The video we showed Linda Parelli, which made it possible for us to do a spotlight

Video of our spotlight at the tour stop:

Woke up at 4:30am. About 8 hours of sleep in 2 days combined. Took 9 horses and ponies to the Parelli tour stop. Filled the arena with PonyPros. Blew even our own socks off. The Parellis were amazingly generous with us. They gave all the kids halters and lead ropes, plus the levels 1-4 pack, and gave Les and I four-week scholarships to the center in CO. Feel like I need to sleep for days, but it was worth it Can’t believe how awesome the kids and ponies were. Check out the photos of Linda when we showed her our video, told her we had 5 more kids at home, and that we boarded 30 minutes away.

Some quick facts:

• Blue Man has only been with us for 4 weeks. This was his first experience traveling off property for an event. He was rescued a year ago by Mustangs and Mohr, then came to us at the very end of April. At that time, he had basic groundwork but had not been started. He has 1 ride on him now and is, as you can see, having a ton of fun with Parelli!
• Thistle has only been with us for 2 months. She was 10 years old and was ranch raised, so had had no training before coming to us. This was her second time ever in a trailer and only only her second time away from the home she was born and raised on. Look how awesome she is now!
• Thistle’s partner, Emma, is a 6th grader and has only been involved in horses for 3 months. She has learned all this from PonyPros in just 12 weeks!
• Peanut and Wallie are only 4 years old. This was only their second time hauling out to a different arena. They have been with us for about 9 months now and were unstarted when they came to us.
• Casey is an adopted rescue horse. Conner has only owned him for four months.
• Koa is an adopted rescue horse. This was her first time ever hauling out to a strange arena.
• Celebrity has only been with us for 2 months. Chloe, age 12, was his partner at the tour stop.
• Sam is a rescue pony who used to stand like a tri-pod because he was so fearful and in so much pain. He used to run to the other side of his pen and smash against the panels when someone walked by. He has been with us for almost 2 years now.
• Because the horse who Katelynn normally works with is a rescue who is not strong enough to travel, this was Katelynn’s first time ever working with Sam. Talk about a good pony and natural student to put it together so fast and so well!
• Our dream is to have an Atwood Ranch style program for ponies and to have the best kids program in the world.

There were a huge number of successes today…

-Zoey, Maddie, and Emma stood on their ponies for the first time.
-Zoey and Maddie stood on Peanut and Wallie bridleless in cordeos.
-Emma and Maddie jumped the barrels, and jumped them bareback nonetheless.
-Chloe sat like a frog on Celebrity, cantered him, and jumped him over a bigger jump.
-Blue Man got ridden for the first time. Chloe put the first rid eon him.
-Cinnamon got ridden by someone other than Kali for the first ride. Chloe put the 4th ride on him.
-Desiree rode a horse for the 4th time in her life, getting to ride Celeb. It was her first time trotting bareback.

Apparently PonyPros and ponies flourish in tornadoes and monsoons

Today Les and I went on a trail ride at the Flat Iron trail head, which is about 5-10 minutes from our barn. We love hauling Ilo and Koa out and they love getting out. Asher and Tovi came with us, Tovi with his forearm bandaged since he still has a sore ankle. The vet wrap did wonders, though, and he was still in good shape by the time we got back.

Flat Iron is super cool because it has lot of ups and downs. They are gentle enough you can trot them in most places, so we did! Day 2 of Ilo and Koa’s trail trotting careers! Both girls were super good. We even stopped to take some photos with the spring wild flowers. They’re tiny, unlike flowers you get in wetter climates, but really pretty accents to the desert colors. Ilo, of course, loves the camera, so here’s a silly picture that makes her look like a hippopotamus. Seriously cute.

Les and my legs and abs were uncomfortably sore from getting back into yoga, so we were processing some junk as we walked. It’s no fun how emoitonal baggage comes up with those physical releases. Ilo kept nudging me like, “Hello, Earth to Kali…” because I kept getting sucked in by my hamstrings wallerin’ I love yoga, but it’s hard when you spend so much time walking in sand. We’re doing a 6:30am vinyasa practice so we don’t stay out at the barn til 8:30 at night every day! Send some positive thoughts our way if you’re up that early!

Today was Morgan, Katelynn, and Lauren’s second lesson. As part of our program, kids come out for a minimum of 3 hours a week. We’ve found kids don’t improve with less time that that. We theorize that kids need more than one hour a week because working with horses is like learning a new language, you need to be immersed to become fluent. So for the cost of just one lesson, our kids get 3 hours of horse time per week – 1 hour-long lesson and a 2 hour self-directed session on the weekend. Morgan, Katelynn, and Lauren are going into their third week of the program and they have improved so much! Taylor was sick today, so had to miss out.

Morgan’s seat is 5x better than it was just a month ago. She’s looking awesome! She now has a long leg and length through her torso. What a huge difference!

Katelynn and QuickDraw sidepassed a pole while riding for the first time. It was amazing to see Katelynn put the aids together to make it happen – blocking a little in front so Q didn’t walk over the pole, then forequarters/hindquarters on the outside rein. We don’t use much leg in our lateral movements because we don’t need it – just a little reminder here and there if we want quicker movement sideways.

Lauren added some work without hands to her seatwork repertoire. Work without hands is really cool because it is a big perceived risk but is actually even easier than riding with holding on to the pommel because you can sit correctly. It’s always fun to see the kids faces when they realize they can let go!

Gina has been working with Blue Man on the basics. He is rocking at sideways and jumping the barrels. He looked like a pro today! I took him for awhile to feel him out and he jumped a single barrel on the wall from a walk first time I asked. Later Gina worked with Blue Man on Hippity Hop, which prepares the horse for riding. You lay on the horse like a surfboard and paddle (ie., rub the girth area) and slide backwards off the rump. We do Hippity Hop before sitting in the horse in straddle because it is easier to get off if they get scared and because it is even tougher for their nerves than sitting on then. So, you know if they can handle Hippity Hop, that they’re ready to ride. Hippity Hop is tough for the humans, too, though, because it does require a lot of upper body strength and coordination, especially when you’re working with a 12h pony! I jumped in at the end and laid on Blue a few times to help get him over the hump. I ended by sitting on him in straddle for the first time. Soon as we have some decent weather he’ll start his riding career!

Wednesday was a madhouse! Maddie and Zoey had a make up lesson and their nanny’s daughter, Desiree, wanted to ride. We say “yes” as often as possible, so Desiree got to join in the lesson. She rode Celeb and let me tell you, I have never seen a girl in a tutu on a pony before, but it was seriously cute. Tutus and horsehair – every little girls dream.

Celeb’s new name is Rusty. Spencer, the little girl who is buying him, renamed him and it is perfect. Celeb loves it. Rusty is a perfect fit. It’s rare to have a new name that immediately sticks, but this was one of them! Doesn’t he just look like a Rusty?

Rusty was unbelievably good with Desiree. Desiree is 8 and has only ever ridden a horse 3 times before in her whole life. She took one riding lesson with us last summer and has had a few ground lessons, but mostly just watches while Maddie and Zoey ride. Desiree is normally quite timid, but that’s an 8 year old girl thing. We’ve found girls feel really mortal, so we are careful not to push kids at that age in particular. Instead, we let them watch and observe, and then, poof, out of no where, they jump on and ride like they’ve been riding the whole time. We have started telling our students who are not sure they want to ride, “I will teach you if you get on and start to walk, but you have to get on on your own,” so that we’re not in between them and the horse. It’s amazing because when they are no longer afraid, they just get on and go. Desiree didn’t even use a mounting block – jumped up on Rusty herself. She had watched Maddie and Zoey enough to know how to steer and, of course, when there is no fear in the way, ponies do just what they’re told. Desiree rode all around the arena, getting on and off a few times on her own experimentally, and walked over the poles like a pro. All the while, bareback in a tutu Can you believe we’ve only had Rusty for four weeks?

The arena was packed the whole time and you couldn’t hear yourself think over the sound of little girls giggling, lol. Maddie asked me how to know if she was in the right position over a jump. I told her stick her arms straight out to the side and if you can do that, then you’re in the right position. Maddie started out with one arm and eventually progressed to two arms. It was awesome! She could drop her reins right before the jump, then let her hip angle close and allow her body to naturally assume two-point in the air. Very cool!

Chloe tried it next, riding Thistle. Chloe worked on having her hand behind her back instead of out to the side, which helps exaggerate the closing of the hip angle. You can see her working on it in the photos. Wacky hand positions is my new favorite way to teach jumping. We are, after all, all about letting the body find the position naturally. This way, I don’t have to say much about closing the hip angle or letting the hips drop back – I just set it up and let them find it, same as with a horse

Zoey worked on her confidence with Wallie. She trotted around in her Western saddle and cruised over some poles and small jumps. Wallie is getting a new saddle pad soon, which will look very cute with Zoey’s breeches and helmet.

Katlyn had her third lesson on Sarah. She’s trotting in the treeless English/Western hybrid and riding some off the longe at a walk. She and Sarah get along great. Sarah was particularly worked up because Gina had Penny Lane out for a walk and Sienna, who has adopted her, was quite frantic about where “baby” was. So, for their warm-up on the ground, I had Katlyn circle Sarah from one end of the arena to the other so she would learn how to travel with her. It was tough, but they made it!

I think that was about it…plus Les and I riding Koa and Ilo. Did I mention I took these photos from Ilo’s back? It was a long day!

Last Thursday we did a trail ride on Olbernolte at the Larry Chitwood trailhead. You ride in about 20 minutes, then get to a canal. We rode along the canal for awhile and got to be in the shade. It was 78 degrees! Absolutely wonderful, but unexpected, so I was wearing wool socks under my breeches, lol. Still, I was so thankful for the vitamin D! Nature’s pick-me-up.

I’m not normally a breeches girl, but Les and I got some AMAZING Kerrit’s breeches on sale at Riding ‘n Style. They are the most comfortable pants I have ever worn. Seriously. I would live in them if I had the choice. Sleep in them. Do yoga in them. Computer in them. Ride in them. They are awesome. Plus they dry really fast so when I forget about the laundry til the last minute (which I do all the time), I am not stuck riding in my least favorite pair of jeans (which are never in the wet laundry because they never leave the bottom drawer of my dresser). You’ll see my glorious breeches in the photos.

The breeches are a part of Les and my new decision to pretend we live in the tropics (Thank you Jeanene and sons, if you haven’t seen the video of the boys in a lagoon with their ponies, you must watch it!). We are tired of this year’s extreme weather, so we have donned breeches and are dressing for the weather we want! I braided Ilo’s mane, tail, and forelock and used a rainbow schema of rubber bands to tie of the ends. I joked with Les that we needed grass skirts for our barrels and that a lei would make a really good cordeo. I was completely serious about that second one. We’re going to the Dollar Store to find leis for our open house

Ilo and Koa were feeling tropical as well. And who wouldn’t on a day like this when the incessant wind and hail took a break for 78 degrees and sunny with the canal running?! Ilo and Koa trotted almost the whole ride, which is brand new for them. They have only done a tiny bit of trotting on the trail before. The Chitwood trail was particularly good for getting them confident because the road by the canal was level and smooth. Talk about heaven. About 1/3 of the way in, Les looked over his shoulder and said, “You know, trail riding with the dogs is my favorite thing to do on a nice afternoon. I don’t know when that happened.” I laughed. What girl wouldn’t want to hear those words out of her guy’s mouth?? Go us!

The photos are of us stopping to play with our shadows. We love taking pictures of the horses and our shadows coming together in the sand. Just something special about seeing you and the horse merge together.

Last summer, I remember Maddie and Zoey bringing bunches of grass to Peanut and Wallie and asking the ponies to marry them. I wish I had had a video camera. This morning, I  woke up and this poem of sorts was in my head:

If you must spur, spur yourself to learn more.
If you must kick, kick a bad habit.
If you must rush, rush to my side.
If you must pull, pull off a smile.
If you must strike, strike hands with me.
If you must hit, hit up a friend for suggestions.
If you must fight, fight your fears and your pride.
If you must lean, lean over backwards for me.
If you must hurry, hurry back to see me.

- Kali Vanagas, May 17, 2010

Please share with your friends, but be sure to credit me!

Here are some variations:

We finally have a male protege for Les! I hope he comes back for more lessons Wyatt is 5 years old. Les helped him learn Parelli’s 7 Games with TAGteach. We use the 7 Games to give our students a daily warm up for getting in synch. My favorite part of the lesson was when Les was teaching Wyatt to do the Porcupine game for a turn on the hindquarters. First Les gave Wyatt the tagger and said, “Tag me when you see my legs cross.” Wyatt did an awesome job! It’s really cool to see how precise tiny kids can be when they are given a tagger. They really focus! Then Les cued Thistle and had Wyatt tag when Thistle’s forelegs crossed. Finally Les had Wyatt cue Thistle and Les tagged when Thistle’s forelegs crossed! The best part was that Thistle, who is usually somewhat lazy about the 7 Games, actually pivoted for Wyatt. This is amazing because Thistle is still learning the cues her self. What’s more, yielding the forehand is a respect game for a horse, so it is amazing that Thistle would listen to Wyatt, who is such a little guy. Thistle was a very good girl, Les was a very good teacher, and Wyatt was a very bright and persistent student.

I put a Western saddle on Cinnamon for the first time. The back cinch was no big deal at all! What an awesome boy. We went out and played on the trail course and he did some really cool stuff, including sidepassing poles, YoYo-ing back over poles from a distance, and backing through squeezes from a distance. He even put his front hooves up on the middle rung of the fence and stood on it. What a creative guy!