Horse Sense....

 

 

Ok, so yesterday I rocked up to Mama and the foal wondering how things were going to be.  I was hoping that he would choose to participate but I wasn't 100% sure.  

Just as well because he spent all his time trying to shag Mama or nipping either her or me.  No wonder Mama's tired.  He's exhausting.  So, there he was trying to shag Mama and when she was like, I don't think so! Get off me!  He would either nip her or me.  Or put his a** in my face.  

Nice.

So, everytime he tried to nip me, I tapped his hoof.  Literally.  I quietened the Energy right down, listened, then as I heard his Energy go to nip me at the exact moment of contact I reached over with my foot and tapped his hoof.  Boom Boom.  

Then he would do a little jump back, go WTF?! Mama would turn round and glare at us trying to suss out what was going on and I just stood there.  Mama would go back to eating grass and the little one would either try and shag her, nip her or nip me.  Mama would bite him back, I tapped his hoof as he nipped me, little one would jump and WTF?! and Mama would glare.

And in between this he would put his a** in my face.  He's got growing pains.  First, I thought maybe he was trying to kick me but he wasn't.  His butt muscles and/or bones literally hurt. He's growing at a huge rate and it's making him grumpy, hence the nipping.  

I gave him a scratch and left on a positive note.

Turned up today and it was a beautiful day.  I walked in and said to Mama, He's not allowed to bite me.  And she understood this.  She's not keen on him biting her either, so she got it.

He came up and just stood there.  We gently touched and had a back/butt rub.  There was a definite improvement in manners and only one vague nip, just to test the water. One hoof tap.  Boom Boom.

I am tentatively optimisitc for tomorrow.

Now, Missy had the hump today.  Geez...

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The young one is behaving with his nips but has moved to backing his a** up to me and kicking out which is a complete NO NO.  I moved forward and said, NO! so then he sulked.  We had a good session (if we put the kicks to one side) emotionally, physically and Spiritually with lots of touching.   

Mama's really tired.

And Missy was standing waiting to be groomed today.  She's decided that she likes it and actively participates.  Her ability to not just talk but listen, process then communicate  just blows me away.

And Ralph, Chew and me are now officially in training to be New Zealand Guide Mini's for Autism and Aspergers children, and young people with severe emoitonal, physical and s*xual trauma between the ages of 6 and 18.  Mini's are so intuitive, intelligent and have a huge capacity for love not to mention their Clair-Olfactory ability that we want to use their gift in the best way that we can.  And to do that, we need to show what we can do, in the ways that we can and how.  And they are so clean.  

So, we now have our first pair of inside shoes and have started our journey.

Every single thing I do with the horses is based on opening, then keeping open, that beautiful horse/human door.

****

I'm having a speed wobble and completely freaking out.

All of a sudden everything is falling into place.  The little one is talking, Missy is not just talking but conversing, I'm getting wins with my other outside horses, and in other ways, what I spoke about 6 months ago is coming to fruition.  Ralph is super happy, Chew is ready to get into things, Suzie Q is on the boderline of a break through, Az is excellent and we are only a slither away from what we want and Caps is loving his life.  

I am trying to breathe and get back to my soul centre that life is not just good right now, but has consistently been good over the last year or so and will stay good.

Not sort of, kind of or maybe but definitely.

****

So, I had a lazy start to my Sunday today which involved not seeing the little one, and lazing in bed reading a book with a cuppa.  A very rare occurence these days.  Then had a visitor which then translated to other cups of tea, down to my local cafe for brunchy type stuff, back home for more cuppa's and then finally off to see Missy.  She was expecting me earlier so when she saw me she galloped from the far end of paddock and then slide/stopped an inch away from me.  Scared me half to death.  But all jokes aside, it's so good to see her and the feeling is obviously mutual.  

Ralph had a day off training today but is overall extremely happy with his life and how it is going.  Chew not so much.  He's sulking because he's not in training at the moment and a lot of the time he's sitting at the fence showing me his a**.  Very unlike Chew.  When I was grooming everyone at feeding time though he came up and showed me that he too, wanted to be groomed and feel soft and silky.  This is a good start.  But I'm not starting with Chew until I'm happy with Ralph and we're not in the place that I wish yet, although he does hold out his hooves for his shoes and has never done anything naughty in the house.  I'll know when I have it right though but that time is not yet.  Chew will just have to wait.

Suzie Q is a bit of a worry though.  Everytime I leave her in paddock with grass she packs on the weight.  All the little ones will have to be put back in arena until everyone - that's you, Suzie Q! - slims down.  Something else for Chew to get muppety about, he loves hanging out with Caps.

Overall, I'm happy though.  Caps as per always, is content, sleek and happy and Az is filthy, snuggly and happy.  The mini's range in happiness from 3 (Chew) to 9 (Ralph) and Suzie (6) until they realize they're all back on diets again, in which case they will go to about -4.

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And all plans had to be scrapped because it is super cold and raining so I've just rugged everyone up - Chew was pushing everyone out of the way to get his on because he loves his jacket, Ralph had better manners.  Caps was surprisingly difficult but it worked out that was because I was trying to squish him into Az's jacket of which I only found out when I realized that he couldn't breathe properly.  My bad.  Jackets switched over and everyone fine.  

The Divine Miss Suzie Q refuses to let me anywhere near her with a jacket so is currently standing in the rain.  Soggy. 

She is just like Chew.

So, that's been our week, pretty freaking awesome.  

Take what you need, leave the rest.

Much love my friends and of course, my humans.

Caps, me, Spirit, Az, Ralph, Chew, Suzie Q, Buzz-the-Bl**dy- Bull, Flash and Fenny.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Ok, so the big question this week has been, What exactly describes House Trained?

Some people believe that Poo catchers mean this...

 

 

And that's ok.  Just because it's not my way, doesn't mean it's wrong.  Ok, we both know that was a lie, however, I'm not bagging (s'cuse the pun) those that do pooper scoop I'm just saying, House Trained is like you and I.   Well, definitely me, I'm not so sure about you...  Only kidding.

Anyway I, and most definitely Chew (and Ralph), do not believe House Trained is wearing nappies.  In fact, Chew told me, Nah ah, no way, Not In This Lifetime was there any way he was wearing that.  He would be so embarrassed that he wouldn't leave the float.  Actually, he wasn't even getting on it.

So, Ralph, Chew and I are learning how to be absolutely House Trained.

Wish us luck.

xx

** Photo not actually of Ralph.  Obviously.

*** I cornered my peeps at the stables this morning until someone gave in and recorded a whistle for me so I could use it on the little ones to encourage them to pee.  Nice one, Addie!

**** OMG, guess what?! Ralph and Chew have just been asked to be on a little TV show.  A day in the life of a Therapy Mini... I know!  

How super freaking cool!  

xx