Merry Christmas Everyone!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Update!
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Horse Photography
Soon I will be making a new blog for myself as I learn all the tricks and secrets of equine photography!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
My goals....delayed
A
~ Sharlie gets all the way into the trailer more frequently, for a few seconds at time
~Start to teach her Spanish walk on the ground
~Be close to passing Level 1 Freestyle (Self-assesment)
B
~Sharlie gets all the way into the trailer for at least a few minutes at a time, calmly.
~ Knows Spanish Walk on ground okish....
~Level 2 Freestyle
~Getting close to passing Level 3 Online
~Doing well with Liberty
C
~Sharlie can get into trailer confidently for severel minutes at a time, can move and (maybe) close door. (If I can not get her in calmly by April, I'm calling Jennifer!!! :o)
~Knows Spanish walk on ground, maybe transitioning it to riding....
~Auditioning Level 2/3 Freestyle
~Self-asses Level 3 Online
~Level 2 Liberty...(Maybe...:D)
Today = awsome
http://webstarts.com/juliadebski
Its still in the works, but I hope it will help. Plus, once Jessi is Level 2 or so, we are going to start teaching lessons together. And maybe once we have several paying students, we can buy a second horse for them to play with. I believe Sharlie will be fine for now, but it may become stressful for her to play with alll these humans!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Principle #2 Never Assume
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Bridleless and the...stall
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Uh oh....
I hope that it isn't an abscess. Alot of horses at the stable have been getting them, and the vet has had alot of abscess cases... :\
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Short Term Goals
A
~ Sharlie gets all the way into the trailer more frequently, for a few seconds at time
~Start to teach her Spanish walk on the ground
~Be close to passing Level 1 Freestyle (Self-assesment)
B
~Sharlie gets all the way into the trailer for at least a few minutes at a time, calmly.
~ Knows Spanish Walk on ground okish....
~Level 2 Freestyle
~Getting close to passing Level 3 Online
~Doing well with Liberty
C
~Sharlie can get into trailer confidently for severel minutes at a time, can move and (maybe) close door. (If I can not get her in calmly by April, I'm calling Jennifer!!! :o)
~Knows Spanish walk on ground, maybe transitioning it to riding....
~Auditioning Level 2/3 Freestyle
~Self-asses Level 3 Online
~Level 2 Liberty...(Maybe...:D)
These are my goals. Only the trailer one is critical. It is the most important! The others...ahhh, they are just fun~
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
After-Playdate Syndrome...and its spreading! :D
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Playdate-Outstanding, Amazing and Inspiring!
Wow! Yesterday was amazing! It was inspiring to watch Hannah play and ride! Elijah looked great on Angel, Ellen and Sarge were amazing! Patches and Amber were gorgeous and I think that they are perfect for Alison and Danielle! Danielle and Amber matched in hair color, which I thought was cool!
My mom and I arrived first, so we were able to groom Misty (the horse I played with) before anyone arrived. Then it was Hannah followed by Ellen (I think) and last was Alison and Danielle. Once everyone arrived, I had my lesson with Jennifer playing online and freestyle that helped me alot and gave me some ideas to try with Sharlie. She also showed my 9-step backup, riding with a stick. Thank you Jennifer!
Then I decided to join the others in the big field where I got to watch Blaze try to be a monkey as he climbed from tire to tire. It was hilarious as he got up and down from the big tire. He has got to be sore from that! :D
Everyone left to go to the arena, and I decided to play for a few minutes on the ground before going to go with the others. When I joined the others, I rode some more. (Because 1. Everyone else was, and 2. I haven't ridden in weeks and was desperate to ride)
And then...I had the chance to ride Blaze a little bit! I was soooo lucky! Thank you Hannah!!!!! Blaze is amazing! The reins meant little to him, so I had to depend on my seat. It was such an interesting experience to be up there (well, not really up...Blaze is SHORT!!! :D ) on Blaze and feel how responsive he is! I don't ever want to forget it because for the first time ever in my life, I felt in complete harmony with a horse. I enjoyed it and didn't have to depend on reins to keep the horse under control! So thank you Blaze and Hannah, so much. That one short little ride got me to believe in Sharlie again and let myself believe that one day, I will get Sharlie to be like that.
I had a nice talk with Elijah, Hannah's brother. He is a really nice guy and he seems to love horses alot. Then lunch. Mom's brownies were a hit, and Jennifer told me about how camp works. I got really interested. I can just imagine how far Sharlie and I can go. Plus, with an arena full of sand, I may be able to actually advance in liberty, without Sharlie wanting to just keep circling, or wanting to eat the whole time! After lunch, we set up a course and Elijah was the judge. We practiced, and then did the real thing. Everybody won! I had fun on Misty and got some inspiration for Sharlie. Maybe I can find a branch to work as a jump......
And alas, all good things must come to an end. I said goodbye to everyone, and managed to catch Hannah playing with Blaze and Angel at liberty. Wow...And then I got a shock. (A good one!!) I realized that like Elijah said, Hannah had gotten no outside help when she was playing with Blaze. And now look, she is level 4/5/6! And he is right. Anyone can do it, as long as you are committed. Well, now, I am committed. I am going to be like Hannah and Blaze one day. I am going to go to Jennifer's camp. I am going to put the relationship first. I want to be able to ride Sharlie bridless!
Thank you to everyone! Thank you Jennifer, Hannah, Ellen, Alison, Danielle, everyone!!!!!!!! I had the time of my life and hope to see you all soon!
(PS- Hannah, if you do move to Franklin, we are always here for a pitstop! :D)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Hill Therapy
Well, since Hill Therapy is canceled until at least spring, here is the first 2 days. :\
Hill Therapy
Week 1
Day 1- 11/6/09
Today I started Sharlie’s hill therapy. I hope that is works and Sharlie’s back is round and her gaits smooth out so we can advance with our Freestyle.
First day went pretty well I think. I chose to only ask Sharlie to trot because the hill I chose is about 30* degree angle. It’s the mildest hill I could find. I think Sharlie coped faredly well. We have played alot on those hills before, and Sharlie’s field is full of steep hills.
But I’m wouldn’t say it was easy fore her. No, not at all. Even though she kept her gait at a trot, I could tell she was having a tough time. Up the hill she would have to pull herself up with her front legs, and down the hills, she sped up but not on purpose. She had to go down at a slight angle not to fall.
All to be expected for the first day according to Linda. I’m excited to see the results! At least afterward she was rewarded by going down to the stream and then going to play with a once “very-scary-horse-eating” log. But the log and Sharlie are on better terms now.
Day 2-11/7/09
Lets just say Sharlie had a ...challenging time.She had to canter up the hill. Even on her blind side, which she never did before. She also used all 25 feet on the rope, unlike yesturday where she only used about 12-15 feet of the rope. And she was concentrating so hard on me and the hill, she didn’t seem to notice the gunshots in the distance. Usually she stops and is stalk still for a few moments, and then she continues doing whatever she was doing. This time, nada! She didn’t do a thing! So I am happy for today. We made progress with the trailer afterward and ended it on a very good note. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
Day 3-11/8/09
I have photos!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Busy Busy Busy! Every single savvy!
Level 1 Audition Online
I sent it in on Friday, and WOW! I got my results back on Monday! So I advice to those who are planning to send in their Audition soon, SEND IT IN BY EMAIL NOW AND U WILL GET A QUICK RESPONSE!!!!! Anyway, I assesed Level 1, and I passed Level 2+. The thing I still can't believe is that I'm going to be playing with Sharlie at Level 3 now, very close to HANNAH!!!!!!!!! :o :D
Freestyle
Winter is approaching rapidly here in Tennessee, or at least near me. It can be beautiful and bright, but chilly. And Sharlie is becoming a real pest when it comes to riding. I have even come to the horror of having to use the bridle to keep her from taking off. I wish I hadn't left riding till now, and now I won't be able to. During the summer, we were great! Having fun, and even almost ready to canter. We self-assesed Level 1, and almost Level 2!
And now....back to zero. I even have to work very hard to keep Sharlie's walk controlled (as in not wandering off the trail, falling 20 feet when she reaches the ledge and dying, or her taking off at a full gallop) I hope they build the arena soon because we have had enough of the round pen, and the trails are 2 foot deep mud!
Finesse
I was looking forward to doing more Finesse in September and October, but due to unseasonal cold spells and rain (and school), we have only been able to concentrate on Online and Liberty. And now its turning cold again, and Sharlie is a true blue B-R-A-T when I ride her. So I prefer to get our Freestyle up to date before attempting Finesse again!
Liberty
Well, with winter, we are going to be concentrating mainly on ground work, so online and liberty. Right now, I have been trying to get Sharlie to understand NOT EVERYTHING I DO MEANS GO OR FOLLOW ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! But we are making slow progress. More porcupine and squeeze is getting her mentally involved which is very good. Alot of licking!
MENTAL STIMULATION WHILE GROOMING!
Yes Yes YES! This is mostly for LBI's, and mainly for Sharlie, but Sharlie could never really understand the point of grooming, and found it terribly boring and always tried to walk away. I have found a way to solve the problem! But, it is late now, so I will explain it tomorrow! *wiggles eyebrows* :D
Thursday, October 8, 2009
GO HANNAH!!!!!!!!!
Just wanted to wish her good luck and will be waiting anxiusly for the spotlight video!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thank you so much to Mr. Bell
Audition
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Oh My Gosh! This is even better then Yesturday!
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we stood in there for about 10 minutes while she ate the whole bucket of grain. I never imagined that Sharlie would do that! Maybe our relationship is stronger then I thougt!
New goals: (updated in Goals column) Get Sharlie in trailer by Labor day. Maybe this streak will continue and I will manage to achieve this goal!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Today blew me away!
Today, I set up a slalom and another barrel to the figure 8 barrels so it made up 2 sides of a rectangle, one figure 8 being bigger then the other. I started playing with Sharlie, just singing a funny little song that I made up as I went about how dirty and muddy she was. We did the slalom for the first time. First at a walk. She was so good. At first she was confused but she tried really hard to I rewarded her and moved on to the figure 8. Sharlie and I have had trouble with figure 8's because we only had itty bitty cones available and Sharlie couldn't see them. With the new barrels, we started at a walk on the smaller figure 8. Then we moved onto the bigger one to try the trot. It was sort of chaotic because she tried to circle me instead of changing direction, but then, after about the 4th time, she did a complete figure 8 at the trot perfectly! I just couldn't ask for more! So I decided to end on a good note. I was on a cloud. After letting Sharlie graze for about 10 minutes, the truck and trailer pulled into the stable. I decided to just get Sharlie used to walking around a truck and trailer since I knew from earlier experiences, she was absolutely terrified when the trailer was attached to the truck. She surprised me yet again by calmly walking around the trailer, grazing, sniffing and even cocking her leg! I decided to end there , not to push her by opening the trailer door, and put her in the field where she gave me a hug!
I love you Sharlie!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Slowly but surely...
Its coming slowly, but remember "Take the time it takes so it takes less time". That is Parelli.
I am also trying to write an article I can send to The Savvy Times team.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Bareback and the...trailer.
I have found it very fun to ride bareback now. I can walk and trot! Sharlie's trot is so bouncy, I can only go a few steps at a time. But I am working on slowly trotting longer and longer.
The Trailer:
You may know that Sharlie is terrified of the trailer. Probably abused or in an accident or something. We have been making steady progress with the trailer and a few days ago, Sharlie put both front feet into the trailer for 10 seconds! She turns extremely LBI around the trailer so I had to realllly motivate her. Unfortunately the barn owners have been using the trailer recently and now it is full of junk, so I will have to wait a few days or weeks before I can continue working with Sharlie with the trailer!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Playdate!
So I am praying and crossing my fingers. I really hope we get to have a playdate soon!
7/31/09-Level 1 graduated
Monday, July 13, 2009
Future of Parelli
Here is a link. Watch, it is amazing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUGIKWXelqg
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Its been over 2 years, and I did it!
I freaked! I am now just starting to get used to Sharlie's trot. And...so now I am supposed to canter??!! It has been over 2 years since I cantered!
I almost fell of every time. I lost my stirrups a few times, but the last time, I managed to do almost 1 whole round of the round pen!!!! =]
So...today was interesting to say the least...
(Sorry, I wasn't expecting it so I did not bring my camera! =[ )
Monday, July 6, 2009
Level 3 here we come!
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!
I am so happy! I am currently working on our Freestyle, but I will start playing those tasks. Then I will be able to film my Audition!
Not the lonely 'natural' anymore!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Until Now...
At the beginning of June, I set my sights on the Auditions. We were going away in about 2 weeks and I thought that I could pull it off. But a few days before we left, I decided to wait till we get back from California.
Our stay in CA was nice, but I was jumping in my seat to get back to Sharlie as soon as possible! (It didn't help that we missed our flight to Knoxville that night and had to stay in the Hilton)
So, now I am back. I am having lots of fun. I am able to ride by myself now! And enjoy it! So now I will start working on trotting in the big field, and working on my Level 1 Freestyle! :) =]
Dark and Sad Suprise- The vet's verdict and the hard weeks that followed Part 2
After Sharlie's catheter had been removed, it was time to start riding again. We set a date for the next week. Then, everyday of that week, I exercised Sharlie doing the circling game, driving game and squeeze game. Then the day of the riding lesson arrived. I was extremely nervous. The last time I had ridden Sharlie was in March and we were near the end of May.
But it turned out the lesson went extremely well. I had been reading up on Freestyle lately so I did try to do the Balance Point, etc...
That was the first good lesson I had with Sharlie in a very long time. The only pleasent ride before this one was when I went to go try her out. And that was when I started to enjoy riding again!
Somewhere in this mix, the vet came to visit and gave us 2 options:
1-All of Sharlie's medication wasn't working and the infection was starting to grow immune. Maybe if we just tried Bute, it will keep the swellling down and keep her out of pain.
2-If the bute didn't work, we would have to remove the eye.
*Dramatic Music* Just to let you know, I did NOT like option 2 at ALL!!!
Good news: The bute is working just fine now. Option 2 does not look like it is going to happen.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dark and Sad Suprise- The vet's verdict and the hard weeks that followed Part 1
For next few weeks, Sharlie was in no shape to do much exercise. Imagine having a constant migraine in the back of your eye. Those weeks were just spent getting her out of the field, grooming her, letting her graze, cuddling her and making her as comfy as possible.
I thought I saw the end of the darkness at the beginning of April. I could ride her now in lessons (but they were not at all pleasent for me and avoided as much as possible) but we did a lot of work in the round pen at liberty. Sharlie's eye didn't swell up as much anymore even though she was being stuffed with medicines.
Sharlie was supposed to get a catheter in around the beginning of April so she wouldn't have to have the creams and liquids applied directly to her eye. The vet was supposed to come one Friday to do so. My mom and I get there and *Poof!* "Oh, we are taking her up to the clinic". At first, I could only feel anger! They were going to take her to the clinic without even asking the owner??!! And plus I was just able to get her to stand within a yard of the trailer, and there goes all that hard work!!!!! We had to load up her field buddy and "boyfriend" Red. On the way to pick up my brother and rush to the clinic, I was a mess. I was texting one of my best friends for consolation while I was mixed with anger, anxiety and I was crying. It had all happened in such a rush and I could see Sharlie trembling in fear as they took the highway to the clinic (half an hour away by the highway!)
So Sharlie got the catheter put in and got her cornea scratched. (With a needle!!*Shivers*) She was supposed to stay therefor only a few days. Ended up being 3 weeks in a stall!!! She hates stalls. She was tranquilized all the time.
It hurt me everytime to go see her, but I knew that she felt safe when I was around in the stall with her. Near the end of her stay, she got company. A mother and foal moved in next door.
The next few weeks
Photos coming soon!
Thank you!
Week 2- Franklin Celebration!!!
My mom and I went to Nashville on a Thursday night (Got to skip school on Friday) and stayed the night at a hotel. We woke up early to eat and get down to the Arena as soon as possible. The first day was long. They had a lot of Spotlighters. It didn't help that many people were repeating with their horses in different savvy's. But it was just amazing to watch all of them! Especially the young girls and their horses. Really got me motivated. At the end, we got Beau. A very pretty pony, but unfortuanly, very troubled when he entered that ring. In 3 days, Pat Parelli changed Beau from a terrified and troubled horse, to a horse who could communicate and was more trusting!
Here is a video. It is really amazing. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIdzDb5vGyA
Linda's words of advice that got Sharlie and me to where we are now! : Don't worry about messing up the 7 games, just don't make them the 7 jobs!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Week 1-Week 2- Bonding Time
I was able to clean out her field and feed her. At first, she openly showed how she didn't appreciate my company. Purposely showing me her rear everytime I tried to approach her, stepping on my foot once when I got into her "bubble". It slowly got better during the week. By the end of the week she would answer to her name when I called her.
I was nervous to leave Sharlie for the weekend, but she reassureared me with a little suprise. Just before I left that thursday, she came up to the fence, near where the car was parked and gave me a little nicker!
I was on a cloud all the way to Nashville!
Week 1- Picking up the princess-harder then one thinks!
So here we are, trying to get to the barn where my new horse, Sharlie, is waiting. The vet checked her over and said everything was good (Remember this, it becomes a problem later) So Tom and Susan, the owners of the barn that we will be boarding at, are coming with us to pick her up (Well...they sort of had to come because we were using their trailer, a little rickity, I think.) We had ended up so that we had gone down a narrow road with this huge truck and trailer.
Well, anyway, we pulled up, I had to put away my ipod, and then joined the others in the barn (why does it seem like I am the last one in all the time!!!???) I walk up to her stall and just admire her for 30 seconds. Then we get to load her up. The previous owner drags her down the aisle while grabbing all the things in the deal (Halter, leadrope and blanket. And the horse of course!) Sharlie walks up to the trailer and freezes. They start to whip and smack her until she has no choice but to go in. Once in, the sound of bumping into metal does not help at all. We had to hurry to leave before she got hurt. And so we are off! 2 hours of driving before we reach home.
We arrive. We unload her and put her in the small pen just by the big field that has all the horses in it. Ironicly, they are all boys and Sharlie is probably the first mare they have seen in months! We put her in the pen(shared by goats) and in a record time of less then 1 minute, all the boys are up by the fence sniffing as far as their necks can reach. Sharlie is being the snotty princess, trotting up and down the corral, all 5 boys trailing behind. It was amazing to watch her trot. She would lift up her tail and her ears would be forward. She looked like a princess!
Week 0- Buying Sharlie (my miracle)
January 18th 2009
I walked as casually as possible down the barn aisle to the end stall and peeked over the stable door. Inside was the chestnut mare I had seen in the photos. She had a long white balde going from her forehead to her nose. On her nose and above her left eye the hair was balding. But to me, that was not important. What was important, to me, was that when I looked over the door, she raised her head and took one nervous step to sniff me. (I know now that that nervous step was because she is terrified of stalls.)
The owner got her out and dragged, yes dragged, her to the crossties, groomed and saddled her up. I wasn't allowed to groom her. Th en the group of people escorted Firefly (a.k.a Sharlie) down to the ring, who was doing her best not to trip and run over the humans that were crowding her down the very steep and slippery hill.
The owner rode and then my riding instructor (who was quite pregnant at the time) and then it was my turn! I was exited and nervous, but amazingly, Firefly stayed as calm as she had been with her 2 previous riders.
After unsaddling her and grooming her, my dad negotiated the price (from 1500 to 1250) and then they all proceeded to the office to discuss the vet check. I stayed behind and took photos and thought up the new name Charlotte's Firefly (Sharlie for short).
And thats where my journey began
From the Beginning
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sharing the journey
Love is blind-This is my journey
You might think that this might not be a good idea for a first horse. But Sharlie, in a matter of months, has changed me. I have learned not to be so self-centered. I have learned to be caring and take interest to other people's problems and knowing how they feel. I am now less selfish, more responisible and the list goes on and on.
Sharlie is still my first horse and this is my natural journey with Parelli. Follow us through it.