Loyalty In Motion

31/12/2018

New blog post!

People are always going to have an idea about what would be best for your life. I know that I have done this to my sister numerous times, and a few others I sus

06/12/2018

Been working on something new here. Change has been happening around here which is why I've been so silent on this page. I believe some of the original structure of this page will change too. Hoping and praying I'll be able to tap into what's going on inside me.

15/09/2018

That was one hot job! But so worth it! Buddy and Dixie were on their best behavior today! Everytime I come out they stand quieter an quieter. I let them tell me when they need to put their foot down, an will move onto the next to later come back and finish the it. I have found that by working with them like this it has built their trust in me and made them more accepting of what I ask! Allowing them to have a say in the relationship and having that open communication is so rewarding when they finally get it ❤ Thank you to my lovely husband for coming along with me today xo

06/08/2018

So we did it guys! Remi and I managed to pull this off! I'll share more details about how we got here later. For now enjoy these with me!

16/07/2018

I haven't posted anything on this wall in a while as I haven't been inspired to say much. Now I believe I have some words. This mare is constantly taking me to new an higher heights, challenging me to go a little beyond what is comfortable. I recently moved her back home an as I began to ride her she nor I were the same. I was discouraged but new the change of environment an me effected us. So I persisted an only did what my gut said was necessary. An this beautiful soul as we were trotting around one evening said to me "just trust" as she stepped into a canter. Up to this point I had been fearful to canter as we didn't have a saddle an she has been hinting she might ditch me lol However once we were moving through the air and summer grass I knew there was not mean intent on her part. If there had been before it was more of a "why are you not trusting me?" I love this mare for pushing me to developing in areas that are tough for me and grateful God has had a perfectly set up time for everything!

15/04/2018

I love to work in-hand with Remi. I find it gives her a chance to use all of her muscles better without having to carrying me at the same time. Remi has a tendency to hollow her back out an this is one way I'm helping her to experience how she should hold herself. She has done so well with the little we have done! We are able to do small steps of shoulders-in.

18/03/2018

"Horses have won wars for us. They carried us on their backs into cannon fire. Horses don't say 'no' lightly, so if your horse is telling you that I can say for sure there is something wrong." - Henk Offereins

Are you doing the best job of helping your horse to do his job?

16/03/2018

Greeting Sadie and Solara as they came over to investigate what I was doing. Enjoying some simple moments with the herd is my saving grace somedays ❤

20/02/2018

Let's start at the beginning, before I knew him.
Ryan lived on a farm near Renfrew, ON, where he must have experienced the trauma that now adorns his rump and hind legs. Then he went through another trauma of being sold with the farm to a new owner, who's son tried to reach him. Not much details are known about this part of Griz's life but what I do know helps. The son lost interest or Ryan maybe was too hurt to connect, and he got put up for sale.
"$400 Rocky Mountain" was what Suzanne read on the kijiji ad. Puzzled at the low price of such a wonderful breed, it was decided that he would come to HWH. So Suzanne and her husband Ron loaded up the trailer and began their trek to Renfrew, a 3 hour drive. About an hour in they got a flat! Once repaired they carried on! Thank goodness for handy husbands! Along with a flat tire, they kept getting lost trying to find Ryan.
Finally there, they were led into a barn where Ryan awaited in a stall. After a quick look they brought him out an loaded him onto the trailer. As he walked up the ramp, it was only then that Suzie saw the reason for such a low price. His rear end had scars as long as she was tall, with scabs that still had not healed over his hock. Where tissue must have been so badly damaged that there were dents in his hide where it should have been flush with muscle. Asking about this she was told he was attacked by a bear, and that was they only explanation she got. I believe right there she knew he was a strong warrior, who had a fight for life. She named him Roc, and that is who I met.
But their drive home left many more complications! Along with another flat tire, they were victims of fixing it in the freezing rain. Unloading Roc wasn't easy either. He first launched over the chest bar at the front of the trailer stall, and danced around like a wild animal as Suzie hung on, hoping the tire wouldn't take too long. Again loaded, they carried on home, making the 3 hour trip into an agonisingly longer one, in the dark of the night.
October 19th, 2013, Roc came home, and that's how he began his journey into my life. Neither knowing how much we needed the other, and forever being grateful that we did.

Let me know how much you did or didn't enjoy reading this? I plan on writing his journey and mine in little segments like this.
Cheers, Tay

08/02/2018

Throwbacks of me and my girl! 😙

02/02/2018

Bought my little wingnut a half pad! Also she is teaching herself to ground tie 🙄

19/01/2018

18/01/2018

Love this pony! Today Bingley and I kept busy working on responding to leg pressure to move haunches and shoulders around. My goal is to help Bingley listen to seat and leg aids more than reins, as he loves to just push through with his own ideas. So getting him to think more an use his body has helped him to be focused on the rider and not getting his way.

04/01/2018

Busted out the winter blanket in anticipation of the storm headed our way!

02/01/2018

I made a post a while ago about working with Remi and getting her ready to carry me in my wedding dress. Well this riding skirt has been perfect for that! Now the two of us can keep warm, look gorgeous 😜 and train all at the same time!

31/12/2017

2017 you treated me well. There were many times I did not have that train of thought but looking back on this last day of 2017 I can see the blessings in disguise. The hard times have made me wiser to how I want my life to run. The horses that I have been paired with this year taught me confidence in myself, to never ask for more than someone can give, to stay true to yourself an not sway, to respect others does not mean you have to behave as they do. 2017 has brought me closer to my dream of training horses full time. Though not a reality yet I am inching ever so close! The man of my life purposed an we are planning our wedding together! My lovely mare Remi showed me her love for children and blew me away with the affection she gives them! It has been an amazing year for learning and I look forward to 2018 and all the journeys it is bringing! Happy New Year to you an your Family's.

13/12/2017

Not the greatest picture that I've ever taken but boy did I have fun during this ride. Over the summer my time was spent running therapy sessions so not much time to train or work with any of the horses needing it. Bingley is a halflinger with a lot of energy and not always the best ideas of how to use it. It was freeing to zone in 100% on one horse and help him channel his energy. Which in turn helped me find a small piece of passion.

12/11/2017

Video speaks for itself:) so turn on the sound.

08/11/2017

After a nice trail ride yesterday I threw a sheet over Rem to see her reaction. She's worn blankets an coolers before so I didn't expect anything crazy. I even hopped on ba****ck after an she was a champ! I'll keeping doing this for a few weeks, hopefully I'll get some windy days to really put her to the test. So proud thus far ❤

01/11/2017

Getting caught up on some paper work and maybe even spending sometime writting up part of Grizzly's Story 💛🐎

25/10/2017

So this happened! My life lifting bestfriend asked me to marry him! And I said YES! This means I have an exciting Training Mission with my horse Remi! (featured in picture) I have long dreamed about riding her in our wedding, so I am going to document all of our training up until the big day! I am beyond excited about marrying my love and so happy about including my horse family!

21/09/2017

Help them

15/09/2017

Having some fun with Remi! She's really getting the hang of the bow 😊

02/09/2017

She knows where the treats are an will follow me anywhere to get them. Even into the clubhouse! ❤ ?

27/08/2017

A few years ago, Tom helped me teach a young stud to be a gentleman so that I could ride him in public places. In addition to the other problems, the horse always resisted slightly when I bridled him. I had to use my thumb to pry his mouth open enough to slip the snaffle between his teeth. Tom no doubt noticed this problem the first evening, but never mentioned it until the third morning when he suggested that we work on the bitting problem.

Tom directed me through a series of exercises to encourage him to open his mouth at my suggestion. I held the horse’s head in my arms and between my arms and my body. Sometimes when he resisted more vigorously, I had to hang on real hard. When he became agitated I tried to calm him by petting softly. During one of the episodes when I was petting, Tom said, “Your hands are too hard.”

I had been stroking him very lightly and replied, “I’m touching him a soft as I can.”

Tom looked at me and, I suspect, struggled to keep from exhibiting frustration, then after a few seconds he tapped his chest with the ends of his curled fingers, and said very quietly, “It comes from the heart.” He spoke in a lower voice than he had before and conveyed strong emotion. It was a strangely intimate moment—almost embarrassingly so. It was as if I had forced him to open his soul to me so that I could see something so fundamentally important that I should have known it already.

I stopped and for a few seconds I thought about the horse and how much I liked him. When my intentions became good, my hands changed—they softened. Although I had been touching the horse very lightly, my fingers had been rigid—it had been as if I had been trying to comfort Buddy by touching him lightly with a board. When the tension went out of my fingers, my touch became both light and soft. And, I have no doubt that my shoulders and back softened too. My horse certainly did. In a few minutes he took the bit perfectly.

Because the horse had struggled hard enough to approach the limits of my ability to hang on, I’d had to tighten up and go into a competitive mode. For a moment, it might have been appropriate, but when the horse was ready to quit fighting I stayed stuck in what had become an unsuitable emotional state.

“It comes from the heart.” Yes, Tom you were right. It applies to so many things besides horses. - Jim Overstreet

From an article written by Jim Overstreet titled 'Tom Dorrance: More than a Horseman' which appeared in the Eclectic Horseman Magazine, Issue 13, 2003 - http://eclectic-horseman.com/content/view/82/33/

Image of Tom Dorrance is by Acey Harper.

21/08/2017

17/08/2017

My pretty girl surrounding her camp kid with love an kisses. This mare is so mothering an knows how to cheer the kids up an make them feel special.