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| Photo of Onyx, by author |
This morning, my husband is doing what brings him joy, though I think he may be exhausted early again tonight. He is painting a step to an RV. He loves painting and repairing damaged RVs. I am grateful that he finds joy in his work and can pick and choose what and when he wants to, "Go to work!" Retirement is amazing for us both.
I hear the song, "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho," in my head. Since the lyrics say, "It's home from work we go," not off to work we go, I giggle every time I hear it now. I am home from work and loving life. Dan was off to work, while I was off to the barn. I am so very grateful that I am now retired and heading to the barn without feeling the need to rush to get chores done to do something else. My life is magical. This morning I did chores alone. I am so slow when I do chores by myself, which is fine. I fed them their mash. I asked them all to back up, wait for me to hang the bucket and touch my hand before they were invited in to eat. I love this connection with my herd. I am grateful for these connected moments.
Once I finished putting out the mash, I swept the mats so I could put their hay into their feeders. Today, I put their hay into their hay nets hanging on the wall. Sometimes, I put the hay on the mat or in a hay bag which we snap onto a loop we have attached low to the ground, so they eat with their heads down.
I have created a habit of giving them a treat after they finish their mash. While sweeping Images stall mat, she finished her mash. She wanted her treat. It occurred to me that this might be a nice time to play. She went to training for 6 months total, but she has not been as safe to ride as I would like. She has also suffered several injuries. She is healthy now. Which I am grateful for, so she is being asked to do things I have been successfully doing with Onyx. She is ready and even though she isn't always understanding what I am asking, I am doing what I can, to help her understand.
Today, I asked her to yield her hindquarters. She was not understanding me at all. Hmm, how interesting. This might be why we are struggling with our liberty circles. She tends to get tight and hold on to her thoughts. "I am supposed to do this now, not that." "You must mean that I am to back up." This morning, she kept asking for a treat to be dropped into her feed bowl. She was stuck on that thought.
My first thought, when I realized what she was stuck on, was to put the feed bucket away, but then it occurred to me, that I could use her bucket as a magnet to help her understand my suggestion. I used her focus, to help me with her understanding. This idea was mentioned during a Farrah live a few weeks ago. I have used buckets and food many times over the years, but it was this particular Zoom Live that pooped into my mind. It was perfect for this moment.
I unhooked it, put the bucket into my treat hand with a treat in it. I put my other hand on his belly, exactly where my heel would be to ask her to move that hind leg under her mid-line. She kept her head straight, she could not bend. She was still stuck. How interesting. I shook the bucket to get her focus on the bucket. When she bent around me, she relaxed enough to notice that there was a treat in the bucket.
I often thought she was a left brained horse, but I think she may have a little right brained in her. Left brained is a thinking horse. When they are right brained, they freeze and are fearful. Maybe she is right brained when learning new things? I am still pondering this. When we freeze up or when a horse freezes up, we have to slow things down. So, I did. I slowed way, down.
I asked for her head to turn toward the bucket before I asked gently for her hind leg to move. I felt that this way, she was bent toward me, which caused her hindquarters to move more easily in our small space. We both seemed to connect with a moment of, I understand. Her fear and worry and my thinking wheels in my head, both relaxed. I repeated this several times on both sides of her body.
I am so grateful that we both solved the puzzle. We were not stuck anymore. We were free to connect and understand each other. I felt that this was great progress. So, I stopped right there.
After our impromptu play session, I put the other half of their hay serving out onto their track or lane. This encourages them to move back and forth, which is as good for them as it is for us. I was grateful that it was not windy today. Yesterday, we had to feed in the barn. We had 41 mph wind gusts out of the north, which is not typical for our area. We get high winds from time to time, but usually they are out of the west.
Once I finished putting out the hay, I was a little bit warm. I still had to fill the water and clean up their stalls and dry lot areas. I chose the easier activity. Filling up the water tanks. I scoop out anything that does not belong in the water, like hay or bird droppings. Yuck! The horses had all moved out of the barn to eat the hay that I put outside in the sun.
I started to clean the stalls and the gravel areas just outside the barn doors. I don't like the gravel to have manure on it. I want the gravel to be clean so they can self trim their hooves. While I was cleaning Onyx's area. He left this hay to check out what I could do for him. He can be dominant, so there are moments when he asks that I need to remind him that I am a human, not a horse. Today was almost one of those days. When he first come to us, he literally jumped on my back while I was cleaning the area right outside his doorway. He use to bite and treat me like a horse. Good grief. He has been so much more respectful of me as a human now, but I am well aware that he could get too excited and forget.
His skin is all itchy because it is spring and he is shedding. He was a hoot, cause he was itchy everywhere. "Mom, scratch me here on my bum!" As he spun ever so slowly I could hear him ask me, "Oh, now can you scratch me on my belly?" He was pushing into me, which he was spinning ever so slowly.
I was just outside of his stall and standing right next to the wall of the barn. It was a bit tight and claustrophobic. Being this close to a pushing, 1000 pound horse, can be a problem. I hate being squashed. So, I let him know, that I was not feeling safe. He moved right away. I was so proud of him. So, because I could easily ask him to stop, I went up to him to scratch him a bit more. Our connection was strong. He put his head on my shoulder while I scratched his neck. He moved back and forth while I scratched his shoulder and his withers, which is the base of his neck on his spine. At one point he put his mouth on my wrist. Years ago, he would have bitten it, but today, he was letting me know that he understood that I was a human and did not like to be bitten.
When he had his fill of scratching, I went back to my scooping. He followed me like a puppy dog. He was asking to go out into the arena. I told him that it is still a bit wet, so we need to play on the gravel. I did not want him to slip. I swear he said, "OK, fine!" If he were a human, his eyes would have been rolling.
He wanted treats, so I asked him if he could move his hindquarters for a treat. He was totally on board with that idea. He easily moved and we danced while I finished scooping. It too was magical at a deep level. He was once stuck in his thinking, too! Now he is flowing with me like we are one. It is such an amazing feeling to be this connected to a horse.
Have you ever been stuck in your thoughts?
Can you feel them for a moment? Where do you feel them?
Once you have sat with the feeling, do you feel the release, when peace and calm return to your soul, as fear and worry leave?
Living a magical life is what we are all meant to do. We are not meant to live our lives in fear and worry. When we do, once we notice that we are stuck, we can give it the attention it is asking us to give, so that we can release the tension, release the pain and welcome in the calm peaceful life we are meant to live.
Horses are just like humans. They hold stressful thoughts in their bodies, they throw temper tantrums, they are playful and fortunately can learn new ways of being. Once they understand and return to a calm peaceful state life is magical for them, too!
I am grateful for the time I had this morning to spend with the horses while I was doing chores.
What are you grateful for today?
Manifest a magical life.
