Gorgeous George and the Continuous Student

George came to his new home yesterday! He loaded into the trailer and rode like a perfect gentleman, then flew out as quick as he could to see what was going on. After I put him up in his new paddock, his old owner gave me about 5 pills of Ace, "For when you start working with him." It certainly was a nice gesture, but, I had decided, completely unneccesary. He made fast friends with the horse in the paddock next to his, and everyone "ooohed" and "awwed" about how beautiful he is. I made a few friends at the barn and made plans to go trail riding, "When we are ready."

This morning I went out to the barn and learned quite a bit about my horse. I truly underestimated George, in every way, shape, and form. For starters, George is very Left-Brained dominant; we knew this. He does, however, display some stallion-esque behaviors. For the first time ever, even playing with stallions, I felt like I needed to be on the other side of the fence. Lunging at me, pawing, freaking out, kicking...it certainly is different when you take a dominant horse out of their comfort zone. I didn't really even ask him to do anything today. My plan was to walk to the arena, do a lap if possible, and then walk back. Put a 22 foot rope on before ever leaving the paddock, because George goes from LBE to RBE in the blink of an eye, and it truly the kind of horse that wouldn't have a problem running me over and not noticing he did it. We stopped at every threshold, touched a lot of new and scary objects, and spent a lot of time playing the "Don't kill me" Game, which is really me just asking him to stay out of my space. Then a HUGE duststorm came up and we had to slowly, but surely, head back to safety.

A few people were out at the barn today, and everyone just had to comment on how gorgeous he is! Yeah, he's gorgeous in every direction! I've found that George is not the kind of right brain that needs to move his feet to think, he needs to stop them to think, and he just doesn't know how. I can tell that he's never been abused, but he's certainly never been taught. I'm also assuming that his racing brackground attributes to his ability to go and go and go and GO without ever thinking. I've decided to go ahead and get a 45-foot line, because George can certainly move, and when he goes RB he can certainly gallop in a 12-22 foot circle. If he can't go forwards, he can go sideways at any speed quite beautifully.

I do have to say I'm a little shaken, but excited to spend more time with George and continue getting to know him. I can see why I was given Ace, but still not sure that I will ever use it. I just don't see a point to it all. I am so glad that George has come to me, even though I wish that I had a Parelli Professional closer by to help me. This is essentially his 3rd chance at life, and I want to give him the best life possible. I feel as though if(and by if I mean WHEN) we can become partners, then I can be a partner with ANY horse.

Things I've learned about George this weekend:
1. He is only confident with me in Zone 1
2. He will not eat with me standing within 10 feet, but will lay down with me standing next to him, or let me walk up to him while he is laying down.
3. He is not okay with me playing friendly with the carrot stick and string, even if I am retreating at a distance of 20+ feet.
4. Everything is scary until it is close enough he can put his zone 1 on it, then it becomes a toy.
5. Miniature horses are evil.
6. He doesn't understand rythmic pressure, doesn't give to continuous pressure, and doesn't usually stand still long enough to have a real release.
7. He is the dominant horse of the ones around him.
8. He is not confident by himself outside of his comfort zone, he wants to be as close a physically possible to me when we're walking somewhere.
9. "He ties", but the second that I tied him his head shot straight in the air and he looked ready to explode, so I untied him and he went back to left brain. He's very clausterphobic about it! Interesting for a horse that has no qualms about the trailer!

I'm still licking and chewing so I know there's more. I would've rathered to spend the day spending undemanding time with George, but the wind that picked up created a 10-foot visibility in the valley, and the sand and dirt on the ranch made it unbearable. Oh well, there is always next weekend! I wish I could spend all day every day out at the barn, darn day job!

Do You Have Enough Handle to Savvy Your Horse?

Something to lick and chew about:

Do you have enough handle to savvy your horse? This has to be one of my favorite sayings, and I've been saying it for a WHILE. The idea came to me after I once saw an otherwise very savvy person lose their cool and do an unsavvy thing. We've all done it. It usually ends with a confused horse and a person in frustrated tears, either publicly or at home where no one is around.

I find myself wondering about my own physical, emotional and mental fitness.

Mentally, I feel pretty good, I read a lot, I save lives for a living, I'm an active learner every day. I am forever grateful for the Savvy Club and the numerous resources that it provides, and I'm glad to have my Parelli Levels and Patterns. I am also a Left Brained Extrovert/Right Brained Extrovert, very much like George, and I know that I can be interesting enough for him and be the leader that he needs.

Emotionally, well, lately I've been a roller coaster. I sat down to watch the online Patterns while on a break in a 24 hour shift a few weeks ago, and I found myself shutting off my laptop and putting it away...in tears. I was suddenly just overwhelmed with missing Stewie. It would just be too easy, I thought, I could be a Level 5 student right now and be on my way to the life I always wanted. Then I thought about how long before George and I were there. That's when I shut off the DVD, I was so sad and frustrated with myself for having been so direct line! That, I felt, was NOT fair to George. He didn't need me thinking like that, he needed me to be his partner, not his slave driver. We will get there when we get there, I've decided. I've also considered re-assessing Level 1, as it is the only Level I official assessed, because it has changed so much since the last time I did it. Not really sure what I'm going to do there.

Physically...I'm working on it. I lost 20lbs when I moved to Texas from Korea, then I hit a plateau. A 3 month plateau. I want to lose another 60lbs. And frankly, I have to lose the weight to keep my job. Yes it is a requirement. I've been running and lifting weights daily(and doing a minimum of 300 situps per day), and although I feel physically stronger, and my clothes fit better, I still haven't lost any actual weight. So I'm over-hauling my diet, writing down everything I eat and how much I work out. I've quit drinking energy drinks and smoking cigarettes, my two biggest vices, and I don't drink and party anyways so it's not like I need to cut that out. I've always been a "big" gal, but I've never let it affect my emotional fitness until I came to Texas, but it is time to make a change. I am also, rather violently, aware that I haven't really ridden in years, so I am slowly working my way back into it. George is as athletic as any horse I've ever seen and as agile as a cat with an extrovert personality. I want to be in shape not only for myself or my husband, not for my job, but for George, so I can be a good enough riding to stay on him, while simultaneously not inhibiting his movement or frustrating him.

Savvy I have, Savvy I'm not worried about. I know that George is going to require a ton of Savvy, and I relish the personal challenge.

However, "Do you have enough Savvy to handle your horse?" was never the question at hand.
:)

Curious George Gets a Home

When my husband and I got settled into our new life back in the states, I started looking around once more to immerse myself in the horse culture. I quickly found that there didn't seem to be even one single Parelli person in El Paso, and certainly no horse-people on our side of town. So I did what any desperate person would do, I put an ad up on Craigslist, purporting my desperate need to spend time with horses and if you did Parelli, even better. Through that ad I found Kimber, http://www.uppervalleyriding.com/, and her little "ranch", she offered to let me come out and ride whenever I wanted, as long as I wouldn't mind teaching lessons every once in a while. My first day out there I walked up to the arena, waved hello, and Kimber said, "Hey come take over this lesson, I gotta do something real qucik!" Oh boy! But I stumbled through it and later in that day met her neighbor A, who owned 2 horses, both bought from the auction, both in need of "training". I told her I did Parelli and she asked me how much I would charge. I told her no charge, I just wanted to play with horses. I re-enlisted in the savvy club and got new equipment, and I played with her horse Dakota, who had been severely beaten in the past, and got somewhere. But then we weren't going anywhere, then he didn't want to be caught anymore, and I found out that Dakota was pretty much a lost cause, you cannot help people who will not help themselves. You cannot help a horse not be afraid of people when he's still getting it on a daily basis.

So I told myself that I didn't need to play with horses; I'd just hang out and watch lessons, clean stalls, and ride on occasion. I noticed another neighbor of Kimber's had a big, crazy thoroughbred gelding. His stall and small run was next to Kimber's arena, and any time a horse went by he flew into spins, crowhops, bucks and general mayhem. I drooled. He was just GORGEOUS. He was so athletic even in such a small confined space. I asked Kimber about him, "Do you think I could play with him? What's his story?" She told me that his barn name was George, as in Curious George, because he always had to have his mouth all over everything. He'd been raced  four times then injured himself, and that was all she knew, other than her 16 year old daughter had offered to exercise him but had been shot down.

I hemmed and hawed for a few weeks, occaisonally going over to say hi to George. The first time I walked up to him he decided that my jacket belonged to him, he clamped on and didn't let go for about five minutes. I was in love! I eventually worked up the nerve to ask Kimber for his owner's phone number. And about a week later I worked up the nerve to call her and ask if we could talk about George. I met her an hour later at her barn, and we talked for about two hours. He had indeed, broken an ankle while racing in July, and he hadn't been out of his small enclosure since then. He got oat hay in the mornings, alfalfa at night, and grain twice a day (that explained the surplus of energy...maybe). I told her that I was looking for a horse to make my partner, one that I could put a good solid foundation on and eventually oneday do dressage. I told her I didn't have the money to outright buy him, but I'd love to pay his expenses if she would let me work with him on the weekends. She said, "Well, I have a better idea. I'm bringing some horses home from the track in April, and I need the space. As long as you have him out by then, you can have him."

And the rest is history...

I played with George for the first time this weekend. I already knew that he was very dominant, so when I took him out of his stall I snapped on my 22-foot line before doing anything. He hadn't been outside of his stall in eight months, and he was full of energy. The first time I asked him to get out of my space he swung his head like a stallion, the second time, he reared and pawed at me. So I told him to get out of my space, and spent the next few hours just chillin in the yard with him, making sure he stayed at least 12 feet away from me. He explored and jumped and played and had his mouth on everything, including Kimber's kitten. Hopefully this weekend I will be moving him to his new home, a place where he can run and jump and play as much as he wants to, not even all that far from where he is now. They have a few round pens and also an arena. I cannot wait to play with George more and learn all about him!

Interestingly enough, I (as well as many other Parelli people I am sure) am really used to people asking me, "When are you going to ride that horse?", and now have a slew of people akwardly asking, "Um, you're going to ride that horse?" The answer, I can say, is exactly the same for both questions: "I'll ride when we are both ready to ride, however long that takes." There is no greater feeling in the world than the joy a relationship brings, be it with a human, a horse, a dog. I can't wait to have a relationship with George!

My Journey Thus Far and Plans for the Future

Wow, where to start? My name is Adrienne, and I'm 21. I'm an Army Combat Medic, have been for about 2 years now. In October, my husband and I got back to the states from a year in the northern-most part of South Korea and I started to get the horse itch again. It was a part of me that I thought I had lost, and was done with; a part of me that I thought I would oneday reminisce about when I had a little girl start begging for a pony. Needless to say, that was not the case.

I have always loved horses and practically grew up at the racetrack, either Bay Medows or Del Mar. My Dad would wake my sister and I up at 3 in the morning to make the drive out there and get to watch the early morning workouts, play all day in they hay in the barn chasing the barn cats, and watch as our horses race in the afternoons and evenings. Sometimes we would go to breakfast at our favorite hole-in-the-wall place for breakfast, sometimes Dad would wake us up only to suprise us with a trip to Tahoe to go skiiing, and later on down the road, we'd get up early to go roast coffee beans at his shop(Starbucks will forever be a sub-par coffee to me). One day, though, Dad put is foot down. "You are no longer allowed to wear dresses to the racetrack! You will wear jeans and boots or you will not go at all!" So he went and bought me jeans and boots, turning me from the track's girlie-girl and providing me with the nickname "Ellie Mae" which, angered me at the time because I had no idea who this "Ellie Mae" person was. Some of my first rides ever included me being hand led around the barn, bareback, on stallions whose worth I still in my mind cannot fathom.

Then there was the ranch. My Mom's family was from Montana by way of Wisconsin, and when we'd go up to visit her side of the family, one Aunt and Uncle in particular lived on a 30,000 acre cattle ranch on the Crazy Mountains, and I was in heaven. My first "real" ride that I can remember was on a pluggy buckskin gelding named "Spider". Two of my cousins and I decided to go out for a ride, and what ensued was a day of galloping about, having a joyous time! Spider also took me on cattle drives, riding around in an arena, and over a cliff...ok it was only four feet high but it seemed like a cliff!

A few years after my Dad died, my Mom and Step-Dad decided to move from our little suburb to a little 5 acre lot owned by a couple who, along with their children, were obsessed with the Tevis Cup. The Tevis Cup, if you don't know already, is a 100-mile, 1-day horse race from Tahoe, California to Auburn, California. They had an amazing barn with pastures and a round corral. I started salivating the moment I first saw the property. I HAD to have a horse, and I would do whatever it took to prove that I could handle one.

My parents enlisted our neighbor, Terri, to teach me responsibility and about horses. I would clean her pastures and in turn, she would teach me about horsemanship as she said, "the right way". I didn't have enough experience doing things the "normal" way, all I knew was kick to go, pull to whoa. So it didn't really phase me when Terri enlisted Sinaloa, her 26 year-old Arabian/Quarter Horse, to teach my the 7 games that horses play. I fumbled with her long ropes, tied my halter the wrong way and frequently tripped over my carrot stick. Terri would explain to me why I was doing the things that I was doing and what the results would be. Terri also took me to tack stores, clinics, and shows and would educate me on why OTHER people did things that they did and what results they got. I became well versed in the theories of "natural vs normal", I learned the principles of horsemanship, I learned about different types of tack, hay/grains/supplements, and horse care in general. Terri eventually trusted me enough to play with Sinny on my own and let me borrow her Parelli Levels Packs, Savvy Club DVDs, and essentially her whole library of horsemanship books and videos. I couldn't get enough! Terri taught me about horsemanship, she taught me how to be a better me, she introduced me to David Lichman and Karen Rohlf and Sarah Konst, and so many other horseman that I admire. She took lessons from Honza Blaha and took me trail riding, to savvy playdates and is the reason that I am the person I am today. I owe a lot to her.

It would be wrong of my to write a blog, let alone my first ever blog, about George without paying tribute to Stewie. When Terri started helping me look for a horse of my own, she told me to write a list, a very specific list, of everything that I am looking for in a horse. Stewie ended up being that horse. An adorable tri-colored 4 year old paint gelding, he was my match. He had been severely neglected when he came home to live with me, his feet were about 6 inches too long with shoes on, if that conjures any mental images as to his situation. He had been given 30 days of reining training as a yearling, then left, until he came to me, about 200 lbs underweight with ulcers. Stewie was my world, a left-brained introvert that just wanted to be with me. He didn't care much about food, or other horses, he just wanted to spend time with me. He and I went the Parelli Level 4 on the ground before I ever got on him, and we were riding everywhere in no time! When I couldn't find a ride to the trails, I'd put on my neon-orange safety vest and ride through town to the trail head. Stewie and I were unstoppable, we won savvy tournaments, were always the pair that people wanted to be the first in line on a trail ride, and our relationship made other people jealous. He'd lay down with me in the pasture and back into Terri's step up trailer if I asked him. He would do anything I asked him, as long as we were doing it together.

Then when I was 19, I had a crisis of confidence. I had been going down a bad path, as many teenage girls at that age, trading my time with horses for time with "that guy I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with". I had graduated high school at 16. And although I was accepted both the University of Montana Western and into the Natural Horsemanship program, my parents assured me that there was no way in hell they were letting me go to Montana alone with my horse. So instead I worked three jobs, went to community college full time, and the only time I saw Stewie was at morning and evening feedings. I got horribly burnt out, and I decided to join the Army. I needed a change, I needed to be away from all that was familiar, I needed a job I couldn't quit and I needed to be away from my parents! It wasn't an easy decision, and I had to wait around for a good six months before a job as a Medic became available. The hardest decision in my life was to sell Stewie, for far less then I had bought him for, no less. Luckily, I found the perfect home for him, with a wonderful older woman that I've recently gotten back in touch with. She has been doing Parelli with him, and her granddaughter rides him and plays with him as well. She has let me know, on more than one occaision, that her barn is always open if I wanted to come ride him, and that if ever she decided to sell him she'd come to me first, with the same price she paid. And although that would be the DREAM for me, to own George and Stewie, two vastly different super-horses, her other riding horse recently passed away and Stewie (now known as Coty) has helped her get through it. I can only pray that one day she will find another partner that suits her better, but I would never pressure someone to get rid of the most wonderful horse I've ever known.

I don't plan on staying in the military, although I love it, I need to persue other roads in life. I love working in the medical field and would love to obtain my nursing degree. However, my dream since I was 15 years old has been to oneday be a Parelli Professional(and I know I can do both). What I would like more than anything else, is to be a PP, and also to work with Wounded Warriors. Wounded Warriors are soldiers that have been either physically or mentally disabled during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have a lot of friends that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I've seen the havoc it reaps. I've also seen what wonderful things horseback riding has done for other disabled people; ie children with Autism or Down Syndrome, adults with amputations or loss of use in their limbs. Since my husband has every intention of staying the Army for life, my goal is to become a PP, so no matter where we are stationed as a couple, I can teach and spread the word of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, and bring the healing power of horses to Wounded Warriors as well. I feel this would truly embody my calling of making the world a better place for horses and humans!

So that's most of my story! This blog will catalog my journey with my new super-horse, George, and I can't wait to see where the journey will lead us!