December 24, 2012

I have now uploaded my best sorting video to YouTube. I have saved a link in the right column of this page. Have a look and let me know your comments. You will hear some other people talking on the video, but the most important part is how fast my team member and I sorted the first cow. We tied with lots of other teams going into the last round. The only reason we finished in 6th place is because we sorted the first cow so quickly. I am riding my Arabian horse, Seyvilla. My partner is Stephanie.

December 6, 2012

I just realized I didn't tell you about the sorting competition I was in a few weeks ago. It was a complete blast and I will be uploading a video of one of my runs in the next few days. I enjoy watching the videos almost as if I am doing the event again! Okay, but I am a horse lover. What can I say?

September 18, 2012

I have been enjoying working with Seyvilla on sorting the cows. It has been really fun to work on the specific techniques and see my cues to her get better and better each time. ‘Practice makes perfect’ and I definitely find that true. Now I am working on stamina for both her and me. Seyvilla will get so excited when working with the cows that she gets to the point where she doesn’t listen to me. I want to work through that so she understands what I want her to do and then we can both have fun in our communication with each other and with the cows.

Yes, we communicate with the cows. Interesting, right? My teacher said, ‘For every step forward take two steps back.’ The horse is really telling the cow what to do. I watched my teacher do the sorting and wow, it sure is true. You can definitely tell the professionals from the beginners!

I think it will be fun to be in a competition, but I want to make sure Seyvilla and I are both ready before we enter it. We want to both have fun and look good at the same time. I know the first time won’t be perfect, but I want to be the best I can be!

The specific technique I working on now is the rollback as I have mentioned before. I working with Seyvilla on the technique yesterday and I think she’s really understanding it. 

August 20, 2012

I have been really enjoying my sorting lessons on Friday afternoons. For those of you who don’t know what that is . . . I am riding my horse with cows and cutting the cow I want away from the others. For this sport the cows have numbers on their backs. A number is called as the time starts and the horse and rider go after that number. Each team has two horses and riders. One stays at the gate and doesn’t let any others through except the correct number. The cows are sorted in order according to the numbers on their backs.

Seyvilla loves working with the cows and is still trying to figure out exactly what I want her to do at any given time. It is fun that she is enjoying it because that makes it more fun for me too! Now as I get my techniques down I would really like to look like I am enjoying it. My teacher had to ask me if I was enjoying it because I wasn’t smiling. That is part of what I want to work on this next week.

July 30, 2012

I have really enjoyed both of the sorting lessons I have taken so far. Seyvilla likes working with the cows. Last Friday I learned more about where to be in relation to the cow. The most interesting thing was that for every step forward the horse and rider should take two steps back. With every step forward the cow is in control, with every step back the horse and rider are in control.

We did a couple of quick runs also and Seyvilla absolutely loved it! She cuts the specific cow away from the rest like a real pro! I have another lesson this Friday and hope to continue to learn more techniques.  

July 15, 2012

I had a great time on Friday night! I took a lesson on horseback and learned some initial tips about working with cows. Seyvilla, my Arabian loved sorting them into herds by the numbers on their backs. The teacher was full of confidence and I learned lots and had fun along the way. “We’ll start with 60 head,” he said. He didn’t seem to be worried that it was only my first time working with the cows. He was right. Seyvilla picked it up really fast. As a rider I locked my eye on the cow that I wanted and pretty soon Seyvilla knew which cow it was that would be sorted out of the rest.

The first time I directed her toward the herd it was almost like she said, “I’m not going in there!” But pretty soon her view had changed. She just charged in there and cut the cow away from the others.

There was a particularly ornery cow that just would not be cut away from the others. It almost seemed like wherever he went he was hemmed in my bodyguards. The first time I tried to sort him out I was unsuccessful. My teacher told me to just pick a different cow. Later I was able to sort him out of the slightly smaller herd. I was triumphant!

Though the weather was quite humid that day I enjoyed every minute and so did my horse! Many more times to come, I’m sure!

July 8, 2012

What gives you energy to do what you enjoy? Is it the joy you get while doing the action, or maybe it’s the joy you have looking back and seeing what you accomplished. We all like to look back on something we have finished and see where we are now because of it, but what about when you are doing the specific thing?

I really enjoy training and riding my horses. They bring me joy, both during the hard times of training and also afterward when they now do the action I want them to do right away.

Seyvilla got her first taste of riding with the cows a week ago yesterday. I was over by the ‘cow’ arena (an arena where people rope cows and do sorting events) and I was asked to run the cows from one end of the arena to the other. I was thrilled and so was Seyvilla! The man said the cows will head in that direction anyway, but I was still excited to be included. Seyvilla liked running with the cows and didn’t seem to mind when I asked her to do it two more times! There were about 15-20 cows on each run.

The shoots that hold the cows before they race out with the cowboys chasing them are quite noisy, so that added to the excitement of the run and Seyvilla got pretty excited. When I got down to the far end the first time I couldn’t figure out why the cows didn’t want to go through the far gate, then I realized it was closed. (Hee hee!) They can’t go through a closed gate! I had to sidepass Seyvilla so I could reach the gate without dismounting. She did a fabulous job!

Last Wednesday I took Seyvilla over to the shoots again. This time the cowboys were almost done when I arrived. I walked her back near the shoots, but so I was out of the way and she acted calmer this time. When the cowboys were done I asked Seyvilla to go stand against the bumpers like she would if she was going to chase a cow out of the shoot. Did I mention that the bumpers are bright yellow?! She didn’t want to get anywhere near them, let alone back up against one. I worked with her some and she was a lot more relaxed. I’ll continue to work with her so she stands straight instead of at an angle.