day ten

No barn for me today. No Pretty Pony Pastures, either. Just resting and never ending laundry. And watching Bridesmaids! I have not seen it yet and it looks so funny! Plus I love Kristen Wiig from Saturday Night Live, she is hilarious!

Finally! The last day!

Day 10 - Picture of myself.

I like this picture for a few reasons. It is taken between Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, which are my favorite places in Michigan. I love it up there, it is so beautiful. And the city is very dog friendly, which is a plus! This was taken a few years ago when Mike and I went up there for our anniversary. Since we did not go on a honeymoon, every year we go on a weekend vacation around our anniversary.

monday musings #3 and day nine

The rain is back! 

I have been having a good ole time. . .I am getting comfortable in my new home. I was so upset last week since Chick was moved, that I couldn't even write, but yesterday I got a new friend! Caesar! He is a big boy and he likes to get dirty. Don't get me wrong, any time the lady tried to beautify me, I do my best to reverse it; but Caesar likes to get very dirty! 

And I have learned my lessons with horses past. . .I will not let him bully me! So I have been showing Caesar who is boss. Earlier, the foot guy came to give him a pedicure and I was not about to let him go out the gate without me! I tried to tell him that he better stay, I even pinned my ears and everything, but the barn lady still took him. But Caesar came back. I still won't let him on my side of the shelter yet. I barely know him and it is too early for that much intimacy. 

Nom nom nom

The treat dude came to visit me today! I love it when he comes to the barn! I got so many treats today. I even got some new treats from another lady who is always at the barn. Treats are so good!

Today, the lady took me inside and cleaned out my feet. I wonder if she has given up on brushing me, because I keep letting her know that it is pointless. Next she took me to the big indoor sand pit. I'm not sure what she wanted, so I hung out by the treat dude. But then she made me trot around for a little bit. After that, she made be go up the the thing that makes her tall. It is getting less scary. I go up almost all the way now and she asks me to get closer and closer, so I do. But sometime, if I get too scared, I move my butt away. So, after a few times when I did really good, we stopped. The lady does this crazy thing where she jumps off the block. At first I was scared, I didn't know if she was going to jump on my back or what! But now I know she won't, so it does not bother me.

Sticking my tongue out

I did not get any grass today. . .I have been getting grass in a pasture all to myself for the last few days! I loved it, plus all the boys really like me. And I like the attention. I just have to wiggle my rump a bit and it drives them wild! 

When the lady took me back outside, her and the treat dude were watching me. Caesar was getting too involved, so I bit his butt and told him to get moving. Then I shook the gate with my teeth. I wanted more treats from the dude! But he left and the lady went back inside. Then she came out with dinner! I was so excited! I trotted next to her (as much as I could in the mud) and at the same time I was telling Caesar that he better stay away from my dinner. I think the lady was going to put the hay in the shelter to be out of the mud and rain (she is a nice lady), but Caesar went up behind her and pulled it out of her hands! Ha! I don't care if my hay is muddy! I will still eat it up!

Muddy Caesar and me!

I think I like the lady more every day. I don't think she will hurt me. I keep testing her, though, just to be sure. I go in her space, I bit her feet, I paw the ground, I refuse to move, and I am hard to catch. She really does not put up with my shenanigans and lets me know, but not in a hurtful way. I will keep trying to find her limit though, just to make sure that she is a great as I think she might be. . .

~Shyloh

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Two Songs.

Song 1 - First Date by Blink 182
Blink 182 is my all time favorite band. And on our first re-date, my husband sang this song to me! This band is fun and goofy and has really upbeat music.

Song 2 - Kandi by One eskimO

I like this song, but really, I like the video! It is so cute!

day eight and the unexpected

I remember yesterday stating that I was not going to the barn. I had too much stuff to catch up on at home, laundry and cleaning, and whatnot. Well, from the minute I woke up, I was faced with unexpected things. First, I had a nose bleed. I had never, in my almost 30 years of living, had a nose bleed before! It was strange. After I took care of that, I went back to sleep. When I woke up, Mike was up and making a lot of noise. To my surprise, he cleaned most of the house! I only had a few small things to do! I looked at my dog Cooper, and he was squinting in one eye. He had gotten another ulcer. Every once in a while, he gets ulcers in his eyes. We took him to a special dog opthamologist (the things we do for our animals) and the diagnosis was that Cooper does not produce tears, so his eyes get dry and sometime he gets the ulcers. They are very painful, but Cooper is a trooper! Then I discovered that the bunny needed more hay and food. The best and cheapest place to get that is Tractor Supply Company. . .which I was just at yesterday (ugh) and is close to the barn. Well, I know that during the week a trip to TSC is tough to make, so today had to be the day!

Got that picture I wanted of Shyloh and Bob!

Since I had to head out that way anyway, I decided to stop and see Shyloh. And since equestrian team was still at the fairgrounds, I let her out in a pasture. Once again, the boys were all over her!

Ryleigh says Shy is his. . .even bit Dante on the rump to move him away!

While at the barn, I discovered that a new horse was coming! How exciting! He was a Percheron/Morgan mix and he would be outside with Shy. Well, I knew I had to stay for this. The first meeting can be kind of scary because you never know how horses will react to each other. So I waited. . .and waited. . .and waited. Finally he came!

Caesar! Don't worry, better pictures to come!

Caesar went in the paddock to explore first, then we introduced him and Shy through the fence. They sniffed each other. Then we put Shy in the paddock. Surprisingly, their was no squealing or kicking! Shyloh just followed Caesar around the paddock. It was as if she was showing him around his new digs. . .this is were we pee, this is were we poop, here is our rooms, this is where the water is. . . They were so cute together!

Caesar's owners, Beth, and Kathy and her husband were with me at the fence watching. The horses got treats and loved on. Although, Shy did back up to Caesar twice like she was going to kick him (for no apparent reason), she did not. This was unexpected, because Caeser's owners said that his previous owners said (they just got him today) that he was a pasture bully. Guess it must be that charm that Shy has on the geldings.

Shyloh has really taken to Kathy! She actually let Kathy come up to her in the paddock and touch her! That is a big step for Shyloh! So while today was full of unexpected things, most were positive and I had a good day!

Shy and Kathy :)

Three films. I love movies almost as much as I love books! I could be simple and pick Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, again, but I won't. Just know that those movies would make a list. This is so hard! I could go top movies by comedy, drama, superhero film, documentary, thriller, suspense. . .where to start?

Film 1 - The Shawshank Redemption

Just a great over all film. 

Film 2 - L.A. Confidential

Lots of twists and turns in the plot!

Film 3 - The Dark Knight

Awesome acting!

day seven and sexy shyloh

I am exhausted from my day at the barn!! Me, Robin, and Sandy spent most of the day feeding horses, giving them grain, mucking stalls, filling water buckets, and turning out horses. Whew! My feet are killing me!

Catch me of you can!

After all that hard work, I asked Robin to catch Shyloh. I thought just a peppermint would work, but Robin brought a granola bar out, too. Shyloh must have known that, because she would not come to her for the peppermint. Robin ended up catching her with with the granola bar and walked her around the paddock, then let her go. I am asking others to catch Shy now so she can learn that other people can be trusted, as well. My own personal catch and release program. A few hours later, I asked Sandy to catch Shy. Shy gave her a little bit more grief, but Sandy was able to catch her, too!  

A little later, I went back in and got Shyloh. She came right up to me (yay!), so I think her trust in me is growing. I worked with her on ground tying and some more desensitizing. I think the trust plays a part in the ground tying, because the ultimate goal is me being able to circle around her, without her moving. As of now, I can back away while looking at her, walk away without looking at her, and move side to side in front of her. If I try to circle, Shy follows. So we will continue to work on this and trust.

Hula hoop desensitizing

Our barn is home to the horses of a local equestrian team. They have an event tomorrow, so those horses were loaded up and taken to the fairgrounds. That meant that there was a free pasture! I put Shy out there to graze for a bit and wowzaa!

She had all the geldings in the adjacent pastures up in a tizzy! Red was running around like crazy. For a short time they stopped to sniff and graze near the fence with each other. Dante would not stop strutting his stuff up and down the fence line. Ryleigh could not stop staring at her beautiful butt. When he did break his gaze, it was to try and run Dante off! But the best was Bob, her first love. They leaned over the fence at each other and gave each other "kisses." They groomed necks. I would give anything for a picture of that, but I was afraid to move and have them stop and run off. It was a remarkable sight!

Shy seemed unfazed by all this male attention. She just grazed, like this was a common occurrence in her world. But I did notice that she was pickier with her grass and did not shove mouthfuls in at a time. . .could she be a self-conscious eater? She would take a few blades here, a few blades there, like a little lady.  Shy must be hot stuff in the horse world, haha!

Meet Bob!

Shy and Red

I like big butts and I cannot lie - says Ryleigh

After I put her back in her paddock, I hid pieces of apple, carrot, peppermint, and SweetTarts all around for her to find.  And I forgot to mention yesterday, that Shy was being a beast! She bit my feet, though my boots. . . twice! Once while I was standing on the mounting block, and another time on the ground! How does that even happen? Oh, yeah, me letting her sniff then her deciding to take a bite. Then, Terry brought Addie, her dog to the barn. Shy loves dogs! She was trying to get Addie's tail and she tried to groom Addie's back! 

I will be relaxing the rest of day!

Looking for treats in the shelter

Four Books. So, hard! I love reading!

Book 1 - Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.  It counts as one book because a) it was actually written as one book, but broken into three because it was so long, and b) I own a copy that is a single book.

Book 2 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I had a hard time getting into this book, but after I read it, I was like wow.

Book 3 - The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. Not a single book, but a very interesting series.

Book 4 - Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Again, not a single book, but so enchanting and fun to read.

day six and bonding

I think I may be back on track with Shyloh! Having a plan really improves my outlook on things! Today, I went to the barn right after work. This is what I walked in to. . .

What's wrong with this picture?

She usually does not wear the halter in the paddock, but she has been trouble to catch and she needed to be caught yesterday.

I took the wheelbarrow and went into Shy's paddock to scoop poop out of her shelter. She was very curious about the poop removal. . .

After making sure that there was only poop and no hay in the wheelbarrow, Shy went to hang out with some of her neighbors over the fence. . .

Moo!

Whatcha doin ova there?

Then, I took her inside. I groomed her and put on her Fung-a-way. We went into the arena and worked on a bunch of small tasks. I worked with Shy on ground tying and she did well. We still have a ways to go, but it was a start. Then I did some desensitizing work with a dressage crop until she was totally comfortable with it. She even put the crop in her mouth! Then we did some walk/trot on the lead line over poles. Shy did everything I asked of her! Next, I put a pole on the lowest setting of the upright poles, added some poles to lead Shy to the jump (or hop) and walked her through each way. She was amazing again! Although the closest we came to a jump was when Shy walked two legs over the pole, stopped, then hopped her back legs over together, she still never balked at anything I sent her way!

And finally, we worked on the mounting block. Shyloh is terrified of people on the mounting block! I have been walking her by it, standing up on it while she was loose in the arena, and jumping off of it for the past few weeks. Today, I lined her up to the mounting block and stood on the top. She stood there!

View from the top of the mounting block!

I stepped her up and she swung her back end out, so we repeated this a few time. Eventually, I was able to put my hands on her back and apply pressure! We stopped there. Shy had done a lot this evening and we really bonded tonight! 

I want to take a moment of silence and send my thoughts and prayers to Kathy and her horse, Captain Morgan. He passed on this morning after coming down with colic. I love this picture of Captain! 

Captain Morgan

It encompasses everything about him; his handsomeness, his goofy personality, and his fun attitude! Captain Morgan will truly be missed!

Five foods. I love food! My mother in law owns a restaurant and I get to eat good on a regular basis.


Food 1 - Pickles. I love pickles. I always have loved pickles. Seriously. . .I can eat a whole jar in a day. For Christmas every year, my dad gets me a giant jar of pickles. Yum!


Food 2 - Ice Cream. Dark chocolate ice cream with peanut butter is my favorite.


Food 3 - Mashed potatoes and gravy. Pure comfort food and deliciousness.


Food 4 - Crab legs. Ah. . .buttery goodness. You really have to work for these!


Food 5 - Chicken Paprikash. My grandma used to make this and it was the best!

day five and a spa day for Shyloh

No barn for me today. Shyloh had her hooves trimmed. Luckily, Kathy had no problem catching her to bring her in for the farrier and she did well. She has strong hooves and her feet are nice, which is good because I was a little worried about her hooves since she has been in mud for the past week. Shyloh also got an equine massage from Kathy! What a lucky pony! 

Six places that I want to visit. Fun!!

Place 1 - Hawaii! I have always wanted to go to this tropical paradise.

Place 2 - Australia. Obviously for the kangaroos, koalas, and duck-billed platypuses. And the Outback.

Place 3 - Germany. I went here for three weeks in high school. I loved it! It had so much history.

Place 4 - Italy. My husband is fake-Italian. Basically, this means that a) his grandpa (step-grandpa, actually, but it is the only grandpa he knows on that side) is Italian, so his family grew up with a lot of Italian customs and foods; and b) he loves the Godfather movies.

Place 5 - St. Thomas Virgin Islands. I did a report on this place in fifth grade and I have wanted to go ever since.

Place 6 - All the national parks in the US, for obvious reasons!

day four and frustration

Today was very frustrating. Frustrating at work and frustrating after work. I was looking forward to going to the barn and hanging out with Shyloh and trying some new things with her. Shy was not in on this plan. . .

Chick was moved inside, so I think this really upset Shyloh. It took me a good thirty minutes to catch her today! Lately, she has been coming right up to me; today she was playing keep away. I had to go into the shelter because it started to rain. Shy kept circling the shelter and peeking in. Then she would step in and step out. If I moved, she would step away. Frustration!

Shyloh was just acting all off today. I know that I have been saying that Shy has been making tons of improvements and I have been waiting for her to hit a wall and regress a little. This could be it, or she could just be really stressed that she lost her BFF. Hopefully, Notch will be out there soon. 

I actually had a plan today, but I was on a time schedule! I was going to do some Parelli exercises, modified for us.  I am not sure how I feel about Parelli in general, but I think some of the stuff could be useful, so I am going to try it. But I did not get to them today, so I will try when I go back out. Anyway, I went to groom Shy and she had some flakes of skin coming on her neck. She has been getting flaxseed and that cleared up her dry skin, so this concerned me and it was only on one side of her neck. I asked Beth to look at it and she said it was a fungus, probably from all the rain. I put some Fung-a-way on it, but still, frustration!

On top  of that, the barn owner, Beth said that Shyloh has been very rude to her, especially during feeding time. Shy had to be brought inside for a little bit yesterday because an extra gate was being put in her paddock. Beth said that she went to go get Shy and Shy backed up and turned her butt towards her. Apparently, she was also doing this when Chick was getting his grain, as in a statement of I will do anything for grain. Why is my horse acting like this? She does not do that for me, but then, I don't feed her. I definitely do not want a horse who thinks she can be rude! Frustration!

And the kicker. . .I was taking Shy her hay. I wanted to walk it out to the shelter so Shy could eat it without the hay or her getting wet. She was so excited for her dinner! She trotted next to me, never invading my space, and did some little hops. She was also doing her head tossing. She must have tossed her head hard as she was making a little circle at the trot, and slipped and almost fell over in the mud! I can laugh about it now, because she did not get hurt and it was a sight, but at the time, it was scary! I think it startled her because she stopped it right away.

At least my husband cooked an awesome dinner!

Seven Wants! Easy, because I want a lot!

Want 1 - To be able to ride Shyloh bareback. I just want to hop up on her and ride off into the sunset!

Want 2 - To own a house on some acreage, with a creek flowing through, a barn, a pasture, and some woods. Sweet bliss!

Want 3 - To have no more debt and no more student loans! I guess I could deal with a mortgage and a car payment, but credit cards and student loans need to go away!

Want 4 - To finish my Master's degree. I have one year left, but that year includes a 500 hour internship, which I am not looking forward to doing. So I went on a "break." I already completed a 400 hour internship for this degree, and it was not easy to do that, go to class, and work full time. . .and I did not own a horse then! 

Want 5 - To visit every state in America. Mike and I plan to do this in our retirement in the giant RV we do not have. Except Hawaii, we will have to fly there. Unless we get that RV that turns into a boat that I saw on the Travel Channel.

Want 6 - To be able to read like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit (hey. . .I am a child of the 80's!) Imagine all the stuff I could read if I read at that speed!

Want 7 - For all my family, friends, and animals to be happy and healthy! Really.

day three and haflingers galore!

I just got back from my surprise destination! I am lucky enough to say that I will be volunteering for Pretty Pony Pastures!! They provide therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults that have autism, are deaf, blind, and have a variety of other disabilities. The horses that they use. . .Haflingers of course!

The lady that runs the place has 13 wonderful, beautiful Haflingers. Some have completed all their work and are used for the riding program. Others are still working on ground work and desensitization. Some are working on being ridden by riders with experience so they can transition into working with people with various disabilities. 

I cannot think of a more perfect horse than a Haflinger to do this job! While they do have a stubborn side and can be quite willful, they are also calm, have a high tolerance, and like to please people. Today, the Haflingers that were not doing ground work were out grazing. When it was time to come in for dinner, they all started to go to their paddock. But then one must have realized that hey, where we are going, there is no grass! and galloped back! A few others followed and they had to be rounded up! They are some smart horses that always think with their stomachs!

I was in charge of Buttercup to groom and do some ground work with. Buttercup was an excellent horse, but she was described as an "easy" horse! She definitely tried to test me, but she would not be a true Haflinger if she did not at least attempt! My friend, Anna, came with me and she was given Leslie to work with. Anna has never been around horses, but Leslie was a good girl and Anna did great! 

I groomed Buttercup first thing. Each horse has their own halter and lead rope on a halter hanger that has their name, a picture of them, and descriptive marking written on it. They also have their own grooming buckets and grooming brushes. Poor Buttercup got kicked sometime today, she had a gash on her leg, so I applied some Bag Balm to it. I was put with a volunteer (who was a child!) and followed her lead on ground work. They use a modified Parelli approach. We played the Friendly Game and the Circling Game. We also practiced ground-tying, walking in front of the horse without them moving their head, and backing them up using body language. It was very interesting and I learned a lot today!

Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures. We were put right to work! All the horses there live together and they live outside. They have access to a very nice shelter. They all seemed so happy! I can't wait to go back next week, they are going to let me work with a young horse who is not as easy and calm as Buttercup. Fun!!

Eight fears. . . I can do this!

Fear 1 - People. 
Strange, considering that I work with people! But in my experience, people are predictable, until they aren't. Make sense?

Fear 2 -Bugs!
Specifically flying bugs, bugs that bite, bugs that sting, and bugs with more than four legs (which is all of them!). The more legs the yuckier!

Fear 3 - Heights. 
They make me dizzy. When I go on a roller coaster, I close my eyes and hold on for my life!

Fear 4 - Knocking my front teeth out. 
Seriously. I like my teeth, they are pretty nice, if I say so myself. So I guess I can put that I am afraid of the dentist here, too. But I have had nightmares about falling up stairs and breaking my front teeth! Weird?

Fear 5 - Most social situations. 
I always wonder if I am acting appropriately, dressed appropriately (I hate dressing up, I prefer jeans and a hoodie), know what to say when. . .the list really goes on and on. It doesn't help that I am sarcastic and I have a juvenile sense of humor. So often instead of saying anything, I say nothing. . .

Fear 6 - Loss of cognitive function. 
I feel that I am a pretty intelligent individual. I usually catch on to things pretty quickly. Having dementia or Alzheimer's is very scary for me! I cannot imagine what it would be like to have to depend on people, but not know why. I applaud anyone who has or has had a loved one. It is so difficult and heartbreaking.

Fear 7 - Motorcycles. 
Well, not motorcycles, really. I enjoy motorcycles. My dad owns some and has taken me for rides and even let me drive them a short distance. I think I am afraid of idiots on motorcycles. A perfect example is today on my way home from work. Three people on two motorcycles were next to me. The light turned yellow. Guy one stopped. Guy two and girl were not paying attention and had to slam on the motorcycle brakes. Girl almost fell backwards off the bike. Then guy two decided to gun it through the light (with it being red by now), so guy one ran the light, too! Also, those people that ride crotch rockets on the freeway, weave in and out of the lanes, and pop wheelies while going 100 mph. . .scary!!

Fear 8 - Discussing my true feelings. 
I am not sure why. Maybe because my feelings were never validated or taken into consideration growing up? Maybe I am afraid of rejection? I don't know. . .or maybe I do and I am not ready to face it.

day two and my horse continues to be a thief. . .to her detriment

Bad new. . .because Shyloh continues to steal Chick's grain (and he just lets her), it looks like he is going to go back inside the barn. The grain is not good for Shyloh and it has Chick's supplements in it, which he needs.  I am really upset about my grain thief, she is relentless! But, as soon as the barn owner gets the back pasture put up and a fence in the back, Notch will be joining Shyloh!

WANTED: Grain Thief

Muddy paddock, big nostrils and why are Shy's eyes always half closed in pictures? 

Notch is a big, beautiful, black Percheron. I think he is 17 hands. . .to Shy's 13.3 hands! So, the biggest horse in the barn and the smallest horse in the barn will be together. Cross my fingers that it goes well! But he is usually pasture boarded and he likes mares, so it should be fine. . .right?

Me and Shy and her glowing eyes

Tomorrow is the big day! I feel like a kid at Christmas! I probably will not be able to sleep tonight or concentrate at work tomorrow. I think this surprise is going to be a real good experience! And I am tired of not having a plan with Shyloh. Today, we did not do much of anything. The paddock is still muddy and the grooming stalls were taken up by a farrier that was out shoeing horses. I really need a plan of action. First I think I really need to identify some attainable goals. I may have to work on that. . .

Nine Loves

Lets see, we can get the obvious out of the way. . .

Love 1 - Mike, the husband. My wonderful husband who surprises me out at the barn on occasion (like today) and puts up with pretty much everything I throw at him. I couldn't ask for a better person to spend my life with. Plus, he cooks (like he is doing now) and I don't! Yum, spaghetti! 

Love 2 - Cooper. My old man dog. We rescued him from a shelter seven years ago and he has been a blessing every day. And he can keep  up with the young one, he is quite spry for his age. He is truly a perfect dog. 

Love 3 - Maggie. My three year old black tornado from the hood. She was found on a busy freeway in a bad part of Detroit (are there good parts, you may be asking?) by a foster parent when I used to work at an agency. We took her in when she was about three months. She has been quite the challenge, but who can resist it when she attacks you with love? Not me. . .not Mike.

Love 4 - Shyloh. If you read this blog, you already know all about her! She amazes me every day!

Love 5 - Reading. I will read pretty much anything. I just love to read. For fun, for information, for whatever.

Love 6 - Nature/Being Outdoors.  This is a view from the top of Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in Northern Michigan. I love it here. So Beautiful. I love walking through the parks, kayaking, bike riding, and camping. 

Love 7 - Relaxing days at home on the couch. What is better than a day just relaxing on the couch with the dogs, watching Law and Order and movies? Not a darn thing!

Love 8 - Being on a boat/kayak. This is two-fold. I love being on a boat. I love being in the water. Nothing beats relaxing on a boat, fishing, or cruising in the water on a tube. I also love this band. One guy is from Saturday Night Live. The are kind of raunchy, but hilarious.

Love 9 - Traverse City, Michigan. The most beautiful place on earth. This city encompasses almost everything that I love. Outdoors, my favorite lake, Lake Michigan, dog friendly, camping, boating, cherries, and so much more! There is a casino nearby if you like to gamble, it is very rural outside the city limits. It has the best ice cream shop ever. The sand dunes are close. The views are breath taking. If you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it.