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