Happy Moment of the Day

Happy Moment of the Day

Laying in the shade beside a hot mineral springs tub in Pagosa Springs, CO with my arm floating in the water and Luke snoozing on my tummy:-)

Traveling with an OTTB!

We spend much of the summer on the road traveling from state to state teaching clinics and camps. It is a great oppertunity for our horses to get exposure and become confident in many different environments. Occasionally however the miles of travel take a toll on the horses particularly our more sensative Thoroughbred. So, last month we experimented with a slightly different approach on feed and had success maintaining his condition plus the feed took up less room in the trailer AND it helped keep the horses hydrated!
We chose to feed a combination of our usual alfalfa hay with some Standley alfalfa pellets and Standley alfalfa cubes, we also added a bit of beet pulp.
The great thing with traveling with the compressed hay cubes is that it is easier to manuever in the trailer and we had less waste from dropped bits of hay. Also, because we soaked the cubes/pellets VERY thoroughly the horses almost had a mash to eat and therefore were taking in more water to help them hydrate, a definate plus when traveling.
The other thing that worked out well was the addition on water, beet pulp and a second type of forage really seemed to help keep condition on the OTTB (Off The Track Thoroughbred). Overall it was a successful experiment and we are continueing to carry cubes/pellets with us as we travel.

What horse advice and baby advice have in common

Have you ever had someone "offer" advice on how to handle a "problem" you are having with YOUR horse? Or more specifically different solutions from different people? This happens a lot with things like trailer loading, for instance to improve your trailer loading you may have heard "heat up his heels", "just offer him a carrot or give him some grain inside", "he's a mans horse, you'll never get him in with treats!", or "you'll have to tranqualize him if you ever want to get him in the trailer". How interesting that most of these "words of advice" are not only conflicting but also at the extreme ends of ways to approach the situation.
Recently I have discovered this phenomenon of seemingly conflicting advice isn't just isolated to the horse world! This realization began to take shape last August with the birth of our wonderful, bright, enquizative, very extroverted son Luke. It seems that the world of youbg children is an area filled with "experts" willing to share their opinion about how things "should" be done. They are so willing that often the meer mention of a young human opens their vault of "useful musts"!

Joy Blog!

I just stubbled across this great website and this was the most recent blog posted - I really enjoyed it and though it was worth sharing! Hopefully you enjoy it too and you can check out the website for yourself here:
http://www.greatday.com/

THE POWER OF JOY!
See the things you do not as work, but as opportunities for joy. Put the power of joy into the entirety of your day, into the whole of your life.
You can always choose your perspective, no matter what may be going on around you. Living from a perspective of joy and positive presence gives you great power to manifest that joy in the world at large.
Don’t limit the joy in your life by thinking of it only as something you must find or acquire. See joy as one of the greatest gifts you have to give, to yourself and to all of life.
You don’t have to live in a fantasy world or deny reality in order to be joyful. Simply release joy from the limitations and conditions you have placed on it, and it can always be a very real, and realistic, part of your experience.
The place to always find joy is in your miraculous existence. Allow that joy to flavor each moment, each situation, every effort and every choice.
Live your life with the power of real, true, uninhibited joy. And live the great treasure that is always yours.
— Ralph Marston