Simply put..

"When I let fear dictate how much control I need, I 

reinforce my fears and give up freedom. And after all this, I 

am really no safer or more secure than I would be if I had 

done nothing" ~ Robin Shen

Photo (c) FourStarFarm

Memory Lane

While at my parent's house, I found some old photos. My first horse, my original levels horse, and baby Cheyenne pictures :) All horses that helped lead me to where I am, and that have taught me so much. I thought it would be cool to share their stories with you :)

Buckshot, my first horse :)

This was my first horse, Buckshot. We got him at an auction, and we didn't even have a horse trailer at the time, so my poor dad had to ride him all the way home. I was six years old, and he was the apple of my eye. If I wasn't at school, I was in the pasture with him. He was an old ranch horse somewhere in his twenties and knew every trick in the book to get little girls off of him, one being to stand in a tree until she gave up and hopped off. Although crafty, he was patient and forgiving, and gave me a wonderful foundation. 

Bareback and bridless in my pre Parelli days

After Buckshot, two weeks before my tenth birthday, my mom bought me Merlin. The vet estimated he was 3 or 4 years old, and he was a mustang stallion that was harvested from an Indian herd in Weston, OR. The woman I got him from rescued him from a cowboy who got him straight from the Indians. He thought he would be macho with him and got nowhere, and when the rescue lady got there, Merlin was hog tied with the dogs sent out on him. He had a botch-job brand on his rump, and a corneal scratch on his left eye. Not many moms would buy their young child a mustang stallion, but my mom had rescued mustangs before and walked me through the process. We had him gelded, and soon Mer and I were inseparable. He was the first horse I ever started, and my original levels horse. He was an LBI, and after constantly challenging our first year together, we were best buds. I had him for five years, and we trail rode and team penned our days away until I decided I wanted a jumping horse. I sold him to a home where he could continue to trail ride and chase cattle, however I wish I had kept him. He was such an incredible boy, and if I found him again I would buy him back in a heartbeat. Cheyenne was a baby at that point, and I didn't have time for three horses, so one had to go. 

Mer <3

Tearin' it up ;)

Our last ride at Bennington Lake, our favorite place to ride. And, of course, bareback <3

  And then, of course, came Cheyenne :) My mom rescued a mustang mare from a Parelli friend, and the mare's name was Fantasia. She was from a California herd with TB and Morgan influence from the calvary days, and had been bred by a mustang stallion out of Montana with QH influence from local ranches. Several months later came my little bundle of joy :)

This was the first time I laid eyes on my baby girl <3

I used to whistle when I walked into the pasture, and she would come barreling over to me for hugs and loves :) I would pick her up and tote her around, just chill with her, and go exploring with her :) I was twelve years old when she was born, and we have definitely grown up together!

Dorky little me and the adorable filly who stole my heart <3

Have you ever seen anything so precious?!

2 year old Chey and 14 year old Me :)

Below is Roloef V, the friesian stallion my mom bred two mares to, one resulting in her current mare, Lena. He was a total sweetheart, and they actually let me ride him! Pretty awesome moment in my life!

Quality pony time :)

I spent last weekend at my parent's house and got to see Cheyenne for the first time in FOUR months! The distance was really starting to kill me, and pony therapy was just what I needed :) I ended it yesterday with two AMAZING rides!

First I rode Cheyenne with the intention of trying out a canter transition technique Lillan talked about in November. Our canter transitions have always been pretty rough, and much less we almost never pick up the correct lead. We did a quick warm up OL, and started off our ride with walk/trot transitions while playing FTR. Fifteen strides walk/fifteen strides trot, and repeat. She was really bracey on my left rein, but we slowed it down then switched to trotting the F8 pattern until she relaxed. Once we went from impulsive and bracey to calm with a loose rein, it was time to try out the new canter depart! Once we rounded the corner to the longer side of the pasture at the trot, I weighted my outside stirrup and raised my energy. Oh, and I also did this awesome move where I was half posting, half using my seat to ask for canter in mid air.. which apparently does not qualify as raising your energy lol. Chey was really getting pretty frustrated with me after about two attempts, so I took a deep breath and promised her I wouldn't try so hard. As we rounded the corner at a trot again, I stayed in the saddle, weighted my outside stirrup, and pulsed my butt cheeks (don't look at me funny, it was in the new Mastery DVD!) and the transition was GORGEOUS! Super smooth, her neck was rounded, and we were on the correct lead! Oh my goodness! And it was an awesome tempo! It was like riding a shorter version of my old dressage instructor's horse! I am really excited to finally have the answer to our continual counter canters, and I think Chey is a little relieved too ;)

I decided it worked so well on Cheyenne, that I wanted to try the butt pulses out on Gweny. If you haven't seen the DVD, essentially to ask for an upward transition, instead of asking with your legs, you pulse with your cheeks and raise up your energy. This helps your horse see it as more their idea, and you're not asking them abruptly with your legs, which leads to smoother transitions.She responded so well! She will typically get offended whenever I ask for any sort of forward motion, be it walking forward from a standstill or asking for the trot. She will raise her head, put her ears back, and sometimes go stoic and refuse to move. However by just raising my energy and asking with my cheeks, she seemed really eager and didn't give me any of her normal blocks. 

All in all, it was a really gratifying weekend :) It was really therapeutic to be back in the pasture, and I got to try out the techniques I've been dying to try. What more could a girl ask for?