Alejandra Abella - Learning Through Animals

12/31/2024

Wow 2024...what on earth was that?!? And what are you bringing, 2025??

To say this year has been full of wonderful moments, surprises, fulfillment, struggles... you name it, this year has brought it. The year started with the knowledge that we were leaving the U.S. for Spain, once we knew our daughter had been accepted to the school we wanted for her. From there on, the year was a constant rollercoaster of paperwork, stress, beaurocracy, stress, logistics, stress, hope, sadness... and did I mention the stress??

I had to leave family members, friends, clients, pets, and my business behind, to start anew in Spain. Settling here hasn't been easy, but we've met lovely people, seen the strength and resilience of the Valencian community, and started to get our bearings.

Somebody sent me this image and you better believe we're going to be following the Irish tradition tonight! When in Europe ...

Here's hoping that 2025 brings us stability and a lowering of the stress levels. Happy New Year, and I hope it brings you what you need too. ❤️

12/27/2024

Still struggling to post regularly while adapting to life in Spain. After many trials and tribulations, stress caught up with me during Christmas, with a pretty gnarly cold. Traveling during it all didn't help either, so after spending all day in bed yesterday after landing back in Valencia, today I'm doing a bit more self care.

My mare's topline has needed much rebuilding, after she was without any work for the 3 months I needed to get organized here to bring her over. She's also lost weight while adjusting to life here, and continuing to take the Cushing's medication that she hates and keeps her off her feed. As a result, it's been all in-hand work with her since she arrived here two months ago, and today I needed a refresher on how else I can help her from the ground.

Reading in front of the fire sure is soothing my soul and my cold -laden body. I hope you are all having a happy holiday season, and finding some time for self care.

12/14/2024

Wow, nature truly is amazing!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DLwSKyJNm/

11/30/2024

Scenes from Madrid Horse Week . This year I had hoped to hit SICAB · Salón Internacional del Caballo PRE , , and this fair in Madrid, but I ended up having to choose just one. Next year I'm definitely focusing on SICAB and Golegã. If any U.S. friends would like to come to one or both of those, please let me know and I'll organize the trip. Both fairs were in November this year, and Golegã has already announced its dates for next year as November 7-16th. With any luck, SICAB will be right on its heels again, and that could be a chance to see the best Lusitanos in the world AND the best PRE horses in the world, all in one trip!

11/30/2024

This move to Spain has been so...so much. And it has left me without the energy to post but that has to change, starting now:

Quick weekend in search of myself again. Going to , so stay tuned!

11/30/2024

This move to Spain has been so...so much. And it has left me without the energy to post but that has to change, starting now:

Quick weekend in search of myself again. Going to Madrid Horse Week , so stay tuned!

11/22/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17nvmeSia6/

DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS: To help you stay stable in the saddle while still allowing for your horse’s movement …

When you sit on your horse, imagine that you are the center tower of a suspension bridge. You have cables that stretch both forward and backward to various points on your horse’s topline that allow for movement between you and the cables. This helps to create balance, self-carriage and collection in your horse while you remain stable in the saddle.
~ Stephany Fish Crossman

Crossman is a USDF bronze and silver medalist as well as one of only nine accredited coaches for Mary Wanless’ Ride With Your Mind Biomechanics System in the U.S. Currently is based in Okeechobee, Florida, Crossman also cohosts our Dressage Today Podcast.

🎨 Sandy Rabinowitz

11/20/2024

¡Muy interesante!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15H1ZBgon4/

Origen de la palabra VETERINARIO: La palabra "veterinario" tiene su origen en latín. En la antigua Roma, los caballos usados ​​en el ejército (bestias de carga) que eran muy viejos se recogían en un lugar donde podían disfrutar y descansar. Estos animales fueron llamados "veterinus".

Las personas que cuidaban de estos animales se llamaban VETERINARII (veterinarius), que era un derivado de la palabra VETUS / VETERIS, "viejo", debido a esto la profesión de cuidado de animales pasó a llamarse así.

A 259 años de creación de la primera escuela de medicina veterinaria las dos primeras escuelas de veterinaria, Lyon, el 4 de agosto de 1761, y la École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort (París), fueron creadas por el francés Claude Bourgelat, abogado y amante de los caballos, que no aceptaba la ineficacia en el tratamiento empírico en sus caballos de raza, y usó su influencia para convencer al rey Luis XV de crear la Escuela de Veterinaria de Lyon, que comenzó a funcionar en 1762, con sus estudiantes reclutados en medio de herradores, especialistas en el cuidado de los cascos de los caballos, siendo la herradura uno de los temas estudiados.

El segundo país fue Austria, en 1768, seguido de Italia, en 1769, Dinamarca, en 1773, Suecia, en 1775, Alemania, en 1778, Hungría, en 1781, Inglaterra, en 1791 y España, en 1792. Al final del siglo XVIII, había 19 escuelas de medicina veterinaria en toda Europa.

Los primeros veterinarios reconocidos oficialmente se graduaron de las grandes escuelas de veterinaria fundadas entre 1762 y 1821, como el Royal Veterinary College, en 1791 en Londres, y la escuela de Lyon se convirtió en un símbolo de la modernidad.

09/22/2024

What to say about this weekend? There are simply no words to describe this magical island of Menorca, with its Purebred Menorcan horse (PRMe) at the center of its culture and history. From the first time I came just a few years ago, all I have wanted to do is come back, and now that I'm living so close, this weekend I got to live one of my dreams: to see the typical "jaleo" of Menorcan festivities.

Practically all the towns in Menorca have their own festivities, and I wanted to see the one from this weekend because it's past the hustle and bustle of the summer ones, so it is less hot and much less crowded. Currently, at least two such festivities take place out of season, just past the summer, so they are ideal for those not wanting to deal with summer crowds and prices. And it helps to know the ins and outs of the towns, the layout, and the schedule, so this weekend was important research!

As if that weren't enough, I also got to go look at some Menorcan babies, and then spent the hours before my flight having lunch and lounging at a restaurant beach club for good measure. Is this even real life?!? Come visit and find out!

09/18/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/fwYc2KodyihWg9qb/?mibextid=oFDknk

09/10/2024

Finally back on a horse again!!!

While I work on getting my property ready to bring my mare from the U.S. (yes, it's decided, she's coming home to me!), I got to see and try this wonderful 9-year old PRE mare for sale today.

Trainer friends in the U.S., I'll be sending you info. by private message, in case anybody wants to sn**ch her up. And anybody who wants info. on her, send me a message! She is SO level-headed and has the biggest stride!

08/21/2024

Guilty. And still feeling guilty about allowing past bad habits to sneak in, but I think it's important guilt, and experience that must be shared. We humans are fallible indeed, and repetitively and historically so. I was guilty of this as late as 2019 or so, when gratefully Janice Binkley of , my trainer at the time, calmly walked up to me, put her hand on my hand holding the whip, and whispered "stop," then redirected my frustration...and my history.

I also grew up in that horse world that said you should use your crop on the horse whenever a jump is refused, and I too have reformed from that. Or so I hope... When I was still jumping back in 2019, that crop still came out that one time and more, I'm sure, and not to alert the horse to jump either, but to punish for not jumping, to give a warning not to do it again. It's hard not to fall back into bad habits, into what was ingrained in us, but the important thing is you or someone else can step in and redirect our history. I cannot promise that the instinct to fall back into my history won't creep up again some day, but I do believe that day when Janice stepped in and quietly redirected me, was the last time to date that I put a crop on my horse (please, memory, be correct!). but it takes a lifetime.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/viJeE3EfMnWuSxwC/?mibextid=oFDknk

Letting the horse look at the jump, sniff it, stand near it, these are all things that decades ago, when I first started jumping I was told to never allow.

The idea back then was that a horse had to “just deal.” And if the horse quit at the jump, the horse was “being bad,” and needed to get a good smack with a crop.

But most of the time---not all, but in many cases---the reason that a horse quits is because of some sort of insecurity or fear or spookiness, and instead of punishing the horse, a better strategy is to try to get the horse to not be afraid, If a horse refuses out of fear, does whacking the horse, which adds fear to already existing fear, make a lot of sense?

Now, sure, sometimes a horse needs to be told to go, but generally a better first way is to try to let the horse have a “no big deal” attitude about what it’s being asked to do. Going back to that “old” way, I was also told this: “You have to make that horse more afraid of you than the thing he’s scared of.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some version of that over the decades.

And while a horse does have to be taught to stay in front of the aids, the first step is to create confidence about that, and there are lots of ways to do this that work better than fear of being punished if he doesn’t, one of which is tons of trail riding with a brave and steady horse as a leader, so the younger or greener horse learns that it all that stuff it sees out in the wide world is not something to be afraid of.

So, generally, if a fence looks different, let him have a look first. If he stops, maybe let him look some more, or follow a braver horse. Some horses seem to be brave right from the beginning, and if so, lucky you.

But others are more spooky, and these usually need many more baby steps. Letting them have baby steps is often smart training, not a weakness or a surrender, and that’s something I had to learn as I unlearned what I’d originally been taught.

08/21/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/4Wj5c1wuKhyr7aum/?mibextid=oFDknk

As fall draws closer, many horse owners are busy securing their fall and winter hay supply. If you are considering purchasing round bales for your equine companions—due to their cost-effectiveness and greater convenience for feeding pastured animals— remember that there are a few things to consider when choosing between square or round bales.

• Are you equipped/prepared to store your hay correctly?
Improperly stored round bales can lose much of their nutritional value and are also more susceptible to mold, dust, and bacteria growth, which can cause respiratory issues and even colic.

• Are your horses protected from botulism?
Round bales provide an optimum environment for the development of the botulism toxin. This toxin is produced when "Clostridium botulinum" is exposed to the right environmental conditions — such as when forage materials are baled and stored while still damp, or when they include the carcasses of dead animals, like birds and mice.

Prevention of this disease through vaccination is critical, especially in areas where the condition is prevalent (such as Kentucky, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and Tennessee).

• Are round bales a good choice for your horse?
Horses prone to respiratory conditions usually have increased problems with round bales due to their higher dust content.

• Do you have a feeder to place your round bales in?
Round bales not placed in a feeder can create more waste, which means your horses may not be meeting their nutritional requirements.

• Can you secure high-quality round bales?
Not all hay is created equal. Be sure to choose high-quality hay to meet your horse's nutritional needs and minimize the risk of impaction colic, which increases with lower-quality, less digestible forage.

As always, your equine veterinarian remains your best source of information and advice—consult your horse doctor on best practices when feeding hay this fall and winter!

For more information on botulism, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/guidelines-resources/resource-library/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEwcuRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHV5P3MHpvOoAOGsW2VwZTo-v_0pkILq8xN-reSg_yb3W01gGW_lfk0Nrnw_aem_Pp0WTnTG0S7pEH-BcTMV1g&_search=botulism

08/17/2024

This indeed!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/iMDGKph577MEeCrw/?mibextid=oFDknk

A small stab in the heart is what you feel when you put up the day's riding list and you see riders sinking heavily in their shoulders when reading which horse they are assigned for the lesson. A small stab in the heart for that horse that for an hour will carry around a rider who has already decided that he does not like his horse. A small stab in the heart for the horse that did not choose the rider himself but still does his best, lesson after lesson.

Riding is a privilege and something you have chosen to do. If you chose to ride at a riding school, your instructor assumes that you actually want to learn how to ride. The instructor's highest wish is that you get good at it.

Often there is a plan and a thought as to why you are assigned to that exact horse. Before you mount up next time, ask yourself "what can this horse teach me today?" All horses have something to give, a feeling or a new tool in the box.

The art is actually in being able to get a lazy horse to move forward, to get an uncertain horse to gain confidence, a naughty horse to focus or a tense horse to be released. It takes work. If you think a horse is boring, it's more likely that you don't ride the horse as well as you think! It's not easy to be confronted with your own shortcomings, but it is in that very situation that you get the chance to truly grow as a rider.

The excuse that "it's not my kind of horse" is actually a really bad excuse. A good rider can ride any kind of horse. A good rider has trained many hours on different types of horses to become a good rider. A good rider can find and manage the gold nuggets in every horse.

If we absolutely want to ride, it is our duty to strive to do it as best as possible, even if it's only for fun. We owe it to every horse that carries us upon it's back.

Copied and shared with love for all of our horses, ponies and riders 🐎❤🐎

07/16/2024

Hello from Spain... and from the painful silence of my heart. It has been a while since I posted, because watching the words spell the truth as I write, is heart-wrenching. Yes, I finally moved to Spain two days ago. No, my mare did not. These photos are from our last day together, three days ago.

An experience moving her temporarily to another farm three weeks before leaving for Spain, made me realize just how much harder moving gets for horses with age. The strong, game, "just-point-the-way" mare I have known for twenty-four years, since she was a yearling, didn't handle a move to another county well, and it made me think again about my plans to move her to another country altogether. The last time she moved, she was twenty-two years old, and adapting took longer than prior moves already.

So, I have left without her. For now she waits in the pastures she knows, with her herd mates, for me to see places here and decide whether a move here is in her best interest.

I can't even stand the words as I read them, they disgust me. I disgust me. I've left my best friend, at times my sister, my solace, my constant companion of over two decades, behind. And yet, I know down deep inside that moving her here would be for me, because I can't live without her, and that what I need to do is think of her only. She deserves that, and if I brought her here, it would only be so I could retire her with my careful and daily care. Is that what she would want, though? I'm torn, and I'm heartbroken, and I'll continue to search this region and my heart for the answer. No decision will be just right in this situation, it won't be possible for both of us to be happy with the result. If I move her, we'll have each other but she won't have her beloved green Maryland pastures, and she will have undergone a long and exhausting journey. It's bad enough I won't have the Maryland green, and taking her from that to bring her to this dry land, seems cruel. And all that change. At her age. This has been a hard move, and it might yet be hard for a long time or forever, if I decide I must retire her in the U.S. instead.

For now I think, and search my conscience, and brace for impact as I continue down this road that was necessary for my family.