a goal, I have a very focused training program which means, like Celeste before me, I will have exquisite manners and an absolute understanding of what things mean, so that in the unlikely event that my mother doesn't ride me for a prolonged period of time, she can get back on and I will remember everything and be perfect, since I have never been ridden other than perfectly! Not being allowed to make errors just because you are a young horse is a very important thing and yet is something that most humans tend to allow, simply because they believe it is part of the learning curve. However, it is easier to learn it right the first time then to have to be corrected because you learned it wrong. That is why Mom likes her personal horses as raw as can be when she buys them! Like me!

2007-07-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

I like Fridays!

I mean, I like all the days, each day is different and it's always good, but on Fridays we get massages!

We had corn husks with our breakfast. Mom and Dad had corn with their dinner last night and they don't eat the green parts, so we got the green parts! She told us that she got to watch a turtle having his breakfast, that he was eating a mushroom and that he was even a messier eater than me! She said he ate a bug that came crawling past his mushroom, three flaps of his gums (turtles have no teeth) and it was gone. She thought that was pretty cool. I think turtles are boring and I don't understand why she loves them so much. Stopping on the road, sitting watching them eat when I am hungry... I mean, come on, get your priorities straight!

About halfway through the day, Mom came down and got a halter and walked out into the pasture and announced, "whoever gets to me first gets the first massage!" So we both started walking over, only I was a little bit faster, but just as I got to her I thought, maybe I'm being just a little too easy and I should play hard to get? So I turned my head. And she just stood there looking at me. She didn't come and get me! So that made me mad and I walked away, but then I thought, I'm being silly and so I turned back around - and wouldn't you know Luc had his head in the halter!

So I was mad. I stood and stared at them the whole time Luc had his massage, and then when she let him go, I ran away and stood in the corner, thinking for sure she'd come and get me and try to make it up. And she left!

Hours later she came back. This time I went right over to her. She didn't put a halter on me, just started working on me right there in the middle of the pasture. I love these massage sessions, not just because she works on all the tight spots and I feel really good after, but because we really bond while it's going on, and we read each other's moods and feelings and it is just so connecting.

She worked on all my spots and loosened them up. A couple of times as she got into a tight spot, right before I'd lick and chew to signal that it was released, I'd swing my head around and look at her. Once I did this, and I don't know what I was thinking but I must have acted like I was going to bite her because she slapped me hard right across the nose! I was startled and ran away, but she came right back over to me and tried to work again, and I realized how it must have appeared - my face right beside her shoulder, my mouth opening and no real sign of relaxation - I didn't blame her and for all I know, maybe I was going to bite her without thinking because that shoulder was awfully tight...

So she worked a while longer and then she just stood there touching my face. Then she stepped back a half step, and I brought my face over to her face and just held it there, just up against her face, like she does to me. We did this for quite a while and it was nice. One of us would move and the other would bring the face over, until we were some kind of melded horse-human face thing. Then she kissed me on the nose and went to get our dinner.

2007-07-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

This morning, when Mom came to feed us, when she came to get the buckets, she stood back about five feet from us just looking at us. She does this sometimes. I decided this was unacceptable and I marched right over and put my barrel up next to her and waited for her to scratch my withers. I was not disappointed!

When she led me up to the horse box today, I remembered my lesson from this weekend and I just put my two front feet in and waited to be told what to do next. It seems this was cause for great mirth from my human. I do not understand why, I was just trying to do what I was told, but I got a bunch of giggles and a hug and something to the effect of "this is why I love you, you silly girl." Hmmph.

When we got to the barn there was no backing lesson, just getting right off. Luc and Cherokee and Pegasus left fairly soon after and I was in the stall with Cyrano next to me. He's one weird dude, but he's all right.

In the afternoon they came back, and Luc was all pumped up. He said he learned how to gallop today and that it was great fun. I think I would like to do that!

When I went for my ride, we went into the field because there had been a man there spraying weeds in the ring and Mom didn't want me moving around out there and getting chemicals on my feet. Fine by me! We went out into the field and oh what fun we had! We didn't have a set agenda, we just went around and around and all over the place, in all the gaits, in all directions. I had a wonderful time and I felt so pretty!

When it was time to go home, we had a long, long trailer teaching session. I am so close to getting the concept of backing out of the trailer, it's just hard to trust that when I put my foot down, the ground will still be there! I think Mom has some plan to get me over the last hurdle but she won't share. She was very patient with me today, even when I could tell she desperately wanted to lose her temper with me. I feel like we made progress today.

I was glad to get home and roll in the dirt though. Later, when she brought us our ear of corn, I took a big bite of it, kernals and all. I didn't like it any better than I thought I would, but hey, at least I tried! So then I just ate all the green parts and that was delicious!

2007-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to see Mom all day today! Usually we see her after 12 on Wednesdays, but not today. It turns out, she went to have lunch with a good friend today, and she came home with lots of plants for herself, some magazines and paintings for the Student Room, and best of all, a new suit to wear when she shows me! She had told me that she really didn't want to wear the same suit that she wore when she showed Celeste, but she didn't really want to spend a lot of money on a new one since after this show, she may never show me again. Apparently the fashion these days is for matching pants and coat, instead of one color pants and a coordinating coat, so she pretty much had to think about buying a whole new suit, or a black coat. So it turns out, this friend of hers had a suit she wanted to sell cheap, and it fits Mom perfectly! And it will look smashing on me - a dark navy with a fine pinstripe. I can't wait!

My ride today was good. We warmed up in the canter like we usually do, because the canter is a more natural gait for a horse and thus easier to loosen up in. Most people trot first because the humans are more comfortable in the trot, but it is actually easier for most horses to get flexible in the canter, and then the following trots are more supple. So we cantered, and then we stretched, and then we cantered and didn't stretch. I am starting to learn to stay together after I work at a gait, since when I show I will have to remain collected for the entire class. Then we trotted a long, long time, and then we stretched and then we finished with a nice bold canter. I do like to canter!

We had another ear of the corn today. I still only ate the green parts. I just can't decide if I want to try the white parts. I know that everything that Mom has offered me to eat has been yummy, and I know that Luc really loves his corn, but I"m just not sure about it!