So Much Gorgeous Weather, So Many Choices

It's official!!! It isn't spring until I can sit on my deck under the umbrella and have my breakfast while writing on my blog. Isn't wireless laptop technology the best? I can now look out over our acre and a half of property with its majestic douglas fir trees and enourmous alders, shading the beautiful slope of green grass-beautiful, that is, until I have to mow it. The striking yellow goldfinch that is our state bird is hanging on the bird feeders and the flowers I planted in the pots last week are blooming. Just behind me I can heard the buzz of the hummingbird tentatively swarming the feeder, trying to decide if that human is just a little too close for safety. And my adorable dog, Benji is sunning himself on the deck chair, watching the birds come and go in front of him, sniffing the air to see if there is anything out there that demands his attention. Ah...I could sit here all day!

The weather this weekend will be some of the warmest we've had this year and as I see it, I have several choices. I could lounge on the deck all day, taking in the sites previously described, I could plant more of my perennials, starting with the shaded areas first and waiting until after 6 to plant the sun exposed ones OR I could head out to the stables and take my girls out and play with them. Why not do ALL THREE!!!!! I've already spent almost an hour out here enjoying the beautiful nature that is in my back yard. After a very long, harsh winter, I deserve to sit and watch the trees turn greener, the flowers bloom larger and hear the chirping and buzzing of the birds in the trees. But...as usual, those stables are calling me.

I am fortunate in that I have access to so much information that can help me improve my relationship with my horses. I try to take a little bit from everyone I watch. Last night, for example, I popped in Barb Apple's DVD again and watched her demonstrate with her beautiful horses how to transition from online work to liberty using the string that comes with the Parelli carrot stick or the Clinton handy stick. She wrapped it around her horse's neck and as she asked her horse to "shadow" her she reached for the string to gently remind her horse to stay with her. I'm finding that the less I pull and tug or even make direct contact with my horses, whether on the ground or in the saddle, the more calm and responsive they are. They are so unaccustomed to being "handled" with direct contact when relating to each other, that it makes sense that once we place some artificial connection to them on their body, that they find it at the very least, annoying and at the most frightening.

I worked on more lateral "mobilizing" exercises yesterday evening (warm and sunny at 7 pm) with Chanty and found that if I practice moving her hindquarters away from a fence while first walking parallel with it, I can get her to make a specific movement without walking forward and then I don't have to pick up on her face AT ALL! She loves that and is so calm that I barely have to shift my weight with almost no leg on her side to push the hindquarters over. Then, when I tried it off the fence, she was less worried about it, knowing what I wanted. I know I've done that exercise before, but more as a prelude to simple side passing. Now I know I can use it to practice leg yields and shoulder in or haunches in. We finished with her quiet and walking slowly and I think we both felt better.

I'm telling you, this stuff works, but it is an ongoing project. One day you feel like you've progressed and your horse is giving you the trust you were looking for and other days, you forget yourself and blame it on your horse. I guess it's like living with family. Your moods affect their behavior and vice versa. It's the big picture that matters. As long as I make a sincere effort to work at my relationship with my horse every day, then, it will continue to improve.

I think I'll hang out here a little longer. Benji has moved off of the chair, so as not to fry his little body and the hummingbird is getting braver. I think the birds are taking a mid morning siesta, but they'll be back-I just filled the feeders. I think I'll have time to enjoy the outdoors today, no matter what I choose to do.