billy blaze

self portrait

i went out to clean billy's pen, fix his grain and just put around a bit. billy was out in the front yard and didn't know i was back there. when i went to dump the wheel barrow i spotted him grazing. so i called, "billy billy billy!" his head flew up and he came trotting then cantering right to me :) sliding to a stop just in front of me. gosh. i love this horse.

he followed me back to his pen where his grain was waiting. i went and got a couple of his favorite brushes and sat down to wait for him to finish eating and drinking.

when he was ready he came over to me and i started to brush all his itchy spots. i started with the hard rubber curry and just concentrated on all the spots HE wanted me to. not worrying if i got every single square inch of his body. i just brushed and brushed.  starting at his wither area, down his shoulders, just behind his withers on his back, his chest. he moved so that i was brushing his butt, between his cheeks :) he LOVES that. i brushed and brushed and brushed. my arms started to get tired so i switched to his hedgehog brush and went to work on all his itchy spots again.

the spots were different with the different brush. he wanted me to brush around his ears and INSIDE his ears ( i used my fingers for that!) then he had me concentrate on his chest for quite a while. i brushed and brushed. he moved so that i was brushing his withers again, his shoulders, his back. then he walked away, did a little spin and put me right back at his chest and ears :) LOL so funny!

he ended that side with me at his butt, brushing between the cheeks again. this got a lot of releases and sighs and yawns and other things... i brushed and brushed and brushed.

at the end he moved so that i was brushing his chest again and i just stood there and brushed and brushed it until he started to chew on me. his signal that he was done!

he indicated that his jaw needed a little rubbing, so i rubbed and rubbed, digging into the creases and pushing along his jaw line. he was rolling his eyes into his head and yawning and yawning for this.

i just wanted to spend some quality time acknowledging the fact that he was so happy to come to me. cantering straight to me, ears up. tonight was all about his needs and wants.

time unhurried is never wasted.

experience

zen horsemanship

i've been reading some books and blogs about being in the moment, simplifying our lives and learning to appreciate the little things.  this morning the whole family woke up feeling energized and ready to clean up and clean out.  we now have quite a few bags to donate and a few full of garbage as well.  it feels so good to de-clutter.

it got me thinking last night about de-cluttering my mind.  it's so full of goals and expectations that i'm getting bogged down in my horsemanship.  i have forgotten how to live in the moment.  this is a fairly recent problem as i really do feel that i have been living in the moment with billy up until level 4.  i didn't let the goals pull me under, instead i floated along on the euphoria of our achievements, no matter how small.

level 4 is about refinement and the games seem to have gotten harder.  there are certain tasks that i feel would be easier if i were riding billy as he would have a better understanding of what i'm asking and how he is supposed to respond.  i also wonder...if i teach him to do some of these things on the ground first how is that going to translate when i'm on his back?  but again, i find myself all bogged down with the how.

when we simplify and live in the moment the how of it all doesn't seem to matter so much.  not only does it not matter, but both billy and i have a lot more fun and are more relaxed with each other.  the games come easier.  the communication opens up.

it all boils down to me and how i am handling it all.  i believe that if i let go of some of my goals and expectations, level 4 will just come to us.  a timeline doesn't matter at this point.  i will ride billy when he is ready regardless if we've passed our level 4 online and liberty, or not.