Instant Gratification in a Shedding Blade

It doesn't matter how many times I have traversed shedding season, I am always amazed by the amount of hair that falls away from my horse.  A lot of times, I just use a small hard brush to groom hair from the Brillo pad that is his winter coat, systematically removing the hair from the brush and transferring it to the garbage can as I work from his neck to his hindquarters.  But at some point, there is so much hair that my brush becomes stuffed with hair in just a few strokes.

Enter the shedding blade.

I don't know what it is, but the shedding blade is a ridiculously satisfying grooming tool.  Harley enjoys the nice scratching massage that he gets from the small teeth of the blade and the hair flies from his coat like a scene from Edward Scissorhands.

Nothing like a smooth horse!

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago.  Harley has lost a lot more hair since then, revealing some of the short, satiny hair of summer.  I can see lots of reddish hairs mixed in on his neck and shoulders.  Do you know what that means?

The dapples are on their way!

Harley is living the easy life these days: extended grooming sessions, hand-grazing, and carrot-time at the picnic table.  I try to get in an exercise session a couple times a week, but, honestly, he seems to be handling the down-time just fine.  In the six years that I have owned him, he has not had a long vacation and during this time of year I would probably be riding him as close to four times a week as my schedule would allow.  I hope at least one of us is enjoying it, because I am still gazing at his back longingly and wishing I were up there.  Wouldn't it be nice if you could just remove your pregnant belly for a few hours and put it back on later?  My bladder would sure appreciate that.  ;)

Towel Use #328

Equine Dust Mask

Cute.  Silly.  Mysterious.  Shy (He is anything but.).  Sneeze guard.  A veil?

Harley's simple, cheap dust mask has been described in many ways, but no matter how you describe it, the bottom line is that it is working!  No coughing during a grooming session means a happy horse and that makes me a happy owner.

Harley is such a good sport.

The Things People Say

I have read a number of articles and threads about the stuff that people say to pregnant women.  I would never have had an appreciation for those stories before I was expecting myself.  I thought it might be fun to make my own list.  Feel free to add to mine!

1. Was it planned?/Were you trying?
2. Do you have a doctor?/Are you taking vitamins?
3. That's not a belly; that's a bread basket!
4. How much weight have you gained?
5. My delivery was so painful and traumatic that I never had a second child (true statement revealed to me right after I shared my good news).
6. Are you hoping for a girl or a boy?
7.  How far along are you?
8. The last place I would want to be looking is in maternity (said by a random shopper while walking by me in the maternity section at the mall, my husband heard her and was pissed).
9. Oh, you are getting so cute.
10. I can see your belly now./You're getting so heavy.
11. Your stomach isn't nearly as big as this other pregnant women.
12. Do you have insomnia?  Better get used to not sleeping!
13. Do you want to find out if it is a boy or a girl or do you want to be surprised? (isn't it always a surprise?)
14. Do you know what you are having? (it's a human!)
15. Breastfeeding is great and the best thing that you can do for your baby!
16. Breastfeeding is painful/horrible/impossible; use formula and save yourself the trouble.
17. Did you pick a name yet?
18. Just use drugs. (this one gets said a lot in reference to the delivery which I find kind of amusing since usually the status quo is to "just say no")
19. How are you feeling? (multiply by 1,000,000,000)
20. And the creme de la creme:

Can I confirm your birthdate?
Reeallly??  I thought you were like nineteen!
(Said by a phlebotomist after vampiring more blood from me.  I waited until I was in my early thirties to have my first baby and people still think that I am a teen mother.  Not cool!)

Many of the gems above were eyebrow-raising, but the one thing that has really surprised me is that people have not advised me to stop riding my horse, even though horseback riding is at the top of the list of dangerous activities to be avoided by pregnant women.  I had been bracing myself since day one expecting to be judged for riding my 1000 lb pet while gestating a baby.  I am not sure if people just don't want to go there and tell me not to do my most favorite thing in the entire world or if they truly believe that I would not take the chance if I thought that I would be taking too large a risk.  I have been happy to see that pretty much everyone, from riders to non-riders, have been supportive of my decision to keep riding my horse.  My husband and I discussed it with one of my doctors and she said that because I have been riding regularly for most of my life, I can continue to ride, but I can't fall off.  She also said that "bouncing is okay" and won't hurt the baby.

As an avid rider who values a good seat and the work I have put forth to improve my balance and position in the saddle, I couldn't resist clarifying for her.

"Oh, I don't bounce."

October 2012: At the beginning of our new adventure.

A New Horse Girl

The Memoirs of a Horse Girl blog hit a milestone this week:

100 Followers!

I can't believe how excited I am over a number.  I write this blog for so many reasons and connecting with other horse people is a big reason that I love blogging and reading your blogs.  I know that the number of followers is not a perfect count of how many of you visit and read about my adventures with horses, past and present, but for some reason it has been really fun to watch that number go up this week.  I am grateful for all of you down to my very first follower, because you cannot get to one hundred without every single person along the way who decided that this little corner of cyberspace might be a nice place to visit.  Thank you so much for visiting, reading, and sharing your comments when you have the time to do so!

Thank you!!!  Carrots all around!

Partially in celebration of hitting the century mark and partially because I have decided that the time to hesitate has passed, I have some news to share...

Lately, I've been doing some shopping around.

I have been looking for a new, cheap back-up blanket for Harley (suggestions welcome).
I have simultaneously been purusing the internet for information on...
car seats, strollers, and crib bedding sets.

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My husband and I are expecting our first little one AND

"It's a girl!"

My parents are very excited, as are we, and my Mom has already noted that Harley may have two girls grooming him before long.  Harley would love this, of course, and I find myself appreciating him in a whole new light as I imagine a small person interacting with his wonderful temperament.  I have started describing my horse to non-horse people as "the golden retriever of the horse breeds", even though I used to like to emphasize the fact that he has a strong canter (still true) and is too forward and sensitive to be a lesson horse (still true, but give him a few years...).

I absolutely love that I feel completely comfortable around Harley even though my belly is starting to stretch the elastic in my winter riding pants to the max and I now use the therapeutic mounting ramp to mount and dismount my horse (sooooo convenient).  So yes, I am still riding Harley and all the pictures you saw taken from his back were real and taken by me.  This time of year does not lend itself well to riding, so I have not been riding as much as I would during the other seasons, and that has worked out fine.  I also have been doing far less trail-riding than I had originally planned.  Remember the Easyboots that I bought in the fall?  They will have to come out next year for their debut, because I am not interested in riding out for hours far from home (and a bathroom).

A life-changing experience is on the horizon and, quite possibly,
a new horse girl is in the works!

We made a special cake to share the sex of our baby with our family.  As a science teacher, I had to get some chromosomes and genetics symbols in there.

After some pomp and circumstance, we cut the cake to reveal....

the pink interior: strawberry mist in vanilla cake with dark chocolate frosting.

Harley was good about keeping the secret until I told all my human friends, but I did have to keep him quiet with more carrots than usual.  Every time he tried to open his mouth to share the news, I stuffed more carrots in there.  ;)

SURPRISE!!!

Buttermilk Buckskin: Winter Fuzz

I know that our horses' winter coats can be a hassle, but something about long hair is just so romantic.  I may not feel that way once shedding season begins or if Harley decides to roll in the mud, but for now, it looks pretty cool.

The setting sun added to the ambiance and made his coat look more golden than usual.

Did you know that those longer hairs on his jowls, belly, and legs are functional?  If the horse is precipitated upon, the rain or melting snow will travel down the longer hairs and off his coat.  This helps to keep his undercoat and skin dry, which helps him maintain his body temperature in inclement weather.  It is for this reason that I never trim these hairs during the winter months.  And plus, Harley lives out.

Fuzzy ears: I make sure that I free them from the browband.  This picture was taken in artificial lighting.

As much as I like his winter duds, I enjoy trimming the hairs that remain once he does shed out.  My horse transforms into a delicate-looking animal again, with the help of the clippers.  That sort of thing satisfies the left side of my brain and the right side gets to have fun matching the curvature of his jaw and cheek.  Despite what the groundhog says, it still seems to be too early to charge up the clippers...

Not A Truck Yet

I have always had it in my horse-centric mind that I would own a truck when I grow up.  "Normal" women and girls do not usually dream of owning a truck, but horse girls do.  Having a truck is crucial if you own a farm and horses.  I have owned a handful of cars in my life, but none of them have been trucks.  My tried and true car for the last decade has been a 2001 Honda Civic coupe, which is a far cry from a farm vehicle.  Despite this, I loved that car and planned to drive it until it would no longer run (Did I mention that I also loved high MPG and not having a car payment?).  Unfortunately, the old girl was getting on in years and it became clear that we were in need of a larger vehicle.  Maybe now was the time for my truck?!  I had secretly hoped that my next car would be just that...

...however, I am a practical gal and I consulted my checklist before going to test-drive trucks.

Do I own a horse?
YES (Horray!)

Do I own a horse trailer?
no

Do I own a farm?
no

Do I haul feed, hay, or other large items for my beloved pet?
no

Do I need to drive in inclement weather to tend to my horse throughout the year?
sometimes

Do I need to haul stuff home for home repairs or projects?
YES, but we have a van that already does the trick.

Sigh.

Hmmm.  It appears that I do not really need a truck yet.  Trucks are pretty reasonably priced compared to cars, but if part of your reason for purchasing a new car is to upgrade from two doors to four, then you must buy an extended cab in your truck and that starts to become pricey.

Double-sigh.

Also, trucks have atrocious gas mileage.  Besides always having wanted a truck, I have also always been an environmentally conscious gal and I cannot stand the difference between the MPG of my civic and the MPG of a truck sans trailer.  Add the trailer and, of course, things get a whole lot worse.  I know this, because every time that I haul my horse somewhere (which isn't often) I have to pay someone else.  It adds up quick and makes me kind of sick.  I can get just about 40 MPG on the highway in my Civic (What a good car she was!).  Of course, the only way I could have brought Harley along was if I held his leadline out the window and let him run beside the car.  I am pretty sure that would be ill-advised.

My husband always comes through in these types of dilemmas.  He did some (extensive) research and found a car that, although not a truck, seems to fit the bill.

Four doors with plenty of cabin space.
A raised frame and all-wheel drive.
Decent gas mileage and the best for this type of car.
Not an SUV (I strongly dislike SUV's, especially their gas mileage and the false sense of security they seem to give their drivers.  Those things can roll.).
A driver's seat that raises up high enough for me to see out the windshield!  Double-win!  (This is a consistent problem for me.  The Civic was one of the few cars that fit me.)
Plus, all-weather mats all around and an all-weather tray in the trunk (because I make a huge mess).

And the best part?  The car comes in ORANGE!
Tangerine Orange Pearl to be exact.
My civic was "metallic mustard" (called Inca Pearl by Honda), which was loved by me and despised by many.  I think that I kind of liked it more, because so many crinkled their nose at it.  I guess that says something about me as a person.  I will leave that open to interpretation.  ;)

So without further ado, I present to you my new not-a-truck, the Subaru Crosstrek:

If it decides to snow this winter, I will no longer be prevented from visiting my horse.  In the past I had a hard time driving out of the neighborhood, because Civic's are not exactly ice-worthy and our neighborhood was not being plowed when we first moved into our house.  Once the plowing situation was taken care of, I still had trouble with the back roads leading to the farm and even more trouble with the long driveway to the barn.  My car did not have ground clearance, so any bumps or snow drifts were a serious threat.  I would rather stay home then have to make an embarrassing call requesting the tractor come pull out my vehicle.  Those days are gone, because my new crossover vehicle has excellent ground clearance and all-wheel drive.

Maybe one day a truck will be a practical vehicle for me, but, until then, I am very happy with the alternative.  It is fun and easy to drive and I no longer have to steer around big (and little) dips and divots in the driveway to my horse.  I have heard and read that Subaru owners are very satisfied customers and keep their cars for a long, long time.

I do want to make sure that Mother Nature knows that despite my new wheels, no snow is still fine with me.  ;)

My previous car.  I like color in my horses and my cars!

I love my new car, but Harley is still my favorite ride.

Harley's Top Ten of 2012

Actually, I can count to ten.

Hi Everyone.  In case you didn't know, today is the last day of 2012.  I don't worry myself about the calendar, but apparently this is an important day for humans.  Val told me that she really likes Top Ten lists from the previous year, but since she didn't see any new movies (except for one about a man-sized bat and another about some game that people play because they are hungry) and she doesn't know who rhee-hanna or brue-no-marrs are, she was kind of disappointed.  I decided to help out and make my own top ten list for 2012.  I hope you like it!

10. Not having to eat beet pulp anymore: I ate it for years and I was really sick of that stuff.  I finally started refusing to eat it and leaving it in my trough.  Finally, no more beet pulp at mealtime.  That stuff was so boring.  Problem solved!

9.  The doctor lady gave me a perfect score on the body condition scale!  More grain had replaced my beet shreds.  I knew that stuff was a waste of my time (and so boring to eat).

8. Eating carrots at the picnic table: For so long, I have watched the little horses eat carrots at the picnic table and Val finally caught on.  The carrots taste much better from a meal surface meant for humans.

7. The teacher lady told me that my neck looks pretty and she told me "Good Boy" for my floaty trotting (Val told me that I cannot make all ten about food.  I really did have fun in our lessons, though.).

Alternating between breakfast and dinner as my favorite moments of 2012 was also vetoed.

6. Eating hay cubes on my work days: They were tricky to eat at first, but Val breaks them into pieces and now I have mastered them.  I hold the cube against the bottom of my trough and break it some more before chewing the rest.  Sometimes she gives them to me even on days when I do not work.  I do not have to share these with my paddock buddy, but I am sure that he can smell them on my breath.  Too bad!

5. Extra carrots on allergy shot days:  You might be surprised by this one, but I do not mind getting my allergy shots, because I always get carrots just for standing still for a few seconds.  Val is extra susceptible to my "carrot face" right after I get my shot, so I can milk a few extra snacks from her.  Jackpot.

4. Showing off my big trot: I figured out how to make my trot super big this year.  I always get lots of praise for this, but I would move out like that for free!  I used to feel like my feet were going to fall off because I trotted so fast, but now I know how to take big strides instead.  It is so much fun.

3. Being recognized for cuteness:  Val tells me that I get lots of compliments from horse people who visit our blog and read about me.  I work really hard at being cute, so I appreciate the feedback.  I plan on continuing my cute-streak into 2013.

It's not easy, but someone's got to do it.

2. Jumping from one canter direction to the other: I had to wait and be patient for a really long time, because I was doing this too much on my own.  I felt so free when I jumped from one side to the other that I just couldn't help myself.  Val calls it a "fly-eng-chan-ge".  I am glad that I am allowed to do them again, because it is so much more fun than going back to trot to change directions.

1. Peppermint treats: I tried these for the first time this summer.  They taste fantastic and they smell even better.  I love to smell them as long as I can.  Everyone says that I am smiling when I do that.  I hope the peppermints are a big part of my life next year.

Happy New Year Everyone!

From me and Val

Blogosphere Holiday Card

It's Kind Of a Weird Story

I have noticed over the past several weeks that one of the barn cats has been using my horse's stall as a toilet.  I find a neat little pile of "you know what" in the same corner, day after day.  At some point, I stopped picking it up, hoping that the cat would abandon his bathroom if I stopped cleaning it.

The next day there were two piles side by side.  Oh well.

I do not like to complain about too many things.  As a boarder, I am a guest.  A paying guest, but a guest, none the less, and what exactly is someone supposed to do to prevent the cat from using my horse's stall as his own personal outhouse?  I groveled under my breath for a few weeks and gave the cat my best, evil-sideways-glance whenever I saw him sauntering across the farm yard.  How can he be so smug?  And he doesn't even have the class to cover his business.

I started to wonder, where had the cat been going to the bathroom before he starting using my stall?   There has been at least one barn cat around for as long as I have kept my horse at the farm.  Oddly, my horse seems to really like the cats.  He will put his nose right up to a barn cat's belly and sniff so diligently that he nearly lifts the cat off the ground.  He has never been scratched for this, so I assume they are friends.  Maybe he invited the cat to use his stall.

"Sure!   Come back anytime.   I barely use my stall anyway."

I complained to my husband, because who else can you complain to when you are trying to "be cool" about something?  However, this didn't resolve the issue.  In an effort to help, he cleaned up the mess for me during his last barn visit.  I do not think that I have seen him carry a manure fork before.   It was a nice gesture.

Then one day, after lessons, late on Thursday, I went to clean a pile of horse poop from my horse's stall and noticed the cat's pile next to it.  I was in mid-conversation with the barn owner and just decided on a whim to mention it.

"You know the cat keeps using my horse's stall as a bathroom."

There was a slight hesitation and then,

"It's not a cat."

"Huh?"  Was a small child using my horse's stall as a bathroom?   I was seriously confused.

"It's a skunk."

"WhhAaaTtt?!!?", my exclamation was drawn out, because I was presently holding a manure fork of skunk scat.

Apparently, a skunk had taken up residence nearby and was making himself at home.  I unabashedly proceeded to freak out, vocally worrying if it could be a potentially-EPM-carrying opossum instead of a skunk and generally distraught that a wild animal was hanging around the barn.  They carry diseases you know!

I was reassured that it was definitely a skunk, because one evening when my horse was being led into his stall for dinner, the skunk was in there doing his business.

"My horse could have been skunked!"

At this point, any attempt I may have made to "be cool" had completely failed and I now was in total boarder hysterics.  I am sure that the barn owner was silently wishing that she had just let me continue to believe that it was the cat.  We have a local wild animal guru, who had already been contacted and she assured us that the skunk will not spray in a confined space, because he, himself, does not want to be skunked.

How is that for irony?

So long story short, the skunk is being humanely-trapped tomorrow and will be relocated.  Until then, I have been keeping Harley's stall door shut and his bedding has remained free of "mystery presents".

Last Friday, my teacher came out for a lesson and happened to poke her head into another horse's stall.  After a few moments she commented,

"Hey, I think the cat is going in here."

Dressage Book Serendipity

I noticed a cardboard box of horse books at the barn a few weeks ago.  The books were on a variety of topics from health to riding.  Whoever mysteriously left the books had scribbled "FREE" on the cardboard box.  Well, I can't argue with that price, so I inspected the goods.  I recognized a couple titles that I have at home already and then I noticed a cover that did not look familiar to me.

Just a lovely picture of horse and rider

The book was called Common Sense Dressage: An Illustrated Guide.  I had not heard of the author, Sally O'Connor, but I had heard of fellow New Jersey resident and decorated international rider, Robert Dover.  The book was published in 1990 by Half Halt Press, Inc. with rather darling illustrations by Jean L. Schucker and photos by George E. Perentesis (unless otherwise noted).  I was attracted to the book by the clean, simple cover and the horse and rider demonstrating a light and easy-looking piaffe.  I glanced through the book and noticed that there was a section on "Counter Canter" as well as a dogear left by the previous reader at the beginning of the section on "Flying Changes".  Good enough for me!  I brought the book home, placed it at the top of a pile of hardcovers on the shelf of my coffee table and promptly forgot about it.

Until today.

My husband was visiting his usual sites on his tablet from the comfort of the couch.  I plopped down next to him and a shiny red cover caught my eye.  My free and recently acquired dressage book was calling my name.  Oh my gosh.  I meant to read that!

I was stuck to the couch with my nose in this book for a good hour.  I did not start at the beginning.  I just opened the book in the middle, swooned over some really nice photos of lateral work and kept moving from there.  The author discussed how to ride horses based on their conformation and temperament.  She also addressed some of the common problems that riders may face, like a horse with locked shoulders.  Ms. O'Connor was exceptionally good at task analysis and clear simple instructions.  I also noticed a couple little tidbits that really caught my eye and persuaded me to believe that this author rides and trains in a way that I would be happy to watch or emulate.
 

I taught Harley a carrot-inspired version of this exercise in the winter of 2010 and he offered his big trot this summer.  The author suggests this exercise to free the shoulders.  Thanks for the confirmation, Ms. O'Connor!

There are many great exercises and sequences of exercises in this book.  The author even briefly touches upon the difference between the "Flexion School" and the "Impulsion School", which types of horse work best under each philosophy and why she finds a combination of the two very helpful in the dressage training of most horses.

I am so glad that I picked up this book, having quite literally stumbled upon it.  I appreciate the simple, straight-forward approach of the author, which I feel resonates with my own training practices.  "Common sense" makes a lot of sense when training horses.

Frame by frame shots and descriptions of the flying change of lead every stride:  My experience has been that this kind of detail is difficult to find in training resources published online or in print.  Love it.

News Flash: Dressage Is Mainstream

Stephen Colbert finally gets it!  Truthiness prevails once again.

I give him major credit for riding the beautiful mare.
Satire or not, that had to be a little scary.

Michael Barisone and Conchita were both very good sports.

Long Valley is next door to my hometown, so it was neat to hear that part of New Jersey mentioned on mainstream television.

FYI, Colbert.
There are those of us who do practice dressage without expensive horses or tiaras!

Who says dressage is without a sense of humor?

Now someone just needs to explain to him that "horsie-walking-sideways" is called half-pass.  ;)

Enjoy!

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

My Horse's Jedi Mind Trick

"These are not the carrots you have been looking for..."

"...These are Harley's carrots and you will give them to him..."

"...right now."

*crunch, crunch*

"...These are Harley's carrots..."

He is one persistent Jedi!

News Flash: Val on Video

The local newspaper stopped by our farm to speak to us about our new therapeutic riding center, HeartsTRC, LLC.  The news is no longer just print on paper.  In the time of the internet and multimedia, the reporter wanted a video clip to post on the news website.  Although many people are reluctant to speak on camera, I have to speak in front of a room full of students on a daily basis and giving an impromptu speech happens to be one of my specialties (or so I am told), so I volunteered to take the plunge.  After a few minutes preparing what I wanted to say, I was ready to accept the challenge.  My students would probably tell you that the real challenge is getting me to stop talking!  I am not one for chitchat or idle conversation, but if it is about science or horses, I have a lot to say.  Enjoy!



So how long does 15 minutes of fame last in the era of the internet?
Is it sped up to 15 seconds or extended to infinity?

Let's hope for positive feedback and comments and a limited number of observations that mention that I look or sound like I am twelve.  Wouldn't be the first time!

Related links:
http://www.shorenewstoday.com/snt/news/index.php/egg-harbor-twp.html

Carrot Picnic

"Guess how many baby carrots I have in my mouth."

Your guess is as good as mine! 
They disappear too quickly for me to keep track.

What is your horse's favorite picnic?

Hearts TRC Open House and Yoga

On Saturday, our farm had an Open House.  I am one of the partners in an LLC.  Our company, Hearts TRC, LLC, offers therapeutic horseback riding and certified instructors, yours truly included.  Although our combined experience in therapeutic horsemanship amounts to decades, our program is in its first year.  We decided to have an Open House to showcase what we offer and bring some prospective clients to the farm.  This required lots and lots of prep work and, corny as it may sound, teamwork.  I also spent several hours the night before baking chocolate chip and blueberry muffins.  My husband wondered what I had done with his not-very-domestic wife, but he liked the baked goods just the same.

At the Open House we offered light refreshments and lesson demonstrations.  Some of the instructors gave short, 15-minute riding lessons, there was a groundwork demonstration, and yoga on horseback!  We are very fortunate, because one of our therapeutic riding instructors is also a certified yoga instructor.  She has adapted some yoga poses to be practiced on the moving horse.  This is where Harley and I got to participate.

Thank you, Husband, for taking all of these lovely photos!

I always use the therapeutic ramp to get on Harley.  Since I do not have to put my foot in the stirrup, there is no bracing in his back or ribcage as I swing my leg over.  This saves his back and my saddle.  He is very used to the ramp, but not so accustomed to having a leader in front of him.  He was a little perplexed at first.

I overheard a little kid say, "Mommy, I want to ride that one," as we walked by.  Me, too, kid.  Me, too!

Harley inspected the people watching at the fence every single time that we walked by them.  He liked all the activity and visitors.  He is such a social guy.

Prayer position.  I had to follow the instructor's directions to breathe into each pose.

Here I am lifting my shoulders to my ears...

...and then dropping my shoulder blades down my back.  This was a really good exercise for me to practice.

We had a gorgeous day for our event.  A thunderstorm the night before broke the heat wave and watered the ring for us!

After a little while, Harley got the idea and kept a nice pace behind his leader, who happens to be one of my favorite people in the whole world!

He never got tired of looking at the crowd though.  I cannot imagine how many cell phones snapped his picture.  He is such a ham.

My shoulders were feeling the burn here.  Keeping your arms raised is hard work!

The cat stretch felt nice afterward.

My riding teacher would like this one, because it puts space between my shoulder blades.

The triangle pose is my favorite.  Harley is concerned that I am going to slide off his back.

But then he just accepts the fact that I am a silly human.

This one was fun, too.  A modified warrior pose, maybe?

This pose really showed me the difference between my left and right shoulders.  My left shoulder was nice and loose, which made this pose easy.  My right shoulder (pictured above this photo) was so tight that the motion in Harley's hindquarters actually made it ache, but it felt much better afterward.  The horse's motion has a massaging effect.

Harley and I and our awesome leader participated in a second demonstration later in the day.  We did a few more complicated poses, like a modified downward-facing-dog, cat and cow stretches, and a back bend.  It was fun and really challenging.  I am tempted to sign up for the classes myself.  I think Harley is ready, too.

At the end of the yoga demonstration, I decided to try some of the controlled breathing with canter-trot-canter transitions.  I tried inhaling on the upward transition and exhaling on the downward transition.  After a couple repetitions, all I had to do was breathe a certain way and picture what I wanted and Harley would make the transition.  It was really interesting.  Harley was happy to be moving out, so we did a mini-dressage demonstration complete with his big trot, leg-yields, shoulder-in, and half-pass.  He was foot perfect and strutted his stuff like a true showman.  He even jumped a pole on the ground, demonstrated his big, exciting canter and then came back to a delicate, collected canter when I asked him to.  If only we could have a dressage show at home.  He was electric and happy to perform all of my requests, but with none of the nerves or tension that comes with showing, even though there were people hanging on the fence watching him go.  He basked in the praise and attention that he received afterward.  I was very proud of my pony.

Hearts TRC, LLC has a website thanks to our very talented and attentive webmaster.  You might see Harley here and there.  We also have a Facebook, but since I do not use Facebook, I am not very helpful in that respect.  I think I am supposed to say something to the effect of "please like us on Facebook".  I drew the sketch for the logo and the yoga instructor, who is also a graphic artist, digitized it.  Enjoy!