The last couple of days have been really fun!! I've been riding more, playing with long reins, super, uber liberty things, and so much more!

This video ^^^^  Was taken today, and we had a WONDERFUL time!!

I think we've really clicked, Eddie and I, with freestyle. We've really blossomed this month, and I think this summer is going to be amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Lea & Eddie

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Thoughts On....

Patience...

I think all natural horsemanship students would say that they are patient. At least to some degree. But in the book I'm reading, it really points out what patience is. It's more than going along for the ride, or waiting until you can't stand it any longer...
The dictionary says:

Patience

1.the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

2.an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay

Now, how many of you can say that you are truly patient?

Just a few?

I thought so...

Set it up and wait, is an amazing tool, when applied correctly (applying it correctly could be simple, or extremely hard.) But when you set it up without ANY force, then the wait is much easier. It could take 1 minute, it could take a month. Maybe a year. But whatever problem stands in the way, it requires waiting.

Let me go on to something else... How many times do you interrupt people when in conversation? Often? Rarely? That reflects if you are a patient person or not. Sometimes we are so focused on getting to the next thing, that we don't fully enjoy the present.

Last spring, about this time, I went through quite a confidence transformation. Aka, I was scared, what-if-ing, and it only came about when I rode. And this year, 2010, It's almost disappeared. But it didn't happen over night. In fact it didn't happen in one month, not even two! It took a year! And it's taken Eddie THREE years to be able to fully trust me when I ride. He had been abused by a professional predator... I mean trainer. Just now we're really starting to ride.

That took patience. On his part, and on mine. I remember days where all I wanted to do was ride, and he wouldn't be having a good day. Or, I bet, there were days when Eddie would just want me to get on, instead of laying on him ten million times.

It's taken time for me to find days where he wants to be ridden, and I want to ride. When we have days like that, it's incredible, because we are both so happy.

I know a lot of traditional horse people who would have thought I was crazy. "You hardly ride your horse? Then what good is he?" But I see our herd and how happy they are. They don't wish to be ridden every single day, whether it's a good day for them, or a bad day for them.

Horses are so patient with us. They set it up for us, and wait.

We want to teach them our language, our program, our tasks. But do we really want to learn their language?

What's important to the horse? Just getting by. No confrontation. Nothing that will jeopardize their lives. Being able to do what they want to do.

Back to patience.

Have any of you seen colt starting clinics? Have you been to one? Most trainers do 3-4 days clinics. In those three to four days they:

• Get the horse used to the bridle the horse
• Get the horse used to a bit
• Get the horse used to the weight of a saddle
• Get the horse used to a cinch (front and back)
• Get the horse used to a rider
• Get the horse used to the rider giving them directions in somewhere that a human has never been before. 

And that's just kindergarten.

;)

In the book, (I'll tell you what it is now. Because if you've read all this, I know you're interested...) it's Life Lessons from a Ranch Horse by Mark Rashid. Fantastic book! I learn so much from his books!

Anyway, its says that colt starting should not be 'a day' thing. If it's done in a day to a week, there's almost always assurance of the horse bucking.

But if it's done (and it's been proven) that if you take a few months, to a few years to start a colt. There's no bucking. None. It doesn't matter how 'good' the horse trainer is. Young horses need time to think. Just like children. Would you put a 300 page novel in front of a 5 year old? Probably not. It's too much.

I thought that was a really interesting topic. Something we all can work on.

And, it helps your conversation...

Lea & Eddie

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Keepin Cool!

The last couple of days have been really hot, so we've just been keeping cool. Here's a short video of what Eddie and I have been up to.... ;)

Trimming today!!!

Carefree!!!

Well this afternoon I gave Eddie a full trim! That's the first time that I have been able to do all 4 feet, and do everything that I needed to do. He did amazing!! He never fussed once, and was so polite and happy the whole time! Needless to say, I was sweating a lot, but it was really fun to try out my new hoof stand, and use my new rasp. Man, that thing is like cuttin' butter! ;) You sure do get what you pay for!

Anyway, after I trimmed Eddie, got some water (and a cookie) I headed back outside to play with him! We went for a walk around the track first with the ponies, and then played in the pasture! We did some small online things first, then went to liberty in the pasture. He was SO silly!

We would do some stick to me at the trot, then he would go GALLOPING through the really tall grass, send the bunnies that are in the grass, running every which way, then he would get scared of the bunnies and run back to me!

It was SO funny!!!! He did that about four times, and each time he would gallop a big circle, and come back. hehe! One time he even chased a bunny down until it went fleeing into the bushes. I kind of felt bad for it... :( But Eddie gave up after a while, and we finished our play session.

He was just so funny, and it was nice to just enjoy the time with him, and not really play with anything. We did do some mind games, but it was really... carefree! And I think he could tell!

~Lea & Eddie~

Galatians 5:13

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty;

only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,

but through love serve one another.

Liberty in the Rain

Today Eddie and I played in the rain! ;) Well, in the mist actually... it wasn't a full rain... ;)
But it was still fun!
We went into the round pen (after grazing the long grass of course!) and we played online first. He is usually very weary of the west end because there are a bunch of trees and 'scary' bushes. So we played with thresholds there, and once he was confident, we went to liberty. We trotted around, played on the pedestal, played with a few circles, and some sideways towards. He did really great, considering it was drizzling, and the bugs were bad.
So we went inside, and my sister came out! Since she came out then, we all went for a walk around the track. Diesel, Scout, Allison, Eddie and I, all went for a nice lap in the track. We trotted a little bit, but mostly grazed and walked.
Twas great fun! ;)
And now it's drizzling again... So hopefully it will let up so they can get outside again!

~Lea & Eddie~




Job 39:19
Have you given the horse strength?
Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

Surely not, for only the LORD may do such things.

Playin with the Herd

May 20th.

Today Eddie and I played online in the pasture. We did lots of weave patterns on the 45 foot line, and then we did point to point to different things. We did the straight weave, and the circle weave. I think he thought those were fun, seeing as we've never done them in the pasture before.

Then Scout and I, haltered Diesel up, and I rode Scout and ponied Diesel alongside! We went into the outdoor, and out of the outdoor, and back to the bubble (place where the track is wider) and then I got off because Diesel didn't want to follow! ;) So we all went for a walk around the track instead.

It was a really fun play session with all the horses! I love it when I get to play with all of them, and I think they like it too. :)

May 19th.

A New Kind of Liberty

Oh, my goodness! Today was so amazing!

Eddie and I went out to the outdoor to play at Liberty.

We just had an amazing session! I dropped my carrot stick a few times, just to see if we could play without it. And boy we COULD! We did some canter stick to me, trotting poles, jumping, draw at the canter, and trotting close range circles. :) It was so much fun!! And he was totally glued to me. Just completely glued to me! We did some fun things like biting game, and some pedestal play.

Oh, it was just so much fun! And he was having a blast because I couldn't 'make' him do anything.

What a great play session!

Then I brought Scout out and we played online for a little bit. Eddie was still in the outdoor, where we were, so we played with Eddie a little bit too. But we did some small things, then I got on and rode around for a while! We did some patterns, and then I asked him to listen to my body more. Which went really well! He became pretty focused on me, and was very willing!

It was such a great day!!!

~Lea & Eddie & Scout~

Alot Can Happen in 4 Days

Yes it can! 

Eddie cut his back legs on a T-Post 3 days ago. So he had three days to recover, and with me sitting out in the round pen with him (to make sure he didn't run around) we had some quality time together! :) Lots and lots of undemanding time!! 10 whole hours in 4 days! :) but every minute was worth it, because Eddie's legs are much better now.

 The picture was taken two days ago, when we were putting a special kind of ointment and cream on it. Then we switched to Lavender Oil and it's healing up twice as fast!

Now today is the first day that he was able to go back out to the pasture. Yay! 

And I'll probably do some mild things with him today. Go for a walk, play with a few things in the pasture, and keep things somewhat slow. :) I'm so glad that we can play now, though.

Yesterday I also trimmed Diesel's feet. They are looking better and better! His medial (inside) quarters on his hinds were a little thin, but pressure is the stimulus for growth, so I just made the surface area of his quarters larger, and put a small mustang roll on it. So hopefully that will grow back soon! Also, it was interesting... His soles were really flaking off, so I took quite a bit of false sole out. Hooray that it is shedding on its own!! That's a really good thing!!! :)

Hope you all have a happy day! I know I shall, with our herd! <3

~Lea & Eddie~

May 9th.

Today Eddie and I had an amazing play session! It was just amazing!!

First we went out to the pasture and played with the long reins. He was super light, because I was being super light. I was really playing with our precision. We did some straight lines (trying to be near perfect straight lines) and point to point. He did really well and then we upped it to a trot!

We did some weave, jumping, and some sideways too! He was so light, and so willing! One of the best long rein sessions we've had!

Then we went to liberty! Liberty in the pasture, that is always fun!

We cantered around, jumped lots of things, played with the cavaletties and then galloped back home. It was so much fun, and he didn't really leave me at all! He had a choice to leave, but he didn't!

Yipppeee!

Now on to today....

~Lea & Eddie~

Fun in the Fog

Eddie and I had a really fun session in the pasture! He had a TON of energy and it sort of felt like playing with a stallion!

We did a lot of light things, and he was really soft and energetic! We jumped a few things (which he bucked after them) and we did some cavaletties and pedestal play. It was just so funny, because he was so crazy! But he was connected the whole time!

We went for a walk in the track after that and played with some more trust.

It was really fun, and he was happy to get his energy out!

~Lea & Eddie~

May 6th

Happy Birthday!

Today was my Birthday, and Eddie and I had an amazing play session!

We went for a really long walk and he was super confident!! We just went everywhere. Orchard, behind the outdoor, to the east, south, and west of the pasture, in the backyard, in the driveway, you name it!

We had a really great time and it was awesome to see him so confident in me!

Now on to tomorrow!

Let's Play!

Today Eddie and I had an interesting session. We played in the morning, to avoid the wind, and went to the round pen first. We did some small things, nothing too big, or too interesting. Then we went for a walk in the track. Which made me think for a while because he wouldn't follow me.... Hmmm...
So I sat in the grass and thought for a little bit while he just watched me, a good 20 feet away. And I thought of what the Indians did with their horses. (Dad and I have been discussing that, because it's really cool, and he loves Indians.) They would literally gallop across prairies, bareback, not holding onto the reins, with a bow and arrow, to hunt the buffalo, which the herd could be up to thousands. Thousands of pounds of animals, and you're running in between them. Horsemanship, much?! So I wondered what an Indian would say if they saw that Eddie wasn't following me - aka not trusting me.
"Why doesn't he trust me enough to follow me?" I would ask.
"The answer is in the question."
"Huh?!"
"Do you trust him?"
"Well... Yeah."
"No... Do you trust him? Trust him enough, that if you had to walk along a cliff face, you would trust him to be surefooted?"
"No, I would get off." I would reply.
"There you have it. You don't trust him."


After going through that conversation in my head, I looked up. Eddie had made his way over to me, and his hooves were literally inches from my feet. So I started to get up, then remembered my conversation. I sat back down.
Eddie lowered his head and put it in my lap. He sniffed my head, lipped at my hat, and then grazed.
I would have missed a special moment if I hadn't trusted him.

I think I've realized that when we ride horses, play with horses, or even be around horses, we put our lives in their hooves, which are ultimately in God's Hands. So if we trust our horses, then we are actually putting our trust in God. Because God has everything planned.
But of course that means we can't be ignorant and stay on when we should get off, or do stupid things.


That just got me thinking today.
How interesting!


Anyway, Eddie and I finished our walk with him right beside me the whole time. :) And we ended with playing in the pasture for a little bit. It was a fun day, and made me learn alot!




~Lea & Eddie~

Psalm 9:10

And those who know Your name put their trust in You,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

May 4th

Today I played with Eddie out in the outdoor!

He was amazing, and we just had a blast! We started with some sideways towards and he was super duper soft with that. Then we did some close range circles and he did them at the trot and the canter! Woohoo! Thank you so much Eddie! He is such an amazing horse.

So we played with the pedestal after that, and did some chase me game, and just had fun. He is such a good boy. I love him so much!

Eddie & Scout Play Time!

Firstly, there's a new gadget on the side of my page where you can subscribe via email! It took awhile to figure out, ;) but I finally got it. Yay!

Anyways, I had a blast with the horses today!!

First Scout and I went for a walk, because Eddie was sound asleep, and I didn't want to wake him up. So we went for a walk all the way around the outside of the pasture. Which we haven't done since.... Winter. So Scout did really, really good! Then we played at liberty in the round pen. He did really good! He wanted to graze a lot, so we did some mind games, and then rewards by letting him graze. After that I hopped on and we went for another walk around the orchard! It was really fun, and very nice to go for a trail ride! I can't remember the last time we did that!
We ended on a really good note, I let him graze for a few more minutes, and then Eddie and I went to go play!


We went out to the pasture first and played with some fun things. I had him circle around me, and I would catch the rope that I was standing on with my feet as he circled. By the time the rope was coiled up, he was circling really close around me, and was pretty intrigued! It was fun, and a challenge for me. :) We went for a walk after that and did some zone 5 driving transitions with one rein. He did great, and was super duper light!
After that we went into the outdoor and played at liberty! He did some great stick to me, pedestal play, and then I hopped on for a little bit. We just walked around a little bit, but it was still good! He was responsive and handed the decision making over to me. Yippee!!!
It was a really fun play time, and he was pretty playful. :)


Here's a video from Thursday's play time!









~Lea & Eddie~
Savvy on!

Job 39:19

Hast thou given the horse strength?
hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?

Just Came In...

I just came in from a lovely 1 hour & 45 minute session with the horses!

I played with Eddie first, and he did really good. We played in the round pen at liberty, a few times online. We played with our 6 barrel weave, with one barrel down to jump over, and he did really good! He got it online, and we did a modified version at liberty (where he would go close to me for two barrels, and then on the outside for 2 barrels. It was really interesting! Then we did some circles from zone 5, sideways from zone 5 and even some point to point at zone 5. It was a really good session, for it to be in the round pen, on a windy day. Both of which he doesn't prefer. I think he was tired too, so we didn't do a whole lot.

Scout on the other 'hoof....'

He was whinnying and pacing back and forth as I played with Eddie, so I grabbed Scout's stuff (after helping mom unload the horse feed) and we went out to play! He had SO much energy! We trotted around, ran around and did point to point. Then, to get his mind involved, I asked him to put one foot at a time over a pole. Which he did great, and then he was so engaged in me. After that we did some zone 5 driving around the track and played with some transitions. It was really fun, and I think Scout was enjoying the play time.

After I was done with Scout, then we came back into the paddocks and I groomed Eddie up, while Allison groomed Scout, and then I itched Diesel. He is such a sweet heart.

Anyway, there's a video coming soon, so I may have that up tonight or tomorrow.

It was a really great day!!

 

~Lea & Eddie~

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

LIBERTY!

I meant to post this yesterday...

Eddie and I had an amazing, incredible session in the outdoor today!

We did our close range circles at liberty, and then guess what?! We started to do them at the canter!! It was amazing!! He picked it up so quickly, and he never left once.

We also did some sideways towards, straddle, jump the barrels, stick to me, pedestal play and lots of other really fun things. He was having a blast and so was I!

Now today, Mike is coming to trim the horses, and then I'll play with Eddie out in the pasture, or in the round pen, and take him for a walk. It shall be very fun! ;)

Have a wonderful day!

~Lea & Eddie~

Nehemiah 9:17

 But You are God,
      Ready to pardon,
      Gracious and merciful,
      Slow to anger,
      Abundant in kindness,