The Liebster Award -- from Briana!

Ok, I have been nominated for this same award twice in the last month. I guess I was just too lazy to claim it the first time. :P So, after much thought and pondering, I have decided to accept the award both times (it’ll be fun!).

But I’m gonna tweak it: After every blog or blogger that I name, I’m gonna give a short bio about them or their blog; since the whole point of this award seems to be getting know lesser-known bloggers. J

HOW TO ACCEPT THE AWARD: The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued.  Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
6. Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

I was given my first Liebster Blog Award by Briana at Equestrian Diaries. Equestrian Diaries logs the adventures of a young college student who is studying to work in elementary education while maintaining a huge passion for horses. It’s a really fun blog – especially now that she’s entered the world of horse-ownership through the buying of River, a gorgeous grandson of Seattle Slew! So go on over and check it out; leave an encouraging word or some advice you have from your experience with horses. I know Briana would appreciate it all! 

11    random facts about me:

1.     Bratty teenagers quickly turn me into the Incredible Hulk.

2.     I will dream and philosophize all day if you let me (and if you do let me, you will not be able to snap me out of my trance for literally hours; my sister timed me once).

3.     I have lived in 7 houses and moved 9 times since I was born (and we’re about to make numbers 8 and 10, respectively!)

4.     I am working on building my collection of books of photography (books of photography, not about photography). I could lay out on the floor and flip through them all day. They never fail to send me to a world of wonderment and inspiration.

5.     Right now, I am buying/reading all the most recent memoirs and biographies about people and their horses so that I can better understand what’s selling and tweak my book to make it more appealing (sometimes I refer to it as cheating ;) ).

6.     I am very protective of my bed. Having six siblings (and sharing a room with another teenage girl) I generally have to share just about everything. I view my bed as my own personal space that I am not called upon to share (that often). I can get uptight if somebody sits on it without being invited.

7.     My tastes in everything are pretty broad; I couldn’t tell you about my favorite genre (of anything), color, flower, scent, etc.

8.     I love hats, and I collect them (even though I can pull off only a few styles).

9.     My “scent” (ya know, perfume and lotion and stuff) *is coconut-anything. (Mom recently got me some cherry blossom, and I am finding that I do really like that one, too.)

10.  I either imagine the majority of love songs are between a person and their horse, or I rewrite them to fit that way (I have whole movies in my head with complete soundtracks).

11.  Believe it or not (you probably won’t, it’s so ironic): The only Monopoly game I have never won is Horse-opoly. (All the other ones I win pretty consistently.)

My 11 questions from Briana were:

1. When and why did you start riding? I first climbed on the back of a horse when I was between the ages of 8 and 10. I was taking English riding lessons while we lived in Florida. I don’t really remember the reason why except that that was when my horsenality exploded and was born after seeing “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron.” I was just so in awe of these magnificent creatures. But the first time I rode a horse and really understood that I was riding was when I took lessons at a jumper barn for two years in California when I was 13.
2. Have you ever taken any time away from riding? Why? Well, I had to stop riding after we moved from California because there was nowhere to ride here. But that was inevitable. If you’re asking have I ever deliberately taken time away from riding to do something else, then sure. I don’t ride on days when Joey lets me know that our relationship could use some cookies and hang out time instead (like when I’m at camp all summer). And I don’t ride on days when I feel really, really bad (but it normally takes a few up-chucks for me to get there).
3. If you couldn’t ride, what would you do with your horse(s)? If I suddenly woke up this morning and learned that I would never ride again, Joey would stay with me. I would probably try to scout out somebody willing and special that I trusted to ride and work with him. But if he had to spend the rest of his days being a lawn ornament, then so be it; I highly doubt he would have any qualms about that. And besides, he’d get plenty of visitors when he becomes famous through our books. ;)
4. Where have you lived during your life? Perfect! Since I told you how many times I’ve moved, and all. :P I was born in Washington (state), and then we moved to England. Since then, I’ve lived in Mississippi, Florida, and California. But we’re about to make our next move to Ohio!
5. If you could travel to any place in the universe, where would you go? I do catch the whole “universe” bit here. But honestly, I’m content to view space from Google. I’m not quite that adventurous. One place I do so desperately want to see, though, is Africa! :D
6. What horse (real or fictitious) has had a big influence on your horsey career? As much as I would like to say Jeanette Sassoon’s Valiant, the first horse that comes consistently to mind is the Black Stallion. As silly as it may sound, right after Joey went blind I didn’t know what I was going to do with him, or how I was going to handle him or even behave around him. But soon after the ordeal, I was watching the Black Stallion movie. And for some reason, Alec’s awesome beach ride on the Black reminded me that my horse was still a horse and still possessed all his former potential. Watching that amazing scene (and rewinding it a few times) gave me hope, and let me dream that Joey and I could still have that kind of a friendship. I am now less apt to shut down or give up on dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. <3
7. What is one big thing on your “bucket list”? To have some of my writings published and read; whether it’s the fictional or nonfictional.
8. What are two goals you would like to achieve with your horse? (Jumping is still one buried deep in my heart.) To ride bareback and bridleless as effortlessly as Gandolph on Shadowfax; and trailering him out successfully to ride on a public trail.
9. What is your horse’s favorite thing to do with you? I’m not really sure. I think it would be a draw between riding (he loves it when I climb aboard! ^.^ ) and just hanging out with a pile of hay (when I have to leave, he looks up sorrowfully over his shoulder and watches me until I’m back in the house; makes me feel so loved <3).
10. Do you play a musical instrument? If not, what is one you’d like to play? I’ve been playing the piano since I was 10, yet I’ve only had a grand total of two years’ worth of lessons. I bought a pink guitar off of the interwebs in January of last year, got on YouTube, and have been jamming ever since. And most recently I have been spending a little time learning to play the Ukulele and the Mandolin. I will go ahead and name two instruments that I’ve always wanted to play, though: the violin and the banjo. It’s a draw between the two. J
11. What is the most “spur of the moment” thing you have ever done? If we’re talking most crazy spur of the moment decision, then buying the horse I did not want tops it all, I’m pretty sure. Other than that, I’m not sure.

My 11 Questions for my Nominees:

1.     Who’s your favorite cartoon character and why?

2.     What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done (on horseback, if you have a horse)?

3.     What is the hardest lesson you’ve had to learn in life thus far?

4.     If you could have any super power, what would it be?

5.     What’s your favorite voice-accent?

6.     What’s your favorite scented candle?

7.     What was the last dream that you remember?

8.     What three songs would be on your life’s soundtrack? (They don’t have to be lyrical, either.)

9.     Choose: A rumbling summer storm, or a cozy fire by the hearth?

10.  Which question above was the most fun to answer?

I present the Liebster Blog Award to *drum roll, please* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .:

1. Mare and Missy at Simply Horse Crazy! These girls are two peas in a pod. I’ve always been an admirer of Mare’s choice of design on their blog, as well – always so tastefully put together. If you enjoy colorful pictures and consistent posting of everyday life with a horse at a boarding stable, then you should definitely check these crazy girls out!
2.  Karley and Henry at All In! Karley’s posts are consistent and full of information on training with Henry – it’s been so educational following her blog! Even on days when they’re not in the arena, Karley shares pictures of her beautiful chestnut goober-horse, and those are always so entertaining. ;)
3.  Gingham and her three beautiful equine children at Pia & Prairie’s Parade! This is another blog that I thoroughly enjoy all the time. With Gingham’s great sense of humor, it’s entertaining as well as educational. I learn so much from her posts about training and showing! She recently added an older Trakhaner gelding to her brood. His name is Gus, and he seems to be really enjoying his new life with his new sisters. Check them out! You won’t regret it.
4. Amy and the gang at A Work In Progress! Honestly, this has got to be one of the most fun blogs I have ever read! My mom is constantly telling me that that is exactly what I'm going to be like when I grow up. xD Whether she's taking her sainted mare Sugar out for a spin, creating memories with her kids, or critiquing Brenda Breyer in a model horse show, Amy's bound to have you chuckling by the end of her entry.
5. Sarah at The Laird Family blog! This is one of the non-horsey blogs I follow, but I love it just the same. Sarah is a great friend of mine with a wonderful sense of humor and love for the Lord and her family. She's always posting fun tidbits from their humorously southern life! She's fairly new to the blogosphere, so drop on over and give her an encouraging word. You won't be sorry you made friends. :) 

I don't know that many blogs (and even then, it seems to be Liebster Award Week as most of the blogs I've been wanting to nominate get nominated by someone else by the time I get around to working on this post. -.- )
So I will nominate half of 11 here, and then do the other half in my next award.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about me. Now I'm off to snag my nominees before somebody else does.

~Sam

PS: Since I copy/pasted this from a Word document, the colors are a bit funky. I apologize if it's throwing you off as much as it does me.

Teaching Joey to Bow -- Parts 2&3

THE BOW PART 2 -- I totally agree with Mosie when she says that training tends to sink in better over night (for both horses and humans, I think). The next morning after that first session of teaching Joey to bow, I went out to grain for breakfast. I figured while he was eating that I would tidy the paddock until he was done and then we could have another small session before I had to go in and take care of schoolwork. Well, out of habit, I accidentally threw hay out for him to eat. *facepalm* Now I thought there would be NO WAY we were going to have a morning session -- Joey tends not to be very interested in anything, let alone WORKING or LEAVING when food is available. But after a while, I noticed that he had come over -- LEAVING the hay completely -- and was just hanging out while I tidied the pasture. I asked him if he was bored with eating (we have been making free-choice forage available 24/7, after all), to which he replied with a big sigh. :P So I put away the manure fork and the wheelbarrow and grabbed some treats and our dressage whip. To see if he was really interested in working with me while food was available, I asked him to follow me around, which he did eagerly; and then I asked him to back up, which he also did willingly. So I tapped his leg with the whip, said "left", and went to pick it up for him the first time or two, thinking he might not remember yesterday's lesson. But before I could bend over after the tap and the verbal cue, he popped his foot up on his own, put it back down, and asked for a treat! I was so happily surprised! ^.^ Treat, and we asked for the trick again; he complied eagerly. I'm so excited that he got it after just one quick session (I've never really worked on teaching him anything like this before)! And now that he's got lifting his leg on cue, we're going to concentrate on holding it for longer periods of time. We've had two more session since (5 total), and he's getting the idea, which is really exciting. :D The next thing to incorporate that Mosie introduced in the first video is the target touching.So last night after supper (our 4th session) I tied a plastic baggie onto the end of our dressage whip. He was very curious to know what the sound of it meant (since he can't see, and plastic bags are generally noisy objects), but he soon got used to it (I was actually surprised he was never afraid of it). During that session, we began with what we knew: a few leg lifts, which he performed easily and eagerly (he even tried to do a few "extra" without the cue, to see if he would get extra cookies :P ) Then we introduced targeting. Mosie suggested that since he's blind, we adjust "targeting" to him just keeping his nose on the target. I'm open to this idea, but I wondered if he could find the target, especially if I used a noisy plastic bag? So I began a method: I shook the plastic bag a little, said "touch", and then touched his nose with it and praised. We did this exact thing several times, and then ended the training session with a few leg-lifts (I'm a firm believe of ending every training session on a positive note, with something that your horse already knows how to do and preferably something that he thinks is fun so that he will think he's had a very productive and fun lesson and will be more receptive of the next session).This morning (session 5), we began with a few extended (meaning time) leg-lifts (he really likes doing these; he thinks he's very clever ;) :P ); and then we worked more with the targeting. After how well he's progressed with the leg-lifts, I was kind of hoping that things would "click" in his brain the same for the target -- but it didn't appear that it had. After doing exactly what we had done the first time, several times, without any real recognition of what we were attempting to do that showed on him, I thought about switching things up. Now, I no longer brought the target to him; instead, I kept shaking the bag gently, and repeating "touch", and when he moved his nose and slightly brushed it, I praised. Well, he was very surprised indeed that THIS was what I was looking for! And I saw some recognition in his eyes, like something had finally clicked in his brain. By the end of the session, I was still shaking the bag lightly and saying "touch, Joey", but he was definitely LOOKING for the bag, and even lipping it. I was so ecstatic with our progress! Again, we ended the session with what we were confident in: leg-lifts. :)
THE BOW PART 3 -- Sorry I haven't been updating as much. Actually, I felt there wasn't much to update on; Joey and I were faithfully practicing our leg-lifts and our targeting at least in one session a day. He absolutely loves doing the leg-lifts (he thinks he's VERY clever ;) ); and the targeting has become a kind of game for us, even to the point where sometimes I'll dash away to a distance and say "touch" and shake the plastic bag, and he'll see how quickly he can follow me, find the bag, and touch it. He's liking that game more and more every time we play it. ^_^
But I didn't feel there was much updating to do since we've been working on the same things as in the other two entries I've done thus far.
Last weekend, when I was sure he knew the leg-lifts by heart and knew what the concept was for the targeting, I tried to begin asking for them at the same time and came up with a problem: We're using verbal cues for both "left" and "touch"--how was I supposed to say them at the same time and ask for them in a way that Joey would understand what I was asking for? We tried a couple times, but to no avail, and we both became frustrated at something that didn't come quite as clearly and easily, so we immediately went back to what we already knew: leg-lifts and targeting, and we were ok and having fun again. But it bothered me that I couldn't think of any possible way for us to get both tricks done at the same time in a clear and concise way. :/ I slept on it for a few nights with no inspiration; and then I got suddenly and unexpectedly busy with school, chores, and extracurriculars; so our play sessions had to be put on hold for the first few days of this week.
After we rode this afternoon, it was so clear that Joey still wanted to spend some quality time hanging out, that I went to get a few bits of cookie and our dressage whip. We practiced our leg-lifts a couple of times and played the targeting game for a few minutes when I began to realize something: When I asked Joey to touch the target closer to the ground and nearer his front legs, he was doing a leg-lift at the same time -- putting the two tricks together on his own! He acted like it was almost a game with himself: let me see if I can balance on three legs while I touch the target really low like Mom's asking me to. I could tell he thought he was really clever, and even a bit funny. :P I was shocked that he would do such a thing, though; but I was so ecstatic!! I didn't have to come up with a way to ask him, after all; I just had to give us both a little while to mull it over, and then just remember that it's all about having fun and building our relationship, even if that means we won't get to do everything that I might want to do. I'm so immensely proud of him! <3 ^_^

Entries From My Horse Journal and Teaching Joey the Bow

1-19-13

Today, I really wanted to have another lesson bareback and bridleless; but Joey shifted away from the fence twice when I tried to mount. And though I didn't pay attention when he did that yesterday, I took it as him telling me that he didn't want to ride tonight.
Now that I think about it, he did the exact same thing last night -- I just wasn't paying attention in my eagerness to be consistent with our bareback, bridleless lessons; I quickly slid on before he could move away a second time. And you know what? We rode all the way down to the second paddock, and even half a circuit around it before Joey quit! It didn't feel quite like the connection we had the last time. . .but still.
So it was really tough for me to respect Joey's movement away today as a "no". But, though I had the fear that he'll now say no every time, I finally decided to go with respect instead of "ignorant" force this time.
Instead of riding, I wanted to see if he would walk willingly with me; that's one of my big horsey dreams (besides bareback/bridleless riding): to have a horse that will want to be with me no matter what; even following to the point of running with me. Joey and I walked the entire perimeter of both paddocks. He took some coaxing at only a couple of spots; and I reinforced with bits of cookie at intervals. Not once did Joey's ears go back or head and neck relax; even when he stopped and looked as if he might not follow me, he always looked interested. And I guess that alone (much less coupled with the fact that he did end up following me all the way) is a step of progress just as much as anything we could have accomplished bareback and bridleless. It's all about the attitude and the perspective.

Here's some more really helpful advice from Mosie:

"The best thing that really changed everything for Annie and me was approaching [ riding] not like an expected service a horse must give but rather a gift they are giving you. When you are on him, I believe it is better not to even think of what he "isn't doing" or what is "not right" (of course being safe). Rather, focus on and rejoice in every small gift he gives you. It will make you feel better, and thus allow him to be more receptive, if you aren't commanding/demanding him to turn. Evey thing should be a question - a request. If you ask if he would like to turn and he does, then praise like there is no tomorrow because he is willingly giving you the joy you are looking for! He will be more likely to turn for you again the next time if he knows it is a grateful partnership. With this attitude, if he doesn't do what you ask, it is not big deal - you are still happy to just be with him and because it wasn't a demand, your "pride" isn't hurt and you (meaning whoever!) can stay calm. You want the experience to always be positive :) ... you sound like you know this though ;) This is still how I ride with Annie - every ride is a gift she gives to me - I try to always be very grateful and conscious of that."

 

Present day.

 

I've been worried about Joey's fitness lately. The other morning he galloped up from the second paddock for breakfast; and though it was 5 or 6 strides, he had sort of a coughing fit when he stopped in front of me. I remembered a fitness schedule that was published in one of my DK "Horse and Pony Care" books, and decided to start him on that. They start you out just walking for the first two weeks, gradually building up from 20 minute lessons to 45 minutes. No training and gridwork or hacking is involved -- just a pleasure walk on level ground.

So we walked around the only little bit of level ground that we have in a clearing in the woods that we kids have always called the "wheat field" (there's no real wheat there; but the grass grows shoulder-height and turns golden in the summer). Joey tried to be fresh; and I found that there were a lot of things that I need to work on, like staying still and steady through my legs and seat and hands (we rode bareback).

 

I'm part of a little horse-owning/loving group that Mosie brought together on Facebook. She came up with the idea of doing a kind of group project. We all agreed on the project of teaching our horses the bow. She put up a video of her teaching it to a new horse named Sierra using liberty methods (I also got to see the way she uses clicker training-- something new to me). She really only did two steps in the first video: getting Sierra to lift her left front leg on visual command, and then combining that with a target-touch between her front legs.

I was so excited to do this group project; but Joey can't see my visual cue [of lifting my hand to indicate a leg-lift] and he can't see the target to touch it. But I wasn't about to give up the group project; it's just the accountability I need to teach Joey the bow. So I just shrugged my shoulders and told myself that I would just have to get creative.

Because I'm not a very creative person, all I could come up with was tapping Joey on the leg with my whip and saying "*left". (*My idea with "left" is that maybe Joey can memorize his left and his right? It sounds a lot like "lift"; so if I need to abandon that thought and go with the simpler idea of "lift" just meaning lift a front leg, then we can. :) ) But right off the bat, Joey was backing up instead of lifting; and Mosie emphasized (kinda) be careful what movement you reward.

Now I was torn: I feel that I would really like Joey to think about the training and try and correct himself/figure it out himself; but in the past when we've taken that attitude, he doesn't try anything except  what he did before that isn't working (in this instance, the back up), and then we both get frustrated.

So I opted for the less painful route: I asked Joey to back up to the fence and then I picked up his leg as if I was going to clean his hoof, and said "left". (I should note here that before I asked him to back to the fence, I did try to break it down to me picking up his leg as if to clean his hoof; but even then, for some weird reason, he kept backing.) Then I remembered that we were going to use the whip as an aid; so I began tapping his leg, saying "left", and picking it up. After several gos at this, I stopped picking up his leg and just tapped it and said "left". He lifted his leg! But after that, he wouldn't; so we went back to what we knew: me picking it up. We got to the point where I was gently leaning into his shoulder to shift his weight, tapping, and saying "left", and he was picking it up (for the most part).

I have a feeling that it's going to take us a while to get to the actual bow. But that's ok: slow and steady wins the race; patience is a virtue; and most of all: I'm learning a ton about training horses while doing this, and I am finally clued into breaking the big things down into little steps and working at the horse's pace (both things I've never been able to wrap my mind around and totally understand).

I will note that a couple of times Joey pawed instead of just lifting. The first time, I accidentally rewarded; so he did it a second time, which I did not reward because it wasn't the movement I was looking for. I was excited when I asked for the lift a third time and I saw him thinking hard about what it was I wanted him to do. He tried just lifting his leg like we had been doing and he got rewarded! :P

 

We had another lesson in leg-lifting after supper. I screwed up my courage and positive attitude (I was sighing a lot, believing that because it was a little difficult the first time, we were never going to get it). Do you know what? I was prepared to lift his leg like we had already done so many times because he seemed like it wasn't connecting in his brain; but I tapped his leg with the whip, said "left", and touched his shoulder with mine as I was bending down, and his leg popped up before I could grab it! You can imagine the praise he got for that! ^.^ I only gave him a second to think about it (Joey tends to lose interest if I let him sit too long without presenting the cue again) and then I tapped his leg, said "left", and touched his shoulder. He lifted his leg again! We did it several more times; and though we were not able to do it just yet with just the voice command of "left", at least I wasn't having to bend over and pick his leg up for him anymore!

 

I'm beginning to think the bow is possible for Joey and I! ^.^

 

~Sam

 

 

Two Days In One Post--Part Two

12-22-12

Today I went out to interact with Joey, expecting him to be, in the very least, just as responsive and wanting to follow me around as much as yesterday.
But no. Every once in a while he would come up behind me and rub himself on my arm; but as soon as I moved to return the affection or walk up to him, he would turn his face away or step at least a couple of paces away in a "no" gesture. For nearly two hours I tried to puzzle this behavior through, yet without success.
So finally, I "gave up" for a moment; and, in fear that I might forget myself and doom the whole thing by trying to get him to play, I left him at the wooden gate and went down to the second paddock. He became most interested and alert when he realized that I was no longer hanging around waiting on him; he even followed me halfway. When I reached the back paddock, I took off jogging around the perimeter to "run off my oats." That got him. I looked over my shoulder to see Joey standing in the break between the two fences watching me with a most confused air. What was wrong with me? Had something spooked me? Or was it really possible to actually run just for fun?? I continued jogging until I had gotten back around, and by this time he had figured out my course, and was standing, ready to meet me in the corner that I was approaching--but he was on the other side of the fence, in the other paddock. I jogged right past him, without so much as bothering to stop and let him inspect me before I went on.
Now he was following me down the fence line--no faster than a march, of course; he was still trying to figure out if you really could just run for the fun of it. When I reached the gap between the paddocks again, I stopped to catch my breath. It was cold, so I stood there a long while, basking in the warm sunshine, ignoring my horse who had ignored me. I felt breath on my elbow and looked back over my shoulder ever so slightly enough to see a curious black face with pricked ears, trying to smell me without getting too close. After another little while, when it seemed that we had both nearly settled into a doze, I took off trotting the perimeter of the paddock again. About halfway, when I was parallel with the gap where Joey and I had been standing, I saw that he had marched well into the second pasture and was standing, watching me again with that confused look. Then he did something I never would have expected: I reached the last corner, and saw him trotting toward me, snorting out little questioning, grunting nickers. We met, and I paused for a fraction of a second and said his name; and then I decided to jog right by him again to see what his reaction would be this time. To my utter astonishment, he squealed and kicked out in a playful gesture, and came trotting after me for a couple of strides.

I don't remember what happened next; but somehow, he began standing and browsing just out of reach again. Deciding that I should not pursue him this time, I plopped down on the ground in frustration and confusion. Lexi bounded over to see if I was alright; and I assured her that I was perfectly fine, despite having my feelings hurt. I stared off into space a while, and suddenly realized that Joey was browsing right next to me, with a soft, friendly look in his eye. He came close enough and buried his nose in my hair and breathed deeply for a moment. I played with his forelock, which he accepted fine, and told him that I wasn't giving up on him. I told him that I was all he had, and that, in terms of the horse world, he was all I had; and that we had definitely stumbled upon a method that was working for both of us and that was deepening our relationship already to depths I had never known before.
I told myself that we were both going to have off-days -- but we aren't giving up.
We ended the lesson at the top of the barn paddock, with him standing off ignoring me. I was cold and discouraged; so I quietly slipped out the wooden gate. I tried not to look back; but halfway to the house I did and saw that confuzzled gelding with his head slung over the fence, looking as if we were the best of friends and I was suddenly leaving a party without telling him, or bringing him along. Unable to help myself, I called back to him, "Not everybody's going to wait around forever for you to be friendly," as I continued walking backwards to the door.

12-23-12

I'm only going to note a couple of things about my interactions with Joey today: We pretty much did everything we did yesterday, but he was friendlier today--not slanting his ears back and ignoring me so much; although he hardly followed me around like a puppy, either.
The other thing I wanted to note was that today I received a message from Mosie (here's a link to her wonderful YouTube page where she posts videos about her work with her mare Annie); and she said, in answer to a question I had,

"However, I don't know if you want to give up riding like I did (I had to change all of my training... Annie and I basically started from scratch which was a scary prospect). But you can get a great relationship without doing what we did. If I were you, I would ride! Just be conscious - do what you were doing when you wrote your blog. Just observe and while brushing and tacking, try to stay present and connect with him. Maybe switch up what you do "automatically". Think about what you do and why. Do the same when riding. Maybe you will see something or notice something that will help you later. I would love to read about what u do see. Right now, just learn to listen."

It was wonderful advice (thanks, Mosie; you're really great at that kind of thing).
The first thing that came to my mind when I thought about how to go about taking away pressure that I was used to applying was the halter. When I thought about it, I realized that Joey tends to shut down when we use any kind of head-collar; and much of my "advantage pressure" comes from using a head-collar of some kind. So today, while it was trying to spit cold rain at us, I brought out the saddle and a jingly harness and swung it up onto the fence, making sure he thought he knew what I had in mind. I was fully prepared for him to begin walking away in an attempt to evade work, as he has done before. But he stayed right where he was by the feed bucket, just watching me curiously with an excited/interested look on his face that almost seemed to ask, "Are we really going to go riding?" So, I went into the paddock -- no halter or tying up of any kind -- and gave him a quick once-over with the brush, letting him investigate it first to understand that it wasn't the saddle. Next, I grabbed the saddle blanket and brought it to his nose for a sniff, before I draped it over his back. I thought that now would be the time for him to leave me; but he didn't. He continued to stand quietly; but his ears were slanted back and he looked like the old "workaholic" Joey that I used to saddle. So I decided against riding for the day. Oh, he didn't push a "no"; but then, I'm not convinced that he was aware that it was an option.
He was most surprised indeed when I lifted off the saddle blanket again. I put all the tack away; and he was very interested in everything that I was doing after that.

Back to present day.

I was hoping to get this entry up and posted on the 24; but obviously I didn't quite make it. So here it is, on the 26; and I promise that soon I will get another entry up about Christmas and what special goodies I found under the tree for both Joey and I (possibly pictures to come with that one, too).

Thanks for reading! I hope you decide to come back for the next post.

~Sam

Two Days In One Post--Part One

Wow. Again, I have a lot to share. So, bear with me (and I hope it's interesting).

12-20-12

Today is a very blustery day. I went out with a carrot and classical music playing on my "iPod" [it's really a Zune, but who knows what the heck that is??]. I called out to Joey Joey, but the wind blew my voice away, so he didn't hear me. I know he wasn't ignoring me because then I called him a second time and he actually neighed and walked briskly to the opposite gate--the wind had blown my voice again. He didn't hear me opening the loud, stiff latch to the other gate that was a few yards behind him (that's how windy it is). So I called to him a third time, chuckling at the way he was snorting and shuffling by the other gate with his head slung high over the top of it, searching for me. When I called out a third and louder greeting, he neighed even louder than the first time, spun around, and nearly trotted into me. I wasn't sure if he was that happy happy to see me, or if the sounds of the blowing winds and my brother on the tractor right outside his paddock had unnerved him. At first, the way he heaved a ginormous sigh, made chewing motions with his moth, and closed his eyes with his forehead pressed into my chest, I think maybe he was looking for comfort in the midst of all the scary, roaring sounds. I rubbe3d him and offered comforting words. And then, not really sure what I should do*, we walked around the paddock. We. He followed eagerly every step of the way.

[*I am a person who always has a game plan when it comes to interacting with my horse. I like to be able to know exactly what's going on, what my goals are, and I like to be able to predict what will happen next. As a result, my relationship with Joey has not been on a super-personal level. In fact, I've always looked ahead to the day when I will have a sighted horse because "then I will really be able to do anything." Well, I have found that try as I might to come up with check boxes and a game plan for what exactly Joey and I are working on on this Journey, I come up blank every time. Throwing my hands up in frustration, I pull on my boots and head out to the paddock anyway--almost mechanically. And it's during the interaction through uncharted waters that I realize that Joey and I are learning together--I'm not teaching him anything. I am finding that the interactions when I'm clueless as to what to do and what to expect are the times when I'm most open minded; and as a result, they're the most successful enriching interactions--I learn so much!]

Joey followed me into the second paddock. Kyle (my 16 yo brother) was using the tractor a couple of yards from us. For some reason (I don't remember now) I squealed and kicked up my heels in a playful gesture. But Joey balked in fear. I went back over to him, realizing and apologizing for my blunder of spooking him/making him think I was afraid--it wasn't a very confident, leaderly thing to do. We walked around quietly for a bit more until he didn't pay as much mind to the gusty sounds all around him. A little while later, he even followed me into a trot! And then we bucked and played for a few seconds! Do you know that Joey has never volunteered to go faster than a walk without the motivation of grain ever before?! And it was the middle of the day--nowhere near feed time! So he couldn't possibly think I was getting him food. And he did it more than once! I'm so excited at how our relationship is growing deeper and stronger every time I go out there! And we're not even hardly doing anything! It's backwards from what I've learned in the past; but I like it!
After a while of us being real buddies, I went and brought out some hay for him to snack on while I sat and watched him and tickled a playful cat. We were both so calm today; and we were really enjoying just being together.

Th. 3: Even the whole interest thing is mutual. You don't wanna hang out with someone who completely ignores you or acts like they could do better by spending their time somewhere else--with someone else. If I act like I want to be friends with Joey when he wants to be friends with me, then we're both a lot happier. He'll start to ignore me if I hardly acknowledge him. It can't be all him giving (i.e., showing interest in me) and me taking (i.e., expecting that that's just what he's supposed to do). This is a mutual relationship. It's gotta be like we're looking in a mirror, kind of: he gives, I give; and eventually it'll be vice versa, I think.

Note: Always look for permission first before approaching a horse.

12-21-12

Today, Joey followed me around willingly enough; and though I was itching to see if he would trot with me again, I didn't push it. He was alert, but he was dragging his feet, so I took that as a sign that he was having a lazy day today. Every once in a while, I gave him a rub somewhere; I tried to let the whole interest thing/interaction be mutual. But when I reached down and rubbed his girth area on his left side, he acted sore. I wish I would have taken the hint after the first try instead of having to observe and analyze a third time--ugh. To show him that I was sorry for my inexperience, I took a step back and grew very still and quiet, respecting his space and his reaction after he pinned his ears, tried to nip me, and then swung his head away to let me know that he was unhappy. When I did so, he immediately pricked his ears and swung his face back around almost quizzically and appreciatively. We were friends again after he saw that I knew how to understand him.
After walking back up to the barn, we were standing at the trough when I moved to rub him. He slanted his ears back, walked a few paces away with his butt turned to me, sighed, and ignored me. Not sure if I should pursue him or not, wondering if this was one of those moments when I needed to show interest in him, I decided that my moving to rub him and my touch had been my showing interest in him. He had walked away in a "I've had enough" kind of way. So I took that as a "no", opened the paddock gate and left, while he watched, alert and quizzically after me.

Back to present day.

I believe I will split this entry into two parts--again. >_> But to end, here's a cute picture I found while cleaning up and organizing my pictures on the computer:

These were two of the kittens I had two yeas ago, Daisy (the black) and Checkers (the grey). I thought they were the cutest! ^.^

Thanks for reading. Hope you stop by for Part Two!

~Sam

Making An Effort--Part 2

Recent. As in, yesterday.

I made the mistake of going about a week without at least sitting with Joey Joey. Because it's a week before Christmas, my mom went out quite a bit this week, which meant that I had to babysit a lot; which means that I hardly got anytime to spend with Joey in the absence of food. The only times I really got out were breakfast and supper time--to feed.

Except this Saturday, when my friend came over and we groomed him, played "Catch Me If You Can" (a game in which I tell Joey to stay, I walk away, and then I tell him to come. The idea is to get him to want to come to me. Given, we've been using treats. . .) and I tried to teach him how to bow. Didn't work out as easy as they make it look on YouTube. I picked up Joey's front left leg, put pressure on his head via a leadrope I was holding between his front legs, and tried to walk him back and down into the bow. But he wouldn't rock back at all! He kept turning his head to give me this comical, quizzical expression. So I tried to break it down for him--telling myself I would be content if he could just learn to lower his head on cue. Using treats, he didn't learn anything; he was just focused on the treat the whole time. When it came to lowering his head, he kept backing up while lowering instead of staying stationary. Is that a good thing? I have no idea.

Besides that, on Friday afternoon, we played "Catch Me" for a little while before supper. But other than those two occasions and feed times, I didn't get out to the barn.

Joey Joey won't take anything except sweet feed and Nicker Makers. So I decided to experiment with something, beginning Saturday evening: I've bee breaking up whole carrots and leaving them in his bucket for 24 hours at a time. And guess what? He's been eating them! So when I went out [yesterday], I took a carrot to see if he would take it from my hand. After many tries, he wouldn't; so I broke it up and put it in his feed bucket. He ate it while I watched him. He made faces the whole time and "threw his tongue around a lot" (you know what I'm talking about? My horse doesn't lift his lip when he doesn't like something, he smacks his jaw wider and wider. Every heard of this before? I hadn't before Joey showed me). He made it look like he disliked the taste or something; but he ate all of it, so, I don't know. . .? o.0

[*Break in notes that I've been typing from my Horse Journal.*]
Ok, back to current day for a moment.
The other day, as I was scrolling down my Facebook homepage, marveling at the beautiful images of equines that Heart of a Horse posts several times a day, I came across one of the stories of horsey people from around the globe that they also post several of. This one was different, though. It was about a girl who had finally found The Connection needed to achieve The Dance. I was fascinated while reading about this girl who seemed to have been just like me: knowing something was missing between her and her horse, and desperately searching for it. She talked about something I had never heard of: liberty training? So I did a Google search; and it came up with Carolyn Resnick and Robin Gates. Apparently, from what I could briefly understand from quick glances at Google's articles, liberty trainers, in general, don't believe that using tack and "aids" (i.e., whip, spurs, etc) are the only way of getting the horse to do what you want. They promote having a relationship based on mutual understanding, respect, and trust. (Things easy to say, but difficult to truly possess.) Searching through Robin Gates' website ( http://libertyhorsetraining.com/ ), I was enthralled as I watched the completely different way that she interacted with horses compared to what I had seen and heard. Liberty trainers, in general, believe in only using the method of positive reinforcement for training. I was (and still am) fascinated, but still kind of skeptical. Which you will probably observe in my notes.
Which shall resume. . .

[*Back to yesterday's interaction and the notes I took.*]

I went out with the carrot and my latest issue of Horse Illustrated. I thought a lot about Robin Gates and of how she really respects the horse and his space, waiting for permission to come over and rub. I watched a video of her working with an abused gelding named Pony; every time she tried to approach Pony, if he turned his head away, Robin back off. She says it's important to a horse being an individual for him to be able to say "no". So much of the time (if not all the time) we ask or tell or expect the horse to do something, and even with enthusiasm, but there is no other option. Robin says (and it makes logical sense) that if you want your horse to be an individual in a partnership, then he needs to be allowed to say "no" and trust you to respect him.
Mutual respect--that's what liberty training is all about in the least. But how do you reach that perfect balance?

[*Sorry, but another time warp back to present day.*]
At the time I wrote this, I imagined the scenario of me wanting to go out and halter Joey and do something active with him undersaddle or something; but he was having a lazy day and turned his head away and even tried to walk away. I wondered if letting him have his way would create the habit in him of evading working with me? But after yesterday's interaction with him, I no longer worry about this. In the very simplest idea, this scenario brings up the bottom line of, Am I going to be a selfish brat and drag my horse into work regardless of how he feels? Am I just going to waltz into his space, oblivious to what he's thinking? I came to really see what a jerk I can be sometimes, almost always unconsciously, just because I wasn't more open minded.

[*Back to the Journal entry.*]

Ob. 5: Horses are dumb beasts (in the sense of the Creation story found in Genesis in the Bible--they were not created on the same intellectual or spiritual plain as we were; which is evident in the different ways we live and interact with other beings). Therefore, they do not reason as we do. I believe this is a very important lesson for me to truly learn and take to heart if I am going to be successful with working with equines.

I heard it said by a liberty trainer that inside every domestic horse is a wild horse, and inside every wild horse is a domestic horse--they are one and the same. And, I have to admit, I can definitely see that in the horses that are working through liberty training methods much more than in the super-tame show-stoppers with all the tack and aids.

I could tell a difference in Joey today when I went out (although, he could have just been feeling his oats). He came to the fence nickering. I slipped through and it was suddenly like he was really getting to know me for the first time. I would walk a few paces, "reading" my magazine, and he would tentatively follow, after standing and watching me for a moment. At first, he wouldn't come without some encouragement, such as me softly calling out, "Hey, Joey Joey, you wanna come over here?" or me just sweetly talking to the cats. Then he was most eager to come over. Soon, he got over his shyness and suddenly, he was smelling me all over! I continued to "read" my magazine as he inspected me from the toes of my boots to gently burying his nose into the top of my scalp. He was breathing deep breaths; and I tried to hold still, letting him search and try to understand me. Something in my brain screamed out that I was letting him dominate my space; but during the smelling process, I felt a spark between us that I've been longing for since I first met him. For once, he was really interested in me without food of any kind (except for the carrot, but he wouldn't eat it). Soon, he was following me and rubbing on me and nudging me. (I think he was jealous of my *full* attention being on my magazine. Once, he even shoved his face between mine and the article I was standing and reading!)
A few times, he went off for long moments at a time, completely ignoring me. I wasn't sure what to do or think when this happened. Suddenly, I was the boring one (I've been in the bad habit of believing my gelding to be lazy and boring all the time), and the trees on the other side of the fence were slightly more interesting. There was nothing going on over there; so I wasn't sure what to think of Joey's behavior. Usually, I would march over and demand his attention; but this time I actually stopped to evaluate my actions. After a while, desperate to know what I was supposed to do next, I remembered the policy of mutuality. He had come to me and followed me around and shown interest in me without any response from myself except a few quiet paces taken away from him every now and then to see if he would follow. Maybe no it was my turn to show interest in him? Crawling out on a limb, holding my breath and bracing myself for the spark of connection to die upon my approach, I scuffed up to Joey's shoulder. Unusually, no words were spoken; and he immediately turned his head to me and nuzzled me! The spark grew into a small, warm flame. I was elated! He followed me pretty well after that; and he always showed interest in me at all times--smelling and watching and even exploring me with his "hand"! (Remember what I said about the upper lip?)

Note:I tried not to let him get mouthy; every time the teeth and gums came on the scene, I tried to let him know that they were not welcome, without over-doing it and possibly losing his trust and interest in me. Finally, I "nipped" him with my fingers when he tried; and I think from then on that it was understood that this is mutual respect--you don't bite me, and I won't bit you.

I believe that Joey Joey was really testing his boundaries when he became more bold. But, at least at the end of today (yesterday), we reached a place of mutual respect.

I think I got a taste of what "mutual" means. ^.^

Aannnd, back to present day for a final word.

Thanks for reading! Sorry it was so long; I had a lot to cover! I hope you come back to see how Joey and I are doing (hopefully) in a couple of days.

~Sam

Making An Effort--Part 1

Hi, all.

So sorry it's taken me this long to get up another post. I kept forgetting to do it when I was on the computer.

I should probably mention that the next two posts will be all about my current journey with Joey Joey.

Some observations and theories I've made since Day 1:

Ob. 2: Joey is highly motivated by food.

Ob. 3: A horse's upper lip really is their hand--they investigate, touching and feeling and smelling with their nose.
I now believe that there is a difference between a horse being mouthy and a horse just investigating. I know man should be the dominant one, but just imagine how we would feel if somebody always smacked our hands away when we wanted to explore or further understand something that we were going to use or come into contact with?

Th. 2: Perhaps Joey's disinterested because I called him mouthy when he was only curious?

12-9-12
My plan was to take my book, my chair, and my grooming tools out and just sit like I've been doing, but without the hay. I figured  I could read just as well in the quiet company of my horse as I can by myself in the house. Whenever he wanted to come and say hi, I would quietly attempt to groom him (Joey's been looking a little unkempt). Well, I opened that paddock, said hi to let his blind self know that I was there, fully prepared for him to glance up and then ignore me. Instead, he jerked up, spun around, and briskly walked over to me, whickering affectionately all the way! Now that's the kind of result I was hoping for; but I honestly thought it would take more time. Not really sure what to do or how long he would be interested in me, I began a rub, and then took my tools--and he let me do a full groom! He continued to stand there, content in my company, curious as to what I was going to do next. Suddenly I thought, Why not let him do a favorite horsey activity? So I unlatched the paddock gate, took my chair and my book to sit in a shady spot, and let him know that it was ok to come out and graze. There isn't much grass; and he'll really have to hunt all over the yard for something edible;but he needs to know that I'm ok with him just being him--just being a horse.

Ob. 4: Joey is very trusting if you've made an effort to be his friend.

I'm still unsure of whether this is the right way to do things; having the mentality that "horses have spent enough time fitting into our world; it's time we fit into theirs." Let's see: God told man to subdue the earth and to have reign over the beasts of the earth. But God also created the horse the way he is and called it "good." And you know what? Thinking back over what I've seen of the dance between human and horse, I've concluded that, in that instance, man still has full control over the beast; but it's in the gentle, understanding way that I think God had in mind--not through brutality, force, and the abusing of His created creature that He called good.

I tried a quick grain-training lesson--more to see how he reacted to me. Taking a handful of sweet feed, he's eager to follow me; so I told him to stay behind. After two misunderstandings (really, he just wasn't listening or paying attention to me; he wanted the food ), he tried staying when I told him to "stand and whoa" instead of ignoring me and running after the food; and--wonder of wonders!--he got the food anyway!
Like I said, this was really a test to see how he would respond to treat-training.

Current Day
I no longer believe that treats are necessary to build a bond with my horse. In fact, with my particular boy, I believe that they might hinder us by distracting him. I wasn't sure what to think about using treats on the day that I did trial and error with them. It seems that every liberty trainer uses treats for everything! (Liberty training--new term I learned. But you'll have to read more about that in the next entry. ;) ) So I originally felt like we needed them, too. But after our interaction yesterday--oh boy! I've discovered that treats are not essential. ^.^ But, again, you'll have to read the next entry to know how I came to that conclusion. ;D

Thanks for reading! I hope you come back for Part 2 of this entry.

~Sam