using a angle grinder for trimming

 

 

 

THANK YOU LACY FOR FILMING!

Colby, our burro is the demo donkey for this style of trim!

What is happening around my neighborhood

7-16-09
If you click the above link, you will visit Nor-cal rescues blog. These horses are only a mile from me. I have at one time worked for the former owner of this place (where the horses are at). I am thinking of contacting NER and seeing if I could offer any help for these local horses. Maybe a brushing or seeing if i can work with the untrainned ones.
One thing is for sure most of the horses that have ever lived there have always been happy go lucky. As a kid i rode by this place more times then I can count, there has always been horses on those land and it will be different once they are gone.

Celtic Proverbs

"An làmb a bheir, 's i a gheibh."

The hand that gives is the hand that gets.

Celtic Proverb

I have had a few people ask me why I have Celtic sayings on my site and pages. The Celtic's were gifted horseman who had a bond with their mounts, ancient world of people who saw meaning in everything. Our hobby farm is in a Celtic name which means wild horse acres, because of my Belladonna. We started focusing more on donkey care and abuse and not so much on horses, even though I owned my mare. That is when I first realized how much I truly enjoyed being around a bunch of wild asses (pun intended) and how a person can gentle and build a bond with them using their own methods and styles. There is no book on ways to gentle and train donkeys because of how different and smart they are. This started to make me think about my mare, how traditional methods had cause us more issues then resolved issues. Why is it okay to be a free spirit in donkey gentling and training but not in wild horses? Why do we have to go by a set of rules? Why must we run them, force and drown them in methods that keep causing more issues then solving?

"Cha chòir an t-each glan a chur uige."

(The willing horse should not be spurred.)

-Old Gaelic proverb-

This saying is on the front page of my site, it is a saying that I look at every day. What does it mean? Have we as horseman ever thought what some proverbs or old sayings really mean? Do we as people expect too much for all things? I believe one of our faults is we expect way too much over things, we rush through life and when our journey in life is over we wonder what our lives were about? Was it a good life or did we just auto pilot ourselves for the last 20 plus years? WE as people set ourselves with rules and by the book plays and I have played by the book for years with my mare.

I have called different trainers and explained her issues and I have had the same repeat response, she a useless cause. Once they do this and that, you can't help them.

WHAT?

All these trainers have methods that run by methods set by today's way of training. WE FORCE AND MAKE animals to do our bidding and when they don't do what we ask we punish them by breaking them down even more.

THERE LIES THE ISSUE WITH BELLADONNA!

I can force her all I want and guess what, we FIGHT. She isn't a horse that takes abuse, heavy handed ways or forcing.

She will try things if you play with her and ask, turn it into her thought and idea. Yet I have tried all the normal methods that have been recommended to me and we have fought for 3 years, to overcome her baggage which she welds damn good.

Can I force her? Yes, but I will not have the results or the effect I want. I will have a pissed off mare who is not retaining any of our training but if I do it how I have trained my donkeys people tell me what I am doing is dangerous and not truly training her, I am just painting over the issue.

So what is correct and not correct? Why do I need to go by rules and be judged when it been clear fact over thousands of years that different methods were used to gentle horses? Why do I as a person need to follow the horse book of training?

Why can't I have a willing horse that is my partner and we have a bond? Is that a silly fantasy?

What fills the eye fills the heart.
Gaelic: An rud a líonas an tsúil líonann sé an croí.

Another Celtic saying that I dearly love. What we put before ourselves in plain view we love and want. We have dreams because of what we have seen and witness in our lives. My dream is to be able to help horses and donkeys, take away their pain and fears and replace it with peace and happiness. To have a partnership that equals out to both man and animal, a willingness to do and live. I don't want to live as a robot in this life and neither do I want my animals to be robotic either. All animals have personalities, why should we take and break that? It is not okay to verbally and physically break a human this way but it is okay to that to a horse? Many people take horses and break them down and we get to see these beautiful empty shells walking around in circles, on auto pilot. They stumble through life as is because what they have had has now been broken and taken.

If you put a horse out he'll always find grass.
Gaelic: Mar capall agus gheogaigh tú féar.

As horseman's what do we dream to Achieve?

The heat and a moment

Yes, It has been a bit since I posted. But do to the fact that life has been busy a bit. The heat has been pretty bad up here in the foothills which makes me check and provide water a few times a day to many animals.

Also hosing down Belladonna, who enjoys water time in the heat.

Our time has been filled with nothing, we just been hanging out and enjoying our time. Yesterday I changed pasture areas for the 3 wild ones. I didn't want to fool around with the halter so I garbed my lead rope and just snapped it around her neck. And prayed that she behave, since we have NEVER walked this way. well I was proud she took to it like we done this way a million times. was actually a lot better this way then a halter, hmmm.

I am still reading, it taken me forever BUT I like it. I am usually a book page burner I speed through. But with the books Brandy loan me, I am making it a fact to really take time and read them. To absorb the book into my head, I am enjoying every moment of it.

ON Sunday July 26th 2009 I will be hosting a hoof trimming clinic for people. so much to prep for and do, but I will try to post again soon. (Note to self every other day would be okay)

Goats will be arriving here on Sunday afternoon, 2 big boys that a person was giving away free. So let's see how the critter crew takes to the spotted monsters. Any one want to make a bet that the burro boys will try and kill them? Or the mare may snort and run from them?

Never a dull moment here, something is always happening.

 

 

The Path Of The Horse DVD

http://www.stormymay.com/Path.html

I have found myself for the last few years, completely at a stop with horsemanship. I have come up with so many excuses to Why not complete my beautiful BLM mustang mare, Belladonna. I remember as a child being horse crazy and everything hoses. Just standing there was more then enough. I took riding lessons and read every book I could get my hands on. Soon I wanted more, I have always wanted to learn about things and just go way over the top to learn all I can. I have paid the monthly fees of top horseman's net clubs and thought I found a answer, but soon after I was finding myself just unhappy.

Why?

Every where we look horsemanship is about what we can do to horses, from 3 day events to classical dressage. Fun events all around, yet I was unhappy, with it all.

I went to a event here in my Home town called "Nevada County Rein Storm " http://www.nevadacountyreinstorm.com/ I had my own little space for my Abrasive natural hoof care, something I started studying over 3 years ago and never regretted it. I had some time to look at a few booth and saw Stormy's and was drawn over there. The DVD caught my eye and we traded a few words and I bought it, and off I went to get back to my booth, if people wanted me to explain my style of trimming.

I never got a chance to watch the DVD that night, but early the next day with  a cup of coffee I sat and watched it. I have heard of some of the names on the DVD cover, people who think outside of traditional horseman methods. The DVD was beautiful and really makes a person think and realize things.

For me it made me realize why I been in my downturn and have lost the passion for horses. It made me realize it is not all about running, yanking, tapping, etc.

When I first gentled my mare, I had her in 30 days halter broke and lead trained. And not with traditional ways. I listen to my gut and did things I felt were right for her and I, which made our bond grow stronger. I was happy and excited where I was in 2004 and 2005. But slowly I was told of this or that, or not doing that right or whatever. so I started to get my hands on everything. Natural horsemanship etc. I found myself in 2006 unhappy, I felt like I was stuck in a rut and it was just getting bigger and PLUS my mare and I only did things in training. I pet her etc but we lost our "togetherness" (is that a word?)

every one around could do things and yet I wanted more, I wanted to have something with my mare that is a fantasy. A partnership, a meaning...OUR BOND.

I think people should see this DVD and really think, because watching Stormy's movie really woke me up and made me realize that there are other ways and what I saw on this movie is what I myself want with my own horse and helping other horses.

For those wondering who is all featured on the TPOTH here are the people who Stormy interviewed: Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, Alexander Nevzorov, Carolyn Resnick, Linda Kohanov, Mark Rashid, and Kim McElroy.

I started this blog because I want to write down my journey to better my bond and make a partnership with my own horse, thinking out of the box. Doing something that some may call worthless or silly. I believe it will better myself and get back what I have lost with my own mare, a bond and understanding.