feedlot weekend

Well, I finally went to the feedlot. From the outside it doesn't look like a horrible place. But the closer you get, the dreary mood settles in. So many horses, so little space- many of them just begging to be taken out of there.

Friday I was out with Cassie- then to my horses. Nothing really remarkable happened, I was more focused on getting the costume fabric cut and glued.

Sunday I went back out to see Cassie. A bit of a limp still- this time putting weight on the outside toe. But, she seemed pretty happy to see me and we had a good session. more friendly game of course. towards the end I took off her halter and just sat with her some more, occaisonally petting her. no more walking away and being scared of me. heck, i even picked up her hind feet! HOORAH! i did not pick at them, but i sure did friendly them a whole lot. just made it seem like it was no big deal.

I'll be back out there on Wednesday. the BO said Cassie's limp seemed to be getting better- so hopefully the abscess is moving in preparation to exit.

-Ally

Equine Arts & Crafts

Halloween is fast approaching. I've had the material to make Faith's costume for about 3 weeks now. I finally bit it and spent the 2 hours to make the thing. It was fun! I'm a no-sew kind of girl, so it is all about felt and hot glue, though I think sewing may actually be quicker. ah well, i still had fun making it. And best yet- it is finished! Not telling what she's gonna be, but I'll give you a hint: she'll be wearing red and black.

Tonight I am going to buy Frankie's fabric, with a little luck I'll make his costume, LOL. Again, top secret stuff. The only thing I'll say is his is black and yellow, and kind of related to Faith's.

And for me- no costume this year. I'll be taking the pictures! :)

Tonight I'm out with Cassie again- anxious to see how that hoof is doing.

-Ally

Strange Winds and Abscessing

Started out from work at 2:50, made it to Eatonville by 4:10...not too bad considering.

I got there and the horses were calling for one another, back and forth. the winds were picking up, clearly a storm was rolling in. If Cassie had been in perfect health, my play session with her would have been limited. She's just not at the point, nor am I, that i would feel comfortable asking for her attention when there is so much going on. Our relationship is just starting out, and I think i would set her back if I did something like that. Would not have been a good day to start something new.

No matter, she was lame off her right front. The barn owner told me about it, so i was prepared to go in there doing a mini inspection. No swelling anywhere down the leg, no ouchy anywhere down the leg- her hoof was warm, seems to be the problem. Her lameness came on so sudden I suspect it is an abscess. She'll feel better once that thing drains.

So, with the possible abscess, the wind & coming rains, debris from the trees knocking into us, I just sat there with her. She's been so preoccupied with the storm and the other horses, probably the pain too, that she wasn't eating. She ate when i brought her to it, seemed as though she wanted to eat in company. So we ate, and practiced haltering some more. Can't get enough of haltering.

I also groomed her- which was amazing considering she gets nervous with me being in zone 3. I'll bet she would've been more protective of her body if she had full use of her hooves. I think she realized it was better to just stand there, and did not want to drift so much. In a way, it was a blessing, because it gave me a chance to play friendly game approach and retreat and really make an impression. by the end of it, she was standing completely still.

Her standing still though, was not complete relaxation- she was in "check out" mode. Her eyes were not soft, she was not blinking. she was accepting my touch but not necessarily enjoying it- with exception to the bum scratching- she loves that. At the same time, i was able to touch her both online and at liberty, without her wanting to limp away from me- a good sign.

What I hope Cassie learned:

- if I am worried, the girl understands. She still wants to touch me, nothing more.

-i still don't enjoy it but it doesn't hurt. my hoof hurts and i can't walk too well right now, but the girl is not mean to me.

- the girl understands that i love my bum being scratched.

What I learned:

- don't ask for so much if your horse is worried before you even get there. your relationship starts from the time your horse knows you are present. know what to ask for before you get there, knowing it will change.

- less touching, for goodness sakes! not every horse likes to be mauled by human hands. Cassie actually appreciates it when you release your touch. Horses are not humans, they do not always like cuddling.

-AC is talking outloud as well. when you are with Cassie, talk to her as you would an adult, not a child. she moves closer when you do this. expect her to be mature, and she will get closer to being that way.

Have a fantastic day!

-Ally

More progress made, more uncovered LONG

Ok, first of all, the people of Western Washington need to learn how to drive. Traffic is bad for everyone, but I'm really tired of being stuck behind someone in the passing lane, who happens to be traveling BELOW the speed limit. This slows everyone down- and I think that is what they intend. Self proclaimed traffic marshalls. So you've got those dopes and then you've got the idiots who want to change lanes- they want to so badly. they let spaces that could fit an army or two pass by, still trying to get the courage to pass. finally, like a scared deer, they dart out in the SMALLEST of spaces- cutting someone off, causing brake lights to shine and voila- more traffic. Just step on the gas and let's go people!

FRIDAY:

Phew, i needed to get that off my chest. Friday I went out to visit Cassie after work. She rememebred my halter deal (ie- I have some small treats and if i get to pet her with the halter and put it on, she gets the goodies). We also practiced the friendly game, which for Cassie means this:

A (Ally):Can I touch you all over with the CS? C (Cassie): Yes

A: Can I touch you all over with my hands? C: NO

A: Hmm, ok- can I touch your neck with my hands? C:Yes

A: How about your back? C: uhh, ok but I am not really comfortable with this

A: OK, so i'll just go back to your withers then. C: phew, I thought you were going to hurt me!

A: Nah, it really is no big deal, i'll just pet your withers *big sigh* I'm so tired i can hardly keep petting you C: You are making me tired.

A: Whoops, looks like i may have touched your back, i was so tired, i didn't hardly notice. C: Yea, it wasn't so bad after all.

A: hey, are you hungry? I could use a break right now, and i see a comfy spot right by your hay.

And on and on like this until i got under her belly, near her teats, down her hind legs, etc. Pretty cool, huh? I am pretty proud of her for letting me touch her all over like that. I should mention that it was FAR easier to do on her left side than her right. Actually, i think I probably got twice as far on her left than I got on her right. Though, I think the emotional impact was greated for her right than her left.

So, at this point Cassie started turning her butt to me. WHAT THE? The red lights were going off in my head- OHMIGOD the horse wants to kill me?! Hmm... wait a second, what if I park myself next to her, use my cs, stretch my arm way out, and try to scratch her? OH YEA! Cassie loved it! Her head went down, her eyes closing, her legs relaxed- I wonder how long its been since she had that.

She actually reminded me of a young foal who always wants scratching on the bum. Foals love that, and they won't leave you alone once you start. Cassie was doing that too. So, as much as I believe she liked being scratched, I am not comfortable with her explosive butt near my person. I left the barn that night thinking "well, i think its time that we move from the friendly game to game #2 and maybe #3 (since cassie already knows moving from pressure), tomorrow.

Saturday:

Saturday morning I woke up, visited my own horses, and then went to see Miss C. We had a do nothing/ friendly session for the first 30 minutes of being in the arena.

I sat there, and I think she checked me out about 3 times.

After spending undemanding time, I got the halter ready, and did a little catching game with her. she is pretty easy in that respect, since she is #1 curious and #2 doesn't like pressure on her hind end. Halter. Treat.

From there we did friendly, friendly, and more friendly.
Cassie was a bit beside herself because her equine friends were out to play, and she was not. she was going a little right brained, but i helped to bring her back by giving her something to do. That worked a couple of times.
So she was pretty calm, and i started to mix in porcupine game with friendly- and yes, she already knows a lot of this. But the blood started to boil for Cassie. Yea, I was being friendly but, not letting her do what she wanted- go by her friends. That was making her upset, being with me was making her upset- between friendly game and 1 or 2 tries at porcupine were just too much.

She didn't bite at the stick, didn't try to kick or anything like that. she had a mental breakdown though. she was not ready for me to help her out with it, because our trust and her history of being mishandled. So, lest I be percieved as a untrustworthy predator, i let her go. Halter off, and she had her whinnying, running fest.

I really didn't know what else to do other than to just let her go. there was no way I was going to get caught in the middle of it and get hurt. She obviously needed some time to get over the threshhold and wasn't about to let a human help her- not yet.

So, for 15 minutes she whinnied and ran and snorted and did her thing. I even left the arena for a few minutes, and came back. I needed to think. Was it me? Well, heck yea it was me. At this point Cassie would rather have the comfort of her herd and get away from me, who she still does not trust. Ah HA.

She calmed down- the whinnies were gone and she came over to check me out a few times. I decided to halter her again. treat. forget porcupine game, lets just be friendly. I'm not a scary person, Cassie, I swear! So we did, and we had a good end of session, that ended with her following me over a tarp.

Cassie learned:

The human can be friendly, but I like horse friends better.

The human gets frustrated, and I get scared of her. But she let me get away from her.

The human asks me to do weird things like walk over a tarp. Just don't touch me with energy behind it and I'm good.

Ally's take aways.

-Friendly, calm touches are ok. Energy touches, like for porcupine and driving are too much for Cassie.

-At the end of the day, no matter how friendly or how many treats you have, Cassie still thinks of you as a potential threat.

-Think about why she wants to be with horses, and why she gets nervous when she can't see her horse friends. Don't get frustrated over this, but have a plan.

-Where do you go from here?

That last question- hmm, i really don't know. Back to friendly. I really have to think about what I am supposed to do when Cassie gets majorly distracted by the equines. I'd be a fool to think it is more about them than it is being with me. She wants safety, and safety is not near me. I can't get frustrated by this, but I do feel like a school teacher wanting to say "would you just pay attention already? recess is not for another 30 minutes!" ARGH. I'll get frustrated here and not at the barn.


-Ally

Living in the 2 hour Moment...

Yesterday I was talking with a friend of mine about what it would be like to "live in the moment," just as we believe horses do. She gave the example of going out to play for several hours but it really feels like several minutes. No time/space constraints. I think I experienced this kind of moment yesterday with Cassie. I had no idea that I spent 2 hours on the details below. But boy did we make some progress.

Got to Cassie's paddock by 4:30 pm, changed, got her bucket o' goodies (brushes, treats, CS, halter) and met her at the gate. she seemed pretty excited to see me- maybe it is just that she's lonely because she's alone in the quarantine paddock.

First thing i did was ignore her :) Simply sat my butt down under the tree, and let her sniff at me- no talking, no nuzzling, just looking at her from the corner of my eye, but not directly at her.
She got SOOOOOOOOO curious and started asking me a ton of questions.

After about 25 minutes of spending undemanding time with Cassie, I got up (slowly, she still flinches at faster movements), got some treats broken into thirds, and her halter. I asked her permission to rub her neck, then her topline. Treat. She still wasn't accepting of the halter touching her- she wanted to walk away. I made it easier for her by holding the halter next to her shoulder- she wanted to walk away, but she didn't. Treat. We did this quite a few times- my intent was to make the halter going on her head the very last, most unimportant task of the day. I let her move away from me when needed, but she didn't want to go very far because she was catching on to the treat business. I was also careful to take the pressure off of her- when she gave me a big try (like turning her head around to check me out, just as a Parelli horse would to be haltered) she got a treat and i walked away. she followed me. she was into the game.

20 minutes of this and the halter could come on and off with little brace and a lot less fear. Rub neck. Halter on. Treat. Rub. Halter off. Rub. Take pressure off. A few times she got scared, so we went back to the neck rub first, no halter. She began to trust me more and more.

From there we went to more friendly game of touching/ grooming the body. Neck first (safety zone for Cassie), topline, front legs, chest, to withers. I then used approach and retreat to touch her back and she was pretty good with it. she wanted to walk away from me a few times, clearly uncomfortable, so we practiced rubbing to a stop. it worked the majority of the time. She did warn me once by trying to kick. I probably was asking too much of her. For my own safety I switched to the CS (carrot stick). She was much more comfortable with that- she clearly is not comfortable with humans close to her back end. A major something to work on.

After friendly-ing both sides of her body, right down to her rear hooves (with the CS!), i was ready to wrap up the day. wait a second, there is something more i can do. let's practice the halter again. so that is what we did, same thing as above.

Wrap up:

From Sunday's session, Cassie retained:

-4 more ounces of trust in me.
-i CAN BE a vending machine, but she has to earn it. no mugging.
- the carrot stick will not hurt her- in fact, it keeps the human away from her, and is a lot less threatening than a human in close to those vulnerable spots.
-this human will protect her space, but will not lash out at me (a major improvement... i could flap my arms, and she'd throw her head up, but did NOT want to move away from me out of fear. PERFECT!)

During Wednesday's session, we worked on:

-haltering, shaping the behavior w/ treats.
-friendly game of touching
-rubbing to a stop
-picking up front feet
-relaxing

What I learned:

- Even if you think you are not rushing, you probably are. Darn it, direct line thinking!
- Cassie doesn't completely trust me yet.
- Treat only to shape a behavior.
- Approach and retreat works, even though in the moment it may feel like it doesn't.
-If i go too fast, Cassie is not above protecting herself with a well placed kick. Use the CS.
- Do not tiptoe. be passively persistant. i finally understand what this means.
- Learn how to touch better. I'm too fast, and use too much of my fingers. slower, more rhythmic motions with my palm works best.
-We both work better when we're alone. Human and equine distractors are too much at this point.

Wow- quite a session for the both of us, eh? Can't wait till Friday. Hopefully I'll remember my camera and get some new candids of Miss C.

-Ally

Our Piggy Friends

Went to the barn last night to do my nightly chores. Got through the normal routine of poop scooping, flax grinding, hay throwing....and then i heard a squeal, then another...and yet another. Not just any squeal, the squeal of a pig...maybe two...in danger.

My horses were waiting at the gate for me, but they were clearly concerned, staring at the hillside trying to weigh the situation. i heard a man shouting, another man shouting, "alright, now git 'er, hold on tight!", more squealing, then silence.

At this point i was a wreck, because i thought i knew what had happened, and my horses were going nuts. See, just a couple of weeks ago I found out we had little piggy neighbors. A brown one, and a black one. I was out in the pasture with the horses, and i thought i had heard a noise- I looked over and there were 2 pigs! they were the happiest little things on earth- running in circles and oinking at the sight of me. They stuck their little snouts thru the chain link fence to sniff me, then would start running around again, in glee (i think?). Frank, my paint, was having a lot of fun watching this whole situation unfold, he seemed to already be friends with the 2 pigs.

So there I was, covered in a mix of hay, sweat, poop, and flaxseed, thinking my new friends had been killed by their owners. My horses were thinking the same thing too. I brought them in ror food, but they were not interested- instead they continued to stare at the pigpen on the hillside.

I had to go check it out, but wanted to be careful and not caught snooping on the neighbors. I got close enough to see 2 pigs in their pen, hiding under their shelter. Phew- that's a relief, i think. I tried to sneak back down to the barn, but i think the pig owners saw me. to heck with them, for all they know I could've been checking the pastures for debris or something.

I got back to my horses, told them everything was ok, the pigs were still alive. Maybe someone grabbed them and they got scared? I don't know, but there sure was a lot of squealing- enough for me to think they were being killed.

The horses were not satisfied, they still would not eat, still focused on the pigpen. So i left them there, they needed time to figure it out.

Now I'm thinking that the pigs are still in danger, and my horses know it. whatever happened on that hillside I'll never know. I just hope that when i return to the barn I will find 2 piggy neighbors just as happy as they were a few weeks ago.

I know, this really isn't any of my business, and I'm not going to get involved and rescue, err, steal the pigs to keep them from slaughter should that be their fate. It just makes me sad because these 2 are just so friendly and happy- content as anything. Happy-go-lucky piggies.

Let's hope they stay that way!

-Ally

Ps- tonight I'm going to visit Cassie...will have an update tomorrow am.

oil change from hell...no time for ponies

I RUSHED out of work to get to the stupid Walmart to get my oil changed...normally the wait isn't so bad, and the price sure is right.

Well, screw them. I got to the lot at 3:25, all signed up and ready to go- there was 1 car ahead of me. 2 ruddy hours later I'm STILL there, waiting for them to finish. Apparently they were short staffed- but I can tell you the staff that was there did a whole lot of sitting around and not working on cars. My car was in the garage for 40 minutes before someone touched it. What the?! It wasn't worth the money I saved.

So I got out of there by 6, rushed home, fed my food deprived cats (as they would have you think...god forbid they have to wait for their wet food...crunchies are never enough). From there I begged my lovely boy to make dinner while I went to feed my horses.

It was getting dark and the horses were waiting for me- so I fed them and while they munched away I did the water buckets and scooped poop in the paddock.

3 weeks ago I purchased a tarp to play on with the horses and it has yet to make its way out of the car, let alone the packaging. Dang, I need more hours in the day. Sadly for me (and all other horse people who don't have a lit, covered arena), the days are getting shorter, and the arena wetter. *sigh*

So today I hope to get out there at a decent hour, play while there is still light... with my luck play will translate into: grooming/ hoof picking, feeding, watering, scooping poop.

Tomorrow is my next day to be with Cassie. We're going to continue our work on the friendly game. My goal is for her to gain confidence AWAY from me. Sound crazy? Well, she's a hider- she likes to be in close, behind my back, or if she's facing me, directly in front, hiding her hind end. So I want her to be about 6-12 feet away, comfortably, on both sides. I also want to be able to touch her everywhere. Most importantly, I want to see her start to relax when in hand with humans. I think that will take a few more sessions.

It is really important with this kind of horse to not cowboy up or cut corners- because it can be quite dangerous for both human and equine alike. I have to explore everything, make sure there isn't a balled up insecurity tucked away somewhere. It'll be a slow go, but it'll be well worth it when she's a confident, happy horse.

Happy Tuesday everyone (heck, it ain't monday anymore! LOL)

-Ally

Cassie's (Zanaella) Homecoming

She's here, she's here! She's also scared, frightful, nervous, knotty in her neck/ shoulders to name a few...

She got to Eatonville just fine, trailored with her buddy, Andora (Bitsy). Doesn't like the change from alfalfa to orchard grass, but she's learning about a healthy diet.

My first impression is that Cassie needs help getting confident, she needs to know from here on out, humans will not hurt her. It is obvious to me that someone has been rough with her, she's very bracy and flinchy when you go to pet her. She knows too much to be just halter broke, but she is not comfortable with what she knows.

I worked with her over the weekend, and by working I mean sitting in the paddock and spending time with her. She finally lowered her head, and wanted her forelock to be pet, at which point she took the opportunity for me to scratch her ears as well. By the end of the weekend I had her accepting of the carrot stick as an extension of my arm and was also able to touch her back. This is a huge improvement because when she first came she wanted humans in front of her at all times, and no human was allowed to go past zone 2.

She acts like a baby around the other horses. She wants to be mothered by the lead mare, Wilma. Wilma treated her like baby which is unusual for her. So for now, Wilma is doing what Cassie needs. We all are.

I'm scared for this horse....because she needs time and love, and time and love. She's learned to mistrust, and unless we help change her mind, she's going down a very dark road.

-Ally

This evening's events

Just back from the barn, and ran to the library to return books- thought i'd stop in and jot down some thoughts.

The horses, as usual, came thundering up the hill when they saw me. Ally= food. Food=good.

Each one had their hooves picked out, and Frank got the extra treatment: his eye medicine. we're almost done with it- hoorah! 2 weeks ago he scratched his cornea, resulting in a huge, puffy eye. The vet came out and gave me a bunch of meds with which I am to treat his eye 4 times per day. Of course this means i have to get up at 4 am in the morning, run to the barn, do the eye thing, and then run back home to shower and leave for work. The afternoon i'm busy scooping poop, feeding, hoof cleaning, doing the eye thing 3 extra times, 2 hours apart.

Frank has also had swollen pasterns the past few days and i don't know why. it could be dietary? he's been eating alfalfa in addition to his grass hay (2 lbs alfalfa). I introduced that feed to him when i opened the stalls back up for the horses to eat from during the winter.

It also has been quite rainy, and so i think they are standing under cover much more, and not moving around- which could be the reason for the swelling. it is much worse in the morning than it is in the evening, and it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all.

Faith is all about her hooves being cleaned. She is quite quick when it comes to marking and shaping behaviors..probably from our past clicker sessions. She's also the dirtiest horse in the barn because she's taken to rolling in the mud right outside of the gate. YUM!

Dobie is learning all about the catching game. I have yet to really inspire him...right now he just checks out. first he won't want to be caught, then he'll just resign and do it. you can literally see the shift in his body go from fear to resignation.

Tomorrow I am going to Yakima to pick up Zanaella. I am so excited!!! I have always wanted to help a slaughter bound horse, and i saw my chance in this mare. Granted, it took me seeing her first adoption fall through, but at that moment I knew i could not turn my back. I'm planning on bringing her through Level 1 with me and hopefully beyond. She is so special, and I can't really point to why. I see horses on that board all the time, and though I want to help them all, Zanaella stuck out to me like a shining star- calling for me to help her. That time, I listened, and repsonded.

I hope to have an update on her, pictues included, by Monday. So this is it until then...have a great weekend and as Pat says, "May the horse be with you!"

-Ally

Where I've been, where I am, where I'd like to go...

zzzzZZZzzzzZZZZ...where were we? Oh yea, I was sharing my equine history...

So, In 2003 I purchased Faith. I so thought I knew what I was doing. WRONG. It is one thing to train under the watchful eye of a trainer, but quite another to take on a project of your own. Add emotional, physical, financial investment to the mix and you've got quite the project. There were many a day I wound up in tears, and many a day I wanted to give her up and quit riding.

Here is a picture of our very first riding session, at a trot:



Sweet baby girl! At this point in time I was on borrowed tack- we owned nothing but a few brushes. I was so afraid to buy stuff because I felt like I needed to save the money for an emergency. After finding out how much fun it is to buy stuff, especially online, I caved and now have TOO much!

We went like this for a few months, and then I began to notice some behavioral problems with Faith. She kept acting crazy, and my list of vices was growing faster than I could keep up. People at the boarding facility were afraid of her, and she was increasingly unmanageable.

I sought the help of the resident trainer, and was apalled by the technique attempted- it left me with a sopping wet, tired but scared 3 yr old TB. I was scared too- and upset.

So I started researching all the "crazy" horsemanship methods I've heard bashed....the John Lyons, Parelli, Clicker Training, Monty Roberts, Clinton Anderson...they all seemed to be on to something, and I could relate with much of what they taught.

I was pretty broke, so I tried to learn as a levels program, equipment, etc. What equipment was available I could not afford. It helped but I was not satisfied.

Move on to Clicker Training. I LOVED playing with this tool! i ordered the books, joined the message boards...bought the clicker. Faith had a blast and learned so many tricks. Here is a photo from our "clicking" days:



What happened to clicker training? I happened to it. Winter came and my hands got freezing since they were continuously covered in horse slobber. I didn't know where I wanted to go with this training, and I was being chastised at the barn for not actually riding my horse. People were going so far and fast with their newbies- w/t/c and there I was, reserving space in the round pen to be a human vending machine.

It got worse, so I decided to leave the barn. I was being outsourced at work with no promise of a job, so I quickly found Faith a care lease not too far from home. Then the clouds parted, I found a job, and was able to move out of the barn (I was living there...a whole other story).

The care lease was a whole lot of nothing good. They took care of Faith, but never actually rode. At that point Faith started to abscess..a lot. She got thin again, and was a nervous wreck. I questioned my ownership again- keep or sell? By this time I was giving lessons to a neighbor's child, and they offered me a spot in their barn to keep Faith. I was skeptical for all the reasons horse people get skeptical, but did it anyway.

Faith moved to that home in May 2005. I did some more research and decided I had to pull her shoes. She was showing signs of abscessing and being very uncomfortable. I was prepared to give her the summer off to just be a horse.

Well, all she needed was for me to change my mind. In 2 weeks, my now 5 yr old mare turned into a huge lovebug. Once I removed the problem (problem people) the problem disappeared. We were like best friends. The vet came out several times, checking and rechecking her health- we got the all clear with the exception of possible arthritis in the knee, but nothing serious or to worry about now.

At that same time a good friend of mine invited me to a Parelli tour stop in Puyallup. I went because it was free. In short, I fell in love with horses all over again. I bought the Level 1 pack, the carrot stick, halter, the 12 and 22ft lines...and yes, even the damn t-shirt & hat.

May 2005 was a turning point for me. I grasped this Parelli stuff- it made perfect sense to me. My horse and I were actually talking to one another again.

I loved it so much I started to audit clinics (couldn't afford to bring a horse, and I dont have transportation for one anyway), and that is how I found my second horse, Frank.


Faith is my first equine love, and will always be my sister. Frank is my little guy with a huge play drive. He challenges me with his left brain ideas, where Faith challenges me with her fright. 2 ends to a spectrum.

My horses challenge me every single day. Just recently I have been learning how to communicate with them, and I have learned amazing things about their horsanalities.

In short, I am somewhat embarrassed to talk about where I have been, but by the time I get to the present moment, I am proud of my story. I look forward to a life filled with horses and their love.

All the best,

Ally

Welcome to my Pony Blog!

I've never been consistent when it comes to journals, online, paperbased, voice-recorded- you name it, I've started it and never kept up with it. But here I am, yet another attempt. This time I hope to be successful because I actually have a purpose now: to journal the progress of my horses.

Let us start with a little bit about me, and usual equine suspects you'll be reading about. I'm young (in my 20's) and have 2 horses: Faith and Frank. Faith is a 5 yr old OTTB (off track thoroughbred). We've been together for 2 years now. Frank is my 4 yr old breeding stock paint; we've known eachother for about 4 months.

I also share my life with 2 other equines: Dobie and Zanaella. Dobie is a 10 yr old pinto pony, trained by yours truly. He is owned by an 8 yr old girl. My horses live at his house. Zanaella is a 5 yr old ghost Appy, rescued from the Yakima feedlot through Columbia Basin Equine Rescue (CBER). I'm currently sponsoring her, which means I pay for her daily costs and get to train this beauty.

Back to me- I've been involved with horses ever since I could recognize one. I probably started on my parents at around age 3- with My Little Ponies. We lived in East Rutherford, NJ soon to move out to Sussex County. Of course I pitched a fit and did not want to move. My parents saw an opportunity and bribed me with horses. It went a little something like this: "Ally, if you move with us to Sussex [like i had a choice?!] we'll get you some horseback riding lessons." OH BOY! Sign me up!

They call it the "great mistake." For the next 20 years I rode horses, 1 time per week. Actually, there was a break in my teen years when I decided soccer was more important than riding lessons, since i was not allowed to have my own horse anyway. I got back into riding in college, in Boston of all places. There i met my now good friend/roomate/ horsefreak, and we found a barn at which to continue lessons. Lessons turned into serious training, grooming, showing. Then I graduated and moved out to Seattle (!!!) with my roommate.

My introduction to Seattle was interesting. I was affiliating myself with a riding facility, longing for my own horse. Since i didn't have a job yet, i could not own- I could not even ride for fear of getting injured and not having the health insurance to cover it. At last I scored my first full time job in Seattle (October 2003). It took all but 1 paycycle for me to purchase my first horse, Faith.

Faith was a mess when I got her. She is a Delineator baby, and had a rough time at the track. She ran just well enough for her owners/ trainer to think she stood a chance at placing, but never quite made it. She let them down one too many times, and was cast off- she wasn't being fed or kept after.

A lady who was looking for an Arab came to our barn with Faith's picture in tow. I fell in love with her, and 3 days later, we picked her up in Carnation and brought her home.

Since then we've had our ups and downs but we're still together and we'll always be. She has taught more about love, life, and leadership than any other horse or trainer.

So, for this, this blog is dedicated to my girl...myhorsefaith.

All the best, everyone!