merry christmas to all!

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the stable

Not a pony was stirring, to sleepy to be able.
The stockings were hung in the barn aisle with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The drafts were nestled all snug in their stalls,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in the halls.
And Clutch in his blanket, and Notch in his vest,
Had just settled in for a long winter’s rest.

When out on the pasture there arose such a clatter,
Shyloh sprang from the sawdust to see what was the matter.
Away from the window she spooked like a ghost,
Tore open the stall door and ran to the fence post.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen rain
Gave the luster of mud to paddocks again.
When, what to Shy's wondering eyes should a-springer,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny Haflingers.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
Shy knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his Haffies they came,
And he clucked, and he kissed, and he called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the barn roof! to the top of the wall!
Now trot away! Trot away! Trot away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the barn-top the Haffies they flew,
With the sleigh full of carrots, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, Shy heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each Haffie hoof.
As Shy drew in her head, and was turning around,
Down to the barn St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his croup,
And his clothes were all tarnished with sawdust and poop.
A bundle of hay he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl of apple jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And Shy snorted when she saw him, in spite of herself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave Shy to know she had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his head,
And giving a nod, to the round pen he fled!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a cluck,
And away they all flew each giving a buck.
But Shy heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

~Adapted by Allison from Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston

monday musings by shyloh #68

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the stable

Not a pony was stirring, to sleepy to be able.
The stockings were hung by the arena with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The horses were nestled all snug in their stalls,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in the halls.
And Tony in his blanket, and Jesse in his vest,
Had just settled in for a long winter’s rest.

When out on the pasture there arose such a clatter,
Shyloh sprang from the sawdust to see what was the matter.
Away from the window she spooked like a ghost,
Tore open the stall door and ran to the fence post.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen rain
Gave the luster of mud to paddocks again.
When, what to Shy's wondering eyes should a-springer,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny Haflingers.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
Shy knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his Haffies they came,
And he clucked, and he kissed, and he called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the arena! to the top of the wall!
Now trot away! Trot away! Trot away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the barn-top the Haffies they flew,
With the sleigh full of carrots, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, Shy heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each Haffie hoof.
As Shy drew in her head, and was turning around,
Down to the barn St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his croup,
And his clothes were all tarnished with sawdust and poop.
A bundle of hay he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl of apple jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And Shy snorted when she saw him, in spite of herself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave Shy to know she had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his head,
And giving a nod, to the arena he fled!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a cluck,
And away they all flew each giving a buck.
But Shy heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

~Adapted by Allison from Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston

de-stress

Shyloh has done her job perfectly today. I think I am de-stressed and ready to tackle the work week. It seems that stress is going around in a few of my blogger friends lately. I hope their ponies work some magic on them, too!

It is odd to be 55 degrees F in December. Maybe in Florida or California that is normal, but in Michigan this weather is far from normal. And then there is the rain. . .and the mud. Needless to say, I arrived at the part to a pony with a wet top half and a muddy bottom half. Anthony showed me how to wrap her tail so it would not drag in the mud. Even though I had it braided, the bottom was still a muddy mess.

Today was also the barn Christmas party and some horses got all decked out for the occasion!

Brenda and Buddy

Faith

We got some delicious food and we hung out with horses and horse people. It was a nice party! And a new horse arrived! A five year old blue roan Tennessee Walker! Doesn't he have the cutest baby face?

Jose

After the festivities, I decided to pull Shy back out of her pasture and work with her on bridling. Lately (well, maybe for longer than I like to admit), Shy has been clamping her teeth shut and forcing me to stick my finger in her mouth to get it to open to put the bit in. She doesn't pull her head away or fight it in any other way. It hasn't been difficult to deal with, since she never fought me sticking my finger in her mouth, but it was annoying and bothersome, especially with a driving bridle. 

So I took out the clicker and we went to work. I used the command "open" and after four or five successful clicks and treats, Shy was opening her mouth without a problem. That clicker is like magic! The video starts out with Tony braying in the background. I only got one try, because all the others were out of screen shot. But at least this one was a success!

We took a break from that and worked on another behavior. I want Shy to pick her hooves up on command. She is already really good at picking them up when I pick her hooves, but it would be cool to have to pick them up with a word. I tapped a leg, said "foot" and when Shy picked it up, click and treat. Shy got this really quick, too. The back legs were much better and more controlled for picking up. The front legs need a some more refinement, since she wants to wave with them. But I was pleased with her progress! I even switched up the order I did the legs each time.

We hung out and Shy worked her de-stressing on me me some more. I grabbed a bucket, stood on it, and hung over her. She was so good. When I was done, Shy was feeling playful and was playing with the bucket. When I put her back in the pasture, Shy had her crew waiting in the back for her, and Jessie waiting up front. Silly ponies!

Zanna, Lukas, and Tony waiting for Shy to join them in the mud pit

Jessie waiting up front

Back together again!

merry christmas!

T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the stable

Not a pony was stirring, to sleepy to be able.
The stockings were hung by the arena with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The horses were nestled all snug in their stalls,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in the halls.
And Casi in his blanket, and Ry in his vest,
Had just settled in for a long winter’s rest.

When out on the pasture there arose such a clatter,
Shyloh sprang from the sawdust to see what was the matter.
Away from the window she spooked like a ghost,
Tore open the stall door and ran to the fence post.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen rain
Gave the luster of mud to paddocks again.
When, what to Shy's wondering eyes should a-springer,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny Haflingers.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
Shy knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his Haffies they came,
And he clucked, and he kissed, and he called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the arena! to the top of the wall!
Now trot away! Trot away! Trot away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the barn-top the Haffies they flew,
With the sleigh full of carrots, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, Shy heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each Haffie hoof.
As Shy drew in her head, and was turning around,
Down to the barn St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his croup,
And his clothes were all tarnished with sawdust and poop.
A bundle of hay he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl of apple jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And Shy snorted when she saw him, in spite of herself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave Shy to know she had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his head,
And giving a nod, to the arena he fled!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a cluck,
And away they all flew each giving a buck.
But Shy heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

~Adapted by Allison from Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston

monday musings by shyloh #16

I've been tortured this weekend! Forced to do things against my will! Made to look a fool!  Participated in activities beyond my level of well-being! I have suffered agonizing humiliation! I have become a patsy for the holidays! A schmuck in a costume! A  ridiculous mockery of the Christmas spirit. Okay. . .enough, but I do have evidence of said torture, as seen below. . .

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Has Allie not learned from the Halloween incident? Are the remaining pink strands of hair in my luscious mane still visible? Yes they are. I don't think she understands that I prefer to NOT be spray painted/dressed up. I mean, do I look happy In Exhibit A or B? I think not.

But, if you did notice from the photos, there is something around my neck. What is that, you ask? It's my early Christmas present from Allie. So if dressing up in silly hats or antlers gets me presents, I guess I will suffer through said torture. It would be much more enjoyable if the presents were edible, though. But, Allie was very excited to give them to me and my friends, Ryleigh and Casi. They are rhythm beads, with a matching tail and mane piece! Allie made them all by herself! They are for when we go trail riding. Not only will I look amazingly cute, but I will be able to keep rhythm to the bells, and the bells will warn other wildlife (because I AM a wild pony) that we are coming and they will get out of the way so I don't spook. 

Modeling my new bling! I should be on the cover of  Horse Illustrated .

Allie put a turtle on my necklace because she said I am shy like a turtle who wants to go in its shell, and we are taking things slow and steady like a turtle! It's cute, I have to say, even though I was a little bit unsure about the bells at first. But I got used to them real quick and kept my new presents on all day. I didn't even try to eat them!

I also got to go back in my stall. I had been borrowing a stall because mine flooded. But I am glad to be back at mine and back in the action, although I will miss being by Casi. Another good thing about being back in my stall. . .it is decorated for Christmas!

Can you see me?

I am getting real used to Allie and much more comfortable with her. I can tell she likes this. I tried to play with her by giving her a nip on the arm, but she did not like that. I guess I will have to find other ways to play. But I am realizing that she will keep coming back for me and will make sure that I am taken care of always. So I guess I will have to take it kinds easy on Allie. . .maybe.

But, you know. . .I can't let my Haflinger ancestry down, so I must continue to find escape routes to look for more food! Gotta keep my priorities straight!

~Shyloh