I got the DOR in the spring of 2008. I was looking for the owner I always wanted.
When I first met her I realized she had been started fairly well, but she had a lot of refining left to do. I believed that with time, understanding, training, love, and support that she had the potential to be my dream owner.
We started our journey and have had many adventures. There were misunderstandings, accidents, illnesses, and potential situations that could have cost one of us our life. Through it all I kept as level a head as a little appy could and promised her all the time she needed. But we still had one big sticking point in our relationship...TRUST. I needed her complete and total trust for her to become my dream DOR.
This weekend I took her to a clinic at the beach. I believed the clinician was the one who could solve this issue for us. At the end of the clinic I left with the DOR that I wanted. I have my dream DOR, turns out I always did! I knew we had finally got where I wanted to be when she was loping me down the beach with abandon and laughing happily. I was able to run as fast as I wanted, as long as I wanted, and as often as I wanted!
Now we can finally move on to refining our skills.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
After the DOR wouldn't let me chase the cows, which irked me, she took me out for a trail ride.
We went to Sunnyside, out to Griffin lake and down to the river. We did a bit of trail blazing through the brush, but nothing too tough.
I did get a scolding for tripping too often. The reason I was tripping was I was trying to graze and walk down the trail. So I guess the scolding was really for munching when I should have been about my business-ooooh well who cares.
This weekend I am heading to the ocean for the first time in my life. I hope it is fun.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Yep that is me and I am not terribly happy in that photo.
Mushboy calls this move "pissed offs", a naughty horse's version of piaffes.
The DOR took me out to work cows for the first time in a big pasture. I wanted to run as fast as I could and chase the little stinkers, especially after the bull glared at me-he was asking for it! Now according to the DOR a good cow horse can work cattle at a walk or a trot and get the job done. Well wouldn't that mean a GREAT cow horse should be working cattle at a dead run?
I lost my mind because I was soooo excited and threw one of my werehorse fits. I crow hopped, I bucked, and I danced like a Spanish dancing horse (and I looked good doing it). No matter what I did the DOR stayed square in the saddle, just sighed, hummed, and wouldn't let me run. In fact she even said, "Dance all you want, we are not running after the cows and it is going to take you twice as long to get back to them"
I finally gathered my brain cells back together, well mostly because the ones screaming "CHASE THEM" were still loud and clear, concentrated on what the DOR was asking and helped finish the job.
The DOR says my participation in the cow working clinic next month is going to be entertaining. She plans on making me walk out in the cow pasture and be nice a calm around the stinkers between now and then.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
Today I taught the Mighty Q a bit about shadow dancing. I helped the DOR catch him and then we went for a nice walk. All three of us. Q and I in our halters and the DOR holding the leads. Now things could have gotten ugly real quick, but I kept talking to Q and he just kept relaxed. Q has been getting a lot of lessons about horse manners out with the geldings. Seems that he had "baby manners" and those will not be tolerated from a big horse. He has learned to be more mature and we like having him with us.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
It is that time again. I promised the DOR that I would stay out of politics, she says it is poor form for me to make the humans running look bad. I fully intended to keep my promise, really I did. But the humans have already made themselves look pretty bad and often time down right silly, so my running for president won't make them look any worse!
I know there are people who will say I am unfit for office given my two years in rehab. But at least I addressed my weaknesses and issues unlike some of the candidates. I have been busy practicing my leadership and negotiation skills this summer and am now very confident in my abilities.
I will be searching for a running partner in the near future.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!
