Frustrated

One thing I find fully and completely frustrating are the people who place ads on places like Kijiji seeking advice.  Things like Dear anonymous reader my horse is lame what do I do?  Or Dear anonymous reader my horse bucks and I just can't figure out how to stop it.  Please, oh please, tell me what to do.

Are these people truly so clueless that they don't see how inappropriate this is?  Is this not what a vet, farrier or trainer are for?  And quite frankly if they are not willing to spend the money to have their horse evaluated by the appropriate professional then I wonder why on earth they even have the horse in the first place.  Horses by nature are not cheap creatures to maintain.

Today I read just such an ad on Kijiji and my advice was for them to call a vet.  For crying out loud - it sounded like the horse had foundered, and this my friends is how horses end up as dog food.  Grrrr!

Learning

Over the course of the past month or so, I've been alternating between two different books.  The first book is a scientific look at dogs and is called Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz.  The second book is a training manual that looks more at the behavioral side of things and is called Be The Pack Leader by Cesar Millan.  

 

 

Both books offer an interesting perspective on dogs and why they behave the way they do.  One thing I enjoy is learning but I'm picky about what sources of information I trust.  The first book only provides information that is scientifically provable.  The second book is wrote by a person who has a wealth of experience and a proven track record.  Both offer different perspectives but the reader is able to connect between the intangible behaviors with the tangible scientific knowledge.  

I'd recommend both books to anyone interested in learning more about dogs.  

Ready or Not

Over the past few weeks I have been playing with an idea.  One I'm not sure if I'm entirely comfortable with.  I think, I'm pretty sure actually, that Whiskey is going up for sale.  This decision really tears me up because she is such a great horse.  However, the direction I'm moving with the horses isn't where her strengths and skill set lies.  She needs a home that will love and appreciate her as much as I do.  But even more, one that will use her, give her a job to do.  

Whiskey is a social creature.  She likes to be worked.  She really likes to have a job to do.  And let's be honest here, having her sit in the field is not her optimal life.  This is the horse that comes running when you call her name.  The horse whose head flies up into the air when my car pulls into the driveway.  This is the horse who needs more than I'm giving her right now. 

 

In two weeks, I'll start riding her again.  I'm about 99% sure her hock will hold up because she's been running through the deep snow and isn't having any problems.  I'll ride her and leg her up throughout the month of April.  Once May begins she's going to Marci Powell to be assessed on the barrel racing side of things.  I think she'd be good at it.  She loves to run, is strong and powerful, and has a great mind.  Marci will let me know if this is an avenue for the horse to continue pursuing or if she doesn't have the right qualities to make a competitive barrel horse.  

This is the plan as it stands.  But then again we all know about Plan A, and then what really happens!

Border Power

Okay is a powerful word.  How powerful?  Well, powerful enough to jerk me forward.  This afternoon for the first time in eons I took my dogs for a run down the road.  Normally, Joey and Reba run on leash with me and Tessa off leash in the ditch, however this would be Tessa's first running excursion post broken leg so I wanted to keep her on a level surface.  This meant three dogs on leash and running with me.  

On a good day this would work well.  I don't mind my dogs running in front of me.  In fact it's easier.  I do mind them pulling me forward.  Now in their defense I have not been running with them and such have not been working with them on their manners.  All three dogs literally leaped forward when I gave them the okay command.  I knew they were excited I just didn't realize how excited.  

My run for the first half went by a pretty good clip with the dogs jockeying for position.  When we turned onto the gravel road that they believe is gopher alley we had another jolt of speed.  Each dog in turn wound up the dog next to it.  Have I mentioned how peaceful and enjoyable this run was?  

By the time we turned for home Tessa and Joey were slowing down and only Reba had energy to burn.  I was keeping a pretty close eye on Tessa watching for any sign of a limp but other than being stiff and out of shape she did well.  

With spring in the air it's my mission to get those dogs back on their running program.  Next time though I'll do some leash work prior to the run.  (We do a lot of off leash work.)

Waiting Patiently

There are certain times of the year when my "homework" increases dramatically. This is one of those times of year. My biggest problem is that when the weather is nice I'd rather be outside. For me staying in the house and working is the equivalent of shoving slivers of glass under my fingernails. Positively painful.

This morning I went out, fed, and let the dogs out so they could play. On a normal day I'd take them for a run or I'd go for a walk in the back with them. Today, they were released from their runs to enjoy some "free" play while I headed back into the house to work. I'd periodically get up and go check on them to see how they were doing and to ensure they were not getting into any monkey business. I had even given each of the dogs their own "bull stick" to help keep them occupied.

As I was working I could see a shadow periodically passing by. Looking up and out the window, there was Joey, pacing past the window. Smiling, I called his name. Stopping he came up and looked in. You could see it on his face, he was saying "Mom, it's beautiful out, why don't you come and play?" And there I was tied to the desk.

The next time I looked up was to hear a scratching sound. Joey had decided to dig a little nest in the flower bed by my window, where he promptly lay down to wait for me in the sun.

I've included a picture of him taken from inside the house. He sure is a cute little bugger.

Night Terrors

There are nights when I dread going to sleep.  When bedtime becomes a high stress time in my life.  Tonight is one of those nights.  While exhausted I'm putting off the actual sleep part.  One little know fact (until now) is that I have some wicked nightmares.  I've had them since I was a child.  I've dreamt of werewolves chasing me through forests, of bears breaking open the windows of my house and "getting me", of vampires ripping my throat out (that one after mistakenly reading a vampire romance), of ending up in Afghanistan running for my life (after watching the news), of being stranded or trapped in any variety of situations.  

These dreams are not just dreams, they are lifelike.  In fact, I cannot tell the difference between the dream and real life.  There are times when I've woke up disoriented, not entirely sure if I was still dreaming or if I was actually awake.  When I wake it's with the full body shake and twitch.  Literally jerking myself out of sleep.  Most nights it's difficult to fall back asleep.  There are a number of strategies I use.  Positive self talk.  Reading.  Taking a Gravol (motion sickness pill - makes me drowsy).  

This week I had a humdinger of a terror.  One who's residual tendrils are still stalking my thoughts.  I can't remember the last time I had a dream as violent as the one Thursday night.  Thursday, in my dream someone tried to kill me and the sensation and image is very vivid and real for me.  I know dreams have meaning but Friday night when I slipped into sleep my brain took me back to the place - it took a major effort not to fall back into the scenario - a scenario I'd rather not replay.  I literally woke up coughing.

And tonight I made a major error.  I watched the movie Dances with Wolves.  For the most part I love this movie but the bits where the horse and wolf die tend to haunt me.  So now I have more violence etched in my brain.  As an adult I know better than to watch a movie I find disturbing before I go to bed.  But as an adult I sometimes do things I shouldn't.  And now I'm paying the price.  I'm scared to sleep.  

Road Apples!

Is it possible for someone to be cursed?  I have to wonder when this vicious streak of bad luck is going to come to a screeching halt overcome by lucky horseshoes and an overall positive vibe that I zealously put out into the world around me.  I'm the person who smiles brightly at supermarket checkout people, who unfailingly tells anonymous fast food workers please and thank you. (I thought everyone did this but according to a study - apparently not.)  Some days I wonder what precisely it is that I'm doing wrong.

In the last two weeks I have discovered Joey's prospective buyer *cough Tyrel Pole cough* was not going to purchase the dog even though he told me he would.  And on Thursday I discovered he's perhaps, let's just say a big talker.  Obviously not knowing me he didn't know that I follow up on things and details.  Details like - no he's not buddies with my trainer, as my trainer doesn't know him.  It makes me wonder about just what other things he exaggerates about.  It makes me cranky.  So now, poor Joey is back to square one, trying to find his forever home.  

Thursday was also the day I was off to the trainers to take a lesson and try out my new mare.  I was positively glowing with happiness.  And then my perpetual cloud of luck kicked in.  You see, the mare, who had been fine for the previous two weeks with Jason, flipped her cookies.  Yep - she came unglued.  Jason, so kindly offered to get on her first and was the one dealing with the flip out.  But long story short, my project is no more.  He wouldn't sell her to me (Thank Goodness!!) and we'll continue on our search for something I can play and learn on.  I was really pumped about this horse so now I'm on a bit of a let down.

Good news is that Whiskey appears to have clean enough skin to start riding her.  Knock on wood!!!!