2017 was a tough year in a lot of ways. I begin 2018 with a look back and a look ahead.
The misery of last winter’s weather with over 4’ of snow on the ground and the endless shoveling and relentless cold was accentuated by (my gelding) Parker’s misery as he braved the pain and dysfunction of a severe case of founder that finally took him from me in July. A key event to Parker’s passing was that Shiraz, a 7-year-old Arabian mare, also from Drinkers of the Wind, arrived on the scene. With a companion for Jalila in place, Parker passed his power to Shiraz and left within a week of her arrival.
The misery of last winter’s weather with over 4’ of snow on the ground and the endless shoveling and relentless cold was accentuated by (my gelding) Parker’s misery as he braved the pain and dysfunction of a severe case of founder that finally took him from me in July. A key event to Parker’s passing was that Shiraz, a 7-year-old Arabian mare, also from Drinkers of the Wind, arrived on the scene. With a companion for Jalila in place, Parker passed his power to Shiraz and left within a week of her arrival.
I took a chair out to sit with Parker while we waited for the vet to arrive.
Jalila and Shiraz hovered over me.
Jalila and Shiraz hovered over me.
It was an exhausting time that took me into severe adrenal depletion. One side affect of the adrenal fatigue was that my feet hurt and walking, even in the house with cushy slippers, was painful. (So Parker and I both had extremely painful feet.) The thought of braving inclement weather to work with Jalila was not on my list of things to do. My energy was nonexistent. All I could do with the horses was hang out. Toward the end of summer as I started to feel better, I did some liberty work and dabbled in some Horse Agility exercises.
Joining Marijke de Jong’s Straightness Training program inspired me to work more with the horses but I was consumed by setting up an online class so there was no time to keep up with documentation.
So much for 2017 GOAL SEVEN: Document our progress on my website to share experiences, elicit comments from friends and pressure myself to stay focused.
I managed to make some posts and now feel a need to catch up. Jalila and I have strengthened our bond and Shiraz joined us as a case study in Straightness Training. I will include some of her insights as I continue to document my work with Jalila.
Thank you all for the positive support you offered in 2017 and I wish everyone a happy and fulfilling 2018.
Joining Marijke de Jong’s Straightness Training program inspired me to work more with the horses but I was consumed by setting up an online class so there was no time to keep up with documentation.
So much for 2017 GOAL SEVEN: Document our progress on my website to share experiences, elicit comments from friends and pressure myself to stay focused.
I managed to make some posts and now feel a need to catch up. Jalila and I have strengthened our bond and Shiraz joined us as a case study in Straightness Training. I will include some of her insights as I continue to document my work with Jalila.
Thank you all for the positive support you offered in 2017 and I wish everyone a happy and fulfilling 2018.
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