I’ve been amiss in my Thankful Thursday posts.  With building my Rum Felicity and Catt Paw Massage websites there has been plenty of  online creative processing.  That and along with working on a web presence for my friend, Simrat’s online art home, and facebook posts and meanderings  I’ve been pretty busy.

I need though to acknowledge some wonderful things that are happening in my life.  So here goes.

1) I feel so fortunate to be employed by Montanya Distillers.

They are great people with a driving force to succeed.  What other kind of people would I want to align myself with.  If you apply yourself you can’t fail.  Apply myself  is what I am doing and I feel like my employers recognize this and appreciate it.  Yet I have had a couple set backs thanks to San Juan Mountain weather, having to cancel rum tastings in Grand Junction and Montrose last Friday.  Heather and I are suppose to be taking off today to get those tastings done.  I wake up this morning look outside and  argh… more snow!  The Mountains look socked in. I hope its just a dusting and we can make this trip as I don’t want to cancel on these folks again.  This is the first time I’ve been bummed by the snow.  I’m thinking that no more trips planned around the state until after April. Do all my driving this summer and settle back into phone calls this winter.  With that said, I am going back to Arizona first week in April to do tastings there which brings me to my second item to be thankful for.

2) My car is a good little car, but its not a long distance car by any means.  Its wonderful in the conditions I live in here in Silverton,  yet it struggles a bit out on a road.  I worry that if I take it too far from home, I’ll get stuck somewhere and have to call my son-in-law to come get me.  So, I have this Montanya trip planned for April to Arizona.  Its a good gig, worth the effort in the potential income it could generate.  So what did my company do?  They are renting a car for me to take on this trip so that I can get our product established in Arizona.  I know that other companies do this sort of thing… it’s just never been done for me before.  I am so thankful!!  I want this job to blossom for all concerned, I’m loyal and dedicated to the company and it feels good that they recognize something in me and are willing to take a risk on me.   Well its not really a risk… but some folks would see it that way.

This brings me to the third item.

3) Risk.

I’ve been looking at horses for a while now – trying to decide whether I want one or not and if I do, which kind.  Well I settled on the fact that I do want another horse. Its really hard though, because I am in love with a certain kind of horse a certain quality and personality. I’ve been spoiled by the likes of Asad, Kindlewood, and Madrid.  Elegant athletic, comical and loving companions.  These horses knew how to be friends.  They also had a certain beauty and grace that made the heart and soul sing when you gazed upon them.  So as I studied different breeds and individuals I became aware that what I really wanted was something similar to them in type and being.  As much as I admired other horses and types of horses, my heart would start when I came across certain ones.  In the process I tried to buy three different horses and either was turned down or became apprehensive and backed out.  I have a real fear of facing the pain that disease can cause for my horse after the devastating effect Kindlewood’s suffering and death had on me.  I could not bring her son home, because I was too afraid, and he reminded me of horses of the past.  A risk I just could not make myself face. I needed to move forward not backward.  I just could not look upon Pro everyday and not see him , but rather see his mother and her death,  and the loss of his grand sire and grand dam.  Not fare to him and too painful for me.  Heather said it yesterday… Mom, you had to sever yourself from them in order to move forward with a horse.  How profound of her!

So move forward I have…  and this is where I have landed.

Just a gorgeous 3 year old filly named Shades of Gray. A registered Spanish Mustang, gaited and appy.  Definitely my type of elegance and fluidity. I have never liked gray horses.  But I have fallen in love with this girl.  She is appy but she is turning gray which means that she will lose her spots someday and become a white horse.  I see fine China!!

Isn’t Shade one of the most feminine and sweet girls you’ve ever laid eyes on.  She’s a girly girl and I love that about her! I am back to being excited about the future and making plans for how we will live together. What kind of gear we’ll use together and what kind of education we’ll share together.  New journeys… new adventures.

Shade will remain in South Dakota at Don and Terri Harwood’s until June 2012 then she’ll make her journey to Silverton to play with me in the mountains for the summer, learn about human idiosyncrasies like climbing up on her back and such nonsense.  Then she will spend her first Colorado winter on pasture near Silverton.  I’m thinking of bringing her in off pasture in February of each year and boarding her for three or four months each spring where I can take lessons and brush up on my dressage training as someday this is what I want to do with her.  Haute Ecole…

Dreams… I want to thank Don and Terri Harwood of Blue Moon Spanish Mustangs for making this new dream possible. I’m so full of gratitude.

4) I want to thank everyone who has traveled this journey with me and have remained good freinds and valuable support.  Those who felt the impact of my experiences and shared their warmth and kindness as we waded through the muck together.  YOU all mean the world to me!

Thank you!

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AR Theory went to her new home today.  Loading in the trailer was relatively uneventful. Basically run the lunge line up through the trailer stand at her hip with little contact on her face.  Just enough to keep her head going into the trailer.  I tapped her on the rear few times to no avail, so went up and placed her front foot in the trailer then pushed her from behind and POP up into the trailer she went.  For being a pretty flighty filly she hauled beautifully and used her head.  Showed some real common sense.  Unloading was scarey for her but she managed to jump out.  We took some old fashioned (throw away camera) registration pics and then put her in with Dr. Darger’s horses.  Later in a couple weeks he is going to put her in her own 20 x 20 pen under his shade barn to start working with her. 

We both thought she should bond with his horses first to help her feel like she is part of a herd.  All in all this has been a very rough day for her, but we are confident that she will do fine.  At least she has lots of room to run and is not couped up in a small stall any longer.  Dr. Darger is working with me in terms of if she doesn’t work out he’ll give her back to me or to Simrat so that we can place her in the proper situation.  Also if something comes up that is better than what he can provide she is free to go there.  We’ll figure all of that out come end of June.  In the meantime I’ll get her registration done and other paperwork in order and sometime before I leave for the meeting in June we’ll have her branded with the Akal Ranch brand.  If she fits in at this place then it will be a permanent home.

Here she is not the happiest baby Theory, but she quick, she’ll do fine!

A little bewildered…

A hard lesson as one of the geldings establishes his dominance.

This mare spent a lot of time putting herself between the two geldings and Theory.  We think she may take Theory under her wing.  Will keep you posted.  Dr. Darger is now off to learn all he can about Spanish Mustangs, and of course I sent straight to the SMR website.  I feel pretty badly sending her off like this.  Real bad in fact.  I feel like why was she born to me if she wasn’t going to stay with me.  I’m actually a little sick to my stomach.  But I know her  new home is loving and kind one and that it’s best for her to be able to mingle with horses and have room to run and develop.  I know her, it won’t take her long to impose herself on everyone there and make her presence known.

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Theory is gonna be a big girl. If she isn’t big enough for her age, she is going up in the butt right now promising to out grow even Pro who is himself, at 1 year and a month, a good sized boy.  I expect them both to be in the 14.3 range when it is all said and done.  

This past week she has really improved in her ability to trust.  She is a very tight little girl with anxiety issues that I believe are a result of her eye sight.  In the past week she has thrown herself into trusting me to keep her safe, yet only after first trying to flee. Yesterday she got her first bath and other than her being up and extremely tense it was really pretty uneventful.  She and her mother and the other horses were showered with water nearly every day during the summer heat last year so once the water touched her she was fine with it.  Yesterday was also the first time she has ever been brushed. Up until now she has been too fright and flight to do much more than just rub her neck and reassure her. 

Oh and I almost forgot! Last summer I fly sprayed the horses pretty much every day and would spray her as she passed by. She always was caked with flies.  Well we can’t have flies on the horse for pictures now can we. So I got out the fly spray and sprayed it into my hand rubbing it on her face, then proceeded to fly spray her from neck to toe.  Again other than being tense, she stood like she had had it done all her life.  She really is starting to come along.

Today we took registration photos of her and although she really wanted to leave BAD, and she didn’t stand still for more than 2 seconds my room mate Rebecca was able to get these shots off of her.  Two days in a row with huge strides toward her becoming a trusting young lady.  Something else that is really cool and I hope to get a video of her this week sometime is her little gait that is right on the edge of locking in. 

She is leading extremely well for a filly who has never really had any formal leading lessons.  Yesterday she followed at about 5 foot distance behind me, today she was right up beside me both times on a loose lead.

It has been much harder for her to feel safe in any situation, but she is beginning to show me signs that she may be able to learn to trust yet. You know what she reminds of is the Paso Fino babies who were handled by the “old time”  South American trainers who”use” to rough them up to intimidate them and to get their feet moving fast.  Those babies would be scatter brained, most all of them living in fear, but put a halter on them and you could do anything with them.  I hope Theory doesn’t live her life like that.  I’m working on a situation for her future now. We’ll see how it pans out. 

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Read about it here at  Thankful Thursday February 26, 2009

Be sure to spend some time thinking about what you have to be thankful for.  It is so healing.   More Thankful Thursday’s may be found at Akal Ranch and Tire Dog Ranch.  There are many Thankful Thursday’s out there and if you google them, you may find something that speaks to your very own intimate heart.

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A situation has come up for Theory and so she is no longer for sale.  Also in light of this new situation I will be keeping Prophecy so he is no longer for sale as well.  Thanks for your interest and inquiries.

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Check out the  Horses For Sale at the left in the page index on THE PONY EXPRESSION.  http://www.theponyexpression.com/

I have added Celt’s Prophecy. http://www.theponyexpression.com/?page_id=481

I have an opportunity to purchase a dun roan mare I have coveted for many years.  I need to sell my two youngsters or place them appropriately in order to make this dream mare a reality.  She is a 9 year old and broke to ride and would be a perfect compliment to Paisano for my 1800′s Period Exhibitions.

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Well since today was horse play day, Theory got to spend most of it out running around the property.  This time by herself since the last time I let her run with Pro he was leading her down the driveway towards the road.  He earned himself a moratorium on running free I’m afraid.  So Theory tore around the place cutting up and making mayhem all by herself, staying very close to corrals for security.   Since she is just a baby I am not really training her anything, I just mess around with her and love on her a lot.  She is still flighty though and not real quick to come up close enough to be caught.

Today however I was out working with Paisano, and she came right up for her share of lovins and hugs.  I was very proud of her bravery.  It was a lot of  interacting with her while I worked the two boys.  Yep the Pro Man got his turn to run on the lung line too, and when we went for our walk around the property Theory found herself in tow.  She’d take off running ahead and stop to snif around and I’d call out Theory common were going this way, and off like shot she’d com barreling back.  Pro and I made several trips back and forth playing this game with her and teaching her to come when called. It was such a fun way to teach her.  After putting Pro away. she wanted to keep following me so I’d call her and she follow like  a little ducky following its mom.  When I was all done with the boys I left her out for another hour whereby when I returned to feed I couldn’t find her.  Lol   So it was ” Where is little miss Theory?”  hehe lickity split here she comes barreling around the horse trailer right on past me  to stand near her pen.  I have always told my horses to go into their “house” at dinner time.  So I said to her.”go in your house” and pointed at the pen, she hopped and skipped right in without me moving a muscle. 

I love my life with my horses!  The relationship with Theory and the training style is much different than I have done with any of my horses.  Pro has entered into the hell on fire raging hormone adolescent boy stage, and as such need much more direction.  Well actually he was born that way and is just expressing it with even more vigor.  Theory on the other hand is more like teaching a kid. Lots of explaining and showing.  Not so much direct contact.  More of a sharing.

Theory kept us all very entertained today and we all learned a great deal and cemented our herd into an even stronger bond.

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Here she is bush wacking it!

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