WINDFLOWER SUMMER SESSION

   

DOLLY BY WINDFLOWER STUDENT 

•         This July we tried something that was a first at Windflower--we had an intensive riding program coupled with swimming, and crafts related to horses and photography.   We hosted seven children, ages 8-10, for four days.  All were already good friends and three have been riding at the farm for several years.  We talked about horses--and mules--as prey animals and how that related to their behavior.  We did Natural Horsemanship exercises and a lot of riding.   Here are some photos:

Brother and Sister                                Ainslie copyright 2011 

Already posting on Day 1!         Ainslie copyright 2011

          

 

Cantering on the lunge!                           Ainslie copyright 2011

 

Observing is another important way to learn.                               

A quick break!                    Ainslie copyright 2011

  

   We did a good bit of photography work, concentrating on focus and composition.  And, yes, getting horse shots with their ears pricked forward--always a challenge.  Each rider took several pictures of his or her favorite horse.  I printed one inch copies that night and the next day they had the choice of making either photo magnets for the fridge or necklaces.      

    This coming week we have another session with the same wonderful kids.  The forecast calls for rain the first day or two, but that's not going to stop us.  As long as lightning and thunder don't accompany, the canopy of the trees provides considerable shelter.  And no bugs!

     I've got some more horse-related crafts lined up and a couple of films, too, including a long-time favorite of mine, Into The West, a moving tale of two Irish Traveler children who are transported by a white horse from their Dublin slum to western Ireland--a wonderful and sometimes frightening land of myth, truth, and home.  If you haven't seen it, please do.  

  A couple of weeks ago my friend Anne and her two daughters Juliane and Dana took Quilly, Nitelite, and Kip to an Apple Knoll Schooling Jumper Show in Millis, MA.  It's a lovely facility and we had great fun.  Here are some pics:

    Nitelite and Anne                                                                                                           Apple Knoll Schooling Show  2011

          Quilly and Juliane Schooling                                                                           Apple Knoll 2011

  A happy result!                                                                                                   Apple Knoll Schooling Show 2011

       Quilly enjoys some well-deserved watermelon sherbert!                                                  Apple Knoll 2011

      And last, but surely not least, here is a YouTube of Dana on Kip.  They had a clear round and I think that, proportionately, they must have jumped a higher course than anyone else at the show!  (Kip is just under ten hands.)

      Tica and I went off for a day in New Hampshire to compete in "Dressage at the Seacoast."  I now count Tica as a seasoned competitor, but my own nerves still call out for more ring time.  As usual, Tica was wonderful and would have been more wonderful had I been so.  But I was very happy:  I got a 66 and a 63 on First Levels 1 and 2.  We go to Beland the first week in September, then it's on to NEDA Fall and the First Level championships. 

    Just last Sunday, August 7, Juliane and I took Quilly and Firefly to the NEDA schooling show at T.H.E. Farm in Tewksbury, MA.  Because of this past winter's injuries I haven't been able to work as much as I had planned to do with Firefly, so I just entered Intro. A. and B.  And a good thing, too:  It rained all day, and Firefly for some reason is petrified of umbrellas.  Totally "my bad":  I knew this was an issue and had not done the necessary desensitizing work with her.  I thought I might have to scratch.  There would  be no point in subjecting her to tests that would not benefit her training and make us both miserable in the bargain.  When we arrived I saw about fifty umbrellas twirling and popping open and shut.

      But Firefly coped better than I thought she would, though she was not able to relax completely during her tests.  As we trotted around the arena she was certain that even though the judge was nicely sheltered from the elements in a trailer, she surely was harboring some sort of anti-rain device.  We got a 63 and a 65--two second places.  "Tension" was mentioned in the comments.  Lesson:  If you do your desensitizing homework you will get better scores and have a happier, more relaxed horse.

      Juliane on Quilly garnered two seconds as well, with a 65 (Intro C) and a 61 (Training Level 1.)  She also was Reserve Champion for her division, which was thrilling.

    Many thanks to Diana Lane, the show organizer.  She runs two great schooling shows for NEDA annually.

     I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of Firefly under saddle.  But here is one I took last Fall:

  Firefly                                                                                               Ainslie Brennan copyright 2010

    Our next edition of The Windflower Weekly will take us to the fairgrounds with Dolly's first actual ride in the trailer since she arrived just over five months ago.  The following day she must got to Mass Equine Clinic in Uxbridge, MA, for surgery, where she'll need to remain a couple of days.  Details about those trips as well as the coming riding, swimming, and craft week will appear next week.

     Please do make comments.  Tell me what you like, don't like, or would like to see more or less of.  I know I have a number of European readers.  Do you want to hear more about Natural Horsemanship?  Just say the word.

See you next blog and thank you for reading The Windflower Weekly--

       Ainslie