Horses are Unpredictable

Well now isn't that an understatement!! Has your horse ever done anything that you never thought he would do or not do what you thought he would do with no problem?

Congratulations if that never happened to you. Yesterday we went to Asbury University for their trail ride. There was several riders there and as I have found, they were all very proud of their horses. Even those that were less than fully broke.

Now less me say this about that. If your horse does not do obstacles, a competitive trail ride is not the place to teach him.

We took Satin. Again I did not ride. You know broken arm and all that. Doctor says "Stay off your horse" But Bob did a wonderful job riding Satin. Every one admired her and we heard numerous comments on how beautiful she is and how willing she is to do what is ask of her. It was a difficult trail. There was a long hill going down to the Kentucky River and then back up the same hill. Not only that but by the time they got to the last 2 miles, it was all in the open.
It was hot yesterday and both horses and riders were hot and tired by the time they got back to the barn. There was no shade in that last leg to shelter them from the heat of the day.

We had a long walk to the shelter where lunch was served and awards were presented. The lunch was really nice. It was a great menu and the food was plentiful. After lunch the scores were tallied and awards were presented. Bob and Satin got a 4th place in the pleasure division and that was really a good placing. There were riders there that had been riding all spring and summer so they were very experienced. I am excited that several of them will be also coming to our ride in August.

We walked the long road back to where we had the truck and trailer parked and Satin tied out. We had some discussion about whether to stay for a clinic they had planned or to go home. We decided to go home. Bob untied Satin and walked her to the trailer. He pointed at the trailer door expecting her to go on and load just like she always does. But this time it was "No Deal"
She absolutely refused to go on the trailer.

Several people offered to help. I think they had in mind they could push her on there. She is not terribly big, about 15 hh but that doesn't matter. She still weighs most of a thousand pounds. And 15 people may have eventually gotten her on by pushing and putting ropes behind her. You know the drill. But what about next time. Where are those 15 people then. No this had to be solved in such a way that Satin would remember it next time in a positive way.

So Bob did the only sensible thing. He drew on his Clinton Anderson knowledge. He had gone to a Clinton Anderson walk about tour with a couple of us and Clinton had demonstrated how to load an unwilling horse. Let me repeat. Until yesterday afternoon, Satin had never been unwilling to load on a trailer. Why she refused yesterday is any one's guess. But she got it into her head she would not load.

We tried coaching by putting a little feed in the door. She ate what was close but would not move her feet to reach what was out of her reach even though she knew there was feed in the bucket just a few feet away. That would not have been what Clinton would do anyway.

So Bob starting making her move her feet. She had to run from one side of the trailer to the other and then turn around and go back. She got tired but she continued to do the exercise until she was really breathing hard. She was sweaty and really wanting to get it over with. Then Bob asked her to step on the trailer. She put her front feet on the trailer and hesitated. But wait. "No" he told her. "Don't go on the trailer."

Some more running back and forth. Now let me add here that this was not unobserved by others. One man was sitting in front of his tent enjoying the show that was being put on. It may have been a better clinic than the one going on inside the arena. Bob once again let her get close to the door of the trailer. This time there was no telling her "No". She hopped on the trailer so fast there was not time to tell her "No". She ran up to the front stall and waited patiently while Bob walked in to pet her and tie her to the trailer.

The man by the tent saw that she had stopped going from side to side of the trailer so he got into his pickup truck and drove over and stopped by our outfit on the pretense that he was checking his rig. But he was looking for the horse that wouldn't load. He expected to find her standing at the back door eating feed or something, I think. He did not say a word however. He just observed that she was in the trailer. With that he got into his truck and left.

Why did this work? Because Bob made the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult. She wanted to stay outside of the trailer. So he put her to work. He made her move her feet and she had to hustle to do it. She figured out after awhile that it would be easier to just go on the trailer. She would get some rest there. So she decided to do it. It became her idea. She thought she had won this round. OK we will just let her win every time we want her on the trailer.

Another lesson from a horse. God must have made horses just to teach us a lot of lessons because they sure can teach us a lot. We think we are teaching them but more than likely they are teaching us more.

King David sinned against God with his affair was Bathsheba. God sent the prophet Samuel to show him what an evil thing he had done. As you may remember, David had her husband killed in battle to hide the fact that she was pregnant with his child. Bathsheba's husband died without knowing but God knew and sent Samuel to show David what a wicked thing he had done.

David's heart was broken and in Psalms we see him crying out to God to not take His Spirit from him. Just like Satin finally begged for rest in the trailer, David begged for rest in the God he loved. More importantly the God who loved him. We see David resting in God as Satin rested in the trailer. Both found the place of peace and rest and a place to be relieved of their burdens.

May the God of rest and peace keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

Bring the Dessert

I have written this one before but I keep getting so many requests for my banana pudding recipe that I am going to post it again.

Last year we had a pig roast at my house and it was really an event. Wow the pig was sooo good and every one brought their favorite dish. My table on in the sun room adjoining the deck was filled and over flowing with good food. We also had a desert table.

When we started planning the pig roast, my family started telling me I needed to make the banana pudding that they all love so much. Several weeks before the roast my son had friends over and we got to talking about the pig roast and desert. Brian, the friend, said he made the best banana pudding that was ever put in anyone's mouth. My family said "Not so, mom makes the best banana pudding ever eaten". So it was decided there would be a pudding "taste off". We couldn't have a bake off because I don't cook anything that goes into mine.

Later we invited my sister, Eleanor, to bring her banana pudding that she is sure is the best in the world. After all it is Mama's recipe. I hated to compete against Mom's recipe but mine is so easy and really good.

Here's what happened the day of the pig roast. First Brian called and said he would not be coming with his banana pudding because he sprained his ankle. Next Eleanor called and said she was coming but couldn't bring the banana pudding because she couldn't find Mom's double boiler. I suggested she could have done it was regular pans which I have always used when I needed a double boiler. But she insisted she had to have the double boiler. Hmmmm!!!!!!

I really didn't want to win by default. I know mine is the best. My son in law will no longer eat banana pudding at a restaurant because I have ruined it for him. Any you can ask anyone who has tasted it. So here is the pudding recipe that everyone loves so much.

This recipe was on the Eagle's Brand milk can years ago so it is not original with me.

1 can of Eagle Brand milk
1 1/2 cup of water
1 box of jello vanilla instant pudding mix

Combine these ingredients with a mixer until they are well mixed and set the bowl in the refrigerator for several minutes until chilled. About 5 minutes

Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream until peaks form.

Fold the cream into the pudding mixture until well blended

In a large bowl place a layer vanilla wafers and bananas and then cover with a layer of pudding mix. Keep layering until all the mix is used. It will make about 3 nice layers. You will want to end with the pudding on top. Sprinkle a little Cinnamon on top to add a little color and a nice favor. Serve and get ready for the compliments. If you like to be a little dramatic you can act as if it took you hours to make and you really went to all that trouble even after a really hard day at work.

I hope you enjoy it. It really is very easy and takes so little time.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

I don't know any cute Frenchmen but I met this really cute Aussie back in February. The little girl is also very cute and she is my granddaughter, Kailey Lipginski. She is quick to tell you that she is going to be in the gifted class in the 2nd grade. It was March and they were picking flowers up by an old house on my farm. My grandmother had planted the start of those flowers over a hundred years ago and every spring they bloom profusely. The deer apparently don't like them.

I had intended to put some pictures that I had taken of a part of our trail that is being cut for our trail ride that is coming up in just a little less than a month. I just couldn't resist putting these two pictures on. My granddaughter Kailey has the sweetest face. She had played hard before this picture was taken and they had gone to the flower bed several times to pick flowers. Her face was still dirty from her play but I love her expression.

My friend Sheri Badgett and I had gone to the Clinton Anderson Walk-About-Tour in Lexington and we had the honor of having our picture taken with him. I found him to be very gracious. He stayed until the last picture was taken and the last question was asked. I know he had a hard two days and more but he was very kind and I can only describe him as gracious to those who wanted to speak to him personally after his demonstrations.

Real progress is being made on our trails for next month's trail ride. My brother's grandson, Robert and his friend Ethan have put in some really hard days with the chain saw, four wheeler, an axe and a machete. According to all reports and what I have personally seen the trails are really awesome. I had a friend over this afternoon that rode the trails with Bob and two of his grandchildren. She was very impressed with the trails and had only minor suggestions for improving them. It was what we have been needing. An uninvolved person to ride and let us know what their opinion is.

I think our farm is a place that people can come and ride in open fields and in heavy woods and really enjoy a ride with their trusty horse without feeling there will be areas that they can not handle. To test this out, Bob took his ten year old grandson on one of my mountain horses and rode him and his 15 year old sister on all the trails. Leigh is a good rider but her brother is not as good as she is and he was able to ride the trails with no problem. If that is any indication all of our riders should be proficient on these trails.

We are excited about the prospect of people coming here and riding and seeing what we love about the farm so much. It is one of the many blessings from God as well as those wonderful mountain horses I have been able to buy.

I hope you will be able to join us for a day of trails, prizes, food and contact with a lot of people who own and love their horses, whether they are mountain horses or a horse of unknown breeding.

May God bless you and keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

Horses are Prey Animals

The horses are finally checking out the new "predator" that is in their pasture.

The first thing a smart person learns about horses is that they are prey animals. This is the basis of all dealings with horses. If you act like a predator around your horse, you will never develop a trusting relationship with him. A horse will demonstrate this over and over to you.

Bob loves riding my horse, Venture's Golden Satin. He has ridden her miles and miles. We live on a dead end road that ends at my farm. Bob likes to ride her three miles down the road coming into the farm. The first ride out that way was very interesting. Satin encountered all sorts of new predators that she didn't know existed.

The first predator was a killer mail box. She no doubt could see the gaping mouth of this terrible thing just waiting to jump on her and eat her alive. Next predator on her new route was the killer garbage can. It was even bigger than the killer mail box and had a bigger gaping mouth to swallow her whole.

Poor Satin. All along the route there was all of these things that she just knew for sure was out to get her. She encountered the killer goat, the killer dogs that were chained in the yards. The river was also a threat even though it was 50 feet away she just knew it would suddenly swell up and take her under never to be seen again. There were donkey, cows, more goats, more mail boxes and maybe worse of all, the killer TV set. Some thoughtless person had thrown a broken TV set along the route and she spooked at that.

Satin is a very sensitive horse. Bob rides her on our 400 acres and she encounters deer and turkeys frequently. A turkey few up one day almost in front of her face and she turned to run but Bob had good control and he prevented her from bolting. She also encounters deer. She considers them a real threat. But Bob being a good horseman keeps a firm hand on her and makes her face her threats.

Since these first encounters with all the predators she found along the way, Bob has been teaching her to trust him. He make her face her fears. He encourages her until she will face the predators in her world. She has learned to face head on the killer mail boxes and the killer garbage cans and all the other predators in her world.

Which now bring me to the above pictures I have posted with this blog. As you can see there are several horses standing around a mineral feeder. Such a harmless piece of equipment. So you think. Not in the horse world! Bob and his grandson moved the mineral feeder into the pasture one day and it chased the horse all around their field. You and I know that didn't happen but we aren't horses.

The horses were beside themselves with that feeder that suddenly appeared in the domain. They would look at it for a moment and then run like a mountain lion was after them. Finally they would all stop as far away as they could get and watch it for a time. Then they would all suddenly take off and run like it had started chasing them again. This went on for about a half hour with them running awhile and then stopping to check it out. Then running again. Each time they would stop just a little bit closer. Finally the bravest of the herd got close enough to smell it. Then off they ran again.

It was really funny to watch. But what were they feeling. They were feeling threatened and fearful for their lives. They had no one they could trust to show them this was harmless, comfort them and make them feel safe. That is our job as we ride and train our horses. A horse depends on its rider to make it feel secure.

This once again is a lesson God teaches us by of our horses. How so may you ask. I am glad you ask because I am going to tell you. If we don't depend on God for our safety and to take care of us we find cheap replacements. Maybe alcohol or drugs. Maybe money or possessions. Maybe we become a collector of stuff. But none of it is ever satisfying. We have to have more and more money, stuff, alcohol, drugs or whatever we use as our security blanket.

I will never tell you that there will never be fears in our lives. But if we trust the creator of all mankind, the world and all that is in it, we can feel secure that no matter what happens in our world, there is someone bigger than ourselves that is in control. Like Satin has learned to trust Bob, we learn to trust God and know we are redeemed from our fallen state by his son, our Lord Jesus Christ by his death and resurrection, then we too learn we don't have to run from our predators, from the killer mineral feeders that live in our world.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care. And may you learn to depend on God for your seurity and safety.

Regards

Mary

As most of you know, I have a broken arm and have been dealing with it for about two months now. I have missed writing my blog and I have learned that many of you have missed reading it. Thank you for the kindness shown to me since I broke my arm almost two months ago. My recovery and use of my arm is slow but sure. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes

Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Psalms 34: 19

Is it the smell of their body as I hug their long neck or the scent only a horse has that I can't forget? Is it the depth of their eyes as they contentedly rest? No, it is just being around them tha I like the best.

Teresa Becker

from Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul