myparellijourney

Back in the Saddle

Sunday was the first day I had enough energy to do groundwork AND ride. First ride in 23 days! How humbling -how long the body can need to heal.

You would never have guessed it had been so long since we played together.
Destin and I had really nice communication, connection and ride. Nice and
light phase required for ground communication. My leadership was fair,
non-emotional and I set him up for success (I *am* learning). During riding,
our steering at a walk was light and responsive; AND I even got a relaxed,
comfortable trot! WOW!

You would never know it had been so long... nice surprise actually. And no
surprise how much I love my horse(s) and how much of a passion it is - and
has always been - to be with them...

I AM BLESSED!

GiddyupFlix - Great educational resource!

 I signed up for this service last month and am loving it!! It's a horse
training/education DVD rental site - like Netflix for horse lovers. I'm able
to rent the Parelli DVDs (and others) I'm interested in for only $10.95 a
month. Unlimited rentals, viewed one-at-a-time. Then if I really like a DVD,
I can always buy it. Just renting the two DVDs so far has saved me over $100
in purchase costs.

  http://www.giddyupflix.com/

  Check it out!

Excuses, Excuses - a Confession

I have a confession to make, an admission of a part of me that despite my best efforts to eliminate it, still exists.

Ready?

Part of me has an excuse *every day* as to why I can't play with my horse. Every day, with annoying consistency.

Today's excuse is "It's drizzling and cloudy, and you don't have any cover. So you'll be getting wet. You don't want to get sick do you? Wait until it's sunny out."

Let's separate facts from propaganda here.

Facts: It is drizzling and cloudy. I do not have a covered arenda or paddock to work under.

Propaganda: I will get wet.
Fact: I have rain gear and can dress warm. The horse won't care; he's already grazing in it.

Propaganda: I will get sick.
Fact: It's 60 degrees out.

The surprising part of the daily excuse is that I was under the impression that when you're doing something you love (and I do love PARELLI Horsemanship and connecting with my horse) then you would be excited, thrilled to do it every day. So what gives? Why the excuses?

Seriously, there seems to be no perfect scenario when the excuse gremlin doesn't surface. It has a reason every day, regardless of weather, how I feel, etcera. Why?

I'm going to have to adopt the "No Excuses" or "Just Do It" mantras just to get out the door :D

Anyone else have this experience or have some insight?

Naturally,

Lauren

It's Good to Have a Plan

It's Good to Have a Plan...

... so you know what you are deviating from!

:D LOL 

Just love this wonderful saying that my Dad shared with me!

Recommended Resource: Violating Principle #7

http://principle7.blogspot.com/

Fabulous insights...

Yesterday and Today

"Yesterday I was clever. That is why I wanted to change the world.

Today I am wise. That is why I am changing myself"

-Sri Chinmoy

Meet my new equine partner - Destin

 I wanted to be sure and finalize the adoption before I made the introduction...

 

I'm pleased to introduce you to my new equine Partner, Destin - an 8 yr old chestnut Arabian gelding.

 

 

He is my dream horse - the Breyer model I've had since I was a young girl. Rideable, curious, playful, loving, smart, a thinker, and gorgeous!

 

Destin has only known love his whole life and has known Natural Horsemanship since he was 2 years old. He is not afraid, but instead, curious. He loves people! He is an absolute joy to be with, play with, partner with! He makes me very happy! I look forward to our growing partnership and spending many years together and covering many miles of trails...

 

I adopted Destin from Blazing Trails Rescue and Youth Leadership Ministry in Tyler, Texas. Destin was one of Leslie's personal horses, but since she started doing rescue work, she has so many horses that need attention and rehabilitation that Destin had become a pasture ornament for over a year. She tried using him with the young girls in the leadership program, but he wants a 1-1 relationship and didn't do well. She was happy to keep him forever, but took one chance at finding a forever home where he would be loved and get the attention he needs and deserves. She had very high standards and turned away all interested persons - except me.  :D  I was her dream come true and prayers answered for Destin - her words.

 

There were *many* synchronicities in the 2 month process of adopting Destin that made me feel we were being Divinely guided together. And Leslie and I hit it off. She really wants to come down and visit and learn more about T-Bar's rescue work (True Blue Animal Rescue - www.tbar.org), since she's only being doing rescue officially for 1 year. Learning about the Hopkins County seizure and the condition of some of the horses was quite shocking and educational for her. She knows she has a lot to learn. Leslie already has a BOD and is completing her 501c3 paperwork.

 

Destin brings me so much joy; and I have to tell you - it's so nice to have a horse that is completely healthy, rideable, and an easy-keeper. It makes taking care of the other horses here (that I love too!) easier.  AND, since Destin is easy to work with, my Natural Horsemanship training has already progressed significantly which has the wonderful side benefit of improving my leadership and relationship with Romeo. :D))

 

 

I'm blessed to have Destin come into my life! And, in the process, met a wonderful, horse lover, kindred-spirit and amazing lady! 

 

Love,

 

Lauren

 

P.S. - Destin, as in short for Destiny, as in the gorgeous beach in Florida my family goes to every year

Parelli Patterns - Touch It

Today Amigo and I completed Day 4 of 7 of the "Touch It" Parelli Patterns - Online Level 1. This where I use the Driving Game to direct Amigo to up to an object, stopping in front of it and inviting his curiosity to touch his nose on it.

The first day it took several 'tries' for Amigo to start checking out the object. By the third object he seemed to catch on to the game; and today, day 4, he touches his nose on the first try, most of the time. It's fun watching both of us learning to communicate with each other.

I try to keep it interesting so Amigo knows "what's in it for him" since that's important for a Left-Brained Introvert. He loves a cookie when he "gets it".

It's really not about Amigo "getting it", it's about our communication being clear. If I'm communicating clearly, Amigo "gets it". I'm not training Amigo, I'm training ME to communicate clearly.

I'm reminded that studies show that a human audience's perception of a speaker and presentation includes only 7% of the actual words spoken. Another small percentage is tone of voice & inflection. The *majority* of the audience's perception is based on the speaker's body language. Just like horses.

Hmmmm. So when my body language and energy are congruent and clear, Amigo responds - easily & effortlessly like we've been doing this forever. Fascinating! Until next time - Be Natural!

Spring is in the Air

It's only February, but here in Texas, Spring is in the air already. We've technically been in a drought for a while now; and our rainy season ends this month. We've had very little rain - the ponds are really low, the grass is dry and brown, but the weather is FABULOUS for playing with horses.

Beautiful, warm, sunny weather means more play time for horses. Brown winter grass means no worries about my sugar-sensitive horses. And each day the sun is staying up a little longer.

This picture is one of my favorites because it not only represents my favorite time of year, it encapsulates partnership. Last Spring, Amigo and I were taking a walk (on-line) with my husband and our dogs, through the fields of Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush that are plentiful on our place. At one point, I decided to hop on Amigo and ride a little. So tying the 12 foot line to the halter and with a leg up from my husband,  I rode Amigo for a while. We took a picture of the occasion.

Sometimes we make quite the entourage on our walks - a co-mingling of species. Picture humans, dogs, horses and even a cat walking together on a beautiful day. Funny... and wonderful!

Breakthrough!

For the FIRST TIME in the almost 3 years I've had Romeo, he didn't put his ears back at me at feeding time. We've been working on this every day for some time now, making him put on a pretty face (ears forward) to get his food. He has to be invited to approach, not try to push me off.

And last night, there it was, nice and pretty, offered ON HIS OWN! WOW!!

Just had to share!

P.S. - Romeo was my Valentine's Day present 3 years ago. So Saturday we celebrate 3 years together. My best gift EVER!!