Christmas Is Almost Here!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas this year! Whether you are lucky enough to spend the Holiday with your equine partner, or whether you are traveling or with family, have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Natural New Year's Resolution #2: Dump the Disposable! I'm guilty of keeping a lot of disposable forks and spoons around because I hate doing dishes. This year I'm going to go greener by getting rid of all those and promising to reuse my silverware. There are so many things you can do to cross this one off your resolutions list. Buying reusable razors, batteries, and shopping bags are a great start! Get creative- even ink cartridges have refill packs!

Keep It Natural

Although it may not seem like it, when I started this blog I intended to write about all aspects of the phrase "keep it natural", one of the central themes of Parelli. One of the things I want to help remind people is that natural horsemanship is a way of life that should extend beyond the barn doors. As a Parelli student, I strive to leave as minimal of an impact on the environment as possible by consuming organic products, minimizing my red meat consumption, eliminating the use of harsh chemicals, and recycling whenever possible. The relationship we should have with the environment is a lot like the relationship we strive for with our horses, and as with horsemanship, the attitude of justice is effective. In other words, as far as the environment is concerned, use only what you need and give back what you take.

A few weeks ago, Parelli posted this video on their Facebook page because it embodies what it means to live a natural lifestyle and really dedicate yourself to the cause. The video does a great job showing that it only takes one person to make a difference, and little changes add up! 

So, in an effort to live naturally, and to help others do the same I am going to start posting "Natural New Year's Resolutions" to challenge myself (and all of you!) to keep it natural, for your self, your horse, and for life!

Natural New Year's Resolution #1: Turn Off the Lights

Turning off the lights in rooms you are not using is a simple thing to do but it can save a LOT of energy consumption, not to mention cut down on your bill! Switching from incandescent to CFL (compact fluorescent light bulbs) will also reduce your consumption while still providing the same amount of light. For tips on how to save energy and make the most of the lighting in your home check out AEP's website. 

More resolutions to come! *Happy Holidays!* :D

The Great Saddle Search...

Is over!!! After over a year of trying to find a proper saddle, I have finally settled on one that I believe will serve both me and and my horse very well!

When I first started taking riding lessons, I rode western because that is basically the only style of riding that exists in North Eastern Ohio (the land of contesting/barrel racing). Naturally, when I bought my horse, I wanted to buy a western saddle because that is all I had ever known. I purchased my first saddle at a local tack swap for 200 dollars. It was a barely used 16 inch synthetic Abetta trail saddle that was way too big for my short backed Arabian. Of course, at the time I didn't know anything about saddle fit and sadly, it took me a long time to figure out that my saddle didn't fit properly and was hurting my horse's withers and shoulders. :( After wising up (which was around the same time I came to Columbus) I decided that English saddles, being more compact and lighter weight, would fit my horse better and would help me learn how to ride with a more independent seat.

Well, even though the decision to "go English" came easily, finding a saddle that would fit both Rydel and myself on my budget was proving very difficult! To make matters worse, I needed to find a saddle quickly because Equine Affaire was coming up and I didn't have a saddle to ride in during our clinics! (I had borrow an 18" all purpose saddle to film my audition!) Finally, I decided to trade in my western saddle for a discount on a new Wintec 500 with CAIR panels and interchangeable gullet system. At the time, it seemed like a good fit as I was sure Rydel would gain muscle and figured the changeable gullets would come in handy! Likewise, the only other saddle I had ever owned was synthetic so the idea of owning another easy-to-care-for saddle seemed like a good idea. And the saddle did serve its purpose, it fit me and was by far the best fit I had ever seen on Rydel, but it wasn't perfect. It tipped forward on her back forcing me out of my balance point and not giving my horse the shoulder mobility she needs. At higher gaits, it put me in "chair" position, and after about an hour of riding I would be completely sore in my knees and back. To rectify this, I purchased the Theraflex pad which helped to balance the saddle and with shims freed up Rydel's shoulders and provided space for her to build up muscle in her back. Unfortunately though, I still had pain when riding and I knew the saddle couldn't not be one use forever. So again, I began searching for saddles. Knowing about what Linda teaches her students about saddle fit and fluidity, my search criteria focused on finding a wide saddle that I could shim to build up my horse's back, that had the lowest point in the back and would be comfortable for me. The best thing I found (other than just buying a Parelli saddle) was the Duett brand of saddles which are made specially to be wider for the horse and distribute weight more evenly but not feel extremely wide to the rider! After doing much research and reading many good reviews, I decided that their all purpose model was the right one for me! - Now, about that price tag! Considering a new Duett is a little under $1,000 I knew I would have to shop used.

Thanks to Ebay, I am now awaiting the arrival of my used 17" Duett Rondo 2 (black, all purpose model)! I am so excited to finally own a leather saddle and I got such a great deal on it, I don't even feel bad about spending the money! Pictures and updates to come!

Being A Perfect Passenger.

I have alluded to Rydel's arthritis before but I have never really explained why it has been such a big deal. You see, Rydel's arthritis in her hocks makes her back sore because she tenses up from the pain. Before I had a diagnosis for her arthritis, I had no idea what was causing her pain, I just knew that something was wrong. During saddling she would try to bite me and move around a lot- something she had never done before. And when riding and I would ask for the trot she would pin her ears and eventually just stop and tried to bite. I never would have chalked all of that up to an issue in her hocks, but the vet did because almost as soon as I explained the symptoms he ordered a flex test. So Rydel went on anti-inflamatories, muscle relaxers, and a steady diet of no riding for a month. She also went on a joint supplement that she is to continue for the rest of her life. After all this, Rydel now has no daily pain, but a lot of psychological baggage associated with it. Now, even though she is feeling better, she associates saddling with the pain she felt when riding before we knew it was because of her arthritis.

Well, for the past few weeks I have been working on re-introducing the saddle to Rydel. Letting her know that it won't cause her pain, and that I won't force her into a bad situation with it. In order to do this, I had to be sure that the saddle really would not continue to hurt her, even though the back pain associated with her arthritis was gone, I had to be sure there were no other factors. This is what led me to make the decision to purchase my theraflex pad. The first time I put it on her with the saddle and let her walk around, even without having the proper shim pattern for her back, she immediately started blowing out and relaxing. This was a miracle! I had not seen her relax in the saddle for months! In fact, it was typically the opposite- she would usually hold her breath while riding! This was a huge step in the right direction.

After a few more weeks of approach and retreat with the saddle and doing a few passenger lessons bareback, she finally started to accept the saddle again. Today, I decided to see how she would do saddling again. I went to the barn with the attitude that I wasn't going to push anything and if she wasn't feeling ready, I would just retreat and try again another day. But when I began playing with Rydel she was really focused on me, She seemed particularly calm and was just waiting for me to give her something to do. After a few minutes, I decided to try saddling and she stood more calmly than she ever has as she let me put on the saddle and cinch it up. I did everything slowly and took time in between each hole on the girth. Because she handled everything so well I decided to get on and do a passenger lesson. I was careful to mirror her every move, which totally blew her mind and every time she got tense and looked around, I did the same and very soon I had a calm horse! Anytime she wanted to stop, I let her. I would rub her and then ask her to go using my seat (squeezing all four cheeks) which she caught onto really quickly. Pretty soon she stopped and started licking and chewing so much it looked like someone had stuck peanut butter in her mouth! It was the same thing she had done in our lesson and it is great to see my introverted horse licking and chewing like an extrovert! All in all it was such a big day for us! Everyday I hope to keep riding a little more where we can work our way up to doing a pushing passenger lesson at the trot and then eventually get to the point that we dont need the passenger lesson anymore!

I've learned a lot through this whole process. One of the most greatest lessons I learned is the importance of being a good passenger. This means not trying to micro-manage the ride, but learning to let go in life too. I realized that I can't always control my journey with my horse, (or my journey in life for that matter!) and the way I was looking at things was too direct line. Our journey doesn't end just because we got bumped off my timeline for progress. In fact, that's the beauty of it. Our journey never ends.

Focus.

As I sit on my bed staring across the room at my bookshelf full of Parelli educational materials and a photo of Rydel, I cannot help but feel happy. That little horse inside the picture frame has taught me more than I could ever ask for, and I owe a lot to her.

Today we had another lesson with Juli which I have been looking forward to all week because I swear Juli is the key to major breakthroughs! :) Seriously though, in our lessons our highs are major highs and Rydel always ends up doing something totally uncharacteristic to her nature (in a good way). And I've learned to come to our lessons without an agenda, Rydel does a pretty good job of coming up with one for me! Today, the name of the game was "focus". I needed to get Rydel to focus on me and whatever task I had given her. We worked with the stick to me game/zone 3 driving- Rydel's job was to move with me, keeping me in zone 3 no matter what. We worked on forequarter yields, emphasizing me not moving out of my intended path (ie: not moving my feet when she moved the wrong way). Instead, when she would try to move forward I would gently ask her to take an equal amount of steps back and redirect her nose until she made the turn one foot at a time. The same went for stopping and backing up. If she moved forward, I stayed put and asked her back. If she went crooked on the back up, I would bring the opposite end that moved away from me back until she was straight again. After a while, Rydel was focused on what I wanted and was asking a lot of questions! She even let out the most animated combination of yawning and licking I have ever seen! It was awesome to watch!!! This was a great exercise for us because it keeps in mind that both the horse and human have responsibilities. Next we moved on to saddling, something we have been struggling with lately due to Rydel's psychological issues associated with her arthritis pain. The pain is gone now but the emotions about it are not. Slowly we got tacked up and Juli and Emily reassured me that it is definitely improving- which I am beyond happy about! Instead of mounting up to ride, which would have been overkill for Rydel, we worked on our sideways game. At this point they started feeding the other horses, so when Rydel got emotional about it, we went back to the idea of "focus me." and gave her the task of going sideways all around the sides of the arena...on her bad side! It was great! within a few minutes I had a much more centered horse.

(Sideways all around the arena)

(After playing "tit for tat")

At the end, while we were all reflecting on our lessons and journeys with our horses, Rydel started pawing the ground and decided then would be a good time to roll- In my saddle, with me attached to the other end of the 22 foot rope! I was shocked at first, barely believing that she even felt comfortable enough in the saddle to roll in it! (Believe me, it's a big deal- we have struggled with saddling and getting over the emotional issues surrounding it these last few months). Juli quickly urged me to ask her to get up so she wouldn't ruin my saddle, and as she got up we laughed about it. The really amazing thing is my little Right Brained Introvert horse would have never felt comfortable enough to roll with me attached to her rope before. She really is changing right before my eyes as she gains confidence and our bond gets stronger!

Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of exactly how far we have come. I'm so thankful that this program deals with putting the relationship first. It is a humbling experience once you have a horse that really does want to be with you and wants to exceed your expectations because it makes them happy to please you! Yay! What a great day! :D

"Look into the depths of another's soul and listen,

not only with our ears,

but with our hearts and imagination,

and our silent love."

- Joyce Kanelakos