Horse Sense....
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Ok, so this whole bumps and loss of hair is doing my head in. But as far as I can tell no one else apart from Caps is suffering from this. It's weird. So, I did the one thing that I go back to in times of things not working, Go back to your belief system because these are the keys to your success.
Well, ok then.
My belief system is: I would use natural vitamins and minerals and work from the inside out because all external trouble has a basis in the inside of you. And guess what I stopped doing over the last month and possibly 6 weeks? I stopped giving vitamins and minerals - my garlic and kelp and salt and I stopped because they weren't eating the bagged fibre which is what I was putting it in and instead were eating Lucerne so I thought they would be ok.
But I always put three buckets out at night: one with garlic, one with kelp and one with salt and the horses just picked and chose what they needed and I never had this problem so I'm hoping going back and doing this again will correct this imbalance.
So, off I popped down to Fiskins again, bought some Coolaide and piled in the garlic and a little fiber. They didn't get a choice - it was garlic all the way.
I expect to get some positive results in the next four days. And I'm worming everyone. Well, that's not quite true, Hannah's coming over to worm. I never learnt how to do it because I didn't want them not liking me. I may need to relook at that thought pattern.
****
I'm kind of missing the mare. She's down in Hamurana for another week but I'm missing our daily chats about cycles. I hadn't realized how much I relied on her bush knowledge. I thought I only checked in to her Energy but that's not true, she also tuned into mine and then we would have a few words. Stallion time, bad cycle time, snuggle time, etc and I miss her 1500 kg's of sunggleness when she's in the mood. I don't miss her muppety-ness when she's on one of her mad 10 minutes and places herself in the gate between paddocks refusing to move for love nor money and when even the boys are like, No, it's ok Tania, we didn't want to go in that paddock anyway.
But what I've noticed is because we check in, it makes me more, I'd like to say balanced but that's not true. When we talk I'm more aware which means that I consciously eat to my cycle and stop and think before I speak knowing that I may be in a slightly more take no sh*te mood. With her gone I've been behind the eight ball. I am eating behind my cycle not in front of it like I should be and almost yelled at someone yesterday. I did say almost but even so, that was careless of me.
On a positive note: recognising this is half the battle.
Onto other subjects: the boys are loving their Coolade and garlic, kelp and salt again. Three buckets get put down and I literally watch them go up and sniff the buckets - they don't just eat the first one, they check what's in it first and then eat what they need.
Horses are so freaking clever.
****
It's been bats*te crazy here.
I will have my day planned, there will be a change of plans and then another change of plans or I will have a clear start to the day, be feeling very pleased with myself and then Boom! the phone will ring and all of a sudden my day's batsh*te crazy again.
I swear, hand on heart, I was in bed by 9pm on Saturday night and asleep by 9.07. It could even have been earlier. I literally hopped into bed, fluffed my favourite pillow and Hello! it was 6.17am the next morning.
And today was no different.
Easy day planned and then the phone rang, well it actually rang, 6.19am, 7.45am and then the game changer at 9.30am where Mr C, Az and I got the pleasure of an unexpected day together.
Picked up Mr C then stopped off briefly to get halter/bridle type thing so Mr C could ride Az with correct equipment. And this is where we ran into issue one. I'd never bought one for Az before so had no idea of size. We guessed and got it sort of right. Got home and realized it had no bit. Now, seriously, how was I supposed to know that you had to buy a bit. Apparently, if I had gone to pony club I would have known. Anyhow, moving right along, we decided on a bit because the majority of shows won't let us participate unless we do.
Back to shop to get bit. Then ran into another issue. What size? Guessed...got it wrong. Back to shop again. Finally, got it right. It took us...wait for it...40 minutes to put it on Az because a) we didn't know how to do it and b) refer to a.
Then ran into another issue.
Somehow the reins got dropped, Az moved and somehow he got one leg into the reins and the rest of his body out and we found ourselves in a situation. But Az just stood there. I know, we couldn't believe it either. He almost freaked out on us, he seriously thought about it but he didn't. He just stood there going, Help me. And then let us. That was our turning point. Our time where we realized how much work we have really done.
Then Mr C had a ride and it's pretty obvious that he has not had any formal training. He has no idea what he should be doing. So, we just walked around, did a little trot, me walking beside him trying not to get run over and Mr C bareback. It was also the time where we had a bit of a chat about how far he's actually come - he easily and with no restraints, has his jacket put on, he participates with us, he willingly tries to learn and quickly communicates his displeasure. But he never tries to kick us although it's taken us ages for us to explain to him not to be mouthy to us.
It was interesting to realize that if we hadn't bought the halter etc then we wouldn't have realized he really didn't know anything about riding. We thought it was because we didn't have the proper gear that we were having issues. Now, we can put things in place to learn and learn well. It also got brought home to us exactly how great the connection is between Mr C and Az because Mr C has been riding (I use that word very loosely) Az for ages. Now we are going to get help for us to do it right.
But it made me remember when Az and I decided to take each other. He was staying at the old stables and I wanted to use the paddock he was in so had to become his friend. I remember the exact minute when I realized he heard me. He also knew the moment that I heard him. Az wasn't mine at the time remember so I had to lie about being around him, I couldn't be upfront because the rules at the stable were, Don't touch a horse that's not yours. So, while I was making excuses to be around him he was waiting at the fence for me while pretending not to. It was totally cute. So, there we were and then we had this moment where I went, S.O.B he hears me! at almost the exact moment that he went, S.O.B she hears me! It was a perfect moment when we knew it went beyond boundaries. That we had opened the horse/human door.
I would love to say it was all roses and flowers after that but it wasn't. However, from that moment he trusted me to be his person. To do the best for him and I always did. Did I always get it right? Hell no. Often we just stood there because we couldn't get it right. We didn't know WTF we were doing. But today proved that the right that matters, we've got.
I'm super proud of him.
And super proud of Sequoia. I mean, as much as I'm still in two minds about things, the grass roots of this is I'm really proud of her and what we've achieved. No one could have done a better job opening her horse/human door than me. I've created a horse who loves humans, talks, listens and communicates freely and willingly. She trusts not just because of the foundation that I personally, have laid but because of the work that we have done together. I could not, nor can I as I'm writing this, ask for anything more.
It has been a deeply soul and divinely Spiritual, time.
* Caps most certainly does not have nits, lice or mites. We think it is rain scald or jacket rub but it is definitely better. And 100% not parasitical.
** New jeans have turned up and are sitting (still wrapped up) on kitchen bench. I have to pass them everytime I go in the kitchen. I think I ate 1 less jaffa today.
*** Bloody Caps knee has gone out again. How many times have I said to him, I love you to bits but you are not 4 anymore, would you please stop hooning up and down hills and that TB just stands there looking at me, Can't hear you, I'm a horse.
I reminded him of that this afternoon when he was standing there looking all sad and needy with his knee out asking me to go get the anti-flamme.
**** I pick up Sequoia Friday and drop her immediately to her new interim home where she will be stabled, groomed, trimmed and taught how to jump while we find her her person. Everyone is really excited and I cannot believe how many people see her potential. She now has multiple people supporting her to find her a great home where she can excel.
And yes, I do still have sneaky thoughts of, What if I'm wrong and Sequoia and I are supposed to be together? Well, whenever that thought flits through my head some random person starts telling me a story about what their you're my person horse has done.
And I go, F*k. That's not how Sequoia and I am.
And I can be brave again.
Wishing you much love my friends and of course, my humans.
Caps, me, Spirit, Sequoia, Ralph, Chew and Az
xxxxxxx