Well hello all,

It truly has been forever since I've written here! Hard to imagine but I have moved twice since my last post. Life is fascinating, challenging and truly getting richer and more vibrant I'm happy to say.

This last move was fairly smooth in many ways but also deeply challenging. I took care of Ruby the mule (pictured here) for 2 years and really fell in love with her. My landlords sold her to some wonderful people in Riondel, BC and I'm so pleased to hear that she is doing well. We became so bonded, and because I didn't have the timing and skill to help undo some of her bad habits (which of course she learned from humans), everything I did with her was at liberty, which means no rope and if she wasn't in the mood she was able to leave. I think this is partly what deepened our bond.

I taught Ruby (and subsequently Prowler) to lift a foot (any foot) simply by me pointing to it. She would also bow for me. She was so sweet and sensitive/emotional which of course I loved and hated at the same time. It REALLY didn't work to get emotional near her (in a negative fashion) as she'd be 'outa there' lol. But when I was having a hard time she would come and put her big beautiful head in my lap and let me cry and shnuggle her and she really said she understood.

This summer I had the pleasure of having Eric of www.animalcom.com come visit us and I was able to have a conversation with both Prowler and Ruby about the upcoming move and the fact that Ruby would be moving on without me. It was quite remarkable! At first she couldn't even look at me because she couldn't/didn't want to HEAR what I was saying and didn't want to process it. Eventually she came up to me and I put her head in my arms and we both cried (Eric said a certain shallow breathing she was doing was much like crying). It broke my heart and touched me deeply. I will go and visit her at her new home in Riondel and take some video and photos of her new life. Funny enough her new love is an Appy Mule! Apparently she felt instantly in LOVE and within a few days she was being ponied on trail rides with her new owner Tim riding the Appaloosa mule.... and Ruby NEVER allowed herself to be led on a lead line so it's quite remarkable! Mules are ruled by their hearts FAR MORE than horses I learned....if you didn't have her heart... you didn't have her. Even though I know I had her heart she just learned to pull away and knowing that was always working against us.

 This was the first time in year 2 that I put Ruby's fly mask on. It took no time at all and here she's having a lick and chew, understanding (finally) that this contraption kept the bugs off her ears/eyes. I love this pic as it captures her personality well. She is a character!

Well dear readers... that's it for now. I promise to post here at least twice a month. There are new horse journeys to go on. New horses to learn from and interact with (and fall in love with!).

Until next time then.... may YOUR horse be your GURU.

Finding a 'Feel' with Horses

I decided to do a kick back to the days I had a radio show called 'open wide' on Kootenay Co-op Radio here in Nelson. The year I got Prowler I stopped doing it as the transition to a horse owner was really full on for me that I needed to trim down all other activities.

I do miss sharing on the radio. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you I'm often the 'queen of TMI (too much information)' ;-)

So here's a little snipped of my live life with Prowler.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments about learning to "feel of and for your horse and he will feel of and for you"' as Tom Dorrance put it. http://www.johnsaintryan.com/tom1.htm

Did I say it before? My horse is my guru!

I'll figure out how to embed this audio later but for now simply go here to listen:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1519001/feel%20with%20horses%2003-11_09.11.mp3

Prowler & His Slow Feeder Hay Bag

A little visit with me and Prow on the gorgeous property where I live.  Check my other post about the slow feeder for more info and links for this and other slow feeders. http://myhorseismyguru.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-feeding-feeling-of-abundance.html

We ARE so blessed.

My horse IS my Guru.

SLOW FEEDING: a feeling of abundance… (originally posted Feb 25, 2011)

I recently purchased 2 slow feeding hay nets from Rivas Remedies last week. What’s a slow feeder you ask? It’s any (safe) device, net, box etc that allows your horse a constant supply of feed (aka trickle feeding) that they have to work at to get out. This is more natural for horses as they grazers or rather foragers in nature. Large unnatural feedings (often twice a day) is what horses are subjected to in our human controlled habitat. A slow feeder allows small slow amounts of food to constantly be keeping a horses digestive system working – hence the natural part. For now the unnatural part of this is that Prowler isn’t moving his feet to get from piles of loose hay as I was feeding him before. Ideally I’d love to have a hay net that could be loose that Prow could push around and thereby be moving his feet, but alas with electric fencing and a downhill paddock area this isn’t possible right now. To try and remedy this a little I’ve got them tied up to two posts, somewhat close to one another and they are ALWAYS full.

The theory is that it might take horses anywhere from a week to a month for their minds, and bodies to fully register that they don’t have to hurry or overeat because the supply is plentiful and endless. This physiological change can help horses that are prone to foundering, boredom, cribbing and other psychological or physical ailments. It is definitely a puzzle for Prow to get the hay out of the small 2″ triangles in the net and I can see the pleasure he is experiencing using his mouth and brain as they were intended. For proponents of slow feeders, they say it also has to do with the amount of acid in the stomach and what happens when large amounts of food are dumped into the hind gut causing ‘leaking gut syndrome’ and leading to sugar imbalances and finally to founder or colic.

Is he gaining weight with this method? Yes he definitely is but I feel that this will taper off soon. In fact for easy keepers it can help them even out and settle into a more natural weight and for hard keepers too. I really questioned whether this experiment was timely considering spring will soon be here and that’s a natural time for horses to gain weight due to new grass, warmer weather etc.. But then I decided to really do it properly and give it a real chance. I’m already glad I made that decision and it’s encouraging me to get back to his regular exercise again after a pause due to super icy conditions.

So how is Prowler taking to this you ask? Incredibly well! He is so relaxed and happy when I go out to see him. I don’t have to worry about rushing out to feed him, especially in the cold -20 with wind chill like last night. He was happy and warm when I went out to feed him his evening beet pulp. The feeling I get from him is safety, and contentment. It’s as though he’s thanking for me for really honouring his body’s needs. In fact, especially in the winter, I’ve noticed that I hear him calling out to me in the night or early morning. This is literally impossible as I am sleeping in a cement basement on the other side of the house from where he is, but I’m quite sure I hear him psychically. Since implementing the slow feeding system I have not heard him at all which tells me he’s not getting hungry and anxious in the cold dark night.

The feeling of abundance I described coming from Prow triggered a spark of curiosity in me. How would that feel to more deeply experience relaxation and trust in my life? To really trust that there’s no need to worry where the next money was coming from, or how the next bill would get paid? Now when I sit with Prowler every morning after chores I’ve been focussing on trying to align myself to the vibration of abundance and stating out loud at least 10 things I am grateful for. It will be part of my morning ritual with him from now on.

MY horse is my Guru.

Do Our Animals Speak to Us? (original post Feb 16, 2011)

Do our animals speak to us? I think so, if we are open and willing and able to listen to them they speak in a variety of ways. Horses are used for therapy (equine facilitated therapy: hippotherapy) and the common feedback that they give in such sessions is to blow and lick and chew in acknowledgement of congruity of emotions and alignment of energy. When on their own they will do this to release stress and tension as well.

I experienced Prowler talking to me yesterday as we were out for a walk – with all of our 6 legs – down Laska Creek Road. I was remembering quite visually the last time I rode him a little ways up the mountain here. He seemed fine and energetic and happy to be out but because of the arthritis in his back joints (hocks) I got off coming back down as I always do.  After that ride Prowler seemed very grumpy and it took me about a week to realize his lower back/spine was out again and called the chiropractor in to adjust him. And then the thought came (was it from him?) that I cannot ride him, or even walk him up and down mountains any more, that it’s too hard on his stiff joints and will be degenerative on his body rather than building muscle in his hind end which is what I had been hoping it would do. Immediately Prowler, head bobbing up and down beside me, blew and licked and chewed as if to say “YES finally you are coming into alignment with my old body’s needs!” It was a pretty powerful moment and showed me I do need to come to terms with what his body is able to do at this point if I do want to keep riding him at all. At almost 25, which is approximately 73 years of age, I definitely have a senior in my care.

Cantering is another issue for him I think and while I don’t ask him to do it much when we are playing he ALWAYS puts his ears back when he is transitioning from trot to canter. It is always hard to tell if this is simply a dominance/attitude displaying itself but now I will look/listen and respond with more care for his ageing body.

I feel strongly that when we get in alignment, first with ourselves and what is true for us, and then with another being, from that place they are then far more willing to move with us, towards us, for us, with energy, enthusiasm and joy. This is my intention in my relationship with Prowler. I certainly don’t always get it right, maybe only 70% of the time these days, but that’s part of the journey.

My horse IS my guru.

For more information google: equine facilitated therapy there’s lots of info out there!

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