Fancy Spins

December 1, 2021Posted inFancy
It's Liberty Day.  I'm trying to prepare Ms. Fancy for a Parelli Level 4 Liberty Audition.  We are playing in a 60 foot round pen and enjoying life...because I have treats for the sprightly mare when she succeeds in even slightly doing something I'm asking.  I decided making a 360 turn would be a fine task for the Liberty audition.  We work on it.  I give her signal after signal, she has no idea what stupid thing I'm asking for and eventually, I get a ragged 360 degree turn.  We…

Focus Fun Fail

November 27, 2021Posted inFancy, Flying Change, Parelli
Today was a "Liberty" day.  I decided there was not enough afternoon time to do both liberty and ride. I do have the challenge of the Parelli audition for Level 4 Liberty.  Time to get serious. Fancy is in a short time training period with the great Erin Patterson.  There happens to be a wonderful round pen at the stable which is the perfect size for our Liberty required tasks.  All four Level 4 Parelli auditions require flying lead changes.  Fancy can do the liberty flying lead changes with her…

Trailer “Sweet Spot” Day

October 24, 2021Posted inFancy
Trailer Goal:  I point, Fancy loads and Fancy Stays in Trailer. A human fiddles with trailer, walks into the barn, picks up halter/lead rope and waits for Fancy to come into the stall. “Are you crazy, human?”  Fiddling with trailer and picking up halter means a riding workout in Fancy's language.  Fancy exists the stall and waits to see if this is a feeding opportunity.  “Nope, the human holds the halter.” Human goes into stall and out into the pasture.  Fancy walks away about 20 feet.  Human sighs.  Fancy turns…

Fancy Big Brag and “Uniqueness”

October 4, 2021Posted inFancy, Flying Change
STRAIGHT LINE FLYING LEAD CHANGE! Let’s go with the unique first:  More than a few years ago Fancy and I were participating in a clinic with horses and a mammoth mule.  Fancy wasn’t scared of the mule, but she was buzzed about something.  We stood next to the mule awaiting our turn at a pattern.  After an hour or so, I guessed she liked the mule and wanted to be close.  I experimented and sure enough, her buzz subsided when we were close to the mule. I know Fancy’s history.I…

Used up all my M&Ms and became a Country Song

September 22, 2021Posted inA-fib, Fancy, M&M
Per friend Apryl Ballard, “Every day you start out with a bag of M & M’s. When you run out of M & M’s, that is the end of your activity for the day.  You gracefully withdraw from activity and rest up for the start of another M & M day.” I had a full M&M day just recently, plus I borrowed some.  Thanks Apryl for the learning! I've become the “poster child for Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillationA-fib. I just got my new blood thinner for A-fib the day before this story.…

2021 Celebration September 2021

September 8, 2021Posted inFancy, Jennifer Vaught, JR
Saturday, 9/4/2021 Arrival at Ava, Missouri during thunderstorm travel. I hit a deceptive body of standing water and had to wrestle my truck to stay on the pavement. No rain when we arrived. Hot hot. Tried to clean out stall and had a “can’t get enough O2” breathing episode. Thankfully Apryl’s trailer was cool by then and I sat there until I could breathe again. Jenny took over getting Fancy in the stall. Mike, Apryl’s husband, unhooked trailer and got out the 3 bags of bedding. After a while I…