I apologize for not posting more. I’m in the middle of writing something that has to be finished by May 1st, so I’m trying not to get distracted. Not much is happening around here anyway. The big event was that the horses got their Spring shots this morning, and the vet drew blood to test Siete to see if she is insulin resistant. We’ll find out next week if I have a chubby horse or an IR horse.
Both horses were good as gold about the shots. Siete was totally calm when they took the blood, and they really took a lot more than I thought they would. I’m keeping an eye on them, watching for any signs of stiffness or being “off”. They got rabies vaccines, which sometimes can cause a reaction. I have mixed emotions about animal vaccines, but with all the wild creatures in the woods behind the barn, I don’t want to take any chances with rabies. So far, the only things that seem to be bothering them are those darn gnats.
I got an email today from Amazon.com that the new Mark Rashid book, “Whole Heart, Whole Horse: Building Trust Between Horse and Rider” will arrive on my doorstep on April 30th. Got to keep writing so that I’m done by the time it gets here. What a great reward - a new Mark Rashid book!
"Anyone who has spent any time around horses, and has paid attention to how they do things when they are out in the herd, knows how patient horses can be... One of the big keys to working with horses is the ability for the handler to be patient. Generally speaking, horses will learn the specific task we are trying to teach them in exactly the amount of time it takes them to understand it... It's when we try to force them into learning things faster than they are capable of understanding that things generally begin to go south... It's never so much the waiting we do, but how we do that waiting."
Mark Rashid, from "A Life with Horses: Spirit of The Work"
12 comments:
I'll keep my fingers crossed for chubby.
I have been a student of Mark Rashid, and have ridden with him for a number of years - including 2 week-longs in Colorado. I'm very excited about the new book, as well! If you do end up with insulin resistence, it's not that hard to manage - we have one of those at our barn.
That's a wonderful quote. We should all be taught and learn in the same manner.
Yesterday was Quasar's big day at the vet. He's been feeling a little sluggish, too, I think from all the vaccines (3 of them).
Spring has sprung....
Hope you get a break soon so you can go out and hang with your herd.
I am going to follow up on the Mark Rashid books...
I need to read me some of that Mark Rashid!
Hoping it's good news for your mare's blood tests!
Hope her tests come back good. I'm sure she'll be fine. Good luck finishing your project, then you can play with the girls and relax a little.
I'm going to check out the new book you mentioned.
Every horseperson should be made aware of that quote. Patience is a virtue indeed! I especially like the part regarding learning and understanding. Hope all is well and the sun is shining. We may hit the mid 80s today.
Victoria...Google "Sankofa" and you can read all about them. The group has existed for 22 years and is utterly amazing. They have traveled to many places and the Director and his son have performed at the White House. Wish you could have been here to see it.
Lori
A friend has produced a DVD about them and I just might have to send you one.
That quote is spot on. My Dad used to say something like that about working with mules. I asked him why some folks have trouble working with or training mules. He said, "Some people think that "patience" is a 4-letter word."
When we buy Mark's books from him, he gets some money for his efforts and brilliance and generosity with words. When we buy from Amazon, he doesn't.
Any chance you'll be coming to New Hampshire in May to see him?
It is very true about patience. I have noticed that when watching the trainer work with my husband's mare. And it is important that it is "calm" patience......
I do believe in the vaccines. In our area several horses died last year due to West Nile Virus.....they had not been vaccinated.
Hopefully , it's just a little winter fat. Nice quote at the bottem, too true!
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