Thankful Thursday May 5, 2011
…posted one day early…

PASSIONATA DI CATALANO

Life sure is a roller coaster, and throws all kinds of wrenches at you.  Just when I’m certain I have it all figured out and have gained some sense of balance and direction in my life… wham things turn upside down again and I’m back clawing my way back up the mountainside reaching for that stable platform.  It seems as though we spend all of our time balancing that platform upon the narrowest peak doing our best to keep it level and our lives on track and comfortable. Realization is that the platform we all cling to is not so stable at all. For me it’s always been trying to improve on what was provided for me.  I always do it too.  I always try to take what was provided and take it to a place that is just out of reach.  Maybe it’s the explorer in me, the challenger, or researcher.  But it always blows up in my face, if not now, then later, but at some point I’ve got it coming.  This has been my life’s lesson over and over again, and you’d think that at some point I’d heed its message.

So if you have read the last post you’ll see that I was on to a dream, I sought it out and was going for it, creating the path I would walk down. Well shortly after posting it, the horse I was creating my dreams around died. The other horse I had hoped to move forward with was made unavailable to me and I was lost again. Not one day later though an old opportunity to travel down a specific path opened up to me and I chose to take it and yet not a day later than that I had already moved this opportunity toward that unachievable goal. Damn!  It took Heather to open my eyes and show me what I was doing… again.  In a few short sentences, she brought daylight to the path that has been provided to me and brought light to what I was doing…. again, reminding me how it all could end up if I kept this up.  So my job now is to keep it simple and finally heed that lesson. Find satisfaction in the simple pleasure of this gift.

It’s a funny thing, since early childhood I’ve been drawn to blue animals. Blue cats, blue dogs, blue horses, blue birds, blue fish.  I don’t want a cat… but guess what… meet Gunner.

He is a six year old grossly overweight life long pet of a friend who moved to Thailand. I could not see this guy just tossed aside so I offered to help find him a forever home. They called him “Crazy Legs” because he would attack your legs.  Wow were they not kidding… this guy is treacherous.  I had cuts and scratches all over me from him attacking me as I’d walk by. There was no petting him without being in danger.  Once he attacked me from across the room and left marks all over my chest.  I was a little nervous about sleeping in the first days after he moved in with me, that he would attack my face at night. I mean not your usual kitty play. we’re talking dangerous injury kind of kill pray kind of thing. Me being the pray. I think this cat weighed close to 30 lbs, and  has a big cat (like tiger sized) mind.  I quickly realized that he was not going to find a home.  I’m faced with putting him down or putting him in a no kill shelter who will keep him caged for life, or biting the bullet so to speak and keeping him myself. I’ve renamed him Gunner for his gun metal color and have put him on a diet where he has lost maybe 4 or 5 lbs over the month and still needing to lose about 8 to 10 more.  He may put me in a position to have to find another home as I’m not suppose to have a cat where I live.  I’m going to ask if I can pay a hefty deposit, non refundable, with written promise of carpet cleaning etc when I move out. Gunner is not a dirty cat, he is very quiet, doesn’t get into anything, and is trying so hard to learn how to be gentle and loving.  He wants to be secure so badly. I have to try.

So at least at the moment, I have a blue ‘”fat” murderous cat named Gunner, and, if you have been paying attention… I now also have a blue horse.

(Yes I know, she looks mouse brown here, but she is what is called a grulla known for their blue-ish tint with dark head, legs, mane and tail, and stripes also on their legs and stripe down the back.  Once shed  out she will be a deep slate smokey color with a blue-ish tint.)

From my favorite bloodlines in the Spanish Mustang breed, I’ve named her Passionata di Catalano after my passions for this breed, for horses in general, and given her my maiden name Catalano which means from Catalan Spain where our Sicilian family originated many many moons ago during the Catalan/Iberian reign. A tiny little thing, she will be perfect for my family and inexpensive to feed and maintain. She was given to me from Laura Louise Jayne  Mueller of Spanish Horse Conservatory, the lady I once bought my first Spanish Mustang from. Now to keep on the path of the opportunity that has been afforded me. To intertwine her into my family as a member, train and show her in exhibitions, and just enjoy a horse (One Horse) for the sake of a horse and for no other reason no matter how grand or potentially beneficial.  Creator, please give me the strength and wisdom to stay on this path, and to keep from trying to turn it into something more than it is fated to be.

Aho

So, the plan is to locate a place to bring Passionata home to this June in Silverton for the summer then to just begin the life long process of becoming friends with her.  To some time by next summer buy a saddle something like this Portuguese Vaquero saddle for her.

With matching bridle and equipment. while in the meantime start her training for classical style work that will prepare her for Garrocha.

I’d knot her tail up like you see here and braid her mane up and go to exhibitions… I think Passionata would be very pretty and well suited for this kind of work, as well as trail riding and family enjoyment.

So unless the creator changes things up on me once again this is where I sit. A blue cat named Gunner, more than likely a new place to live by next summer, a blue horse named Passionata di Catalano and a dream of trail riding,  along with Garrocha exhibitions and family fun.

Wish me luck!

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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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I probably should be out walking, or doing something rather more productive than posting a blog today.  But something just happened that could very possibly change my life forever.

On a whim I decided to visit a website of a Master of Horsemanship who entertains only a small group of people. Those who share a similar philosophy.  He doesn’t make himself available to the general public. You have to earn his trust just as you have to earn the trust of horse.

When I wrote my email of application to join his online forum based school, I figured  that I would be flat turned down.  I share his philosophy, but have trained in traditional styles most of my life.  However, I have been going through a life long change of application and personal relationship with horses.

The experience involved with the process of living with Spanish Mustangs (particularly the ones I lived with), and working with wild BLM mustangs (American Mustangs) changed me forever and basically ruined me for traditional horsemanship of, I think, every kind out there.  I don’t care if I ever ride a horse again.  Of course I would like to ride I love riding, but when it comes to my relationship with my horse, I really don’t care. I don’t want a horse for riding – that’s the point. If I ever get another horse he/she will be a companion, friend, co student.

I WANT TO SEE  WHERE OUR RELATIONSHIP CAN GO AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER, NOT WHAT MY HORSE CAN DO FOR ME OR FOR HIS BREED – I WANT TO GROW WITH MY HORSE AND WITHIN MYSELF.

I truly have been changed where horses are concerned. Horses like Asad

and Kindlewood

changed me for life.  They were friends and we sometimes went riding together. I was never alone or needed human companionship when either of them and I were together.  They new things about me no one will ever know or understand. I believe it was same in return.  Looking into their eyes there was equality between us.  I became over protective.  That became my personal down fall. I thought I could protect them. I believed it – too much ego involved there.  We all fell.

With all that aside, I know my days with horses are not over.  I’m not sure I’ll own a horse again. (OWN) Yeah okay – I’m not sure I will share that intimate life long experience with one certain horse ever again. Then again maybe I will.  That part of my life is up in the air.  I can tell you this…

…if i travel down this road with this Master I will not be involved with exploiting horses for any reason or for anyone ever again.

I am honored to be accepted into the online forum school of  Nevzorov Haute Ecole – the school of  learning from the Horse Kingdom.

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Well maybe it s about time for an update on Theory.  I have purposely left the new owners alone with her as if they had bought her. Well actually I am still the owner, however if things continue to go well I will give them her papers when I receive them back from the registrar. I wanted them to feel free to build a relationship in the manner that works for them best with no pressure from me.  The Veterinarianwho has been so good as to take Theory under his wings, told me the other day that she has settled in nicely.  At first when they would feed she would run like crazy all around the 2 acre paddock.  After a few days she would only jump a little when they tossed in the hay.  The mare in the group has taken Theory under her wing it seems and it appears the mare is the boss of the small 4 horse herd. This means that Theory gets to eat with the mare and follow her around to eat everyone else’s food as well.  Food was my biggest worry for Theory as being so young and the newest in the herd I was sure she would suffer some in the food department. Apparently that’s not the case.  She has free reign because the mare has become a surrogate mom, or an aunt and assures Theory gets her share.  Anyway the Dr. is very happy with Theory and I could tell he would be disappointed if she were to leave.  He feels her issues are probably not eye related and that she is indeed a sufferer of hypersensitivity to self preservation.  This does not seem to bother the vet. He feels that the mare is helping Theory settle down and not be so alarmed.  We are hoping for learned behavior modification.  That is our theory anyway, while in the meantime she is safe and loved.

Prophecy, the dynamic stallionesque (by-the-way, that is another Susan word… I really like this word a lot too! I should have my own language.) that he thinks he is, has stepped up to the task of being driven and led around the block. He is settling a bit also in his pen when I am in there working with him. He joins up even though he was taught solely through observation of Cora and Kindlewood joining up.  He has never had a real round pen session.  He is just too young for it in my estimation.  But he goes out on command and comes in on command like he’s been doing it all his life.  This usually the routine when he loses his manners and tries to taste the arm.

 I finally sent off both Theory’s and Prophecy’s registration papers.  I don’t know why but that is such a major thing in my life. I always look forward to gettig my foals registered. The 2008 foal crop was the first time that I did  not send in registration paperwork at 6 months of age.  I was feeling really amiss, but now it’s done and I will feel so much better when those papers are in my hands.  The next thing is to get the Akal brand on Theory. I have been waiting as long as possible so she can grow and hopefully not end up with some humongous brand her shoulder come 5 years from now.  There is no more time for her to grow up as I have to get it done before I leave for the SMR 52nd Meeting in Oregon.  I need to return the brand to Simrat and since I’ll be going to the meeting it makes sense to take it with me then.  Once back from the meeting I’ll be permanently moved to Colorado.  So now or never it seems.

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Just an update on how Paisano and Prophecy are coming along with their  ground driving and outings.

Humble Pai

First off Paisano found his walk the other day.  I took him out on the lunge line instead of the drive lines, thinking we needed some side by side time for commuication.  He literally out walked me. I mean I was gettin’ a get-a-long to keep up and a few times he out distanced me on the lunge line so I laid it over his back and let him walk it out.  He seemed to really enjoy the sense of freedom while he walked along. The process to get to this walk has been painful in terms of me having to work my butt off to get him to show some incentive.  The other day when I took him out Sophie was in heat, apparently a number of mares in the area were in heat, as when we passed them Paisano had to act like he was still a stallion, this got him lots of “knock it off’s”  and a few reprimands.  He reared, he kicked out and bucked up, but it got him no where with the only place he could go being forward with enthusiasm.  Once he got that down he began to walk  out.  We came up against a green filly (in heat) being ridden for the first time out on the road.  It was a disaster waiting to happen, so Pai and I stood for 10 or 15 minutes while the guy inched his upset filly down the road a block or two. In the meantime while that’s happening a girl comes racing her (in heat) mare over a hill and nearly knocks the poor filly off the road.  All of this in front of Pai who is beside himself by now.  The girl on the mare could hardly keep the mare off Pai as she road by.

Sigh….

Paisano was good if not overwhelmed, but behaved, and found his walk.  We had tons of compliments on how beautiful he is. People would slow down in their cars to appreciate his animated beauty with big smiles on their faces and nods of approval.  He did put on quite the show.  He truly is a beauty. Now if he can just keep his walk, he just might make a get’r done horse too!

Pro Rodeo

Prophecy has improved as well. He has had two outings since his tantrum.  The first one he threw a bit of tantrum rearing and kicking out at me. Which got him lots of backing up and circling then a long stand still.  Oh and my boot in his butt for good measure. It’s like “Do you really want get into a kicking fight”  Bluff… Bluff…   He wasn’t sure I couldn’t whoop his butt so he declined.  His tantrum was short lived this time and we went a little further down the road than he had gone before.  He walked, for the most part, back at a very nice clip.  It was pretty good so I tried to keep low keyed and get him back home with a few good boys and a treat.

The second trip out Rebecca walked with us and brought Sophie along trailing behind us.  I ground drove Pro and he walked pretty much the entire time up and anxious but mannerly the entire one mile walk.  We had a few dissussions about his manhood appearing here and there.  “Put that away!”   Generally though he heard nothing but how good he was and how proud I was of him.  He even did a few quality stops and stands though sometimes with an occassional head shake. He looked magnificent too. Gaiting off and on. Showing his potential stallionism in the arch of his neck and strength in his stride.  His gait was quick and animated, it was just breathtaking to watch.

This week brought some breakthroughs for both boys.  It was a good week.

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All photos for this post compliments :   Wojtek Kwiatkowski

I took Paisano out for a ride today. The plan was to ride him for about 2 miles then come home  to take Pro out for about 1 mile walk later this evening.

Best laid plans… I should know better, I have had horses how long?

The first part of the ride Pai was exceptional, so exceptional that I thought hmmm…?  Karen McClain from Twitter lives right down the road from me, I’m thinking I’ll just ride down to her place and check in on her. That would lengthen our ride to about 3 miles round trip.  About two thirds the way to Karen’s place Pai began to spook at things, obviously calculating his spooks well ahead of time which brought my attention to the game he was beginning to play.  After a short visit with Karen, we headed off and it looked like it was going to be a relaxed ride home.  Yet something told me that if I went back the way we came that Pai would start looking for his spook spots and start playing his game again, thus we went a different route.  Everything look as though we would have a nice quiet ride home, but then I’ve been wrong before. I have to admit I think Pai kind of lost his focus.  I’m use to horses having a much longer focus. Pai reminds me of someone who is sheltered and wants to be careful not to get into iffy situations.  He seems like he wouldn’t have a clue about how get himself out of a nasty situation unscathed.  You know soft.    Kinda of the soft guy on an adventure hero’s journey. I’m certain this is just a developmental stage he is going through, but it flared up today smacking us square in the face when a dalmatian dog ran up to the fence line across the road from us on the way home.  It had to be the most frightening sight Pai had ever seen loosing it all together.  I decided he had had enough so I dismounted to calm him down.  Guess I’m going to get that one mile walk in today without Pro in tow.

You know how to offend a Spanish Mustang owner don’t you?  Call their horses a BLM  Mustang?  Nah, that’s just a good way to get them fired up to teach  you right from wrong.  You can call their horses ponies, cute, plunky, nag, even plug.  But don’t ever call their magnificent Spanish steed and Arab!

I have to say that Pasiano did an unforgivable thing today.  He shamed me something awful.  First off he was mad at me for making him go down this new road, then he was certain he would be eaten by the ghostly dalmatian, and then once I’m afoot an Arabian came charging across the paddock next to us tail flagging, snorting and looking quite grand.  That was it, Pai fell apart, but then he caught himself and thought, “Oh no way!”, he would not be outdone! My Pai would not have any of that!

Oh and in public  too!

We had our share of this…

oh yes we lots of this and tons of deer springy trot and stiff legged pouncey walk…

Oh and when I suggested to Paisano that he might want to act more like a Spanish horse in public, this is what I got.

With this as a threat, if I didn’t like his highly refined Arabian impersonation.

I’ll tell you that Arab had nothing on Pai today, and the neighbors, to my shagrin, just had to come out of their homes to compliment me on my rare colored Arabian.  How low can I hang my head?

All photos compliments :   Wojtek Kwiatkowski

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This is my birthday month and as an on going birthday celebration I have decided to join in National Poetry Month. You can blame Kim over at Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch for THE PONY EXPRESSIONS participation in National Poetry Month.  Stay tuned for some drudgery lacking in creativity poetic musings from THE PONY EXPRESSION throughout the month of April. I will occassionaly and arbitrarily pick a photo of one of my horses and write a few simple words that reflect the relationship with or the personality of that individual.

WHEN THEY TOOK MY LIFE FROM ME

By: Celt’s Rio Shannon who lossed her leg when her new owners, who were decent animal loving people,  made a careless decision against training advice. Here I am visiting Shannon at her new home giving her first bath.  She was only a yearling when she passed a few weeks later.

Today I have wept my first tears over her loss.  It’s funny how much she looks like Pro. Even her personality was much like his. Her sire was Chemehuevi (Cerbat stallion) and her dam was My Ambling Rambling Rose (1/2 sister to Azul’s el Milagro al Asad). Losing Shannon was the begining of the end of my life long career as a successful horse trainer.  You have no control over others or their situations, thus the horse is always at risk.

You gave them the chance to love me,

To learn from me.

You came often to check on me,

To bath me, and talk to me in our own private language.

You showed them how to treat me,

To protect me, and help them teach me new things.

You worried when you left me behind,

To cope with their ignorance.

You tried to help them grow,

To listen and become good stewards.

You felt something  of your heart break,

To fall away when they took my life from me.

You locked away your pain,

To learn the final lesson.

Yes my dear friend in the end it was you who learned the final lesson,

When they took my life from me.

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Yesterday I had a nice short ground driving session planned for Pro.  He handled his intro to ground driving very well. I introduce ground driving through lunging. If the horse is lunging well both directions I will add the second rein by attaching the loose end of my lunge line to the soft chain bosal. So basically both ends are attached to the soft chain bosal making a very long continuous rein.  I then continue lunging but at the walk with the outside rein coming around the haunches. When it is time for the horse to stop I allow the horses motion to slide the reins through my hands as I lower them and come to a stop. My feet stop. My hands are lowered which allows the reins to slip down below the hocks of the hind legs. I don’t use a cir-single for this reason – I want the reins to drop down from the head to the ground. My horses ground tie and stop when they see the rein fall toward the ground.  They are taught it from day one as youngsters and it builds upon itself throughout my entire training process to finished horse. Since Pro had learned when the rein is lowered while lunging that he is to stop and stand quietly (no moving of feet), he had it down that when my feet stopped and the reins fell below his hocks that he should stop and stand quietly.  It was like he’d been doing it all his life.  This means that ZERO pressure was applied and in fact he stopped to an increased release, as opposed to a pressure release, or increased contact.

Well, yesterday I took it a step further and included  what I call outside turns. In other words, we are lunging with the drive reins intact with outside rein laying along his side and around his buttocks. When I wanted him to change directions I would take up slack on his outside rein and allow the inside rein to slip through my hands as I encouraged him with my inside hand to move away from me. Basically I pointed my finger toward his inside eye. He’d want to move away from my gesture while feeling a light tug on his outside rein which would cause his momentum to carry him around away from me and into the opposite direction. I might tickle what was his inside shoulder with the now loose inside rein to help send him around.  Call it a roll back of sorts only with forward motion at the walk. I keep him moving in the new direction for a lap or two then stop him and reward him for getting it right. We would repeat each direction until he could turn upon seeing my hand gesture.

In the process of learning this new trick he did walk through his stops a couple times.  Too much on his mind.  I’d back him up into the spot I had intended him to be standing in and let him relax there. He did this new exercise very well.  Remember he is still only 15 months old with a very baby mind yet.

After this brief introduction to turning on the drive lines we set out to drive down the road with an intended repeat of our last session.  Pro was very concerned this time – as I mentioned in my last post about his adventure out in the big ol’ world, he had come home pretty frazzled.  Well he started out this time worried about being frazzled ending up having quite a hard time of it.  He reared, stomped, charged and threw himself to his knees biting at the dirt in a boyish tantrum. I spent what was to be a 30 minute walk  backing him and making him stand quietly (no stop on him now) for about 2 hours.  As he began to wear himself out and calm down we walked a few times past our street which he wanted to consistently dive on to.  When he could get past it with in reasonable self control I turn him down the street and we headed home, which also took some work since he thought it was time to  prance and dance.  In the end he walked and then stood tied to the trailer for about another hour until he got over throwing another tantrum there rearing and pawing.

During his tantrum and only at moments of him maintaining a quiet presence he received many lovings and good boys, pats and encouragements. But with every one he’d use the opportunity to exclaim his anger at being controlled.  His earlier turning session came in quite handy as I was able to easily control his direction even though he was all about going his own way.  He did exceptionally well in that department.  Pro has a bully personality and it really showed during this session.  I was thankful I had chosen to start him earlier than I would normally have. I usually hold off until the horse is at least 2 years of age to start disciplined work.  If I take a young horse out to see the world I usually do this on a lung line  and work on small stuff along the way, but mostly just exploring and looking, smelling and tasting things.  Pro has become pretty sure of himself and is very study, and pushy, so between getting beat up by Paisano a couple weeks ago, and now finding he is under my spell, he has been given some solid things to think about.  As he comes into his 2 year old phase next year he should have some decent manners on him and be a pretty well behaved young stallion.

I will probably not take him out again for another week or so.  He’ll need time to sort this whole thing out without my interference.  I figure he’ll be pretty well in control of himself by the time we move to Colorado, an understanding he really needs to get before we embark on our journey.

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So I take Paisano out today for his turn at driving.  He had his nose stuck in the halter before I could get it untangled.  It didn’t take much time getting him use to my style of driving so off we went clippity clopping down the road.  It took some work though to get him motivated, which once he had the notion of what I wanted he trekked right along at a good clip.  He would take advantage though of me fiddling with my reins or adjusting my position slowing down to his usual moping pace.  What I thought was going to be a training session in get a get-a-long, turned into a lesson in get-a-stop.

He walked through nearly every stop I asked of him and spent most of his time backing up and standing.  I’d goose him out into a good fast walk which he got right away and did very well with, but when it came to stop he was like “Huh?”.  So we played walk three steps stop and stand, walk ten step stop and stand, back back back, walk ,stop, back, stand, until he finally paid some attention to me.  Guess we need to put a stop on that boy.  He was very good, just all about everything else around him and not about me.

Now if I made gentle contact on the reins he would stop instantly so its not like he was pushing his way through a stop.  But to stop in unison with me without the aid of the reins he was all like “would you just cue me with the rein so I know what you want?”   My answer was “well if you were paying attention to me back her behind you instead of lolly-gagging up there you’d know I wanted to stop”.  In the end he was getting it and put a good effort into it.

A man in a pretty blue Ram truck (I love Ram trucks ) stopped us along the road who had heard of Spanish Mustangs but had never seen one. “Wow, my first bonafide Spanish  mustang!!”,  he exclaimed.  He had an Apache reservation mustang and a 1/2 mustang (I’m assuming was a foal of the reservation mare) at home. We talked for quite awhile while the guy ogled over Pai’s color.  Paisano was perfect of course, stood there like a gem.  When the guy left we came on home  at a very nice clip with  Pai getting his usual snacks from the pellet bag and a few minutes running free before I put him away which included tons of hugs and kisses.

I know what work is cut out for me and Paisano now.  Stops and back ups and quiet feet are foremost in my foundation work.  Paisano is nearly perfect now with his feet. They are extremely quiet which really pleases me.  What we need now are a few more of these get-a-long and get-a-stop lessons under our belts and we’ll be ready for some trails.

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The other day I was thinking about Paisano and how he drags along on the lead or when being ridden. He is just relaxed and happy to mosey. Well I am happy that he is happy but I don’t like to mosey. I’m a get’r done gal. I see a far off ridge, I want to be on that ridge and back again before the sun goes down. Ain’t happen’n with Pai. Not right now at least. I like the fact that he is so laid back because he is going to make a fine mount for Heather to ride or her baby some day. But I still would like him to kick it into gear when I hit the saddle or want to take him along for a power walk. His tree will be here in about 20 days or so and I’ll be all about figuring out how to strap it on him for a few test rides before I go about actually putting leather on it. Both Paisano and I need to get in shape and fast, as we have projects to accomplish coming up soon.

I kept going over in my mind how I wanted to go about getting some ambition into Paisano’s get-a-long when I remembered he knew how to ground drive. Now its much easier to get impulsion from behind a horse than from in front or beside one. So I thought “you know I’m going to teach Pai my style of driving and take him out on the drive lines for a power walk.”  I’ll power walk and he’ll trot until he figures out how to stretch his stride out and quicken it up a bit. In other words get himself a get-a-long.

So today comes along, first chance this week to work horses and I find myself in the yard with Pro decked out with drive lines. Ummm… Pro doesn’t know how to drive… hmmm?  So I shrugged my shoulders looked at Pai and said in a matter-of-fact tone “you are tomorrow”, tipping my hat in his direction. I had decided to teach Pro from the ground up in the manner that I teach ground driving.  He needed some attention and so at the last minute I grabbed him instead of Pai.

I figured that I would not be getting any real driving time in on Pro because he had to learn about the lines on both sides of the body how to go how to stop and how to turn. That’s a couple lessons at least the way I like teaching it. Thank goodness for whoa and stand on the lounge line and that I use the same cues for driving that I use for lunging because Pro knew them and basically did everything without a whole lot of direction from me. A couple times he put his head down getting a foot over the line giving me an opportunity to make things get bungled up so Pro could see how not so smart it is to get his legs tangled up in the lines. He had it down in two tries. “Don’t get legs over line, cool I got it!” This meant that we had time to go for a walk. Originally I had planned on walking him the entire way but I stopped, rethinking things, and ran the offside rein around his neck and let it hang off the near side while I lead him with the near side rein. Who knows what will happen out there…

…out there Pro was walking so fast (YAY!!!) that he was getting pretty far ahead of me so I let the offside rein slip down around his haunches and low and behold we were ground driving. HA HA What else did I expect?  I like to let him lead me around the yard sometimes to explore, doing this by running the lunge line along the side of his neck then up over his back and down round the offside hip keeping it from getting into his feet if he puts his head down to sniff stuff while I follow along.  He figured we were out exploring but with me directing where we went.  (New rule – HEAD UP).  The horse trainer in me was seeping back into my veins and the finesse of the reins became more in line with what I remember. We were far from dancing though. My knee is still keeping me from being very fluid but it is better and we really did get it on down the road!

We came up to a couple of horses where Pro lost this brains, not sure if he was an insecure baby or wanna be herd stallion but he began screaming and doing the idiot dance.  It seemed that he didn’t know whether he wanted to run home or drop his buddy to impress the girls which got him absolutes as to why “that” doesn’t happen.  “Practice some self control Pro!”  Once he would stand for a few minutes with out carrying on like the spoiled rotten brat that he is, I let him head back for home. It took him a quite awhile with lots of stops and stands, and “keep your mouth shut”, before he finally settled down enough for us to head on back home with something familiar of a relaxed horse in hand.  Well sort of – he was kinda frazzled.  For a baby boy on his first real training adventure he did exceptionally well yet he had hit his wall and so without too much fan fair I walked him home let him steel some nibbles out of the pellet sacks and put him directly back in his pen. 

Paisano scolded him for leaving then came over to me wanting me to put the halter on HIM.  Pasiano reached out for the halter and held it in his mouth while batting his eyes at me and blowing on my neck.  Now what would you think of that?  “Sorry Pai you get to go tomorrow”…

…”no – you get to go tomorrow“…

…swish goes the tail as he spun around to pin his ears at Pro and snub me.

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