Monday, May 25, 2015

Oakridges Hunter Show - aka Kahleesi's first time showing!!

We had a lovely weekend with all the sunshine.... a lot happening around the farm and with the horses. 
On Saturday I moved Sola and Symba to their summer home where they can explore and enjoy several acres with grass, trees, hills, and natural obstacles. Its the perfect location for yearlings to goof around while they grow up. I brought Lumen and Rose to be their adult guardians.... it's going to be a bit of a juggling match as I bring the adults home for lessons but then take over another adult to keep the babies company but I'm hoping it works out okay.... take a look at these happy horses !



On Sunday we went to the Oakridge's Horse Show. I decided to take Kahleesi to her first show ever because she did so well at the Cowboy dressage clinic last weekend. We arrived at the show and she was so calm and blended in perfectly. 

We rode in the hack division alongside fellow PHH coaches Danica with Dreamer, and Caileigh-Anne with Quartz. In Kahleesi's first hack class she was a bit scared of the outside of the ring so we rode about 20ft to the inside so she wouldn't be so close to the rail. We also struggled with our right lead and needed to do a flying change to get it. As we went through the hack classes she got more confident on the rail and eventually we were able to follow the rail around the ring. We also were able to get our right lead and managed a 3rd in the Show Hack! She also placed 5th and 4th in two others. 

In the cross rail division she was awesome and jumped everything nicely and held her canter, managing to get all her leads. She stayed calm and trusting me being in the ring by herself. I was super proud of her. The cross rails were a big class and we were a bit too wiggly to place over fences, but managed a 4th and 5th on flat. I couldn't be happier with the experience for Kahleesi - prior to the show our first course of jumps practicing was the day before, and we had only started canter work the week prior, so she is progressing super nicely. We also moved up from the cradle bridle do just a Myler level 2 bit.  

It was Danica and Dreamer's first offsite show together and they did very well - even got one first! Caileigh-Anne showed Quartz for the first time and is helping to build up this mares confidence - our first couple schooling shows we did with her she pretty much would go in the ring and then 'freeze'. Caileigh managed to ride through the hacks and do all the gaits, canter in the group, and do all the courses and jumps which is a big accomplishment for Quartz - she also managed some 5th's and 6th. 

Cailey and Sabio showed hunters for the first time together and jumped everything confidently placing some 4ths and 5ths in the 2'3 hunters. Wendy and Thetis showed offsite for their first time together and did a great job telling Thetis this was a hunter show and not a jumper show - managing a first and reserve champion in the 2'3 hunters. 


Well done to everyone!

While I was pony playing, construction for our indoor arena continued - James was helping removing posts from the building site area Highland Games style:





Friday, May 22, 2015

FEEL - Session two.... aka super creepy!

My second day doing Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning (FEEL) with Pat was really freakishly interesting.

We started with an exercise of drawing a picture of how we felt in that moment. It was to get us connected to our right brain - the feeling, image side of our brain. That night I drew a picture that represented time and space. I had swirls the represented different things. Me in the center with the swirl going around the whole page.  Then I drew other swirls that represented different things pulling my energy... so I drew a swirl for work, for the farm business, another for friends, one for family and a swirl for my own personal goals and interests. Some of these swirls I drew as if they were compacted... like they would like to expand and take up more time and energy but they were forced to be less. 

Then we talked about true and false self. False self is when you basically dwell on bad things or question why things are happening to you. This was interesting to me because for the past few months I keep getting flashes and bad memories of my dog Whinnie dying and how I didn't save her. She went out for her evening pee but didn't come back. I went searching for her and looked almost everywhere. I thought I heard a bark and looked at this one neighbor's house a few doors down where we haven't talk to them or met them yet so I didn't go down to investigate their backyard because it was dark and I didn't know them. 

The next morning Whinnie was found drowned in their pool.... we didn't know them or know they had a pool. Immediately I felt so awful. I probably had heard my little girl calling for help and I didn't go down their driveway simply because I didn't know the people. I have forever been tormented by this memory. 

Pat talked about authentic self and false self, along with a similar experience she had in her past. What she took from her experience was how she could thank the wonderful dog for teaching her to be more safety conscious and that she'll never let something like that happen ever again. It was a dramatic experience and Pat encouraged me to thank Whinnie every time I have those memories... and that certainly has helped. Of course now with our three dogs its like Fort Knox and Pat is right that I can thank Whinne for how careful we are with our dogs (and one day children) now and have our video surveillance system, GPS trackers, and fenced yards because of our experience with Whinnie.

Next was time to play with the horses and I was using Allure again. This time before I went to get him I stood at a little distance while Allure was eating from a hay bale with his friends. I thought about him and sending my energy to him, asking if he wanted to come play.  I just visualized playing together and projected my energy to him.

Super creepy that right in that moment he turned and looked at me and just walked right over. This is extra interesting because he is not a horse that I normally interact with - normally I take one of my TB's out to ride so its unusual for Allure to think to come and greet me. 

Next we were playing outside in the round pen doing some more exercises including walking from point A to point B. The first time walking from point A to point B I was trying to feel how I would when I feel little and not confident - normally when that happens I feel knots in my stomach so I was walking from point A to point B thinking knots in my stomach. 

Super freakily Allure followed beside me with his body around me and his nose inches from my stomach. Then I grounded myself and did some breathing exercises to get into my authentic self which is a more present form of myself and just walk from point A to point B. Allure then followed behind me and just relaxed.

It was totally crazy and really interesting that how I was feeling and thinking really did change how Allure interacted with me because the speed and where I was walking was the same... the only difference was how I was feeling and thinking. 

Next, I tried asking Allure a question. I thought of a picture of how the farm is going to look when all of the construction is done and I was asking Allure "what do you think?" He rested his nose very close to my shoulder and just hung out there. Then when I asked him "I think you are saying you like that idea and that is all you have to say?" and he put his head down and very deliberately brought his nose down almost like he was rubbing his knees but he wasn't actually rubbing his nose he was just making a movement.  It was the only moment in our whole session that he did this particular behavior. There's no denying that I had questions in my mind and he was responding right in the moment. 

The last thing we did was inside the house and we choose a card from a special deck of cards. I choose based on the picture and then read the back of the card which has a message.  

I was immediately creeped out because it started with "Amidst the swirls of life"..... which is exactly what I was drawing at the beginning of the session.  More creepy because its the only card in the deck with that message. There is no denying the connection between the image that I had drawn and now the card that I had chosen (see the picture with the message 'rejuvenate'). 

Wow. I am a very logical, math, numbers, science type of person -so getting in tune with my energy and feelings is a bit weird, but I am definitely seeing how FEEL is really on to something. 

I'm not sure what to expect in my next session but I'm definitely keeping an open mind.  

Thursday, May 21, 2015

A weekend with Cowboy Dressage




This past weekend I got to spend two days learning Cowboy Dressage with Master Parelli Professional Don Halladay alongside other fantastic Parelli Professionals - Todd and Maureen Owens and Randee Halladay.

It was extra exciting because I brought Kahleesi, my off the track Thoroughbred mare that I am training for the retired racehorse contest being held in Kentucky later this year in October. It was Kahleesi's first time going off property with me, and my first time trying Cowboy dressage.

Kahleesi was fantastic and really surprised me with how well she can learn and 'click' with me. I've been working on getting her to stretch and relax for a few rides with a bit, but this was the first time I tried the cradle bridle with the Myler C2 bit. She really loved it and started to stretch and take contact the best she has ever done.

We practiced many different things on day 1 including shoulder and haunches in, leg yields, transitions, backing up a hill, etc and Kahleesi was really good. On day 2 we put a purpose to these patterns and tried riding a couple Cowboy dressage tests - just simple walk/jog tests but it was great to put a purpose to all the exercises we were learning.

The only thing Kahleesi was truly scared of were the speakers - so we will have to work on exposing her to more things and sounds, but by the end of day 2 she was doing much better and able to ride near them... on day 1 we were doing some pretty fancy half pass away from them -but she was never really bad or scary... she just didn't know if the boxes were going to eat her.

My two biggest learnings from the weekend I would like to share with you are:

  • Get the foundation: be accurate and precise in the foundation movements like moving the shoulder and haunches (forehand, haunch turns, sideways) so that when you go to do the more advanced movements like haunches in and shoulders in or a half pass that your horse really understands what you are after. Go slow and get it right. 
  • Have a purpose: it's really important to have a goal, vision, or purpose to what you are doing. It makes life interesting for you and your horse. Learning the movements is one thing, but working towards a whole pattern makes it more fun for the horse. 
I've got lots more learning to share, so stayed tuned over the summer :) 

Doesn't Kahleesi look lovely? Cupid is my other TB for the makeover contest, so it will be his turn next to try a clinic!

My First Encounter with Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning

My first experience with facilitated equine learning aka FEEL, I wasn't sure what to expect.

My instructor, Pat, took me through a lot of the basics and understanding the science behind the energy and different meanings behind emotions. 

She also reviewed some horse signals which I found very interesting because I kept an open mind. 

We decided to use Allure because he seems to have a knack for wanting to connect with people. 

We started with some reflection and heart to heart connection. This is difficult for me because I wanted to do horse training and interact physically with the horse, but this is a process where your interactions are from emotion and energy.

It was hard to let myself be vulnerable and learn something completely new. The most interesting part for me was when we were doing the heart to heart connection and I was simply asking and trying to push my energy from my heart to his heart and boom just like that he bent his neck and turned. He looked right at my heart with his nose.  The connection was there and then is if to say "okay now I'm done" Allure then walked away. 

We also did an exercise where I was asking a question or I was supposed to get one question but my mind was racing and I was thinking things like "am I asking the right question or what question should I ask?" So I would try asking a question and think maybe that's too difficult and I would switch around and it was interesting to watch Allure because he he would walk away as my mind would start to flurry and when my mind settles that's when he came back me. 

It was a really interesting experience and I'm continuing to take an open mind into my next session. I'm doing weekly sessions for 4 weeks, so this is going to be pretty exciting :)

More Puppies!



 Late last night Molly gave birth to 6 beautiful puppies.

She started into labour in the evening and had her first puppy around 11:30pm. She continued having pups all through the night with the last one being born early this morning around 5am. It was certainly a long night!

At first the puppies were all boys. It wasn't until the last one that she revealed she also was having a little girl.

Molly was so calm for the entire night. She slept in her bed right beside James & I in our bedroom. Quigley was sleeping nearby in his bed and she didn't mind at all. She just stayed nestled closely with her pups.

Molly's pups are significantly bigger than Lona's pups. She definitely was carrying a heavier load of pups, but not as many. Molly is slightly bigger than Lona by about 2 pounds. It's interesting to see how much bigger her pups are than Lona's.... but everyone should grow up to be roughly the same.

She ended up having a very similar litter to her first one. She had one tri coloured male, the rest are all red/white, and there is only one girl.

We are excited to have so many puppies. Emails have been sent to the 12 people on our deposit list, which means there will be 2 more pups available after everyone on the list has chosen.

If you are interested in a pup please let us know.

Now the moms and their pups are having a well deserved rest.

It's going to be so cute in the next few weeks when they can all play together!

For more information and pictures please check out http://partridgehorsehill.com/Corgis.html#news



Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Puppies!!!




Today Lona had her 2nd litter of puppies! She spent the day with James curled up in her bed and surprisingly managed to have 8 puppies.

Lona doesn't really get too big and still manages to look fairly slim when she is pregnant, so it was quite the shocker that she had 8 puppies hidden in her belly.

We knew that Lona was ready to have her puppies so James stayed with her for the day to make sure everything went well. James helped to make sure everything went well, but he also gave Lona comfort and cuddled her.

Lona definitely will be busy over the next 8 weeks - she had 5 boys and 3 girls to care for. All of them are red/white colouring... some are darker like Quigley and some are lighter like Lona. Some of them have black/darker tips on their ears and face but these will fade out over the next couple months and will become red/white like their parents.

When Quigley was a pup he had black tipped ears and some black on his neck and back, but by the time he was a few months old it had all grown out.... the same will happen for these pups.

Everyone seems to be healthy, happy, and doing well. Lona is having a much needed snooze. She is on high alert when the other dogs are in the house - she is very protective right now. She has her own room with her puppies in a kiddie pool with some shavings and towels. They are adorable and all snuggled up.


We do have 12 people on our deposit/wait list so it is likely all of these puppies are sold unless some people choose to wait for Molly or next year.

Molly is expecting puppies anytime now - she is actually beginning labour signs right now!

More information and pictures check out http://partridgehorsehill.com/Corgis.html#news

Friday, May 8, 2015

Changes Happening Around the Farm


If you've been up to the farm recently you may have noticed that almost every day something looks different. That's because we have now started with our spring/summer construction projects.

This year promises to be the biggest and best improvements to the farm since we moved in 3 years ago.... and that's saying a lot since every year we do massive upgrades including outdoor lighting, new sand ring footing, run in shelters, fencing, etc. 

Some exciting new changes that have already happened so far this spring are:
  • Individualized tack boxes for our school horses
  • A new number/names system for keeping our school tack organized. This includes new tags on the stick & strings for each horse and numbers on the tack box shelves
  • A new custom door for the barn entrance – we now have a window! Thank you Epic Equestrian
  • A new Kubota tractor with a loader
  • A new round pen
  • All of the obstacles from the former grass ring have been relocated to the new obstacles location
  • The hay shed moved
  • A lot of fence deconstruction has taken place in preparation for the new arena
  • The former grass ring was fenced with beautiful flex rail and is now a paddock
  • We had a nutritionist come up and review our hay analysis, look at our horses, and recommend a new feeding program for our horses that will be starting soon


It is pretty incredible all of the construction that is taking place this year, and we are excited to break ground for our new 250ft x 80ft indoor arena tomorrow! We are starting with the excavation of the base of the arena. It will definitely be our biggest project so far.

We have a lot of projects and things on our to do list. We are currently looking for quotes to do our south property line of fence (approx 1230ft), as well looking for a quote to build an upstairs room of 20x40ft in the new arena - if you know anyone that would like to give a quote on either of these projects please have them email partridgehorsehill@gmail.com 

We will continue to update you on all the changes and are excited to be sharing such amazing progress from around the farm! 

Pictures:

  • new front paddock with flex rail (top photo)
  • new custom barn door (2nd photo)
  • new tractor (3rd photo)
  • Lady, our duck, strolling the new front paddock (bottom photo)

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Tom Shields gives me Insight into working with Kahleesi

I was lucky to have Tom Shields work with my newly purchased off the track Thoroughbred mare, Kahleesi at the 2015 Natural Horsemanship Trade show. Tom shared a lot of knowledge and expertise during his hour demo with Kahleesi.

Little did I know he would provide me more insight and knowledge in a follow up email - I want to share it with you because I think he shares some great information.

We are currently planning a clinic with Tom for a weekend in November later this year - stay tuned for details later this spring.


"You asked me a question on Saturday about "matching the energy of your horse".  I gave you a short answer about bringing the horse my peace ... but upon more pondering I believe the question (a very good one) requires a more detailed answer.  I will attempt that with as few bunny trails as possible.  I will speak from the rehab perspective or dealing with mentally damaged horses.  

When first working with a damaged horse the energy we usually encounter is a combination of fear, flight and mistrust.  This energy is toxic and does physiological damage to all systems in the horse.  This energy should be met with a calm, confident push balanced with enough passive draw to assure the horse that they are in "good hands".  "Good hands" needs a clear definition in our industry.  In my world, good hands never pull ... they only block.

Once the initial push and draw has been established most horses with initiate multiple challenges to your abilities as the new leader.  As I said on Saturday ... it is the obligation of your horse to test and challenge your ability as a leader.  Since leadership is established through competition and ability ... this is very much like sparing in martial arts.  There are a set of rules that must be adhered to so you can't be accused (by the horse) of cheating.  If you are correct consistent and fair in all your actions ... if your response to the behavior of the horse is appropriate (from the perspective of the horse) and predictable your behavior will bring a calm to the horse.

If the horse's energy comes up and becomes toxic again our job is to de-escalate that energy and turn it into a calm and focused energy.  If the horse's energy drops away to pouting or just being overwhelmed ... our job is to reassure and strengthen.

(Kahleesi) is a very smart mare.  As I worked with her on Saturday she started inverted (hollow) and stressed.  As I worked with her she tried a bunch of things ... some overt and some subtle ... to suck me into making a mistake so she would have an excuse to be mad and stressed.  Because I met her energy with a calm, assertive push and balanced that push with a passive draw ... and because my body language never gave her an excuse to be mad at me ... she began to pout.  If you remember, she made wiggle marks in the sand with her nose as we were working.  That's the body language of a pouting mare who was being told she simply was not top horse in my presence.  I didn't make mention of that during the demo because I don't want people focusing on that and missing the entire issue of relaxation in general.  Once (Kahleesi) feels the physiological and bio-mechanical benefits of being with me (or you) ... the "work" becomes easy and fun.

So the long answer to your question is ... I match the horse's energy with the appropriate energy to bring a calm, focused work ethic.  That looks different for every horse in every circumstance.  The principal, however, works for every breed and every temperament.  Application of the principal requires a base of knowledge and attention to detail ... and a keen willingness to listen to the horse and modify our behavior to benefit them.

So I apologize for the short, trite answer.  Hopefully this fills in the gaps I left.

Blessings ... Tom"