I think this weekend, I was feeling a little bit humbled but equally perhaps a little envious of my friend. I spent the day at her lovely small yard, with a school, stable, tying area and it all being compact and it was so so nice and I really envied that she sees her horse every single day.
I don't get to see Shadow that often and my parents are one minute fine about the yard and then the next pestering me about the distance and I feel shit because I feel that Shadow would be better off with someone more competent as a trainer, rider and horsewoman(or man) and can give him the consistency that would benefit him. Perhaps I'm being selfish, but I suppose you have to look at the benefits. I've been given this wonderful opportunity to care for a pony and he ensures his trust in me, and I feel that although our time together isn't as long as some, it's even more special.
I sometimes feel with the clicker training that I go two steps forward and another back, we make progress but ever so slowly, because of the lack of consistency and my lack of competency as a trainer, it sometimes is really demoralizing, considering I showed my friend what to do yesterday and already she is souring away, and already had great success with it. It's really good to see, because it's another horse and human who can finally have a great training regime, but it sometimes hurts, because you feel overshadowed a little.
But then you have to smile and remember that not everything in life is perfect. We all have these things we desire, that we forget about the things we currently have. I feel my relationship with my pony gets stronger ever moment together, and obviously I wish we were closer together, but unfortunately life isn't so straight forward, I could wish for so much more, but what I have is a wonderful pony who makes me happy :)
I need to sit down and really work out a training plan that works with our time frame, our ability and able to keep consistency, I've recently began breaking our day into three digestible chunks, of a morning clicker session, an afternoon one and a later afternoon one, with two hour breaks in between, so over a period of two days, it makes 5-6 short sessions.
Monday 4 April 2011
Sunday 3 April 2011
“Some pursue happiness - others create it.”
I will try and keep up with my blog, I've been busy with the website, school work and busy with horses, so not really had time to dedicate to this!
Happy April, Spring is finally here and last night it was my first chance to sit in my garden, reading my book under the Magnolia tree. It was bliss.
Unfortunately, this weekend I didn't get much down time with Shadow. He's in the middle of losing his winter coat, as was Cassie, Luca and Lacey and so they were all absolutely shredding it like there was no tomorrow, it felt like winter again because of the sheer mass of white hair on the floor! I do like getting it off, it's a weird habit which keeps me remotely sane whilst questioning my own sanity from the perspective of someone who is looking in!
It also bought back some traumatic memories for Shadow. Last August we had a yard fire, and fortunately none of the animals were hurt, but our stables caught light in the middle of the night. Shadow was really unsettled by this and it was spent a few days being quite uneasy. Someone in the houses behind the woods obviously had a bonfire, and Shadow could see all the smoke and as I got him out the field, he reared and tanked off with me, he was snorting and breathing heavily, but he calmed down and settled into his new field nicely at the prospect of the lush Spring grass emerging, so was rather obliging!
I've not really clickered him much, I suppose we've been on a break from all intense thinking. He's been a star recently, he's been going out for hacks and particularly the one where I took him out for a good hour, it may not seem a lot, but for his maturing brain and body, it is still quite a task, with lots to think about and absorb, I don't want to overdo it. Also, I enjoy just unwinding in the field and really just laying back and relaxing. Although over Easter I plan to re-teach some old behaviours, which I feel will rust over if I don't consistently work on them. So I've got to bear that in mind before totally enjoying our break.
I'm hoping the weather improves so I can bath them! Shadow has a lot of dirt in his coat still from winter, and no matter how much I brush it, it needs washing out. I miss my clean pony! He was so clean last Summer.
Hoping to take Shadow out again over Easter, up to Shorne and perhaps he'll have his first canter, although I plan to do it in the school on the lunge first. There is no rush, patience is a virtue.
I think that I've learnt that no matter how hard you look for happiness, the less likely you are to find it, because you're looking too far away, because the real source of happiness is right there in front of you.
My pony means the world to me, he really does. He may not be aesthetically beautiful and ideal as some people expect or he may not be from a top bloodline. I may not be your next aspiring competition rider, nor do I ever aspire to be that, but what he gives me is so much more. Simplicity, Friendship and Understanding. Why would anyone ever disrespect something so compliant, so respectful and trusting. Why do people wonder why usually a human friendship with an animal is a lot stronger than that between two humans? There is no hang ups, no bitchiness and no dispute. It's subtle communication between two souls, and through simplicity, we have happiness.
Happy April, Spring is finally here and last night it was my first chance to sit in my garden, reading my book under the Magnolia tree. It was bliss.
Unfortunately, this weekend I didn't get much down time with Shadow. He's in the middle of losing his winter coat, as was Cassie, Luca and Lacey and so they were all absolutely shredding it like there was no tomorrow, it felt like winter again because of the sheer mass of white hair on the floor! I do like getting it off, it's a weird habit which keeps me remotely sane whilst questioning my own sanity from the perspective of someone who is looking in!
It also bought back some traumatic memories for Shadow. Last August we had a yard fire, and fortunately none of the animals were hurt, but our stables caught light in the middle of the night. Shadow was really unsettled by this and it was spent a few days being quite uneasy. Someone in the houses behind the woods obviously had a bonfire, and Shadow could see all the smoke and as I got him out the field, he reared and tanked off with me, he was snorting and breathing heavily, but he calmed down and settled into his new field nicely at the prospect of the lush Spring grass emerging, so was rather obliging!
I've not really clickered him much, I suppose we've been on a break from all intense thinking. He's been a star recently, he's been going out for hacks and particularly the one where I took him out for a good hour, it may not seem a lot, but for his maturing brain and body, it is still quite a task, with lots to think about and absorb, I don't want to overdo it. Also, I enjoy just unwinding in the field and really just laying back and relaxing. Although over Easter I plan to re-teach some old behaviours, which I feel will rust over if I don't consistently work on them. So I've got to bear that in mind before totally enjoying our break.
I'm hoping the weather improves so I can bath them! Shadow has a lot of dirt in his coat still from winter, and no matter how much I brush it, it needs washing out. I miss my clean pony! He was so clean last Summer.
Hoping to take Shadow out again over Easter, up to Shorne and perhaps he'll have his first canter, although I plan to do it in the school on the lunge first. There is no rush, patience is a virtue.
I think that I've learnt that no matter how hard you look for happiness, the less likely you are to find it, because you're looking too far away, because the real source of happiness is right there in front of you.
My pony means the world to me, he really does. He may not be aesthetically beautiful and ideal as some people expect or he may not be from a top bloodline. I may not be your next aspiring competition rider, nor do I ever aspire to be that, but what he gives me is so much more. Simplicity, Friendship and Understanding. Why would anyone ever disrespect something so compliant, so respectful and trusting. Why do people wonder why usually a human friendship with an animal is a lot stronger than that between two humans? There is no hang ups, no bitchiness and no dispute. It's subtle communication between two souls, and through simplicity, we have happiness.
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