For an extra treat for Kalyna’s birthday, we decided to go outside and have Olenka sit on Spirit for the first time. We have been doing prep work, but this was the actual first day. It was dark! But he was an absolute trooper, standing calmly and even walking around with her on his back like he had done it a million times before.
Rainy Day Running
Winter can make the animals super frisky when it’s cold and muddy and they don’t get out as much. Spirit and Opal like to chase each other all day long!
Going to Nashville
Tonight was our first message delivery with the minis….and it went well! They delivered good cheer and airplane tickets to Nashville for a birthday celebration.
Summer and Sweetie got to nibble on some carrots and fresh grass and everyone definitely enjoyed their company. May this be the first of many mini message deliveries to come!
Welcome Darla!
Last week we inherited Darla, a 45 year old Sulcata Tortoise from The Love Always Sanctuary. She’s huge and a real beauty! She was very shy her first few days here, but has since started to “come out of her shell” a little and stroll around the yard at least once a day. It won’t be long before she goes into hibernation for the winter. What a fascinating creature! And now we have more to learn….
Goodbye Simi - (Warning: Slightly Graphic Content)
Sadly, due to the stress of our recent evacuation and other complications we lost our dearest Simi a few days ago. He was by far my favorite horse and we will all miss him dearly. Simi was loving, kind, smart, athletic, forward and oh so willing. We had so much fun together…I cry as I write this….and I will forever be grateful for the many happy years we spent together. I love you Simi, and goodbye for now. I hope to see you again one day in the distant future.
Malibu Fire Evacuation
About a week ago we had to evacuate for the Malibu fire that burned down hundreds of houses, took three human lives as well dozens animals lives. Our town was spared from the blaze, but of course we are deeply saddened for our neighbors just a few canyons away who were not as fortunate. We helped to evacuate horses from other locations and then when it was time for us to evacuate ourselves, we were met with an overwhelming response from some wonderful animal rescue sanctuaries and volunteers. These people and their willingness to hep were truly unbelievable and we wish to thank them all for their kindness, compassion and bravery. A special note of THANKS goes to The Love Always Sanctuary in the San Fernando Valley for taking care of all of our big animals and Sweetwater Movieland Ranch in Agua Dulce for caring for our horses. These photos were taken at The Love Always Sanctuary by professional photographer Shayan Hathaway. Look how beautiful they are! Thank you everyone again.
Thoughts on Positive Reinforcement
"You can get the end result a million different ways. But when you start to really value the PROCESS, the horse's emotions, and a horse's overall eagerness to work, positive reinforcement becomes a magical tool in your toolbox you couldn't imagine living without." ~Mustang Maddy
What's in it for your horse....
I’ve often heard the comment, "I want the horse to do it for me, not for the food." This is a common concern that I hear regarding positive reinforcement. I think that this comment brings up an important, fundamental point: There is a difference between training and bonding.
Bonding refers to time spent together without necessarily asking your horse to offer certain behaviors. It also refers to horses spending time together, grooming, playing, relaxing, and grazing together.
However, the moment you ask your horse to back up, spin, or sidepass you are now asking him to give you quite a bit of his precious energy! This certainly goes way beyond what one horse would ask another horse to do. So what is the energetic return on that energy he is giving to you in the training process? Food rewards give your horse that motivation—there is something in it for him.
Olenka & Kalyna bring home Blue Ribbons! - Click to Watch Video
Today was Millcreek Equestrian’s annual Halloween Horse Show and both Olenka and Kalyna competed in it for the second year in a row. The difference this year was that we were invited to bring our own little Cinnamon pony for Kalyna to ride this time, while Olenka rode Pumpkin from Millcreek. Being Cinna’s first overnight away from home in many years we didn’t know how she was going to fare, but both girls managed to bring home a Blue Ribbon today! So clearly, the whole event was a success and we are so proud of everyone!
Welcome Sioux Spirit!
Three words……HE IS HERE! The video says all the rest.
Cinnamon's Big Day Out!
Yesterday was a big day for our little Cinnamon. Kalyna would like to begin taking her to shows, but as Cinna has not been on a trailer and away from our home for years, we decided we needed to drive locally as much as possible to get her comfortable leaving the farm. Millcreek Equestrian (where the girls take lessons) is having their annual show in two weeks so Kalyna was hopeful that maybe Cinnamon could practice there to see if she would be calm enough to ride in the upcoming show. We set up a lesson, trailered Cinnamon in all by herself, and lo and behold……she did great! Cinna was sweaty and anxious upon arrival, but managed to calm down over the next hour and seemed to actually enjoy herself by the end. She and Kalyna definitely made us all proud!
Equus Coaching Session
This week we had our very first Equus Coaching session with Frida, her client Ezra and Sovereignty in the round pen on a beautiful fall day….everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves….!
Sioux Spirit
Today was a BIG day at WHF! When Sophie pony got sick we decided to retire her from jumping and to let her finish out her days giving little kids pony rides if she got better. This meant that we needed a new pony for Olenka and Kalyna to share and take to shows as well as Cinnamon. We have been looking around and trying different ponies, but today, we finally found one!
Sioux Spirit is a young stallion, which is not what we were expecting to find, but he is sweet and loving with three nice gaits and will develop into a fancy show pony with the right nurturing and training for sure! Spirit is a 2 1/2 year old German Riding Pony who has a great sire and dam and was raised in a natural way on hundreds of acres of green pasture at Solomon Farms in South Dakota.
We will have to geld him before he comes home because we have so many mares, but hopefully he makes it through the transition easily and will be with us before we know it. The girls are sooooo excited. What a gift! Congratulations Olenka and Kalyna!
Four Horse Trailer
Living in fire country means we need to be prepared to leave the canyon at a moment’s notice. My husband saved the Ranch House twenty-six years ago by cutting down 30 trees and standing on the roof with a hose while fire ran through our neighborhood and made this place look like a moonscape. So now, in the event of another blaze, we feel safer knowing that we can zip down the hill with two trailers and all of the animals we can squeeze inside because we now have a trailer big enough to do the job. And in the meanwhile, we can use it to trailer around and have lots of fun.
Birthday Party Time!
Today we hosted a birthday party for one of our very first visitors. She came to us almost one year ago and had a few pony rides and then weekly sessions with Olenka. Today she was able to show her friends how she knows her way around the barn and introduced them to all of the animals. Happy 11th Birthday Ivy!
Look at the gorgeous cookies and cake that Ivy’s mom brought to the party too! They came from La Creme Bakery in Woodland Hills.
A Round Pen.....Hooray!
Today we finally set up a round pen. It’s been on the “to do” list for quite awhile…..but we did it! Now our two Equus Coaches, Janet Solie and Frida Siljendal Karsberg , will have a proper space to conduct their work with their clients. We will use this pen as an extra training space as well. This is a 50th birthday present from my husband to me, and it’s the most beautiful thing I could ask for. Who needs diamonds or Jimmy Choo’s when you can have steel fencing? Ahhhh…..Heaven!
Sophie Pony gets Sick
July was a tough month for our beloved Sophie pony. She got what appeared to be a bug bite on her left knee, and overnight it went from slightly inflamed to full blown septicemia. She had to be put on an IV drip for 48 hours, stand in ice boots and take lots of powerful western medications. The following day, she developed laminitis as a secondary condition from the original infection. This condition is also very serious and can be fatal, so the vet basically told us to prepare for the worst.
For 4 days and nights she struggled, making only small improvements, so on day 5 we decided to try a natural approach and put her on a magnetic machine for inflammation combined with turmeric paste and CBD oil (a first for us). Miraculously, within 8 hours her inflammation had dramatically decreased and she looked like a new pony! She is now slowly on the path to recovery and we hope she will one day be back to her old, healthy self.
Frédéric and Magali Clinic in France - Click to Watch Video
I had the wonderful good fortune to be able to go and spend a week at a clinic with Frédéric and Magali at their home in the south of France this summer. It was fabulous in every way. They are two of the kindest and most talented people you will ever meet and they made the whole experience from beginning to end one of learning and fun! It was a great group of people attending the clinic too, and the only regret for all of us was how quickly the time (and opportunity to learn more with them) passed. Now the challenge for all of us is how to apply what we learned with our own horses, which is no easy feat!
Natural Horsemanship - Click to Watch Video
Here's a clip of our work in progress in Natural Horsemanship. We have so very far to go....but at least we have begun the journey!
Trail Ride - Click to Watch Video
And.....it's time! Starting slowly, but little by little we keep adding ideas to our long range plan to make life just a little more fun.
This month the new idea is offering trail rides for those we can accommodate. So if you are interested in exploring our local trails on horseback, take a look at our trail ride page and see if it works for you.
Bella and Opal - Click to Watch Video
We had a big week on the farm! We welcomed two new animals to our herd, Bella and Opal. Bella is a one year old Brahman cow. Brahma cows originally come from India and do very well in the heat. They also live long lives compared to other cattle and can have offspring into their teens. She is a very sweet girl and today we managed to get her to wear a halter. Maybe one day in the near future she will give little kids cow rides!
Opal is a one year old Mediterranean Miniature Donkey. Her species originated on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia where they were used in homes to power grain mills. Opal is very friendly like Bella and thankfully loves her friend as they have known each other for most of their short lives. We hope that one day she will happily give donkey rides to the preschoolers as well.