Sick.......

Normally, I don't get sick often, or at least, I think I don't. I have to admit I like it that way. Being sick sucks and it gets in the way of doing what I want.

At my age we get warned about getting flu shots and taking extra precautions because we, older folks, are more vulnerable to even a minor illness turning into something life threatening. I guess because I don't get sick often I feel like I'm immune to such issues so I pretty much ignore those warnings.......bad me.

But what the hey! Maybe once a year or less I'll get a cold. That's pretty much it unless I am rundown. Even then I don't usually get sick unless someone here brings it home. Not going to anything but horse events leaves me pretty much protected from exposure to bad things in the wintertime. I'm a home body pretty much.

Of course that's all changed this year. Having a job puts me out front with the public. You can't be more out front than retail at Christmastime. Unfortunately I didn't really think about that much until I began noticing all the running noses and coughing people around me.

Then I thought about my food handler's class and all the things one needs to do to avoid the spread of germs. It was a required class for me but didn't seem to mean much in the apparel department or so I thought.

Whodda thunk how it related to me. I was no thinking about always washing my hands before I eat. Heck I don't have time to do that at a horse show and I never get sick..........right? Well, guess what, silly MiKael, all those germs were just hanging around on those clothes your rehanging and restocking just waiting to hitch a ride home and that's exactly what they did.

I'm just beginning my third week of this job and I'm ALREADY SICK! I hate when being dumb catches up with me. By the time I had my epiphany about making sure my hands were thoroughly washed, as per instructions in my food handling class, I'd already picked up a darn bug. The thing was incubating, growing nice and strong before it popped out making me miserable.

I have a BIG TIME cold! My head aches from all the pressure in my sinuses and I just feel dull all over. My mind wanders because I just don't fell well. About all I'm good for is something pretty mindless. Guess folding and rehanging clothes at my job is mindless enough. Hopefully I won't be called on for too much customer service.

Yesterday I worked on a post for this blog in the morning before my shift. I thought I scheduled it through blogger to post last night BUT I'm so off my game, I posted it to the other blog so my post about Anniversary of Four Fallen Officers found a new home. Didn't realize that mistake until this morning. At least it wasn't a horsey post or my other readers would have thought I lost it. Maybe in a way I did.

By last evening I was loosing my voice. Last night I couldn't sleep. Today I sound like Gravel Gerty and..........I'm very, very crabby! Being sick sucks! I have to work again this evening and here's to hoping it's another quiet night like it was last night. You can bet from here on out, I won't be forgetting to do my thirty second wash on my hands before they get anywhere near my mouth. I'm not going through this again if I can help it.

The Wendy Potts Clinic.......Storm Answers the Challenge

Part 1- Wendy Potts Clinic

Part 1 - Sizing Things Up - Status on Storm

During the Wendy Potts clinic was not the first time Storm has dealt with stallion type issues. Storm has experience with being challenged by another stallion, or maybe I should say that the Arabian horse has experience with challenging another stallion. Even if it was 3 1/2 years ago, I'm sure Storm remembers the day he thought he would take on Legs. I know it the first thing I thought of when I heard that stallion screaming at the clinic. After that experience with Legs I found myself wondering how Storm was going to respond to this challenge with me on his back.

It didn't take long for my answer. Instantaneously Storm leapt forward so violently I actually heard a gasp coming from someone on the rail. Although I had my hands full and couldn't really think much about that reaction, it did log somewhere in my memory banks.

The horse thought he was going to take on this other stallion in some manner although it wasn't clear to what extent Storm would go to get that done. I grabbed at the rein trying to keep within the same parameters of pressure as my horse was dishing out, wanting to remind him that he should be listening to me.

Storm clearly responded he thought he knew better about how this situation should be handled. Storm audibly answered the other horse although with nowhere near the fierceness the challenging stallion had used. I couldn't help but think his response didn't really fit what the other stallion had in mind. It seemed to me Storm wasn't ignoring the other stallion throwing down the gauntlet but he wasn't disregarding my presence either. That less than out right war response clearly said Storm knew I wouldn't approve. At least that was a good sign.

Angrily shaking his head and trying to free himself from my control, Storm did some more fancy foot work but I managed to stay in the saddle ok. My mind raced with the possibilities as I tried to figure out the best way to handle things.

While pulling on one rein, I applied both spurs with more insistence than I've ever had to use on this horse so I worried about it being too much and equally about it not being enough. The broncy hump in his back required an immediate response but finding the proper balance weighed heavily on my mind. If I didn't get it right, I could end up in the dirt.

It turned out one hard swift poke didn't do the job. My horse was still resisting in a strenuous fashion so I upped the ante. This time I took an even bigger jab at my horse and also I added a good firm smack with the bat still pulling on one rein hoping to soften the horse and get his attention back on me. As I did this, I prayed for all I was worth that Storm wouldn't get mad.

I knew how much the horse resents that bat and I had no clue what to expect about this much spur. The last thing I wanted was to add any fuel to this already dangerous fire but I knew that the only answer to this situation was to get my horse forward and thinking about me instead of this other stallion.

It's just that you never really know about stallions which way they're going to decide. That primal instinct to survive can trump a lot of things and the roar of that other stallion had definitely been primal. I had to hope that Storm's years with me, even though in the distant past, would be enough to bring us out the other side.

Looking back at it, this incident had the makings of a terrifying experience. There were so many things that could have gone wrong. However, my heart rate never got past normal. Faith in my horses minds and commitments to their humans and in my ability to deal with Storm pulled me through, I guess. The outburst was short and once it was over, it was over. Storm was right back to trying his best for me.

I will never know whether Storm was trying to dump me or protect me. Having been in the situation where I have been protected by a horse, I can't help but wonder if that's not what was going through Storm's mind. He sure hadn't show the kind of fight against me he'd done at home of late, nor had he shown the kind of aggression he'd shown towards Legs. Something about it made me think this was different than the horse feeling he needed to protect himself.

To be continued...............

Onto Riding Storm

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Black Friday.......and Bear Paws

I did survive Black Friday working at the store but boy could I tell stories. Those stories wouldn't necessarily be about this year's Black Friday experience but break room talk had some interesting recounts of year's past that made me think I was glad I wasn't around at those times.

Though the store was brimming with people when I arrived at 7 and the checkout lines where about 40 carts long in each line, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been. No one was killed or even beaten over the 48 inch flat screen TV's for $398 or whatever they were (shows you how much I care about big TVs) and there were no knock down drag out fights over the Bear Paws that were on sale for half price for the six hour sale even though they turned out to be one of the HOT items.

Although I must admit while navigating the return carts with Bear Paws on board I did get eyed by more than one salivating shopper wondering if they dared approach me for the coveted boots. At one point I was beginning to think a couple of particularly persistent customers were plotting an ambush against me and those return carts.

I didn't know if I should circle my wagons or call for reinforcements. Although I'm pretty sure if I'd needed saving no one could have gotten through the maze of shopping carts to save me anyways.

The attack never happened but I suspect it was only because they couldn't quite figure out if the boots I carried were the sizes they coveted. Had there been a real chance my cargo was exactly what they sought things might have turned out differently.

Patience seemed to be what those shoppers decided to try because they actually held out assaulting me until the boots were just about back on the display shelf. I could hear the thundering hooves behind me when I knew there really were no horses present. Whether those boots turned out to be the "correct" size or not, I have no way of knowing because I high tailed it outta there to save myself before making another round to collect returns.

If you're wondering, I did, indeed, collect more Bear Paws on subsequent trips to gather and restock returns. The routine with customers seemed to go pretty much the same until the dreaded six hour sale was over and the sale price was no longer in effect.

I don't know how many shoppers lost out on those darn boots but they were certainly the talk of the store. By the time I'd finished my shift for the day, I had blisters on both feet and I'd recovered 12 more boxes of Bear Paws from places they'd been dumped throughout the store. Those 12 pairs were the only ones left in the whole store.

Bear Paws were not the only thing people seemed to grab in larger numbers than they actually needed. For some reason each cart of returns was at least half full of socks. Kids socks, ladies socks, teenagers socks, boys socks, girls socks, men socks, work socks, play socks, you name it socks were all half price for that six hour sale. Frankly that wouldn't impress me enough to get me out of the house for a six hour sale but people were mobbed around those cases of open socks like there was something particularly coveted in there.

I don't know why so many socks were in the returns but I can only surmise people grabbed them up like in some feeding frenzy only to get to the check out stands having spent more money than expected. The obvious thing to cut back to bring their totals down just must have been those socks. So I spent a good part of my day sorting socks.........and other miscellaneous clothes and when I got home I was ready for a much needed nap

Thanksgiving Thoughts.........

I've been running around cyberspace all morning trying to keep up with my blogging friends AND trying to get my goggle reader updated with horsey blogs I've been having to locate the hard way. That makes me a bit late in posting my list of what I'm thankful for on this glorious Thanksgiving Day.......and all those Thanksgiving Day posts have made me a bit sappy I suspect but here goes.........

I'm thankful Lindsay's cancer is still in remission. There will never be anything or anyone more important in my life as my youngest child. While her illness may have left us all with some challenges, she is a joy and I cannot imagine life without her.

I'm thankful for all the health care professionals who help others in their struggles with all the dreaded diseases that carry the name, cancer. This disease strikes fear in each one of us. I know the emotional sacrifice they make to deal with such an illness and it's devestation of families.

I'm thankful for supportive family and friends. I couldn't even begin to follow my dream without the help of those around me. Sometimes just getting through the day would be impossible if I didn't know I have love and support.

I'm thankful for horses in my life. They have given me my life, my sanity, a reason to live when life seemed unbearable. They commiserate with me when I am sad. They bring me joy even when I've forgotten it's possible.

I'm thankful that Solidare's colt, Tango, is now thriving. Just thinking of him, reminds me of her. Even if only for an instant, she is not gone and I am comforted.

I'm thankful there is recovery for victims of child abuse if they chose to heal. Over the years I've learned the cycle cannot be broken just by stopping an abuser. It is the healing of victims that changes perspectives and gives children and adults the tools to protect themselves and future generations.

I'm thankful for the many health care professionals dedicated to this work. I've heard a therapist is only as helpful as she/he is healthy. If she/he haven't resolved her/his own issues, there's no identifying those of others. Travelling the road of self healing is long and difficult. Doing it to help others is heroic, I think.

I'm thankful for my own healing especially because it brought me to horses. If it hadn't been for this option in my life, I'd have been gone by now. Lost in the deepest of dark holes believing I was a defective child, I had no reason to go on until I met Scandalous.

I'm thankful for the roof over my head and food on the table. Being reminded this summer what it could be like for me had life gone differently, I feel even more grateful.

I'm thankful my homeless friends are long gone from here as our bitter winter unfolds, knowing they are safer where they are. I can't help but look outside at the place their tent stood and wonder how cold it would be to live in those circumstances. My house may be drafty and cold but it's worlds above that tent.

I'm thankful for my job. There are so many out there without one, I will even be grateful for the Black Friday mobs.

I'm thankful someone else is cooking Thanksgiving dinner today and all I have to do is make "pink salad" and arrive on time. (the salad I did yesterday morning before work.) I'm equally thankful I have someone who cares about me enough to share this special meal.

I'm thankful that I don't have to work today so I can get caught up with my blogging friends and spend some down time before my Black Friday experience. When I first got this job, I figured I would be working for sure because I was low man on the totem pole. I about did cart wheels when I saw the work schedule and my name wasn't on it for this day.

I'm thankful for this great country we live in. Somehow the message Living in America Dreams Are Possible managed to get through all the programming I had as a child. It was a lifeline that got me through until I could get real help.

I'm thankful for the great friends I've met in the blogging community and the opportunity to make many more. Who knew that starting a blog could lead to finding some lifetime friends? I've gotten your support through some difficult times and it couldn't be more appreciated. I've also gotten a good laugh on some days I really needed one.

Mostly, I'm thankful for being alive. There was a time, I didn't think I'd make it this far and I had little idea there was any reason to want to. Now, even though times are tough, I can see there's always a light at the end of any tunnel. I'm looking forward to the journey it takes to get there.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Still Buried in Snow

These are more of Dave's snow pics. This is also part of what Legs sees looking out of his stall, just a different angle. The round pen looks innocent enough but there's a sheet of ice underneath that now that's about 3 inches thick definitely not safe for horses. Trouble is definitely missing his turnout time in there. He normally is terrorizing Doc in there each day as they hang close to Tango getting acquainted with him as a future pasture mate. Ice skating has never been my thing so probably not safe for humans either.

In the front of the round pen is one of the blue barrel I have for the horses to play with. It looks pretty lonely there laying on it's side covered in show.
This is the immediate view Legs can see to his left. That's the hay barn with additional stalls and behind it the boys' barn where Rhet, Storm, Suede and Reflection live. The broodmares are in the same barn as Legs. No pics of that this time around and I'm not going out in the cold to get them this time around. For some reason I just cannot get warm so I'm staying inside as much as I can.

Too bad Dave cut off my truck in this shot. We had so much snow the pickup bed was full and even over flowing. I don't recall when or even if we've ever had this much snow in one day.

The main roads aren't too bad during the day because of traffic warming them up. At night they are treacherous and I'm really glad I don't have an AM commute. Those have been a nightmare.

The temperatures have been in the teens at night. With wind chill I have no idea but it's darn cold. Way colder than I'm used to so underneath the fluffy white stuff is a treacherous layer of ice. The ground was really saturated before the snow so now underneath the fluffy white stuff there is a treacherous layer of ice. If it wasn't for that ice, I'd be putting horses out to play in the show but it would be asking for trouble. That's one of the bad things about this place. There'll be no riding here until the conditions are safe.

Dave is still driving me to work. I am scheduled for a full shift tonight. Then the early shift on Black Friday. Normally, that's a day I stay away from stores so it will be interesting to see how I survive.

Life and Record Breaking ?? Snows.......

Sometimes life just has to trump the series. I'll get back to posting about Storm and the clinic but for now these pics of the snows covering my farm take precedence for me. Caring for thirty horses in this stuff takes real commitment. Fortunately for me, Dave and Lindsay have that because I've been working at Fred Meyer instead of here on the farm.
I am such a chicken about driving in the snow, that Dave has also taken on the task of ferrying me back and forth to work. He's a great driver in the snow even with his white knuckling back seat driving wife as a passenger. He got me home last night safely and will be have gotten me to work this afternoon before this post even hits the airways.

Dave also contributed these pics taken by his blackberry. Both are veiws Legs has from his stall. The first is looking straight out towards the road. The second is looking back towards the house to see what his humans are up to, although this is only a partial view from that direction. Legs also has sight of the two other barns as he looks down the lane. BTW that's the same lane I was riding Storm in just a few days ago. You can get we aren't riding in this stuff ........but then maybe if I could get the time off work, I might just have time to introduce the red haired wonder to the fine art of riding in the snow. I can just imagine what kind of ride that would be. LOL

The Wendy Potts Clinic.......Getting Started with Storm

Part 1- Wendy Potts Clinic

Part 1 - Sizing Things Up - Status on Storm

Just before our scheduled ride time, I went back to the stall to get Storm. Removing his cooler, I could tell the horse was more focused on what what going on in the arena than he was about me. His eyes were locked on the horse travelling on the far side of the rail. I just had to wonder what he could be thinking.

I tapped him on the shoulder as I readied the bridle. The Arabian horse startled for an instant as I broke his concentration but then the horse readily reached for the bit. As I led him from the stall I heard this deep sigh so again I wonder what must he be thinking.

Once in the arena I again faced his nose into the corner so I could mount. I watched for Storm to cheat again but it was much smaller this time. I managed to get my old b*tt into the saddle as gracefully as could be considering we had an audience and a couple of them less than friendly. I was relieved my body and my horse cooperated in a pretty reasonable fashion.

As Wendy Potts finished up with her lesson, I took my five minutes of warm-up time to walk my horse around the arena. I wanted Storm to get a good look at the far roped off end and the people sitting down there is chairs. I just made sure we travelled the same direction as the lesson horse not wanting to interfere with their valuable lesson time.

Storm could have cared less about the people sitting down there in chairs. For that matter the horse didn't seem to notice the addition of so many people now on the rail. I couldn't help but wonder if the open house I usually do each summer hasn't prepared the horse for such sights. It looked like clear sailing for a lesson focused on our real issues.

When Wendy Potts asked me what the story was on this horse, I was right up next to the rail loaded with people and fairly close to those sitting in the arena itself. Knowing that there were less than friendly folks in the group, I decided I'd go up close to Wendy Potts so only she would hear what I had to say. I didn't want to get sidetracked by any possible unsupportive comments. Storm deserved to have this be about him and not about the issues of others.

Once I was up close to Wendy Potts I told her, "I just repossessed this horse. For two years he has been ridden totally off his face. The horse was totally locked up and he has no balance. I've ridden him less than a dozen times. Because his balance is so off, the horse is not wearing shoes."

Wendy Potts shook her head as she listened. I could tell from her expression there was concern for my horse. Then she said, "Well, let's see what we've got." so I headed my horse towards the off side rail.

As we neared the big mirror hung on that side, a stallion stalled right near that spot charged his door and let out a blood curdling scream. Storm and I both recognized that call immediately. This stallion was challenging Storm...........

To be continued.........

Storm Answers the Challenge
This photo was taken by Johnny Johnston. I don't think it does this horse justice. I still have credit for a couple of 8 x 10s with Johnny but can't make up my mind.


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The Wendy Potts Clinic.......The Morning of Our Ride

Part 1- Wendy Potts Clinic

Part 1 - Sizing Things Up - Status on Storm

We were scheduled for our ride at 10 AM so I'd decided to be there early before anyone arrived so I could get my horse bitted and lunged in the arena before anyone arrived. I had specific issues I wanted help with on this horse and I didn't want to waste our valuable lesson time dealing with his concern with his new surroundings.

As it was I got plenty of time to work on these issues. I awoke at 2 AM and was unable to get back to sleep. When I'd decided to get up and post my first blog about this clinic I found my computer in pieces on the kitchen counter. Still unable to sleep I decided I'd leave a little early and stop at Mickey D's for an egg mcmuffin.

That would mean taking the long way to the facility for the clinic, Country Lane, in Enumclaw. That would take up part of my extra time so I was pretty sure I wouldn't arrive before 6, the scheduled opening time for that morning.

Who knew that Mickey's D's may have drive-up windows that early in the morning but the main lobbies aren't open......certainly not me. Drive-up windows are not set up for pick-up trucks with horse trailers and even if they were, I doubt they accommodate a rig like mine. There was just enough traffic going through the drive-up, I figured I'd get hit by a car before I ever got my breakfast so I was on to the next Mickey D's to try again.

It took three stops before I got to one with an open lobby. By then it was a bit after six and Storm wasn't sure what I was dragging him through. The horse was pawing and snorting and rocking my horse trailer wanting to get back on the road and hopefully out of that trailer. I probably wouldn't have even made all those stops if I hadn't been needing to kill time so I didn't arrive too early at Country Lane.

As it was we got there just as they were feeding horses. I'd already been assigned a stall for Storm so I got him put in and settled. Then I moved my tack in while they got the arena dragged knowing that once that was done it was ok for me to work my horse.

That gave me plenty of time to get my horse groomed, tacked up and lunged. Storm was a bit naughty about being bitted up but that's exactly what I expected. I wanted his resistance to be worked out without me on his back so I just let him rip until the horse decided it was time to settle.

I was actually surprised at how long it took that to happen. The horse didn't work up a sweat as he's been known to do when confronted with something new. I guess he decided he might just as well go with the flow and settle so he could stop going around in circles. He'd save his attitude for the riding part.

When I went to get on the horse is when I knew he was going to be a pistol. Storm didn't want to stand in the corner to let me mount. There was no mounting block available so I had to get my aged b*tt up there without assistance. Storm must have thought it was his cue to leave town.

The minute I put my foot into the stirrup the horse tried to cut out of the corner. Luckily I suspected as much and was ready for him. I blocked his turn with the rein and scolded him with my voice. Storm shook his head at me and I wondered if I was in for a "memorable" ride. Thankfully that turned out not to be the case.

The getting on was the only bad part. Storm was very good about going down the rail and checking out his new surroundings. I really only worked on flexing and bending the horse making sure he was responding to my leg cues instead of going through them as horses tend to do when they don't want to go near something new.

Riding ahead of the horse, I would flex him away from anything that might cause him to shy. Making the work harder gave him something to put his mind onto instead of his surroundings. After two or three times around the ring doing that, the horse was pretty sure nothing there was going to try to eat him.

About that time, the two riders from the first lesson entered the arena on their horses. Storm hasn't had much experience with other horses in the ring so he thought he might get closer to take a look see and maybe even get a nice smell of the newcomers. It didn't take much to convince him that wasn't a good idea so the horse settled back in and gave his attention back to me.

Once I was sure his mind was where it belonged, I called it good and put my horse away. I left him tied in his stall until our lesson so he could work a little on his patience as well. Then I went out and watched the lessons in front of us.

To be continued..................

Getting Started with Storm

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One More Thing..........Before Getting to Storm.........

Part 1

I did forget one part about this clinic that I had really wanted to post. Before I get started with Storm I think I'm going to visit that subject as well. As I mentioned in my very first post, Wendy Potts can really sit a horse, pretty much any horse from what I can tell.

Throughout the clinic there were resistive horses, as you can imagine. It's pretty normal for horses to be resistant when getting asked to do something more difficult than usual. As a matter of self preservation, Mother Nature equips horses with a genetic code telling them to seek the easy way so they follow that instinct and test things that are difficult.

While Wendy Potts didn't repeat the horseman's adage, "you need to make the right thing easy for the horse," it was easy to see she lives by that code. All her methods speak to that philosophy as she sets horses up to do the right thing. Knowing that horses are going to be resistive to change, Wendy Potts is prepared for anything even the extremes and we sure did see a couple of those.

The most adamant horse about change seemed to be a gelding ridden on Saturday afternoon. I'm afraid I don't remember the history on the horse but I clearly remember the strings of bucks the horse made as he went down the rail. Wendy Potts insistence the horse move forward was not at all welcomed by this horse and he was really trying to prove his point.

Many times I saw the horse's heels above the top line of the rail but the horse was definitely going forward, just not in a way I could have sat. Wendy Potts didn't miss a beat. There wasn't an untimely bounce or anything that might suggest her b*tt wasn't firmly planted in that saddle.

I must admit I had some envy watching how she rode out this horse. She didn't just sit there taking it, she continued on with her cues to get the horse moving forward. If I could ride like that I'd have no fear about fixing Reflection. God knows I really need to get that horse fixed and into the ring but since I can't yet sit a horse like Wendy Potts, I'll have to spend some time practicing on her tip.

Wendy Potts told up when she's riding young horses and difficult ones sometimes too, she tries to keep her weight off the horse's back. The trainer instructed riders to put their weight deep into their stirrups with their heals down to accomplish this.

For the young horse, keeping weight off the back helps the horse understand the cue is to go forward. It's understandable a young horse would think a bump of weight on the back is a barrier and stop forward impulsion. Depending on the impression that barrier ,makes, the horse could become confused or even resistant to lifting it's back. Keeping the rider's weight off would make it easier for the horse understand what is wanted by the cue to correctly go forward.

Wendy Potts pointed out in the situation of a resistant horse keeping the weight off the horse's back protects the rider from being launched. If the horse's back doesn't meet the rider's bottom during those bucks there is less momentum throwing the rider into the air. It's a great trick, if you ask me, and I'm going to do some practicing to see if I can strengthen my core and my legs enough to accomplish it.

To be continued................

The Morning of our Ride

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The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts....Tools for the Ring....

Part 1

Wendy Potts made it clear that she trains her horses so that she can make whatever adjustments she might need in the ring. It doesn't matter if the changes she wants to make have to do with the specific specs for the class or maybe the preferences of judges. Wendy Potts has cues in place to deal with any of these.

By doing a lot of work with in and out lateral movement, Wendy Potts' horses are well equipped to negotiate traffic and she can use either direction to remind her horse to get back deep underneath itself. The more difficult work of lateral movement will also help to keep the horse's mind on the rider instead of worrying about the horses in proximity. If she wanted she could weave them in and and of traffic just like you might with a car on the freeway.

Because Wendy Potts works her horses at different rates of speed at each gait, she has the ability to adjust their gaits in the ring to accommodate the preferences of a judge. It can only take a few classes to see a presiding judge's tastes in hunter pleasure horses. Being able to speed up or slow down a horse can be quite useful in such circumstances.

Wendy Potts also teaches her horses to raise their heads or lower them depending on which she wants at any given time. Again this can be useful for judges who prefer their hunter horses to be higher or lower than Wendy Potts' normal way to ride them.

At the clinic there were a number of horses that needed to raise their heads to get them off their forehand. Instead of lifting up to cause this (as I have been taught) Wendy Potts goes straight back to the hip with both hands. At the first sign of elevation from the horse, she gives the horse the big release. Eventually she ends up with a horse that will raise up as soon as she uses this cue.

To lower a head, Wendy raises up. I have to admit even though I was taught that lifting the reins would raise the horse's head, I think more often than not my horse wanted to drop down. Makes me want to go "DUH......." for all those times I got the opposite reaction than what I wanted yet I continued with that cue. Now I'm thinking I have a much better chance of getting what I want.

With these skills Wendy Potts can do about anything she wants with a horse in the ring. She can shorten up a frame, change a head set and adjust her rate as well as being able to keep her horse together. It's no wonder with her arsenal of tricks that Wendy Potts wins as much in the hunter arena as she does.

To be continued.....................

One More Thing.........Before Geting to Storm

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The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts....More Issues....

Part 1

There were a few riders at this clinic who Wendy Potts said were working harder than their horses to get forward movement. In some cases even as hard as the riders worked the horses were not delivering. Despite the intense riding, the horses still weren't going forward. The riders were exhausted and the horses hadn't even broken a sweat.

Some of these riders were really pumping their horses. Pushing for all they were worth upon the horses' backs, the riders' upper body were swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Wendy Potts said this kind of movement was only interfering with the horse's movement and the riders needed to work on sitting quietly, keeping the shoulders lined up over the hips instead of moving back and forth and pumping with their hips.

Wendy Potts had all of these that were riders struggling to keep their horses moving apply more cue by using a crop. She cautioned them to not grab the horse in the face even if it surged forward from the added pressure. Grabbing the horse would stop the forward movement before it ever got started.

For now what she wanted was the horse to respond with forward movement no matter how big that movement might be. There would be plenty of time later, once the horse had learned to respond appropriately to the aids to work on rating the horse.
Wendy Potts encouraged those riders to do lots of transitions focusing on getting that surge from the horse. By applying leg pressure at the same time the crop was used, the horse would learn the leg means you must go forward. Also she said lots of galloping would help get their horses moving forward too.

I have to say these situations really reminded me of sometimes riding Legs. I use a lot of leg just to keep the horse moving. While I'm getting the horse up underneath himself where he belong, Legs just isn't holding it. The minute I release the pressure, the horse falls out of frame and I'm thinking this probably needs to be addressed the same way as these hunter horses that are not moving up underneath themselves when asked.

There were quite a number of riders at this clinic that Wendy Potts said were "pumping" their horses. It wasn't just the ones whose horses seemed to be stalling underneath them. There were other riders who just seemed to ride that way. Wendy Potts said that style of riding makes the horse look like it's hard to ride instead of like a pleasure as well as interfering with the horse. Me, I think horses ridden in that manner tend to look rough even when they aren't. Either way, it doesn't present a pretty picture for the judges and can affect how they place in the show ring.

I might also add that I know at least one barn in our area where the kids are taught to ride in this manner. Wendy Potts made is clear that riding a horse in this fashion isn't really effective for the horse or the rider. It is not something she believes a responsible instructor would encourage.

Wendy Potts says that such riding also interferes with the horse's ability to use themselves efficiently. Riders falling forward and riders doing what Wendy called "chasing" the horse are either throwing the horse off balance or out of rhythm respectively. Either one makes it more difficult for the horse to go forward.

There were some hunt saddles that didn't fit the riders properly that Wendy Potts also notice. Most of the time these poorly fitting saddles affected the rider's leg position, balance and over all ability to cue one's horse. By making some adjustments in the length of the irons these riders were able to get into a better position and work more effectively. The end result was a better moving horse.

To be continued...................

Tools for the Ring

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The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts....Horse Issues....

Part 1

In the category of broke horses at the Wendy Potts clinic there were the usual things you'd expect to see. There were horses down on the forehand. Horses ignoring riders' legs. Horses just not paying attention. Horses not driving off their hind ends. Horses locked up in the shoulders and/or ribcage. Horses heavy in the bridle.

All of these issues, of course, come back to going forward. A horse that is going forward properly wouldn't be doing any of these things. The solution lies in what is preventing that particular horse from going forward like it should.

The answer can be simple but it also may be complicated depending on the individual situations. In many instances riders were using draw reins to deal with issues and, as Wendy Potts explained, draw reins can become a dependency and therefore a part of the problem.

Horses that are consistently ridden off of draw reins learn they can brace against the apparatus at the base of their necks. Such horses can get locked up into the shoulder and even beyond which further complicates their ability to go forward. The degree of locking up is directly proportional to how much pressure is exerted against the horse with this aid. You cannot fix a "needs to go more forward" issue with a draw rein. It will only complicate things.

When Wendy Potts feels the need for something more in an aid, she uses the German martingale. The nature of the martingale prevents a horse from being able to lean on the aid at the base of the neck like can be done with draw reins so the horse cannot become dependant on it. It promotes self carriage so the rider should have the same response from the horse once the aid is removed.

There were lots of horses moved from draw reins into German martingales at this clinic when Wendy Potts rode them. Then Wendy set about the lateral movement both to the inside and to the outside. To her it's important the the horse knows how to move lateral both directions at all gaits.

Once Wendy Potts rode these horses it depended on each's ability to move laterally off her legs what she did with these horses. If they were locked up, she used the same exercise she'd used with the young horses to teach that horse how to open up its stride and move deeper underneath itself. If the horse understood lateral movement, she worked the horse both ways of the ring bending the horse around her leg to the inside and moving towards the wall. Then she'd bend the horse around her leg to the outside moving the horse towards the inside. Picture a horse weaving in and out of traffic to "see" the line of travel that could result.

To accomplish this bending around her leg, Wendy Potts moved the horse's head by lightly pulling on the rein to the point where she could just see the horse's eye. Then she applied the same leg as the rein side and opened up the opposite leg to allow the horse to move through to that side. All the while, Wendy Potts made sure she was giving short releases on the shorter rein to encourage softness in the horse.

Many times throughout this clinic Wendy Potts reminded us a horse will only pull as hard as he is being pulled against. Riders make heavy horses by not giving enough releases.

All I can say to that is "Amen!" Although I must admit that sometimes it is easy to go so focused on a response that the little releases are forgotten while waiting for that point to give a big one. When it dawns on me my horse is leaning on me, I know immediately that it's my fault and I have to focus on those little gives from me as much as looking for the big one from the horse.

It occurred to me as I was watching Wendy Potts riding her horses by moving them in and out in this lateral fashion that a horse that is used to the kind of lateral movement would also be less likely to drop a lead at the hand gallop. Lots of times in the ring riders can be seen cutting across the arena to avoid traffic and the horses swapping leads behind from the sharp turns. This happens because the horses are not used to such maneuvers and don't have the added strength it takes to accomplish them without dropping that lead. The continual use of lateral movement would build the type of strength necessary to hold a lead even in the tightest of situations.

To be continued.....................

More Issues

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The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts....the Young Horse

There were way too many horses at the Wendy Potts clinic to post what she did with each horse and rider combination. I don't even recall the specifics on each but it seemed to me most things I see in the ring were covered at this clinic. There were young newly started horses as well old broke to death horses and plenty in between so many aspects of making a successful hunter horse seemed to be covered by the time we got through the clinic.

Keeping in mind that this is my interpretation of what I saw, the technique that Wendy Potts employs to get the forward she wants from her hunter horses was pretty straight forward. Evident from the very first horse was her use of lots and lots of lateral movement to build an impressive hunter horse. Her goal with the lateral movement to create a more flexible horse that can move each part independently. The end result is that bold, free moving, straight travelling creature we call the Arabian hunter pleasure horse.

The clinic started off with a young horse with minimal time under saddle. There were several of these young, newly started horses at the clinic. They had varying degrees of time on them and all seemed to be at a good place to handle the added push that comes with help from someone like Wendy Potts.

Throughout the clinic Wendy Potts had the rider start off telling her a little about the horse. Then there was some work while Wendy evaluated the situation. Many times she would ask the rider if she could ride the horse so she could feel for herself what issues might be. Once she'd figured out what would best accomplish her desired response, she turned the horse back over to its rider and she continued her instruction.

The technique employed on these young horses consisted mostly of pulling the horse's around to the rider's knee. The resulting tight circle was created by drawing back on the inside rein through to the rider's hip while applying pressure with the rider's inside leg.

The circle is so tight the momentum causes the horse to step deep underneath itself as it swing its hips out and around its shoulders something like a turn on the forehand would be. The horse is given a release from this exercise when it lifts its ribcage as it drives from behind in the circle. Another important aspect of this exercise is little releases throughout the process building softness in the horse and keeping it from diving down on the bit.

This exercise helps the horse loosen all the way up through the ribcage and on into the shoulder as it turns, building the cornerstones for lateral movement. The horse also learns to move off the rider's leg when pressure is applied and that the added leg means to go forward because of the deep steps that are taken behind as the horse moves.

Once the horse was released, it was turned the opposite direction so the exercise could be repeated that side as well. The direction of the turn was changed frequently to work both sides of the horse.

Riders were also encouraged to work their horses at a sitting trot to drive the horse more forward and into these turns. Only short spurts of straight forward work were done before returning back to working on those circles. Changing things up often keeps the horse consistently using itself in the desired manner to further strengthen those building blocks.

Wendy Potts admitted the work is tedious and boring but there's no denying the effect if had on the horses and the importance it plays in building a successful hunter pleasure horse. Big improvements in forward and lateral movement were accomplished in a very short time and it appeared fairly easy for the riders to pick up the concept and duplicate it.

To be continued....................

Horse Issues

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The Making of a Hunter Horse.......Wendy Potts

It seemed the hunter horses were coming out of the woodwork at the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association Clinic this weekend. Over the years I've been going to their clinics I don't think I've seen this many hunter horses at all of them combined. Not only was this clinic filled to capacity there were more horses waiting in the wings hoping for cancellations. Wendy Potts was indeed a popular choice for this year's clinician.

The clinic began at 8:00 AM sharp and it was obvious from the very first horse it was going to be a very informative clinic. Wendy Potts is clear and concise in her instruction and keeps at it until she's getting the desired result. Not only that but the woman has a mighty fine seat and believe me it was tested quite vehemently over the course of two days. If I could keep my b*tt in the saddle that well I might actually have a chance at getting Reflection fixed.

When I think of a hunter horse, I think of forward. However, many times I see horses in hunter classes they are anything but forward. The horses may all be travelling at the same rate of speed and covering the appropriate ground but they are not really using themselves correctly so their movement cannot be described as forward.

The rules are clear that a hunter horse must, indeed, be a forward moving horse. Excerpts from the USEF Rule book Arabian Division AR 129 "The stride at every gait should be long, cover ground and exhibit efficiency of movement. Horses that are, for more than a few strides, high headed, ridden on a draped rein, not in an appropriate frame, on the forehand, short strided, or behind the vertical must be severely penalized.

The walk should be a four beat gait: straight, true, flatfooted, regular and unconstrained with good reach.

The trot should be straight and regular, mannerly, cadenced and balanced. To be performed at a medium speed with a free moving, long, ground covering stride that is not short, high, round or choppy.

The canter should be a three beat gait: even, smooth, unhurried, correct and straight on both leads.

The hand gallop is performed with long, free, ground covering strides. The amount of ground covered may vary between horses due to difference in natural length stride. A decided lengthening of stride should be shown while the horse remains controlled, mannerly, correct and straight on both leads."

Right from the first horse on Saturday morning it was clear this clinic was going to be about getting that forward movement in the horse. While each of the horse and rider combinations may have had different issues, they all came down to the same thing, getting to true forward movement in the horse.

It was interesting to watch as the obstacles preventing each team from reaching their potential was exposed. Sometimes it was a horse just not giving 100%. Sometimes it was a rider making it hard for the horse to do so. Sometimes it was a combination of those things. It was informative to watch as barriers melted away and true hunter horses emerged.

To be continued..................

The Young Horse

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Finally Home............

It's been a really long weekend and I'm exhausted, not to mention I'm now having computer issues, so I'm only going to post a quick note about the Wendy Potts clinic I attended this weekend.

I left here at 5:30 this morning because I hadn't been able to sleep since 2 and my computer was toast. Unable to do a blog post there was nothing else to do here so I knew I could get into the arena anytime after 6. I might just as well go give my horse a chance to really see that arena before my scheduled ride time of 10:00 AM.

I'm pretty sure I'm in a sleep deprived state since I woke up at 2 the previous two nights as well. I'm also pretty sure if I did try to post about the clinic I'd leave out half of the things I'd really like to say so in order to do the clinic justice, I will wait and write after work tomorrow.

In the meantime I just want to say the Wendy Potts clinic was absolutely awesome. I have participated in every clinic the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association has done since I joined those twenty some years ago and this one ranks up there as one of the all time best.

There were some great horses, good riders and lots of different things going on. Wendy was a great communicator. I'm going to rest up and think about what I saw and heard so hopefully I can give this clinic the justice it deserves.

What's Next for Storm..........

Part 1

This weekend the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association is sponsoring a clinic with Wendy Potts from The Brass Ring in Texas. I heard they took 70 horses to show at the US Nationals this year. Whether that number is accurate or not, I have not clue, but I do know I saw many Brass Ring horses winning in the ring.

I believe that Wendy shows predominately in the hunter and show hack divisions. I've seen her show many of beautiful hunter in the ring so I know she knows her stuff. That makes Wendy the perfect person to talk to about showing Storm as a hunter horse this next season so Storm and I are going to participate in the clinic.

The clinic begins tomorrow but my session with Storm is scheduled for Sunday morning at 10 AM. I always like to go both days of the clinic to watch the other horses and riders to see what I can learn so that meant if I was going to get Storm cleaned up and presentable that had to happen today.

Who would have believed the weather would cooperate for such a task. Despite a frosty morning, the sun broke through and it warmed up. I spent the first part of my morning turning horses out and then I moved onto the task of bathing Storm.

I tied Storm to the horse trailer up near the house with a pasture full of mares turned out right behind him. Talk about a test for the poor guy. He let out a scream and the mares came running to take a look see at the stallion. They didn't stay long so I figured no one was in heat but that turned out to be just wishful thinking.

Before long Hope was back squatting and peeing and assuming the position. Storm was such a good boy. He didn't even try to drop. He did so a little rumble under his breath but that was the extent of his communication with the mare.

Hope didn't stick around long once she knew that Storm was too busy to make time for her but sweet little Scarlet was right there to take her place. Scandalous Mizscarlet didn't show any sign of heat. I think she just wanted to know what we were up to. Once I turned the hose on to wet Storm down, Scarlet was nowhere to be seen.

I bathed Storm not long after he arrived here so he wasn't all that dirty. It's just that his coat shines like a copper penny when it's clean and I really wanted people at the clinic to see how beautiful he is. It's not often that I get one of my Scandalous Legacy babies out there in the public so when I do, I want to do it right.

Storm didn't protest the cold water too much. I'm sure I'd have done a lot more squirming if someone tried to do that to me. I tried to go light on the soap so I didn't get him too cold in the rinsing process but as usual it seemed I overdid it on the Orvus. By the time I got all the soap out Storm was beginning to shake.

I'd warmed two coolers up in the dryer and I swear I could hear Storm's sigh of appreciation. Once the coolers were correctly in place so there were no corners to step on or other dragging parts we headed back for the barn.

It was there that Storm showed how he felt about his cold bath. The stallion was definitely on the fresh side as he tried some rearing and leaping to attract the mares. By now they were off grazing and his display pretty much went unnoticed except for the chewing out he got from me.

Not until we reached the barn did the stallion deflate. Knowing there were nothing but boys inside these, Storm came back to a flat footed walk and dropped his head with a deep sigh. I'm pretty sure the Arabian horse thinks it's a waste to have all these mares just standing around when he could be breeding them.

After Storm dried, I clipped his bridle path and his face. Now that I'm prickly from those short hairs working their way through my layers of clothes, I think I'm going to head for the shower so that both of us will be presentable to Wendy Potts.

To be continued.....................

Storm at the Wendy Potts Clinic

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Sister A............Missing in Action..........

Part 1

It had been a while since I'd seen anything of Sister A at Frontier Park. In fact it's been so long I was beginning to worry something had happened to her. Having seen the woman day in and day out for months, this abrupt end to her presence seemed odd to me.

The woman's intrusions on my training sessions probably should have been irritating to me. Her lack of knowledge about horses but desire to be up close and personal with them certainly carried some element of risk. I was always worried she was going to get stepped on or even knocked down because of her loud presentation and large movements around horses she didn't understand.

Instead I had saw Sister A's visits as a needed break in my routine. Working alone has never been my favorite thing to do and there's always that safety issue when working horses by oneself. At least with Sister A around I knew there was someone to call for help if I got into trouble.

There was always the comedy factor whenever Sister A happened upon us. Her visits were always worthy of a laugh or two. I just never knew for sure what she would say or when she would pop up, let alone what she'd do around the horses.

There was a wide eyed innocence about Sister A's love of horses that I've not seen in a while and I'd never seen on an adult. Her belief that horses are God's gift somehow allayed any fears. She approached the horses with the same exuberance she approached her ministry with little, if any regard, for consequences. Sister A was on a mission in more than one way.

There were those horse people riding at the park who thought that Sister A was crazy. I'd seen that "screwy" hand signal on more than one occasion as a rider rolled her horse back into the opposite direction just to avoid contact with the woman.

There were also others who looked forward to Sister A's visits just as I did. Bright smiles and warm greetings came from riders who normally looked like grumpy bears to me. Sadness fled from worn tired faces at the sound of her voice. It was clear Sister A's work had some positive results.

I hadn't seen the woman anywhere around since just before I brought the homeless people home. Once they were gone and I'd realized how long they'd stayed I really began to worry about Sister A's absence from the park.

I found myself adjusting my schedule to be sure that I was riding during those times that Sister A normally runs. I'd hoped it was just a conflict in schedules causing us not to connect. Then I thought about asking some of the other park regulars if any had seen her.

One day before I'd gotten that done, I spied Sister A running down the side of the road. I was just coming back from my second interview at Fred Meyer and there was no way I could get home, load up horses and be back before she was gone so I turned into the park and waited for her.

To be continued....................



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Even More News...........

This last bit of news I have been saving until I was absolutely positive it really was going to happen. Just the news that I was the one wasn't enough for me to trust. I figured the minute I shared he information here something would happen and the whole deal would be off so I've been sitting on my hands resisting the urge to post since last Wednesday waiting for the final call.

So what could this news be? Well, I have a job. I decided with Dave's unemployment compensation coming to an end soon and he's still not found a job, I better get myself out there in the job market just in case it works out that Dave doesn't find something before that part of his income is gone.

It's been years since I worked for anyone but myself other than the horse shows I manage for the Morgan Horse Club of Washington. The thought of compiling a resume with all the right buzz keywords for today's market seemed a bit daunting and I wasn't even sure how I should market the skills that I have so I decided to forgo that for now and just go for something quick.

With the holiday season fast approaching I thought the best place to look would be the seasonal job market because there really should be openings there. Since it's not uncommon for valued seasonal employees to be offered permanent positions if available, I figured there might be a chance I could wiggle my way through the door and at least get some cash flow going for now.

If it works out that Dave finds a job, the income from a seasonal job for me would be a great beginning to my show fund for the 2011 season. If he didn't get a job, I'd have something more current on my resume and I could figure out my next steps so I filled out online applications to the closest chain stores to me and waited.

I got a call within a couple of days to interview at Fred Meyer. The screening interview went well and by the following week, I was called in for an interview with the department manager for ladies apparel. I was offered the job last Wednesday. Thursday I took my drug test and last night I took the test for my food handlers permit which I really don't need unless I'm offered a permanent position.

I've been waiting ever since knowing that orientation was scheduled for this Saturday and I "should" be getting a call. The call came a few hours ago. Orientation has been rescheduled for Monday and I will get my schedule to work at that time.

The job is a minimum of twenty hours a week but can be as many as forty, depending on the need. I said I'd work any days, any times and that I'd like as many hours as I can get. If things work out well, I won't get much riding time until after Christmas but I'll have a good start of my show expense for Tulsa so cross your fingers that business booms at this Fred Meyer Store.

Moving on from News.............Into Updates

While I'm on the subject of news, I might as well throw in some updates. It has been a month since Solidare's foal got his last shot of antibiotics. With the potency of that shot giving him seven days of protection from the virus, that leaves us three weeks his system has been without the protection of the injection into his tendon sheath.

To know if the infection was gone or not, all we could really do was wait. If the infection was not cleared up by the antibiotic we would only know when the symptoms reappeared. How long that might take usually depends on how much of the bacteria had survived the doses of antibiotics. It could be almost immediately and it could take days or even weeks.

Well, we're at the three week point and Solidare's foal is still doing great. There have been a couple of scares along the way that turned out to be our nerves and not his physical health but things are looking good. It's safe to say at this time, the bacterial infection in the horse's tendon is NOT going to kill him. We're definitely out of the woods on that.

The only real question left is "Will the horse be sound?" He looks sound most of the time. It's only if he really exerts excess pressure on that hock that there are any signs of lameness. What consititues "excess pressure?" Oh, things like sliding stops and even roll backs cause the colt to do an ouchy jump through them. Other than that, normal walking, trotting and cantering, even a casual gallop seem to be good.

Long term prognosis??? The jury is still out. Until the swelling goes away in that tendon, we're just not going to know if there is any residual damage. It's fair to assume the ouchiness now is directly related to the excess pressure on the joint caused by the swelling. We'll only know how he's really affected when the leg is back to normal and we can see if he still has problems then. If the ouchiness leaves with the swelling. We'll be home free. If is doesn't, I guess we'll figure that out then.

While we're on the subject of Solidare's foal, the poor creature is no longer nameless. Well, at least I think he's not. The registry has not confirmed my request by sending a kit for genetic testing but I can't imagine that it will be denied.

His application for registration was submitted on the sixth month anniversary of his birth. At that time I found out the name I had really wanted had too many letters so I had to resort to one that had been knocking around some in my head.

Of course, since his birth, we've "tried on" several names. None of them have stuck until now. Once the papers are done, the name is about as stuck as you can get so I guess it's safe to tell you what I chose. Although I have to say this name has been very difficult for me.

There has been more than the usual emotion investment in this colt. I so wanted his name to honor his mother, her legacy and what it took for her and us to get to this point. For me that included her name, the tradition that had come to be surrounding the naming of her foals and the struggle we've gone through to have and keep this colt.

For me, Solidares Last Tango says it all.

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More News............

Winning the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association High Point 40 & over Championship Award for the 2010 show season is not the only news going on around Rising Rainbow Arabians lately. While it was exciting to see the name of my stallion, Scandalous Legacy, plastered across the award certificate and even up on the club's website news page and on their FB page , I must admit it was equally as exciting to find I could get into my skinny jeans. An accomplishment I discovered this week as well.

Now, I am not making light of our award by any means because it's a big deal to me BUT, at my age, loosing enough weight to make that stack of new but outgrown jeans up high on my closet shelf finally useable again is quite an accomplishment too. Even if the cause of my weight loss has been that stomach issue that started during the business with Storm, my excitement at being able to fit into those jeans is not diminished.

Those jeans are an additional two inches longer than my fat jeans, thanks to some not so smart executives somewhere who must think that sizes of 12 and up are only required by short legged women. The scab I have on the inside of my right calf because of a riding up pant leg during a session on a disobedient horse speaks to my need for that extra length which I can only get by fitting into that smaller size jean. I am thrilled to have my longer pants back although I'm hoping the stomach issues that caused my weight loss will disappear any time now.



Another plus about my weight loss just happens to be those custom hunt boots of mine I've been unable to wear. They were made for me back when I first started showing. They were very expensive and are still in great shape but I've developed so much more muscle in my legs because I've learned to use my legs properly I couldn't get the darn boots over my calves making them useless to me.

I've been dreading the thought I might have to have a zipper and maybe an elastic panel added to salvage these boots. Doing so would definitely be cheaper than getting a new pair but it just didn't seem right to do that to such a quality boot not to mention how the boot would be compromised if it turned out the alteration didn't work. I was really struggling with this as an option but since hunter looks to be in my show plans for next year something needed to be done.

When I realized my skinny jeans once again fit, I couldn't help but wonder if just maybe the hunt boots would now fit too. Deciding I really needed to know, today after my shower, I slipped on my breeches and my boot socks to see just exactly what I had.

Surprise! Surprise! not only did my breeches look much better than last time I wore them but my hunt boots slid smoothly up my calves. I guess that's what losing thirty-five pounds will do. While I could really stand to lose another fifteen, I am extatic with the fact that BOTH my skinny jeans (of which I had four brand new pair sitting up on that shelf waiting for me to get my act together) and my hunt boots fit.

Talk about a great week! Legs and I won the high point award AND my jeans and hunt boots fit. I'm pretty pleased and I'll bet you Legs is just as happy about my weight loss as I am.

This picture of Legs is the championship win in the select rider class at the Daffodil All Arabian Spring Horse Show.

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A Little News...........the Winner's Circle for Legs

Last night was the annual dinner meeting for the Daffodil Arabian Horse Association. I haven't missed this meeting in the twenty years I've been a member and I sure wasn't going to miss it this year. You see Legs and I were the 40 & over High Point Champions and boy did we rake in the loot! Woowhooooo!

This is a first for me and for my horse. I don't think we've ever even been close to winning this kind of award before. I think I wasn't sharing the news before now because I didn't really believe it was real. Even when I got the personal invitation to the dinner, I was still in denial. It's taken some time for us to put things together and we're still working on it so how could this be true. Besides our Summer Show was just not that great, although we did get a ribbon or two but then our Spring Show was pretty awesome in the select rider division. I can hardly wait until we're awesome in our AAOTR (Adult Amateur Owner to Ride) division. When we finally get that done, we'll be ready for nationals.



My friend, Linda Swick, on her horse Bazeli (sp??) was the Reserve Champion and that was pretty cool too. While Linda works with a trainer her horse is not in training and he is really starting to come together too after some years of working on it, just like Legs and me. Linda's horse was bred by my other friend, Bev Ferrington, so that's a double plus. I love to see the horses of my friends out there showing that we small breeders have great horses too.

I guess I should tell you something about the haul we made instead of just showing you pics. We won a small wooden trunk that has horses across the front that is way cool. They had one available for people to see but I get to order mine in the color I want and with the picture I want on the front and then they'll send it to me. In the pics there's the deck chair, a bridle bag, an ice bucket, a magnum of champagne along with two glasses, a framed awards certificate, and a bag full of fun horsey stuff and the ribbon is glorious and fancy



I think Legs will particularly like the horse treats I found in one pocket of the bag and he might even enjoy trashing the fly mask since it is a great past time of his in the summer months. Like any horse all of the grooming stuff will be good. My guess is he's indifferent to the yellow polo wraps or green and yellow vet wrap but he should be pleased to sport the Daffodil colors since they've been so kind to him. Today I even found another pocket with more stuff hiding in there. That bag was just chock full of things.

Carol Tedrick did the awards for the high points just as she has for both horse shows this year. Carol added her great flare to things and did an awesome job. All the awards lined up for the high point awards for two junior division and two adult division including champion, reserve champion and top fives made for an impressive display and even more impressive awards.

Yay! Legs!!!!! You've been such a good boy this year and always such a good sport about your quirky owner.

The Next Ride.........

Part 1

The following day the weather was again bright and beautiful here but there was still too much water to ride at the park so I again decided to work my Arabian horses here in the yard. This the geldings were out in the field behind the house and they were having a rip snorting good time playing in the creek and running through the trees. There was lots of commotion to push Storm's buttons.

At first the red horse didn't know what to think of all the splashing and cavorting and tag team athletics going on while he was stuck tied to the horse trailer. I thought it was going to be another day "careful" grooming and tacking up to avoid getting stomped on by my inattentive horse. Storm, however, turned his attention to me as soon as I put a brush to his coat and stood there enjoying his grooming session.

The only time the horse really reacted was when a loud crack erupted from the trees. The geldings squirted in all direction out from the trees looking like mischievous boys fleeing the scene of their crime. I can only assume the broken branch I heard had something to do with some kind of boyish plan.

Looking at the expression on Storm's face, I'm pretty sure he was thinking the same thing. The horse settled the moment the geldings emerged from the trees and there was no sign that Storm was anything but content to continue on with grooming.

Once the horse was tacked up and ready to go to work, I followed the same routine as the day before. First off there was a short lunging session where I bited the horse up. There was no animated resistance, only a compliant horse so the session was short and we went on to the riding part.

Again, the horse was resistant about standing next to the picnic table/mounting block. I let him know I was serious about not putting up with any of his shenanigans with one quick smack on his off side with my bat. The horse gave a big sigh and moved right up to the table and stood quietly for me.

The puddles had shrunk over night but I still took him over to give them a try. Other than a sideways look on his way through, there was no resistance at all from the horse. I figured the true test would be the smaller puddle up by the barn but I got the same kind of response from the horse there so I went ahead working the horse up and down the lane.

Storm worked hard and was a good boy. We even worked on the lope and there was no foolishness at all which is exactly what I expected of him. I know I've not seen the last of his red headed attitude but at least for now, it's all good. The horse has the message at least in these circumstances that I am the boss. We'll have to wait to see what our next test will be.

To be continued...................


The Wendy Potts & Storm

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The Ride

Part 1

When I took the Arabian horse up to my improvised mounting block that also doubles as a picnic table, Storm didn't want to go near the thing. Of course, at first it was because he hadn't been near it before but once we worked through that, the horse would still move the minute I stepped up and onto the bench.

Knowing that at this point the horse was trying to avoid me mounting so he didn't have to give up control, I thumped him firmly on the off side moving him back toward the table. Storm shook his head at me and went backwards. At least he didn't try to run through me to avoid lining up with the table so I figured I was gaining ground. Still I spent a good five minutes convincing the horse that he must stand for me to mount but when he did finally stand, he didn't try to walk off once I threw my foot over the saddle. I thought that was a good sign.

I fiddled with the off side stirrup trying to find the place for my foot and Storm continued to stand quietly. He was carefully watching Suede playing in the front paddock but showed no sign of approaching the horse without instruction from me. That was certainly better than I expected

I decided once I was situated in the saddle I was going to work on getting better control of my horse's feet. There were two large puddles in one part of the driveway that would work really well for this. Getting Storm to walk through the water would be a good way to teach the horse to respect my cues.

Growing up on this farm, Storm has been exposed to lots of water. With the creek running all the way across the back of my property, the horses are used to crossing water and even play in the creek. However, Storm hasn't been exposed to the creek since his return and I figured like everything else, he'd need some refresher to deal with water in any form.

Just as I expected when I moved Storm toward the puddles the horse put on the brakes as soon as he realized that's where we were headed. While the horse didn't want to go through the water, he didn't do anything really naughty to avoid it either. There were no signs he might buck or run off, he just tried to avoid the water by going sideways or even backwards.

Both puddles were fairly large so it was easy to "trick" the horse into stepping into them. Pulling the horse around and seemingly away from the puddle followed by a release with a shift of my weight made it easy to throw the horse off balance towards the water. A couple of times of accidentally stepping in or near the water opened the door to calming the horse's fear.

The amount of time it took to get Storm through this water was reasonable for a horse that had never been ridden through water before this. Storm did some snorting and seeing the ripples formed from that spooked him a bit but still nothing huge. Storm was thinking and he was trying and I was happy with that.

Once we'd mastered those puddles we moved on down the lane. up by the barn was another puddle. This one was on a little different terrain so I expected to horse would think it was something foreign and refuse to go through it so I'd have another opportunity to show the horse he must listen to me.

This puddle was smaller than the others had been which made it more difficult to "trick" the horse into putting a foot in it. Pulling the horse around moved him away from the puddle so those accidental steps on the edges were more difficult to line up.

For some reason Storm was more concerned about this smaller puddle than he had been by the bigger ones. The horse would back away towards the barn, and Sugar, who was chained there or he was backing into the hay barn to the area where Lilly was stalled.

Neither of these situations were good. I didn't want Sugar to scare Storm and I didn't want Storm to think he could visit with Lilly either considering his behavior around the mares previously. Of course because I wasn't comfortable with either of these scenarios, that's where the horse wanted to go and once the horse backed up into either location he refused to move.

I think of all evasions a horse can pull, I hate getting the reverse direction from a horse that is asked to go forward so I was frustrated by Storm in this situating. Maybe it's John Lyons ringing in my head, "You can't train a horse that won't move." or maybe it was just the situation with Sugar and Lilly that I decided to up the pressure I was putting on Storm.

First I used my spurs to try and encourage Storm to move. When that didn't work, I used the bat hoping the horse wouldn't buck. Not only did Storm not buck, he didn't move either so I upped the anti and slapped him with the ends of my reins. Storm moved this time but he bucked so I pulled him into a circle and poked him with my spurs while firmly scolding him. Storm took the discipline OK so we were back to dancing around the puddle again.

Before long we ended up backing towards Lilly again. Once again I had to resort to slapping the horse with the reins to get him to move. This time I got a smaller buck from the rein slap and when I corrected that behavior again, the horse seemed to actually relax a little. It was long after that and the horse was going through the puddle so we were onto working on riding up and down the lane.

After the work on both puddles, the work up and down the lane was uneventful. The horse seemed to be listening well and trying hard. I couldn't ask for much more than that. The horse was showing some signs of sweat so I decided to call the lesson good and we ended there. As far as I was concerned we'd made some good strides with the horse's resistive behavior.

To be continued..................

The Next Ride

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A Little Attitude Adjustment

Part 1

Because the Arabian horse has been acting so reactive since he can home, I knew better than to just get on Storm when he was focused on Rhet in the back field. Just because the the red horse was currently quiet didn't mean he'd stay that way if there was any kind of outburst from Rhet. I knew it was only a matter of time before Rhet kicked up his heels and returned to play and I sure didnt want it happening when I was in a vulnerable position.

With all the rain my round pen is no longer useable taking away my only real place to lunge. Still I decided I would bit the horse up and try to find some place in the yard where Storm could stretch his legs and deal with his preoccupation with the colt. I thought it would be a lot less stressful for both of us for the horse to learn to deal with his distractions in this manner.

Storm wasn't sure what to think about being bited up. Although I used to do that with him before I sold him, I knew he hadn't had to deal with it the whole two years he was gone. It was going to be another reintroduction I expected to be met with resistance.

I figure the more ways I can find for Storm to deal with things he doesn't want to do without me in the saddle, the safer I'll be and the easier it will be for the horse to figure things out. I knew the confinement that he'd feel being bited up would probably trigger that attitude I'd been seeing. I could kill two birds with one stone by working the horse this way. We'd be able to teach the horse he needed to pay attention when worked and we'd deal with the temper tantrums too.

I started off with the reins tied more loosely than I'd do with a horse used to this procedure because I didn't want the horse to feel clostrophobic. Still I wanted him to be asking for some semblance of frame so that he'd learn the release was in relaxing and rolling over. In order to do this, the horse would have to turn his attention to what he was doing instead of focusing on Rhet.

As soon as the reins were tied, I sent the horse off around me. Storm immediately fought against the reins and stomped his feet as he went off in a small circle. With all of this resistance the horse hit the bit and he hit it hard. It only took a couple of times for the expression on his face to change from anger and frustration to intense concentrastion as the horse tried to figure out how to find some relief.

Of course, his relief came right along with the change in his mood. As long as the horse was thinking about what he was being asked, everything when fine. Only when he got distracted by Rhet's movements and changed his frame did the horse have problems. In a very short amount of time I had a soft, supple, complient horse regardless of what Rhet was doing across the yard.

Once I'd heard the deep sigh telling me the horse was finally relaxed, I readjusted the reins and sent the horse off in the other direction. Only for a brief moment did Storm try to fight the change. Then he fell right back in to the soft response I was awaiting. That was all I wanted so I called for a "Whoa!"

Storm figured this exercise out so easily, I decided I'd go ahead and ride him to see what kind of carry over I had. Untying the reins and peeling his halter off, the horse stood like a rock. He was a way different horse than I'd been seeing but I knew better than to think this thing was all over. I knew there would be more stuff with Storm.

To be continued..................

The Ride

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