Horsemanship: Fountain of Witty Ideas

I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.  Proverbs 8: 12

A frequent complaint of students across the country is that they feel they are boring their horses and... they are right!  But this need not be true if you have a witty idea!

When I was newly in the Parelli program, I attended a clinic taught by Neil Pye.  It was a Level 1 Beginning Partnership clinic.  He said something that ignited my imagination,

What is a Dream Worth?

"Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:4  NIV

"He fulfills the desires of those who fear him..." Psalm 145:19 NIV

 Did you know that God actually put dreams and desires in your heart!

Horsemanship: Curl Your Toes!

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."    I Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)

Subtle communication is a hallmark of an intimate relationship...with God, with another person and, yes, even your horse.  What if you could cause your horse to move simply by curling your toes?

Expectations! Do You Have Some?

I have observed an interesting phenomenon. As I travel around the country teaching, often the same or similar philosophical principle arises in the lessons. Lately the concept is related to this Parelli-ism: Expect a lot, accept a little, reward often. Have you heard it before?

What I have noticed is as folks progress and some things start to get pretty, they stop making new, higher expectations.

Dance!

While I was driving from Farson, WY to La Porte,CO, I was listening to music and a song by Mandisa came on.  I had heard this song many times, but this time, suddenly, a particular line struck me as important:  "When you get the chance to sit it out or dance...I hope you dance."

Everyday Adventure

The ride started badly when I was saddling JoyFull.  She tried to bite me several times while saddling…something she has never done before.  Right away I had the thought cross my mind that she was telling me the ride was a bad idea.  I spent a little more time than usual moving her around after saddling to make sure she was not broncy…which she can be if it is a while since I have saddled and ridden her.  She seemed fine so Dave and I and Treasure and JoyFull set off down the only trail out of the North Fork John Day Horse Campground… Trail 3022.

Dead Wood, Spotlights and Fresh Opportunities

I have been very busy the last five months.  So busy that I have journaled very little and was beginning to feel drained physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  Finally we got a chance to spend some undemanding time in the wilderness near the North Fork John Day River.

I went down to the river to get alone we God and to see what he might have to say to me.  It was late afternoon moving into evening and the sun was setting behind the pine covered hill across the river.  It didn’t set all at once but kept poking its rays out between the spires of evergreen…first here, then there, and farther and farther west.  Just before it disappeared altogether,

Trouble Overcome

We left Bend, OR around 9AM expecting to arrive at North John Day Horse Camp by late afternoon.  Stops for gas, groceries, and septic dump took a little longer than expected and we revise our ETA to 5PM.  We kept the pedal to the metal so to speak (Dave hates it when I say that!) but stopped in the town of John Day to talk to the people at the national forest office.  Not our ETA was 6PM..Still not too late to have daylight to set up camp with.  We were making good time when suddenly...

Where Have the Strege's Been? (Long)

Nancy, Debbie, Lena, and Dru in quadrille

My last update was from the Florida Parelli campus where we spent the month of March while I was teaching the Foundations of Horsemanship class.  What a treat to see this small group of students advance their horsemanship!  Each of them advanced at least one level in one or more savvies.  One was honored with her Level 4 black string (another probably would have, but her horse came up lame the last week of class before the auditions.)

Urgent...or Important?!!

It is amazing how busy life can get and how the important things in life get crowded out by those things that seem urgent!   Many years ago I read a little pamphlet entitled “The Tyranny of the Urgent.”  The concept was how the important things in life rarely seem urgent so they often get put on the back burner and rarely, if ever, get addressed until it is too late…or almost too late.  Important things like spending time with family, addressing one’s health, planning for the future (setting goals) so that dreams do come true.  Important things like getting to know God, feeding on His Word, and learning to hear His voice.

Notes from a Level 3-4 Lesson--Improving the Sideways Game On Line

As I am traveling and giving lessons around the country, one of the perks the students receive is written notes (usually posted on ParelliConnect.)  I thought my blog readers my benefit and be interested in reading some of these.  If you find them valuable or interesting.  Let me know in the comments.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures for this--this time--but it you like this format occasionally I may be able to facilitate pictures.

On the Road Again

I apologize for not posting for a while!  A day or two after the last post Parelli Central called and asked if I would come teach at the FL campus for the month of March.  I might not have said yes except it also gave us an opportunity to visit my son and his lovely wife in Palm Coast. 

On the way Dave and I got to visit  

Birding in Ajo

Gambel's quail

Besides a few neighbors in RV's passing through we have some other interesting residents here at the golf course with us.  I decided to go out one day and see how many I could capture.  Please enjoy this photo album of our resident birds.
Probably the most interesting and numerous are the quail.  This guys will actually let you get quite close, but they will not look at you unless you are very still long enough for them to think you are a tree.  Then they will come in your direction by accident.  If you startle them, most of the flock will fly off with a few left standing and looking around as if to say, "Huh?  What?"  Then they scurry along the ground to wherever the group landed.

Mourning dove

Another large population is the mourning doves.  They spend a fair amount of time in trees in addition to on the ground and their mournful coos can be heard almost anytime of day.  On the day I went out to get pictures, I was motivated because I thought I heard the famous owls of Ajo, but it was actually the doves...Now I know the difference.

I did get this picture of the owl a few days later.  There is a nesting pair and they are rarely seen during the day...more often at dusk.  So far I have not seen them together.  Only one or the other.  Still they are a sight!

How dare you!

We have a lot of smaller birds.  It took me quite a while to identify this critter...The curved bill thrasher.  I love this picture of him though.  Can't you just hear him muttering under his breath, "How dare you take my picture!"

Curved bill thrasher

One of the frequent visitors around the course is the cactus wren.  It took me a long time to figure out his identity as well.  That eyebrow finally gave him away.






I see this Gila woodpecker (Prounounced "HEE-LAH")  frequently outside the coach on a palm tree.  This first time, he was stuffing something down in a crevice where a frond had broken off.  I thought he had a nest and fledglings there.  As I watch, though, he stuffed, what looked like grubs, in several crevices.  I think he was creating a cache for...summer?...or winter?...at least for later.

Last but not least, I got a glimpse of this least flycatcher.  Don't know much about him except he seemed to be quite proud to have his picture taken.






We also have a big roadrunner that I have not yet been able to catch on film....beep...beep....there he goes again!

There is Such a Thing as Routine

Sunrise at the 7th green

I was just realizing I have not posted for a while.
It seems I have gotten into a bit of a routine, here in Ajo.  I sleep in until the sun wakes me up.  Then I spend a wonderful time with the Lord in prayer.  After a quick breakfast (usually a smoothie) it's out for a long walk (usually 50 minutes.)  It is about 2.5 miles and between 5000 and 6000 steps on my pedometer.  When I get back

Stre-e-e-e-etch!

Hello from Organ Pipe Cactus Nat Mon

Last week we had to take a little jaunt down to Mexico.  Dave had some dental work that was long overdue and we found a dentist in Sonoyta (only 40 miles from Ajo) that was only a hundred yards over the border.  We left the golf course on Sunday night planning to spend one night in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (about 7 miles from the border) then heading out Monday afternoon to Quartzsite for the rest of the week for the Author’s Fair.  Unfortunately…

One Word for 2016...

Stre-e-e-e-tch!

When it comes to the end of one year and the beginning of another, along with many other people, I get reflective and also speculative.  What were the highlights of the passed year and what does the new year hold.  This year is no exception and is interesting in light of an exercise that I did last year called "One Word."  (for more information go to http://getoneword.com/)  In short, you seek God's input for one word to guide you for the year.  Last year

Christmas in Ajo

From the Mojave we traveled east to cross the great Colorado River to Lake Havasu City, AZ.   Then it was back and forth across the Colorado at Parker, CA and finally south to get to Quartzsite, AZ.  We were headed to Quartzsite to get some additional solar panels that would enable us to boondock for longer periods of time without having to use the generator to charge the batteries.
The day we arrived to check out Solar Bill's, they were not busy and got us in and out in about 4 hours.  Amazing!