The Adventures of Jet

Horseplay

2009-03-28T21:16:00.001-07:00

As Jet and I concurred, motivation is slowly but surely coming back. What is most important to me when Jet leaves the pasture is that our time out is just as enjoyable for him as it is when he's in front of a pile of hay. Keeping up with his "yoga" and following the chiropractor's instructions have been a big help too because that is something that Jet NEEDS. And if there's one thing I do, it's make for damn certain that Jet stays healthy and comfortable.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the ranch today. High 70's with gentle breezes. I was pleasantly stunned when I went to say good morning to Jet that he led me over to the gate and started tugging at a halter someone had tied to the pipe fence. I thought, "For serious?" and untied the halter and held it out to him, figuring I could take him over to my tack shed and switch it out for his regular one. And waddayakno? He stuck his nose right in. Unfortunately the halter was too small, so I had to run back to the shed sans Thoroughbred and by the time I came back, he figured I was gone for the day and went back to eating. But when he saw me come back, he was more than happy to put on his normal halter and just about ran to the gate.

This is NOT the LBI I adopted!!!

We went over to the barn to say hello to Jill, Sally and Mom as well as knock over a few garbage cans (Jet has this thing for turning them over and sticking his hoof in them). Then we met up with Dave, Rookie and Numerous and decided to go for a walk around the property. Tanya, who's leasing an OTTB mare, Reason, who lives in Jet's pasture, also tagged along. Reason is a bit of a grouch and likes to skulk around the pasture with her ears pinned, but with both out of their normal element, they touched noses like old friends and seemed to find comfort that they were embarking on an adventure with familiar faces. Jet's gone on walks with Rookie and Numerous before, so I knew he would be that much more comfortable.

Jet was alert and alive, eager to sniff every molecule in this unfamiliar part of the ranch. I expected him to be on his toes more since we were in newer territory but I couldn't get over how even though he was extra lively, he was NOT a bundle of nerves. He was enthusiastic and COMPLETELY left brain. While he sniffed the trees and the rocks, he was listening to every command I asked. No tension whatsoever in the rope, his ears were on me and he carried his tail in a perfect little curve. I asked for trot and he jogged happily beside me. If he got ahead of me, I'd jiggle the rope just a little and he'd slow right down and get in stride with me again (which couldn't have been easy for him. Try as I might, I just can't stretch my legs as far as he can!). Ever since, images of us riding around the property have danced in my thoughts. Once our communication becomes this strong and in tune in the saddle, he will be a BLAST to take out into the desert.

He was still in great spirits when we returned to the pastures. Deonna and Dave's daughter, Darien, was celebrating her birthday in the Cherry Pie and everyone had gathered for cake. Normally I would have taken Jet back to the Cuckoo's Nest, but he was so interested in sniffing Reason, who had been put in turn-out by herself, I figured let the two of them hang out, especially since neither of them had taken a bite out of the other or ripped any blood-curdling shrieks yet. Tanya and I watched in delight as our two Thoroughbreds raced around the arena like foals, bucking, squealing, racing in circles, playing tag and nuzzling each other. They had a grand old time, and settled down to groom each other's necks. I loved seeing Jet so playful and happy. Later on, back in the pasture, he and I even trotted around and played Tag some more.

Might I add, the last time I was at the ranch before today, Mom and I took Charmin and Jet into the Parelli bushes for some good old fashioned Patterns. Thanks to our initial experience with Jet, which as you all have read included a LOT of trial and error, Charmie is progressing far faster and more fluidly in his Level 1 exposure. He and Mom are really building a great relationship of their own. As for MY boy?? I was getting sick of holding the lead rope, so I decided to noodle around at Liberty again. And that Thoroughbred...he weaved around the cones...he did beautiful figure eights...he did a small circle...he did a big circle...and he went SIDEWAYS. That day, the rope came off, and all that was left was the truth.

And I think the truth is, my horse and I are becoming real partners. I think Jet is starting to truly love being with me.

Finding Motivation

2009-03-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I have been thoroughly unimpressed with 2009 so far.

First was the job I was working around the clock that made me too tired to even WANT to play with Jet in the all-too-infrequent times I saw him. Then, our place was robbed. Then, I got into a car accident visiting my Grandparents in Florida. Then, my boyfriend and I split up. A wise choice given what we each want out of life, and thankfully a very friendly and civil parting, but now I am living with my parents, and out of various bags tossed around my car, and stressful just the same. Now, I'm not working, awaiting the start date of my NEW job, my triumphant return to bartending. That job tells me I will start, "Hopefully some time in April." Unfortunately, the way things are going these days in the land of Tourism, "sometime in April," could very well mean "June of 2012." News reports that the Big Three casino giants in Las Vegas are throwing their last dollars on the long shot at Hollywood Park, Race 6, or selling employees livers on the black market in hopes of gaining some sort of return to pay off their frightening debts are not helping my state of confidence. A Vegas advocate must always trek on with the attitude that The House Always Wins. Us social misfits who have that screwball wiring in our brains that render us to not only survive living in this city, but LIKE it, are still finding it in us to smile tightly over the lumps in our throats and say, "Vegas will rise again. Vegas always survives."

Given the state of the world, and the state of my life, I found myself shockingly in NO MOOD to play with Jet or ride him. All I have wanted to do for weeks is sit in the pasture with him. My blase attitude towards Parelli had me so disappointed in myself that I posted my frustrations on the forum. Even just posting about how UNmotivated I've been made me start thinking about assessing and playing again. More relieving and supportive were the stories other SC members shared about their own bouts of procrastination and comfort zones, and stresses in their own lives that have put progression on the back burner. It's always such a relief to know you are not alone.

Another good push in the motivation area was the recent visit Charmin and Jet were paid by an equine chiropractor. What a positive experience that was. The boys were mellow as cellos after their various cracks and stretches. The EC was very natural-minded, and while Parelli was never brought up by any of us, she felt very strongly about putting the relationship first and looking at things from the horses' perspectives. I also felt all sorts of warm fuzzies when she went on and on about what a good boy Jet is, and how he has one of the best attitudes of a Thoroughbred she's ever seen, and she could tell we have put a lot of work into both our guys. She left us with an armload of herbal samples and a list of exercises recommended to keep their toplines developing and keeping them fit and comfortable. For Jet, this included 15 minute sessions of walk-trot. The chiropractor felt that he would benefit more by doing this in open areas instead of round-penning. I was already thinking in that direction, and knew that if I turned his cardio into one long Sniff This game, Jet wouldn't even know he was working out.

I read all the time about how hard it is to find something that makes an LBI tick, and I feel like if all else fails in a play session, I can always suggest Sniff This to Jet and he is happy as a clam to go to that game. His "yoga sessions" are no exception. Jet walked and trotted cheerfully all over Shiloh, saying hello to horses in other pastures, nudging hitch posts, and of course, sniffing poop. At first I would zone in on a particular object and either walk or job over With Purpose. Then I'd start slowing down in a vicinity of interesting things to touch down on and Jet would choose for himself. It was so cute, because he would check out his object of choice, then give me both ears and eyes, then come over to check in. At one point I aimed us towards his own pasture and - wonder of wonders - Jet didn't want to go back. "Aw, Mooooom, just a little while longer?" "Of course, honey." He was thoroughly fascinated with Shiloh's Very Best Pig, Jimmy Dean. I called Jimmy over (he knows his name!) and Jet came to a dead stop. No snorting, no terrified look in his eye. Rather, his ears aimed right at Jimmy, and was slowly blinking his eyes. You could almost hear him: "That. Thing. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!" And then he rushed over to our white, pot-bellied friend, sniffing like a hound. Thinking he was being abducted by an enormous, black alien, Jimmy scurried away in terror, which of course only fueled Jet's curiosity. Eventually, Jimmy Dean stood long enough to check out Jet suspiciously, probably because I offered Jimmy a cookie and a belly rub. However, it may take some more convincing before Jimmy accepts Jet's request for friendship.

Even as we focused on one activity, I noticed more how the Seven Games can be applied with purpose. As Jet trotted beside me, I was able to drive his FQ away from me so we could go in another direction (actually, so he could take me in another direction at my suggestion). He got a little ahead of me at one point and I would have ended up smushed between him and the tack shed row. That gave me a chance to practice Sideways, and he sashayed right off, giving me room to walk through. It made me realize that it's not about progressing quickly. It's about progressing continually, regardless of how much or how little life thwarts your plans and intentions. With each offer that Jet makes, whether he puts his hoof on something, or hangs out on the open playground AT LIBERTY with me instead of taking off on a merry romp around the ranch, it's progress, and its value can never be diminished. Neither can the value of undemanding time. To this day especially, when I get impatient with myself, I still constantly repeat to myself, "Jet is 6, I am 25. We will grow old together."

At the end of our adventure around Shiloh, I rubbed Jet's neck and told him, "Slowly but surely, we'll start getting motivated to do more." Jet's attitude is, "So long as treats are involved, I'm game."

All New Things

2009-02-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

To everyone who bugged me to finally update this blog...HERE, ALREADY!!!!!! Just kidding, I deeply appreciate having loyal fans. The harassing e-mails were particularly warming :-)

First and foremost, a big welcome to the newest member of the family: Charmin, the snowy white pony every little girl wants for Christmas!!! Mom's been head over heels for the little guy for months and finally decided to give him his forever home!

Look how cute they are! Charmin is the spitting image of the pony who taught me how to ride; Jump For Joy, aka JJ. JJ was a little terror (mostly by the doing of humans, but what did I know back in the day?) but I adored him. He was an amazing school horse who taught me flying lead changes, jumping...and as normies, we had a very strong bond.

Charmie, as we like to call him (Dave also refers to him as "Spawn of Satan") is LBE to the fullest. Where Jet finds it more interesting to figure out ways to NOT do ANYTHING, Charmin will leap logs, climb up the sand box and jump down from the highest level, trot next to you... and LOVES terrorizing other horses. He's created quite a stir since he moved into Jet's pasture. He also beat up Rookie and Numerous recently in the turn-out, which would explain why Dave keeps trying to secretly sell Charmin up the river whenever potential adopters come out. This is also one of just many reasons why we affectionately refer to him as "Lucifer."

I know, he LOOKS so sweet and innocent, right?

Jet the Dream Child seems to have figured out he has a new step-brother and he could not be LESS thrilled. It's actually quite comical to see little Lucifer trotting like a hairy sewing machine towards Jet, ears pinned, and Jet, one of the tallest, manliest looking horses in the herd, flee in terror. It's like the old wives tale of the elephant who's scared of the field mouse.

One of the reasons I've been out of commission for so long is my job had it in to work me and my co-worker around the clock until we dropped dead. I guess the figured they would sweep us up under the bar mats or something after that. Who am I kidding? They would have propped us up and still nagged us about payroll as our corpses lay slumped across our desks, staff peeking in and asking us if we would approve vacation time. I seriously did not see Jet for more than 5 minutes over the course of an entire MONTH. It got to the point where people would innocently ask how my horse was doing and I would stamp off in a huff, snarling, "How DARE you??" under my breath. I would look at his picture next to my computer, eyes filling with tears, trying to calculate when I could possibly sneak up there to just give him a carrot before I headed off to work. Welcome to the recession.

I wish I could say that the money helped, but it didn't. Beverage management is a thankless job, mentally, physically, and ESPECIALLY monetarily. I took the promotion a year ago at my other casino because it seemed like I could never find a bar with longevity and at 25, beginning the climb up the corporate ladder looked most impressive. I started in Vegas as a barback...2.5 years later, I was running the beverage part of a whole casino resort on the Strip. Not as glorious as it sounds. No benefits, no 401(k), insulting pay, long hours, and endless aggravation from my subordinates AND my superiors. Although I will say at both casinos where I was the boss, I had a GREAT department. They did the best they could. But I was miserable. I missed my horse. I missed bartending. I REALLY missed my horse. I missed sleeping and having a chance to change the oil in my car, too. But mostly...I missed my horse.

By a sheer miracle, I snagged a summer gig bartending at one of the best resort pools on the Strip. Through recent events that do not include the generous pay of my job, I'm even financially stable enough to enjoy some much needed time off, so I am on my own personal "vacation" until my new job starts. Back to the serene life of bartending and basking at Shiloh for the time being!!!!

The one who seemed to be more thrilled was none other than Jet. I KNOW Jet doesn't understand what I've dealt with. But it sounds so much better to anthropromorphize. On Valentine's Day, Deonna left me a message that Jet had a puncture in his knee, which was consequently swollen like a balloon. After I got over the initial horror (meaning my over-protective RB self finally realized that "swollen knee" was not synonymous with "dead"), I started joking at work that Jet was fed up with being neglected. To have Mama come up, desperate times called for desperate measures, and he purposely went off and stabbed himself on something. The really funny part was, when Mom and I showed up 2 days later (Dave and Deonna doctored him until I could make it - thank you again!), I was expecting to see Jet constantly shifting off his puffy leg, eyes glazed in misery. Instead, he was hopping around, chewing on another horse's face. He had a look of, "Ah, crap. Busted," when I made my presence known. Still, I had to say, "Babe, if you missed me so much, you could have just sent me a text." When I tell you that this horse HAMMED up the attention, I'm still not giving him enough credit. Talk about an Oscar-worthy performance.

I squeezed in a day off recently to check off our self-assessment. While his circle and sideways are weaker than they once were, we really didn't do too badly for not playing for so long. I realized that the horses truly DO NOT forget the games, no matter how long it's been. Rather, Jet was pulling every test out of the book, telling me, "YOU'RE rusty...I'm not!!!" Looking at it from that perspective, I was able to keep my emotional fitness in check, and I think that's what made our self-assessment as successful as it was.

Today was my first official day as a "free woman," and Jet was ALL about sharing my good mood. In fact, when he heard me calling Charmin's name when I first arrived, he abandoned his breakfast and rushed to the gate. I particularly enjoyed how every time I'd tell him, "Mama's free for the next few weeks...it's just you and me now," he would rub his head against my shoulder. In between helping with some chores around the ranch and meeting some new arrivals, I found moments to lay in the dirt with Jet and graze with him (well, HE grazed, I played with his ears). I was hoping to groom him up and shed out the remainder of his winter coat, but he could smell the apple cookies in my pocket and was hell-bent on taking apart the grooming bag. So I decided to turn his pushiness to my advantage, grabbed my carrot stick, and took off to the opposite side of the pasture. It was one of our first real tries at Liberty and we had a BLAST!! He made so many honest efforts, and kept his ears and eyes on me at all times. All in the name of cookies, of course, but I loved how interested he was in playing and how hard he tried, and he loved that I understood what made him tick. I was even able to make him figure-eight around the poles that hold up a lean-to. It was actually a two-step process, but since we were at Liberty for one of the first times, I didn't want to press the issue too much. As Pat says, "Ask less than he offers, wait for him to offer more." So when he offered a turn around 1 pole, he got a cookie, then a stop. Then I asked him to circle around another one. He chased off a horse that was in his way and I expected him to lose focus, but nope - came right back to his path, turned past the pole and came back to me. THAT was cool.

Not bad for such a long lay-off.

The Transfer

2009-01-12T00:25:00.000-08:00

I write this at an undisclosed location as my laptop has been STOLEN (along with my boyfriend's laptop, my 42" flatscreen, my coach purse, his digital camera...name it, they basically got it), yet another charming "Welcome to 2009" event that has basically made me say the hell with the whole year even though it's still at this stage, a zygote in time. And I was REALLY looking forward to posting the day we were burglarized. While the personal life might suck at the moment, Parelli-land has been blissful as both Mom and I have moved closer, stayed longer with riding Jet.

Going at a pace that is most comfortable for the 3 of us (exact speed: SNAIL), Jet has been a JOY. We're hanging out in the roundpen. Mom is about ready to take hold of the leadrope and take Jet for laps by herself. Meanwhile, he works a little harder under HIS mama's command, as we graduated to PP at the trot. Priority 1 is continuing to make sure I am listening to Jet and supplying what he needs under saddle - comfort, protection, motivation...as well as slowly building up his endurance to trot (fairly) consistently for 21 minutes. Even us most experienced riders do not realize how long that is when suddenly you're doing it "Parelli" style. Not to mention neither Jet nor I have ridden seriously in several years now. But I stand by my original statement many moons ago that Jet actually LIKES being ridden. He is especially enjoying turning. I've noticed with the OTTB's that even after they are rehabbed and reconditioned, their first instinct when they are under saddle is to flee in circles. The more F8's I make Jet do, the more focused and willing he becomes. I think as he gets more comfortable, we'll squeeze around some cones with an end bulls-eye of a small pile of hay or a friend holding a carrot. Mr. What's In It For Me.

As I'm pressed for time, I won't be able to harp on and on about my inner thoughts and revelations, mine and Mom's conversations, and general blathering about how amazing and perfect Jet is. But I will say that during our last session, before I got blasted with the bad news about my condo, 2 things happened that still have me dancing on air. After our last ride, Jet TROTTED beside me at liberty, pulling a brilliant Stick To Me performance. And Mom video-taped our trot, which I nervously played back on the way home. And I was floored. It's pretty obvious that Jet and I are both rusty, somewhat clumsy, maybe even the slightest bit sloppy - but there's also something about us beneath the surface. We look perfect together. We look like we were born as horse-and-rider. I've never felt that way in any pictures or videos I've seen of me riding, even the horses I loved the most. With some practice, and definitely some more savvy (can you ever really have too much?), Jet and I are going to have as much an ideal partnership in the saddle (and bareback and bridleless!) as we already have underway on the ground. Remembering that video keeps me eager and more excited than ever with the passing days about riding.

A New Year

2008-12-22T19:43:00.000-08:00

A Very Happy and Savvy New Year to all! Hope everyone also had a wonderful Christmas! Jet had a blast during his Christmas photo shoot: He looked just breathtaking after a 2 hour primp-and-grooming session before he was brought to the Christmas tree. I, of course, forgot to check a mirror for my own self. Typical.

Jet was a very good boy this year and received the Parelli Ball from Santa. I think he would have preferred apples and mints.

Dave helps blow up Monster Apple

With Jet safe on the other side of the roundpen, he follows Monster Apple with trepidation...

...but curiosity starts to get the better of him. Little Charlie in the backround thinks, "That thing is bigger than me!"...

...And finally, the touchdown! He has since shown no interest, lol.

It's been really interesting listening to everyone's goals and resolutions for the new year. Of course I can't help but think of what I would like to accomplish as well. But unlike years past, I'm trying REALLY hard not to be a direct-line thinker about them, now that horses are involved. After making a list (and checking it twice) of all the things I plan to do this year, I've zeroed in on what it is I want the most, and noticed that through it, the others will follow. Of course I hope to gain more savvy than last year. That's already underway, as Jill asked me to start working with some of the ponies and get them ready for their forever homes. I just started playing with Elvis, an adorable chestnut Welsh with a guitar-shaped white blaze (hence his name). Elvis is an RBE, the complete and utter opposite of my lazy, laid-back and sometimes argumentative Thoroughbred. Mom has also been messing with Charmin, who is that fluffy white Unicorn Pony that every little girl dreams about. He is an LBE, just as brave as Jet, but doesn't need motivation to play. For him, it's ALL about play. Working with other horsenalities is eye-opening, and I've loved figuring out how to best address all the different horses that show up. Of course, helping the other horses who are still waiting for homes has taken away time from Jet a little bit, but when we DO get back to our own horse, playtimes with him are getting more fun and more efficient. Someone on the forum once hypothesized that horses can go into different quadrants at different times of the HOUR and I completely agree. Jet is pre-dominantly LBI, but that didn't mean he was all la-di-da during a bad windstorm a few days ago. He was completely RBE. The poor guy must have been smelling coyotes all the way from Pahrump and thought they were right behind him. But instead of trying to motivate him to jump over the log or climb up and down the sandboxes, it became about comforting him when he needed it (which was a lot) and using approach and retreat to ask him to be brave about doing things in the scary wind. By the end of the session he was marching right past a flapping tarp that was strapped to one of the new building containers on property (Shiloh is being renovated!) like it was nothing. Jet went back to his pasture braver and respecting us as his leaders and I went home feeling like Pat :-)

But I think my biggest and true main goal of this year is to really buckle down about transferring our communication and relationship to the saddle. I've been thinking really hard about what exactly my threshold is about riding Jet because I'm NOT scared to ride. Not only was I riding Moonshine pony a little until he promptly got adopted, but I've also been helping Dave with Rookie's saddle training. Rookie is completely green and had every right to try and buck off a rider from being confused or frustrated about cues, while my horse will spin on a dime just by me LOOKING in the direction I want to go. So here I am, jumping on Rookie and trotting him around the roundpen, offering Dave my input without thinking twice, but hesitating to tack up Jet. Why? I finally came to the conclusion that riding Jet is not my threshold so much as actually mounting up on him. Having permission to get on a horse's back is so important to me now, and has become such an intense (but good) experience that the times I have put my leg in the stirrup and pushed myself up and Jet has walked away only raise my doubts about understanding him. Not to mention my fear that I will damage our bond by getting up on him heightens as well. Subconciously, I probably had his shoes pulled so that I had an excuse to not have more pressure on myself to ride him.

Interestingly enough, once I openly admitted WHAT it was about riding Jet that made me nervous, I felt silly and realized it's not that big of a deal. And riding other horses, including a been-there-done-that, uncannily forgiving Super Pony named Moonshine (who's adoption to a competitive pony girl is pending, the most perfect home he could fit for!) and slowly-but-surely, GREEN-with-tons-of-potential Rookie, is making me more confident in MYSELF about riding my own horse. I'm more ready than I was a few weeks, even months ago when I first started thinking about it. And insofar as Jet's feeling, well, if this isn't proof of how far we've come and his trust in me, then I don't know what is:

Onward!

2008-12-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Dave and Rookie passed their L1 groundwork assessment with flying colors. It was enlightening to watch and I had the best seat in the house - right next to Marc, listening to him dictate all the rhyme and reasoning behind Parelli's maddness.

Dave has Pushing Passenger left to go and he officially has his red string. Go Dave and Rookie!!

Seeing how well Dave and Rookie have progressed since we first met them back in Feb. at the last Parelli clinic definitely had me feeling woozy with Assessment Fever. I have reasoned since first learning about the assessment test that its entire existence is for us predators who need recognition, praise, and material prizes as rewards for our accomplishments. We need to see it documented on paper from our instructors that we have passed our level tasks. We need those colored savvy strings, psychologically. They represent the hard work we have put into our horses. These trophies signify we know what we're doing, and we are successfully climbing the totem pole toward Ultimate Unity.

The assessments are changing, as we know. Soon we'll be doing "auditions" in the Four Savvy's for our strings. It seems more confusing to me, and more tasks will be involved. Time is running out for anyone who wants to do less for the same reward.

Without thinking, I made it about the test. We printed out the assessment and started running Jet through it so we could do a live assessment for Marc before the end of the year. Weird things started happening. Jet acted fussy and snotty, sometimes downright RB, like we had never asked him to do such tasks before. All this did was frustrate me ("I'm no good at this!") and scare the hell out of me ("There's no way I can ride him if he's like this!"). I started researching ways to solve the new problems that came out of nowhere - tossing his head porcupining Zone 1, for example. That was corrected, but other issues remained. It's still hit-or-miss regarding when to reward for treats. He was starting his Cookie Monster routine all over again, not paying attention to anything but tearing Mommy apart for carrots, then moving onto Grammy if I refused.

There were some good things that were going on, however. Jet spent a full 45 minutes at the washrack standing like a perfect gentleman. AND he was an ANGEL for the farrier! Both Travis and I were in pleasant shock. That was a product of prior and proper preparation. A few days before, we ran Jet through a dress rehearsal in the barn, where I alternated between letting him hang out and sniff and eat whatever he wanted and playing some games like Yo-yo-ing him in and out of the barn, the stalls, squeeze games, friendly games. Mom simulated Tanis bashing his stall door, as he's known to do when he wants to be turned out, or if someone is in the barn not paying attention to him :-) until Jet stood in the barn aisle half asleep during the racket. On Farrier Day, I had Travis give him a peppermint to ensure Jet knew he was a friend, and asked him to trim Jet's back feet first since he is usually more compliant with those. During the process, I rubbed Jet's legs as much as I could, and fed him peppermints after each hoof was complete. A proud moment it was to tell Travis, "Now see, THIS is what my horse is really like. Just a sweet, gentle, good boy." He agreed, finally able to see I wasn't just blowing smoke when I raved about what a doll Jet is.

Travis also left Jet barefoot, which has now set my plans for some serious riding work back a good several months. His front hooves are improving more and more, but it was killing him to walk on the stones between his pasture and the arena. Thanks to support from the forum, Mom and I discovered the glory of Delta boots. We stick them on his hooves before taking him over the rocks and take them off when he's back on softer terrain. He never had an issue with the heavier, more awkward weight on his feet, and now struts proudly over the stones in his "sneakers."

But the pressure of having 7 Perfect Games nailed for the assessment was still an issue. It seemed as though anytime we brought him into the Parelli bushes, Jet was dragging more and more. His facial expressions were depressing. He still came and met us in his pasture but anything beyond Undemanding Time seemed torturesome. In between barn visits, I spent tons of time lurking on the Forum. One particular post, from the owner of an LBI, struck deep: "My horse didn't care until I gave him something to care about. This did not happen until Level 2."

A few days later, a beautiful thing happened. Jet let me come over and pet him while he was laying down. Ma was able to do the same thing. It was such an important message for me. Jet trusts us. Jet loves us. It made all the mistakes, frustrations and tears we went through with him all worth it. The whole moment had me re-evaluate what the real situation was. I was defining my whole PNH self-worth on Marc's nod and a red piece of yacht braid. Meanwhile, I wouldn't even be able to assess the riding part until the new assessment, and Marc has been so busy with other students, he hasn't even been able to make it to Shiloh since Dave's assessment. To make matters even more difficult, Jet was bored shitless. Play times were now work times, the 7 Games were turning into the 7 Tortures. And yet he let us be with him while he was laying down. Once again, I was foolishly focused on my own direct-line pressures instead of listening to my horse. And my horse was telling me, "I don't need a red string to ensure we've done it right. Why do you, if it's supposed to be about the relationship?"

So I've decided to suck it up and do an audition as according to the new assessment, at some point after the holidays when Marc is more available. Until then, we're moving on in our groundwork. Time to give Jet a reason to come greet us again, other than looking for his supplement bucket. And no more worrying if he understands the games as I try to communicate. If one gets broken, we'll fix it. And since then, as I repeat over and over to myself, "I know the games and Jet knows I know the games," Jet is interested, willing, and having fun again. This weekend, he leaped over fences, played Stick to Me, trotted figure eights and bravely squeezed between a scary tree and a fence to get to a new area of the ranch. We are both stumbling through him learning and me teaching him to pick up his brushes and hand them to me but having a blast playing "Pick it up and throw it around."

And our shining moment of the weekend: we brought him to the Sandbox of Doom, where he's known to throw some of his best fits. The sandbox is a 3-tiered hill Marc and Dave built, the highest part standing about 2 1/2 feet tall. Most of the horses will walk from the shortest to tallest level and step down from either the middle or lowest. I was standing on the highest level, just watching Jet mosey around and decide if he wanted to try anything. He had already trotted happily up and over the middle level and now I was just interested to see if he had anything else in mind. He scratched his nose on the woodpaneling that holds in the sand and lifted his leg a little. Then, with the utmost confidence, with no urging from me or Mom AT ALL, he hoisted his front half up onto the highest level and tossed his head proudly, ears straight up, as if to say, "I am ALL that is MAN!" Mom's and my jaws hit the ground in sheer delight. A few minutes later, Jet pulled himself all the way up, made a little circle, then bravely leaped the 2 1/2 feet down like he'd done it all his life.

I made sure to feed him a carrot that was the length of my ARM for that one. He looked like the happiest little Parelli horse pulling himself onto the sandbox like that. But most importantly was that he WAS happy playing Parelli today. And he was having FUN.

Circle Game, Take 2

2008-11-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Way in the depths of my last post, I mentioned how Mom had videotaped me circling Jet. Although Jet took it nicely, it wa pretty clear he was tuning me out because my body language was WRETCHED. I was acting more like a dictator than a partner. Frankly, I'm amazed how tolerant Jet became about that because he can really fall apart when he feels like he's under too much pressure. I guess he just figured it is what it is.

Another issue we were having in the Circling Game was asking Jet to trot. He continued, no matter how politely we asked, to throw raging shit fits, to put it diplomatically, before slouching off in an angry jog.

I could hardly wait to try Circling Game again to prove to Jet I am far nicer than I look on the Circle. In a perfect world, being more relaxed and trusting him to know the routine would ultimately cause the trotting issue to fix itself. But who knew? I had plans B, C, and D in the event that requesting the trot would cause mass hysteria.

Jet did a gorgeous back-up in the lightest of phases and waited politely for my next move. I got into send position, and emulating the attitude as best I could: "Step this way, please, and let me help you!"

As soon as he took the send, I dropped the rope. Of course, Jet came in, as I assumed he would. Until now, the only time I lessened the pressure on the rope was on the bring back. I assured Jet he wasn't wrong in coming back, sent him back out, and dropped my arm when he was back on the circle.

HE DID IT! HE DID IT! HE DID IT!

Not only did he IMMEDIATELY get the idea, but the expression in his eyes was bright, and I swear to God, RELIEVED. He let out a little whuff while he was walking like, "Praise God, she finally got it!" He had a spring in his step and seemed completely at ease. I brought him back after a couple of laps and he was praised with hugs, rubs and a carrot. NOW Jet was interested! Oh my, a carrot!

Set up for success...

I sent Jet back again after letting him rest for a moment and it felt like we had been doing perfect Circles for years. Basking in his reward AND relief, I picked up the CS, but did not raise it. I wanted to see just how subtle I could be. Most students and instructors advise us to not use our voices but Jet is extremely tuned in to the tone of my voice. My voice is very theatrical and my emotions are pretty clear when I speak, whether I like it or not. So I said, in my most upbeat and positive attitude, "Hey Jet, how about a trot?"

To which Jet replied, "You got it, Mommy!" He GLIDED into a most glorious trot. It was one of those moments where you want to drop to your knees and scream, "THANK YOU PAT!!! THANK YOU LINDA!!!" and promptly nominate them for sainthood.

It went on like that for the remainder of Play Time. Especially when he realized carrots were involved, he was the classic LBI: "I'll do anything for a carrot! Watch me do a backflip! Can I have a carrot?" When it was time to go back to the pasture, I bolted from the arena to see how well Jet would follow me. He always walks nicely at Liberty back home, so once again I wanted to up it a notch. I should have known - carrots were at stake! Jet trotted after me, but never went overboard. For the love of treats, he could have raced right up behind me, grabbed the bag with the carrots off my shoulder and trampled me without even meaning to. But once he caught up, he stayed a respectful distance. I've been playing Stick to Me and Yo-yo at liberty in his pasture - he HAS to work for treats. We learned the hard way that giving him treats just as a sign of love turns him into Cookie Monster. His trotting beside me and not trying to kill me for the bag told me it was working. We played some Stick to Me a little more once in the paddock, though I couldn't help making myself a hypocrit of my last statement and fed him ONE baby carrot "just because." It was time for us to be heading home, so we walked back to the Cherry Pie (lounge area) and Jet helped himself to some water. I turned around to take a last peak at him and he was looking with both eyes on me, ears pricked forward. I can only hope his thought process was somewhere along the lines of, "Wow, Mommy was actually kind of fun today!"

Perhaps we're more fun when we've got peppermints or carrots, but if Jet associates us with his hierarchy of needs (which for him, goes in the order of FOOD, comfort, food, food, play, food, safety, and food) and continues to put in such honest efforts in order to attain them, well, there's all the love right there I could ever ask for. I love seeing his eyes light up when he gets a treat for trying. Sometimes, and I am aware of this, he doesn't try all that hard, but when he realizes he gets something he loves for a small effort, his next effort is worlds larger. His fun is trying to get a treat. Some horses do it because they want to just play and play and play. Some horses do it because they want a job to do. Some horses do it because they want a treat. The important part is they do it because they want to. It isn't about the reason why. It's up to us to continue being provacative and motivating, yet comforting and assuring when Jet needs. With that, we should be able to live, love, and learn just fine.

Change of Seasons

2008-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Well, first the bad news. I got laid-off from my job. Occupational hazzard of living in a city who's sole survival depends on people's indulgence and luxuries. I have some leads, but it's bleak. The Strip is toxic at the moment with so few tourists able to visit us. Who knows when this awful situation will end, but it will someday, and the Strip will rise once more.

My one great escape is completely immersing myself in Parelli and spending more time with the one who matters most - Jet.

Before you all start worrying, "So you're out on the street, but what about Jet??" JET IS FINE (I repeat this over and over to myself every night). He's Ma's horse too, and I'm one lucky gal to have a mom who is lenient about debt and she is financially secure enough to handle the majority of Jet's expenses until I'm out of the woods. Amen. I'm not quite sure what either of us would do if we lost Jet. I personally would consider flinging myself off the top of the Stratosphere. Thank God for Mom. Thank God for Jet. Or else I would be seriously bored and panicking non-stop about the didly-shit economy. In order to keep myself sane, in between job hunting and keeping my ear pressed to the phone for the unemployment hotline, I keep thinking this is the time to REALLY accelerate in our journey. I could get a job tomorrow, I may not get employment for 6 months. Either which direction, I may never have an opportunity to be with Jet like this until I'm ready to retire, or wealthy enough to buy property that we both can live on.

When I saw Jet for the first time since my untimely lay-off, I buried my face in his neck and told him Mommy hit a bad patch but she would make it all better. That things were tight and it may reflect on my mood when I saw him (I swear, that horse picks up on an annoyance over stubbing my toe 8 hours earlier when I'VE supposedly forgotten about it, he's so sensitive to my emotions). But I was going to do everything in my power to ride this mess out and get myself back on track and someday we would never have to worry about a paycheck, or cringe everytime I swiped my credit card, or merely daydream about a course at Pagosa. That he was my everything, and Mom and I would never let anything happen to him.

I think he got the general idea. He blew snot on me and leaned his head against my chest and asked me to kiss his ears, like he always does when I need to cuddle him. Far more comforting than the words of support I'd received all week.

In better news, our Parelli instructor is back! 3* Marc Rea (*applause*), his wife Mary, and their equine partners, Lucy and Desi have stormed the valley once again, giving a bright side to the cold months ahead. The Hickey's hosted Parelli & Pizza night this past Friday. I was surprised to see how much PNH has influenced Shiloh since last February, which was when our clinic with Marc took place. We have met some new volunteers over the year who announced their decision to officially convert in the last month, which was THRILLING. Other familiar faces attended if nothing else with an open mind, always looking for more ways to become bonded to their horses. What more could you ask for than that?

Having someone so close again who studies directly with Pat and Linda has my brain wheels turning even faster. In the scorching heat of summer, with the local PP's far away, it's easier to get lost in the fog and start feeling like you're moving at a snail pace, maybe even wondering that you're regressing if you're a constant, unconfident worrier such as myself. Having Marc back is motivating and very exciting. Professional advice from one of Pat's protoges. I'm so nervous AND excited for him to meet Jet.

As for Jet himself, he's the same LBI we know and love. I learn new things about him as an individual every day and it's uncanny how similar he and I really are. Apparently, he knew what he was doing when he chose me.

Running with Pat's discussions of horses being pattern animals, I've gotten a pretty firm grasp of Jet's daily routine. He's fed between 8 and 830A. He rotates counter-clockwise from the hay alongside the neighboring paddock to the outside rail. It usually isn't until about 1130 (!) that he starts drifting away from his food. He and Blahnik will stand quietly and swat flies for each other for about an hour before Jet goes and looks for a snack. He'll nibble a little, then stand with Blahnik in one of 3 preferred areas of the pasture, then chase some other horses, stand with Blahnik, graze, walk around, repeat until about 330 when he's ready for major eating time again. By studying his routine, I've been able to plan my own ranch routine so that I can help Jill and Sally with stuff, and then be with my own horse during a time when he is more inclined to come out and play. Set-up for success, I suppose. The last few times I've come into the pasture after 11A with his halter, he's happily obliged without me having to compete with a particularly appealing pile of hay.

We have gotten stuck on one particular threshold recently and I am racking my brain with a few solutions as to how to correct the problem: asking Jet to trot. It seems as though no matter how politely we ask him to trot on the Circle or the OL Patterns (except for Sniff This), he bucks, rears, hops, farts, then stomps off in a huffy jog. His tantrums are far better than they were a few weeks ago, but you would think we were asking him to build an extension onto the barn without the benefit of a hammer and nails. We can't figure out if it's a driving issue, a friendly issue, or a staying-provacative issue.

We have figured out one key to our success and becoming lighter, better leaders in the Games - videotaping ourselves. If you have not done this before - START! There is so much more going on in your sessions than you realize, and things your horse is doing that you don't see until you can see the two of you from "a distance." It wasn't until I saw myself on the Circle with Jet that I had a major BFO: not only does my butt look good now that I've stopped eating meat, but I am a DRILL SERGEANT during that Game. From the waist down, I look neutral, but the whole time Jet's out, my back is fixed and my arm is hauled out in the direction I'm asking for in a permanant salute to Hitler. No wonder poor Jet is like, "Why me?" when we play Circle. My body language says, "You're going to circle and you're going to LIKE IT, God dammit!!!" Amazingly, Jet does a lovely circle at the walk in that clip. My only guess is I've asked him so harshly like that to circle for so long that by this video, he's actually just tuning me out. OooOOoops...

But now comes the fun part - figuring out how to make the Circle a game again and not a torture. Firstly is I need to LEAVE HIM ALONE after the send. I'm not trusting him enough to keep responsibility over himself on the Circle. So drop the rope and relax. When this happens, he will probably immediately disengage and come in. That's not him testing, he's only doing what I've unintentionally taught him. There will probably be a lot of, "Well, that was interesting!" moments when I try Circle, Take 2. But I'm hoping in the end, Jet will be relieved that I took so much pressure off, and the trotting thing will much improve. I KNEW Jet was trying to tell me something...

Then I crossed a threshold of my own in our last play session. I rode him! Bareback with a halter and lead. My heart was pounding, as memories of him taking off like Seabiscuit continually flashed through my mind. But as he stood quietly, with one leg cocked and his head low, I began to relax and felt confident enough to walk him around. To the un-Parelli'ed eye, it looked like I was just noodling around, not doing much of anything. And I really was just noodling, testing out some waters. After watching some sessions with Linda on the SC DVD's later, I realized that we are about at the point where I should just be practicing lateral flexion and becoming confident at the standing gait. But some FASCINATING things happened. Jet himself was licking and chewing like crazy.

It won't happen today, it may not happen in a year, but Jet is going to make an UNBELIEVABLE ride someday. Despite normal riding techniques, including the first 3 years of his life being a racehorse, he is somehow SUPER, SUPER light. When you're on his back, he is LISTENING. I was amazed at how sensitive and responsive he was to my rusty seat and even rustier legs.

When I took Jet on the initial test run that was ultimately the deciding factor in the question of adopting him, I was told he didn't steer well and he was hard on the bit from the track. I watched him trot on the rail with his head up in the air, teeth bared, and rolling his tongue like he was being choked. This was in an egg-butt, rubber snaffle. When I got on him, I held onto his mane more so than the reins and his head immediately dropped and he had no issues on the bit. I realized immediately, hardly knowing him at that point, that he had a velvet mouth and preferred to keep it that way.

Six months later, with no bit to call my own, he was proving in every which way that yes, we WOULD ride bareback and bridleless one day and wow the crowds at the ranch. The horse that "couldn't steer?" All I did was look, smile, and squeeze a cheek. No leg. No heel. He turned. I looked somewhere around his ears and mane. He stopped. I sucked in all my air, pulled my bullhorn waaayy back. He backed up. I never used my hands once to make him turn. The only reason I was holding on to the lead rope was so he wouldn't trip over it. And to bend him. His neck was a little stiffer than I was hoping, but I also realized watching Linda later that I wasn't lifting my hands correctly. We'll work a little more on the ground.

The whole ride lasted no more than 20 minutes but it was thrilling. If he's that light and sensitive now, I'd like to first think Mom and I had a little something to do with that from all the groundwork. And also, just imagine how he will be in a year, two years, TEN years. My ultimate goals for Jet occupy a good 90% of my daily daydreams. Judging by how he moves and performs, when he wants to, his athleticism (nevermind his hay belly!), and his general disposition, I think he's got it in him to be a Superhorse. He's herded horses for me, he does rollbacks, sliding stops, jumps...there's hardly anything he can't do. He's too big and lanky to really bend ideally around a barrel, maybe that's it, but I'm not interested in barrel racing or basically any form of competition. I want to learn dressage and do some light jumping, fool around on our future Parelli playground...and I want to do it all with him wearing nothing but a savvy string at the most. I don't think those goals are out of reach. Far off, yes, but certainly not impossible. More than anything, and I'm definitely not alone in thinking this, I want that ultimate unity. I want to be the perfect partner for him. I want him to be my Remmer, my Magic.

I can't think of anything else to write ("Thank God!" some of you are thinking). I'm at that loss again that only Jet can cause :-) That crazy horse will never quite know just how much I love him; that he is my everything. And that everything we've done so far is still only just the beginning.

Read Me

2008-10-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've been a blog slacker (BAD blogger, BAD!) because things with Jet have been moving so smoothly, I almost felt like I was going to make my faithful readers barf with one more line of, "Another WONDERFUL session!" Unless I had something damn interesting to say to back it up. Not to mention Jill and Sally were out of town for 2 weeks, so Mom and I were concentrating a lot on trying to help out with barn maintenance.

As our journey as Jet's Mom and Grandma continues, he continues to fascinate me. While Mom was in Cabo for a week and I actually had THREE days off from work (after working 10 days straight with NO day off and didn't see Jet that whole time and actually broke down and cried in my office because I missed him so much), I spent them all at the ranch. Those days I was not at Shiloh, I spent every moment I was not at work either on the forum, or reading articles, completely immersing myself in Parelli teachings. By the time I was able to be with my boy, my brain was functioning as it never has in terms of horsemanship. Somewhere along the line, I stopped worrying so much about whether I was holding my carrot stick right, or phasing lightly enough, or holding the rope correctly. Those all factor into success, of course, but I realized that focusing more into Jet, and anything he was trying to tell me, then balanced out my concentration on how to effectively communicate back to him.

An example: he and I were standing in his pasture and I had been scratching his shoulder while he grazed, when he randomly abandoned his hay and walked to the middle of the field, positioning himself so that he was looking out at the "Parelli bushes" (where Ma and I prefer to play the games). I joined him and continued loving on him, in La-La land, when the question racked my brain: "Does he want to go in there?" Couldn't be. I even asked him, "Do you want to come out and play?" He continued staring out at the field, blinking, swishing his tail, until finally he decided to go back to the hay. I felt the message, "Fine, if we're not going anywhere, I'll just stuff my face." I ran and got his halter and decided, "If he does that again, we're going to the arena." He was eating and not too interested in me. I stood casually, looking around, and just waited. And then...he was there. Caught me, and stuck his nose right in when I opened up his halter. We had a FLAWLESS Patterns session.

I was quite proud of me. I had some very savvy moments. I'm slowly getting the hang of when it is appropriate to give Jets treats as an incentive (just one, in between scratches for other successes, for a real BIG success) so that he is interested in doing stuff, not wrestling me to the ground for the rest of the carrots. Jet also made some great progess with squeezing with a barrel. He didn't try to jump it, BUT:
He put his nose on it.
He rolled it an inch with his foot.
He squeezed between the barrel and the fence with no isues at all.
He squeezed between me and the barrel with no issues at all.
As we know with the LBI's, we take what we can get in small increments. I was thrilled just with the expression on his face as he squeezed around the obstacle. Both eyes were on me, ears forward. Standardly, Jet performs the games well, licks and chews, and appreciates the big reward of letting him do nothing when he's done well. This session, he was REALLY trying, putting in an honest effort, and completely engaged. I was flying high the entire rest of the day. He was just a doll. The horse that showed up that day was a total scholarly delight.

It continued like that through several more sessions over these last few weeks. Then yesterday, Mom and I decided to take him into the bushes for some weave and F8 work at the trot. We've arrived at that point - time to ask for a little more from him. Get some more life into him. He knows the F8 so well now, he falls asleep walking it.

Immediately I could tell that the angelic horse I had the week before was no where to be found. Jet wasn't in a bad mood by any means - he just decided that HE wanted to be the alpha this time. And when Jet gets it into his thick skull that he's the boss, he's...well...he's just a complete asshole.

Up until this point, this has scared the bejeezus (or as Mom and I like to call it, the Big Cheeses) out of us. He's an enormous horse, and he's so athletic and hot-blooded (this is what I wanted from the time I was 9 years old), when he gets riled up, he just gets possessed by the spirit of his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandsire, Man O' War. We're afraid for a few reasons. Afraid if we up our energy and phase 4 him, he'll get WORSE. Afraid he'll get mad at us and hate us for life. Afraid he'll kill us. You know, silly stuff like that.

So, Mom asked him lightly, politely, and very gently (the Jet way) to trot the weave. Apparently, he's so sensitive we need only THINK of asking him to trot because he shot off like a bat out of hell. Reared, bucked, farted, then broke into a trot fit for the track with a sour puss on his face. I hated his expression, but I was not the one with the CS or holding the leadrope this time. Mom was just happy he was trotting. When he broke gait and Mom merely clucked to remind him please don't break gait until I ask, he jumped taller than I've ever seen him do, did some sort of Lippizzan spin and kick out with both legs. Aimed RIGHT at Mom. Had she not been on the end of the 22, and was my height, he WOULD have killed her. It was inexcusable.
I still have thresholds with P4, but NO ONE messes with mi madre. I don't think he was TRYING to hurt her, but he sure wasn't showing any respect. Yet, I was not angry. I didn't want to punish him. I'm realizing in many ways, over and over, that punishment just does NOTHING. But backing up does. A big normie gripe with Parelli is that all we ever do is make horses back up, but watching the herd dynamics in his pasture, I have come to the conclusion that backing up has way more an effect on horses, particularly the dominant ones, than us humans can really fathom. He who backs up is the loser. And BOY did I phase 4. I was ready to back the boy into Pahrump if that's what it took for him to realize, "Shit, they really ARE the alpha mares." I said in my best Linda tone, "Wipe that look off your face!" As soon as Jet gave me both ears and eyes, I dropped the rope, smiled, let him think about it, turned around, and led him back to the cones. He wasn't going to get rubbed, because rubs are rewards for him. But I figured turning my back and putting the pressure off once he had a moment to think would be enough to assure him, "I'm not going to ever punish you, but we will NOT tolerate this behavior." I said to Mom, "I'm willing to bet now he'll offer you a gorgeous, light trot now."

Guess what?

However, it didn't mean he was a saint for the rest of the session. Or during his bath. No. Mom had to P4 him just as I did, tell him to wipe off his smirk, the whole nine yards. By the time he started doing his Ben Vereen act at the washrack, we were starting to run out of ideas. We were filthy, exhausted and reaching the end of our rope with his endless testing. Someone on the forum once mentioned it was important to leave an LBI first after you removed the halter. I have been determined to put that to the test. In the pasture, if Jet leaves before I do, I go and get him to come to me, then I leave before he has a chance to leave again. It's had a positive effect. Until this day, yesterday, he really was acting more respectful. But the old saying goes, you address the horse that shows up.

He was fairly well behaved when we got him back to the field, then I just BOLTED once his halter came off. I glanced back as I headed to the barn, and he was already buried in hay, sulking, as he always does when he loses a dominance game. And people wonder why my username is Spoiled Rotten Savvy. We purposely did not return to see him after that. We wanted to give him all the time in the world to process everything that had gone on.

On days like this, I have always been devestated for the rest of the day. Thoroughly convinced the horse hates me and I've completely destroyed the bond we've ALL worked so hard at creating. This time, my mind was calm. I felt our reinforcements and promises were the right things to do at the appropriate times.

But that didn't stop me from still being a basket case that I was on an ego. The real test would be today, when we returned to the pasture. It's always the next day, not the immediate aftermath. If he came to us, everything was fine. If he ran to the opposite corner, Mom and I had some major licking and chewing to do.

A friend I hadn't seen in awhile showed up to Shiloh. He hadn't met Jet yet, so I took him to the pasture to introduce him. We slipped between the fence, and the movement in the otherwise still paddock was sparked his curiosity enough to walk over and investigate. When he saw it was me, he whinnied.

He WHINNIED.

WHINNIED!!!!

A minute later, his head was in my arms.

A Tribute to Shiloh

2008-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dave, Deonna and crew hosted a Shiloh BBQ last week that was an absolute blast! The ladies wore make-up and the guys brushed their hair - but you know we all would have been more comfortable in our paddock boots and cowboy hats!

Ma and me, or as Jet knows us: Grammy and Mommy.

Ah, who am I kidding? He knows us as Human Who Spoils Me and Human Who Spoils Me More.

Dave, a great Parelli-ite to have around when we get majorly stuck! Check out his blog on my list (Rookie and Numerous) and see how far he's come!

Deonna (left), THE BOSS, and Shiloh's best photographer, and Sharil, who adopted pretty Paint, Cochise (who was found wandering around a Las Vegas neighborhood!), and Borego, an OTTB thoroughly enjoying his retirement.

Sharil and Sally. Sally is Jill's mother, aka my OTHER personal hero.

Jill wasn't able to make it, but she was there in spirit, plus we vowed to hog-tie her to the hood of the car if necessary so she could be at the next BBQ on the 17th!

As I drove to work later that night, not caring that by 5am my legs would be cramping from exhaustion from being up so long, I got to thinking of how unbelievable of a place Shiloh truly is and how much the ranch has taught me.

Thanks to Shiloh, I've learned so much about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the horse world, and I soak up every bit of it as much as I can. Shiloh is a world in itself, a world that works tirelessly for the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves. It's a place where blood, sweat, and tears are put into caring for horses that so many no longer wanted, and trying to prove to those horses in every way that can be thought of that they are loved HERE, and HERE at Shiloh, they are valuable and welcome. Jill and Sally come up 7 days a week in the blazing summers, during the face-ripping winds of winter, in thunderstorms and flawless, sunny days with smiles on their faces and determination in their hearts. They welcome all new visitors and volunteers with warmth, always ready to answer any question, never making you feel like a fool, and somehow know the stories behind each and every one of the 160 animals that rule the 40 acres of desert Shiloh sits on. They put together a basic horsemanship class so that even someone with no experience can learn the basic fundamentals of safety and enjoy the horses. Sally and Jill travel all over the country in the plight to end horse slaughter, bid against killer buyers at auction to bring home horses that later become adopted, proving to the skeptical time and time again that horses on feedlots are NOT always the broken and dying, but more often than not the vibrant and sound, who would make for someone the ultimate trail plodder or roper or jumper.

And then there are the volunteers. Some of us study Parelli, some of us follow Clinton Anderson, we may be traditional English riders, or we may be die-hard Western riders - it just doesn't matter. It's not about our preferred training methods. It's about the horses. It's about providing for horses that no one wanted. It's about keeping them healthy, safe, and happy. Every volunteer and visitor is appreciated - Jill and Sally thank everyone over and over. For me personally, thanks is not deserved. I don't do nearly enough, and I'm not up there nearly as often as I wish I could be. Even on the days where we just give Jet a carrot and pat on the nose so we can dedicate our time to the other horses still looking for their forever homes, I feel like I should have done more that day. And yet, there is no attitude of who-did-what, who-did-more, who-did-nothing between the girls nor the volunteers. Shiloh is MY sanctuary as much as it is for the horses. One of the reasons I love being there the most is because it's a reminder of how GOOD people can be. Shiloh is proof that there are people out there who don't do it for money, glory, power, or fame. They do it because they love it. Because the real satisfaction comes from something as simple as fixing a faulty gate to something as huge as bonding with a horse who becomes your best friend for life. The satisfaction comes from doing something nice. Knowing you helped a horse (or a person) that day. Shiloh reminds me that the world isn't COMPLETELY full of corruption, greed or daggers.

When I daydreamed about moving to Vegas and getting back into horses, I never expected that I would become so committed to a rescue. But I am most thankful to be a part, however small, of such a valiant effort. It always sits in the back of my mind that too many of the animals up here arrived because no one cared what happened to them. Because I can't imagine my life without them.

Better, better and better

2008-09-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful session! Three in a row!

I'm going to have to vote on the side of YAYE for the Patterns drastically improving my relationship with my horse. He was mouthy and playful with the cones today and with this being the 4th session, it's time to start thinking about explanding it a little. Maybe one more and we can up the ante a bit. He seemed to be making his own fun picking up the cones and throwing them around.

But remember, we can't push him TOO hard or else he has a mental meltdown. Sigh.

What I love most about the Patterns is how even in the L1 Online games, the most basic of the new program, the constant movement and change of direction keeps the horse THINKING. I noticed it the very first time we introduced him to the F8. Even in moments where he wanted to go RB, or get snotty, I could see the wheels turning in his head: "I'm gonna give those girls a what-for! But first I have to make this turn! ...Alright, NOW I'm - oh, wait, gotta turn again...eh, nevermind, I'm over it."

Hence tossing the cones every where, it probably would have been more fun for Jet had we set-up a whole Sniff This course. I tried to make up for it by deciding, "Ok, you want to smell every turd in this arena? Let's trot to them then!"

He LOVED that game! Once he realized I was always taking him to a new manure pile, he was trotting merrily with me, even gave a few sliding stops.

I got a new camera so I taped Mom bending and doing F8's. As soon as I figure out how to make the video show up on the computer, and put together a smart slide show for all the new pictures I took, I will immediately post notices here and on the Forum :0). There is one fabulous moment during one of the F8's were Jet gets cranky about being sent out again and starts pawing and backing up. Rather than matching his energy, Mom's whole body closes down and she drops all the tension. Jet lowers his head, licks his lips. Mom asks for the send again and Jet continues on like a perfect gentleman.

And then we tried the Circling Game. We had dropped that game for most of the summer because Jet thought we were lunging him, and we figured we had to go back to square one. Apparently, a core game, or several, wasn't strong enough. But I'm pleased to announce that we had no broken core games today because we got the OTHER side of the spectrum for his first circle in months: lazy, sniffing the ground. No, it's no more ideal a circle as a panicked, tearing around in a sweaty frenzied one. But for the two of us, we can improve on laziness far better than panic. I suppose it's a threshold of our own with the Circling Game. So in that sense, we were QUITE pleased with his state of mind this time.

Of course, no day at the ranch is complete without Jet doing something on his own that completely thrills us. Mom, Jill, Sally and I all went into his pasture to put a blanket on Angel, a VERY skittish, snooty mare who has no hair due to severe allergies. We managed to get the blanket on her without a hitch. My back as turned for a moment while I was looking for a halter, and when I came back, Jet was at the gate. I patted his nose and Jill was laughing, "Geez Jet, you startled me!"

"What did he do?" I asked.

"Well, he was all the way in the corner when we came in, and then all of a sudden he was tearing over here at full speed when he saw you. It was so fast."

Of course the day Jet actually RUNS to say hello, I miss it! But an eye witness is the next best thing.

Sometimes I feel like this blog is a cop-out because words can't describe how wonderful of a horse Jet is becoming. Nor can they seem to describe how amazing studying Parelli is and how it's changing everything. I've always been able to write about anything, able to paint pictures with my words and put people right at the scene with me. Writing has always come easiest. Jet is the only thing in the world that I struggle to write about because there is so much about him and so many thoughts and hopes I have for us, I don't even know where to begin. I thank all of you so much for your support and wonderful words of encouragement on this blog AND the forum. I think we can all agree that writing about our journies detail by detail just doesn't hold a torch to actually being there and experiencing it, and what we're REALLY feeling inside!

The Next Phase

2008-09-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of the Patterns. We were extremely anxious to see how Jet would take to the F8, because after all, the second time is the hardest.

It went GREAT!

For my F8 in particular, it was one of the first times I tried REALLY hard to concentrate solely on my communication. It wasn't about the figure eight, it was about me giving the right cues. On the drawback, just like in Yo-Yo, I kept my expression soft and friendly, combing the rope to bring him in, then fed him lots of rope when I drove him away. The more slack and less tension in the rope he had, the easier a time he had in walking around the cone. It all made even more sense than yesterday.

He offered a much lighter sidepass than yesterday as well, then I tried his first-ever Squeeze Game. No obstacle yet, just pushing him between me and the fence. He did it correctly, but of course didn't know it, so we left it alone and dropped the whole game for the day so he could think about it. While he was doing that, Mom and I were discussing his future and possibly trying for the old assessment since he's progressing so quickly and calmly (AMEN, off-season!).

"The only thing is," Mom said, "We can't do pushing passenger yet."

Ah, yes. The riding thing. The last time I rode Jet, it was a disaster. My own fault, really. He wasn't giving me permission. I got on him, but he ran off. Luckily, he stopped when he got to the end of the rail, which was just enough time for me to practice my emergency dismount. I haven't ridden him since. The ride could have gone a lot worse but I lost my confidence a little bit and dropped the idea of riding for awhile. I didn't even concieve of the idea that he would give me permission again anytime soon.

Although people inevitably asking me why I don't ride is a little bothersome, I have never really had an issue with losing my nerve. Normies often think that Parelli people don't ride. That's not the case (and if you ARE a Parelli student who has no intention of riding, that's no one's business but your own. It's your horse and you're doing what's best for both of you. Cheers). I LOVE to ride. I daydream constantly about galloping Jet across the desert, learning dressage on him, doing light jumping, learning slide stops, cantering him around the arena bareback and bridleless...I watch the other boarders, Jill, and Elisa, the trainer, ride and I get wistful. I'm DYING to ride, I've been missing it. But Jet and I have other things to take care of on the ground before I can think about riding again. And just like his groundwork, it has to come in baby steps.

But I DID not expect that when Mom mentioned pushing passenger and I said, "Well, first we're going to have to practice the standing gait," that I would glance over at Jet and his eyes would meet with mine, and clear as day, I heard a message direct from him, "It's time to think about riding again."

I know I sound COMPLETELY insane. Logically, and to avoid warped stares, I could say I felt brave enough to start thinking about preparing to ride. But that's not what happened. It was a message. And I felt it come FROM Jet. It's not the first time it's happened.

How can you say I'm delusional when Mom brought over the mounting block, let Jet sniff it, then put it beside him and he didn't budge?

No, of course I didn't run over to the tack shed and grab all his gear. A few months ago, I sure would have. He would be LB enough once in awhile to tolerate that, but Parelli and Jet are teaching me the art of patience in ways I never thought possible. My new favorite motto has become "slow and right beats fast and wrong." Even preparing for riding, though I have been tacking and getting leg ups for my whole life and naturally (normally?) want to do that after glorious groundwork, must be taken in small increments.

Mom went first, since she has never even sat on Jet's back. I think, even though he was half asleep while she stood up there and just rubbed his neck, she was a little intimidated. Jet is a 16.2 hand BEAST with a long, beautiful giraffe neck and she is barely 5'1." However, when I said, "But doesn't the ranch look AWESOME from between his ears?" I could see the years she spent loving riding come back. Her smile said it all.

All we did was lean over his back and rub him all over. I swung my leg up a few times, but never actually sat on him. Instead I mainly laid myself over him. A few times he glanced back. I just waved and continued petting him. As his tail swished lazily, his left leg cocked in relaxation, I could feel his appreciation. "Thanks so much for being so polite." Yes, he was giving permission to Friendly Game myself on his back.

Could I have thrown my saddle or bareback pad on him and taken him for a little spin? Possibly. Would he have been LB and walked calmly? Maybe. But this little moment, which lasted no more than 30 minutes, was huge for both of us. A direct-line-thinking human naturally wants to just jump up and ride. That's the only form of riding prep a former racehorse like Jet has ever known. It's obvious he wished it wasn't always done like that. I felt bad because I too had done that with him. How thrilling that today all was forgiven and JET wanted ME to start trying again. This time, it will be the natural way.

The First OFFICIAL Patterns Session

2008-09-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the grotesquely Hotter Than The Seventh Circle of Hell days of summer, we have spent a substantial amount of hours doing a whole lot of NOTHING with Jet. This has proven to be worth its weight in 24-karot gold (with platinum trimming). I am absolutely amazed by how just being with Jet and observing him has developed our relationship. We were able to all get to know each other without the hassle of frustration, fighting, injuries, or scary incidents.

Ok, we had a few of those in the beginning. But they were significantly minimal and I firmly believe those miserable sessions are behind us because WE are becoming more emotionally fit and are learning more and more how to deal with frustrations more LB and logically. "It's not about..."

The more time I spend with Jet, either playing games or just loafing with him and Blahnik, the more I in awe I am of how one's horse truly IS a mirror of oneself. Jet and I are alike in ways I never would have guessed. We both need time to think things over when something new happens. We are both extremely sensitive, mentally and physically; we get insulted quickly over nothing, we both crumble under too much, too fast, but we forgive faster than we get upset. When Jet gets claustrophobic, he gets itchy and starts constantly scratching - just as I do. Maybe I'm anthropromorphizing him, maybe what I'm describing sounds meaningless, but I just never realized I would have such subtle things in common with my horse.

We've also had a new little breakthrough that has been causing my mother's and my hearts to soar: the last 3 times we've gone up to Shiloh, Jet's been waiting at the gate for us, ears up, and sticking his nose out for kisses when we arrive.

So, last time we introduced him to the figure eight and Sniff This games. This time we actually put it to the test. The LBI in Jet likes Sniff This, particularly if there is hay or a turd pile at the end of the tunnel. Mom was doing quite nicely showing him the F8 and I saw first-hand what makes it such a good game. Anytime Jet started getting worried because his Lordship was asked to go somewhere before he had time to think about it, he had to turn around. The changing directions kept him VERY focused. Even when he broke into a trot, wanting to get upset and take off, he COULDN'T because he had to keep turning around. So he just kept trotting and dealt with it. Double bonus - a pleasant trot AND he was actually LISTENING to Mom's driving cues, not just throwing it all to the wind because he got worried.

Then it was my turn. By now, Jet had done GORGEOUS F8's for Ma. The two of them even had a blunder and corrected it in record time. The problem (direction change) was solved so fast I almost didn't see it. It was time to hand the reins (pun intended) to me.

To my disadvantage, I haven't watched Online as much as Mom has, since it's been at her house mostly since we bought it. Good thing the segments are short, but Pat needs to be watched, with the sound off, at least a zillion times in order to pick up the subtlties in his hands and body movement. This was really the first time I was trying a F8. And Jet KNEW IT.

Mr. LBE came out. He took my un-skilledness and ran with it. Around the first cone he stopped in front of it, picked it up and flopped it around. I couldn't help it. I just dropped the rope and laughed. Then he turned around to the next cone and proudly demonstrated the same behavior, then trotted merrily behind me. SO naughty, but I couldn't get mad at him for getting playful.
The send was the hardest for me, and I was also driving him in the wrong zone, which was one of the reasons he was going in the opposite way of where I was trying to drive him. It was quite obvious he knew exactly what he was supposed to do around the cones by now but his feeling was, "Oh, I'll go where YOU tell me to. Ha, ha!"

On the third try, Mom yelled, "Zone 2!" at the perfect moment. I waved the carrot stick there and Jet's face literally read, "Rats, she figured it out," but he completed the F8 sans any more funny business. We did one more for good measure, then practiced sidepassing (his sidesteps are getting GORGEOUS. I've been growing more interested in dressage and think he might really enjoy that in the future) before a hay break.

A few minutes into munching, I decided to oil and pick out his feet. His right side was scrunched up parallel to the rail. I thought about how I had to move him over as I walked to that side and, almost as a joke, snapped my fingers and mumbled, "Move over, babe."

HE DID.

These little moments of unity never cease to blow my mind. even for the most mundane tasks. Coincidence? Could be. But I don't believe in coincidence and nothing means nothing to a horse.

We took the boy back to his pasture where an anxious Blahnik was waiting. He hung around long enough to let us cover his Kissy Spot before he spotted a glorious hay pile.

As if the day couldn't have gone better, back at the Mare Motel Jill was riding her gorgeous Fresian, Tanis. We stood around shooting the breeze for a minute when out of the clear blue, Jill asked if I wanted to take Tanis for a spin around the ranch. You'd have thought she'd just told me I won a cruise to Hawaii.

Although my form looked HORRIFIC in the pictures, puttering around the ranch on Tanis only convinced me further that I have GOT to get me one like him someday. Fresians are so laid back, so kind, and it's like riding a sofa. I always say I'm going to buy the Fresian in the Tournament of Kings show. But any future Fresian will have to get along with Jet, and Jet prefers mares. And since Jet gets whatever he wants...

Smarty Pants

2008-09-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time I've seen my darling since Wednesday. Not much happened, but we did introduce his new form of training torture today: The Patterns.

Jet is also improving more and more and more with his hooves. Not only are they getting harder, staying round, and not chipping, but he is becoming more desensitized, less sore on his back feet, and thanks to the bell boots we bought him, his step is improving and he's not tearing his shoes off. And he thinks he looks SO stylin' in his "bell bottoms!" He is also lifting them up politely and enjoys having his legs rubbed and massaged while he eats.

I can't describe how much happier and confident I am feeling playing with Jet in his pasture instead of the round pen now. The privacy makes me concentrate more on the communication, not trying to show off the communication.

Jet WAS a little unsure about leaving his pasture today but I knew once he saw we were going into the "good" arena which is right next to the pasture and he and Blahnik could see each other, he would be fine.

Mom and I both tried out some Sniff Its. As always, Jet is a lovely test of patience. Reitterating something I posted on the forum recently, Jet is very smart and usually pretty LB. But any given time of the day he is 49/51% LBE/LBI - and the 2 quadrants can interchange multiple times daily. He can complete a task correctly very fast, but he still needs time to "analyze" what he just did. I have come to discover that even if his head is lowering and his eyes are closing and he's relaxing, that doesn't mean he's lost interest just yet. We HAVE to wait for the lick n' chew or for him to start walking around, looking for hay, or else that's when the trouble starts. At this point in the journey, if we push him to try something new after just finishing a different game, he panics. Information overload, I guess. HOWEVER, once he has licked his lips, then we have to move on fairly quickly or else he will start acting out anyway, only this time out of boredom.

Yes, in that sense, he IS very fussy.

Anyway, he and I tried a pretty hard one, a brush that was lying on its side in the corner. To the outward eye, it looked like we were standing in the corner doing nothing, but for me, it was rather intense watching him glance around the area, trying to figure out where he was supposed to move, and if he should move his feet or his nose. Finally, I decided to push him just a little further, and prayed it wasn't too much micromanaging - so I Porcupined his head down. He instantly lowered his head and sniffed around. The instant his nose touched the brush I dropped EVERYTHING - the carrot stick, the lead rope - and walked away. He had a LOT of pressure on him for that game so I wanted to make absolute certain he felt the release as soon as he did something right. When I turned around, he was walking over to me, ears forward, head down: "I touched the brush, can I come in and see you??"

To which I replied, "Of course!"

Then the debut Figure Eight was tested. Jet wasn't exactly what I would call engaged and excited, but he walked around the cones thoroughly LB. I think the reason why was the cones were the first objects in Sniff It. Remembering how engaged he became about the cones the last time, he was happy to see them again, pick them up, roll them around. So once he returned to the cones after messing around with other stuff for a bit (and standing around doing nothing while he pondered the ways of the universe), he was already aware that he had to do something involving the cones. Since he really seems to like them, he put in an honest effort (one must try to impress the orange cones, you see). What more could we ask for?

There was only one thing bothering me through this play session and that was the drooling. Long, thick chunks of spit dangled from his mouth and he was grinding his teeth. His mouth was very obviously bothering him and he wasn't very coopertive about me trying to pry his mouth open to look for anything. Being a first time horse owner and highly over protective mommy, I immediately assumed, of course, that he was dying and darted across the ranch to find Jill. All the while I was thinking, "Poor baby, but brave baby! His mouth is killing him, yet he was still paying attention and trying to ignore the pain!" Which was why I knew truly whatever was bothering him was NOT terminal or he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his tasks at hand. I had to give him props though for not getting dramatic or RB in his discomfort. He really does try so hard to please us during Parelli Time.

Of course, he was fine. Jill, the voice of reason, said he just had foxtails lodged in his mouth.
"A lot of the horses have it right now," she said, "Just rinse his mouth with water and flush all the nasties out of his upper lip."

To the wash rack we went. By now, Jet's ears were sagging to the sides, his eyes were glossy, and he was foaming like a rabid dog. He looked the way I felt the other day at work when I had a bad headache. At first I was having a hard time trying to pry his mouth open and stick the hose in there. Then I thought I would try guiding it in from the side, the way I do when he gets wormed or bute paste. The simulation worked! Even more phenomenal was once Jet had a grip on the hose, he actually rinsed out the foxtails himself!! I swear I am not making this up. He has drank from the hose before so I assumed at first that was what he was doing. Nope. While I supported the hose for him, he moved the metal opening around with his teeth and tongue and green chunky water spilled onto the ground. The cool water must have felt good on the inside of his lips. We were SO proud of him. I was so impressed that he was LB and confident enough to think through his irritation and actually solve a problem himself. Naturally, we told everyone who walked by, "Our horse is a genius!" After a good five minutes, Jet spit out the hose, blew his nose on us, and promptly started nibbling rocks. Ahh. Our horse felt better.

"And Ahh HAY-yulped!"

2008-08-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

Say the title out loud. Remember that God awful English muffin commercial?

Jet's first Approach and Retreat session since our new spin on location, location, location went well, all things considered. There was quite a bit going on. Our friend/tack shed neighbor/fellow Parelli-holic Dave had HIS horse on line snacking over by our tack sheds, his other horse, Rookie, was frolicking at liberty in the vicinity, not to mention the parked cars, the dogs and the mascot baby donkey. Dave demonstrated a more effective Yo-yo game for us (Prince Charming stood at attention but lost his confidence a little on the bring-back, but he got over it) which was very helpful. Other good points:

- Jet's ears were pricked and he was a little skeptical, but didn't start breathing hard or dancing.
- Jet was reunited with his old pasture mate, Numerous (Dave's horse). They sniffed and greeted one another (I was picturing them giving manly hugs or "high-hooves"), then Numerous bit him. I had to laugh, even though I was surprised. Jet's RARELY second banana in a herd of 2 (and that includes when he's with him humans lol).
- Jet felt comfortable enough in the vicinity to sniff out Sarge, one of the ranch dogs (who was NOT happy having his nap interrupted) AND lick the trunk of Mom's SUV.

Once he was finished with his supplements (seeing the blue bucket always puts him at ease), we returned to the pasture, armed with our carrot sticks and 2 new folding chairs with little awnings so we could sit down for Undemanding Time. A brief time outside but successful none the less (baby steps). After we set up the chairs, I noticed one of the horses was limping badly. Kite, a pretty chestnut Arabian filly, already has one swollen back leg with a nasty scar that hasn't seemed to have healed as it should have from whatever happened to her. Now the other back leg was even puffier, looked scratched and bloody and she was keeping her weight off as much as possible. Dave has been working to improve Kite's people skills, as she is very scared of them, and coming out triumphant. I have tried to make friends with her as well, but she does not trust me at all nor cares for me to approach her as she does him, although looks at me with more curiosity and a far better expression on her face than she once did. Guess my Catching Game is not as strong as I thought. Anyway, Dave was still on the far side of the ranch with his boys, so I thought I would try to catch Kite and scan her quickly myself before finding him.

I began my usual tricks of Natural attraction - approaching from zone 5, turning away when she looked at me. The best I could get was a question, but otherwise she just limped away. I knew Jet was following me, but I figured he'd catch a hay pile and wander off.

What happened next FLOORED me.

I stopped the next time Kite stopped and put my back to her. Jet stopped with me, but he still faced forward, absolutely focused on whatever was in front of him. Great facial expression, ears forward. When I turned back around to steal a peak at what Kite was doing, I realized they were looking at each other dead on. When she turned around and walked away, I started walking again. Jet walked with me, completely fixated on Kite. He KNEW I had her in mind. When Kite started melting into the herd, Jet broke into a trot straight for her. He ROUNDED HER UP AWAY FROM THE HERD and got her to turn around and face me again. He looked SO proud of himself and looked at me like, "Look Mom! I got her!" Meanwhile, I stood there with my jaw dropped to the dirt. Alas, Jet was as unsuccessful as I was at getting her to join us, but he still got rubs and loves for the assistance.

I could NOT believe it. What an offer!! What service!! What UNITY....

I saw Dave walking by and alerted him to Kite's condition, so he caught her and took care of her new wound. Meanwhile, back in the pasture, Jet and Blahnik were fascinated by our chairs and provided laughs and Kodak moments (not captured as my camera is out of comission) knocking them over, pawing at them, picking them up in their mouths. Jet even managed to rip open a seam. The damage has since been dubbed "The Jet Stamp of Approval."

Jet offered his help one more time when we folded the lawn chairs up. I was struggling to get the carrying bag over it. Jet pulled it out a little for me, so I was able to slide it easily over the folded chair.

A day where not much happened, but that which did was simply incredible. Trying to catch Kite was the first time Jet's and my mind were one. Completely in tune, the first experience of true partnership. The truly fascinating part was that Jet knew this before I did.

If this sense of unity was a sneak peak at what the future holds, I am bursting at the seams to discover what else will go on!

We also just ordered the Patterns, so we can expect the journey to take a VERY interesting twist. Stay tuned.

Thesholds

2008-08-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Jet has lived on every side of Shiloh for over two years now, so I assumed hardly anything that goes on there would faze him.

Well, you know the old saying about assuming...

It was more than likely my own fault that Jet started getting antsy and prancy everytime he came out of his pasture. Our best fights happened outside his home base. The arena where he ran away with me. The manure pile where he threw countless tantrums. The area by the bushes where he got scared by some of the wandering horses. Any place Jill's beautiful Fresian, Tanis is (he is scared to death of him). The barn where Farrier Torture takes place. And the most nerve-rattling place of all - the wash rack. Where Jet goes from Half Dead Peanut Roller to Savion Glover, tap dancing extradonaire, and throws in some rock eating for added entertainment. Every wash rack at Shiloh we have brought him to has caused me nothing but anxiety and frustration. It's not that he freaks out and pulls back. He just WON'T STAND STILL. He becomes a total jerk about his feet, newest trick being he "falls down" in a dramatic heap when we lift a hoof. Since there is no history of him acting like this prior to us adopting him my guess can only be he picks up on whatever anticipation I have of what trials and tribulations MAY occur at the wash rack. In essence, I worry he's going to be a right-brained clown, so he turns into a right-brained clown.

So, as he was playing his, "Oh, I Just CAN'T Stay Balanced Because I Have Native Dancer Feet!" sob story while Mom cleaned his hooved yesterday, I stood there and pondered, "How on earth can we make this horse as well behaved out here as he starts out in the pasture?" And it hit me like a mack truck - DON'T TAKE HIM OUT OF THE PASTURE.

At least not for right now, and not for long periods of time. For weeks now, I have been thinking, everytime Jet does something RB, "What are you trying to tell me?" Each time so far, the nail has been hit on the head. I knew it didn't sound right to do his maintenence and even play the games in his pasture. He needs to learn how to stand politely at the wash rack and he needs to not be scared of the barn because that's where the farrier is. My reasoning was, yes, this will happen, but why not set it up for success by starting off in the pasture, where he is comfortable? Approach and retreat is a HUGE thing with Jet. He's basically confident, happy and playful, but pushed beyond his thresholds, he turns into a big chicken. This brainchild was in part created by other blogs and posts on the Forum about people who do most of their playtime in their horses' pastures and slowly take them back out in small increments before they are comfortable and quiet around the whole farm.

Jet had been trying to "tell" me this for awhile. Yesterday, I heard him. When we put him back in the pasture (a reward for standing still a whole two minutes), Mom tried lifting his feet again. No dramatic collapses. HMMM...How interesting! Today, for the official "test" we went in. I cleaned out his feet this time. He had one bouncy moment, where I actually said to him, "Figure it out, get your balance," and he instantly stopped moving. Then I tried some Porcupine on the forequarters. Jet moved on PHASE ONE!!!!!
That wasn't the best part, though. The feet cleaning and the porcupining was done...at liberty.
Three months of this horse in our life and we are picking his feet up at liberty...if you ask me, that ain't bad.

But the day wasn't over yet. Right as we were getting ready to leave, Leo, one of the ranch hands, came into the pasture with the tractor. It's just a Gator with a little plow in the back, but as he drove around to even out the dirt, the horses all ran for their lives. This occurs every day and may explain why Jet is terrified of the Gators and golf carts driving around the ranch. It's not like Leo's CHASING the horses with it, but you know prey animals...

I stood under one of the awnings as the horses tore away from the scary Gator monster. Jet was right in the thick of it, biting and herding the horse in front of him to get out of his way. He rounded the back, galloping at full speed, and as Leo turned again toward the gate, Jet made a sharp turn to the right and zig-zagged to slide to a dead stop RIGHT BEHIND ME. While he watched the Gator drive in our direction in terror, I casually rubbed his neck and looked the opposite direction. A moment later, Jet put his head on my shoulder, looking the same direction I was. Each time after that, when the Gator rolled toward us, Jet and Blahnik stood behind me and looked with concern, but did not run away. By Leo's last round, they had wandered off to a hay pile, and could have cared less when he drove right behind them.

My heart swelled. Jet got scared and ran to ME for protection.
We've got to be doing SOMETHING right :-)

Changes (Warning! Long One!)

2008-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

It's been forever, I know, but I had a session where a lot of licking and chewing had to go on in my head, as I've also been licking and chewing over a more lengthy post and I want to make sure I've got all my thoughts straight so the post is as emotionally fit and thought provoking as I can prove of myself.

We had a bad session with Jet recently (Ma posted about it on the SC Forum) and while I did NOT want to give up, I had spooked myself and became filled with self-doubt. I was afraid I wasn't any good at Parelli, that I was interpretting Pat's philosophy all wrong and that I was turning Jet into a monster in the process. I figured it was time to call in the Big Guns (Marc Rea, local 3-Star instructor, *cheers* hurray!). But before I did that, I needed several days to work some things out in my head.

We also made a little tweak in Jet's diet. He eats free-choice hay living out in the pasture and gets a hoof and coat supplement everytime we visit. Upon recommendation by a friend, we were mixing a small scoop of senior feed to mask yucky tasting pellets. Basic science - more energy input than output. The mollasses turned Jet into a crackhead - HELLO, it's common knowledge at the track the racers get sweet feed to get them hypered up for race time. Basically we were putting a 16.2h, 1100lb, 6 year old, off-track Thoroughbred on a sugar rush. It was like the days when my drink of choice was vodka and sugar-free Red Bull (or as I used to call it, "The Weapon of Mass Destruction). Mom and I decided right then and there to pull the TINY scoop from his supplements - the horse will eat anything that isn't nailed down anyway, so doubtful he would notice a difference in taste.

****~~~~BRAND NEW HORSE HAS ENTERED THE PICTURE!!!~~~~****

I know, you all think I'm a moron for feeding my horse senior feed. YES, I AM, but at least we figured it out, and in my defense, it wasn't like he got a full bucket of it 6 days a week, it was a very small scoop meant to be a tasty treat in the event his normal supplements didn't fit the bill. I know quite a few horses who have it mixed into their supplements and they don't experience a difference in hyper-activity. Mine did. He told me. We yanked it.

And now, Jet is a Gentle Giant.

And guess what, it wasn't just about the sweet feed. I needed to calm down just as much as he did. I sat back for a moment and decided the best thing to to was to not do anything the next time I saw him. As Mom encouraged, "He is our horse. We train him with the method we feel is best and we spend time with him however we see fit. If you want to come up here and spend the whole day just sitting in that pasture looking at him, you do it." So that day, I did just that. I watched Jet and thought. I thought about how I was putting too much pressure on myself and was rushing like Jet and I had some deadline to meet. I watched how he pushed Blahnik out of his way and thought of how he does the same exact thing to us. I realized I shouldn't take it so personally, he doesn't do it to be mean or testy, he does it because he is normally dominant in his little herd of 2 and assumes the position with us. He groomed Blahnik's mane and I smiled because he nibbles my hair sometimes too. Then I just admired this magnificant, smart, funny, Thoroughbred in front of me and let myself be all mushy inside because this stunning animal in front of me was MINE, the horse I'd always wanted, the horse I'd been waiting for my whole life. And when he sparked curiosity towards me and put his nose on mine and took a big long sniff before going back to his hay, I saw, despite the struggles I had been going through, despite some of our arguments, Jet was - IS - a happy horse. He is loved so much, and we have done everything in our power to make him happy and trusting and he KNOWS how loved and spoiled he is.

Mom joined me shortly thereafter and we had a discussion about what to do from here. As we talked, our horse stood in between us, fast asleep, lazily swishing his tail as we rubbed under his eyes - his favorite Sweet Spot. Thanks to advice and support from the SC, we decided it really was NOT a big deal if we only messed with Jet in small increments for the rest of the summer - the flies are at an atrocious high, it's a zillion degrees and we are in the middle of monsoon season so it's been muggier than usual. We also decided to avoid L1 purgatory, we would start incorporating obstacles and toys to advance on the games Jet is already super strong with - Porcupine, Driving, Yo-yo. For stuff like Circle, Squeeze and Sidepass (which he is still learning to sidepass, but REALLY enjoying it), we would stick to basic L1. And now, anytime I get impatient or excited, thinking of all the things I want to do with Jet on the journey, I think first, "I am 25. Jet is 6. We have nothing but time. We will grow old together."

So...we took some orange cones into the arena this last session. Jet did a terrible figure 8 (thanks to my terrible cues, I was laughing the whole time because I got tangled in the carrot stick) through them, but a couple of nice drives and porcupines. The heat and constant drill Jet gives us in patience (the LBI in him) was GRUELING, but right before my eyes, I started understanding the point of L2 and playing the games with an obstacle. Slowly at first, and then very quickly, Jet realized that everything we were doing had something to do with the cone. It was SO cool to see the wheels turning in his head!!!! Suddenly, he dropped his head and put his nose on it. Mom was gearing to do a drive in another direction and I cried out, "Wait, wait! He's doing something!!" We dropped everything and watched Jet push the cone around, then knock it over, then gently put his hoof on it and try to roll it forward. It was SO cute and we were ECSTATIC that we actually engaged his curiosity and he offered to play with the cone. When he stuck his foot in the bottom and pawed it towards him, he looked up at us and said, "Did I do something right?" He got rubs and a big smooch on his kissy spot. A minute later he licked and chewed.

The session ended right then and there. We couldn't think of a more perfect way to end a session in that kind of heat.

Your Horses - Then and Now

2008-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

I just did a revision of Jet's horsenality chart. He still exudes most of the traits he had when we first charted him, but some new ones have come out. Of course, charts do not hold a torch to what we see in the flesh.

When we first got Jet, he was sweet, friendly and VERY lazy, thoroughly content to just stand around and be loved on. Two months later, he is sweet, friendly, and VERY dominating, prone to throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He has become more playful and testy to our our leadership. He loves the Push Me, Pull You game (not to be confused with Yo-Yo) where whoever moves backwards first is the loser (prime dominance game). He is more exuberant, stubborn and defiant than he used to be. Still licking and chewing over the idea of handing US the role of Leader. When we first played with him, he was curious and aimed to please. Now, he demands incentive and motivation then STILL sticks his tongue out at us when he does what he asks. But other days he is all about trying to learn and constantly asking questions.

So, I am DYING to know...what were your horses like when you first met them? How have they changed since you started Parelli? Were they beasts that turned into dolls? Dolls that turned into beasts, then into magic horses? Was your horse abused before you got him? Do you have any foals who have been raised PNH? I read about your horses all the time, your follies and fantastics and am SO interested to know who your horse was when you first introduced her to the Games, and now, who your REAL horse is! Fire away!!!

Progress, One Session at a Time

2008-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

It was a short play session because of a major dust storm, followed by an insane rainstorm, but chock full of successes!!!

I am so thankful Mom and I are both so into Parelli. We may be on the same level of expertise, but we watch one another and catch things we normally wouldn't catch if we were working sans Parelli playmate. Mom has wisdom and insight (and in another life, was a teacher, so is quite comfortable in giving instructions!), and I...well, I provide jokes and quote movies to help her relax and laugh.

We decided to skip Circling because at the moment Jet thinks of it as some sort of Chinese Lunging Torture and wanted to spark his mind and see if he would find something other than eating fun.

Still no magical breakthrough yet, but things are going on with Jet and us that didn't happen last week. These last 2 sessions we have paid more attention to Jet's needs, and as a result, it has naturally been giving US what we WANT or HOPE from him. The last time Mom went to the pasture to fetch him, he kept walking away. When she FINALLY (30 minutes later) got the halter on, instead of dragging him away come Hell or high water, she told me, "I'm compromising. He finally let me put the halter on, so now he gets to eat some hay and hang out a little while longer before we take him away."

So we sat our rumps down in the dirt and talked. Then, almost out of nowhere, came the definition of Taking the Time it Takes. One minute, Jet was ignoring us and we were ignoring him, the next minute a black nose was nudging its way in between us. I guess Prior and Proper Preparation sometimes means doing Absolutely Nothing at All. When Mom decided it was time to leave the paddock, Jet was ready and willing. Savvy kudos to Ma!

As I said, we decided to nix the Circling Game for a minute. He's driving his FQ SOOOOOOO much better and more lightly now and is at Phase -2 driving his HQ...so Mom taught him to side pass. She was struggling at first getting Jet to cooperate. She upped her energy by increasing the rhythm of the carrot stick. I realized by his expression that Jet finds this tactic rude and obnoxious, like being poked overandoverandoverandover in the shoulder while you're trying to talk to someone. Jet HATES to be nagged, and has no problem showing how utterly insulted he gets. I suggested keeping the rhythm the same (1 beat per second) but increasing the accent of the downbeat (if musical terms make more sense, I explained it in some weird, rambling way when the idea first came). IMMEDIATELY Jet's expression changed and offered some LOVELY sashays. Mom liked that approach a lot more too...the energy was the same, but far less frantic looking and a lot less exhausting on her arms! Once they established that communication ("Ask me like I am royalty, and it will be granted."), His Royal Highness seemed to really be ENJOYING the sidepass.

Someone wanted to use the roundpen we were in to lunge (*cringe*) another horse, so Mom took that as MY opportunity to back Jet into the one next door. I used my phases very carefully so as not to offend Prince Jet. Well, sure, he was backing up, but it was a lazy, half-assed attempt. He was far more interested in a horse frolicking in the neighboring arena.
Obviously this called for "snapping him out of it." As stated in previous posts, I have a HUGE threshhold about Phase 4. I always feel like I am either holding back energy because if I let it fly, I am going to come across as a totally mean bitch. Or, if I DO let it fly, I come across as a totally mean bitch (I have this issue at work, too). Too much emotion, not enough assertion.

Well, Jet was literally SHUFFLING backwards through the gate, thoroughly distracted by the other horse, and I let it fly. With one good swing of my whole arm (that took turning turn my whole left side to get the point across), the ASSERTION traveled up the lead rope and right against Jet's nose. He snapped out of his daze so fast, I don't think even HE knew what hit him. The moment he looked at me (a quick and eager, "My gosh, I'm sorry! What can I do for you??") I smiled broadly and gently shook the rope. You should have seen the spring in his step. He paid strict attention for the rest of the Yo-Yo game, but completely LB. A cookie was definitely in order. It was the first time a horse ever looked to me like I was the TRUE leader. Ever feel like the horse was just humoring you when you were trying to establish leadership?? It was also the first time I ever felt the absence of emotion behind assertion. It was a very fleeting moment...but I felt it. It was there. It went away as quickly as it came out, but FINALLY feeling the difference between assertion and aggression was enlightening. I hope from here it will start to become easier to distinguish the two.

Slowly but surely, all three of us are getting more in tune with each other. We left feeling just a little bit more savvy than when we'd arrived ;-).

My Jet and My Clarinet

2008-07-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

Marc Rea, my local Parelli instructor, once said there is a deep connection between horses and music. No sentence ever rang truer with me, aside from, "Given half a brain, your head would slant."
As some of you have been kind enough to go out of your way to remind me, I am but a student still learning the game. I guess I feel like I should have more savvy because I had a GREAT relationship with the last horse I did Parelli with. We were moving into L2. But then again, his owner was also a PNHer and she was always able to correct the mistakes I made. With Jet, I have sooooo much more invested emotionally (and financially!) with him, that I put a lot more pressure on myself. Whatever Jet does, good or bad, is a reflection of Mom's and my leadership.
As I've wrestled with my Be Perfect demons, a few things come to mind: Jet is changing. The true horse is coming out. He is becoming more confident; therefore, more defiant, more challenging. Despite some of the disasterous moments that have ensued as a result, is that really such a bad thing? My horse is not afraid of me. My horse trusts I will do no harm unto him, that I will keep him safe.

It's a constant battle with myself to remember I simply CANNOT do everything perfect the first time and even though I have been studying Parelli for over a year, that first year was only for once a week with someone else's horse who was already PNH familiar. We have only had Jet for 2 months. TWO MONTHS! Already he is different, already he is more confident, already he is more playful. But...IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO MONTHS. Those gorgeous YouTubes and enlightening blogs I see - those took YEARS of blood, sweat and tears to develop the love, language and leadership between horse and human.

Then I start remembering when I took up the clarinet, and I can't help but bust out laughing. I played clarinet for 12 years. Hell, it was my MAJOR in college. I lived and breathed music for the better part of my life. The two things I loved the most in the world were horses and music. Since I didn't have a pony, clarinet became the deeper commitment, at least until I discovered the world of hospitality (long story). I won a few awards and countless competition medals as a musician. I performed pieces that were almost completely black, they were covered with so many notes. My trainer said my tone was "angelic." After 12 years, I was pretty darned good...but OMG, it took me TWELVE YEARS to get to that level!! At 2 months...I sucked. I was awful. I practiced night and day, and I was still terrible. Why? BECAUSE I'D ONLY BEEN PLAYING FOR TWO MONTHS. Sure, I sounded better than the FIRST day...but was nothing compared to how I sounded a year later, then 2 years later, then 10 years later. Somehow when I was younger, it was easier to comprehend that yeah, my clarinet playing was bad...but I loved it anyway.
Yeah, my L1 looks kinda bad...but I love Parelli anyway... and Jet more than anything.

The Road to Breakthrough?

2008-07-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Or am I regressing?

Another frustrating day. But here's why I stick with Parelli and love it anyway: When I was a normie and had those frustrating days, I was always frustrated with the horse. These days, I'm frustrated with myself. I'm frustrated because I'm a society-conformed, normal adult, and not the carefree, creative child I used to be. I'm frustrated because I can't get BIG and use P4 without panicking that I was totally mean. I'm frustrated because I run out of ideas to keep Jet entertained. I'm frustrated because sometimes I feel like I can't read him at all - is he left-brained and being defiant, or is he right-brained and scared half to death?

Shiloh is in the process of building a Parelli playground so I brought Jet over. He was a little apprehensive, having never seen this part of the ranch before. I let him walk around and sniff out the place, then he was starting to do his "head drag" where he pulls the lead rope and has the attitude of, "I'm attached to this human, but I can go and do whatever I want." I tried to change the tone to, "We can walk around, but you can't run into my space and I need you to walk where I walk." Driving, yo-yo, whatever. Well, Jet LOST IT. He tore around me in circles, rearing, bucking, snorting, pawing at the ground and trying to ROLL (??? he's done this before, why?). Seriously, I had NO IDEA what to do. But I wasn't panicked. My pulse didn't rise. All I could think was, "Don't move the feet, and don't let him plow you over. And try to make him change direction, make his brain work." He didn't try to charge me, but he did inch closer in his wild gallop. I waved my hands and he flew in the other direction. For a minute, I just stood there, putting NO PRESSURE on him at all. I treated him like a child throwing a tantrum - just ignored him. I didn't know what else to do. Then he started to look at me. Every time we made eye contact, I smiled. Then I slowly combed him in, trying to disengage his HQ. He did just that with no tension in the lead rope. We tried the walk again and he was a little better behaved, so I rewarded him with leaving the playground and Me N My Shadow. NOW he got to walk where he wanted and I was just following.

When I brought him back to his pasture, as I was struggling to unclip the chain to the gate, he nudged his head against me HARD, slamming me between him and the fence. It's a dominance thing. It makes me move backwards. He does it to Blahnik all the time. Now it was my turn to lose it. I didn't hit him, and I didn't growl. But I backed him up in about 6 different directions in the highest energy I could possibly imagine. I was angry, but tried SO hard to convert that angry energy into Bossiest Mare Ever. Really, it was still nothing compared to what Hazel, the lead mare in his herd, does to everyone. Jet had his head high and eyes wide open but he didn't look scared...more like, "Whoa shit, guess I went too far." I still wasn't confident I hadn't gotten my point across, so I drove his FQ away from me, saying as evenly as possible, "I love you dude, but I just don't like being dominated." Jet SWIRLED zone 2 like I had never seen...like an advanced dressage champion. And I started to cry. I felt EVIL.

PNH enthusiasts speak of break-throughs and I read about them with envy because there seems to be this magical moment where the horse goes from Hell on Hooves to beloved partner in an instant. Somehow it all falls into place. I don't feel like I have reached that yet. Just as soon as I think I'm getting it, Jet does something that knocks me right back to the drawing board (ah, LBE's). I'm not pissed off with him about that. Rather, it just goes to show what amazing teachers horses are. On the other hand with break-throughs, many students also tell tales of how L1 got really, really ugly, then SLOWLY but surely, it started getting easier and lighter. The breakthrough seemed to have come on progressively, and didn't realize it until sometime later, when their horse randomly did something respectful that pulled it all together.

I don't think I have as much confidence as Jet does. I have a huge problem with irony, so I always keep the worst in the back of my mind and try to accept every possible bad outcome that could possibly happen. Call it hoping for the best, expecting the worst.

Jet walked into the pasture like a gentleman and didn't dare push up against me when I took off his halter. With a quick rub on the nose, I spun around and took off for the opposite side of the paddock, because I couldn't bear the idea of Jet taking off as far from me as he could because I was so obnoxious. There was a snort behind me. I stopped and slowly peered around...and there was my horse, stretching his nose to me. I smiled, and turned towards him to leave the pasture. Jet kept walking, he saw a bushel of hay not too far from where I had originally headed.

Our last encounter occurred when I brought the carrot stick and halter back into his paddock with NO intentions of taking him out again. Just so he knew not EVERY time I brought the equipment in, something terrible was going to happen. When he saw me, he came to me. I fed him some treats. He nuzzled me, licked my arm. He let me hug his neck before I left. Then he followed me all the way to the gate.

I am so nervous about what tomorrow will hold.

The Bad Mood Bear

2008-07-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ever take one look at your horse and just KNOW he's in a rotten mood?
To quote Finding Nemo: "Hey there, Mr. GRUMPY PANTS!"
Does anyone else ever have a day where you feel like everything you do to try and make your horse happy merely annoys him?
My brain is flying. Not just because Jet had a thorn in his butt, but also because I am FRIGGEN EXHAUSTED. I work 10 hour shifts as a graveyard beverage manager for one of the casinos on the Strip. Due to the long hours, grave is actually the only schedule that gives me any prayer of spending time with my boy. However, humans are not naturally nocturnal, and sometimes, no matter how long you have worked grave, your brain just FRIES. One of my cocktail waitresses, who has worked grave for 18 years, said just the other day she randomly fell asleep while she was eating a bowl of cereal. Literally. She woke up wearing half-eaten, soggy Cap'n Crunch and dried milk, while still holding the spoon in her mouth.
Anyway, my brain is completely on the fritz and over-reacting as it always does when I'm butt-ass tired, but for the very first time, rather than getting dramatic and sobbing, "My horse haaaaaates me!" my first thoughts are, "Hmm. HOW INTERESTING."
I tried too hard today. I tried having Undemanding Time while still trying to keep him curious and interested in me. At least I caught myself doing it. The weather was also terrible today. It's only in the 90's, but very muggy for the desert, as there is a threat of a rain storm. Often, that's ALL we get all year is the mere threat of rain, or some terrential downpour that floods the entire state of Nevada in a matter of minutes, followed immediately by scorching sunlight. Perhaps the ambiguity of the weather was bothering Jet, as several other boarders also mentioned their horses were in major snits today.
It wasn't just me Jet was pissed off with. He was bi-polar with EVERYONE in the herd, even Blahnik. One minute he kicked her in the face and shimmied over to me, two minutes later he decides I suck, whinnies at Blahnik and gallops over to her. After awhile, even Blahnik was like, "Screw you, I'm hangin' out with the human."
I had brought his halter to take him out to feed him his supplements and Jet's feeling was, "HELL no." Hmm...HOW INTERESTING. My thoughts: "What did I do (or NOT do) last time that makes him not want to come out today?...it's NOT about the Catching Game...I WANT to take him out, and I HAVE to feed him his supplements...but what does JET need today?" Jet needed to be in his pasture, free to walk away and sulk as he pleased. My cloudy mind managed to decide, "Oh boy! I can bring his bucket into the PASTURE and practice upping my energy and body blocks when the other horses try to invade our space." So that's exactly what I did. The day wasn't a total train wreck. Jet still put his nose out for scratches and rubs. He still sniffed me, approached me if I caught his eye and turned around, licked my hand. But he was grouchy and I am comatose. Finally, I gave up, sat on the bucket (when he had emptied it out) and just admired him and Blahnik while they grazed. I only moved to give them the occasional pat (only if they touched my first) or to chase off the Brute Squad. When it was time to leave, I knelt beside Jet and said, "Say bye-bye to mama," and he actually OFFERED me his nose. I gave him a smooch on his "kissy spot" (that adorable snip of white on his face) and made a quick exit. So, I let my horse know that we don't always have to leave the pasture to hang out or play games, nor do we have to play games at all. I just hope I'm forgiven for the mistakes I DID make today and tomorrow is better, not worse. Pat's saying of "the second time's the hardest" scares me. I have no idea if tomorrow I want to try taking him out, or if we should just graze in the pasture again, or take him and Blahnik for a little walk around the paddock. Or even if Jet will run away screaming the next time he sees me. I guess he will let me know what he is up for when we meet again.

Finding Phase 4

2008-07-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Mom and I had an interesting discussion about finding phase 4 today. She observed that a lot of people have issues with it because it's that delicate line between aggression and assertiveness. Many of us are afraid to use phase 4 because we're afraid we're going to come off mean, some people interpret phase 4 as time to BE mean, and those that find phase 4 and can confidently get their point across and only achieve lightness from there on, well I am jealous but HIGHLY respect you. I am DEFINITELY a big baby about Phase 4. I never want to use it, ever, when the situation calls for it because I'm terrified I don't know the difference between aggression and assertion and will end up looking like a big mean predator and my horse will be scared of me. Or worse, hate me.

I'm finding more and more that watching horses communicate with each other is even more educational than Pat and Linda. I think Linda mentioned once that Pat spends a lot of time observing horses and that's how he developed the 7 Games in the first place. Not being able to watch the DVD's at Shiloh, the horses show me instead.

I'm hoping I interpreted this observation well. There's a gray Arabian in Jet's herd named Journey. Journey is a very dominating mare who loves people, but Jet and Blahnik are among her favorites to push around. Most days I have to drive Journey off to protect my herd of 3. Jet and Blahnik know by now that when I turn into Boss Mare, when the other mares take off, they get to stay (you can almost see them sticking their tongues out at the others). Yesterday I was scratching Jet when I saw Journey trotting to us, ears pinned, teeth bared and aiming straight for Zone 2. Had I allowed Journey to chase my horse off, he would have pivoted Zone 2 and taken off in the other direction, away from her. I interpretted Journey's action as Porcupine. She drew closer and closer in a steady, straightforward motion. THEN, a few hours later, Blahnik was being too pushy for Jet's taste. First he pinned his ears and pointed his nose at her. When she didn't yield, he did it again, only this time, a little faster and more aggressively and bared his teeth. When she STILL didn't yield, he bit her. To me, that was Driving, because his communication tactic to make her get out of his way seemed more rhythmic. And I realized I was using my Carrot Stick incorrectly which was why Driving Zone 2 was so exhausting. Basically, I was shaking my CS at the side of his face, which to Jet probably looked like a very long, skinny bird fluttering by his eye. Yawn. Horses don't drive each other away by snapping at each other like they're chowin' down on corn on the cob. So this morning I dropped the crazy Arsenio Hall impersonation and went for longer, more sweeping strokes. Nothing. Got a question, so I retreated for a minute. Tried it again, started moving a little closer. Nada. (By the way, I almost always use the 22ft when I play with Jet and it is a GODSEND. Sometimes he needs drift, hardly ever all 22ft, but 12ft was just too claustrophobic for him. Finding comfort at 13 or 14 feet makes a HUGE difference when he gets worried.) And then...BONK! Just like yesterday, he snapped to attention like, "Yikes, who are you, Journey??" But then he pivoted LIGHT AS A FEATHER, like, "Oh excuse me, I just didn't hear you." Seeing his legs cross over like a lovely dressage horse was enough to make me release (reward for the slightest try??). He licked. He chewed. He stuck his nose out. He got scratches and comforting and I thanked him for moving so politely.

Just to see what would happen a few minutes later, I Yo-Yo'ed him out and held the rope out to see if I could drive him in a half-circle to the left. It was actually more for me to try a different Phase 3 or less. 'Don't make me pick up the stick.' Jet had his eyes on me, but didn't know what I was asking. I picked up the stick and looked to my left. Still looking, but no offering. I really didn't want to flick him with the savvy string. He'd spent most of his life being cracked on the rump with longe whips and the few times he HAD been flicked with the savvy string in earlier days, he flew in circles, right brained and insulted. After comparing him to some segments I watched in L&HB, I determined Jet is actually very sensitive. As I stood now, my stick prepped for movement, I thought back to moments in the pasture where I was rubbing his body and he'd sway to the side, or his shoulders and withers would quiver. Being an extremely ticklish person, I'm the first to understand that gentle taps or caresses do not feel soothing - they BURN. If you're going to touch me, you have to be firm, or not touch me at all.

So I snapped the savvy string on the ground. At the sound of the crack, Jet made a gorgeous turn to the left (his right, actually), away from the stick and gave me a full lap. All I had wanted him to do was yield away from the stick, so I dropped the pressure the moment he turned. At the exact place where he had started, he swung his HQ around (hid the heinie!) and pointed his ears at me. I smiled and invited him in. Although he had taken that full circle a little too right-brained, the second he got the invitation, he dropped his head and licked his lips. I was pleased with the questions he had asked me, and pleased that when all was said and done, he was licking and chewing and happy to walk beside me, so I decided he had done enough and the pressure was off completely for the day.

My emotions about today's play session are mixed. I think it's because I'm still unsure as to what phase I used when I asked him to go to my left and whether it was the correct phase. Obviously he didn't need to be touched, the SS snapping the ground was plenty. But was it a naggy phase 3? Should I have snapped it lighter and then just waited for Jet to think and see if he would OFFER the turn? For him to trot a circle is pretty uncommon, but the only times he did take a circle faster than a slug was when we first started playing with him and he thought he was being longed. There was tension in the 22, but he didn't need extra drift. He stopped and asked after a lap and was happy I was happy with what he'd done. So was he actually using energy I just didn't expect him to have after waking him up in that first Driving Game? Did I REALLY have good communication with my horse today?

Either Jet's very forgiving, or he's really starting to enjoy being with me. When I popped back into his pasture a few more times just to say hi (so he doesn't think every time I come in, it's to take him out and make him do stuff), he always abandoned his hay to come over and say hello. He's not bounding across the pasture yet when I call his name, but for right now, he checks in. And when it IS time to leave the pasture, he always sticks his nose right into his halter.

So interesting, so interesting, so interesting...

Water Fights, Yielding, and The Farrier

2008-07-01T14:55:00.001-07:00

Don't you love when you capture the most perfect candid moments? What a fabulous expression he's got. Notice how one side of him looks VERY dusty, and the other side is shiny, shiny, shiny.

"Yeah, I rolled. What's it to ya??"

Great news as Mom finally got Jet to yield Zone 1 in Driving, albeit at phase 4,061 but she used the fence as a marker which proved to be a great help. I still need major work in upping my energy so Jet views me as more of a leader, and less like a fly that landed on his shoulder. Although I was imitating Linda in the segment in L&HB about the horse who doesn't use his energy as an example to Mom about different ways to produce rhythmic pressure and Jet SNAPPED awake, like, "Whoa, where'd that come from??" I'm always so worry when I up my energy that I'm going to come off as mean or aggressive but Jet didn't seem the least bit worried. In fact, he licked his lips, and was looking expectantly at us after that like, "K ladies, whaddya want me to do?" For a LBE, I'm amazed how when his curiosity starts going, he gains much more of a desire to please. When he's not particularly engaged, that's when he starts acting dominant...like he's trying to create his own fun. So he'll wander away, sniff turds, pretend we're not there...and when we use the carrot stick for Porcupine and especially Driving, he'll throw his head up. Here's a question, Parelli Peeps, do you always do all the Games in order or do you mix them up after establishing your horse understands you when you play the games and can play them LB at a relatively low phase?

The new farrier arrived this morning THANK GOD, but Jet was a little anxious about waiting. He's so sociable and was busy whinnying at Jill's Fresians who were gaily tearing each other apart in the pasture next door, so I figured he needed some time to move his feet around and keep his brain thinking. Undemanding time at Liberty, no sticks, no lead ropes. We had a BALL! I actually got him to trot after me and play Tag. His way of saying "You're it!!" was grabbing my shirt and trying to tear it over my head. Luckily I was wearing a sports bra so if that had actually happened, I wouldn't have offended too many people. Then, to cool off I grabbed a hose, which he loves drinking out of. Jet thought it would be even MORE fun to bite down on the nozzle and shake his head around, soaking both of us to the core. For one of the first times EVER, I felt like a horse was actually PLAYING with me. When I left the round pen to fetch something, he actually whinnied after me!

Mom and I had a great first impression of our new farrier. He seems extremely concerned with the welfare of every individual horse's foot and devises "Hoof Plans" for turning even the flimsiest flap of fingernail into Hooves of Steel. He discussed Jet's feet, past, present and future in detail and while I am THOROUGHLY fascinated by hoof care, Shiloh has been farrier hungry for weeks and there were at least 8 horses including Jet who were in dire need of mani/pedis and he had been there for over 2 hours and only done 1 horse. Jill was extremely anxious to get these other tenderfoots ready (and who could blame her??), so Mom and I listened as long as we could, and said we were going to work with some other horses for a minute so he could concentrate. Jill decided to use this guy for the boarders, aka the Overprotective Parents Who Will Nod and Listen Mesmerized For Hours About Frog Depth, and a more direct clipper to help maintain the geriatrics and sanctioned horses that can go barefoot. I had some friends join us today so we went and gave some of the ponies baths, while Mom tried Natural Attraction with a frightened Mini paint who had been used at carnivals. She made it back to the farrier just as he was finishing up with Jet. I popped back into his pasture to give him cookies and say goodbye and noticed he had a much lighter spring in his step and was distributing his weight far more evenly than he had been. Oh God, I love effecient farriers. Mom agreed that the guy did a terrific job and we definitely owed him some lecture time (us listening to him lecture, not vice versa). Then Mom said, "And the farrier kindly requests that we stay with Jet the entire time anyway next time, because he said Jet got very upset when we left and it wasn't until I came back that he finally dropped his head and stood still."

Oh, my.

Fly Remedies

2008-06-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

Not much in the Jet department today because I almost passed out during Porcupine in the 106 degree heat. I should have messed with him when it was cooler, but I got preoccupied putting SWAT ointment on some geriatrics. BTW, if you don't already have SWAT for open wounds, RUN (don't walk!) to the nearest feed/tack store and buy an industrial-sized tub of it! It's specifically designed to keep flies from turning an angry sore on your horse into a Thanksgiving feast. After smearing some on a wound that took up nearly the entire surface area of a horse named Vista's (such a sweet old lady) cheek, the stuff WOULD NOT come off my hands, and got rubbed in over my arms. The flies avoided me like the plague for the rest of the day. I've never seen a fly repellent like it. I know, you're all reading this thinking, "PSH! Who DOESN'T know about SWAT??" But this is really the first time I've had real bona fide EXPERIENCE in horse care, particularly first aid.

Tomorrow Zone 1 gets tackled. I'm sure Jet will give me plenty to write about when I get home!

Maybe It's NOT About the Treats

2008-06-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Only got to say hello to Jet for a couple of minutes. We took an equine biology class up at the ranch and then I had to get home to sleep (I work graveyard). Of course, it's after 3 and I have to get ready at 8, and I'm blogging...
Anyway, I was thoroughly convinced when Jet realized we had no treats to greet him with, his attitude would be, "The hell with you," and he'd saunter off, flanked by Blahnik, who would also give us the stink-eye to boot.
Actually, not only did Jet catch ME, but when he discovered the absence of treats, he simply DEMANDED scratches and face massages. He even reached around and groomed my shoulder while I was scratching his neck! I left with the warm fuzzies. Jet didn't walk away from the fence until he saw us turn the corner. Lately I've been hell bent on Natural Attraction, and it's been VERY interesting. It's the little things that have meant the most and will hopefully have a larger impact on what's to come.
Think this Parelli stuff is working...

Jet's Maiden Race!

2008-06-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe I found this! It is a recap from all the races at Aqueduct on March 31st, 2005. Read about Jet (Gold Ending) in race 5! There's a picture too!

http://www.nybreds.com/racing/bb_0503.html

Jet Needs Rubber Duckies and Squirt Guns

2008-06-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

Since it is a crisp 110 degrees in the desert by 6am, Jet's playtime comes in small spurts. By 12 or 1 o'clock, the dust is so thick and the sun blazes like it came from Hell itself that all Mom, Jet and I want to do is stand in the shade and guzzle water.

I've had two major accomplishments in savviness so far. Jet comes when I call him and is always willing to come out and play (thank god for treats and supplements). Catching Game - check. He has also finally accepted the carrot stick. Yeah...I was too embarrassed to post on the Forum that we had issues with the FRIENDLY Game. Jet thought it was a longe whip, of course, so every time we swept it over him, he took off. It took a large arena, the 22 ft. line, and singing "Rock-a-Bye Horsie" (don't ask) while rubbing the savvy string up and down his body slooooooooooooooowly for over 2 hours before he showed curiousity in the Scary Orange Weapon and tried to eat it. Now when we run it over him, he falls asleep. He's not big on using his energy, but since it takes ME awhile to lick and chew, I'll worry about it later and brush up on that segment in L&HB. At this stage in the game, I am perfectly content to have a lazy, 1/2 dead horse who enjoys standing quietly in the round pen while I try to figure out how on earth to communicate that I want him to yield Zone 1 during the Driving Game. He will take a step or 2 when we drive him from Zone 1, and then he throws his head up and walks toward us (there's that Man O' War again, alive and well). I wonder how my fellow Parelli-a-holics were able to win the Driving Game with THEIR dominant horse.

He's also turning into a real butthead at the wash rack. He gets a rinse off nearly everytime Mom and I see him. For a horse whose favorite activity is to stop, suddenly he becomes devestated that he can't wander wherever he wants at Bath Time and tries to leave. Ultimately I want him to be that horse who doesn't have to be tied, but apparently we are waaayyy off from that. We've given him some grain to keep him occupied, but as soon as he's finished, he knocks over my tack box, chews up bottles of water, and tosses my brushes around before he just tries to walk away. He has been especially "naughty" the last two sessions when I merely draped the lead rope over the tie post. The first day, I realized I was getting annoyed with him while he was getting into mischief and I felt bad after I left. His ears were forward and his eyes were big and playful while he happily threw my brushes and watched me run after them. He was definitely winning the Dominant Game, but he wasn't TRYING to be a jerk, he was just being playful at a time when I would have preferred him to stand still. He started acting pushy and crowdy this afternoon, so I challenged him to Let's Back Up. I'd call it a draw. I guess in Horse though, that means I was the loooooooooooooooser. I wonder what it is about the wash rack that gets him all riled up. He never moves his feet so often as to when it's Bath Time. He's not afraid of water; in fact, he loves it when I point the hose to his mouth so he can take a few slurps.
As I said, he was at his fussiest when the rope was merely draped over the post. After backing him up a few times this time around, I then decided I would feel saner and safer by just tying him up. Obviously he takes too much advantage of the freedom I gave him, due to lack of respect, which is MY bad, so knotted to the hitchin' post he was.. Actually, he stood more quietly this time than the other times he was tied up for the hose.
So maybe I have answered my own question. Jet needs playtime at the wash rack before Bath Time? I guess he just reminded me that there's no direct line thinking when you're behaving like a prey animal. There is no catch, tie to hitch post, stand still, get bathed. Hmm...how interesting. Any normies would tell me to cross-tie him or whack him around a bit and FORCE him to stand still but there's GOT to be a more polite way that will make Jet think, "Hmm, Mom's not as dumb as she looks..."
Thoughts, ideas, advice, stories??

Why Parelli?

2008-06-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite story topics is why people chose Parelli. This is my story.

I took riding lessons regularly from the time I was 4 until I was about 13. I was taught traditional English. Jam your heels down, keep your back straight, lean forward, kick to go, pull to stop. I loved horses but didn't much care for the other riders. They were mean, vindictive, superficial and judgemental. Most of them seemed to enjoy getting pissed off with their horses and smacking them in the face than actually riding. Others could NOT comprehend the world WOULD keep turning if they didn't talk smack about everyone at the barn they hated, including their best friends, for one day.

As much as I enjoyed the actual activity of riding (especially jumping!), a lot of what I was taught did not make sense to me. Instructors told me horses were extremely stupid animals and it would always take all your strength just to make them move over. I was told the classic "teach him who's boss," and was ordered to take jumps or keep riding horses that scared me. I also didn't like how I was taught to lead - you know, holding the leadrope at the clasp. They said you had better control over the horses that way. Sorry, I'm 9 years old trying to drag a 17h TB to the barn by the throat latch, either I was getting trampled or I was getting dragged. It used to terrify me to just run into a pasture to catch a horse.

Apparently I was a very good rider by traditional English AND Western standards. On a vacation at a dude ranch in Wyoming when I was 10, I took 1st place in the ranch gymkhana (sp?). Back home, my trainers (2 of whom rode on the US team) begged my mother to put me in shows. She refused and I hated her for it. 15 years later, I thank her for it. I am a sensitive baby who takes everything far too personally and I was pushed around enough at the barns (looking back, it was probably out of jealousy), showing may have traumatized me from horses for life. Be that as it was, when the daughter of the BO where I was riding at the time tried beating me up on the soccer field because she was furious after hearing her trainer say I was "spectacular," I stopped riding regularly. I was fed up with the obnoxious riders. I was also fed up with the back pain, the buckets of sweat I poured in the dead of winter trying to keep difficult horses under control, fed up with feeling like so many lessons turned into control battles that I would ultimately lose because even if I got the horse to submit, the horse would want nothing to do with me next week. I adore horses with all my heart and to have one run away from me because I rode him would just kill me. So I visited people's properties, gave pats, fed carrots, went on some trail rides to tide me over. Still, I always yearned for the day when I would have a horse of my own and learn to REALLY enjoy riding. More so, I wanted a relationship where my horse would do anything for me as I would do anything for him.

When we decided to move to Vegas, Mom and I decided we wanted to get back into the equine world. She had owned horses before me and her own story is dotted with accidents, traumas, and experiences that drove her to merely admire horses from afar for over 20 years. We planned to share a nice brick house QH or Arabian that she would groom and I would barrel race. "No Thoroughbreds," she insisted.

Right after I made it out west (she and my stepdad moved out the year before I did), Mom bought a book called "Natural Horse*Man*Ship."

"It was very interesting, she told me, "and the stuff this guy says about horses and why they do some of the things they do makes so much more sense than what they taught us back east."
A few weeks later, she bought us tickets to the Natural Horsemanship Tour Stop being held at one of the casinos.

"If this is just some exhibition about why these peoples' horses are better than everyone's, I'm gonna be seriously bored," I sneered. Oh, how our foot can bleed when we shoot it with a bazooka. Watching Linda take Remmer for a spin around the arena bareback with a halter made me cry. They looked the way I always wanted to be with a horse - completely united. By the end of the second day, Mom and I were hooked. We had barely slept for 2 nights because we were so excited thinking about how we HAD to get into this method Pat and Linda were teaching. A week later, we were in the Savvy Club. We met an unbelievably generous woman who opened the doors to her ranch and gave us free reign with her horses and her Parelli equipment. Without her, we either never would have been able to progress the way we have, or we would have been playing Porcupine in the bushes to avoid criticism and ridicule. We have been EXTREMELY lucky to have been able to practice Parelli in open-minded, NH oriented ranches. Shiloh, where we board Jet, hosted a clinic back in February which we both participated in and cannot WAIT till our instructor comes back (3 Star Trainer Marc Rea, huzzah) to Vegas so we can put Jet through some hard-core playtime.

The rest is history. To date, Mom and I have Level Two knowledge but since Jet has been raised traditional, albeit treated VERY well and loved by his past owners, we are at back at Level 1. Since we started following Pat's theories over a year ago, we have had less frustrating and lousy horse days than the first 20 years we spent with horses. At least now when something goes wrong, we understand why - we didn't communicate correctly, we acted like predators, etc. We understand horse psychology runs far deeper than "they bein' dumb ass, spooky animals." It continues to thrill me now when I put Pat's teachings to the test and they work. It constantly reminds me why I chose PNH - because his psychology and methods make the MOST SENSE. So much of what he preaches seem like such no-brainers, but then again, 5 years ago, if my horse was a jerk for the farrier, it probably wouldn't have occured to me that it was MY responsibility to teach the horse to behave. After exhausting efforts to get his feet cleaned, I would be relieved to get a hoof-finicky horse off my hands for a while while the farrier dealt with him (yes, I am a bratty, rude little witch. Let it go). Dur. Jet acted like a clown ONCE about his feet. He kept trying to give Mom a wedgie. She set up a body block and the next time Jet went to bite, his nose bonked into her poised elbow (she didn't ELBOW him, she just had it raised so that he would hit it himself). He now lifts his feet like a gentleman. It's just one example of how Parelli has opened our eyes in ways we never thought possible. Steering us into the mindset that it is all about the communication and putting our principles before our goals has been monumental. Also, plain and simple...it's FUN!

As for my barrel racing plans, nix. It's fun to watch, but I've never been particularly competitve. I also thought I would make the switch to Western when I moved to Cowboy Country, but that went out the window when I realized I MUCH preferred English, and I'll be an English rider till the day I die, so there. There are no plans for Jet to train for shows. Jet had a job. He was a racehorse. He's earned the right to just be loved and be a horse. All I want him to do is be my best friend/partner/therapist. When I walk into Jet's pasture, call his name, and he abandons his hay to walk across the field to nuzzle my shoulder...that's all that matters. It's all about the relationship.

About Jet

2008-06-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

How Jet came to be mine is a thoroughly un-exciting story except for the fact that HE chose ME. I was trying to make friends with a different horse in the same paddock Jet was in at the time, but Jet rushed over instead, nibbling my sleeve and draping his head over my shoulder (a horsey hug?)

He was born in New York on May 25th, 2002. Upon learning he was a native New Yorker, just like me, and that his birthday is just 4 days after mine, I somehow KNEW he was the One. His registered name is Gold Ending. He is by Precise End out of Made for Satin by Premiership. I have never heard of any of these horses. Bragging rights in his bloodlines include Forty Niner, Secretariat, Mr. Prospector, and my very favorite racehorse of all time, Man O' War. I look at him in goofy awe that I have a living decendant of Man O' War. Quite often I will see Man O' War's imperial, lordly look come out in him when he raises his head in defiance.

Horsenality wise, Jet is the LAZIEST Left Brained Extrovert you will ever meet. He has more qualities of LBE than the other categories on the chart, but his 2 favorite pastimes are stopping and eating.

Jet lives at a rescue sanctuary about 45 minutes from the infamous Strip. My mother and I started volunteering there at Christmas time (BTW, all you Parelli folk who donated blankets, Shiloh was soooooo grateful! I couldn't believe the response I got!! Over 30 blankets from Savvy Club members were donated to the rescue farm! You guys are amazing!) and were more taken by those needy horses than any of the show barns we rode at back east. I could write for HOURS about the wonderful friends (human and equine) we have made up there, but I think it is better described at http://shilohlasvegas.com/ . Thankfully Jet's story is not filled with saddness. He was one of the luckier TB's who was sent to Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program in Finger Lakes, NY when he stopped racing. After he was rehabbed he was shipped out to Shiloh. A lady adopted him shortly thereafter, keeping him at the ranch, but she stopped paying board so Jill (one of the owners of Shiloh, and one of my personal heroes) re-po'ed him. Whatever this gal did to Jet while she DID want him was fabulous. He responded to the 7 Games for the first time so well, Mom and I thought his previous owner was a fellow Parelli-ite.

My mother and I adopted Jet on his 6th birthday and he has been the new family baby ever since. Ooed and ahhed over, adored by all who meet him and UTTERLY SPOILED ROTTEN. He is thoroughy treat driven, which we have tried working to our advantage. At least he has figured out that he has to be polite and not climb over Mommy and Grammy to get a carrot. The boy is 16.2 and Mom is 5'1, she will turn into powder if he steps on her. When we take him out, we put his supplement bucket in different spots so that he will not anticipate where we are leading him and start rushing to get to his bucket. We also do this so that he associates all areas of the ranch we take him to with something yummy and fun for him to look forward to. IT'S WORKING.
Although he is making slow but surely great progress through Parelli methods, my absolute favorite time with him is Undemanding Time. Jet is nothing more than an 1200 lb pet, and he loves to be cuddled and scratched and rubbed. He is the World's Largest Kitten. There's where most of his spoiling comes in - the petting, hugs, kisses, cuddles. He has such a sunny disposition, and just soaks up the attention. Total ham. The other day a visitor, little boy, asked me if he could give Jet an apple. I said sure and led Jet to him. Jet took a big bite and the boy reached out to pet him while he was munching. Like a shy baby, Jet buried his head in my middle instead. I couldn't help but "Aww, sweetie!" him to death while I rested my head in his bridle path. Such a kyootie.

We pasture board him which provides EXCELLENT Catching Game strategies, although they don't always work. Sometimes we can only make it to the barn twice a week, so pasture boarding is especially worth its weight in gold. He is one of 2 geldings in a field of 12 mares. When he was first put in that pasture he made friends with a Palamino who followed him everywhere, but when Blahnik, the fancy chestnut with 3 white stockings joined the crew, he dumped the Palamino and has not been seen without her ever since. In essence, right now we're working on TWO relationships - our relationship with Jet AND his girlfriend Blahnik. She throws tantrums whenever he leaves the pasture so we try to spend time with her as well so she knows we are friends, not evil predators who might eat her lover. We also play the games with her to gain her respect so she won't be bitchy and try to push us out of the way when we want to pet our own horse. She and I are getting along far better than we first did (I posted in the SC forum about the "high hoof" she gave me). But Jet is our one and only, our baby boy, the light and sunshine in our lives. The vacations and nice clothes and fancy dinners I always enjoyed may have to be sacrificed for awhile (or forever!) but everytime I look into those innocent, big brown eyes of that big black monster, none of it matters because he's all I've ever really wanted my whole life.

About Me (Disclaimer)

2008-06-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

I've loved horses my entire life. My favorite game at recess was gallopping around the soccer field and challenging my horse-crazy friend to stakes races and show jumping competitions. Incidently, I got teased a lot. It took many, many years for me to stop caring. These days, the first sentence out of someone's mouth if they describe me is, "She...is a horse...FANATIC."

I'm essentially a horse slut. I fall in love with any horse I spend more than 2 minutes with. Since I moved to Vegas 2 years ago, I can name off at least 10 horses I seriously considered buying. Although I never met a particular breed I didn't like, Thoroughbreds are my Achilles Heel. A Thoroughbred that used to race is like crack to me. I don't know why. I tried switching to sounder, saner breeds and I always come back to TB's. I give up.

I've started this blog because it only took 20 years to finally find the horse of my dreams (an OTTB, of course) and I want to share my experiences in practicing Parelli Natural Horsemanship with other like-minded horse freaks. This is where I check "yes" on the inevitable terms of acceptance than non-NH people will slander me, and very adamantly express their opinion that NH is bullshit and pointless and Pat Parelli is the biggest asshole on the planet. I honestly do not care. Opinions are about the only thing people are truly, naturally entitled to. Non-NHer's (who may affectionately and respectfully be referred to as "normies") going to have to agree to disagree on training methods. There will be more about this in a later post. All I ask to anyone who wishes to make fun of me is to PLEASE check your spelling and grammar, I simply canNOT be offended by someone who says, "ur a fukin looser nda i think parelee sux n ur hors is ugly 2!!111!!"

When I post on the Savvy Club forum, I try to be very respectful and keep my language G-rated. The gloves are off on this forum. It is my blog, and I have a mouth like a sailor when I get riled up (or am too lazy to censor myself). Humor is one of my biggest allies and defense mechanisms. I make terrible jokes, make remarks that are in truly bad taste, and bleed sarcasm whether the situation is appropriate or not.

This blog will include the trials and tribulations of being a 1st time horse owner as well as my road to Savvy. Don't ever hesitate to yabber on about your own experiences in my comments section!

Keep it Savvy and see you around the blogspot!