Princess Lillifee

Our story of little Lilly.  Last week the situation came to a head and we had to decide if she would remain a part of our herd or move on to a place that would be better suited to her.

The pressure to make a decision was focused on one piece of nylon.  Lilly had a halter on from the day we got her.  It was the only way we could catch her since neither of us can rope (at least rope something other than myself lol).  We checked it constantly to make sure that she wasn't getting sores and that it was loose enough.  Over the past week I noticed that the strap under her chin was getting tighter.  Glad she's growing, but it meant that it needed to come off quickly.  If we took it off, it meant that she'd be ours until we could either halter her easily or find someone who could rope her.  It meant a decision needed to be made, one way or the other.

I found a couple who have been rescuing, training and rehoming horses for several years and recently became an official, non-profit rescue.  I was very nervous about it, but he spent several hours last Thursday at our house with her.  I was definitely ready to send him on his way if I ever felt uncomfortable with his method.  But, he was so very patient with her.  He stood next to her, spending time with her for almost 2 hours before we moved her into our shelter and shut them in with the chain fence.  It gave her less room to move away and the smaller space made her focus on him.  Within 15 minutes he was able to rub her from flank to neck which was amazing.  It took another hour or so to get her into the trailer with a few breaks just walking around.

By the time she was in the trailer, she had calmed down and I'm hoping that she had an easier time in his trailer than she had in ours!  I'm hoping to go visit her next week, I can't wait to see my little girl!

The art of getting started.

The herd watching us  bug hunt today :)

It is, isn't it?  An art to actually start something, to work through the process and find your way to the last page of that chapter?  For me, it is.  I love new ideas; learning about something I don't know much about.  I love it.  Putting all of that into actual practice, though, isn't always an easy thing.  Typically I don't need to do much.  Read a new book, do some research and poof!  New knowledge!  But, this life we've chosen, it is learning and then making big changes, making big mistakes, making big memories.

Little Lilly

So, let me start with a (hopefully) brief background on how we got to this point.  My husband is an Army vet and we've been out for just over a year.  We spent a year living with my parents in western AZ before moving a couple hours north near Flagstaff.  We had dreamed for years about retiring from the military to a rural area, living a green lifestyle and providing as much for ourselves as we could.  We didn't imagine it would happen so quickly!  We moved in December and while we didn't plan to get horses until the summer, it happened sooner. We found a lady who had rescued a little filly, but couldn't keep her.  She'd found her the week before from a family who was being evicted and was taking her to an auction that Monday.  We figured we'd try it out, B thought he could train her.

Rhiannon

I found myself with a 5 yr old quarterhorse that was supposed to be a great beginner horse.  Not so much!  She's beautiful and super affectionate, but she's pushy and definitely needs someone who is confident.  I did great with her the first week, but I made a huge mistake by giving her lots of treats.  She gave me a nip and a good shove with her hip.  The following week I made another mistake and didn't check the fit of her bit and after a short ride it slipped and she took off.  I decided to bail on my own terms (lol) and used my face and shoulder to stop my fall.  Not my favorite horse experience thus far!

I decided that she was just not for me at this point.  I started looking for another, older horse.  B then decided that she should be his.  We started looking for a new home for Lilly and I realized just how attached I'd become to the little sweetie.  I thought about keeping her for myself, but after a lot of emotional and heartfelt introspection, I know that finding her a new home is the best idea.  I am hoping that I've found the right place for her.  But, like the Army, nothing is for sure until it's happened!

3-15-12 McDreamy

On to our third herd member, McDreamy.  Goofy name, I know, but I didn't come up with something else yet and it's starting to stick ... we'll see.  He's a thoroughbred and a former jumper.  He's huge and a skinny, sleepy guy.  He will probably be the center of a lot of this blog for the time being as he'll be where my training focus will be.  We're working on coming up with the best diet to keep weight on him.  I wish I had a picture of him from day 1, because you could see his ribs from top to bottom.  His hips are still pretty bony, but you can barely see his ribs in just the 2 weeks we've had him.  I'm thinking a lot of the hip issue will be fixed when we can get muscle on him.

3-27-12 

The first picture was the day after we got him.  He actually looks heavier, but it's just the angle.  I took another picture today and he definitely looks skinnier, but it's not accurate.  I will try and take a better picture from inside the corral so the fence isn't blocking the image, but he really is just a tall, thin guy.  I'm learning that thoroughbreds are typically thinner and can be hard keepers.  I'm hoping that because he has gained weight that he won't be too hard.  We did have a very cold storm that came through the weekend after he got here and he didn't have a very thick winter coat.  We ended up making a blanket for him from a thick, wool blanket sewn onto a tarp and that seemed to do the trick.  It came on quick and the highway seriously closed for 2 days and there isn't another way out of here!  I think that brought him back down to his original weight.  Now we know ... feed more during cold snaps!  So much to learn!

The boys looking for bugs.

Anyway, I'm staring with the Water Hole Rituals developed by Carolyn Resnick.  I've spent time sharing space with him which is supposed to introduce me as a member of the herd.  He should be checking me out, but so far he hasn't been too interested.  Today, however, we gave them some carrots (he's had two treats in two weeks) and some fresh grass we pulled and all three were very interested in what we were doing out there (looking for bugs!) and no one was pushy when we fed them.  Score!  I'm hoping that during tomorrow's space sharing that he'll show more interest.  If not, I will bring some treats in to grab his attention.  From what I'm learning, he may be a food motivated horse!

I will also be talking about Rhia here now and then.  I'm attached to her too and I feel like she is the horse that made me afraid and took my confidence.  To truly get that back, I need to feel comfortable with her.  I'm getting there!  I brush her often, so far just from the other side of the fence, but she still loves it.  Watching her and B is such a joy to me.  I knew that she was a great horse and the problems, for the most part, were my fault.  It's gratifying to know that I'm right and that as I tweak my behavior and mindset, we'll all have such great relationships!

Becoming a horsewoman

My journey has started.  My journey to become a better me, a better mom, a better wife; all through becoming a horsewoman.  Well, there's more to it.  We are all on a journey to become better versions of ourselves.  Becoming more self-sufficient, more aware of the world around us, more conscious of our connection to the earth.  We moved to the country about 4 months ago and since then we've added a lab, bunnies (who just had babies) and horses to our family.

The past couple of months have been filled with a lot of learning about our horses.  I have never owned a horse, in fact, I hadn't been on a horse in over 10 years.  I have so much to figure out and I thought I'd share that journey here.  The training programs I'm learning from, how it works for me and all of the things I learn about myself.

So, I hope you enjoy sharing this journey with me!  And, if you'd like to, you can also join me on my other blog which is all about our homesteading journey.