Fun for Josie & Me
26 August 2009
My friend Josie (in the photo) has been riding for a couple of years. She has grown up a lot both in her height and in her riding, and she is able to trot me all over the place and post, and turn and stop. She is doing so well, and I have a blast when she rides me!
Stable Day for Three
26 August 2009
On Monday three girls came to Fish Bowl for a Stable Day: a six hour day at the stable to ride, groom, tack up and generally be here and soak up everything horsey that they could. They are three young friends. They groomed and rode me in the morning and Sherman in the afternoon. They laughed and giggled, asked funny questions, came up with some great stories and worked hard to keep Sherman and me going in the right direction, trotting and walking all over the arena and over and through simple obstacles. They each had a chance to make up a story and while riding, act out the story. One rider told a story about a tiny little girl (her) riding a beetle (me!), and we went all over the place! Another rider dreamed up a story about going to France and going up in the Eiffel Tower! Another made up a great story about being in the desert and going through a dark tunnel. It was entertainingand imaginative, and they practiced their riding skills at the same time. 
Platinum Performance…
22 August 2009
My half brother, Nils, showed up on the Platinum Performance Equine web page titled This Is My Horse. Emily wrote a note about him and included a photo, talking about how Platinum keeps him healthy and happy. It is an amazing product, but mostly we all enjoy getting our delicious daily scoop on top of our dinner! Do you take vitamins and minerals to make you extra healthy? We all know that a balanced diet keeps our bodies strong, whether horses, humans or other animals! See the photo and info about Nils here (scroll down about 1/2 way). It’s fun to read about the other horses on the site – everything from top competition horses in all equestrian sports to pleasure horses, breeding horses, etc.
Guest Post from Emily – A Great Summer Day!
4 August 2009
Hi, it’s me, Emily. What a lovely day today is! I just want to share with you a typical day at Fish Bowl Farm for me and Biscuit and the rest of the horses. I started the morning at 6:45 with a mellow walk with Tut the dog in the riding field. It was overcast and cool – the kind of day where you are so happy it’s no longer hot that you enjoy being cold! Tut galloped around – he’s a standard poodle with a lot of energy – and I strolled, and picked a few blackberries which were delicious! Heading back to the house, Robyn arrived and Tut decided to play Big Noisy Watch Dog (as if I didn’t see her drive down the driveway, Tut!), and barked up a storm! Robyn just laughed, greeted the noisy dog, and we visited before she set off to clean paddocks and I to put the dog in the house and go get a bale of hay for horse breakfasts.
We got 10 tons of very nice mixed grass hay last Friday from a new grower in Madras, Oregon. Nice hay, nice grower, happy horses. I put a bale on the back of the golf car (it’s electric so there are no fumes and it’s so quiet), and headed out to fed. Biscuit and Molly were first, and very happy about that! Then Coco, Sherman (he is so handsome!) and Braeburn got their hay. Annie, Nils and Buttercup were next, and very happy. Buttercup sometimes wants company more than food, but this morning she tucked right in. Then Joey, who is silly and always politely pushy, Rio who acts like he hasn’t been fed in weeks, and Inigo, who is patient about being last on the meal delivery plan. Inigo is a great horse, and he just makes me grin. Robyn was cleaning paddocks, which is the happiest sight of the day to me! She does a great job, tells funny stories, makes me feel like everything’s ok, and is just a pleasure to have in the Fish Bowl. Thank you, Robyn! We chatted a bit – remind her to tell you about Sparky one day soon – and then I scooted in for my breakfast.
Ok, I won’t go minute by minute for the day from here on, but I do want to tell you about the three lessons I taught, as they were all wonderful, each quite different, and yet each very similar!
Pictured above are Presley and Bobby. They’ve been a pair since this Spring, I think April or May, when Bobby became her first pony, and they are coming along nicely. Presley’s pony lives at her grandpa’s stable, so I go to them each week for their lesson. (That’s also why the background in photos of them looks different than our arena, if you’re paying attention!) Presley just got back from a trip out of town, so she hadn’t ridden in a couple of weeks. So she had a longe lesson, and it was such fun! Bobby is pretty great on the longe, and he was attentive and helpful today (yea!), helping Presley by staying rhythmic in his trot. She’s getting to really be able to steer with her seat and legs, and keeping her hands down really well when she posts!
Next was a lesson at home, with Gabrielle in the irons on Nils. That Nils, he is so predictable and awesome! He knows his job so well, and concentrates so hard on keeping his rider safe that he occasionally forgets to pay attention to what is going on outside the arena. He spooked at Gabrielle’s dad walking towards the arena – no frightening action, but it startled him. Gabrielle sat up and was fine. A great reminder to keep one’s eyes up and heels down! She is learning to post, and did a really good job.
This afternoon Gina came over from the City and had a lesson on Biscuit. The temperature was still nice and cool (about 74º I’d guess) and the sky had cleared from this morning, with mare’s tails blowing up high in the sky. Gina hadn’t ridden Biscuit before, and they had a lot of fun. Biscuit demands that your hands are just right on her reins – not too tight, not too loose, and don’t forget to use an indirect (outside) rein while the direct (turning) rein does its job! Gina got the hang of Biscuit’s way of going at the walk and trot, practicing posting and keeping her hands low, while her mom and dad and her friend Natasha, watched. Her mom is a wonderful artist, and she worked in watercolors and kindly showed me her work before they left! Biscuit in color on paper!
What did these lessons have in common? Each rider continued on her learning path in rhythm and balance with each horse. The horses all have a lot to teach us, and today I took away a big reminder that when we ask clearly the horse understands. As soon as things become unclear the horse becomes uncertain. (Sound familiar? I’m the same way if someone isn’t clear with me!) Be determined, be clear, and what you want to happen will. I am really fortunate to do what I do each day: work with horses and riders who are fun and work hard! Thank you!