Merry Christmas!

It’s usually around this time of year, on a crisp clear night, as I stand with my horses under a star filled sky (even though I can barely see my hand in front of my face from the fog that was supposed to clear 12 hours ago); as I move to stand between Ty and Spud (because the temperature is pushing -30C even though it was forecast to be -12C); and the ground is covered with 10cm of fluffy white snow (when the forecast called for 2cm…), that I think over all the events of the last year.

This year went fast.  Too fast.  I have to think hard to determine if I even got anything accomplished.  Much of my summer and fall was spent setting up the horses in a new home, building shelters, waterers, fences and gates.  I’ve spent several months living in my RV in a pasture next to the horses.  That has been fantastic!  Just step out the door and ride!

This year has had its struggles though, with Chip tearing up his hock in a fence, Ponkey developing bladder issues, and Ty is an ongoing therapy project after his broken neck.

The tough stuff aside there were a lot of great things that happened this year.  I spent weeks in the mountains, riding and camping up the Elbow, Sheep, and Clearwater rivers with friends.  I rode weekly with Vance Kaglea during the spring, working with Belle.  More recently I’ve been riding weekly with Cub Wright.

I’ve made some great new friends: Linda Fitzpatrick and Paul Hicks of Reverence Stables.  We’re having a great time working with Spud, Ponkey and even Chip.  Linda is determined to make Spud into a dressage horse!  I laugh it off, but Spud is coming along nice; he has so much try, and such a nice feel.  My mom once watched him trotting and cantering around the pasture and remarked, “He looks like he’s floating!”  He’s got some really snappy moves as well – might be a good cowhorse?  He’s also been a great friend over the year.  He’s the most expressive of my ‘adult’ horses, and we have a lot of fun together.

Little Chip (video) is not so little anymore!  He’ll be 19 months old at Christmas.  He’s still the same little brat he was when he was 3 days old though.  But he’s fun.  He’s not scared of a thing, however he thinks everything is a toy!  I was recently doing some training with Ponkey and had some empty water bottles filled with rocks tied to the pack saddle.  Ponkey was none too happy about that initially. However Chip thought the plastic bottles were great toys:  as Ponkey ran around the pasture, Chip chased him so he could grab the bottles and shake them around!  I had to thank Chip for doing the work for me.  He’s a great looking little horse though, and is going to be a big guy.  He’s been to Extreme Cowboy clinics, has lots of trail time with bridges, river crossings, bikers, cows, and you can usually find him playing with the buffalo on the other side of the fence.

Belle is my pillar, solid and dependable.  As always, she is just as happy by herself as she is with the herd.  Belle saw little work in the year she foaled, but we’re getting back in the game now – she’s my Cowboy Challenge horse.  She’s not intimidated by any obstacle, her thoroughbred genes give her speed, and she moves so nice.  I can’t say enough about our partnership and it’s great to be working with her again.  Belle and I were recently towing people around on a toboggan at Reverence Stable’s Christmas party – she loves to run and that gives her a perfect  opportunity.

I met with Julie Parsonage recently.  She is an Equine Osteopath, and did some work on Ty.  I’m happy to say that she didn’t find any issues with his neck, as Ty broke his neck 2 ½ years ago.  However, due to his neck injury and spinal cord damage, he has been compensating by using his body in an non-uniform way, and different muscle groups are tight or weak.  We’re going to work on that and get him back into shape.  According to the vet, there is no way Ty should have survived.  Initially he was unable to walk backwards or even step over an object.  In defiance to that, this summer we scaled Powderface.  Working to get him to that point has been both challenging and rewarding.  It has also brought us very close together.  Next year Ty will be 18.

And that leaves us with Ponkey.   I’ve had this palomino for about a year now.  My initial intentions were to train him and sell him.  He came to me as a rescue with no training whatsoever and will be 6 years old next spring.  He and Chip seem to vie for last place in the herd.  And Ponkey – judging from the number of bites he gets on a regular basis – is always challenging!  He is a horse that needs the lines very clearly drawn.  He has, though, come a long way.  He is yielding very nicely, and is a quick learner.  He’s got a few rides on him and we’ll be doing more work over the winter.  I’d like to get a summer of packing on him. When I pony him under saddle I don’t even know there is a horse at the end of the lead line – it’s nice!  And he thinks Belle is his!  She plays ‘hard to get’ with him, but it’s clear they are very happy together.

For myself, I’ve been busy working with Dave, Lynn and Mark of NorthernHorse.com.  I provided media coverage of Cavalia, The Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Finals Rodeo.  I try to get a regular article in the Alberta Equestrian Federation’s publication, Alberta Bits, in addition to my blog on NorthernHorse.  And the horses have kept me very busy.  I’m addicted to learning, and horses, at least to me, are the ultimate pursuit.  I say that for several reasons.  One: there is an endless amount you can learn.  Two: there are so many tangents about a horse you can learn about i.e. training, their mind, physiology, care, a multitude of different riding pursuits…  Three: each horse is different and each horse can change.

But what outweighs all of those, and makes learning with horses so much more rewarding, is that it is a two way relationship.  The horses give back to me.  Sometimes they realize this: we work hard in training, they get it right and are praised; but more often than not, they give back to me on another level.  Their honesty is genuine, and they know the meaning of trust and respect better than humans do; with a horse, those things are EARNED and REAL.

I enjoy spending hours with them, even if we’re apparently doing nothing.  It’s the most relaxing and rewarding time I have.  And that time, well… it’s the best Christmas present I could ask for.  I thank God for blessing us with such an amazing, honourable and noble animal.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

All the best in 2012!

Christmas 2011

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