Operation Waverley

Operation Waverley-Update on Me and The Negotiator

One of my favorite movies of all time is "White Christmas". It's the story of two entertainers who meet during World War II and become a successful duo after the fighting stops. On a trip through New England around Christmas time, they stop at a Vermont ski lodge and discover that the general who led them in the army is now the owner of the lodge. His business is failing due to lack of snow and skiers to fill his lodge and he feels sorry for himself, wishing he could return to a military career with all the respect and recognition that comes with the title of general. His last name is Waverly and the plot of the story continues with the two entertainers recreating their New York production on the stage of the lodge, drawing customers from far and wide, filling the lodge and the pockets of General Waverly. As part of the plan, one of the entertainers goes on TV and calls on all of his army pals to come to the Christmas show and let Waverly know he's not been forgotten. He calls the whole enterprise, "Operation Waverly".

I figured that was as good a name as any for my latest equine project with 6 year old Arab gelding Waverley. His birthday was the 4th of July and now that he's another year older, he's showing signs of reaching his full maturity. I'm certain that he will become a confident, athletic and playful addition to my life with horses. Having just retired after 30 years in medicine, I am looking forward to making horses my full time occupation. While it will never pay as much as practicing medicine, it has already given me more rewards than I thought were possible and has changed my life for the better.

I've already changed my routine with Waverley. We are now together at least an hour a day 5 days a week. Each day we work on his emotional, mental  and physical development. I usually start by playing with him at liberty which includes the ball he loves, jumping over small obstacles and companion walking, always finishing with a reward of either treats or a good rub down. So far, he likes the treats the best...go figure.

It's hard to start over again, no matter what it is you've chosen-a new job, a new relationship...a new horse. Once the novelty wears off, it becomes apparent that in order for the new experience to work, you have to put in the time. I have to remind myself that my beautiful, well trained lesson horse Chanty did not "come out of the box" ready for anything. Waverley has the benefit of all my years of trial and error with other horses as well as many hours of practicing my techniques in order to be able to communicate with horses.

I've been taking him to the park near the Columbia River-we're both on the ground walking and he's wearing a saddle, but the intention is not to ride. It is simply to gain his confidence and develop a bond so that he will trust me no matter where I take him. There is so much to see at the park and on our last trip we got as far as the beach and as close to the water as he's ever been. His eyes got bigger and bigger and he seemed to say"Whoa, this is AWESOME!" but his equine nature said, "Whoa, that's far enough!" I know that the more we travel to the park and elsewhere, the more he will learn to respond to new things with the thinking side of his brain instead of the reactive side.

The other day I witnessed first hand just exactly how well he knows how to think his way through a situation. I now have a nickname for him, "the negotiator" that describes exactly how he convinced his pasture mate to let him drink from the water trough soon after I had let him loose to join the herd. His buddy was lying on his side in the sun just before we arrived at the gate. Wave was obviously thirsty from his recent workout in the arena on an unseasonably warm day. He only had to walk 10 feet from the gate to the water trough to quench his thirst. That was just long enough for his herd mate to get up on his feet and meet Wave at the water source. They greeted with noses touching and it seemed that Wave would be allowed to continue with his long drink. He lowered his head and sipped for a few seconds but it was apparent that the interaction between the two horses was not over. Again and again, Wave would raise his head and gently touch the neck or shoulder of the first horse and without truly engaging him in any other physical behavior, was able to take a short drink of water. As if to say, "buddy, I'm not here to fight, I just want a drink", he stood his ground without being aggressive. If the other horse did move Wave's feet it was only for a short distance after which Wave would turn back to the trough and dive his head in again. He persisted with his passive behavior and finally convinced his mate that it was just too hot and there was no need to exert themselves unnecessarily when it would be easier to just allow Wave to get his drink and move on. He had done this same persistent "negotiating" with me in the past, to get what he wanted-usually a treat-but watching it unfold in a pasture between two similar beings was much more compelling and gave me greater insight into the mind of a horse. It wasn't the first time I had said to myself "horses can really teach humans a few things about relationships and communication."

And so, I continue with "Operation Waverley". We're working on trailer loading as well; something that he has done numerous times in the past, but NOT with me. I've gone back to some of my wonderful videos about trailer loading and I was reminded that first and foremost, it has to be about the relationship, the confidence and trust that the horse has in you as you load them onto a metal box on wheels. With time and patience we will be able to take trips to lessons, clinics and trail rides. Me and the negotiator!  I have added a video to the blog with a recent liberty session with Wave. More to come.....

An Equine Personal Ad

WANTED: Human with imagination and enthusiasm, able to find a way to make anything fun and interesting. Must be able to laugh at my antics, understand my limitations and be generous enough to give me the time to find myself.  I love the outdoors, am looking to travel and see new places and will gladly learn a new language. Most of all, must be able to accept me as I am and be able to live in the moment with me every day. Serious inquiries only. Call 1-800-HORSE

Years ago, I began writing a story written from the horse's perspective about an old mare who had found herself in yet another home after being shifted from one owner to the next. My goal was to express the feelings of a horse at the other end of the lunge line, so to speak. Recently, when working with several different horses, including my newest guy, Wave, I realized that more than anything a horse wants to bond with us and then with each meeting, create a deeper connection. Horses are social animals and they thrive on the interactions between them and other creatures. If we constantly make demands of them, then they see us as bullies, that is, we are the horse in the herd who wants nothing more than to move their feet and push them around. Instead, we need to make ourselves more interesting to the horse to heighten their curiosity. If we bring something different to the experience each time we meet with our horse, they will always be drawn to us. This, in turn, builds a strong relationship.

In the beginning, I was like every other horse owner. I don't have a lot of imagination. My nature is to see something that needs to be done and organize the parts into a workable whole. I thrive on structure and predictability. I am in many ways a right brain introvert. In the past, if things got too hectic or the pressure on me in my life was too great, I would find a way to avoid it, run from it. It's taken many years of practice and desensitization to get me to realize that I can move into situations that could potentially scare me, each time able to gain the tools to deal with the scariness.

I had to learn to be more playful with my horses. I do have a good sense of humor and so it doesn't take much to trigger the funny bone in me and find the silliness in many situations. The difficulty was combining my highly organized mind with my silly, fun loving soul. Trust me, it takes work, but it can be done!!!!!

Our horses love it when we dance around, throw things in the air and create noises, as long as they are given a chance to absorb it at their own pace. Many times a horse just wants you to hug and love on them, touch them everywhere, like their mother did and make them feel like you are just another herd member looking to bond, instead of the bully that wants them to move away and DO SOMETHING! If you remember from the Seven Waterhole Rituals, this is the first one called "Sharing Territory".

I think what stops most of us from going out and bonding or playing with our horses is something called TIME! We have horses as a part of a sometimes busy or demanding life. When I first acquired a horse, I was working full time and had a home, husband and soon after that a newborn daughter. Guess who ended up at the bottom of the list of priorities? And yet, every time I went out to see my horse, I expected her to be ready for whatever I had in mind. Clinton Anderson used to say something like "My horse has 23 hours to stand around and do nothing, so when he's with me for 1 hour, I expect him to do what I want him to do." It seemed to make sense in the beginning. Why shouldn't our horses behave for JUST one hour and perform for us without resisting; is that asking TOO MUCH? But, as I have spent more time with the horse and better understand their nature, it turns out that they should be saying, "You've been gone for 23 hours and now you want me to just give you all of my heart and soul, mind and body for one hour without even taking the time to spend a few moments in my world?" "Would it kill you to just love and hug on me, let me roll, massage me, stretch my limbs, play nice music and interact in a playful, interesting way? Or maybe we could go for a walk to the park or you sit in the sun while I graze next to you."

Unfortunately, for a lot of us, the answer again is TIME-don't have enough in our every day lives. But, sometimes, it is just that we have not been able to let go and let our imaginations and our fun loving nature spill out into our precious few moments with our horses. I know it's hard. I work on practicing the art of just being with my horse every day I go to the barn. It's hard to teach people the art of being, but I will tell you that it is a process that you have to try. Once you experience it, you'll never want to go back.

This past week I was able to get on Waverley for the first time. Thanks to the great patience and kindness of Aimee, I now have a new partner. I have to remember to honor his wishes and when I answer his ad I will remember to have only the best intentions for a long life together. Call your horse today and start a new relationship. Here's the video of my first time "RIDING THE WAVE"!!!!!

New Guy in My Life

There's a new guy in my life. It's the first time in 25 years with horses that I've owned a gelding. I know everyone says that mares are temperamental and hormonal, but I find the relationship with mares to be similar to my friendships with women. There is so much more to their behavior besides a "boys will be boys" attitude. They bring something different to each day and I have been fortunate to find mares I could connect with at the deepest level. 

But in the last few years I have had the great fortune to meet and get to know several handsome geldings owned by my students. I am now riding a couple of them every week, giving me the opportunity to improve my own riding. I'm using one of the geldings, Twister, as a lesson horse for my experienced students. I really do enjoy "hanging out with the boys" and it is a nice change to have one of my own. He was given to me by his owner who had decided to get out of horses altogether after trying to sell him for almost a year. Waverley,( I call him "Wave") born on the fourth of July, is a 6 year old Arab with long lanky athletic features, a quiet playful temperament and big gorgeous feet. That last characteristic was especially important because I have continued to trim my own horses and just love having a "low maintenance" critter that I can trim easily. It has taken a while to get him to pick up his feet quietly, but I need to remember that the horse's feet are his primary source of escape and taking one away for even a second can be disconcerting. Even after 9 years, Chanty would only allow me to hold her back foot for as long as it took to pick the dirt out, then quickly took it back.

I took over full care of Wave about 3 months ago during which time we have been getting to know each other. The first thing that you notice about him is that he puts his nose and lips on everything, including me. He is sweet, but is unaware of horse and human boundaries. He is very playful and has spent more time moving the big ball in the arena than any other horse at the stables. His original owners described him as one who could get along with any of the horses and it's true. I introduced him to my other Arab, Image, a 16 year old mare, and within moments he was engaging with her in a soft, polite way. He's not pushy in a demanding way and does not defend his position aggressively. He's been ridden before but because I was not able to see it for myself in person, I decided to have an experienced trainer who makes a living starting new horses, ride him for the first time. 

She used the word "cool" to describe him and rode him at walk, trot and canter with a fluidity that I cannot wait to experience for myself. He may be the first horse I've owned, since Rosie, over 25 years ago that I can ride without concern for lack of experience. Wave is still maturing mentally and emotionally and that will improve with time but it looks like he has the physical prowess to perform at many levels. At my age I'm not looking for a high level dressage partner, but it would be nice to have a healthy horse to take to horse clinics, trail rides and maybe an open show in the future. Who knows? For now, we're going to take our time and enjoy each day. The picture up top was taken on a beautiful January afternoon here in the NW with sunshine and mild temperatures. We walk to the end of the driveway and sometimes over to the park, where someday he and I'll will ride together. I look forward to it. A new adventure, a new day with the new guy in my life.