Soaking It Up

    "Horses are fast learners. They have to be; if you’re a prey animal and you’re a slow learner chances are you’re not going to live a long life. Some horses learn so fast it is almost easier to teach them the wrong thing than the right thing. That is because they’re so perceptive that they might take something we do as a cue while we’re not even aware that we’re doing it." http://twohorses.wordpress.com/

      Feeling like I need to make up for lost time, I have made a point to get out to work with Roni and try to ride daily.  Unfortunately, Roni and I have both regressed somewhat... so I have had to go back to trying to fix old bad habits, all the while trying to remember things Marj has taught me.  But I am concerned that he is probably soaking up the wrong information.  Roni and I are also in bad shape, so I am attempting to progress slowly and cautiously for both reasons.

     Friday afternoon it was really windy but the sun was shining and it was fairly warm, so I went out to ride.  I spent a great deal of time getting Roni cleaned up, he was a dirty mess again.  I experienced similar problems I had with Roni last summer... not wanting to go away from the barn, trying to turn back to the barn, and rushing on the way back.  After trying several strategies, I finally went back, with him rushing, got off, and drove him for probably 10 min. in the round pen.  He was really huffing.  I got back on and headed away from the barn.  He did much better, turning his head to go back once but still going forward as asked.  Once down to 150, I turned and headed for the barn.  I had to slow him down once, but he did much better.  As soon as we were back, I untacked, wanting to reward the improvement.  The wind had really
calmed down by nightfall so I took

Kaysha for an enjoyable evening walk while I consciously drank in as much of the peace and beauty as possible.

     The ducks all rushed away before I could catch them enjoying the mud puddle, playing in the over-fill mishap.  This may have been nice for them but it does not help dry out the paddock.


     Saturday morning Joe and I rode (with Marj and Richard in their truck), to Parkland College to catch the Equine Adventure workshop put on by the Champaign County Farm Bureau.  We picked up good tips on stretching our hay, composting manure, clearing pastures of poisons weeds, and riding with the horses nervous system in mind.
Cows and chickens enjoying "breakfast".




     I am often fascinated by and quite spell-bound while watching our animals.  I like to soak them up, absorbing as much as possible,  as I pay close attention to them.  This is why they are in so many of my photos.


     These dirty chicken feet are nothing compared to how goopy I've seen them get.  They have looked like snow shoes when it is really muddy out.  The white on the trailer is dried mud.

     Hercules and the hen had been lying down near Betty, but hopped up when I got ready to take this photo.  They had all surely been in the sun soaking it up until it had moved west.



     Once home, late afternoon, I rode Roni.  Most of the ride I was working through some issues we were having, but I feel like we did make some progress. When he was finally walking calmly while we were out by US 150, I stopped him, got off, loosened his girth, and walked him back to the barn.  I wanted him to see that good things don't just happen at the barn.

      Joe and I snacked for dinner because we had had a big lunch in Champaign.  Then I went to bed early.  I had been cold much of the day, even while riding Roni, and just wanted to get under the warm electric blanket to soak up the heat.




     This time of year cats are like heat sensors, always finding the warm spots to sleep or lounge in. 

     I stared cleaning the fish tank first thing Sunday morning, knowing I would need to haul more water home from school.  I soaked up and drew strength from Pastor Mike's words even though it was on "Accountability" which is one of my weaknesses.  My good conscience, and God's spirit dwelling within me, helps me to self check ... but I need to be held accountable for my actions.  I try to walk a Christ like life but don't always know when I have misstepped.  We also need to be accountable for our animals, and me for the training of our horses, so I seek help from Marj.  

     After Church I went to school and Joe went to check out some hay.  Once home we discussed moving fencing in the paddock, Joe checked to see if the cows would eat a sample of hay he brought home, and then I got Roni ready to ride.  I really like how he is free lunging in the round pen.  And he even does well while riding in there.  He wasn't bad out in the pasture, so I started a loop around the outside of our fence line.  Once around to Becks I decided to head over the tracks.  At that point, I thought I was riding a different horse.  We managed to make a loop around Becks, but it was a "tug of war" the whole way.  I was trying to be light on the bit, but Roni kept wanting to run.  Circling does not work well with him, but I tried that too.  I tried to be very relaxed in the saddle but nothing seemed to slow him down.  Once back, he was all sweaty, like would happen when we first started working with him last spring.  The anxiety he brought on himself would cause him to work up a lather, and he wasn't even being driven hard, but did it to himself.  I still pushed him at a
                                                     canter in the round pen when we got
back.  Then I got on again and took him around our pasture another ten minutes.  He did better.  I was working on getting him to walk calmly and then stand still when I stopped.  Finally after some success, I got off and walked him around while I picked up trash.  He needed a good cool down.



Zorro being Zorro...
curious, ornery, obnoxious, cute.











     "Free" does not apply to Zorro or the hay in the bin.  This heavy wooden box Joe had snagged off the curb at a business in LeRoy.  He drilled holes in the floor board and it keeps the hay dry and contained to avoid waste.


     Joe had moved fencing to split the paddock in half so we can keep the horses in there when it is wet and muddy and this spring when the side pasture will be off limits.  The cows and poultry were checking out the new perimeters.



As you can see behind Hercules, the fence goes along the wood shed and then straight across the paddock, splitting it in half.

     Joe also "spread" the manure from where we had it piled by the barn.  He used the tractor but then had to hand spread in the field with a shovel.  We started a new pile on one of the concrete slabs in the paddock, and will try covering it and turning it periodically to help
it to compost more before spreading it.             

                                                                 This next series of pictures is

Hercules herding Betty.  They are always together.  But he decided she needed to stop basking and join the rest of the flock.   













 


Once on the other side of the fence, Babe decided she needed to herd Hercules.

     Joe brought home a round bale of hay he bought.  It was barely off the trailer before the cows came over to dig in.  It wasn't long and the chickens, ducks and cats were also checking it out. 

























    Once Babe noticed me, she had to come over and see what I was up to.

     Next Joe went to get twenty square bales of grass hay.  Amiga is alerted by the sight of the trailer out on US Route 150.  (You can see it just past Roni's back.)  Up the drive Joe comes as Roni seems oblivious.










     Just as hay can soak up oil spills, it absorbs much of the moisture in the air or from the ground that it is stored on (even in the barn)... thus making it tricky at times to keep it dry and unmoldy... so, it must be stored carefully so none is wasted.

     We stacked it all in the barn, making things a bit crowded.  Again the cats were all over it checking it out.  I think it smelled like different barn cats.  Notice we have it up on wooden pallets.












     By the time I swept out the barn, cleaned up in the tack room, poured feed from bags into bins, and brushed Amiga, it was time for evening chores.  I had been outside five hours straight.  Time flies when you're having fun.   

     Mondays "An Extra Flake" had some good advice:  "We know horses don't want to be stubborn or frightened. So if we can look at a misbehaving horse and "see" the horse he could be, we can help him or at least not compound the problem. That's not to suggest condoning bad behavior. But recognizing the picture obscured by the action, we can respond appropriately."

     The wind was 18 mph out of the east and I thought it felt cold out, even with the sunshine.  So I just stayed put here at my desk.  All morning, on my day off from school, I spent a great deal of time internet surfing, immersed in and soaking up a great deal of information on horses.  I also finished cleaning the fish tank but made a mental note to tackle it much sooner next time it is in need.  Then I loaded tack and Roni and headed down the road to Marj's for a lesson.  I took my time and groomed Roni well, allowing him to re-acclimate to Marj's barn.  
 
     The lesson was great, fun, and very productive.  Roni did well, but pulled some of his "tricks" and Marj gave me very helpful advice on how to "fix" these problems.  Roni and I have a tendency to rush... him into the next speed, me into the next level... wanting to progress with him as fast as possible.  I need to slow down my expectations of him and give him time to synthesize what he is learning.  So, I will stick to the round pen and pasture until he is very reliable at holding the bit, the walk and stop, and then going in and out of a slow gait.

      We got rain overnight, so Tuesday morning the ducks were delighted by the sight of puddles and mud.  As for me... um, I was glad for the ducks.  However, the sooner the ground soaks this water up, the better.


     What I don't understand is why it takes so long for it to soak in or evaporate... except it must have something to do with the ground being frozen deeper down.  But it has been such a mild winter, it is hard to believe that is the case.

     To the left you can see the start of the new manure pile, it is on a concrete slab.  And below, Roni dips his hay in the water as usual.



     I had hoped to go for a morning ride since I would be going to school late and staying late in teacher meetings.  But the mud, threat of rain, wind, cold and gloomy skies deterred me.

     I tossed and turned from 2 to 4 am, the morning of Ash Wednesday.  I got up and had a healthy breakfast and then decided to start my 24 hour fast at 5am.  I am also cutting out cookies and candy for Lent.

<- This is a link to some great information on fasting.

     I ended up taking a very short nap, disturbed by the barking dog, the cat pouncing on my legs, the thought of poor Norman, and dreams of training Roni.  Getting up a second time, I was awed by this beautiful sunrise.

     The weather turned out to be a pleasant surprise, as did my afternoon ride on Roni.  Just before quitting, I got off and walked him towards the barn.  But then decided to try getting on him from the stump.  So I took him
past the barn to the garage.  It took
me almost ten minutes to get him to stand still right by the stump.  But once he decided to hold still, I got on and sat there rubbing his neck.  Then to test his willingness to cooperate, I headed down the drive with him.





He didn't balk or rush, so I turned back before getting to the north end of the house. I got off just after Joe took this second picture and gave Roni praise, a treat, and a good brushing.

      Roni and Amiga on sunny Sunday.
     I had to rush home from school Thursday to get Roni loaded and over to Marj's for chiropractic work.  He had several little adjustments made, and did well through all of it.  Loading was a challenge with the wind blowing the trailer door, but he did great with that also.  It rained off and on all day so I had kept the horses in the paddock.  I didn't get home with Roni until 3:30 and another system was blowing in, so I stalled him and let Amiga and Zorro in also.  

     This morning I headed out in the 22 mph winds to do chores and quickly discovered a mishap.  Amiga was in the middle section of the barn eating from a bale of hay she had knocked over.  I must not have latched her gate last night.  I did a second check before coming in, and it had appeared hooked.  (Sometimes I put the hook around the latch instead of through it, so I can come and go with feed and water easier.)  In the process of her getting into the hay, she had knocked over the wheel barrow that was blocking Roni's access to hay, so he too was reaching over the gate and having an early breakfast.  Wouldn't you know.... the two who are on a diet were overindulging.  The (loosely packed) bales they were working on had come apart so it was hard to tell just how much they had eaten.  I don't think it was much, but I gave them a much reduced breakfast anyway.
                                                It had started snowing lightly, but with

the winds, the icy snow was cold on my face.  I had to hang tight to contain the hay flakes I was taking to the cows.  The poultry made a beeline from the coop to the barn so I put extra feed on the floor for them.







          These photos were from earlier
this week.  Tiny and Floppsie are
seen above and Baby to the right.

     When I arrived home form school, there was a hawk perched on top of the chicken coop and not a chicken in sight.  As I headed out, the hawk flew up to a nearby tree and then I spotted Hercules' butt (tail feathers) sticking out from under a bush.  Going over, I clapped my hands to scare off the hawk and then spotted several more chickens and the ducks, but no Tiny.  I went back to the coop with some of my bird friends following me.  No Tiny.  I went back out and noticed several more chickens, including Tiny, coming out from under some other bushes.  Phew.  I did some grading and then headed over to Marj's to help her tag items for a sale.  Back home I took a quick shower and then fumbled around with my hair.  I need to do this more often, I thought, as Joe and I headed out the door to join Bob and Marge for dinner and then go dancing to The Biscuits And Gravy Band.

      Amiga getting a drink.  Alfalfa hay in the belly requires more liquid than usual... it soaks a lot up I guess.















She's a pretty girl, even with the dirty neck and water dripping from her lips.
What's not to love about this face?

The saying "Take time to smell the roses," is kind of like the idea of soaking up life... both imply slowing down.  We need to immerse ourselves in life... bask in it, drink it up, absorb it, etc. to better appreciate it and get more out of it.  And there is also a kind of cleansing that will occur when we soak ourselves with peace, joy and love.