I feel as if after the very savvy weekend I had, I should probably post..

Most of the barn people went on an expedition to Lexington, VA to the Parelli Across America first tour stop. Hannah and I went separately on Friday because we decided to volunteer. Two hours of sleep and four hours of sleep later, we arrived at the Lexington Horse Center. We met a lot of cool people and set up the arena. You never know how much it takes until you’re there to do it yourself. They also fed us lunch, which was a variety of awesome pizza. Around 5:30, after wrestling with vests and jackets and other merchandise, we were assigned sections. I ended up at retail with Laura and five other nice ladies. Hannah was at Savvy Club booth with Susie.  We met up with Lonnie, Ben, and Christy for dinner, and then, after some tribulations, the hotel. Only briefly saw our crew, and went to bed. Six am wake up, at the center at 7. The day starts off with out computers down, and tons of people coming in to buy. Luckily, our awesome IT guy got things up and running not too long after 8AM, and we finally had computers. I was busy every break that day for the entire time solidly, and met a lot of interesting people. The demos were awesome too, watching Linda ride Remmer and the Mastery Students with Pat. I also signed up to do a TweetUp, almost unintentionally, and I got three live celebration DVDs and got to take a tour of the barn and meet the horses with Sam.Then that night we met with our barn peoples and had a nice dinner.

Another early night, early morning. McDonalds for breakfast (gross) and another long day. Awesome lessons with Pat and Linda, I got a lot out of them. Less busy, down in retail, because it was savvyclub sunday. End of the day, we did breakdown quite quickly. Hannah was being crazy, and I told her I’d throw her out the car if she fidgeted the entire time, and when she tried to get Dancin’ Pete to defend her, but instead they tried to shrink wrap her, but instead, he chased her around a figure 8 pattern. Dinner at 7:40 (CHOP CHOP!) Swiss men keep their knives very sharp I def miss Alain, Laura, Suize and the whole crew.

Horrible ride home in the crap weather. After Friday I will post about the pony.

Beth and Linus

we miss you Beth!!

An awesome day!!!

WOW what an awesome day!  Charlie was laying down in the padock while Hannah was doing a pushing passenger with one of her students and i was wtching and then she asked me to go get the CD player so i went to the barn and Charlie was laying down in the padock so i grabbed a few carrots to give to him and layed there with him for like 30 minets!!! it was awesime!!!!!!  Hannah eventully came down to see if i had dissapeared or something but she was like why to take the opproyune moment! so it was amazing!! ill never froget it

Now after lunch i got charlie out and brushed him off reall quick and we went down to the round pen for our pushing passenger lesson that turned out to be more of a lesson about finding our natural rhythm. after having some trouble siting his trot bearback Hannah came in and we contued sortive what we did the week before. i sayed on Charlie and she put Charlie on the 22 foot line and  she made shure he stayed in gait so all i had to do was find my seat. it was awesome i had Loads of fun Charlie is such a great teacher! it gave me a whole new leavel of confidence. i can’t wait of next week when i can try it again. except this time with Hannah just watching and hopfuly soon i will be able to sit Charlie’s canter bearback with is extemly hard!

i know i havent written in a long time but im going to change that. and i just wanted to thank everyone at Winter hawk. you guys are AWESOME!                         ~Juliana

on top!

LIFETIME GOALS:
MY lifetime goal is to be a doctor of Physical therapy, and a horse-woman. I want to be able to communicate with horses on a higher level, even though that will not be my profession, it will be my passion. I would like to be able to use the natural horsemanship and my physical therapy training to help disabled people regain freedom of movement.

My goal in CHARLIE’S lifetime is to be able to compete in cross country/jumping/ and competitive trail riding events. I would like us to successfully be able to jump a picnic table bareback and bridleless. Teach him tricks like levade/rear, spanish walk, lay down, hand me items off the ground. Mount while he is laying down.

YEAR GOAL :
By 2011 I would like to be done with level 3. I would like us to be jumping 2 feet and have a course of jumps, natural and/or stadium (whatever we can get our hands on).

Month goal:
I would like to have him doing 6/7 trot laps with relaxation and rhythm, and 3 canter laps with relaxation and rhythm. Be able to do trot/walk transitions with just my energy. Be definitively clear on my cues. Problem solve figure-8 pattern.

Week- To get three laps to the right at the trot, and a half lap at the canter.

Wednesday – To be able to skip and jump onto his back while he is calm.

You make me smile like the sun . . .

Annnnnd riding week is off with . . .interestingness. The weekend was good, played the Parelli games and actually hopped on freestyle. I was a nervous wreck so a pattern was good for the both of us. Let the boys out in the big arena Sunday morning and just hung with them in the afternoon. Mocachee’s still loving his cradle bridle.

I am completely unconfident about riding him here and after getting a chance to talk with Kathy Baar about it tonight I’m feeling a little more okay with it. Monday was awful, totally mad at my horse and myself and it didn’t get better til I just got on. Getting over the anger stage quicker, today was better. Saddled three times at liberty and did the “slower” mental play. I might need something inbetween because he was a bit impulsive when I got on. Kathy helped me with the shimming and we think we have something that works. I may have to add one more thin shim to the back since he needs so many thick shims up from for his huge shoulder. Rode some in the arena with the other students just at a walk and trot. Follow the rail, transitions and figure eights were working for us.

Back to the round pen this afternoon and tried a walk, trot and canter. Still impulsive, so patterns were in order. I still felt pretty confident and having him stand on the tarp for a while before I got off was making him think. I’m just going to make myself take my time this week and see how it goes . . .

awsome screen:)

I made this screen last night i theought you guys might like it:)

i hope yu like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts on Geewahdeen, the one-eyed pirate horse…

It was the last day of Summer 2009, and proved a good day to say good-bye.  I will always remember our boy, Geewahdeen, as the one-eyed pirate horse.  He is the reason I found my passion again at the age of forty after a self-imposed moratorium on horses.  Geewahdeen , with light only in one eye, gave me back the light in both of  mine.  His pushy horsenality always charmed me, even when he literally pushed hard enough to knock me down!  He was the original lover of Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars.  And he couldn’t get enough of them right up until his passing.  He was the type of horse who didn’t need you to take care of him so much as he needed to take care of you.  His eccentric, yet faithful, sidekick Kiki was never far away.  And they became especially close as age and arthritis began to overtake them.  Kiki did have COPD, but just the same could fain a “cough” for a treat.  These two companions lived the best part of their lives together at Bluehorse, thanks to Rabiah.  I am living my best life now thanks to Geewahdeen and Rabiah.

It is interesting to note that this past Saturday was Pirate Day.  I distinctly remember people texting Lauren during Kerry Thomas’ lecture at Winterhawk, with words like avast, mateys, shiver me timbers and the like.  When she told me why I immediately thought of Geewahdeen, and just as immediately, a hawk flew right in front of us into the paddock.  Again that evening on the way home I saw a huge hawk sitting facing north, and as I passed it I slowed down to look and it turned it’s head to look at me, too.  I know from past discussions with Rabiah that Hawk is a messenger.  When I got the call from Rabiah about Geewahdeen and Kiki, I knew what the messengers were trying to say.  When I told Rabiah about the two hawks yesterday, she reminded me that Geewahdeen means North, and Kiki means Hawk.  Hmmm, how interesting.

In closing I just want to dedicate to my sister Rabiah, my brother Geewahdeen and my uncle Kiki the words of the “Navajo(Dine’) Blessing Way Prayer”:                              In beauty may I walk.  All day long may I walk.  Through the returning seasons may I walk.  On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.  With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk.  With dew about my feet may I walk.  With beauty may I walk.  With beauty before me, may I walk.  With beauty behind me, may I walk.  With beauty above me, may I walk.  With beauty below me, may I walk.  With beauty all around me, may I walk.  In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.  In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.  It is finished in beauty.  It is finished in beauty.  “Sa’ah naagh’ei, Bik’eh h’ozh’oo.”

For all my Friends and Relations-With All Gratitude and Love, Elise

Goodbye Is The Hardest Part.

I think today was one of the hardest days in my life. I tried all day to be happy and but it aside but i knew in the back of my mind that today was the last day i would see Miss.Elise for at least a month.

It was so hard for me to keep in the tears, Miss.Elise or Grandpa, did so much for me and when i felt upset or down i could turn to her. Now i am leaving and i wont be able to see her every week. After the savvy conference in spring, i felt so close to her, i could trust her. Ever since then i have just grown closer and closer to her. I really love her. I know its not the final time i will see her but just the thought of living 6 hours away from her, is so hard.

Miss.Elise is one of the best people i have ever met. She has made such a difference in my life. When i first moved here, i was not confident at all and i didnt feel like my voice mattered in anything. But she has taught me thats it ok to speak out and show your emotions.

Well, i just wanted to say, you will forever and ever be in my heart. I will miss you, i already do. I Love You.

Thank You

I would like to thank everyone at winter Hawk Farm for the most awesome Birthday presents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love my Parelli Savvy Club account, the Parelli Celebration DVD, and the little Shetlen pony figurinen:)

By the way the cake was amazing

Big Peanut Hug,

Juliana

These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down . . .

So, this doesn’t really pertain to Mocachee, but today I went out and taught my first lesson at another barn. I went out to Jan’s place in Pungo and it went really well, she even wants me to come back in September!It was kinda strange going back to a normal barn. I forgot how most people treat their horses and how that enviroment was. The other poor horses are treated like nothing more than machines. We really are lucky at Winter Hawk, it might not be as fancy as some barns, but it has heart. Everyone loves the horses and we can all have fun and enjoy our journies with our equine partners. We’re kind of like a big family, lol, and I love it.

Her mare, Sweetpea, is a LBI with some RBI tendencies. She’s a really sweet horse and she’s super smart, but she is defintely a dominant, snotty lead mare, lol. Apparently she rules her paddock, and I can believe it. Jan asked me to play with her for a bit first and then help her with the figure eight at the trot and sideways. No riding since Sweetpea was just getting over hives. It was really fun getting to play with a different horse and I really liked Sweetpea. She started out super dominante, walking on top of me, shoving on me, nipping at me, ect. Thanks to Mocachee, I knew all about that stuff. She was a barrel racer apparently, so she’s got so forward0aholic stuff going on, but if I just snapped her back and didn’t let her go there, she was fine. Once she figures out what you want and you get her motivated she’s very willing to please. I showed Jan how to do the transitions on the circle with the change of direction and what a “good” lap was. Sweetpea apparently is notorious for trying to drag you out the gate when she circles, so I just got in my power position and held the feel til she quit pulling and talked about never releasing on a brace. Got a “good” lap in each direction and then brought her in. I tried getting her to trot up with me and that was interesting. Got a couple steps and got her to back up with me. I’m going to have Jan doing some of that with Charlie Friday to help her prep for liberty. I went over to where Jan was and let Sweetpea graze while we talked about all the stuff I did with her for a bit. She started yawning about 15 minutes into the conversation and Jan was surprised. I explained how the introverts just need time to think and process stuff and she’s going to start doing more of that with Sweetpea. Sweetpea is a master of “I’ll take two steps and watch you run around trying to get me to move”. Helped Jan with the figure eight and showed her how much better Sweetpea was if she got her out of her space and out on the 22 foot line instead of using it like a 12 foot. I think Jan realized that while she may like up close stuff, it’s time for Sweetpea to start doing far away stuff. We got sideways with a porcupine over and cavellti and I told Jan to keep working on that and trying to get it lighter and the sideways will start to come. Overall a very good day and I can’t wait to go out next month. Jan and Sweetpea are a really good team and I feel like I made a new horsey friend with Sweetpea, even if she wasn’t too sure how she felt about me at first.

I can’t wait to go back and Jan said she was really impressed and she learned a lot. She also brought me the information on the cutting horse clinics and said she’d be happy for me to tag along with her to one if I wanted too, which could be kind of fun. It’s crazy all these opportunites that keep showing up and I feel so blessed to be able to have them and try my hand at doing something I love for the rest of my life. Only God could have lined all this up to fit so perfectly, and I’m so thankful to everyone who’s given me at chance to try this out and helped make this possible for me. My Mom also went with me this morning (she was worried about me driving out to Pungo by myself, but apparently I drove well enough I can go by myself next time, lol) and I think she realized that this is what I want to do and I’m at least halfway decent at it. She seems more . . .at peace about my career choice. I think it may have actually been good for her to watch me. I feel a little more like I can maybe be sucessful at this. I think people are starting to realize they want partners, not machines, and that Parelli is they way to be with horses.