Woof!

There is a new puppy/dog at the barn. He's an Australian Shepherd. Talk about a bundle of energy! LA's daughter got him as a puppy and he's been around for about 6 months. He's a good dog. Gem is used to dogs. I believe a dog was his only companion in his first life and where he was boarded for a short while before I came into his life they had 3 chocolate labs that ran around the place.

Although it was against the rules, a previous boarder at LA's facility used to bring her lab/hound mix with her to the barn (why is it that some people don't think rules apply to them?). Chubby had a few favourite horses that she would sit in front of and then wait for the grooming to begin. It was so interesting to watch. The horse would go up and down Chubby's back mouthing and gently nibbling. Gem had an opportunity once to groom Chubby. He has actually groomed the barn cats, too.

I am fascinated by the relationship between a "predator" and "prey". Their lives have been intertwined for centuries. It got me thinking about what dog breeds have an affinity to horses.

Great Danes and mastiff-type dogs have long been coupled with horses. Great Danes are probably one of the oldest breeds. Dogs looking like the Great Dane appeared on Greek money 2,000 years ago! These powerful dogs were used for hunting bear and boar and for attacking opposing warriors during fighting. They were greatly admired and a status symbol. Can't you just picture them running along side horses?

The Wolfhound, Deerhound and Greyhound are also ancient breeds and were bred as hunting dogs in addition to guarding livestock and property. Their speed and agility was prized for running down prey.

Who has thought of a horse drawn carriage or a fire truck and not pictured a Dalmatian? These dogs were used to guard the coach when the owner was doing errands. Their great stamina allowed them to keep up with horses. When horse-drawn fire engines were in use, Dalmatians would run ahead barking to warn pedestrians and other vehicles - they were the sirens before sirens were invented!


Hounds, of course, were used with horses to chase down prey and that tradition exists today. More progressive countries and areas are now using a scent trail instead of chasing a live animal. A scent trail guarantees a good run, where depending on a live animal to chase/kill can be hit and miss, unless you are in an area that stocks animals for this purpose (don't get me started!).


The relationship between dogs and horse is not just confined to hunting and war activities. Having a good barn dog was worth his weight in gold. He was used to herd and guard barn animals and control vermin. Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Corgies, and Jack Russells are amongst the more popular breeds when it comes to farm life.

Australian Shepherds and Border Collies have endless energy and endurance coupled with great herding instincts. Although small in stature, the Corgi is still a favourite of horse folk in Britain. They are a cattle dog and ratter and were highly prized by Welsh farmers over the centuries. The Jack Russell's tenacity and energy makes him an excellent vermin exterminator around the barn.


So, what makes this work? How is it that horses and dogs have this relationship? How can a horse discern that a dog is not a threat? How can two animals who, in the wild would be prey and predator, learn to work together? Human intervention. In my opinion, man needed both of these animals to work together for his ultimate gain. The necessity of keeping the rodent population down in stables and barns was important. Man became the leader of both of these animals and forced them to work as a team. I believe that over time, each horse/dog passed down its tolerance of each other to their offspring and centuries later we continue to see dogs and horses living together in relative harmony. What do you think?

Life Lesson: It is your responsibility to make sure you are safe. Do not depend on anyone else for your safety and if you are uncomfortable in a situation, leave (this is where that $20 bill tucked in your wallet comes in handy!).

Driving Standard

With the exception of my Sunbird, every car I have owned has been a standard shift. I have had a Toyota Corona, an Austin Mini, Toyota Tercel, Sunbird, Honda Accord and my current car, a Honda Civic. Obviously driving a luxury car or a trendy vehicle doesn’t mean that much to me. All I require in a car is that it be reliable, good on gas and low maintenance....oh, and look good with my hair colour. :-) I usually keep my cars for a long time: my Honda Civic, which looks like the picture below, is 10 years old.

The last few years, I have noticed that my finesse at shifting gears is not as good as it used to be. My touch and balance with the clutch it is not as smooth; it’s slightly jerky. For those of you who drive standard, you will understand what I mean. This issue seems to appear when I engage 1st gear from a stop. I sometimes end up revving the engine before the gear is engaged. Or perhaps, when I release the clutch I pop it instead of releasing it with a smooth motion. Not all the time, but still..... Balancing the clutch and gas when I am stopped on an incline has become an issue for me. I am terrified of rolling back into another car! More often than not, my car sounds like a small engine plane getting ready for take off as I try to ensure that the clutch is engaged just enough to keep the car still on the incline. This has become such an issue for me that during rush hour there are some hills that that I will go out of my way to avoid. Driving standard is becoming a pain in the buttinski.

I had it in my head that because I knew how to coordinate my feet and hands when driving my car, I would know how to coordinate them when it came to riding :-) Yes, I had visions of being able to ride any horse presented to me when I first started lessons because I would be able to communicate to them so subtly and precisely that horses would love me and people would be in awe of me. Ah, not quite. Sigh.

The last time I rode Gem in the arena, I did not have spurs on (I use English spurs) and I did not have my crop with me. He was preoccupied and unresponsive. There were times I really had to kick him to get his attention, I had to push much harder to get him going and to keep him moving. Maintaining my balance became an issue. I rode him for 30 minutes and when I dismounted I was exhausted. Now, some of you out there might think that I should be working hard like that regularly; that I should be able to ride my horse without the use of artificial aids, with the exception of the bit. But, this ride reminded me very much of my current situation with driving standard; not being able to coordinate the gas and the clutch. Not my idea of fun.

Gem is by nature curious and lazy. But he is low maintenance and reliable....like my cars. :-) I only get to see him twice a week, and if I want to have a decent ride during lesson, I have to wear spurs - it helps to give him a much clearer message of what I want and frankly, it makes it easier on me. The crop is more for show than anything else; he just needs to see that I have it. :-) These aids, used in conjunction with my verbal commands, help make the ride a more productive and pleasant experience for both of us. Does that make me lazy? Perhaps.

It was pointed out to me recently that Gem's response time to my cues to transition is much quicker. What? Could it be that we are working more as a team? Yipee! Yes, confidence plays a part in how he is reacting to me. But I also think that his quicker response time is a result of my brain is processing what needs to be done and my body reacting without me even realizing it! I am not over-thinking what needs to be done, like when I am on a hill trying to balance my clutch and gas. Cues are becoming ......dare I say it.....automatic!! This means that my hope of becoming a respectable rider is one step closer!

So, you see, automatic is the next phase in my life, both in car and riding skills. I am looking forward to both. I have started to look at cars with an automatic transmission. What do you think? The Veloster is new. It's good on gas and has had decent reviews. And, yes....it looks good with my hair colour.... ;-)Life Lesson: Read books. Not only will you learn how beautiful the written language is, you will learn about the world.