What can I say, I'm psychic

My last post was titled, "Someone is NOT going to make it through winter, probably me" and I have to say, it's coming true.

Picture it: a beautiful Christmas late afternoon, time to get together with family and enjoy a wonderful meal. Glancing out a window you see three horses, one horse is standing quietly while another is chasing around the third. The concerned owner slips out the backdoor and brings in the poor chased horse and offers her a flake of hay to nimble on, she then returns to the house. But not for long. As she is sitting in the family room, she watches the once quiet horse cantering across the pasture. She wonders if the bully is picking another fight, so she gets up from her chair and goes to the window to see better. The cantering horse settles down and starts walking the fence line. As he reaches the back of the pasture, he spins and starts cantering...er, galloping along the fence. He comes to the corner and instead of turning and following the line, he slips, falls, and slides through the fence.

The owner, who just witness this, is frantic and runs wildly through the house and out the backdoor. The horse is even more frantic as he is now tangled in the electric fence and trying to free himself. As he bolts across the pasture, the electric fence is around his legs, barrel, back and chest. Luckily the fence snaps and he is free, just now understandably upset and still galloping about. The owner reaches the pasture gate, flings it open and runs to her horse's aid. In hindsight, not a good idea; but a good gesture...to one who would appreciate it.

Once the horse is caught, he is blowing and shaking. He is led back into the barn, where the owner tends to his injuries...but wait! There is only one, a rope burn around his chest and shoulder. She thanks her lucky stars that it is not worse and goes about settling down the wild beast.

For the rest of the evening, and well into the night, the concerned owner returns to the barn every hour on the hour to check on her poor-poor horse.

Cast of Characters:
Concerned/Frantic Owner.....Me
Picked on horse....Angel
Bully.....Sancho

Which can only leave our STAR

Quiet horse who ran through fence....DINO.

The damages, December 25, 2010.

And to think, I thought I'd have post about what gifts Angel, Sancho and Dino got for Christmas.

Someone is NOT going to make it through winter, probably me

FOR SALE: 23-year-old spirited (read: PSYCHOTIC) Paso Fino gelding. Has performance record, neck reins, jumps, goes 2nd/3rd level dressage, crosses water - quickly if you don't want to get wet, and is road safe - even knows his way home! Can be a the nervous type; especially if you ask him think.

Last Saturday morning I had the scare of my life, and nearly a heart attack! I turned horses out while I was doing stalls and getting their breakfast ready. Fast forward 30-minutes and I go to bring them in, I open the side door and come face-to-face with a wide open pasture gate, "On no!", I thought.

I turn around just in time to see Sancho galloping across the backyard, afraid another horse would come barreling around the corner I approached with trepidation and peered around. I could see Angel out in a field, digging through snow for grass, and immediately felt a little better that she hadn't joined Sancho in his wild gallop. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see something running down the road, "OH NO, DINO!!" With my heart simultaneously in my throat and my stomach I started to walk across the barn drive to retrieve Angel when I notice Dino was really next to her, hidden from view by the trailer, out in the field digging through snow for grass. "Oh, thank you Lord," I thought and probably even said out loud.

I was now in a conundrum. Do I catch Sancho, who was still running around and risk Angel and Dino joining him. Do I go for Angel, who I would have a 50/50 shot of actually catching, but if she took off Dino would also for sure. Or Dino who has never been loose like this... I stood there contemplating for a few seconds before deciding Dino it was and who had a look on his face that said, "This is too much fun!"

Angel also had a look, "You will never guess what I just showed Dino...oh wait, I bet you can." However, it wasn't Angel's look that concerned me, it was the gleam in her eye. I've seen it many times before, the one that says: "Try me."

I adverted my eyes and calmly walked up to Dino, took hold of his halter (thank God I left those on!) and started walking back to the barn, but then I thought better of it and turned around grabbed Angel's halter as well. I could just see in my mind's eye, Angel taking off to join Sancho and setting Dino off in the process. So I had Dino on my right, Angel on my left and Sancho still running around like a damn fool. I immediately thought, "You, I am going to kill."

I get Angel safely back into her (locked) stall and while in Dino's stall Sancho comes FLYING into the barn, making a beeline for his stall. Once inside, he's snorting and shaking and really there is nothing I can do. If I raise my voice to him, he'll just get that much more upset. So I calmly walked over to his stall, removed his halter, closed and LOCKED his stall door.

Sancho is a...peculiar...horse. Not the brightest light bulb and can really test one's patience. I got him when he was 11-years-old and according to his owner transfer papers, I'm his fifth owner. Basically he was changing hands every other year. And I get why. I really-really-REALLY do. I am sometimes amazed that I've held on to him for more than half his life, and at this point I know I'm in for the long haul.

A really long haul. I just need to recite the Rider's Prayer more often, especially the line "Dearest Creator grant me patience..." Maybe even tattoo it on my body.

OR better yet, his body.

Videos

Here are some older videos I've taken of Dino over the course of the last year. Hopefully at some point I'll have some videos of Angel, Sancho and Dino out in the snow playing.

This first one if from when Dino was boarded last winter at Sandy's Lilly Bug Farm, just down the road from me. Okay, 'down the road from me' is country talk, she's about three miles north of me. I had boarded Dino for the sole reason of an indoor riding arena. It served its purpose. This particular day, Dino was feeling his oats a bit. Check out the buck at :39. The bucking was something Dino had to learn was not acceptable under saddle, it took a bit for him learn that! Sorry it's so dark, I did have the arena lights on.

This next video is of Dino bowing. I talked about this is another post and I do recommend teaching this trick. Super easy, a great focus tool and is a bounding experience.

The last video is the most recent. Dino is still lunged at least once a week. It gives his back a rest, works on his balance, his rhythm, and his gait. It's also great for me, because like most people I'm on time restraints and lungeing is just so much easier. Here Dino is in side-reins which are simply looped onto the girth, if he pulls his head up they will slide up. This way he is not forced into a position, but encouraged into one. The lunge line is attached to the inside ring of the bit only (the bit ring closest to me). Dino is going in a dressage bridle with a padded raised flash cavesson, and the bit is a Happy Mouth double jointed loose ring snaffle bit.

Why I Ride

Prior to WEG, Ariat had some new promo's asking top equestrians to answer a simple question: "Why I Ride". I ride for the companionship and for the thrill of asking a 1,000-lb animal to go against thousands of years of evolution and do what I ask.

I also ride for results shown in the following video. I was at WEG and saw this ride just two months ago. There was an electricity in the air and the crowd really got into the ride, cheering Juan Manuel Muñoz Diaz and Fuego XII of Spain along the way. AND the crowd really did boo when they announced their results, many thought they should have received a medal. Was it a perfect ride? No. Fuego never truly halted at the start of the test and the final halt, he spooked and bolted with Juan who never really saluted the judges. Fuego's extended canter could be more, his pirouette's are way too large, and he was off a bit from the music from time to time. I'm sure there are other things that I'm not seeing either.

But WOW, his extended trot at 1:20 (and again at 2:18) was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! His reach in the half-pass at 1:39 (and again at 2:35) was wonderful. His piaffe at 2:05 (right in front of the judge at C) was beautiful.His two tempis on the 15-meter circle at 4:55 were so balanced and forward. And his one tempis down the centerline at 5:39, one handed no less, were so forward and breathtaking! His extended canter at 5:58 to the piaffe at 6:06 looked easy (but could have been smoothed out) and then to add in the 180 turn. Finally his passage down centerline, again one handed, at 6:17 really sealed the deal with the crowd and had us emotionally invested in his ride...maybe too much! When Juan and Fuego exited the ring, every single person (in a sold out stadium of 25,000) was on their feet applauding the aesthetic ride.



That is why I ride, I strive for this type of happy forward moving horse and I ride for the aesthetic appeal of said ride. Even if I never showed, I would be over the moon to have this type of relationship with my horse.

A Year plus 20 Days

Dino the day after he came home, Nov. 11, 2009


Dino six months after I got him, May 10, 2010


Dino one year after I got him, Nov. 10, 2010


What a difference a year makes!! That last picture, boy, he has really let himself go! Gotta bit of a hay belly going on there!*lol*

When I look back on our first year together, I find myself thinking just how lucky I am, extremely lucky. This whole thing could have gone terribly wrong, but in the face of adversity, together we have succeeded. I was given the advice by many people who are familiar with the OTTBs to go slow with Dino. It was really stressed to me, go slloooww with him. And I have to say, I am so glad that I listened. After Dino settled in, I started him on the basics: the lunge line and after a week or so, I added side-reins. I worked on voice commands and took him off the lunge line and started free lunging him. I had a goal to get back on him on December 1 (last year) and I met that goal. But every single time something started to go wrong, I went back to the basics until April when we had a break through and I finally started to ride him full time. It was late June before we ever started canter work and in early July we went to dressage camp for four days. It was at camp that we learned so much about each other and faced our biggest obstacle. Dino became as tense as a bridge cable ready to snap, and with the help of Janet, we worked through it. My number one goal from day one with Dino was: Everything has to be a good experience that we build on. Camp proved that together we can succeed and I feel confident that in a similar situation I am better equipped as a rider to guide Dino from meltdown to success. And I believe that experience taught Dino that he can rely on me.

At MMSC, Dino was nicknamed Mr Wiggles, I personally thought ADHD was a better descriptor, and after months of not maintaining his attention me, I read an article in Dressage Today that was an answer to my prayers. The article gave simple exercises to teach your horse to be patient and to stay focused on their trainer...are you ready for this? By teaching them to bow. Dino learned the trick in less than six days and it was a major turning point in our relationship. When he wants attention now, he bows because he knows he's going to get wither scratches, praised, and maybe a cookie.

Yeah, I could have medicated him or given him some kind of calming supplement, but I didn't want a dull horse, I want a receptive partner. This past summer someone was telling me how a horse in their barn is always given ace anytime he leaves his stall; ride, turnout, farrier, vet, trailering, grooming, etc. The owner, for whatever reason, thinks the horse needs it. I knew someone in the hunter/jumper scene that use to give their old pony something, I would look at the pony and wonder how it was still standing, and then they'd put a child on her! To me, if you have to dope up your horse, then you need to go back to the basics and learn how to communicate with them and how to handle them. You see that all the time now, people have a few extra bucks in their wallet and decide to buy a horse without any knowledge, and who suffers? The horse. Maybe one day my opinion will change on this topic...

Someone recently asked me why I haven't started jumping Dino yet. Honestly, I don't know if I will ever jump him but if I were, why do I have to do it now? For one, he's eight years old and has plenty of time to jump. I have seen so many horses go sour when pushed too hard too early. The ones who don't go sour, end up hurting physically in the end. I look at Angel and I think, "She was pushed and pushed and pushed until her body broke, and broke it did." And I'm responsible for that, I won't do it to Dino. I had a goal for Angel and I that I wanted, we never made that goal and she still ended up hurting in the end. At camp last summer, we had to fill out a questionnaire about our goals and one of the questions asked just that: What are your goals with this horse? I simply wrote, "I want a judge to write on my dressage test 'a happy horse'." That's all I want for Dino, to be a happy horse.

I am happy to say the only two artificial aids that I have used on Dino are my spurs and one time my dressage whip when I couldn't find my spurs. I have never used a martingale on him, running martingale, draw reins, a German martingale, etc. Dino goes in a simple Happy Mouth double jointed roller loose ring bit, and I will keep him in that bit for as long as possible. Besides wanting every experience to be a good experience for Dino and wanting him to be a happy horse, I want this retraining to be done as classically as possible. In my heart of hearts, I truly believe Dino will be a great horse.

Currently, Dino is doing amazingly well. His workload has decreased significantly in the past several weeks due to oncoming winter and my lack of an indoor. My goal is to keep him in moderate work, no more than three days a week, so when spring comes he'll be easier to bring back into full work (and hopefully without injury). Just walk and trot, the ground here gets extremely slippery, so I don't want to chance any canter work. His shoes were pulled in October, I could have pulled them sooner, but I wanted him to have protection. Now they are free to breath and grow, and maybe I won't have to put shoes back on in the spring. I recently bought Dino the Freedom Feeder, now that he's in more and not getting as worked much, his stall walking has increased ten-fold. So I'm hoping this hay net will allow him to slow down his eating by giving him something to do. I'm also thinking of purchasing a Graze Feeder or the Snak-A-Ball, but I'll wait to see how hay net goes.

What??

Alltech World Equestrian Games 2010

As I just mentioned in my previous blog post, my bucket listed included a trip to the World Equestrian Games and it just so happened that the 2010 games were being held in Lexington, a short 4.5 hour drive away.

Actually it goes back further than that. Shortly after it was announced that WEG would be held in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park, I was in Kentucky for a job interview. I knew then, that no matter what, I was going to attend. So I kept close tabs on when tickets would go on sale and when hotels would open up their booking. Turned out to be a long wait, almost 2.5 years as tickets and hotels didn't open up until September 25, 2009 - a year before WEG would start. Nonetheless, the day tickets went on sale I purchased my tickets for the Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle, the Cross Country phase of Eventing, and the both phases of the Speed Event for the Team Show Jumping. I dragged my heels on the hotel, maybe a month before the start of the event with the hopes that the outrageous hotel costs would go down. Well, that and I was hoping to be living in Kentucky by then. They did not and I was not. I had hoped to stay in Lexington, but I ended up staying in Richmond. But it was all good, I stayed on the furthest route south of Lexington that still got the shuttle service. Let me just say, that $10 for the shuttle service was the best $10 I ever spent!

My trip to WEG started on September 30 with a side trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville. I had never been to Louisville or Churchill Downs and to see this place up close was simply amazing! While there, I went though the Kentucky Derby Museum and took a backside tour of Churchill. This place is unbelievably HUGE. You wouldn't even know that you are in the middle of a large metropolitan city.


At the entrance of Churchill Downs is the statue of the 132nd Kentucky Derby winner

Barbaro. I had a wager on Barbaro the day he won the Derby; he was undefeated, had a five week rest before the Derby, but mainly because his trainer was Michael Matz. A former Olympian Michael knows how to keep his horses sound and happy at the highest level. I have wanted to see this statue since it was unveiled last year. I truly believe that Barbaro would have been the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Going through the museum was another thrill. To see a starting gate up close, jockey silks, sit in a race saddle, etc. What really sealed the deal for me wanting to see Churchill on this specific trip, was because they had a limited engagement dedicated to Secretariat and the new Disney film.


After going through the museum, I joined a tour group outside and got to walk around the paddock area, through the tunnel to the track, and see the famed towers from the grandstand side. It such a magical experience, which may sound off-kilter for some, but for a huge horseracing fan like myself it was like the mecca. I mean the famous horses that have walked down the tunnel to the track, to imagine the crowd singing "My Old Kentucky Home", and the roar from the stands when the horses reach the top of the stretch. It gave me goose bumps and I vow to return one day not just as a spectator, but as an owner of a thoroughbred racehorse.

Another highlight for me was probably the memorial to Eight Belles. This remarkable filly finished second in the 134th Kentucky Derby (May 3, 2008), as she crossed the finish line and was pulling up, she fell to the track. It appeared on video, from different angels, that she was switching leads in which she took a bad step and broke one leg and as she stumbled, broke her other leg. There was nothing they could do for her, and she was euthanized without the knowledge of her owner or trainer. I'm not even sure they knew she fell to the track, much less broke both front legs and was euthanized immediately. An autopsy later revealed the nature of her fractures were identical to those of Barbaro two years prior. While Barbaro and Eight Belles have brought attention to a fragile industry, casting them in a harsh light, Zenyatta, in retrospect, has given hope and possibility to the sport.

After leaving Louisville, it was off to Lexington...umm, Richmond - which is about 25-miles south. Trust me, hotels in the Lexington area nothing was lower than $150 and that was for the cheap, dirty, I_wouldn't_stay_there_if_my_life_depended_on_it! hotel. Normally, when I visit Lexington, I stay at the Sheraton, which is about $80 a night, for WEG it was over $300 a night!! So when I said earlier that I was holding off hoping hotel prices would come down, I wasn't kidding and they didn't. Hence Richmond, it was a tad under $200, again, a night, when normal prices are just under a $100, so the rip-off wasn't as bad. Did I write 'rip-off'? What I meant to write was 'rip-off'. But at least I had a fridge and a microwave, so yay on bringing food from home and not eating out.

My first day at the Games was the Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle. I was so excited for this event and it was also my birthday. Since switching to dressage full-time more than three years ago, to see this level of competition was making my heart skip a beat and the best birthday gift by far! Of course, the horse everyone was waiting to see was the Netherlands Moorlands Totilas. He and his rider, Edward Gal, made history by winning gold in all dressage competitions at WEG. A short nine days later, Totilas was sold to Germany for a rumored $20-million dollars; like the old saying goes, "You want to beat your biggest competitor, buy his best horse." I can't wait until Totilas returns to the ring in 2011. While I won't re-gush my love for Spain's Juan Manuel Muñoz Diaz and Fuego XII, they are still the team that walked away with my heart.

Not to ignore the American riders, I was so thrilled to see Steffen Peters and Ravel take third. Steffen made so many improvements on his test, his pirouettes alone should have been 9s. I read an article that Steffen gave after the games, he teamed up with a research physicist from Princeton University and studied judges' score sheets and videos of the top five horse and riders more than a year in advance to prepare for the games. He was basically using the same technique football players use to prepare for a big game, but took it further. You talk about a level of commitment. I applied to ride with Steffen a few years back, but now more than ever, I really want to ride with him. (In case you couldn't tell, I was turned down.) So my new goal is when Dino and I are ready to start schooling second level, Steffen will hopefully be conducting a clinic close-by and I will apply. Under pseudo names if needed.

The next day was simply c-r-a-z-y! First it was off to the Secretariat Festival in Paris, Kentucky. I picked the scenic route driving from Richmond to Paris and managed to pass Claiborne Farm on the way. Such beautiful countryside, every where you look are the stunning fences and equally stunning horses behind them. However, I must say, very difficult to be looking about when you are trying to navigate those pesky hills, curves and the tad narrow roads. We arrived just as the festival was starting and the line up of cars trying to get in and the people milling about, it was amazing and moving that even 21-years after Secretariat's death and 37-years since his retirement from racing people still come together and admire him. I met a gentleman there, and I never got his name, that the first time he ever went to the track (and consequently wagered) was the day Secretariat won the Belmont. He showed me his win ticket that he never cashed in, it just gave me chills. I've never met anyone who saw Secretariat race in person, let alone was at Belmont that day in 1973. Also at the festival, I met Kate Chenery Tweedy, the daughter of Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery. I bought her new book Secretariat's Meadow - The Land, The Family, The Legend. If you're a fan of Secretariat, this is a must have!! Even if you're not a fan of Secretariat's, this book is a must have!! When Kate signed my book, she wrote, "To Kelly - Have fun with Dino --- Thanks! Kate Tweedy" I had such a great time at the festival, but didn't get a chance to do the Claiborne Farm visit, I have decided that I'm going to make the festival a yearly trip for myself. Maybe even next year, enter Dino in the Secretariat look-a-like contest.

After leaving the Secretariat Festival, it was back to WEG and the cross-country phase. I've never been to Rolex and in all my visits to the Kentucky Horse Park, I've never even walked the course so I figured what better opportunity than at WEG. Now I am the first to admit I know very little about eventing, its just not my cup of tea, however, those people are nuts! I know I'm coming across as judgmental here, but they FLY around that course, over fences that are not only complicated to my hunter mind, but down right scary. I'll go chase down a 'faux', which incidentally enough Fox Hunting is on my bucket list, but I'll be damned if you'll catch me jumping a ditch, a table, or a Normandy bank; because these things happen. I give props to those who do it, but like I said: its not my cup of tea.

Our fourth day was a sight-seeing and shopping day. We drove around Lexington and ultimately made our way over to Keeneland. I love going to Keeneland, it's such a beautiful place. This is always a must on our list of places to stop at, every single trip finds us at Keeneland. Just the history you experience walking through there, it may not be as old as Churchill Downs, but you feel the history here more so. In my opinion it has a lot do with the fact that very little of it has changed since it opened in 1936. I always feel like, if I turn around real fast, I'll catch a glimpse of Ben Jones.

The last and final day was the day of the Speed Phase in showjumping. I had bought tickets for both part one and two, because I wanted to be sure I saw McLean Ward and Sapphire. They did NOT disappoint. The course fell so many riders that day, but McLean and Sapphire made it look so easy! Of course they were the very last to go, at about 5:30 when the competition started at 10AM. I am almost ashamed to admit that I grew bored with watching the jumping. Here I rode hunter/jumpers for 15-years and I was bored. It was wonderful watching all the riders, but it was the same course for everyone. At one point I even wandered down to the warm-up ring to watch the horses school over fences. I guess it really is much more interesting when you are actually showing as opposed to just standing around, in the end I had a new appreciation for what my Dad did all those years.

In the end, I spent way too much money; around $1,100 just on my hotel room and my tickets. More when it came to purchases. In hindsight, which really is 50/50, I could have just went to Louisville that first day, the Freestyle the second, the Secretariat Festival the third, and then came home. Did I enjoy myself? Yeah. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Would I do it again? I would, in the order I mentioned above.

My Bucket List

I got this idea from the January 2009 issue of Horse Illustrated.

1. Gallop on a beach.
2. Win a blue ribbon for a Musicale Freestlye.
3. Enjoy an evening of equestrian theater by the Cavalia company.
4. Try my hand at team calf penning and cutting.
5. Ride in a recognized hunt, with scarlett coat and barking dogs.
6. Fall off and get right back on. Done.
7. See the majestic white Lipizzan stallions at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria.
8. Visit the Musée Vivant du Cheval – the Living Horse Museum – in Chantilly, France.
9. Be accepted for a two-week training course at the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre – Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art – in Jerez, Spain.
10. Come to a sliding stop on a well-trained reining horse.
11. Take a riding lesson with an Olympian. Examples include, but are not limited to: Steffen Peters, Courtney King-Dye, Betsy Steiner, Jane Savoie, George Williams, Debbie McDonald, Sabine Schut Kerry...etc.,etc.
12. Nurse a horse through a crisis and back to full health. Done.
13. Experience the smooth ride of a gaited horse. Done, *lol*
14. Watch the horses come through the Head of the Lake on cross-country day at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
15. Have the courage to do the right thing for your horse.
16. Attend the Kentucky Derby dressed to the nines -- including the hat.
17. Ride a trail accessible only be horseback and enjoy the view.
18. Take my dream vacation on horseback: New Zealand, Ireland, and Spain.
19. Master the sitting trot. Done.
20. Ride a dressage schoolmaster.
21. Watch polo.
22. Feed, muck, groom, ride. Repeat daily.
23. Wake up to a whinny every morning. Done.
24. Fly down the track on a Thoroughbred. Done.
25.Meet one of your favorite famous horses in person -- from the movies, Docs Keepin' Time (Justin).
26. Ride bareback, bridleless...or both. Done, I have no desire to ride bridleless.
27. Share a bond with your horse that's deeper than words.

And because I've already completed six of these, here are seven new ones.
1. Ride beautiful examples of the following breeds: a Lipizzaner, a Friesian, and an Andalusian. Make them all stallions.
2. Own any/all of the above.
3. Attend the Olympics.
4. Attend the FEI World Cup. Done, WEG 2010 @ the Kentucky Horse Park.
5. Own a Thoroughbred racehorse who runs in the Kentucky Derby.
6. Attend the Breeder's Cup.
7. Learn to ride Side Saddle.

'Secretariat' you are no 'Phar Lap'

My favorite horseracing movie of all time is Phar Lap, the 1983 (1984 for us here in the States) movie about the Australian racehorse. This was a horse that in 51 starts, won 37 times (51:37-3-2; nine times out of the money) and for a country that was in the depths of their own Depression, Phar Lap (1926-1932) gave them hope by winning virtually every race he was entered in. In the movie there is a frustration that Phar Lap could not be bought, so the Victorian Racing Committee (VRC) decided the only way to beat Phar Lap was to keep assigning him more and more weight. ("Weight can stop a train," was the line in the movie.) At the 1931 Melbourne Cup, the VRC did just that by assigning Phar Lap a weight of 149-lbs, he finished in eighth place. Up until that time, Phar Lap had successfully carried up to 138-lbs and still won handily, but with the fear that he would be broken down or killed by an angry bookie, Phar Lap was sent to Agua Caliente, Mexico to run in the 1932 Agua Caliente Handicap. He won and mysteriously died 16-days later in Menlo Park, California. It is a fantastic film that even after all these years, I still cry at the ending.

A group of us went and saw the new Disney film Secretariat on October 8. I was fearful going into the movie that the real magic that was Secretariat would be lost in translation, and sadly my fear came true. For one, I knew I shouldn't get my hopes up on a Disney film. For another, I knew this was a movie and not a documentary. How I wish for the latter.

My number one complaint had to deal with the title...er...horse, Secretariat. It goes without saying no one horse could match his charisma much less his near perfect confirmation, but couldn't they find a horse who at least looked interested in his surroundings? The movie only showed one real race of Secretariat's, the Preakness Stakes. Our party just looked at each other and said, "Why show that race and NOT the Belmont Stakes?" To me, it would have much more emotional if the final Jewel of the Triple Crown was shown and accompanied, of course, with Chick Anderson's calling of the race ("Secretariat is widening now...He is moving like a tremendous machine!"). In this case, it is probably better to give Disney the benefit of the doubt and say, "Maybe there were copyright issues and they could not show that footage." It goes without saying that showing atleast one race, did lend a feeling à la Seabiscuit when they used the real call of the race in the match race with War Admiral.

My other two issues dealt with Secretariat himself. For one, you had to wait until the ending credits to see the real Secretariat, in retirement at Claiborne, and I can honestly say to see his image on a 40' screen just took my breath way. It probably would have been difficult to do, and a distraction to movie goers, but couldn't they work his image into the movie in other places...winner circle photos? press photos? My second issue is the way the typical movie goer is led to believe that Secretariat is still alive. No mention in the closing credits is given that Secretariat has been dead of 21 years. More importantly, Disney lost the perfect opportunity to educate the public on laminitis (which ultimately took Secretariat's life) and the great work the Secretariat Foundation does in helping Thoroughbreds and non-Thoroughbreds in retraining programs, theraputic programs, veterinary research programs and retirement and rehab facilities for ex-Thoroughbred racehorses.

My second complaint is just the historical inaccuracies of the movie. Ranging from Mr Chenery's health to how Penny found Lucien Laurin; not to mention John Malkovich's ill-casting as the famed trainer. The movie didn't even touch on the close bond that groom Eddie Sweat had with Secretariat. I really wish that Eddie's character had a more prominent role in the film and gave Eddie the credit he deserved. Personally, for me, I wished the movie had been based on Lawrence Scanlan's The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse and not on Bill Nack's Secretariat. While Mr Nack's book has remained the definitive biography on Secretariat, Mr Scanlan's book lends a human emotion; especially in the connection of Eddie and Secretariat.

If I were to go on, I'd just be nit-picking. For the horseracing fan or Secretariat fan, the movie is not what it could be. But for the casual movie goer or horse loving public, it's enjoyable.

The bottom line is: when the movie comes out on DVD, I'll still buy it.

A Sobering Post

I've had Dino nearly a year now and I have been doing some serious thinking.

When I first got Dino, my trainer was excited for me. Yeah I got a younger horse who possessed endless possibilities for a new career. One that could get me going again. But mainly because I had a project that could take my mind and heart away from Angel, who is getting close to the end. My trainer told me, "Take everything you have and put it into him, this is going to be good for you..." I was offended. I mean, that's my Angel. My equine soul-mate that I wouldn't know what to do without. I just love her with all my heart and out of all my horses, I would give anything for her to be eternal. I cannot even put this mare down, because if I do I'll never leave our mini farm here in Ohio. I would just never leave her. I want to do it in Kentucky, so that I can always go out and sit with her. I didn't say anything and it put it out of my mind.

This past summer at Dressage Camp, it was the second day, and I was once again questioning my trainer on whether or not Dino was right for me. What I love about my trainer is that she is blunt, sometimes too blunt, but she needs to be; she's a realistic person whom would describe herself as my eyes on the ground. I would say 45% eyes on the ground, 65% therapist. This particular day she says to me, "Kelly, from everything you told me you wanted an affordable horse that you could bring along, Dino is perfect for you." Okay, you got me. Then she added, "You do love him; you would have too, to teach him to bow and put forth all the work that you have." I wanted to stop her, correct her and say, "But I don't." And that would have been the truth, because I have not allowed myself to love him. I keep waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop. A soundness issue, a psychological issue, etc., anything that would make it easier that if it didn't work out, I could get rid of him and not be hurt emotionally by it. In a way I was trying to protect myself.

Last Saturday, my farrier came out to trim hooves and pull Dino's shoes for the winter. My farrier was asking me how things were going and I listed two major faults that I have with Dino: his stall walking and his coprophagia. Then I listed two more: his pig eyes and his skinny neck. Before I knew it, I was listing off everything I didn't like about him. I was shocked and a little embarrassed. My farrier looked at me and said, "If you let those things bother you, I predict you won't keep him, because one day you'll say, 'That's it, I don't want him anymore, I can't take it' and you'll get rid of him." I thought, that's bull I wouldn't do that. We kept talking and I put Dino back in his stall and pulled Angel out. I started talking about Angel and how wonderful she is when my farrier interrupted me. "You know," he says, "You will never like that other horse while this one is still around." Once again I thought bull, whatever. But I knew in the back of my mind that he was saying what my trainer says to me, just in their own way.

That night I went down to the barn for one last check on them and Angel was lying down. I went into her stall and sat with her for a few seconds stroking her face and neck. I found myself saying to her, "If only I could turn back time..." I quickly got up, locked her stall door, turn the barn lights out and went back up to the house. Yesterday afternoon, I was cleaning stalls when I was rethinking about Angel lying down and my going into the stall with her. A horse has to have a lot of faith to allow you in there with them, because they are at their most vulnerable. They are down and wouldn't be able to get away from a predator. Dino, on the other hand, if he were down when I walked into the barn, would immediately get up.

That all changed last night. It was 11:20 when I went back down to the barn to check on them. Dino was down in his stall. I walked up to his stall door to glance at him, before I knew it I was sliding the latch on his stall door and walking in...and he didn't get up. I didn't get down, but I bent over and rubbed his face and neck. I stood back up and just watched him before returning to rub his face, his ears, neck and fixing his forelock. I left his stall, even though he was making no effort to stand, and went to see Angel, then Sancho. Before I left, I went back to Dino but remained outside of his stall, just watching him. After a few minutes he rolled twice and then got up, lumbering over to me to stroke his nose.

It dawned on me then, not only have I short changed Dino, but I have been unfair to him. While I have been busy building a wall to keep Dino out of my heart, he has completely and utterly allowed me into his world. And tonight, Dino made the first move to dismantling the wall.

I need to change, if not for myself, then for Dino.

A Change in the Air

It finally happened, just when I thought I would live in 90+ weather that never rains and was always muggy. But today, today it's 78 out with a high of 81. Tonight lows down to 58. The next ten days call for low to mid 80s.

Yesssss!

So Dino got worked this morning. Poor, poor Dino. Lunged in side-reins on the girth, 10 minutes in each direction. The first five minutes were slow to warm-up and then I asked him to step it up. He was fantastic going to the left, but weak to the right; which is typical. It was July 10 that he was really worked, so right now we are re-conditioning and will be for the remainder of the month.

Dino was fresh this morning and I did anticipate that, which was why he was lunged. I haven't formed a plan for tomorrow, whether it be ride or lunge...probably ride. And on Wednesday we'll just walk, I haven't ridden him to music yet. I think Wednesday would be a good day to introduce that.

A few years ago, my trainer told me to pickup A Gymnastic Riding System Using Mind, Body, and Spirit: Progressive Training for Rider and Horse by Betsy Steiner and Jennifer Bryant. Chapter Two deals with rhythm as the first building block, and it lists starter songs that work well with the gait of a horse. One of the songs is The Beatles 'Yellow Submarine' as a great walking song - a good four beat rhythm for the horse to march to, and it allows the rider to get a feel for a good walk. Too many times the rider allows the horse to lag behind their leg, while both rider and horse zone out. Not good. When ever you are on the horse, whether a show or pleasure mount, is an opportunity to work on something. It can be contact, supplying, bending, a good walk, etc. Now I don't mean Dino is never given his head, he is. When we cool out I drop to the buckle and encourage him to reach down into the bridle (contact) and engage his hindquarters and stretch over his back. He's cooling out, but we're still doing something. I don't believe training opportunities should ever be passed up.

In other Dino related news, he's still stall walking. :*(

Stall walking

Some barn managers and owners don't allow certain bad habits in their barn: cribbing, weaving, stall kicking, stall walking..., etc. Dino has turned into a stall walker and I'm not sure exactly why....was he bored?....did he have anxiety?....was he hurting in some way? The more I let it go on to observe him, the worse it got in he was losing weight and I had growing concerns with him over loading his left front. I was starting to feel helpless and knew I couldn't help him if I don't know the reason(s) behind it. So I started looking back at our short history to see if anything jumped out at me.

When he was boarded last winter at Sandy's Lilly Bug Farm, he didn't stall walk. He was in the first stall next to the tack room, the walls were solid and there were no windows.

Then Dino came home where he was again placed in the first stall, closest to the barn door. My walls are solid for four feet and then have bars another four feet. All three horses can see each other and it increases air flow. My stalls have windows. I use to have the typical small barn windows that I hated. You had to crank them open and close, and one cold day Angel's window got stuck. I went outside to see if I smacked the window frame if it would help close. Nope. My hand went right through the glass and I had an awful mess with the shattered glass outside the barn in snow and inside the stall with Angel, not to mention my bleeding hand. That spring we were replacing the windows in the house, so we took the top half of the windows, which are roughly three feet by two feet, and placed those in the stalls. In the winter time, the windows are in, a bar frame is placed in front of the windows to protect the glass from flying hooves and plastic weatherproofing for insulation against drafts. In the spring/summer/fall all is removed and the horses can literally hang their heads out their windows.

Left to right: Dino, Angel, & Sancho

Shortly after Dino came home, he started walking. He'd walk to the front stall to look out the big door. He'd walk to the back of his stall to look out his window. This went on and on and on. At first I thought he just wasn't use to having so much to see and he would settle in as he got used to it all. At first yes, now not so much.

In early July Dino went to the University of Findlay's western campus for dressage camp. He had a stall right in the middle of the aisle against the wall with solid sides and no windows. He didn't stall walk. Shortly after we returned home, the stall walking increased ten-fold. But his workload suddenly decreased, due to the weather and his banged knee.

I have taken this all into consideration and when I started searching the internet into the whys and ways as to help him. I found a great article off of The Horse in which Dr. Katherine Houpt explains that while many people think "[stall walking] is brought on by boredom [...] evidence has shown that this behavior is caused more by confinement, lack of interaction with other horses, and the lack of grazing."

I immediately thought to myself, "No way can it be caused by lack of interaction with other horses in Dino's case. He can see both Angel and Sancho, touch noses with Angel and he's turned out (weather permitting) with them both daily." And then I finished the sentence, "lack of grazing." Bingo. This summer has been unreasonably hot and humid with very little rain. The large pasture in the back, never even got open. The small one in the front that Angel and Sancho have access to, they ate down and has pretty much died. The even smaller one, with better fencing, that Dino gets, had the same problem. So unless they are being hand grazed for 10-15 minutes in the morning, they are all turned out together in the dry lot where they receive a bale of hay (roughly 60-lbs) a day. Days when it's too hot and humid, they stay in all day and are turned out at night.

In the article, Dr Houpt breaks stall walking into two categories, "the first one being frantic stall walking, where the horse is walking around rapidly and probably defecating. This indicates that the horse is extremely upset, commonly caused by separation. Separation anxiety is characterized by the horse neighing, which is an isolation call."

Nope, not Dino.

"The second type of stall walking is classified as a stereotypic behavior. This is generally a response to a poor environment, which some horses can cope with and others can't. This is seen with the horse walking slowly around the stall leaving a worn-down trail."

Yep, that's Dino. It's like he's taking a stroll. When he's outside walking, he's never in a hurry and drags his hind toes. He just has this look of indifference, he'll get there when he gets there and he knows you'll wait. He has the same walk in his stall.

Dr Houpt does little to appease my fear when she states, "These behaviors generally do no harm to the horse. However, the horse may excessively wear the floor of the stall or may wear his shoes or hooves abnormally." All my stalls have mats and my farrier hasn't mentioned any abnormal wear of Dino's shoes. Yet I still worry about the filling in Dino's left front. When my vet, Dr Henninger, came out for shots last April, he thought he could have a bone chip in there, some wearing of the cartilage, or just some normal wear and tear of being a racehorse. Dr H said I could get x-rays, if I wanted, but it was probably really just nothing. My trainer has assured me if Dino were to have soundness issues, we'd know by now. But I don't want to add more stress with his stall walking. I did place Dino on a supplement, Devil's Claw Plus, just as a precaution. In my mind, I couldn't help thinking that with all his racing and training, Dino's body must have aged much like that of a human marathon runner. You put that kind of strain and stress on your body, you're gonna be achy.

As I continued with the article, Dr Houpt suggests adding more than one type of roughage, like beet pulp. I can do that, I keep it on hand. I've also been considering getting some more timothy/alfalfa hay cubes, which Dino LOVES. She also mentions feeding more than once a day, I already feed three times a day and I don't know if I could feed more than that, and she talks about changing bedding type. Right now I have corn cob pellets in Dino's stall, having switched from wood pellets and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I don't want to use straw as bedding, so that's automatically out.

In the end, Dr Houpt does not believe stall walking cause "harm to the horse, and if he doesn't destroy the stall floor or his feet, then you may want to consider just leaving him alone. There are some horses which only exhibit these behaviors when people are around. So the horse may not be stall walking or weaving except when you are present. Other horses will only stall walk when they become anxious."

I know that Dino stall walks when no one is around, he's stabled at home and I see the walking ring in his stall. But maybe he does do it when he's anxious. Like he knows its getting close to feeding time or turn out time.

Dr Houpt closes with, "All breeds are susceptible to stall walking or weaving. The occurrence is more closely associated to the horse's use rather than other factors. Dressage competitors and racehorses exhibit these behaviors more often than do trail horses. It has not been studied yet why different uses make a difference in these behaviors, but it may be tied to feed, amount and type of exercise, and pasture time. Without further studies, there is no way to know if certain breeds are more susceptible than others."

And there went any hope that I could stop this from continuing. Dino's in dressage training, he's a retired racehorse, and he's not lacking interaction with other horses. My only hope lies in adding beet pulp and/or hay cubes to his diet.

And maybe do a rain dance.

More than five months...

WOW, I can't believe it has been more than five months since my last post. I truly need to keep this updated more and promise to do so.

Dino six months after I got him, May 2010.

I guess a quick recap is in order. On March 2, Dino met my trainer, Mandy, for the first time. It was a lunge lesson to evaluate him and assess where we would go from there. We dropped the side-reins onto the girth and passed the lunge line through the bit ring to the lowest ring on the surcingle. Dino needed to learn about going forward into contact and to bend. We used this method because Dino had a habit of pulling on you in one direction, running you over in the other and choosing what speed to work. Within three weeks, Dino was staying out on the line and no longer pulling. It was also vital to put a "whoa" on him before we proceeded to anything under-saddle. It would take a few more months before Dino could regulate his speed on the lunge, mainly because he was so unbalanced and leaning heavily on the side-reins for balance.

On March 9, Dino moved home. :)

From r to l: Dino, Angel, & Sancho.

It was more than two months before my trainer saw Dino again. During this time I continued to lunge him and work on increasing his flexibility, moving forward, and perfecting our voice commands. Dino's schedule was, and has remained, off Sunday and Thursday, work the rest of the week with one day devoted to only walking for 40-60minutes to encourage relaxation. At this point Dino was still jigging into a trot and not truly walking at any time during our works.

May 13 was our first under-saddle lesson. Mandy put up four cones on a 15-meter circle for us to ride through. The corresponding cones were set up just wide enough for us to pass through. This was a tough lesson because Dino just locked onto the left rein and would not give to the pressure. He kept his nose rooted in one position and kept popping out his left shoulder. I was truly discouraged.

May 18 and I brought my spurs with me. During the five days between lessons I lunged Dino like crazy and got him to unlock on his left, I foolishly thought I had won the war. Same exercise, accept this time Dino locked onto the right rein and kept popping his right shoulder. Too bad for him that I had spurs and this was probably his first experience with these nifty little training aids, because he promptly turned around and bit my right foot when I applied them.

June 1 was probably our best lesson. We did a whole slew of changing directions while remaining balanced and connected. By the end of the lesson we had a new motto: rhythm + balance + connection = harmony. The reason we were so on our game for this lesson was because we had worked like crazy during those two weeks on everything we had learned. I'm the type of rider that I take the tools given to me in a lesson and apply them at home on my own, this way at my next lesson I/we are ready to move on to the next task. I personally feel like I don't want to waste my time, money, or energy if I don't work and I would feel horrible to waste my trainers time. She's there as my eyes on the ground and gives me the tools to succeed.

June 10 was a bit of a break down, but we were able to get through it and for the first time we experienced reaching over his back and down into the bridle. For Dino to do this, he had to have a completely loose back. It also seemed as if Dino and I are still struggling with connection going to the left and this is something that we will probably always struggle with. Like humans horses are also right-handed and left-handed, Dino is probably right handed...or right hooved. Another great experience about this lesson, the barn was holding a schooling show two days later and the arena was already set-up. Even though we haven't shown in an *official* dressage arena, we have at least schooled in one - yay!

June 30 was a monumental lesson for Dino and I -- we cantered for the first time under-saddle. Okay, an experienced horse person is thinking to themselves, "Why'd you wait so long to canter?" It's very simple, Dino needed to unlock, bend, develop some self-carriage, and he didn't have the strength to hold himself in a rhythmic canter. "But he was a racehorse, how could he not have the strength?" Dino has the strength to run full out and run faster when I pull on him. He needed to become balanced and develop the strength to hold himself in a trot before cantering. There were lessons that my lower back, shoulders, and upper arms just killed me after a lesson -- because I was carrying him. Not exactly how it works. By cantering sooner, I would not have been doing Dino any favors by allowing him to canter badly, or myself for that matter. It was not the prettiest canter, by far, but we cantered and now we have a new goal to work towards. Oh, and pick up the right lead...but he does does have a nice flying change. ;)

July 7-10 Dino and I participated in the Flatlanders Dressage & Combined Training Association's camp. We hauled in the night before, really too late to school or do anything, but I was still confident that Dino would handle the change well. For the most part he did.

Day 1 of camp it was hot and muggy. This was just a day for the instructor's to evaluate you and your horse, as well as get an idea on where you were in training. Lucky for me, my trainer was one the trainers as was her trainer, so I felt like I already knew what to expect in the instructions. As opposed to someone knew who didn't know my riding style or my horse's inexperience. Everyone also all had a 30-45min private lesson that first day. Our private lesson went okay, we worked on counter-flexion and for the first time leg-yielding, we also started preliminary work on haunches-in. The goal was to work on Dino's suppleness, improve his impulsion, and strengthen his hindquarters.

Day 2 it was hotter and muggier, if that was possible. The day started with a 45min semi-private and ended with an hour group lesson of five or six. My semi-private went well. We were again working on a 20-meter circle with the cones, which was difficult because there were two of you and you had to regulate your horse to keep equal distance at all times. This was also our second time cantering and it was so much better than before. I felt going to the right that I was gripping with my thighs and not relaxing, but going to the left I was able to sit into the saddle. This was probably more mental on my part. I was happy that I could flex Dino and maintain the canter without him running off with me. My trainer told me then that, "Dino has a natural canter, so we have to work on getting his trot to that level." The hardest part of this semi-private was when we worked on downward and upward transitions. As of right now, Dino still has a hard time coming down off his "high" when cantering. He doesn't relax and constantly jigs. So after our canter work, asking him to halt within three strides was nearly impossible - he would just root me down his neck and start jigging into a trot.

After lunch we had our group lesson and that went from bad to horrible. After our semi-private earlier that morning, Dino started acting colicky and I wasn't sure what was going on with him. I took him for a walk and he perked up, so after talking with my trainer and my trainer's trainer, Janet, it was decided I would ride him and he was probably just experiencing ill-effects from the weather. The lesson prior to ours was running over, so we all gathered outside the arena to wait. Dino started fidgeting, getting anxious and breaking out in a sweat. When we got into the arena, Dino and I were last in line to mount. It took 20mins to get on as Dino just would not stand. Even Janet, who came over to assist, couldn't get him to stand. Dino would almost just head-butt her. Finally I was able to get on and Dino wouldn't walk. It nearly came to a confrontation between us and I could feel Dino was on the verge of a massive meltdown/explosion. Janet saw this and told me to go ahead and trot him, he wouldn't even trot out just did a "bunny-hop" trot. When I applied my leg to him to push him out, he would root down and try breaking into a canter. Within a few minutes Dino was pouring from sweat and Janet told me to just hop off, but I couldn't because he wouldn't stand still. It was more like a moving dismount. As I left the arena, close to tears, I asked Janet why were we moving backwards. Janet assured me these things happen.

Day 3 of camp had my trainer out and Janet handling all 17 riders. The lessons were reworked to private, semi-private or group. I had a semi-private towards the end of the day. This was also the first day where the weather was finally cooling and less muggy. I really didn't want to ride in the large indoor again and wanted to ride in the small indoor. Janet told me on to lunge Dino in the large indoor and see how things go, if he's bad then we'll move to the smaller indoor where he was comfortable with my trainer the previous two days. In my mind I had already decided that if Dino was bad, we were pulling out that night and going home. I just felt like maybe I was asking too much of Dino too soon. Surprise-surprise Dino was good, it took me a few minutes but I was able to mount him on my own. This lesson really focused on supplying and flexing the jaw, as Janet had setup cones that we had to leg-yield around or to if they were placed on the quarter line. We also worked on straightness and coming down center line. At the end of the lesson, Dino was on the buckle walking. I felt so good that we had worked through this, together.

It also turns out Janet had an idea as to Dino's poor behavior the day before. Janet pointed out everything I did was reminiscent of a racetrack. I brought Dino to the ring to wait with a bunch of other horses, i.e., a saddling paddock. Dino was last in line for the mounting block, i.e., a starting gate. Janet held Dino as I attempted to mount, i.e., a walking ring. My trainer pointed out that Dino has never been in a group lesson before, i.e., warming up before a race. Maybe it was true, maybe in Dino's mind he thought he was going to race again.

Day 4, and last day, of camp, we had the best weather yet. This time I had a semi-private right after lunch. I didn't want to differ from the day before, so I again lunged Dino in the large arena and got on immediately afterward. This lesson was the toughest by far. Janet had setup cones to form two 15meter circles back to back of each other and out of the second 15meter circle, she had five or six cones evenly spaced heading on a diagonal toward each corner. It was all about flexion of the jaw and suppleness of the body. We started on the first circle, developing a rhythm and connection, we then moved to the second circle were it was a change of direction and again working on rhythm and connection. When that was established, we'd come out of the second circle and weave through the cones working on flexion and suppleness. The first few times through the cones was difficult, but as we continued to work Dino kept loosening up. Janet then moved the cones we had been weaving through closer together, Dino became so supple and attuned to me that I could literally move him through the cones off my thighs. It was definitely a moment for us. We ended the lesson by working on impulsion, which Dino is already a forward moving horse, he'll just fall heavily on to his front end and loose the connection. So Janet had us push a stride, flex and supple the next, push a stride, flex and supple the next, etc. We did this all the way around the arena and then across the diagonals. It was an amazing feeling!

In the end, camp was fantastic! It was Dino and I's first real outing together in a strange environment with strange horses, we survived and next year will be even better! I already have a plan in my head on how to work on our cantering issues: loosen up with trot work and then canter. Everytime we come down from the canter, we walk a good 15mins and then we start over; trot work and then canter. Just like how Dino needed to learn to walk and not jig into a trot, he'll need to relearn to walk after cantering. This will probably take a while for Dino to grasp and completely relax into to.

Now while I have a plan for the cantering, I don't have one for the halting. It is something I really need to sit down and contemplate. The halt probably has more to do with me than Dino, where I need to work on my half-halt and really plan on the halt, not just ask and immediately expect it. Remembering to open up my shoulders and not allow Dino to haul me down his neck would also really help.

So this is where we are at, we are beginning work on training level and this time next year I hope to be schooling first level. After camp Dino must have sweated off 50-lbs so he was originally given a week off to rest and recoup. Sadly Dino has remained on "vacation" as the weather turned unbelievably hot and muggy again and the population of horse and deer flies multiplied. I've seen him buck, it's one of those jaw breaker bucks, so I'm now on a mission to find a spray to keep us both in one piece. Dino also had a feed change, he is now on timothy/alfalfa hay, roughly 20-lbs a day, off of the straight alfalfa, and Purina's Ultium, where he gets about 3.5-lbs a day. I do feed less than the recommendation, mainly because I don't like feeding a lot of grain, I'd rather feed more hay but so far I just LOVE this feed!

Eight years have past...

(taken February 12, 2010)

Today Dino is officially 8-years-old.

I have often wondered if Dino knows just how close he came to being someone's dinner. I have spoken to Anne Russek, who did the initial rescue from Sugarcreek 16-months ago, and she told me that everytime they entered the pen that Dino was in, to look at another horse, Dino approached them - making it clear to them that he did not want to stay there. I'm not the type of person who uses anthropomorphism when it comes to animals, but reading Anne's words have made me wonder...

In the short three months that I have owned Dino, I have bared witness to a transformation of sorts. Once described as having ADD, Dino has blossomed into an affectionate, patient and worry-free horse. When we work, he keeps both an ear and an eye locked on me. So much so, that freestyle lunging has become a quiet solitude of body language. I only hope this friendship/bond continues to develop and grow into an unstoppable force.

More updates will follow as the weather improves. As of right now, I have tentatively scheduled a lesson with my trainer for March 9.