I did not choose Loki. Lauren wanted a dog, so we visited the local shelter to look at them. We met a few and then we met Loki, who did not have a name. He had arrived at the shelter that very day, May 18th of 2013. (more…)
The Story of Thanos
It started with an intense desire to have a second dog. I tested the waters with Odin, who we rehabbed for a few months and rehomed. I wanted a dog that Loki could play with, and always have around so he was never totally bored. My heart had already been set on a pit mix, since the dog I had growing up was a pit mix. Knowing that black dogs are overlooked, I knew I had to seek out a black colored pit (though I wasn’t really going to select on color if it came down to it). With a lifestyle like mine, a dog needs to fit a certain set of criteria to make the cut. They must be friendly, with dogs and people! They must not be protective or possessive, and they must be accepting of horses. Having three cats at home only complicates the matter more.
Banana Oat Cookie Recipe
Are you ready to make some fun, wholesome cookies for your dogs and horses? I made this base recipe up as I went, and it turned out great! Depending on how long you cook them, they can be soft and chewy or crispy on the outside with a soft center. If you let them sit in the oven after you turn the oven off or bake for longer at a lower temperature, or make them extra thin, they will become crunchy all the way through! We like the chewy centers 😉 (more…)
Natural Homemade Remedies for Horses
Safe and natural products are my favorite, but they are usually way out of my price range. I spent a lot of time reading up on what to use as a homemade remedy for thrush and white line, and discovered a mixture that has been proving to do wonders at a very affordable cost! Unrefined coconut oil as a moisturizer has been a favorite for almost a year, and lavender spray for calming is quickly becoming one of my go-to items! (more…)
Just your average day
I’ve had some interest in people wanting to see what I do with Moxie on an average day, so this video shows the progression of a typical “easy”, at liberty play session and the things we do. I had to cut a lot out for time, but the entire session lasted about 45-60 min. A lot of the time is spent basically giving Moxie breaks to think, where I just give her a treat and let her stand for a bit. The rest of the time is just doing whatever tricks we both feel like doing (minus the rear, for now) and just trying to get her to stay connected to me and watching my movements. (more…)
Work It Out
As equestrians, we expect our horses to perform at their best. We typically help them perform to their full potential by exercising them, catering workouts to meet their particular needs. Obviously, some horses are more talented in certain areas than others, but learning what your horse’s strengths and weaknesses are will help you determine what kind of workout they need. (more…)
Transferring Cues: Shaking their head for “No!”
Something that we refer to a lot is transferring your cues to a new cue. What does this mean? How do you do it? It is really very simple! Some things are easier to teach with a direct physical motion as a cue, possibly involving touching your horse to cue a certain behavior or trick. But usually we want our horses to do these things from a more subtle cue. For example, for the trick where the horse shakes their head “no” it can be fun to teach your horse to shake their head when you shake your head. The easiest way to teach this trick however, is to tickle the hair right outside their ear. So how do you get from ear tickling to head shaking? (more…)
Spinning
Part of the dream of horses is sharing a dance with them. A beautiful step towards this dance is the twirl, which can be done in both directions using the human’s spin as the cue for the horse’s spin. It is a great exercise for reading body language and developing greater communication between horse and human, not to mention it’s just plain fun! All our horses absolutely love spinning, and will throw in spins at random if you let them.