To Snow or Not to Snow!

This week we have been having fall temperatures here in Pagosa, yet last week it looked like winter had finally arrived with quite the snowfall. I'm not complaining, I was able to do some fun stuff with Sienna this weekend because of the mild temperatures, but last weekend was a different story, one that these pictures will tell.

BEAU BEAU CHIBEAU

Beau Beau Chibeau is the name given to Beau at the barn by my friend Sarah who is from France, it means Handsome, Handsome, so Handsome, and it's the first word I would use when asked to describe my boy.

Beau was born in 2003 in Idaho. His sire was CW Major, his dam - Dianas Guard, his great grand sire was Major Bonanza. His AQHA registered name was Bonanzas Shiny Boy. I think this picture say's it all.

We passed our official Level Two assessment back in December of 2008. We were quite confident about all of the tasks except for holding his tongue, mostly because he was SO mouthy, he had sucked my fingers up into his back teeth a couple of times and chomped down. The night before my assessment we came up with a solution, I taught him to stick his tongue out rather than me going in there after it :0), ever since then he did it on command, you can see it here.

He had so much character that we even featured him a couple of times on the Facebook - "Put a caption on it" photos. This was the first picture, and this was the second.

He was superb at Liberty. He was super smart and picked things up at the drop of a hat. Being a Left Brain Extrovert, he craved learning new things and constantly challenged me to be creative. His flying lead changes were to die for, he was a natural, better at them than I was able to ask for.

In 2009 when Beau was five and just as we were moving into level three, Beau had check ligament surgery in both of his front legs. He was doing OK for a while but he had a couple of setbacks during his recovery, and in July of this year he had a major setback, one that he would never recover from.

I was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to him at the age of seven, and on November 11th, 2010 at 3.26pm, my handsome boy left this earth.

I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest and it has been difficult to write this post, fighting back the tears as I am thinking about him. I have heard Linda say that "We are exactly where we are supposed to be", and deep down I believe that our paths are written. It would be so easy to let the sadness take over and it has on several occasions as the loss is still so fresh, but I do feel lucky that in Beau's short life that he belonged to me, and even though he had been through so much in his short life, when it came to love and affection, I know he didn't suffer. We accomplished so much together and I don't think a day went by that he didn't put a smile on my face, even up until the end.

To those who have reached out and offered support at this time, I thank you. Your heartfelt words have meant so much.

To my boy - may you have four good legs where you are now, and may you be running and bucking to your hearts content.

I'm glad you were mine Beau, Beau, Chibeau.

How do you prepare?

Well it looks like Mackenzie and I finally found a place to rent. It's a great place with about 5 1/2 acres. I can't tell you how amazing it is to have our horses in our back yard. Looking out the window to see them grazing and exploring their new pasture is wonderful.

We even spent this weekend loading up 200+ bales of hay for the winter.

But I can't help but feel immense sadness as my other horse Beau is not doing so well back in Las Vegas. For those of you who don't know, Beau had check ligament surgery in both front legs back in March of 2009 and was doing OK for a while, but in July of this year he had a major set back and has been getting progressively worse. Even with all the care and proper exercise, the check ligament in his front right leg grew back with so much scar tissue that it's three times the size it should be, and it has grown adhesions that have attached to his deep digital and superficial digital flexor tendons. It's causing it to act like a bow that's being pulled tight and he is now over at the fetlock so severely that it's knuckling the wrong way. I have been told that there isn't much that can be done for him which has left me with a feeling of such helplessness it's unbearable.

It's been so difficult to be away from him yet thankful for friends in Vegas have been taking such good care of him, but I received a phone call last week and it sounds like he isn't doing so well.

I have the vet looking at him this Wednesday and at this point in time, I am fearing the worse, and I am wondering how you prepare yourself for the worse. My heart is breaking just thinking about it.

On The Move!

Ever since the ranch shut down I have been on the move in search of a rental property where we (Mackenzie and I) can keep our horses for the winter. I have house sat for several people which has been great, I've either had canine company or kitty company but most of all, electricity and running water LOL.

For the past few weeks I have been staying in a place temporarily (thanks to Parelli), and Sienna and Juno have been enjoying their time in their temporary pasture.

The girls in their pasture

Last week I made the drive back to Vegas to take care of a few things. It was nice to spend time with Justin, and I got to love on my two dogs Sophie and Milo, my other horse Beau and Sammy the cat.

My puppies

Sammy

The handsome Beau

I also traded my truck in while I was there. For those that follow my blogs, you'll know that we (Gina, Kerrin and I) ran into a bit of trouble on our way back to Pagosa with the horses in July. So Gina will be happy to know that I got this......

This last shot is for you Gina LOL

This truck did come with a few upgrades besides the 4 wheel drive, it also has dual heated front seats which will come on VERY handy for the next 6 months. It gives me peace of mind knowing that i'll have a toasty bum on my drive to and from work. :0)

The end of a season

Well it's official, the Colorado Parelli Campus has closed down for the winter. The remaining working students and Interns worked hard these past couple of weeks 'winterizing' the place; cleaning, building new fences, fertilizing the play areas, storing of equipment and general clean up. It weird to see the place so empty, no horses in the pens, no students in the playgrounds, no courses going on, tack room and cabins empty. There are a handful of horses left on the ranch including Sienna and her new friend Juno, until we can find a place to rent, and who knew that was going to be as tough as it is! I have to say though, that it's kind of cool to have the entire ranch to ourselves :0)

Pat and Linda were in attendance at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, then onto the Jacksonville Rendezvous, then finally the Florida campus in Ocala where they will be based for the winter.

The weather here in Pagosa has been pretty great, temps are in the 70's during the day. We've had a few fantastic thunderstorms these past two days and this morning it was 39 degrees at 8am. I witnessed the first dusting of snow on the mountains, a real sign that winter is truly on it's way!

It was great to have Justin here for the weekend, he got to see the ranch and the small town of Pagosa, but the highlight for us both was the hike up to Wolf Creek Pass and along the Continental Divide. I don't think I will forget the scenery for a very long time and the fall colors just made it all the more special. You can see pics of our hike here.

Sienna and Juno are getting along like they've known each other all their lives. Yesterday we moved them to a bigger pasture and they galloped around enjoying their new space. Once again it did my heart good to see my girl out in this big pasture just being a horse, I just wish that Beau was here and able to enjoy it too.

I am surrounded by so much beauty here, the scenery, the elk that are regulars on the ranch this time of year, the girls enjoying themselves out in their pasture, the hikes, the sunrise and sunsets......I could go on.

This is how it's meant to be

As things are winding down here for the winter, I can only look back on my 10 weeks here so far and think how lucky I was to be staying on the ranch, and to witness all that happens here. There have been some amazing things like watching Pat do his cow work lessons with his mastery students, Linda giving lessons on contact, the Saddle Fitting workshop and the Performance Summit. In addition to all the Fast Track courses and the two week confidence and finesse courses, there has been so much to see and even more to soak in.

Having Sienna here with me has made it

even more special. Last weekend the weather was so amazing, in the 70's with a slight breeze. Sienna and I were out exploring the ranch and we went cantering up this gorgeous green meadow........there might as well have been a choir singing in the background as it was one of those moments you just want to hang on to for ever. Luckily I have been able to capture this memory on film

thanks to Mackenzie Kincaid, my new friend and fabulous photographer. You can see some of her work here.

I have been letting Sienna graze more and more these days as she has not been on grass for two years, and she's very likely to end up on pasture when we find a place to live. I got permission to start letting her out in one of the pastures here since all the courses have finished and it's very quiet here at the ranch,and I couldn't help think that this is how it's meant to be. My heart felt good watching Sienna just be a horse and exploring her new surroundings. I think she enjoyed it too, you can see more pics here.

Now I just need to get the hubby here with the dogs and Sammy, and figure out what's best for Beau. I miss them all so much, but it's worth the wait, and I know they are going to love it here.

There's change in the air

Just last weekend the Parelli Performance Summit was in full swing. There was about 700 people in attendance, which made for a very busy ranch. The buzz was exciting with tents and vendors all eager to share in the event. We regularly hear Pat talk about putting the foundations before specialization, and this event was ALL about specialization. We saw everything from cow work to dressage, and jumping to driving. After the first day I didn't know if it could get any better, buteach day had us glued to our seats wondering what was next. The event ended on the Sunday with pat and Caton doing a wonderful father son demo with 5 of the Atwood horses, it was very touching and inspirational. You can see pictures here.

Linda on WestPoint Lauren Barwick on Manny

This week it is a different story on the ranch. The season is wrapping up here at the Parelli Campus as people are slowly but surely leaving, either heading to Florida for the winter, going home, or heading to the World Equestiran Games in Kentucky. The realization hit today as Pat and Linda stopped by the office to say goodbye. There were hugs all around and an air of change.

The last week of Fast Track is taking place at the ranch, after that they prepare to close down for the winter. It<'s hard to believe that this time has come around so quickly and that winter will be upon us soon.

Dreams do come true

I came here 8 weeks ago as a Social Media Intern not really sure what to expect, but I can tell you now that this has been one heck of a ride. I wrote an introductory blog about my Parelli journey and how I ended up here, and from the moment I returned to Pagosa I was praying that it might turn into a permanent position.
My dream came true recently when I sat down with Neil and Sue for a meeting and at the end of it, they told me I was being hired permanently, one week before my internship was due to finish.

After working in Social Media for the past 8 weeks and to see how we are helping people get connected, I am hooked and really excited to be a part of it all. There are so many exciting things on the horizon to help all of you find what you need, and wonderful tools to help you track your horsemanship goals, so stay tuned for that!

So there are many BIG changes ahead for me and my family, but I am up for it and looking forward to what the future may bring.

The A-Team

I am still amazed that I am here sometimes and even more amazed at the things I see. Last week our horses were down in the Intern pens as there was a lot of people here for the Fast Track. Being down there we got to see a different side of things all together.

One night after work I was playing with Sienna in one of the arenas when Linda Parelli, Kathy Baar, Lyndsey Fitch and Amy Book came riding down from Linda's house. Linda was on Westpoint, Lyndsey on Allure, Amy on Remmer and Kathy on her horse Macchiato. They went into the arena next Sienna and I to ride. It was like watching the "A Team". I of course stopped what I was doing as just watching these masters at play had me glued to my bare back pad. I think even Sienna learned something from watching them, it was just fantastic.

The best part was when they were riding back up to the house, by then Sienna and I were trotting figure of eights around some barrels when Linda looked up and said: "that looks really good"!! well I can tell you I almost fell off with excitement..........getting a compliment from Linda Parelli.....well it just made my night!

Saddle Makeover

Last Saturday there was an all day saddle makeover workshop for the new one and two star instructors, and I was fortunate enough to sit in on it.

I have to say that the demo started off with a funny moment when Vinnie (Linda's dog) caught a mouse and ran into the arena in front of everyone and started to play with it. Linda did her best to try and save the mouse when Letitia stepped in to help and Moxie (Linda's other dog) decided it would be good to get in on the action also, LOL. It had a good ending though and the mouse was saved!!

In the morning, Linda Parelli and Letitia Glenn (Parelli Saddle makers) gave a very informative demo on all of their saddles and in the afternoon session we watched four horses get 'made over'.

I have had a hard time finding a saddle to fit Sienna so I was all ears and eyes during the demo. I can honestly say that the transformation in the four horses was amazing, if I hadn't seen it for my own eyes I probably would have not have believed it.

One horse in particular - a high headed Arab was amazing to watch. We watched him being ridden in an ill fitting saddle at first. He rode with his head high and was a little frisky also, then after a proper saddle fitting it was like watching a different horse. By the end of the demo, the horse was stretching out it's neck, was very relaxed, and at times his nose was almost touching the floor, quite a different image to the high head he started off with.

You were left with the importance of a good saddle fit and how a 'free' shoulder can promote better movement.

You can see pictures here, although they loaded in reverse order for some reason, so you'll need to click on the last picture and work backwards. :0)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

I haven't said much about my actual horsemanship with Sienna since we have been here together. You all heard she hurt her back and I haven't been able to ride her, but we have been having a ton of fun on the ground. She has been offering so much when we play, and it seems like everything we do, she thinks I am asking her to put her hoof on "it". :0) She has offered to put her hoof on the pedestal, a cone, a frisby and the other day a big log. The funniest was the big green ball, she usually pushes it with her nose, but she decided to put her hoof right on the top of it, she rolled her leg forward and the ball went with her, then she brought her leg back and the ball followed. It was funny to see her rolling the ball back and forth like that and she seemed to be enjoying it just as much.

We have been playing a lot at liberty too and she has been sticking to me like glue. So to up the game, instead of asking her to just "Stick to me" at the walk, trot and canter, we have been playing with different speeds. Slow walk, fast walk, slow trot, fast trot.....and I am amazed at her willingness to stay with me no matter how slow or fast we go. God I love this horse. Her back up from zone five has improved, we backed up half way around the round pen by the tail the other night. We have also been working on tight circles around me, which for a big girl like her was a struggle in the beginning. We have been using the 22ft rope and gradually shortening the rope each time she goes around, and after doing that for four days in a row, tonight she did it at liberty which was just amazing.This week Sienna and Titan (Gina's Horse) are down at Pat's barn as we had over 50 people come in for this last Fast Track and they needed our pens. I miss rolling over in my top bunk, looking out the window and being able to see her, but it's only for a week.

I have been using the red light on her back and on Sunday she felt good enough to test the waters. I sat on her bareback while she grazed and then asked her to take a few steps, she seemed OK so tonight (Saturday) we rode from Pats barn up to the playground in the bareback pad, rode in the small coverall for a little bit then rode back down and she seems all good now. Her hair is still growing back, but her back is no longer sore. While it's so wonderful to have my girl here with me, I can't forget about my Beau boy back in Las Vegas. I miss having him here with us and I am forever grateful to the my friends who are looking after him so well for me. I don't know how i'll ever be able to say thank you enough.

Until next time......

What a beautiful day!

Today there was a level two clinic taking place at the ranch today for employees and locals, so I headed up with my camera to watch for a bit. Click here to see more pictures.

People practicing rope skills at the Level 2 clinic

Around 10am I went and got Sienna and we played for about 2 hours. Her back is still sore and can't be ridden yet so we had some fun on the ground. I took her for a walk to explore the property a bit, then we played on the pedestal, the teeter-totter, with the ball, and ended up playing in the pond. Click here to see more pictures.

Sienna in the pond

Then we (Gina, Kerrin and myself) had lunch with our horses. We sat under the shade of a tree while our horses grazed around us. It's moments like that you need to cherish!.

This afternoon Kerrin and I watched some more of the clinic, then the three of us went into town to get a bite to eat.

Today was one of those days where the weather was perfect, the company was great, and the horses were wonderful. It was one of those days when I just felt blessed!

Beautiful Pagosa

I just thought I would share some images that i've taken recently around Pagosa. It really is beautiful here, and this mornings temperatures were so cool that there was steam coming off the local golf course lake which I pass on the way to work. You can see them here.

How did she do that?

It seems it's been a while since I wrote my last blog, but having Sienna here puts a whole new spin on: "Time flies when your having fun!"

Gina, Kerrin and I leave the office around 12.30, go back to the ranch, grab a quick lunch then go get our horses. We usually just let them graze for the half hour that we have with them and before we know it, we are rushing back to work.
After work, we head back to the ranch again, grab a quick dinner then go get our horses once more. We usually have a couple of hours before the sun goes down so we make the most of it.
Last weekend was our first full weekend with the horses and on Saturday, Sienna and I participated in the Parelli games that they have here on the weekends, we did our online, liberty and freestyle challenges and as usual, Sienna did just great. In the afternoon we played in the honeycombs and the playground, and it was such a beautiful day.
Sunday I planned to ride her a little more around the property to get her used to the surrounding areas, but when I woke up Sunday morning and looked out the window of the cabin, (I can see the horses from my top bunk,) Sienna was not in her pen!!!!!.......

Boltar, Titan and Sienna in their pens

My heart started beating fast as I rubbed my eyes to wake them up, and looked around in a panic to see if I could see her......then I spotted her standing outside Titan's pen (Gina's horse, they are quite the buddies), they were hanging out.I got dressed in a hurry and legged it down to the pens. One of the Fast Track students got to her first and put her back in her pen, but when I got up close, all the hair was missing off Sienna's spine.

My heart started pounding even faster not knowing what she had done to herself and how hurt she might be. I started looking around her pen for signs of a struggle, there really wasn't any. But I did find some of her hair under the bottom rail and in the empty pen next to her, plus that pen was not closed and that's how Sienna got out. All I can surmise is that she laid down and got herself so far under the bottom rail, that when she went to stand up, she had no other option than to go forward.
Apart from the hair missing off her back she was also swollen by her right withers, but other than that she was in good shape....just obviously very sore.

Sienna's swollen withers and missing hair

So my poor girl has been out of action this week as far as riding, but we have had some fun on the ground and just taking it easy. Hopefully she will be OK for a saddle fitting on Sunday (which we were supposed to do the day she hurt herself), but I will probably give her another week off from riding. It will just mean more undemanding time, and there is nothing wrong with that :0)

In a happy place!

I think these images speak for them selves. Sienna has settled in nicely and is enjoying the green grass and the cooler temperatures. It's in the 50's both mornings and evenings, and about 80 during the day with the occasional thunderstorm and rain. She has a great view from her pen of practically the whole ranch and can watch the clinics and lessons going on around her. (I wonder if she is really learning anything by watching :0).
I get up around 6am, clean her stall and give her fresh water and her breakfast, then head off to work. At lunch time we head back to the ranch and I take her out and let her graze.
In the evenings we go out and play and we have so many choices: the obstacles, arena grande, the honeycombes, the round pens, the pond, or the coverall. Either way Sienna takes everything in her stride and seems to be loving it here. You can see more pictures here.

The only thing that could make it better is if my Beau Boy was here also. I think about him all the time and wish he was here to enjoy it also.

The Beau Man

Gina and her horse Titan, and Kerrin and her loaner horse Boltar are also loving it here.Gina and Titan

Kerrin and Boltar

Back with the horses!

Well we finally did it. We (Gina, Kerrin and myself) took a trip back to Vegas this weekend to pick up the horses. We had a fun drive back, stopping at the 4 corners and the famous Las Vegas sign to take pictures.

We got in fairly late Friday so we were up early Saturday to go out to my horses. It was so good to see them after 5 weeks without them. Unfortunately Beau showed up lame Sat morning so the vet was called. They are not sure what's wrong and he was put on Butte and stall rest for the next week, which meant that I would not be able to take him back to Pagosa for Kerrin to play with. It was pretty devastating news, he would have loved it here, but once again I am VERY thankful to the wonderful friends I have at my barn, who will care for him like he was their own.x
Saturday afternoon, Gina's horse arrived in Vegas, her parents had driven him down from Oregon. He settled in nicely and we put him next to Sienna for the night so they could get acquainted.

Sunday we loaded up the horses and hit the road around 6.30am. The drive was going really well and then the adventure started. Gina was now driving while I was sleeping, and when I woke up the conversation and the up-coming chain of events went a little like this:

Gina: "Sharon, do you have any spare gas?"
Sharon: "No, why?"
Gina: Because the idiot light just came on"
Sharon: Are you kidding me?" (i think i may have used slightly stronger language than that!)
Gina: NO!!!!!

Sharon: Shit!! (I then check the range on the truck and we have less than 6 miles before we run out, CRAP!, we are also on a desolate road, not knowing where the next gas station is)
Gina: "Do you think we should stop at the next house we see?"

Before I could answer, Gina was indicating and pulling into a turn out. There was a gate with a path leading to some buildings that looked more like some kind of business than a house. We went in and was greeted by a very friendly sheep, then saw a man going into one of the buildings. We knock on the door and out comes the man who we now know as Andrew. He just happened to have 5 gallons of gas sitting in the back of his truck which we paid him for, (it was all the cash we had on us also), and he helped us put it into my truck. We thanked him profusely then got back in the truck to leave, only we weren't going anywhere.

I put the truck in drive and feel the back wheels spinning, so I put it in reverse and the same thing happens. Gina gets out and starts laughing again and says, "just stop". I get out and the back wheels are buried and the trailer hitch is about 2 inches from the ground. Gina informs me that I should have a four wheel drive, (not really helpful at this point) then Kerrin gets out and starts laughing also (I was not laughing at all!!!!). Gina finds a piece of tin roofing and I find a piece of wood to put behind the back tires. I get in, put the truck in reverse and Gina tells me to stop and starts laughing even more!!!! grrrrrr!!! I get out and the tin roofing has moulded itself to the shape of the tire and shot through to the middle of the truck. Apparently this chain of events now seemed camera worthy to Kerrin who is now capturing images of the entire thing!!!

Just when we were figuring out what to do next, we look up and here comes Andrew in a digger!. This guy turns out to be a life saver as he towed the truck out of the mud, but just when we think we are safe to go, even though the truck is out of the mud, the trailer is not. (Gina thinks now is a good time to remind me AGAIN that I should have a four wheel drive, grrrr!!!) So Andrew towed us out again until truck and trailer were free and we were in our way.

Only then did the whole adventure strike me as funny and we drove off down the road laughing.

Sooooooo, I have learned two valuable lessons from this whole thing:

1. ALWAYS carry spare gas
2. I am trading my truck in for a 4 wheel drive the first chance I get!!! (that got a high five from Gina :0))

I also want to say thank you to Greg Chianello (Gina's Dad) for getting his daughter stuck in so many situations as a young girl, that she kept a level head and knew what to try (even though she was laughing the entire time) :0), and to Kerrin for capturing it all on camera so we can look back at it later and laugh again.

Lastly we want to thank Andrew who was brilliant that day. I took his name and address and in fact maybe you could help us decide what to do for him to say a big thank you?

I cant help thinking of the circumstances that day and how lucky we were to stop where we did, (even though Gina said she scoped out the place, to which I informed her that if she had scoped out where to park also we wouldn't have got stuck :0)). Anyway, what were the chances that this guy not only had gas, but a digger also!!!!!!

hummmmmmm!!!!

Having a great week here at Parelli Central!

What a week this has been....

Monday night Pat was filming at the Parelli Campus and we caught sight of him driving Rick Lamb and his wife around the ranch in horse and wagon. We also had the pleasure of having Ian Hayward here this week. Ian is a consultant from the UK who was instrumental in helping Parelli get all their Social Media Platforms up and running. We had some great meetings and learned a lot from him. Lastly, Caton Parelli was celebrating that he now owns and can legally haul the trailer that Pat and Linda used to travel with when Caton was a small boy. I took some pictures which you can see on Tumblr.

Tuesday there was a meeting after work with Pat, Linda and the executive team who shared their experiences with Zappos, and what the future may hold for Parelli. The meeting ended with an ice cream social :0)

Wednesday, we here at Parelli Central actually got to meet Rick Lamb and his wife Dianna. We showed them what goes on behind the scenes.

Today we are all busy as Brett (boss) leaves for vacation tomorrow, and Gina, Kerrin and myself are headed back to Vegas tomorrow to pick up our horses. Gina's folks are driving her horse (Titan) down from Oregon tomorrow and will meet us in Vegas on Saturday. Gina will board her horse at my barn overnight, then on Sunday we will load up, Beau, Sienna and Titan and head back to Pagosa. I am bringing Beau for Kerrin to play with as her horses are in the UK.We are all really excited to have our horses with us for the remaining 4 weeks that we have at the ranch as we have been going through withdrawal :0

Kerrin and I with Caton Parelli

Pat and Linda with Vinnie and Moxie at the meeting

Rick Lamb and his wife Dianna with Pat at the ranch