Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Dare to Pull
I can't say I wrote the following, nor cam I give proper credit because I do not know who actually wrote the below text but it's very true. Watching the horses at Borderlands is what pulls me. The knowledge that I CAN help pulls me. The passion to watch a horse experience kindness and contentment pulls me. Rescue/Sanctuary Life Pulls Me.
There are far too many things pushing you. Pressure at home and at work, society’s expectations, debt, a seeming lack of options.
All of these things can weigh heavy on your heart and while a push can be a heck of a motivation, it really only works best when you’re jumping out of a plane or off of the high dive. Sure, it gets the job done, but your heart’s not in it.
Seek what pulls you.
There is an allure to the pull. When your heart is pulled in a certain direction, fear seems to disappear. Something bigger than yourself is calling, beckoning, pulling you to be better than yourself.
You want to follow the pull. You want to chase after it. The pursuit of what pulls you is a great end in itself. When you run after what is pulling you – instead of running from what is pushing you – it’s like you can run forever. The breath of freedom fills your lungs and your legs keep pounding the pavement, feet chasing after one another as you head off towards the horizon in pursuit of one great big dream.
It’s easy to find what’s pushing you. Whenever you feel stressed, nervous, sick, or scared, you’re being pushed. When you feel nauseous (in a good way), relieved, excited, and hopeful, you’re being pulled.
I hope your heart is open enough to be pulled. Sometimes, when it’s been pushed too much, it can close up, confusing any external force as a push, missing out on the pull. It takes real courage to trust again in the hope that you’ll be pulled.
There is no better feeling than being pulled. It keeps you up late so you can work on your passion, convinces you to mortgage your present to cash in on your future, and persuades you to embrace your unique dreams as only you can. Listen to your soul so you can know when you’re being pulled. Then, untether yourself from everything that’s been pushing you so you can be linked to the one thing your heart desires.
Dare something to pull you.
There are far too many things pushing you. Pressure at home and at work, society’s expectations, debt, a seeming lack of options.
All of these things can weigh heavy on your heart and while a push can be a heck of a motivation, it really only works best when you’re jumping out of a plane or off of the high dive. Sure, it gets the job done, but your heart’s not in it.
Seek what pulls you.
There is an allure to the pull. When your heart is pulled in a certain direction, fear seems to disappear. Something bigger than yourself is calling, beckoning, pulling you to be better than yourself.
You want to follow the pull. You want to chase after it. The pursuit of what pulls you is a great end in itself. When you run after what is pulling you – instead of running from what is pushing you – it’s like you can run forever. The breath of freedom fills your lungs and your legs keep pounding the pavement, feet chasing after one another as you head off towards the horizon in pursuit of one great big dream.
It’s easy to find what’s pushing you. Whenever you feel stressed, nervous, sick, or scared, you’re being pushed. When you feel nauseous (in a good way), relieved, excited, and hopeful, you’re being pulled.
I hope your heart is open enough to be pulled. Sometimes, when it’s been pushed too much, it can close up, confusing any external force as a push, missing out on the pull. It takes real courage to trust again in the hope that you’ll be pulled.
There is no better feeling than being pulled. It keeps you up late so you can work on your passion, convinces you to mortgage your present to cash in on your future, and persuades you to embrace your unique dreams as only you can. Listen to your soul so you can know when you’re being pulled. Then, untether yourself from everything that’s been pushing you so you can be linked to the one thing your heart desires.
Dare something to pull you.
Prince aka Eye Candy
I'm really impressed with Prince. Not only is he "eye candy", he's also darn smart. He's taken being blind pretty well. We have come to the conclusion that he can see certain things (shadows perhaps) during the day but he is completely blind at night. He's much slower to move at night than during the day.
I was late to do chores last night so had to grain Thor and Babe in the dark. It's all a new routine for me, so it's going to take awhile to adjust. But Thor was immediately at the fence. That boy can smell. I believe his other senses really kicked in after he lost his sight. He uses his nose so much more now than ever before.
Babe did circles until I got the grain mash in front of her. Thor was already gobbling down his grain mash.
Prince stood patiently while I haltered him so he wouldn't bother Thor or Babe. Prince is nice and plump (just the way I like them). I tried to lead him around a little but it took a lot of persuading. He doesn't trust me yet to lead him around in the dark. I don't blame him. But I'll be messing with him more now that I'm in with the blind horses every night waiting for Babe and Thor.
Sahara is maybe finally understanding the whole "standing tied" idea but I'm not sure. I tied her securely but she still had three massive blow ups. Talk about a wild bronc. I'm so used to Mayhem who does the whole "ho hum" of standing tied that rearing and pulling hard is different to me. Sahara is most definitely going to use brute force to get her way until she realizes it won't work. She pawed and pawed and pawed and blew up. Then she took a few seconds to catch her breath and went back to pawing before another blow up. This went on for the majority of the time Babe and Thor were eating. Prince and I stayed closer to Sahara but that didn't seem to help. We were far enough away from harm but Sahara was going to have none of this tying deal.
About the time Babe was finishing up her grain, Sahara decided to actually stand (without pawing) and think. I'm not sure if she was working her way up to another blowup or if she was contemplating standing still for a little while. I did see her cock a back leg for just a second. Maybe tonight will go better, or maybe it'll be worse.
Throughout the entire learning session, Prince and I hung out. I did resecure Sahara's lead rope in between her blow ups to ensure that the rope was tied. I swear I can't tie a proper knot still. When I walked away from Prince, I threw the lead rope over his back. Prince never took a step. He patiently waiting for me to return. When I pulled the lead rope off his back, he tried to take an end and chew on it. I guess he wanted a treat. Prince really is an amazing horse. I think with the right person and right training, he'll be an amazing riding horse. Or for those that just want a pasture puff, he'll be some awesome "eye candy".
I was late to do chores last night so had to grain Thor and Babe in the dark. It's all a new routine for me, so it's going to take awhile to adjust. But Thor was immediately at the fence. That boy can smell. I believe his other senses really kicked in after he lost his sight. He uses his nose so much more now than ever before.
Babe did circles until I got the grain mash in front of her. Thor was already gobbling down his grain mash.
Prince stood patiently while I haltered him so he wouldn't bother Thor or Babe. Prince is nice and plump (just the way I like them). I tried to lead him around a little but it took a lot of persuading. He doesn't trust me yet to lead him around in the dark. I don't blame him. But I'll be messing with him more now that I'm in with the blind horses every night waiting for Babe and Thor.
Sahara is maybe finally understanding the whole "standing tied" idea but I'm not sure. I tied her securely but she still had three massive blow ups. Talk about a wild bronc. I'm so used to Mayhem who does the whole "ho hum" of standing tied that rearing and pulling hard is different to me. Sahara is most definitely going to use brute force to get her way until she realizes it won't work. She pawed and pawed and pawed and blew up. Then she took a few seconds to catch her breath and went back to pawing before another blow up. This went on for the majority of the time Babe and Thor were eating. Prince and I stayed closer to Sahara but that didn't seem to help. We were far enough away from harm but Sahara was going to have none of this tying deal.
About the time Babe was finishing up her grain, Sahara decided to actually stand (without pawing) and think. I'm not sure if she was working her way up to another blowup or if she was contemplating standing still for a little while. I did see her cock a back leg for just a second. Maybe tonight will go better, or maybe it'll be worse.
Throughout the entire learning session, Prince and I hung out. I did resecure Sahara's lead rope in between her blow ups to ensure that the rope was tied. I swear I can't tie a proper knot still. When I walked away from Prince, I threw the lead rope over his back. Prince never took a step. He patiently waiting for me to return. When I pulled the lead rope off his back, he tried to take an end and chew on it. I guess he wanted a treat. Prince really is an amazing horse. I think with the right person and right training, he'll be an amazing riding horse. Or for those that just want a pasture puff, he'll be some awesome "eye candy".
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Evening Pictures
The pictures hide Savanna's weight but she has packed on some pounds. Prize likes hanging with his "ladies".
"Watcha doing? Mind if I join?"
"Feed me now....please"Cloud Nine
For some reason I feel like I'm on cloud nine. Even with everything going on and all the stresses of an ordinary day, I'm not yet stressed. I'm guessing it's from my ride last night. The weather has been gorgeous. There really are no words to best describe the weather we've been experiencing lately. I just wish that the days wouldn't get dark so soon. It's dark by 8pm. I need another hour to get everything done (and to enjoy the weather).
I know Rain isn't a rescue, but I decided I'd take him out and putter around the yard. I want to show Bo under english but I haven't yet tried riding him. I don't yet think he's to the right weight. He could stand to gain another 50 pounds (but I like them plump). I want to show him off next year at horse shows. He's such a looker that I want to show him under english. I think he'd look rather stunning. But to do that, I need to know how to ride english. I figured I'd learn on Rain. He's pretty good with puttering around the yard and has a bunch of cues on him. I can't seem to post on him for some reason (of course I dont' know what I'm doing). But Rain got it in his head that we needed to go faster than a trot (because I was bouncing around). He really is such a tolerant boy. So he picked up into a canter! I know I've loped him before down the road but I've never cantered in an english saddle. It was exilerating. I see now why people ride english! :-)
After just a little bit of time riding Rain, I got back to work doing chores. I now need to start graining Thor and Babe. I think Thor has lost some weight even with a round bale in his pen 24x7. I think he needs his teeth floated. With him being blind, I worry about hauling him but I had a bad experience with a vet trying to float a horse not in stocks. So I'll probably figure out a time to haul a few in to get their teeth floated and figure out how to pay the bill.
But to grain Thor and Babe, I have to halter and tie Sahara and Prince. Prince wasn't too keen on haltering just because I haven't really handled him much. But once the halter was on, he was a pocket pony. He really is an amazing boy. Once he has his own person, he's going to be (pardon my french) one helluva horse and he's gorgeous too! He patiently stood with me while we watched Thor and Babe devour their grain mash.
Sahara on the other hand decided to throw a temper tantrum while being tied. She really only had one or two full out wild bronc moments. She's going to do everything the hard way and learn every lesson the hard way. I wish I could tell her the easy way but she wouldn't listen even if I tried. I'll admit that I am a "Type A" person. I also think that Sahara is a "Type A" horse. It has to be her way. She's pinned her ears at me a couple times and tried to take a chunk out of me. But I really think she's trying to put me in my place to be boss mare. Of course that doesn't fly with me because I. AM. BOSSMARE. But once I told her no, she behaved so it's just a matter of being the alpha.Just more work for me.
Unfortunately Babe licked up her grain and then went to check out the commotion. She really doesn't like Sahara being upset. I figured it was time for Sahara to be done (and for me to be done too!) I untied Sahara and we worked for a few minutes on leading, stopping, and backing. She gets leading and stopping. I wish she was as calm about standing as her mother. Savanna will stand for hours tied without even lifting a hoof to paw. Mayhem paws a little but stops after a few minutes when she realizes it's not worth the effort. Sahara - not so much. I know it's just a learning curve. I figure she wasnt' even touchable up until mid summer. Some horses just take longer to learn than others. But Sahara will be tied every night while Thor and Babe have their evening mash.
I feel like we are on a wild roller coaster ride some days.
I know Rain isn't a rescue, but I decided I'd take him out and putter around the yard. I want to show Bo under english but I haven't yet tried riding him. I don't yet think he's to the right weight. He could stand to gain another 50 pounds (but I like them plump). I want to show him off next year at horse shows. He's such a looker that I want to show him under english. I think he'd look rather stunning. But to do that, I need to know how to ride english. I figured I'd learn on Rain. He's pretty good with puttering around the yard and has a bunch of cues on him. I can't seem to post on him for some reason (of course I dont' know what I'm doing). But Rain got it in his head that we needed to go faster than a trot (because I was bouncing around). He really is such a tolerant boy. So he picked up into a canter! I know I've loped him before down the road but I've never cantered in an english saddle. It was exilerating. I see now why people ride english! :-)
After just a little bit of time riding Rain, I got back to work doing chores. I now need to start graining Thor and Babe. I think Thor has lost some weight even with a round bale in his pen 24x7. I think he needs his teeth floated. With him being blind, I worry about hauling him but I had a bad experience with a vet trying to float a horse not in stocks. So I'll probably figure out a time to haul a few in to get their teeth floated and figure out how to pay the bill.
But to grain Thor and Babe, I have to halter and tie Sahara and Prince. Prince wasn't too keen on haltering just because I haven't really handled him much. But once the halter was on, he was a pocket pony. He really is an amazing boy. Once he has his own person, he's going to be (pardon my french) one helluva horse and he's gorgeous too! He patiently stood with me while we watched Thor and Babe devour their grain mash.
Sahara on the other hand decided to throw a temper tantrum while being tied. She really only had one or two full out wild bronc moments. She's going to do everything the hard way and learn every lesson the hard way. I wish I could tell her the easy way but she wouldn't listen even if I tried. I'll admit that I am a "Type A" person. I also think that Sahara is a "Type A" horse. It has to be her way. She's pinned her ears at me a couple times and tried to take a chunk out of me. But I really think she's trying to put me in my place to be boss mare. Of course that doesn't fly with me because I. AM. BOSSMARE. But once I told her no, she behaved so it's just a matter of being the alpha.
Unfortunately Babe licked up her grain and then went to check out the commotion. She really doesn't like Sahara being upset. I figured it was time for Sahara to be done (and for me to be done too!) I untied Sahara and we worked for a few minutes on leading, stopping, and backing. She gets leading and stopping. I wish she was as calm about standing as her mother. Savanna will stand for hours tied without even lifting a hoof to paw. Mayhem paws a little but stops after a few minutes when she realizes it's not worth the effort. Sahara - not so much. I know it's just a learning curve. I figure she wasnt' even touchable up until mid summer. Some horses just take longer to learn than others. But Sahara will be tied every night while Thor and Babe have their evening mash.
I feel like we are on a wild roller coaster ride some days.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Senior Moments Post from Home At Last
Brought tears to my eyes. I completely understand what this sanctuary goes through on a day-to-day basis. Always hard to watch those dignified warriors grow old and wane. The least we can do is provide them comfort and love in their last years, months, days, hours, minutes on this earth.
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-senior-momentsthe-older-equine.html
http://homeatlastsanctuary.blogspot.com/2011/09/having-senior-momentsthe-older-equine.html
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Rabbit One Year Later
I've been doubting myself lately about Savanna and her weight. But then I look at Rabbit and think maybe Savanna will be fine once Prize is not nursing any more. I guess it all just takes time. The following are two pictures of Rabbit both taking in September. The first pictures is September of this year, one year later. She's nice a plump. If she wasn't lame in her back end, she'd be one heck of a tank on a trail.
The second picture is of Rabbit a few days after we brought her home last September. Mayhem was still nursing. Poor girl was thin. Not thin like Savanna but still thinner than a momma should be when they are nursing and going into the fall. The picture doesn't show how thin she really was. I'm glad that Rabbit packed on the pounds and she's looking fantastic. Hopefully Savanna will be the same way.
The second picture is of Rabbit a few days after we brought her home last September. Mayhem was still nursing. Poor girl was thin. Not thin like Savanna but still thinner than a momma should be when they are nursing and going into the fall. The picture doesn't show how thin she really was. I'm glad that Rabbit packed on the pounds and she's looking fantastic. Hopefully Savanna will be the same way.
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