Photos of our two female rabbits.

The other day I shared photos of our male rabbits but not of the females.  Today I took the rabbits out to play again and got some photos of them.

This is Penelope, she is my brothers Lionhead rabbit.

This is Onyx, she is my other personal rabbit.  I love her so much!

    Some people consider rabbits boring.  It amazes me how each one of them has a completely different personality.  And also, there are some personality traits that follow each breed.  For example, the Mini Rex love to race around, eat, and play.  The Lionheads are picky and love to sit in laps and give kisses.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 7. Dressing your horse for dressage.

This is my first fashion tip that is a "fashion" tip for horses.  These are guidelines for what your horse should wear when showing in dressage.

Dressage Saddle.  

For lower level dressage any english saddle is allowed with dressage saddles being preferred and required for upper levels.

Saddle pad in a conservative color.  White, cream, navy or black.  White is always preferred except on horses of certain colors.

English bridle with snaffle bit. (Cavesson, dropped, crossed, or flash nosebands are permitted)

Here is some of what your horse is NOT allowed to wear into the ring.  Martingales, bit guards, any kind of gadgets (such as bearing, side, running or balancing reins, etc.), reins with any loops or hand attachments, any kind of boots or leg bandages and any form of blinkers, including earmuffs, earplugs, hoods, fly shields, nose covers and seat covers are strictly forbidden.

Perfect Partnerships Dog Training website reconstruction!

Today I spent multiple hours working on my website.  Its WAY better now!  Check out the changes at http://perfectpartnerships.wix.com/dogtraining

Thursday Inspirations Number 7. Peace.

#1.  “If someone thinks that peace and love are just a cliche that must have been left behind in the 60s, that's a problem. Peace and love are eternal.”
― John Lennon

#2.  “Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?”
― Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes: Sunday Pages 1985-1995

   Peace can only come from within ourselves.  You can be in the the most stressful circumstances and choose to have peace.  Similarly, you can be in peaceful circumstances and spend your time in anger brooding on all the things that have gone wrong.  

Harness Training Rabbits.

    Since we are moving I sold most of my rabbits and kept the 5 that we were really attached to.  Now that I have fewer rabbits I have been able to pay way more attention to each one of them.  The other day I had some of them on leashes in the front yard to get some exercise and have fun.  The all loved it and I'm hoping to get a rabbit agility setup at some point and start training them for that.
    I was also thinking extensively about someday having an in-home animal rehabilitation center.  I would cater mostly to rabbits and dogs and I am considering horses as well.

This is Avalanche.  He is my Brothers Lionhead rabbit.  He has gorgeous blue eyes but they are hard to get on camera because of all his hair.

This is Topaz, he is one of my personal Mini Rex rabbits.

This is Icarus, he is our family Mini Rex rabbit that is absolutely adorable.  The photo doesn't do him justice at all.

   We have two other female rabbits that I didn't get photos of.  One is a black Mini Rex.  She is quite the character.  She will shove matchbox cars across the floor and beg for treats. She is my other personal rabbit.  The other doe is my other brothers rabbit.  She is a tort (brown and grey) Lionhead who loves to sit on the back of the couch and overlook the house.

Wednesday Comedy Number 7. The Weather.

#1.  Don’t knock the weather. If it didn’t change once in a while, nine tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation.

#2.  Little Johnny walks into his classroom wearing a single glove. His teacher asks him what he’s doing. ‘Well ma’am,’ says Johnny. ‘I was watching the weather programme on TV and it said it was going to be sunny, but on the other hand it could get quite cold.’

   Something you can almost always count on is that people will complain about the weather.  Either it is too cold, hot, wet, or dry.

Tuesday Training Tip Number 7. A whole load of dog training tips!!

My friend asked me to write up a list of dog training tips for her and her puppy that I have been helping her train.  I decided to share this list with all of you.  I didn't go super in depth with this stuff like I usually do because she already knows the basics and just wanted pointers to follow.  Everything from house manners to tricks is covered in here.  If there is something else you would like me to cover or you would like more of an explanation on any one of these things please tell me.  I would like to start posting videos as my TTT at some point.  I'm not sure how this would work out but it would certainly take much less time than typing for me!  Also, having a visual is always helpful for me.

Around the house

Staying off the furniture.  Don't let her on the furniture ever!  If she gets on the furniture tell her no and take her off.  If she tries to get on the furniture repeatedly, put her into a stay until she calms down.  If she is still disobeying you can take her into a different room and lock her up by herself for a few minutes until she calms down.

Meeting guests.  When guests come over distract her from barking/jumping/hyperness.  When she gets distracted and is good reward her.  Have guests wait to pet her or show her any attention until she is calm.  It will help her be calm if you can put her into a stay and hold onto her.  Once she has met the guests calmly then she can be allowed to roam.  If she starts getting hyper put her into a stay again or lock her up away from guests so she gets a chance to calm down.  If she is roaming discourage her from racing to the door.  Someone can distract her with treats and attention while someone else opens the door.  When there are no guests you can spend some time teaching her not to bolt out of the door and this will help guest greeting time a lot.

Bolting out the door.  This is one of the best things you can teach your dog.  This greatly reduces the chance of your dog getting lost because it runs out the door every time its open.  It also makes letting your dog out and guest greeting time way better when your dog isn’t scrambling to get out of the house.  Start practicing at the back door and eventually move to the front door.

Progress along these steps.

1. Make your dog wait until the door is open completely before letting it out.   When telling your dog to stay give a command like “stay in”.  This command will be what you use to tell your dog not to go through a door that is open.   Give the release command after the door is open completely. 
2. Have your dog wait until the door is open and you have stepped out first before releasing your dog.  It is VERY important that your dog continues waiting until you release them.  If not, they will think they can go as soon as you go out.
3. Add flexibility to your dogs stay.  The point isn’t to have your dog go sit by the door all the time.  You also want them to be comfortable walking around.  Start giving your dog its command without putting it into a specific position first.  Its fine if the dog moves.  If the dog goes out of the door before released, chase them back into the house and “guard” the door until they back away submissively and wait for your release command.
4. Start opening the door without giving the stay command but still expect your dog to wait until you release them.
5. Periodically open the door and have the dogs stay in the house while the door is open.  You can slowly move further and further from the door until the dog is content staying in the house with the door open.

    At any time in the training if your dog decides to disobey and bolt out the door take a lightweight leash and attach it to the dog.  KEEP THE LEASH LOOSE until the dog bolts.  As soon as the dogs front feet cross the threshold give a hard correction that jolts the dog back into the house.  (Make these corrections much harder than normal corrections.  You DO NOT want to stand by the door correcting your dog a lot.  You want to make your corrections with this so unpleasant that your dog will never want to bolt again.  It is very important that you be firm with your dog from the very beginning with this exercise.  If you are not, your dog may see this as an opportunity to test you and it could even make its bolting habit worse.)

 Tips for Training Exercises

Heel.  When practicing heeling keep the following tips in mind.  If you follow these tips the training should go well.  If you do not follow them then your dog probably wont learn how to heel well.

1. KEEP THE LEASH LOOSE AT ALL TIMES EXCEPT WHEN CORRECTING YOUR DOG.   “Loose” means with a visible drape in your leash.  This insures that it does not periodically get tight and also gives your corrections more power.
2. Correct your dog every time it gets a LITTLE BIT out of line.  If you wait till your dog is really out of position then your dog will always want to push for more leeway.
3. When you say “heel” always enforce that your dog heels.  If you don’t mean it, don't say it, your dog doesn't know the difference and will start disobeying when you really want it to heel.

Stay.  When you put your dog into a stay always put THEM back where they were if they get up.  MAKE SURE that you only release your dog when you are ready for them to get up.  If you return and they jump up put them back and make them stay next to you for a few seconds before you let them up.  If your dog gets into the habit of getting up every time you return then that habit can easily turn into getting up whenever they feel like it.  It is a good idea to wait a few seconds after you return to your dog before releasing them.

Wait.  Enforce this the same way that you enforce the stay.  Use the wait command when your dog will be waiting for a little bit until you call them.  The stay command means that your dog will be staying for an extended period of time before you return to them.  At first, both commands will seem the same to your dog.  As time goes on and you practice, your dog will prepare to be called when given the wait command and will settle in when given the stay command.  A common problem with this command is that as soon as you face your dog they will get up and come to you before you call them.  People often give their dog the come command after it has already gotten up.  This is wrong, then the dog learns that it can get up whenever it wants and it tries to predict you.  If your dog gets up before you call it, put them back, leave again, and wait a little while before calling your dog.  

Leave it.  When you give your dog the leave it command make sure they know exactly what you are talking about.  If the dog is looking at it and heading towards it then they will know what you are talking about.  If they aren't paying attention to it you can take them over by it and show it to them and command them to leave it.  After you give your dog the leave it command correct them every time they try to get it.  Reward them whenever they turn their attention somewhere else.

Come.  Come is a very important command to work on with your dog.  Try to always have really yummy treats when your dog comes to you.  Don’t stand around and call your dog multiple times when they are not coming.  This reinforces that they don’t actually have to come when you call them.  If your dog doesn't come at first, run away from your dog playfully.  This entices most dogs to come.  If they still don’t come, go to them slowly and calmly, grasp by the collar, and walk the dog to where you were standing, have them sit in front of you and reward them.  Start this in a small inclosed area, move up to a larger inclosed area and eventually your dog should obey you even in the open with distractions.

Tricks

Shake.  This trick can be achieved a few different ways depending on how stubborn your dog is.

Method 1.  (For dogs that are not very stubborn)

During the first two steps you don’t actually shake your dogs paw very much.  You just hold it mostly.

Step 1:   Reach down and hold your dogs paw near the ground, say shake, and give your dog a treat simultaneously.  

Step 2.  Hold your hand on the ground, say shake, and hopefully the dog will put its paw in your hand to shake.

Step 3.  As your dog gets better at the last step you can start raising your hand higher and higher until your dog is raising its paw to chest height when you say shake.

Method 2.  (For moderately stubborn dogs.)

Step 1.  Grab your dogs paw and shake it at chest height while saying shake and giving your dog a treat.  Continue this step for a while.  Eventually your dog should pick up its paw for you when you say shake.

Method 3.  (For very stubborn dogs or dogs who simply do not want to raise their paw.)

Step 1.  Grab your dogs paw, say shake, and treat your dog.  Continue this step for a couple weeks so your dog gets the idea.

Step 2.  Hold out your hand, say shake, and wait to see if your dog will pick up its paw.  Alternate between shaking your dogs paw and just holding out your hand waiting for them to do it.  If they wont pick up their paw for you then move on to step 3 which gets a little bit different.

Step 3.  Say shake.  When your dog doesn't pick up its paw then flick the paw.  When you flick the dogs paw it should pick up its paw.  Always say shake first and give your dog a chance to obey before you flick its paw.  Eventually your dog should learn that keeping its paw down when you tell him to pick it up will be uncomfortable and he should pick it up on command.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 6. Dressing for dressage.

What to wear in the dressage ring?  I am going to do a mini-series with my Friday Fashion Tips over the next few weeks about what to wear when competing in various equine disciplines.  This is one of the most expensive parts of owning a horse.  (Besides feeding the bottomless pits.) Of course, it can be avoided if you choose not to show.

The most expensive and important part of your show outfit is your tall black show boots.

The second most expensive and important part of your outfit is your show coat.  This can be a hunt coat or dressage coat.  (Modified tailcoat)  Must be black or navy blue.  Choose this carefully and make sure it is feminine and slimming.

Next is the helmet.  They come in velvet or with other designs that are currently in fashion.

White or tan breeches.  White is better because your show shirt will be white.  White and tan together is almost as bad as pink and red.  :)  Tan breeches are mostly seen on children competing.

Show shirt.  These come short or long sleeved and often have ruffles or other feminine details on them.

Gloves.  

Stock tie.  These can be real stock ties or pre-tied faux stock ties.

Spurs are allowed for all levels and required for Intermediate and Advanced.

All together it looks something like this.  The lower levels of dressage aren't as picky.  As levels go up you will end up wearing a top hat instead of a helmet and a tailcoat instead of breeches.

Next weeks FFT will be on outfitting your horse for dressage.  Then we will explore some more disciplines and how to outfit your horse and yourself for them.

Thursday Inspirations Number 6. Dreams.

#1.  Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today.

#2.  All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

Wednesday Comedy Number 6. Children and their parents. Post # 50!!

#1.  For weeks, a six-year old lad kept telling his first-grade teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house. One day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The six-year old was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher about the impending event. The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, "Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?" Tommy burst into tears and confessed, "I think Mommy ate it!"

#2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father...
[Five minutes later]
"Da-ad..."
"What?"
"I'm thirsty. Can you bring me a drink of water?"
"No. You had your chance. Lights out."
 [Five minutes later]
"Da-aaaad..."
"WHAT?"
"I'm THIRSTY...Can I have a drink of water??"
"I told you NO! If you ask again I'll have to spank you!!"
[Five minutes later]
"Daaaa-aaaAAAAD..."
"WHAT??!!"
"When you come in to spank me, can you bring me a drink of water?"

This is my post #50!  I'm doing an okay job here for now!  :)

Tuesday Training Tip Number 6. How to stop a dog from chewing. (Separation anxiety.)

  Because NOBODY IS MAKING REQUESTS I choose todays TTT.  I am going to give you some tips on how to help dogs stop the bad habit of chewing things that they are not supposed to be chewing.

   We could talk all day about the different reasons that dogs are chewing.  Regardless of why they are chewing some simple steps can help reduce a lot of unwanted chewing.

The following steps are mostly for boredom chewing or unknown chewing.

1.  Provide your dog with toys/rawhide chews for them to chew.  Chewing is natural and healthy for dogs and by providing them with their own things it can help them leave your stuff alone.  If these chews are edible your dog is more likely to focus attention on them.
2.  Do something unpleasant when your dog is chewing something it shouldn't be.  You can spray your dog with water, use canned air, or make your dog have a time out for a few minutes.
3.   Redirect your dog.  After punishing your dog for chewing the wrong thing make sure to provide them with something that they can chew.  When you first start addressing the behavior try redirecting your dog before any punishment.  Some dogs might get the clue without needing any punishment.
4.  Make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise.  This can make an IMMENSE amount of difference!  A lot of dogs are just trying to get out excess energy by chewing.

The following steps can be used for separation anxiety chewing.  This is when dogs get nervous/angry that you have left and sometimes chew everything that is in site.  This is the hardest type of chewing to remedy.  Dogs with separation anxiety sometimes have other symptoms that manifest from separation anxiety but chewing is the most common.

1.  Find some place that is safe to leave your dog and clear it from as many chewable items as possible.  Clearing out a bathroom or bedroom is good.  Some dogs will tear up furniture legs/corners and even walls or carpet.  It is harder to create a "safe" area for these dogs.  You may have to use an outdoor kennel or an indoor crate.  If your dog isn't a particularly avid jumper you can section off a cleared area of a room with baby gates.  This isn't going to be a permanent fix, this is just the beginning.
2.  Find treat dispensing toys.  The purpose of this is to make something for your dog to chew that lasts a long time and is way more interesting than any of your stuff.  Some dogs might like the dog games that dispense treats.  These dogs just need something to do more than something to chew.  Almost all dogs will love rawhide or C.E.T. chews.  A great thing to use are KONG toys.  They are expensive but should last quite a while.  When using KONG toys start by filling them with small treats that will come out easily.  After your dog has learned to love them you can try bigger treats that stay in longer.  When you are sure your dog is dedicated to using the KONG toys you can freeze peanut butter or KONG filling inside of them and leave multiple with your dog.  This can keep your dog occupied almost all day.  Reserve his special toys only for when you are gone.  This way, he doesn't get bored with them and he learns that something good happens when you are gone.  If he can look forward to something about you leaving he shouldn't get so stressed about it.
3.  Once your dog is doing well using the toys you can slowly add furnishings into his "safe" area.  He should stay occupied with his toys if he has enough and likes them.  Start with things that your dog will be less likely to chew and you can slowly add things that your dog would be more likely to chew.
4.  Make your dogs "safe" area larger.  If your dog has been in one room you can use a gate or something to give the dog access to a second room.  If your dog has been in a crate you can put the crate inside a bathroom and leave the crate open.  Gradually and slowly add more and more areas to your dogs safe place until they can have roam of the house again.  As you do this you may need more toys for your dog.  You can put one or two in each room.  Concentrate toys by areas your dog is more likely to by anxious.  Examples are by the doors and any windows your dog looks out of.  Also any areas you have noticed most of the chewing to take place in.
5.  Make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise.  Not getting enough exercise can lead to excessive stress when you are gone.

A Big Day For Rio.

   Today Rio had her first visit from the farrier.  (At least since I have owned her.  She may have had her feet done before I got her.)  She was surprisingly good.  The hardest part for her was paying attention.  She was fairly good with her feet though and I am pleased with my new farrier.  I'm glad to have that out of the way because I have been anxious about getting it done.  Her feet are pretty good about taking care of themselves so she shouldn't need another visit for at least 4 months.

    A note about choosing a farrier.  If possible choose a farrier certified by ELPO.  (Equine Lameness Prevention Organization.)  These farriers offer trimming that works with the horses body to naturally help them walk better.  A lot of farriers us a "long-toe" method when trimming.  This can be very harmful to horses and I NEVER recommend it.  The argument for using a long-toe method of trimming is that it brings the frog of the foot above the ground so it isn't injured as easily.  The folly in this is that the frog of the foot MUST come into contact with the ground for proper circulation.  The body of a horse is too big for the heart to circulate the blood back up the legs.  The heart pumps blood down the legs.  When the horse steps on the ground the frog compresses, shooting the blood back up the leg.  If the toe of the horse is too long the frog can not compress and the lack of circulation in the leg can cause numbness and nerve damage.   A friend of mine had her horse done by a "regular" farrier and her horse started stumbling a lot and was barley rideable until she had an ELPO certified farrier come do his feet.  Having a long toe also acts as a lever against the horse because it is not natural.  This can be proven using algebra though I'm not sure of the equation.  You are on the computer right now so it should be findable.  Anyways, this makes the horse exert a lot more effort to walk especially when ridden and can lead to lameness and fatigue.

My weekend.

    Sorry for the absence of posts for the last couple days.  I don't have my phone right now and I just quit work so I sort of lost blogging inspiration.  Yesterday we had a yard sale.  It was a lot of work for not very much money and we probably wont do it again.  Today my mom has been running around donating the stuff that we couldn't sell.  :P  And I'm trying to sell off my excess rabbit supplies since I am quitting as a rabbit breeder and just keeping 5 rabbits.  Also, we have to move out of our house by the end of August.  We are all sort of stressed out about that and trying to decide where we are moving and find a house.   I am wrapping up my intermediate training course and  thought I would share pictures of the dogs I have been training for the past 2 months.  They are doing great and I have a little awards ceremony planned for them with certificates of achievement and dog toys when they finish the course this coming Friday.

Duncan with Rex

Lee with Katie

Me with Lila

Taylor with Lady 

Bethie with Lillian Rose

    Now that I quit most of my work to prepare for moving I am working out a lot at our local recreation center.  I really hate being sedentary so I've been doing zumba, agua zumba, and I started yoga today.  I did a cycling class this morning and it was SUPER hard.  I'm not sure if I'm going back.  I enjoy the other classes more.

Here are pictures of my two last rabbits that I am trying to sell before we move.

Prince Charming.  He's bigger than this now but I love this picture of him.  He was the best rabbit of my first Mini Rex litter and he is super sweet.  But its time for him to go.

Rosie.  I just got this super gorgeous girl at the rabbit show in February.  She is really awesome but didn't make it into the 5 we are keeping.  I'm hoping to find her an awesome home.  She would make a good kids rabbit cause she is so calm.

Friday Fashion Tip Number 5. How to pull off fat-lady pants.

   I'm not sure how many of you have this problem.  But I know I do.  I have a couple pairs of work pants that are baggy and too big and make me look fat.  I wear all my nicer ones first and then I cringe when its only these pants left.  However, if you dress right they don't have to be too bad.
I apologize for the photos.  I may have mentioned that the one thing my phone fails at is good photos.  Oh wait, I think you already know that.  Besides, the lighting was bad today.

  Don't wear baggy shirts with baggy pants!  Nothing is more fattening.  This is one of my favorite work shirts, but I ONLY wear it with tighter pants.  Paired with this it looks positively awful.

Instead wear a smaller shirt and tuck it in.  This will show your waist and make it obvious that it is your pants and not your butt that is big.  Wearing a belt helps define your waist.  This shirt can be anything that isn't baggy.  A tank top would work fine.

Have a great day!

Thursday Inspirations Number 5. Differences.

#1.  It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. - Audre Lorde

#2.  If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.  - John F Kennedy 

    I'm not sure what is harder for me.  Feeling good about myself despite my differences from other people or being able to truly accept other people despite their differences.  

Wednesday Comedy Number 5. Rabbit Jokes.

The horses and the dogs got it so now the rabbits have to.

#1.  Q: If you have a line of 100 rabbits in a row and 99 of them take 1 step backwards, what do you have?

A: A receding hare line!

Being a rabbit breeder and all I just had to.  >:)

#2.  Q. How are rabbits like calculators? 

A. They both multiply really fast.

Only those who have owned a bunny understand that the innocence is only on the outside.  And YES they do thump when they are angry like in the cartoons.  And it HURTS :'(

Tuesday Training Tip Number 5. Feeding your horse treats.

    Todays TTT comes from my friend Sloane and her horse Blackjack.  She asked me to write about giving treats to horses because she has seen horses be very pushy with owners who were giving them treats all the time.  I know it may not seem like a training tip.  Just trust me, it is.  A common mistake made by people around horses is feeding horse treats at the wrong time or in the wrong way.  This may not seem like a big deal.
    Here is a list of problems that can all be caused by offering treats incorrectly.
-Nipping
-Crowding
-Stomping
-Severe biting
-Kicking
-Nuisance Behavior
    It is sad how many horses have hurt people severely and been put down because of bad treating habits.

    Because of the issues caused by treating many trainers and owners follow a strict no-treat policy.
    Others still offer treats every time they pass their horse.
    Food has great motivational value for horses.  Horses will almost always work better if they have promise of food for performance.  However, if the horse is busy mobbing its owner for food it wont apply itself fully to its work.
  This is how I personally control treats with my horse.

When I treat my horse.

    1.  Treats are only offered when my horse is out of my personal space and not looking for a treat.

    2.  I only give treats after my horse has done something.  I don't give treats just for treats sake.

    3.  This sort of goes hand in hand with the last two.  I don't walk up to my horse and give her a treat as the very first thing.   This could be a good approach at first if you are dealing with a shy or abused horse.  In select cases you want to make sure that your approach to the horse is a very pleasant thing.  When your horse likes you it is not a good approach because it is conditioning them that you mean food.  And if you always mean food they will want to be all over you to get more.  This lowers you to the equivalent of a vending machine in their eyes.  As I said before, food has great motivational value.  If their only motivation is to get food then they wont be ready to respect or obey you they will only be thinking about food.

    

How I give treats.

    1.  I very rarely hand feed treats.  By very rarely I mean about once every two weeks.  Because I'm not always carrying treats around and giving them to my horse she doesn't get in my way and push me around because she thinks she is going to get one.  When she does get a treat it is out of the blue and she enjoys it but doesn't go pushing me around for more cause she knows she's not going to get them.

    2.  I feed treats after each training session.  After a training session I always give her some grain as a treat.  If she has been especially good I will add some horse candy to it.  I put this into a feed tub of some sort in her stall.  Rio learns to work harder because she knows she will get food at the end.  She knows the food comes from me but it doesn't come directly from my body (pocket or hand) so she just hurries to get to her stall instead of getting all over me.

   3.  When I take her grain in I don't let her come right up to me and eat it.  Rio can be quite pushy/ aggressive about her food.  She wants it right away and has tried to pin me against the stall wall to kick me so she could get her food faster.  This is something we work on every time.  When I come in with the food she must either back up or stand still before she gets the food.  If you feed in a tub that you put on the ground you can place the tub in front of the horses chest and tell them to back up. After they back up quite a ways you can put the tub on the ground and let them eat.  After long enough, when you bring food to your horse they should back up instead of coming towards you. Since I usually feed Rio in a stationary trough I have to take the following approach which is scarier but more effective in the long run.  I go into her stall and dump the food but I stand by it guarding it.  (If your horse is already pushy or it makes you feel safer you can take a longe whip in with you when you do this.)  Every time she comes towards it to get it I jump towards her and startle her.  This is what other horses do to each other when they are eating.  I stand by the food and act threatening any time she comes near it until she gives up and stands still.  As soon as she gives up trying to get it I walk away from the food and she is allowed to eat it.  By going through this routine every time I feed her she respects me as the dominant one and lets me "eat" first.  Thus eliminating her charging me for the food.

   If your horse has serious food aggression issues please contact a professional trainer.  Aggression caused by food is one of the worst types of aggression in my opinion.

Sunday and Monday.

    My dedication to blogging is being tested.  My last couple days have been crazy busy.  On Sunday I worked Rio with her new stuff for the first time.  She did an amazing job!  I LOVED the time saved and the extra support with her new splint boots.   I used one of my new longe lines to longe her and she did way better without the extra weight.  It was her third day working at a canter and she finally got into a good rhythm for a few circles each direction.  Still a little faster than ideal speed but she is starting to get the idea now.  I also long-lined her for the first time and she did amazing.  She picked up right away on the rein aids and had a very light mouth.  We did some rectangles and figure 8's.

   Yesterday I worked for a while walking, training, and grooming dogs.  After that I went to a Zumba class for the first time.  Its not really my thing.  Honestly, going into a gym for any reason other than swimming isn't really my thing because I could just go to work and get plenty of exercise.  Even though it isn't really my thing I enjoyed it a lot and I'm planning on going back next week and maybe even doing it again on Thursday.  Meanwhile I'm really sore.  The blisters that I started getting but didn't quite get from Contra dancing are definitely coming to life from Zumba.  Well, I have to work at the horse farm for a while, clean rabbit cages, sell some stuff, and try to write my TTT and do some chores later.

Isn't it great when things don't go according to plan? Contra!

    So, usually I would disagree with my title strongly.  I'm the type of person who likes to know what the plans are as much in advance as possible.  I also want everything to go as planned so I'm never unsure of what I'm doing.  Life has so much to worry about that I don't see why my plans for the day should be one of those things.   Yesterday (and the day before) we had planned to have a yard sale.  We had to cancel it last minute though.  I was bummed that we wouldn't be having a yard sale but I ended up having a great day yesterday!
    First I got to go to the pool with one of my best friends.  I'm not even sure the last time I went to the pool so it was lots of fun.  After we were done at the pool we went out to a local restaurant, got milkshakes, and shared fries and a frito pie.  It was really yummy and nice because I barely ever eat at restaurants with friends.
   After that fun morning I was able to go to our local tack shop and get what I needed for Rio.  And at $20 less than I thought it would be even after discounted price!

    I wasn't going for a 10 foot long longe whip but thats what I got and I'll have to see how well it works for me.  :)  I did manage to get the boots I needed in a great color at $66 off original price!  They are gently used but should still last plenty long.  The whip was new, and both longe lines look new.

    Afterwards, I got to go contra dancing.  I was definitely some of the best fun I have ever had.  I enjoy going dancing when I can but many of the dances have been pretty slow and sometimes boring because there are only a couple of people.  Contra dancing is the type of dancing often seen in dances of the civil war era.  You dance with a partner in a long line with your partner facing you or beside you.  As the dance progresses you dance with your partner many times and work your way down the line, dancing with every other person of the opposite gender within your line.  It is very high energy.  When you are first learning it is easy to do the dance simply.  As you become more experienced, there is plenty of room for variation by adding dips, spins, and pretzels.  The hardest part was that every guy swings differently.  You can never be ready for how the next neighbor will swing as you progress.  Some men swing slowly in a circle a couple times whereas other man will take you in with a twirl, swing you multiple times very quickly, dip you, and let you out with two spins.  There are any number of variations and its hard to be ready for anything.  I'm used to having to dance as a guy most of the time so it was really different not to be leading.  My friend got some good photos and when she sends those to me I will post them.  

Friday Fashion Tip Number 4. Shine your shoes.

   When you are working on the farm everyone understands having dirty shoes.  Its just part of the work.  So thats why having clean polished shoes makes it obvious that you really care.  Also, it extends the life of your shoes!   And yes, I am too lazy to polish my shoes today to post pictures.  They can stay muddy.

  Today my blog reached 500 views!  Yay!  Thanks to all of you who look at my blog.

Rio is progressing ahead of schedule!

  This week I worked Rio on Tuesday and Thursday.  Tuesday we added cantering to our longe routine for the first time.  She did fine picking up her gait but didn't really get the idea that she can do a slow lope and took off at a full out gallop.  She also didn't go in a circle too well and was just trying to run off and play.  Thursday was way better.  She picked up her gait fine and traveled in a circle with my help.  (I have to run in a circle with her just until she gets used to balancing in a circle at a canter.)  She was still going really fast but got into a rhythm and started slowing down.  Since I have added cantering to her routine I have made her routine a little bit shorter so she doesn't get too tired.  Here is what our longeing routine looks like now.

5 min.   Warm up.  Walk.  2.5 min in each direction.
5 min.   Trotting.  2.5 min in each direction.
2 min.   Canter.  1 min in each direction.
5 min.   Trotting.  2.5 min in each direction.
5 min.   Cool down.  Walk.  2.5 min in each direction.

    As time goes on I am going to increase her cantering until she does 5 min of canter.  Its too much to start with though.  I just need her to get used to the rhythm and keeping calm.  As she understands that we can start going longer.

   Today I am planning on going to the tack shop to buy some things fed her.  Here's what I hope to get.
1 full set of splint boots.  I'm tired of taking forever to put her polo wraps on.  Besides, splint boots will offer more protections anyways.  I have the money saved up finally so I'm really exited to get those!  If I get Professionals Choice brand I might be able to get glitter ones.  :)  I will have to see what they have though.  We have a great local tack shop that sells consignment tack so I can get things way cheaper than original price that are practically new.
New longe whip.  I lost my last one and I have been borrowing one lately.  Its about time I go out and get my own again.
2 flat longe lines.  I have a longe line right now that is thick and round like a lead rope.  It has been great for working with her because it is stretchy and doesn't give rope burn very easily.  However, it doesn't fit through the rings on her surcingle and its only one.  I want to get two of the regular flat ones so I can start longeing her with two longe lines so she gets used to the function of the reins.  I can also control her collection better with each gait while watching her from the ground instead of waiting until I am riding her.   I am also planning to start long-lining her soon which I will need them for.
    For those of you who do not know what long-lining is here is a quick explanation.  Long-lining involves walking behind a horse with two "long-lines" attached to the horses bit.  Doing this, you can teach a horse to walk, trot, turn, and stop using rein aids before you ride them.  I love doing this, because the more a horse knows what you want before you ride it the less stressed it will be when you do ride it.

Thursday Inspirations Number 4 + quiz. Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great.

#1.  You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories.

#2.  "Memory is a child walking along a seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things. "  Pierce Harris

    Memories are tangible.  Do not consider them something that does not exist.  A memory is something of your past that lives in your mind and is very much real.  If they were not real, memories would not have the ability to cause the amount of joy and pain that they do.  Embrace them and let them bring the feelings that they will.  Remember that the decisions you make every day will become the memories of tomorrow.  So choose wisely.  

Also, I am offering a free 30 min training session or phone consultation to whoever can tell me what I referenced in my title.

Wednesday Comedy Number 4. Blonde jokes.

#1.  A blonde, a redhead, and a brunette were all lost in the desert. They found a lamp and rubbed it. A genie popped out and granted them each one wish. The redhead wished to be back home. Poof! She was back home. The brunette wished to be at home with her family. Poof! She was back home with her family. The blonde said, "Awwww, I wish my friends were here."

#2.  Two blondes fell down a hole. One said, "It's dark in here isn't it?" The other replied, "I don't know; I can't see."

Rio is making friends!

   Rio has been living at the new boarding facility for a month now.  We finally found a horse that we thought would make a good turnout buddy for her.  We've turned them out twice together so far and they really like each other.  His name is Joseph and he is a big Tennessee Walker gelding.  We thought that they would be a good match because he lives with two Miniature Horses that he is really protective of.  Since Rio is small we hoped he would see her as someone to protect.  I haven't seen any aggression between them at all.  They graze, run, and are almost always glued to each other.

Here are the two of them together.

Here are the two miniature horses that Joseph lives with and Rio going over to meet them.

Rio also really likes Aiden.  Aiden is one of the biggest horses on the property, he is a beautiful Friesian x Percheron.

She also went to meet this horse while she was out.

    I saw something funny when I was working yesterday.  This cat climbed all the way up into the rafters of the barn trying to catch birds.

Oh, and by the way.  It's FINALLY dry.  Yesterday was the first time in a months with no mud or rain! It was amazing.  Its super hot here right now.  I'm really enjoying it but it is making me really tired all the time.