Horses are good for you!

 

   Horses are good for your health and I'm not just saying that cause I love horses.
     Cortisol, known as the stress hormone, is increased as our flight or fight response to stimuli. Designed for short bursts to help us out of jam, chronic stress occurs when those levels do not return to normal after stimulation. As our busy lives increase stress stimuli into our daily routines, the short bursts of cortisol become higher and prolonged. When they remain elevated, our mental and physical health suffers.
     Higher and prolonged cortisol levels have been shown to have negative affects on your health such as impaired cognition, suppressed thyroid function, blood sugar imbalances, decreased bone density, drecreased muscle tissue, high blood pressure, lowered immunity and inflammatory responses, and has been linked to increased abdominal fat which is associated with heart attacks and strokes. Several relaxation methods have been shown to lower the baseline cortisol levels and the most exciting of these is equine facilitated learning. A study conducted by Washington State University in Spokane found significantly lower daily averages and afternoon cortisol levels of students who participated in a weekly equine facilitated activity than their pretest levels and the post test of their peers who were on the waitlist.
      Those of us who hang out with horses, know how much better we feel around horses. We know it only takes the touch of a muzzle to recover from an otherwise stressful day. We have witnessed over and over again the smiles on the faces of kids of all ages when they watch a herd of horses from the road or get an opportunity to offer a horse a treat through the fence. I've seen shy kids learn assertive skills leading a horse and scared kids gain confidence on their first ride.
      Intuitively we have always know that horses are good for our health but thanks to the Washington State University at Spokane study, if by chance you needed scientific proof, now you have it!

Growing Up

R-C Bey Dazzler
2 months and 3 weeks old

     Baby Dazz is so busy learning and growing and exploring and like any mother can attest these precious moments of firsts fly by in the blink of an eye! Today was Baby Dazz's first clipping. She accepted the halter without an issue however she wasn't too sure about the clippers at first. I was impressed though as she came to accept them rather quickly and stood quietly for most of her clipping.
     With her new bridle path and clean lines, she looks so grown up! We left the halter on while she got a shower with mom. Using a loose halter was intentional, so we had room to work around her face. Works best if you use two people, one to hold the halter in front of her and one on the side using the clippers. We always started in the middle of the stall and then let her move up against mom or the wall if she felt like she had to move. Eventually she just stood still in the middle of the stall and accepted everything being done to her.
     I was most impressed when, after we were done and just talking in the stall, she came over to hang out with us. She actually went up and nuzzled the clippers! I think it was a successful training session and we got done what we wanted to accomplish. Good girl, Dazzler!
     

The Dazzling R-C Bey Dazzler

R-C Bey Dazzler
2014 Filly
No Alarm X KA Odysseus

   Baby Dazz grows more stunning every day. I have pics to share but we have had some technical difficulties (called rural internet and a laptop failure) getting everything posted I wanted to share. She is now 2 1/2 months old and what a sweet, sweet little girl she is!
  There is something Dazzling about Bey Dazzler. You can see a moment of it captured in this photo. Her movements are playful and lighter than air. You can't help but be captured by her grace.
     Even after our distress over the new fence we are building, that is another disaster story I am sure you will hear about, just watching this girl and her momma is good medicine. It seemed like everything was against us getting them home. I was in a funk and just wanted to crawl in bed and hide but I had to get up and take grain out to the ranch where they currently reside. Standing by the stall door watching them, I caught myself grinning ear to ear. And that was before I stepped inside the stall, and Baby Dazz pushed her momma out of the way to come and see me.
   If you ever need a pick me up, just go let a baby horse nuzzle you. It's magical.
   So other than getting our place ready to bring Bey Dazzler home, there is not a whole lot to be done but watch her grow right now.  There are a couple schools of thought on how much handling she should get. One thought is to not touch her at all until after she is weaned and the other extreme is to sack her out the day she is born. I have chosen kind of the middle ground. For the most part, I have left her alone. However, I have spent enough time in the stall with her to know I can touch her anywhere on her body and she is not worried about me at all. I love how she is so curious and loves the attention of people in her stall. I used that curiousity during our first few sessions of approach and retreat during the first few weeks in the stall with her and her momma. Now she just approaches and seems to enjoy the attention and a full body rub down.
   What's next on this Dazzling Journey?
   Baby Dazz and her momma, Lady should be home this weekend. They have a couple months left together as Baby begins eating more and more out of momma's grain bucket. We have delayed baby's first trimming in order to let her natural hooves form as she grows over the next several months.  Beginning at four months, which will be around the first week of August we will be considering the optimal conditions for weaning. In the meantime, we will be giving baby and momma some short times of separation (although not out of sight), as momma reenters her training schedule. Shortly after weaning baby will begin halter training in preparation for her 2015 Yearling debut in the Scottsdale futurities.
   
 

The Ride Of Your Life

     "Think harder. Think about a time in your life when you felt really special, a time when you knew you were really and truly, unconditionally loved."
     "I can't. I can't remember a time I was unconditionally loved. There's always conditions. Be this, be that, do this or else. You know."
     "Think back. There must be a time. You have to remember."
     "Why must I remember? Where are you taking me?"
     "We have seen it, we have smelled it, we have touched it. Do not be daunted by setbacks. We must find it again. We can't give up our quest to find our promised land."
     "I thought about it but I can't think of one time there were not any conditions on love."
     "Think again. What about a special birthday, a special Christmas? Do you remember anything? What about when you learned to ride a bike or went on a family vacation? Oh what about that camping trip you went on with your dad. Getting close?"

In Loving Memory of "Opie"
HL Open Throttle! 1991-2013

     "Oh I know it! It was the first time I galloped up a hill with my horse. At the bottom of the hill we made a sharp turn and went straight up the hill. It was kind of a surprise because we were running so fast but I held on. We turned directly into the sun and I was blinded. It was thrilling and exciting; like galloping with your eyes closed. I could only feel my way. I leaned forward to compensate for the incline and just tried to enjoy the ride.
    Then I remembered at the very top of the hill was a fence and I got scared. I didn't know what my horse would do but I didn't want to stop. I couldn't see anything because of the sun in my eyes and we were going so fast, faster than I was normally comfortable going when I could see where I was going."
     "So what happened? Did you fall off? Did she jump the fence?"
     "Neither. Thank goodness cause I had never jumped a horse. We came barreling up the hill and then without warning she suddenly stopped. I fell forward into her neck and grabbed on. The sun was going down over the trees and I could see again. She had stopped right at the gate. I let out a sigh of relief... pushing myself up off her neck I let out all the breath I had been holding in. I reached back over to hug her around her neck and took in a big breath of her sweaty, horsey smell. Oh I just fell in love with that horse all over again."
     "She knew what she was doing. She took care of you."
     "I had to put all my trust in her and she didn't let me get hurt. It made me feel very special, like we were one. I've never felt closer to anyone. She knew where the gate was the whole time. If I had caved into my fear of that fence, I would have missed the most amazing ride of my life!"
     It's our very nature to breath intimacy and seek adventure. An atmosphere deprived of love and meaning, one lacking security and significance, will choke the life out of our souls. We must continue the search for the promised land... the place we were created for. That place where we lay down our very souls into the hands of the one who created us and fully trust Him, moving together with Him, together as one as he leads us to the place He prepared for us.
    Mount up. It's time for the ride of your life!


Foal Update: Due Date 4-4-2014 is the average foaling date putting our mare at 340 days gestation. The equine gestational range is 320-360 days. Most babies come within +/- 1 week but can be as early or as late as 3 weeks without complications.

 

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Our Lady's Baby Bump: Day 327-336

   Watching all the babies appearing this spring, chicks at the farm stores, baby birds in the yard, and new foals at our foaling barn, is getting us very excited for the arrival of our first R4C foal! We have done everything we can think of to prepare. Our Lady is well settled into her new barn where she will foal, her tail is wrapped, and she is filling out quite nicely. Now all we have to do is wait.   .... And the waiting is the hardest part!!

    If you have ever had to wait on something after all the preparations have been made, you know how hard it is to remain patient. Like a kid before Christmas, all you can think about is those wonderfully wrapped surprises under the tree. The tree calls to you and you are drawn to it watching it as if you are on guard. Watching and waiting and wandering around the tree you wonder about all the possibilities. .... And the waiting is the hardest part!!
     You don't just wait with your mind but your physical body participates in the waiting. One of my sons used to be so excited before Christmas came that he would be physically sick in school unable to concentrate on school work while thoughts of the presents under that tree captured his attention.
      Even the Psalmist reports waiting in his whole being. "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." Psalm 130:5-6
     Oh I wait on the Lord and while I wait I put my Hope in Him. I put my Hope in Him because sometimes the waiting is the hardest part. "Put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:7
     Waiting on this baby is exciting and yet physically excruciating. Its our first foal and I have no idea what to expect, other than a baby horse. But what about all the things written in the foaling books that experts say can go wrong. How will I be prepared for anything to go wrong or even everything to go right? What will I do when the baby arrives? When will it arrive?
     Not knowing when the baby will come is a great source of anxiety. The gestational term for an equine is anywhere from 320-370 days. Since our breeding was almost a week long we are looking at any where between March 21st and May 4th. Our mare is currently at 327 to 336 days along. The good news is that she is well past the critical 320 days and now all we have to do is wait knowing we have a viable foal on the way!
.... And the waiting is the hardest part!
     There are times when we know that God has prepared us for something, something big and now all we have to do is wait on Him to bring it to fruition. Sometimes its a beginning, sometimes its an ending. Sometimes while we wait on the Lord our whole bodies are aching; maybe we are waiting in our suffering or maybe we are suffering in our waiting. However if we put our Hope in Him, we need not suffer but only wait on the Lord in anticipation of his unfailing love!

No Eye Has Seen

     "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches everything and show us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.       

                                                      - 1 Cor 2:9-12

     I wish I could know my horses thoughts. Like when she grabs my hat off my head and runs to the other side of the paddock and turns at looks at me. What is she thinking? "I got it!" or "HaHa look at your hat hair!" It is a game she likes to play that is so funny. Sometimes we just stand and we look at each other. I gaze deep into her eyes. It's almost as if our spirits connect. No words are spoken. Nothing is expected of either of us. We just hang out in each other's presence.
     I have always longed to know God's thoughts. Sometimes I just sit in his presence. Our Spirits' connected. Nothing is expected of either of us. We just hang out in each other's presence. But I rarely ever go away wondering what He is thinking. There is always some kind of spiritual download as if I can look deeply into His eyes. How I love this journey unpacking the wonderful things He has revealed and is revealing through His Spirit.

One Guess Who Did It

Friends of R4C Ranch-- Who can tell me who the culprit is?

Horses have such unique personalities. When the water tank wasn't filling as quickly as I thought it should be, I took a peek and saw the hose was out of the tank and the water was flowing onto the ground. It only took me one guess to know which horse out of the nine in that lot it was that took the hose out. I put the hose back in, made sure it wouldn't come back out on its own, and started filling again.

Knowing the mischeivious personality of this horse, I stood there with my camera. I knew he just wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to mess with it again. It is still cracking me up that he came back up from the other side of the paddock as soon as he saw me put the hose back in the tank. You guessed it, he picked it up with his lips and pulled it out of the tank again!. Then he walked right passed me like nothing had happened.

Lady was a little different. Curious about my winter coats, scarfs, hats, and gloves for several weeks, she took advantage of a moment when I wasn't paying attention. When I was concentrating on chipping ice out of the water tank, she grabbed my hat in her mouth and pulled it right off my head. She ran to the other side of the paddock and turned around to face me. "Hat hair!" or "I win!" I wish I knew what that silly horse was thinking but it was obvious she was quite proud of herself.

Whether you are just observing in the pasture or paddock, or working with them one on one in a round pen, you will come to know the fun personalities God has given these wonderful equine friends of ours. If you have equestrian goals but can't afford a horse of your own, contact the ranch to find out about our Touching Hope ministry so you can come out and meet the horses. If you are too far to visit, follow the blog. We will be sharing all the fun stories and amazing ways God touches our hearts through this amazing partnership he has given us with horses.

Have you been touched by a horse? Share your story here. We'd love to hear from you.

Touching Hope

"I'm riding a horse!" --Seth
(L) Seth sitting in a saddle dreaming of riding a horse someday
(R) Seth 4 years later on his first ride.

Touching Hope

For those of you that have been a part of River Bluff Rescue Ranch and remember what God had done for everyone, I [Mike] would like to announce that we are going to try to make it happen again. We are not going to do the 501C3.

What we will offer is a safe, Christian environment where you can learn to train horses and learn to ride, care for, and communicate with our equine friends. Sometimes we will have ranch projects like building and repairing fences, clearing trees and brush from around fences, etc. Everything we offer is free of charge, donations are accepted and appreciated. All we ask is that you make the commitment to work hard to achieve your equine goals.

If you are interested please contact one of the ranch trainers:  
Mike Poland sddlebum@aol.com
Carol Poland wolfladycp@aol.com
Kim Brixey r4c.ranch@yahoo.com


All visitors to the ranch must have a signed waiver of liability on file at the ranch, under age 18 must be signed by parent or legal guardian.

2014 Foal Update

FOAL UPDATE:      Approximately 238 days (34 weeks) along and momma's belly has started to drop. Now what? We'll be watching:
      -- The belly widening and rounding
      -- The belly lowering and getting pointed
      -- Waxing and filling of the udders,
      -- For signs of foaling (315-360 days; avg = 340 days)
          Drops of milk; extreme lowering and changes in belly, vulva relaxing
       
    
    2014  Foal:
   No Alarm "aka Lady" X KA Odysseus

     We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 2014 Arabian Foal due March 28, 2014. 
     Check back this spring for arrival photos and to watch our baby grow on our website at www.r4c-ranch.com ! 

     NOMINATIONS are in for our 2014 Foal. No Alarm's foal is nominated in 5 futurities and the AHA Sweepstakes plus US and Canadian Nationals. Mark your calendars for 2015 and come cheer for our baby who will turn 1 on January 1st, 2015. As a yearling, our one year old will travel to Scottsdale in February to theScottsdale Signature Stallion Futurity, to Reno, NV in July for the Silver Sire Futurity, and in September to Iowa for the Iowa Gold Star Futurity, Minnesota for the MN Arabian Horse Breeder's Futurity, and to Tulsa for the Green Country Arabian Horse Futurity. Lots of excitement to be had that year as we travel around the country showing off this special little horse. 
      Then as a three year old our foal will be eligible to compete at the US Nationals and the Canadian Nationals.Then it's onto the AHA Sweepstakes. Our foal will be eligible to compete for cash in the Sweepstakes classes for the rest of this horse's life.  

"Oh Good You're Here...a little help, please." From our series: Always Fun on the Farm!

     You never have a camera when you need one. Apache, fondly known as Knucklehead, was found trapped in a hay ring today.  The look on his face was priceless, "Oh good you're here. I seem to be in a predicament."

      Now, I am contemplating, "Do I run to the house and get my camera so I can get a pic to post on facebook or do I help him get out before he does something stupid?" I decide the house is too far away and

he may think I've left him for good and try something stupid. So I decide to stay.
      He keeps looking at me like, "Well? Do something."
      I ponder his dilemna for a moment. "Hmmm?" I think. "He got all four feet inside the hay ring somehow but he can't get himself out. How in the world did he get in? Did he just walk in or did he jump in? Was he chased in? Or did he just leisurely step in?

What Can You Get Done In 15 Minutes?

       When you run a ranch, you have so many things going on at once it's difficult to complete anything. Tasks need to be done timely or why bother. If you don't get your seed out by end of April, it won't get May showers to grow. Stabled horses have to eat on time or they will eat down your barn. Things have to get done when they need to be done so projects that don't have a deadline seem to sit unaccomplished.
      If you are a multitasker, I just have one question for you. Do you ever finish anything you start? My favorite part of any project is finishing it. I am not a natural multitasker because when I start something I like to focus on it and see it through to the end. If I don't, I seem to have a lot of started projects going all at once and soon I am so overwhelmed I don't want to do any of them.
     If you're a natural multitasker, you probably do not need to read any further. We can address finishing your projects in a later post. Running a ranch has taught me a lot about multitasking. Focusing on one project a time is usually not an option. You have to work with other people's schedules, wait on supplies to arrive, or stop and take care of an urgent need. When your neighbor knocks on your door to tell you your horses are on the road, it doesn't matter that you are not done setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner. It means, you grab some halters and head down the road to catch them and then investigate the fence and gates to find out where they got out.

The Pecking Order

     Horses are very social creatures. They form friendships, they grieve loved ones, and they communicate with one another. Most of the communication includes non-verbal cues to establish and maintain the social order.  Every horse in the herd has a place in the pecking order and reaffirms that position throughout the day. The pecking order is relatively constant from day to day as long as new horses do not enter or leave the herd.
   To maintain their rank, a dominant horse will

A Unique Gift

    

     The art of giving is on my mind as we begin to make our lists and narrow down our choices of gifts for our loved ones. Everyone wants to give a gift that will bless the reciever. That special gift that they can't or wouldn't get for themselves or better yet the perfect gift they never even knew existed.
     How do you chose a gift? You could

Keeping Yourself In Hand

    A rider controls the energy and motion of their horse by using their hands, seat, and legs as aids. Riding-in-hand is a term used to describe the rider's hands connected to a bit in the horse's mouth. It is a two way communication between horse and rider.


 "Riding in hand, depends on the rider's hands and not less important on the acceptance of the them by the horse." --Lee Stanek
     Inexperienced riders often think of the reins as a one way communication to the horse's jaw. They may not understand the motion of the bit inside the horse's mouth or how much they throw the horse off balance with unsteady hands. Inexperienced horses tend to pull on the bit and don't understand how much more difficult they make their undersaddle experience by putting up a resistance. Ideally, the rider has light hands so as to feel the horse's mouth move in his hands, and the horse relaxes his mouth around the bit and "rests his jaw in the rider's hands."
   As followers of Christ so often

The Boy Has Bling!

KA Odysseus 

We had an awesome time at the photo shoot with our handsome boy, KA Odysseus.

Thanks to Jerad at Stranger Creek for Blinging him out for us.

Thanks to Amanda at Hot Shot Photography. We are looking forward to seeing the rest of the take.



 

Bling it On!

    It's show season and time to show off all your hard work on the circuit. Although most local shows only cost around $10 a class to enter, you can end up spending hundreds of dollars putting together show attire for one class. Here are some tips to spend less and get more bang for your buck!

    Rule number 1: Set a budget and stick to it by starting with the basics and adding on as you can afford.

    Rule number 2: See rule #1.

                           Begin with your show bill. Pick one type of class for your first show: English, Western,  Dressage, etc. We are going to accessorize our Sorrel Paint Mare so we will start with Western Attire. We'll start by purchasing a show shirt that color coordinates with our horse and is appropriate for the class type we plan to enter, then we can use the basics we already own, can borrow, or can find at goodwill to the extent possible.

                       

Fantastical vs Calendar+

Fantasical
Month View

Calendar+ by Readdle
Month View

      April was a busy month. We got our new trailer which meant lots of trailer backing lessons. Then there were trailer loading lessons and driving with horses lessons. First solo trailering ride was to take the trailer to the Highway Patrol VIN inspection station so we could get it tagged. That involved using the little yellow magnet extension ball to get the hitch lined up. Since it didn't come with safety chains, I had to get creative with the only safety chains and cables I could find in our little town auto parts store in order to pass inspection.
 

Anticipation-- Is Keepin' Me Waitin'

Blue Sunrise

"We can never know about the days to come
But we think about them anyway, yay
And I wonder if I'm really with you now
Or just chasin' after some finer day

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'" --Carly Simon 


    As I walked to the paddock yesterday morning, the mares were in rare form. Even more excited than usual to see me coming, they raced around the edges of the paddock in anticipation of my arrival. I stopped just to watch their antics. Jazz, my older mare, tired out first and got frustrated by my delay. She went to her feed bucket and started pawing at it until she had managed to knock it off the fence. In inpatient anticipation, she actually delayed my efforts to get her feed to her.
 

Twice A Day: Refreshing

"The whole earth is filled at awe at your wonders;
 where morning dawns, where evening fades,
 you call forth songs of joy." Psalm 65:8 

   We often miss what God has prepared for us because we are so busy falling into the trap of distractions.
We miss out on our relationship with him or the beauty of his wonders or the joy of the Lord in our daily lives. When we take the bait of satan, we miss out on God's perfect gifts for us. The quality of  our lives should not be exchanged for the busyness in our lives. 

   Sometimes just sitting still can be a challenge, but one worth taking. "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God." Psalm 46:10  If you're like me, slowing down your body isn't so hard. You run the kids around or work all day,  you come home and make dinner, clean up, getting everyone to bed and then your body is ready to give up. Sometimes my mind isn't though, it just keeps on going while I lay awake thinking of all things I didn't get done. So I find a distraction, read a book or put on a tv show to fall asleep to. In that busy day there is little time to "Be Still and Know God." 

   Other times we are distracted by the pursuit of what we do not possess; money, entertainment, material things, relationships, and anything to fill the void or emptiness in our souls.

Set Your Hearts and Minds on Things Above

      Close calls on a tractor are not fun and usually occur when you stop focusing 100% on your task. Determined to shake a clump of dirt off a 1500# round bale using the front loader lever, the round bale that balanced out in front of the tractor on a three prong spike bounced causing the tractor to tilt slightly. A  chain reaction occured causing the tractor to bounce on it's large, air inflated tires as it came off the ground a second time and then a third rippling to a stop. I, having neglected to put on my seatbelt in the name of efficiency, bounced up off the tractor seat several times before coming to a stop. My heart raced and I recall thanking God several times that the tractor did not tip over. Note to self: Do not shake a large round bale with the front loader when it is on the front spike.

      The incident renewed my sense of vertigo until just driving the tractor along the field caused my stomach to cramp and a fear of the tractor tipping over every time I hit a small bump in my path. I had one more bale to lift and put over the fence for the horses. I had to move forward. I prayed. I remembered a horse riding lesson I had a few summers ago. I was experiencing vertigo and my instructor told me it was because I was looking down at the horse and not where I was going. "Look between the horses ears and keep your eyes focused on where you are going."

      I realized I was watching the tractor's tires to make sure they were solid on the ground. My focus was in the wrong place. I saw every bump and bounce as I made my way down the field road to pick up another bale. The bumps and bounces made me even more nervous. I looked up toward the stack of round bales in front of me and took a deep breath. "Look between the horses ears and keep your eyes focused on where you are going," I told myself. It worked. When I focused on the bales on the other side of the field, driving straight toward them the tractor felt level, solid, and my vertigo subsided.

     "Set your minds on things above," we are instructed in Colossians 3:2, "not on earthly things." When the path you are on gets bumpy, keep your focus on things above not on the bumps and bounces. We are not of this world but are ambassadors to this world from heaven. We pray directly to the throne of the almighty and He hears our prays. He knows our hearts and comforts us. He guides us and instructs us and gives us all we need to walk solidly and securely along our path if we keep our focus in the right place. "Since then you have been raised in Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God  (Colossians 3:1)."