Boca's Biscuits

My new business Boca's Biscuits has taken off flying! I started this because my dog (Boca)
was having trouble digesting commercially made dog biscuits. I made some for my dog and
thought I might try selling some. I put a basket together and brought them to Goodwin's Mills General Store. My mom happens to be one of the owners so this was an easy place to start. In
just 2 days the basket of 40 biscuits was empty. This was just 1 month ago and now I am selling
them in 3 stores and doing business with 2 doggy daycares. I got a call today from another daycare who saw the biscuits and wants to buy some for the counter and is putting an order in
for Christmas. This is so cool! I needed a part-time job to help with my horse habit, this has
gone over and above what I ever thought it would be in such a short time. I am so grateful to be making money doing something fun and good for dogs! Oh, another local business has asked for
some dry mixes to sell for dogs and horses. I wonder if I'll have to hire help?

2nd Libby Clinic

I made a last minute decision to go to Libby's clinic this past weekend. It was the right decision.
I really didn't learn anything new, but things were reinforced and somethings that I didn't view as very important right now are. Things to work on now:

Have a job. It takes the emphases off of the horse and gives us both something to think about.
Pick away at things.
Work on what is presented at the moment.
Sing a song when the fear starts to creep up. It helps me breathe.
Breathe. (I have been working on this one for a while now)
Help him get away from scary things. Be part of the solution, not the problem.
Be sure to show him that he has a way out, if he knows its there he may not need it but will feel better.
Don't nag, don't be critical. Reward for every try.
Give him a neutral place to be in.
Trust him!!!

Before we came home 3 of us took our horses on a trail ride out back around the pasture along the tree line. It was a nice way to end the weekend. Chance enjoyed it too.

2nd Farrier Visit

The farrier came by to check on Chance's feet today. This visit went much better. He still
did some pulling, but by far had a better attitude towards K. K wanted to see if there had
been any change in Chance's feet since last week and touch up anything that needed it. This was
a much shorter visit and a good experience for all!

New Farrier

We had the 1st visit with the new farrier today. The appointment was long, but I really like the
work he does and the way he took his time with Chance. He spends a lot of time looking at each foot, trimming slowly to shape it the way it will help the horse in everyway. It is an art and he really enjoys his job. Chance tested him the entire time, he doesn't trust men and wasn't crazy about giving up his feet to this new guy. He is going to have to earn them. He didn't do anything to try to hurt him he just continued to pull his feet away over and over again for the entire trim which lasted about 2 hrs. When he pulls his feet away he does it without any warning, very quickly and puts his weight into it. There is no holding on. Kirk never once lost his patience and did everything he could think of to keep Chance comfortable. He gave him many breaks and tons of positive reinforcement everytime Chance gave some try. Along with the trust issues he also had quite a bit of ouchiness in those front feet. It was painful to hold one up for any amount of time. Kirk gave him a lot of credit for everything he was able to do and I give Kirk a lot of credit for the amound of patience he showed my horse. Punishing Chance is not an option, he reacts out of fear and self-preservation. When he does react you can see that he is just waiting for the human reaction, punishment. I am trying to teach him that humans can be kind, I can ignore the bad stuff and react to the good stuff with love and kindness.

Good stuff is happening

Went to Hollis to ride yesterday with Jaye and Pilot. It sure is nice that he likes to get
in the trailer. The rides to different places are fun, no stress at all, that's pretty cool.

We got to the park and unloaded the horses. After they had a leisurely walk around the ring we started to tack up. The carefree horse I loaded was now a little stressed probably wondering
'What Now?!' He had trouble holding up his feet for me, very unbalanced, walked away when
the saddle was going on, and very focused on Pi. I took the saddle and pads off and did some
halter work. This helped a little. Dressed him again but no bridle. More halter work with the
saddle on, lots of stress. He was very focused on Pi and actually reared when he couldn't see him. I hung on, he came down and now I could see confusion along with the stress in his eyes.
Rearing isn't cool, but its better than shut down. That's what horses do when they don't feel
good, I need to help him. I just continued to work with him until he settled enough to ride and looked less confused. This is just going to be something we have to work through until he realizes he is safe.

I bridled him and got on. For about 1/2 an hr he was pretty worried. We walked, some rough trotting, stopping, and practiced old things we both know very well. Then came the sigh. I think it was a breakthrough for him because the rest of the ride was so much better. He relaxed and for the 1st time ever he gave me the nicest trot. I felt his back soften and he finally seemed to enjoy himself. He never shut down, even through the nervous stuff he was with me. He is a pretty amazing horse, Good Stuff!

Thank you Jaye for your coaching, and calm words of encouragement yesterday!

Another Ride

I was heading over to A's to watch the new farrier work and decided to take Chance along. If
there was time his feet would be done too and if not I might ride him. Asking him to get
in the trailer was like asking the dog to jump in the car. He seemed to look forward to whatever
adventure we were going on and willingly walked in and started eating hay. He usually comes out once and then goes back in and waits. He looks at me and seems to question, "do you want me to stay in now?" I tell him yes, take off the lead rope and close the door. He eats his hay, whinnies goodbye to the ponies and off we go, he likes to stand backwards and look out.

We got to A's, there wasn't going to be time to do Chance's feet but that was even better. I wanted him to have the ride over, see old horse friends, eat hay and go home. Nothing was done to him, no work, just a fun day. It was good to see the new farrier's work, I like him a lot. After
a few hours we came home. As we pulled in the yard Chance whinnied hello to the ponies got
out and had supper.

It was a nice day and fun taking Chance along for just a ride.

Got a Saddle

We got a late start but off we went, just me and Chance. This was our 1st outing together. I can't say I wasn't a little nervous about hauling him alone, but I felt good about it. So off to Double G we went. We arrived in good shape both of us relaxed and feeling good about the ride....(whew!) He came out of the trailer quiet and calm, I tied him to the side while Ruth came
out with the wire thing she uses to get the shape of his withers and shoulders. Then came the saddles, she had 2 in the store that may fit. And as luck would have it she happened to have the
perfect saddle pad in the used room. A felt pad, black, with 6 pockets on it for shims. Both saddles did fit and now the deciding factor would be how the seat fit me.

That meant riding him in a place he had never been and me without my supporting friends!

Then something new happened to me. The fear never came. I thought about being afraid for a couple of seconds and then it was gone. I didn't have his bridle with me so I threw his rope halter on and hopped in the saddle. I immediately didn't like the 1st saddle. The seat wasn't deep enough, I felt like I could slip right off him. The 2nd saddle was perfect. Even the stirrups were the right length. I don't think I would have picked this one out for myself but I like it. It's kind of cow girlish and showy but its cute and it fits both of us. I asked him to walk on, then trot. He was distracted by some of the things around us, but there was no fear in him either. He was with me the whole time, we did some walking and some trotting, stopping and going. It was great.

So, I bought the saddle and a few other things, and we headed home. By this time I was starving and decided to get some lunch, we went through the Wendy's drive thru. This was my little treat and when we got home he had his treat in the clover patch. It was a perfect morning and a huge confidence builder for me! I think Chance had fun too.

Saddles

I am taking Chance to Double G to have him measured for a saddle. He has a very
hard back to fit, big shoulders, prominent withers, short slopping back. He will probably
have a sway back when he gets old. I tried another saddle on him yesterday, it was okay
on the right side but tight on the left. He has a white spot on the left side, must be an
old injury. It looks like the muscle may have been ripped and scar tissue has formed
which makes that side bigger. I'm hopeful that we can find a saddle that will make both
of us happy.