Dancer's First Day With the Herd

Sandra Lets Dancer Out to Join the Herd forFirst Time

Dancer and new palomino friend run for joy!

Dancer Kicking Up His Heels With New Pal

Dancer Makes Another Friend

Horse-Play!

Dancing With Dancer

In the end, Dancer's entry with the other horses turned out successfully.

All went well, and he's now the jr. member of the herd.

Dancer's First Lesson and Mom's 92nd Birthday

It's the birthday of memoirist and art collector Peggy Guggenheim, (books by this author) born in New York City (1898). Her father died on the Titanic shipwreck, and at the age of 14 she inherited nearly half a million dollars.

She moved to Europe to live a Bohemian lifestyle. She had an affair with Samuel Beckett, as well as several other artists.

Back in her native New York City, she opened a gallery called "Art of this Century" on West 57th Street. She became the patron of an unknown abstract painter by the name of Jackson Pollock, supporting him so he could be a full-time artist, and she held a one-man show for him at her gallery, one of his first. Soon he was famous.

She wrote some memoirs about her affairs with the rich and famous and artistic, including Out of This Century (1946) and Confessions of an Art Addict (1960).

Also my Mom's 92nd birthday.  Later my sister, Mom and I will

celebrate at the Gandy Dancer Restaurant.  Hey, Dancer and Dancer!

Love it.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!  I LOVE YOU (and Dancer!)

A week of love.  What could be better?

“Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place.”

Now, about yesterday's first driving lesson. . . .

Dancer did great!  Picture perfect day, weather-wise, too.  Who could ask fr anything more?  I'm finding that the happier I feel, the more weight  lose (that's a good thing, as I've let myself go and now have high blood sugar.  Just completed an intensive nutrition program.  Excllent, learned a lot and lost 13 pounds, so far!)  But I digress. . .

As I was saying, the happier I feel, the over-all healthier I feel and the more energy I have, positive outlook, relience I seem to have.  Soon I'll attend a seminar on this subject and will learn more about the etiology of "happiness" and health benefits  I mean, it's seems obvious, doesn't it?  But, it's not as simple as one might think.

So often happiness is put aside, "until tomorrow" or encouraged to wait (for what?) or to delay gratification or put on hold because, as the saying goes, "no pain-no gain."  Except, I prefer the notion, "no pleasure, no treasure!"  Now that I have Dancer, I have much more pleasure in my life & feel ecstatic when we're together.

Happiness is a commodity---like savings or IRA's or good friends or anything worthwhile or pleasurable.  It's measurable. And I'm feeling less anxious, depressed over slights and slings and arrows of life and better able to withstand adversity and disappointments.  All by-products of happiness. 

Dancer did great yesterday.  We all had a ball.  So glad Anita and Barb are helping me.  Happiness is also reciprocal, and I'm sure they're feeling lighter and brighter because of their association with Dancer, too!

The Kind Eye

They say the eyes are are the gateway to the soul. When it was said, they were referring to us humans. But the truth is, it also refers to horses.

The eye reveals a little about the character of the horse you're working with. It may have a kind eye. A kind eye indicates the horse will be agreeable to train and will readily respond to your aids while training.

Jesse Beery, a famous horse trainer from the 1800's, talked a lot about the eyes of the horse. Even those many years ago he knew about the horse's eyes. Beery discovered there were four different disposition types of a horse. Certain characteristics of the eyes would tell you much about the horse's personality and how much work it would be to train the horse.

In all my training experience and many things I've read, I concur with Beery's discovery. The eyes play an enormous role in horse training.

To read more about Beery and his methods, you can go to this web address:

http://www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beery_etips.htm

When you work with a horse, it's advisable to look him in the eye a lot. Why? Because horse's an extremely observant animal and they study their surroundings. If you're in their surroundings they are studying you too. If they see you looking at them in the eye it sends a message to them about who is in control.

Although a horse's ears are part of the plan. the eyes are how the horse interprets his world. The horse gladly desires to approach an object or person that has caused him pleasure. Likewise, he runs from objects or persons that cause him pain. (Pain could be a number of things like work, misuse of aids such as spurs, being talked to in an abrasive manner, etc.)

In short, the eyes are the mirror of the horse's mind. Quiet eyes indicate quietness and sincerity. Quick and lively eye indicate vivacity. Restless eyes turning in all directions indicate suspicion and show the horse is studying all around him and may perhaps be preparing some freak of self will. Turbid eyes indicate fear or anger.

There's a proverb that tells us not to trust the horse that shows the white of his eyes. Perhaps it's because the white shows when he's looking sideways and he's intent on seizing the moment when no attention is being paid for escape or attack.

Mirrors of the Soul

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit

 US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 - 1887)

I think I'll like it here!

Fast Friends

Today I bought Dancer, picked him up and delivered him to his new home at the Tuthill Farm.  Rather, my friends, Shelia and Dan did.  We all met up at the Park 'n Ride on M-36 and Dan drove and hauled his stock trailer to Gregory where we met Wind Dancer and his owner, Melissa.

It too a little coaxing to get him in the trailer but not more than about 10 minutes.  Melissa was teary-eyed as we took our final photo together and she bade her beloved "Dancer" farwell.  I knew exactly how she felt as I'd just said goodbye to my pup, Suzy, a year ago and still had a hard time without her.

Dan and Sheila loaded the cart and harness, and we pulled away in short order.  Dancer traveled beautifully especially for a 2-year old that'd only been on a trailer once before.  Amazing.  He's so gentle, good natured and interlligent.  I feel I selected a wonderful horse.

Once at the Tuthill farm, Dancer met the resident farn and pranced around his corral.

Endings and Beginnings

So ends the blog I promised Suzy I would do.  And so starts the beginning of a new adventure--with Wind Dancer my soon-to-be pony.  I found him on Craig's List about 6 weeks ago.  Listed as a driving pony, I had my doubts as he's only 2 years old.  Most driving horses need years of experience to be considered safe.  Still, the ad piqued my curiosity so I went out to meet him and his owner, Melissa.

We took a "test drive" down some of the most beautiful roads.  She drove him first then I took the reins.  He was a perfect little driving pony:  steady, smooth and, most importantly, responsive and forward-moving especially for his young life.  Later, I found out that Melissa had been a horse trainer for harness racing horses.  She knew what she was doing, and it showed with Dancer. 

He was calm, collected, forward moving and responsive to both voice commands and reins.  I was mighty impressed.  Still, I had my doubts and went home to think things over.  True to form, when I meet someone I really like, I can't get them out of my mind.  Such was the case with Dancer.  His sweet nature and jaunty trot made me smile every time he popped into my head---which was often.

So, I went back for a second look this time with my driving teacher, Anita.  She drove him first then I did.  Again, he was the perfect pony.  Stayed straight on the road, responded well to right/left rein directions and voice commands.  Anita gave her seal of approval, and I was smitten.  Still, I thought, could I afford to get him?  What, with monthly board, vet bills, regular hoof and teeth maintenance, tack and more, could I do it without feeling anxious a all the time?  More to ponder.

And so I did yet couldn't get him out of my mind.  So, I made an offer, $500 lower than the seller was asking and figured if it was meant to be she would accept it and that would be that.  Hold your horses!  Not so easy or straightforward especially in the "old west" dealings of horse trading which, unusual as it seems, is pretty much the same as it was 100 years ago!  Cash on the barrel for horse purchases, be wary at every turn and, until you have that pony in your barn, he could be sold right out from under you!  Anything goes--and does!

Melissa came back with a counter offer and knocked $250 off, "just for you" she assured me, "no one else because I think you and Dancer would be good together."  Flattery, especially with pairing me up with a pony, will get you everytwhere!  And so I accepted, and it was a done deal.  Or, as "done" as could be in the wild west of horse trading, as I said.

That was about 10 days ago, and I've been out to see Dancer, twice, since then.  For the "wild west" philosophy cuts both ways, from seller-to-buyer and buyer-to-seller---anyone can do anything at any time.  I had to be sure, or as sure as I could, that Dancer was not only the right pony for me but that I even wanted to get a pony at this time. 

Last Saturday I went to see him by myself.  It felt awkward, at first, figuring out how to put on his halter, scared he'd step on my sneaker-encased toes, weary of this 800 pound animal that could bolt or knock me down with one turn of his mighty body.  We proceeded carefully and slowly, me leading him ever so gently.  I brushed his mane and forelock, removed a bunch of burrs and finally settled down.  It felt good to be around a horse, again, and to hear the sounds of the country all around.

Yesterday I took a "horse friend" out to visit Dancer.  Barb loved him the minute she laid eyes on this pretty bay pony.  As she petted him through the fence, he grabbed her cap and immediately sprang away in surprise and delight over what he'd just done.  We laughed as Dancer jumped sideways, in a little dancewhirl, around the cap, nosing it and prodding it with his muzzle.  

We took him for a walk, Barb leading all the way, and he was winsome and sweet.  We were both hooked.  The only advice Barb gave me was to tell the seller I could pick him up earlier if need be.  She even said she'd help me harness him to the cart and go driving with me.  I needed that, as it's difficult for me to do alone, plus it's just safer to go driving or riding with a buddy.

This weekend, I'll have him trailored to his new home at the Tuthill Farm and so another "horse adventure" shall begin.  I'm so looking forward to dancing down the road with Dancer!