Oops – Sorry, I am a day late.
Today 1. Friends are great 2. Look up and look down
By now you know that much of my retirement is centered on 1. working/playing with animals, 2. spending hours outdoors in natural surroundings, and 3. digital photography. I get lots of 2 and 3 here here in Florida but, my playing with animals has been somewhat derailed. But I still get horse sense from friends via the phone:
1. Friends are great First my friend, Allen, on the Island called me. Since I left, he says he works with each horse – including Perla – in getting them to turn their head with just a slight touch to the cheek — why would he want to do that — it is to be able to turn and control direction — while in the saddle — with only a slight touch on the cheek with the rein on the side away from the turn –The human sitting on their back does not need to jerk on the reigns to turn their head. Allen is a great Natural Horseman and teacher of me. He is a great friend who talks with excitement about horses – any time we talk, he talks to the horses and doctors them too.
See that metal bit in her mouth — bet she would like to be rid of it – or at least never have me jerk on it again!
Then, Helen Longest- Saccone returned my call to her about my magazine subscription – the conversation quickly migrated to horses – That made her seem like a friend already – Helen who does not use a bit on her horse — like that ugly metal thing you see here in Perl’s mouth. She directs and controls with a bridle that has no bit — Is that great or what! I have never met Helen, only talked via phone – She is the Editor-In-Cheif (Founder and much more) of a great magazine that over the years had a lot to do with my love of photography and enjoyment of nature – the magazine is Nature Photographer.
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In the Summer Issue – Helen wrote “For me, horses are fantastic teachers. They show me who I am at my most basic self without any pretense.” I think, with out exception, horse trainer emphasize that horses sense your feelings a lot better then you do because they communicate with each other thru honest feeling — so they get to be very good at reading you — as Helen says ,a horse teaches you who you are without pretense.
Finally, Heather called, She often calls and suggests I purchase a farm in New Jersey and have horses for “us”. But this time she was all excited about an article in Oprah.com August issue – called Horse Senses — it tells of Koelle Simpson who uses horses to help people – it is called Horse therapy. She makes the same point as Helen – since horses do not lie to each other – what they are thinking is what the other horses get – “Which means to gain their (horses) trust, humans must be genuine, clear, and honest.”
Meet Your New Therapist. He’s Wise, Compassionate…and Likes to Eat Hay
I will send the article to Allen & Tess, and to Helen —
See, friends keep me in touch with horses – when they call with excitement in their voice it really adds to my day – Thanks!
2. Look up and down (Clouds and Ants) Maybe it is an obsession but it sure is a fun obsession — I can not go out with out looking up for cloud figures – or down for pudding stones, heart shaped stones, shapes in tree trunks, or animal tracks in the sand, or ants, or mushrooms or …….. I really hope you think about doing your own looking — if you have a camera, take photos to show your Mom. Be careful though– be sure to look where you are walking also.
Look up — I could PhotoShop this into a flop-eared rabbit, or a bird, .. You can make it what ever you want it to be in your own mind, then it is yours.
Ants make many different looking hills — but they all seem to have a road out — see this one at about 3-4 O’clock
- This was a complex “ant country” – with 5 “villages” connected with a road – just like these 2 villages were connected.
Hey, you kids with dogs — they are great companions too!
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