Stall Love-in

December 16, 2009 By Linda Leave a Comment

Inside, the barn is crowded with the Precision Riding Club; outside, a December snowstorm is blowing a gale. The combination of the two, means there won’t be time for Xena and I to get into the arena. It’s Wednesday, so I knew the barn would be busy, but I haven’t seen Xena for a couple of days and I’ve missed her. Silly, I know.

Love-in — A gathering at which people express feelings of love towards each other.

I’ve groomed Xena and we’re standing together in her stall, looking out the door. This is me pretending to be a horse, just hanging out the way horses do in the herd. Pat Parelli calls this undemanding time, but tonight I find it difficult to resist stroking her nose and cheek. So I guess I’m being somewhat demanding.

A few minutes later her nose rests in my hands and the fingers of my left hand lightly cover one nostril. I never imagined I’d be standing like this with a horse, or that the moment would be so touching. All the more touching because of how far we’ve come together.

Out of curiousity I step aside to put 3 feet between us, so that I’m leaning against the stall wall. The moment becomes doubly meaningful when she closes the gap and joins me at the wall.

Gosh, I love this horse.

What We Did Tonight
7:55 to 9:20 p.m. = 1 hour, 25 minutes

  • Greeting & Friendly Game℠.
  • Peek-a-boo Game
    I sway towards and away from her, rubbing her nose with the wash cloth on each sway towards her. She’s unfazed and just stares at the crazy woman.
  • Carrot Hunt
    A new game that she seems to really enjoy and is giving her more confidence to spontaneously interact with me.
  • Undemanding time.

Friendly Game℠ is a service marks of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc.

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Sniff, Sniff, Breathe

August 15, 2009 By Linda 2 Comments

Many years ago, I had medical test to diagnose what turned out to be migraine headaches. As part of the test, the doctor asked me to close my eyes and identify several objects by scent alone.

I was given only a brief moment to inhale and identify each scent — vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint. But in a doctor’s office I was sniffing out of context, and couldn’t identify some items with only one sniff. I needed a second sniff. A chance to breathe in the scent, let it resonate on my palette and seep into my brain.

I’ve noticed that Xena also likes a long sniff. We’ll be walking along, and her nose with gently swing towards me for a sniff of my sleeve. Or we’ll come to a stop, and I’ll feel her nostril rest lightly against my elbow. I’ve even had that big nose rest against my neck and cheek, although her warm breath usually tickles and I can’t be still for long.

I’ve learned a lot about myself, by watching other people hold out their knuckles to Xena. At those times being onlooker has its advantages, and I’ve realized how brief a sniff we allow a horse to take. Perhaps if we paused, gave them time to breathe, our scent would seep into their brains too.

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Counting the Minutes

May 10, 2009 By Linda Leave a Comment

Every minute I’m with Xena, I’m teaching her something — good or bad. I guess I should say we’re teaching each other, because I think I learn as much from Xena as she does from me.

The Parelli Natural Horsemanship™ program stresses the value of undemanding time. Time spent just hanging out, being together, as horses do in the herd. A time when every minute counts, even if you’re not really doing anything.

When you see time references, such as 8:05 to 10:15 p.m. in our Training Journal, it means Xena first saw me at 8:05, whether she was in the field, the shoot or her stall. At 10:15 I said good-night to her. It doesn’t necessarily mean we spent 2 hours playing the seven games, or 2 hours doing anything in particular. It simply means we were together for over 2 hours.

Walking the Shoot    

Parelli Natural Horsemanship™ is a trademark of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc.

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