Continuous Learning

Many horse people will tell you that half the fun of being with horses is the opportunity for continuous learning. Every new situation and every new horse increases your knowledge base and improves your skill set. The more challenging the horses' temperment, the more that horse can teach you. When someone becomes stuck on a particular training method or tool, it can inhibit their growth. A particular tool or training method may work well for the horse you have today, but may not be as effective for the horse you have tomorrow.

My favourite analogy is the public school system. The system works well for the majority of students, and they do well; but what happens to more challenging students who don't excel, for whatever reason. In days gone by, these students were often labeled incorrigible, rebellious, lazy, or stupid. Thankfully, there are exceptional teachers who have explored unconventional teaching methods and tools to help those challenging students excel.

In the horse world, challenging horses are labeled because they can't be trained using conventional training methods and tools. All too often, these horses end up as neglected pasture ornaments or worse - shipped for slaughter.

Many of you may know the story of Nugget, our beautiful black horse that other trainers had labeled, "dangerous and unpredictable". During the three years since Nugget came to me, the only time I have ever encountered problems with Nugget is at clinics, when traditional trainers used methods that caused him to become angry and resistant.

Over the years I have participated in many clinics, taken lessons, studied countless hours of video, read anything I could get my hands on, and most importantly - practiced. Some of the folks who have directly or indirectly influenced my learning are; Linda Tellington-Jones' sister Robyn Hood, Alexandra Kurland, Ray Hunt, Clay Webster, Deb Ladaroute, Clinton Anderson, Jonathan Field, Lane Moore, and Nettie Barr. Some of these folks use more traditional methods and tools, while others have explored and shared, unconventional training methods and tools; all this learning has served the horses I interact with very well.

My wish is for you to remain open and have fun learning from horses!
Tovie

Peppy's Epitaph

Yesterday we said good-bye to Peppy San Poco (aka Peppy). We made the sad decision to put him down after a visit over the summer from Grant MacKinnon, the equine dentist. Grant advised that Peppy had simply run out of teeth, making it difficult to process his food efficiently. Despite supplemental daily feedings of senior's ration, it was nearly impossible to keep weight on Peppy. We decided that putting him through another cold winter would be selfish.

Gord bought Peppy as a 4 year old back in 1984 and rode him for 20 years. They rode many miles of mountain trails, many cattle drives, and paticipated several times in the Calgary Stampede Parade. In 1989, Peppy and Gord were awarded a trophy, for the Best Looking Horse in the entire parade. With his glorious copper coat and undeniable presence, Peppy was definitely a looker.

Peppy has always been the BOSS of our herd. I'm not sure if that was his choice, but for the other horses, he was the unequivical leader. Rarely did we witness Peppy do more than lay an ear back to another horse. He led the herd with dignity and fairness. He would permit the more submissive horses to share a meal with him and the other dominant horses wouldn't even try.

Dessa Hockly has written a terrific book entitled, "Is Your Horse A Rock Star". (<-- Click link to Dessa's web-site - it really is a fun read). After observing hundreds of horses, Dessa identified 8 different personality types and groups them together to help you identify your horses' personality type. She then goes on to describe each personality type by assigning them appropriate names (i.e. The Rock Star, The Sceptic, The Steady Eddy, etc). This is similar to what has been done by Briggs and Myers for people. Dessa then recommends handling and training methods that work best for that particular personality type. Appropriately, Peppy's personality is identified as "The Boss". Peppy was extremely Dominant, extremely Energetic, extremely Aloof, and extremely Afraid - DEAA and Dessa describes him perfectly in her book. She wrote, "The Boss takes life and his job seriously. Come along for the ride if you like. There will be times when you will do most of the work and they will be there to take more of the glory, even act like they did it all by themselves". For students of our program "Just Horsing Around", Peppy was the complete opposite of the type of horse a beginner should start with. This made him an excellent example of how "The Boss" reacts to life. Interestingly, after students had handled all the horses, I would ask them which horse they would like to purchase and many would say Peppy. Not only was he beautiful, his ground manners were impeccible and he was extremely sensitive and responsive, making him a joy to handle. You could think a change of direction and Peppy would comply whereas duller type horses say, "make me". But - Peppy also had a dark side. For years, Peppy's Aloofness made him difficult to catch and we would have to corner him in a coral away from the other horses. His Fearfulness would make him spooky, causing him to spin and bolt for home if I wasn't paying attention, his Dominance could lead to power strugges under saddle, and his Energy was often difficult to contain. Several years ago Kevin Pole suggested we ask him to gallop until he wanted to stop and then push him a little harder. After 45 minutes, Peppy showed no signs of slowing down and we were both drenched in sweat. All Kevin could say is, "he's got a big motor". Peppy's complicated personality could make him a challenging horse but he and Gord just seemed to work. Gord hunted with him, rode parades with him, and used him to gather cows. There seemed nothing Peppy wouldn't do for Gord. Peppy was very sensitive to cues, and such a beautifully smooth ride, that he always made Gord look good. Needless to say, Peppy was no beginner's horse but he was a wonderful leader of our herd and Gord had 23 good years with him.



Farewell Peppy.


No doubt, the "Boys" will miss having you as "The Boss".

Happy Ending

You may remember my blog in August, when students Linda and Tim bought their first horse and Daktoa tragically died just a few hours after they purchased her. The vet speculated that she may have had a heart defect. Even though she was a young horse, the stress of moving her was too much for her. Needless to say, Linda and Tim were devastated and never wanted to experience that pain again. They felt horse ownership was simply not meant to be for them.

However, once their grief began to subside, Linda found herself searching for horses on-line again and fell in love with a lovely paint mare. They have named her Miakoda - a Native American name that means “Power of the Moon”, short form of Koda means “friend”. She has the most beautiful blue eyes and white eyelashes and the sweetest personality. They brought her here to get a good start with her and we have had a lot of fun playing with her. Miakoda now thinks she is just one of the "boys".

Linda is finally starting to worry less about losing her and is really starting to enjoy her. I think Linda and Tim are going to have many years with Miakoda and we wish them all the best on their journey of horsemanship.

Big hug to Linda, Tim, and Miakoda.
Tovie, Gord, and the "Boys"

The Chair is Empty

Today, I am saying goodbye to our dear old German Shepherd, Shilo. Shilo was 11 years old and was diagnosed with lymphoma in July. Sadly, last week Shilo started to deteriorate and by Sunday, it was clear he was ready to go. Unfortunately, Gord was away fishing on the west coast so was only able to talk to Shilo over the phone. It was heartwarming to see Shilo's response to Gord's voice, even in his weakened state.


We have many wonderful memories of Shilo. He was a big beautiful boy - with a glorious sable coat. Shilo weighed in at whopping 115 lbs. and I loved to tease folks who met him for the first time by saying, "they were safe because Shilo had already eaten". He was the perfect dog - beautiful, friendly and kind. He got along well with other dogs and after we lost our other Shepherd, Sparkie, last year, his best friends became our cats, Clover and Brutus.

You are probably wondering about the title of this post. "The Chair" was an old recliner that was headed to dump after Gord bought himself a new leather recliner. Minutes after Gord set the old recliner out on the deck, Shilo claimed it as his "Chair".


I can't tell you how embarrassed I was by the condition of "The Chair", and often mentioned how glad I would be when it was gone - not really considering what that implied. Now, I would gladly keep that ugly old chair forever, if it meant that Shilo was still curled up in it. Seeing Shilo and the cats curled up together on "The Chair" always made us smile.


I came upon the following poem a couple days after losing Shilo - I hope you enjoy it.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author Unknown.


The affection and love Shilo gave us over the years, far out outweighs the pain of losing him.

Good-bye Shilo. You were a great dog and we'll miss you forever.

Tragic Horse Week

As with any endeavour, we have to take the bad with the good. While there is a ton of joy that comes from horse ownership, there is inevitably sadness. Two ladies that came here as students and subsequently became my friends, tragically lost their horses this past week.

Cindy had been leasing a lovely older mare named Macs, for a couple of years. Macs taught Cindy a lot and Cindy adored Macs, and cared for her as her own. Sadly Macs broke her leg last week and had to be euthanized.

Linda and Tim have been coming out for lessons and were getting excited about purchasing their first horse. A couple of weeks ago, we went out to look at a 6 year old mare they were interested in. Dakota was a beautiful Fjord X, with a lovely disposition. She had loads of experience from her days at Griffen Valley Ranch, and would have been a perfect first horse. Linda and Tim made the decision to buy her and took her out to their property in Sundre. Now, I haven't been able to speak to them because they don't have cell service out there. I only received a message from Tim saying that 4 days after they got her home, she died from tying up. The vet thought it may have been caused by the stress of moving her. Now Dakota was a hardy little horse so it is hard to imagine how such a thing could happen. Horses are moved regularly without adverse affect.

Any of us who have experienced the excitement of getting our first horse, can't imagine the loss Linda and Tim are feeling.

I also met the young lady they bought Dakota from. Kayla was selling Dakota out of necessity and was very emotional about parting with her. She truly loved Dakota and was very happy Linda and Tim bought her. I can only imagine her grief as well.

Big hugs to Cindy, Linda, Tim and Kayla
and farewell to the two wonderful horses they loved, Macs & Dakota

Alberta Mental Health Group Horses Around

On Monday we had a group of folks out to interact with the horses. Pam Lindley from Alberta Mental Health, organized the outing and she and her volunteer, Ginny, brought 9 participants. When they first contacted me, I really had no idea what to expect and nor did they. We couldn't even verify the number of folks who would come. So, as I often do, we just went with the flow and let things happen. Basically, I gave them an extremely condensed version of our program, with some hands-on interaction with the horse. We used Outback Jack (aka) Applejack because he is just so easy and really inspires confidence. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I was delighted to get the following feedback from Pam yesterday.

Hi Tovie:

Thank you so much for the wonderful experience with Jack. He was such a great horse. Everyone enjoyed the evening. I am going to tell all the groups I work with of the awsome opportunity for the clients. We will definetly be back for more. Thanks also for the pictures they are great and we can start a photo album for the clients.

Thanks
Pam Lindley

Thank you Pam and Ginny for organizing this. And of course a big thank you to Jack for his calm patience. It was also a wonderful experience for me.

I love to see folks smiling after their interaction with the horses and I love sharing our horses. I feel very fortunate to have horses that allow me to have these type of experiences.

With much gratitude,
Tovie

The "Boys" see the Dentist

Hello all,
Every year we have our "boys" teeth floated during their annual check-up from our vet. This year we decided to try out a Certified Equine Dentist, Grant MacKinnon. I had seen Grant at various conferences and was interested in what he had to say about overall balance of the mouth. We found Grant to be exceptionally knowlegeable and he had a talent for effectively explaining, in layman's terms, every aspect of what he was doing. We learned so much that day and were very impressed with what we saw. However, what impressed us more were the amazing results we felt when we test drove our "boys" over the next few days. They went straighter, held a frame better, and their lateral flexion was more even on both sides. Now, I realize some of you folks may not understand what some of that means, but trust me - if you have a horse and have an opportunity to use an equine dental specialist, the results are definitely worth it.

Aside from the tremendous job he did on the "boys" teeth, Grant is an avid barefooter and gave me a couple of tips about my own barefoot trimming that will undoubtedly improve my results.

Needless to say it was one of my more memorable horse days. Interestingly, memorable horse days typically occur when I am learning something extraordinary that I think will improve lifefor the "boys", or improve my interaction with them.

If you want to learn more about Grant's work, simply click on the title of this blogspot and you will be linked to Grant's web-site.

Thanks to Grant and Tamara MacKinnon for the fabulous work they do.

Tovie, Gord and the "Boys"

What Happened to June?

Hey folks,
My apologies for missing June - we were just having way too much fun Horsing Around. However, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell you about a wonderful ranch we visit on occassion - Sundance Guest Ranch. We had the pleasure again this June of joining some of our friends up there for some great riding, great food and lots of laughs. If you are considering a horsey vacation, I highly recommend a visit to the Ranch. They have horses to accommodate all riding levels from little-to-no experience to experienced riders. The trails are wonderful and the horses like to go fast - lots of galloping. Even though most of the friends we meet up there have their own horses and we are only an hour away from some of the best riding country in the world, we ladies like to go to the Ranch because we don't have to do any of the work. The horses are groomed and saddled and the meals are prepared. While I personally enjoy looking after my own horse, I sure don't mind being served my meals.
Chris Johnson is one of the wranglers, along with his lovely wife Uli who works in the office and we are lucky to call them our friends. You folks who have been out to our place and have met Magic, my hubby's horse - well he bought him from Chris during one of our visits to the Ranch. Magic was Chris' personal horse and we will be forever grateful that we were able to purchase Magic. So any of you who may be thinking of a wonderful horsey getaway - just click on the title of this blog and it will take you to the Sundance Guest Ranch website. You better plan ahead though because it is a popular vacation destination.

p.s. Say hello to Chris and Uli for us.

Stay cool and happy trails,
Tovie & Gord

Jonathan Field Clinic

This month I am writing about a marvellous clinician who recently conducted two back-to-back clinics in our local area. Clinics are a great way to expand your learning with your horses and get you motivated to get out and play with your horse.

Jonathan Field is a wonderful teacher - patient, observant and funny. He truly wants to help improve relationships between horses and their handlers. Click on the title above to learn more about Jonathan Field.

In early May I was introduced to Lisa. Lisa had signed up for Jonathan's Level 1 and Level 2 clinics and didn't have her own horse so I agreed to let her take Skeeter. When we dropped him off, it reminded me of sending my daughter off to summer camp. I was excited for the experience he would have but worried he would be lonely and homesick. As expected though, Lisa took very good care of him and they did well together, despite having only met. I was lucky enough to go over and watch a few of the sessions and the two of them did a terrific job. Now that Skeeter is home, it is obvious that he is definitely better off for the attention and time Lisa put into him. Luckily for Skeeter, Lisa wants to continue playing with him.

Due to our unusually harsh winter, none of our boys got much quality time over the past few months. I have always said it is unfair to play with our horses infrequently and then expect them to be perfect when we want to use them. Good horses are developed and maintained by spending quality time with them and Skeeter is a testament to this statement. Too bad, they couldn't have all participated in Jonathan's clinics.

Many thanks and a warm welcome to Lisa - our newest barn buddy!
Tovie

Horse Industry Association of Alberta liked what we are doing

The Horse Industry Association of Alberta invited us out to their "Getting Started With Horses Seminar" during the Acreage & Lifestyle show down at the Roundup Centre last weekend. It was great to see so many potential Newbies who are looking for more information about getting started with horses. Last month, a representative from the HIAA came out to see what we're doing and I was delighted that they thought our program worthwhile enough to promote at their booth throughout the weekend. As with their seminars, we want to attract city folks who may not have an agricultural contact person to help them get started in the wonderful world of horses.

We look forward to helping you get started.
Tovie & the "Boys"

Open House was a Success

We were pleasantly surprised by the turnout yesterday, despite the frosty temperatures. It was wonderful to meet some new faces and catch up with some familiar faces who stopped by to have a coffee with us. I think everyone enjoyed being with the "boys", especially 3 year old Rachael - they really are very charming.
A big thank you to everyone who braved the cold to spend the afternoon with us. I personally can't think of a better way to spend a bitterly cold afternoon, than hanging out in a cozy warm barn with friendly people and friendly horses. This will definitely be a must-do on a regular basis.












Stay warm,
Tovie and Gord

Open House January 24, 2008 1:00 - 4:00

There were several folks who contacted me in 2008 expressing a keen interest in learning about horses. I completely understand how the serious business of life can get in the way of doing fun things, especially when you don't know what the fun is all about. So, we decided to host an Open House next Saturday, January 24th and invite folks to come out and see what the program is all about and meet the horses. Initially, I only invited folks who haven't been out before, but then thought it would be a great opportunity to invite past participants to stop by and say hi to us, and the "boys" of course. Because our sessions are one-on-one, it is easy to form great relationships with our students and I miss them when they move on to the next phase of their adventure (some take riding lessons, others purchase a beloved first horse, and others are satisfied to have learned just for satisfaction of knowing more about what makes horses tick). I have sadly discovered there isn't enough time in a day to keep in touch with each and every student or I would be on the computer all the time instead of out in the barn "Horsing Around".

Hope to meet you or catch up with you next week!
Tovie, Gord and the "Boys"

Horse Breeders & Owners Conference

The Horse Industry Association of Alberta hosted the annual Horse Breeders & Owners Conference in Red Deer last weekend. If you are at all interested in horses, this is a must attend event. The line up of speakers were all leaders in their fields. It was a weekend of education, networking and socializing. The organizers did a fantastic job and I am sure they were pleased with attendance. It was terrific to meet new people, and socialize with friends. For newbies just getting started with horses, it can be a confusing and frustrating world with the variety of opinions and expertise. This conference presented several top DVM's (doctor of veterinary medicine) who shared their latest research findings in various fields from dentistry, hoof care, parasite control, and the effects of strength and flexibility on a horse's bio-mechanics. I have always believed in gathering as much information as possible and forming my own opinions with regard to the care of our horses.

To learn more about the Horse Industry Association of Alberta and what they offer, click on the title to get to their web-site.

Kind regards,

Happy New Year

We at Just Horsing Around would like to wish all our participants a wonderful 2009 because you sure made our 2008 a very special year.

I made a big change in 2008 by leaving my downtown corporate job to Horse Around full time. Rush hour has a whole new meaning for me now and instead of making me cranky, it makes me smile. Getting cut off means our big old German Shepherd, Shilo is playing and jumping in front of me on the way to the barn or feed shed. Getting stuck in traffic means there is a horse in front of me that won't move out of my way. Merging is awesome because it means my horse and I are connecting beautifully, and I always get the best parking spot when my horse parks at the mounting block for me to get on his back.

The day after I left my job, I was offered my first training opportunity. Honey is a lovely 3 year old mare who had had some mishandling episodes previously and was quite mistrustful. Honey is the youngest horse I have worked with and now that I have earned her trust, she is turning out to be a very willing partner and a joy to work with.

What many folks starting out with horses don't realize, is that every time we handle a horse, we are teaching it; good or bad. By improving our handling skills and confidence, we can create more good than bad. This improves our relationship with any horse we are lucky enough to encounter.

Have fun and be safe Horsing Around in 2009,
Tovie, Gord, and the "Boys"