Forced Relaxation

      Relaxation is defined as a feeling of refreshing tranquility and an absence of tension or worry.  If you ask me, forced relaxation is an oxymoron... but it describes how I feel about the process much of the time.  I am a worry wort, and can't help it, so I really struggle with trying to relax and be calm.  Relaxation is an important skill to learn, and is invaluable when riding or training horses. How to force your body to relax, particularly when it doesn't want to, is the difficulty.  If you are tense, your horse will be tense.  But it is also true, that if your horse gets tense, and you tense up with them, they will think they are fully justified in being tense, and then you have a panicked horse!  I find that when the 1000 pound animal I am sitting on suddenly jumps or acts frightened, I get an adrenaline rush.  It is
a normal human reaction.  The same is true
if I am on the ground working with them, and they "act up".  When I don't know why they are misbehaving or what they are going to do next, I get pumped full of adrenaline.  I don't want them to "run me over" out of their fear or fight reaction.  There is no time for yoga or meditation so I try deep breathing while I say a quick prayer.  I have never been able to sit still long enough to do yoga, meditate, or even stretch out my sore and tense muscles ... and thus, my difficulties with relaxation. 


     It was chilly Sunday morning as the sun came up and continued the process of drying our hay.  It had been set back by a heavy dew over night.

     Abbey was out bird-hunting and I caught some cute shots of her.


     
She spotted me with the camera.











                 I gave her a lift up into the tree.

  


And she continued her hunt.










     In the nursery, we had one crier and one very content baby, so traded off with each other.  You can't force a baby to relax.  I finally got the sad one to fall asleep while pushing her around in the stroller.  I counted this as my
                                         twenty minutes of walking exercise.

     After second service, I came home planning to work, but got an invitation to go with Lisa to Moraine View to ride.  I couldn't get Roni to load by myself, but as soon as he saw Joe, who came out to help, he got right on.  I can't figure this horse out, but think he has my number, and is messing with me.

     Lisa gave me a lesson on getting Roni to move past me, right at the end of the trailer, before we rode.  She also looked at his shoes and said I should call the farrier.  We had a beautiful ride with the color changes all around.  Roni and Scout do well together, even gating along side each other.  Once back, Roni got right on the trailer without anyone else in the vicinity.  I felt good about this progress.

     As soon as I got home, I got Amiga ready to ride and worked with her for awhile.  Then...







     Valencia gave Amiga a go.  She did very well. 






     Amiga was not listening to the cues very well, but Valencia was able to get her to do the basics.

      
     I was so happy for Valencia and proud of her.  She did a great job.  I imagine my instructions could have been much better.

        


     I started in on chores while Valencia brushed off Amiga. 









     Roni came in off the back pasture (with his grazing muzzle on).  He was ready for dinner.  All three horses and both cows usually come right in at feeding time.

     We got hit with a pretty good frost over night, and I heard it got down to 35 degrees. 








     The Monday morning sunshine promised to melt this white stuff off the furrows where it had especially collected.  I tried not to worry about the hay.



     Missy had spotted me and came to see what I was up to.  She did not want to step on the wet, cold frost.






     I was in turmoil about Roni's lose shoes, wanting to take my chances and not face the problem, but I called Loren to see what he thought.  He agreed to come because it was needed, but couldn't until Tuesday morning.  So I started fretting about how that was going to go.  I shuddered in apprehension about trying to get Roni's front shoes tightened.  I really
                                                     was afraid (trembling) & upset (crying)
thinking about the whole thing.  I had asked Loren if a more experienced horse person holding Roni would be better, and he thought it might help.  So...  Marj agreed to come to my rescue.  Actually more like come to Roni's rescue.  I just didn't know what else to do.



     The wind had picked up which was going to help dry out the hay.  Brian came and flipped the furrows using the machine seen in these photos. Notice to the right, farmers (who all around us) were continuing to harvest corn.  Most of the beans are also ready.

     Valencia joined me for a quick trip to the grocery store.  I also took Amiga for a short ride around our place and Becks.  Then the baling began, although rather late in the day.


     I continued packing up horse, dog and camping supplies while waiting to help with bale storage.  The straight alfalfa was still too wet to bale and Brian ran out of time for it anyway.  He parked the baler, not having time to go home and get the lift, so we went out and hand loaded the bales from the side pasture onto the wagon.  I say we, as in, I drove the tractor and Dan, Brian and Joe loaded the bales.  Some of the bales of grass alfalfa mix were too wet to store up in the hay loft so we
                                                     set them out to dry.  We had almost
60 bales of grass on the front pasture and about 70 of alfalfa grass mix from the half of the side pasture that had been baled.      

     I had to leave (was late) for Growth Group.  So the three guys did the front pasture on their own, not that I was much help anyway.  I left by Becks drive since ours was blocked.  Joe and Daniel did not finish storing hay until 8:30.

     Tuesday morning a light rain was falling as I was rising before the sun had.  I was so glad most of the baled hay had gotten stored in the barn.  Looking out at the alfalfa sitting in the field, it was obvious the rest of the hay harvest would be put on hold for awhile.  I did last minute packing and preparations for our "vacation".  Marj came a little before the farrier and we worked with Roni on picking up his feet.  Marj held Roni while Loren put new nails in his front shoes that were lose.  I was thankful the back shoes did not need attention.  Roni did better than last Thursday, but hates and/or is frightened of the hammering process.  I was so relieved to have it all done. 

     We were 90 minutes behind schedule for our departure time and as usual Roni baulked at getting on the trailer.  It rained off and on all morning as we headed for Missouri.  Once we reached the St. Louis area, the rain had stopped.  It was so good to see the "Arch"... no, not McDonald's.

     After nearly five hours on the road, we arrived at Meramec Farm and sunshine in Burbon MO.  Roni was happy to get off the trailer and look around his new accommodations.



     We were staying in the Cedar Cabin for the night, seen in the background.  Joe unpacked the Expedition while I got Roni settled in.  Roni preferred the shade trees to the shelter, too claustrophobic I guess. 

     This pond could be seen from our cabin porch.  Kaysha and I were also equally glad to get out of the confines of the moving vehicle.  I do not do well on the road... just can't relax.  It was nice to breath a big sigh of relief and finally unwind.



     To the left is the view seen out our back door.  That is not Roni, but notice the kitty on the lawn chair.  After Joe made a quick trip into town for gas and the night's pork dinner, we went for a ride/hike together.  Well, we started out together.  First we went down to the Meramec River.  Roni and Kaysha enjoyed a refreshing drink.  
    



     We got separated when Joe and Kaysha headed into the brush looking for a trail.  It was too thick for Roni and I, so we turned back, riding to the large pasture where we would go across and up to the bluffs.  The lack of cell phone signal made communication with Joe impossible, and since Roni moves quicker on foot than Joe and Kaysha, we continued up into the rocky bluffs on our own.  It was tough terrain in many places and I was thankful Roni had shoes (tightly) on.

     Back at the cabin, I let Roni graze while I relaxed and loved on the kitty.  Joe reported going for a dip in the river and continuing his hike with the dog.  We both had enjoyed our excursions.  



     When you are out in the midle of no-where, you can sit on the back patio in your Hawkeye boxers.  We had a flavorful meal of pork that Joe grilled along with some odd "side dishes" because I had not packed very smartly.  A walk after dinner allowed the dog to relieve herself and our stomachs to digest.  With no TV or computer, we were forced to relax by sitting on the screened in porch and watching the sun set.

     It wasn't long after dark when a storm started to move in... coming up, over and around the bluffs in the distance.  We sat and watched the lightening show for awhile too.  The night was not so tranquil as hoped because of the multiple storms (I counted 5) that rolled through at various times throughout the night.  Because of her unease, Kaysha was pacing, panting, and pawing the floor, what seemed continuously, all night.  I wished I had brought the dog tranquilizers... to force relaxation.  I also heard Roni whinnying a few different times when the thunder was especially loud and close. 

     I finally got up with the next storm before 4am.  I figured sleep was not going to happen, I couldn't force it... and a nap later would be possible.  I read and enjoyed a second cup of tea as yet another gully washer passed through.  At dawn, when it wasn't raining, I took the dog for a walk and checked on Roni.  He was standing in mud, too afraid to go into the shelter from the storms.  From the looks of him and the ground, he had been pacing out in the rain all night, although he did eat all the hay I had given him.  We had a few more rain showers until it cleared off at about 8am. 

     With the forecast of more rain on the way, we decided to take our chances and go for our ride/hike right away.  I had to wash Roni off because he was caked in mud.  I tried to dry off his back before putting on the saddle pad.  We did not get rained on during our almost three hour excursion.  Here is a photo recap:


     We went through the large cattle pasture up into the rocky hills.


 



     Looking back, we could see the roof of the landowner's house.  Our cabin was about 100 yards left of it.

     We wound through the woods on the sometimes very rocky trail.





For awhile we weren't quite sure where we were at.






    



We came out on a gravel drive that eventually got us back towards familiar ground.
     






     We made our way back to the lower pasture...





    and followed it along the river.        
      




     Then we arrived at yesterday's swimming hole.





     Kaysha went wading...





while Joe braved the cold and faster flowing river.










 

     As Joe dried off, so did Kaysha,
in her own way...
a good roll in the gravel.

     Joe headed back to the cabin to get cleaned up and packed up, while I did a little more exploring on horseback.  Once I got back, I handed over the reigns (lead rope actually) to Joe and he and Roni relaxed while I got cleaned up and ready to go.




     We decided to cancel our tent camping in Jadwin, MO because they were calling for lots more rain, so we headed towards southern Illinois.  We hadn't been on the road long and it started raining.  There were more storms off and on as we drove towards our next destination.  I was so thankful we were able to get into our "Trails End" cabin a night early at Bear Branch near Eddyville.  The camp grounds were actually fairly deserted.  

     Arriving almost 5 hours later at nearly 6pm, we got Roni unloaded and into the big barn.  There were 38 stalls so we had to walk around awhile to find his assigned spot.    






     I took these photos the next day because it had gotten dark out right as we had arrived.  Roni was the only horse in the barn.  Just after walking him into his stall, a big thunderstorm hit.  Joe was up at the cabin unloading the Expedition but I needed to get Roni settled in.  The rain on the metal roof and walls was very loud and noisy and the loud claps of thunder right over head had me jumping.  I had to make myself relax (calm my nerves) so I could get Roni to feel at ease. 

     Notice Roni's stall number?  Once I did the bedding, water, hay, and his evening feed,  I was done, but it was still pouring.  I decided to wait out the storm because I didn't know exactly where the cabin was and did not want to get drenched. So I brushed and pet Roni, helping us both to feel relaxed.

     I finally made it to the little cabin at about 7:15 as Joe was cooking dinner, hot dogs in the microwave.  A camp fire was out of the question.  It was a tiny little cabin, but so much better than our tent.  I had flash backs of our family camping trip out west 39 years ago.  I can't believe my Mom
orchestrated this fabulous trip with
eight of us... keeping us fed, bathed, and bedded as we traveled across the US, and back, pulling the pop-up tent camper.  Talk about crowded.  And what responsibility for my Dad to keep it all running smothly.  I remember van problems, camper complications, navigation challanges, and stormy weather (both literal and figurative).  But it was a fantastic trip, never to be forgotten.

     It rained throughout the night, not thunderstorms, so I slept fairly well.  The few times I woke, I just thought about how wet the trails were going to be.  I took Kaysha for a pre-dawn walk while my tea brewed.  We went to
                                                      visit and feed Roni who appeared to
fair well in his stall overnight.  After breakfast I let Roni graze while we figured out our game plan.  There was a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon, so we started on our ride/hike before 10:00. It was a wonderful 3 1/2 hour adventure ending with a tired horse, dog and man.  I was just hungry.  :-)   I'll let the many photos tell the tale.  



     We started out on the River To River trail, which was gravel and not at all muddy.  Again I was thankful to have shoes on Roni.  Once we got into the Lusk Creek Wilderness...








farther from civilization, we got onto more rugged trails and plenty of mud.

     At the Lusk Creek trail head we studied the map and set our course. 






     Roni is not a big fan of stopping... he loves to just barrel down the trail.


     Each time I asked him to halt so Joe or I could take a picture of the cool rock formations, we would have a little "discussion".  Looks like we both have the same expression of frustration.





     The first creek crossing was too deep for Joe, so I went across to talk with a group that was ahead of us and had stopped to see how Joe was going to get across.






     Little did they know, that the last time Joe was in the river, he had stripped down to his boxers.  The riders were a nice bunch and even offered to take a horse across for Joe to ride.  We decided to head back another route.  I got directions from them and then went back towards Joe.

     Roni enjoys the water.  I had to hold my feet out so they wouldn't get wet.
    







     We climbed up and down the hillside, often using man made steps like these. 




     Roni did great... never refused to go forward or missed a step.


     He went across big rock slabs and stepped around large rock boulders.






     Much of the time we could view the creek from up on the ridge.


   

     The trail wound around as it snaked up and down the hills following the creek.  Often we could see each other across the way, but be 50 yards down the trail from each other.


     We did stop for a rest and Joe and Roni had a snack. 










     Kaysha did a great job keeping up, considering the heat and her condition.  I think she really enjoyed herself.

     We finally got to the second (shallower) creek crossing and Roni got a big drink while...






Joe prepared for and made his way across the creek.  We did make a big loop, but had to return to camp by the same trail we left from.
Here was my view ahead...                 and behind me.

     I hosed Roni off when we got back while Joe showered.  Then Joe "babysat" Roni who was grazing while I got cleaned up.  For a late lunch/early dinner, we headed to the little restaurant down the road.  Shortly before we finished our meal, an interesting 92 year old man came in the door and sat down with us.  He had photos (2 books) to show of the WWII reunion in Washington he had recently attended.  He had as many stories as he did photos, which afforded us the time for desert.  He had been a fighter pilot, ambulance drive, and minister... and is still doing marriages. 
In this "neck of the woods" they are
very conservative and most ministers will not marry someone who has been divorced.  This old man said he has researched this issue and believes it is okay.  He said that he has not found (anywhere in the Bible) where God backs us into the corner.  We always have an out.  This is an interesting idea.

     After our meal, Joe took a short nap and I went for a quick ride.  I rode around our camp ground.  To the left is the store.  Then Roni and I went to Hayes Canyon campground, where Joe and I had stay with Amiga 18 months ago.  We continued from there towards Hayes Canyon.


     With the late time and diminishing light, we turned around before getting too far.  I took Roni around Hayes Canyon campground and enjoyed looking at all the semi permanent trailer sights.  Many folks stay there from April to October I was told.



     Back at the ranch (Bear Branch) I took Roni to the round pen to let him roll... his favorite thing to do after I take the saddle off.  And I left him there awhile to have a chance to graze.










     Joe started a fire and was having snacks for supper, but left for the river boat (on the Ohio) before I could sit down with him.  I went to the barn to get Roni's stall cleaned and ready for the night and then put him in. More campers had arrived and there were
                                                     now three other horses in the barn.
     I sat at the fire eating my supper
(beer, popcorn and veggies).  I brushed the dog, listened to the sounds of the night, and headed into the cabin to read before bed.

     Friday morning I awoke to a gentle rainfall and remembered hearing it off and on during the night.  It let up enough to walk the dog and go feed Roni.  Another lady at the barn reported 50% chance of rain all morning.  I was ready to pack it up and head toward home.  So we did, driving through light rainfall until getting as far north as Marion.  We got off I-57 at Rend Lake, got a trail map at the office, and parked near the public riding stables.  Not a soul was around.  This was not to be my best riding experience... I forgot to put on my orange shirt or take my camera because I felt rushed by my hiking comrade.  The trail was muddy and mostly in the meadows rather than the woods.  Roni was roaring to go, so we went off ahead of Joe.  I lost the trail and ended up out of the preserve before coming upon a hunters road I found on the map.  I heard gun shot in the distance which made me nervous.  Roni kept getting revved up which made me frustrated.  And then I ended up losing my glasses I had taken off in order to read the map, but forgot to put back on, and they slipped out of my jacket somewhere along the trail.  So during the last leg of the trip home, I was feeling rather dejected. 

     It was good to get home, even though it was back to the hay dilemma... getting it dry, getting it baled, getting it stored.  I had enjoyed our trip even though it was not as relaxing as I had hoped for.  There hadn't been rain in the forecast until the day before we left, so that was a disappointment.  All in all, Roni did well, but I am not happy that his whoa has disintegrated.  He really had difficulty standing still while out on the trail.  I need to teach him to listen and relax.  Like the trailering and lifting his feet to be picked... he is not cooperating.  There is always something to work on.

     Saturday, since we were done with hay from the front pasture, I put the horses out there for much of the day.  I'll put them out here each day and save the back pasture for when the snows fly.  I put the grazing muzzles on Amiga and Roni and then latter moved one from Roni to Zorro.  Amiga and Zorro are seen here with their grazing muzzles on.

     I kept busy most of the day with un-packing, laundry, and my blog.   One of the three loads of laundry was quite dirty, so I "pre washed" the muddy socks and pants from our "camping" trip using a water bucket.

     When I brought the horses back to the paddock, I noticed Roni had a raw spot on his booty.  There was pine sap on the hair around his bare hide, so I knew he had rubbed it on one of the low tree branches.  I hooked him to the trailer to clean up and treat the sore spot. I had closed but not latched the paddock gate because I was going to take Roni back through it.





     Well, Zorro has figured out how to open the gate.  So he and Amiga got out.  They ran into the side pasture when I tried to get them back into the paddock.  They were like kids in a candy shop with all the furrows of alfalfa.  

     I got my exercise trying to catch them.  Finally I decided to lure them back, into the barn, with their evening feed... earlier than usual.  And it did the trick.





     Since it had been warm and windy here, vegetation had gotten quite dry.  So I watered and fertilized all my 2012 plantings. 


     The neglected rock garden needs weeding and trimming.








     I found this deformed egg in the nest and wondered if the hen had troubles "delivering" this one.  She probably had to force herself to relax in order to lay it.





     I love this photo of Roni I took today.  It captures his sweet eyes, his gentle nature, and his strength and beauty.  The fall colors are nice as well.


     Roni and I need to spend less time worrying about life and more time relaxing.  This really isn't something that can be forced, but the more the opportunity to relax presents itself, the greater the chances to practice this skill and get better at it.