Earn Cisco’s Heart

July 26, 2016Posted inCISCO, Parelli
If you are a Parelli person, many unParelli people think you are certifiable. If you follow the quest, you are still OK to be with other people. We are not dangerous. The Levels program in Parelli is like the black belt kind of thing in Judo. You don't get the black belt unless you live the black belt. It becomes your life. I need Cisco to worship me and want to do what I ask of him. I want his heart. If I have his heart, I will have everything…

First Cisco Trail Ride

July 24, 2016Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter
Cisco had thirty days with Nichole Hack to prepare him for me.  I took my first ride and it was a good one.  Cisco came home and I took him to my favorite summer arena to get better acquainted.  I rode him in a clinic with Jenny Vaught.  We were doing great.  I started trusting him to take care of me. Friend Chas called and wanted me to go on a trail ride with her.  Gulp!  My first trail ride with Cisco.  I said yes and the deal was made.…

Fix the Cisco Love

July 15, 2016Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter
it happens. You go to get your horse. Your horse turns away and leaves you. I want my horse to come to me and anticipate our time together. My last post was news that Cisco turned his back to me. I was spurned. Yesterday, I went out to feed the hungry horses. I offered to let Cisco out of the horse pasture. I opened the stall door. He looked at me, turned his tail and left me hanging. Sadly, we had a major lesson coming up. Practice on the gaits…

Cisco the Teacher

July 12, 2016Posted inCISCO, Missouri Fox Trotter
I learned a lot from Cisco today.  The big lesson is how to get really high stacked hay bales down on the ground.  I've got hay stacked in my barn.  Stalls are on one side and hay is on about half of the other side.  The hay is stacked about four bales over my head.  So it takes about four bales to equal my height and then add four bales on top of that and you picture the hay tower.  I've misplaced my gadget to drag a bale off the…

Saddling Rules

July 2, 2016Posted inAmazon book, Parelli, Sage
In the Parelli world, a people training program, we learn many rules that keep us safe with horses; rules that might save our lives or from injury. There are many safety basic rules for saddling a horse and mounting a horse.. In the original Level 1 test, saddling and mounting were tasks included in the test. In my first book, Susan FoxTrotter, I told the story about my sad, unsuccessful mounting task. There I lie in the dirt looking up at a very concerned David Lichman. I said, "Did I…

Fox Trotter Rough Fox Trot-Smooth it Out

June 29, 2016Posted inMissouri Fox Trotter
A Missosuri Fox Trotter has a lot of options on where to place his feet while moving forward. There might be as many as 12-15 different names for the two forward gaits that are unique to "gaited"horses. Cisco was born with a bouncy 2nd gait. He was born with a tendency to hard trot. This is the normal trot that non-gaited horses have. We gaited people don't like that suspension bouncy gait. We gaited people want smooth, non-bouncy. Bouncy fox trot vs hard trot Discription: If you bounce out of…