Disaster struck a few weeks ago! Horses get into the craziest things but this time, I WAS THE CAUSE!
I have 3 mares, you know, MARES. I have one that has high liver Enzymes and COPD which makes things additionally challenging and has me on a whole new journey into the world of TOXINS and what is not toxic. My horses and I have been "Clean" for over a year now!
I used to have hot flashes, lots and lots of hot flashes but I fixed that. The horses have very mild cycles and all 3 get along great. I never have issues, feeding time, taking one or two of them out, they are always just calm and quiet. Truthfully, they are better than my geldings used to be.
Three weeks ago, I found a "STASH" of SWAT. I thought hmmm….I better use this stuff up. It had been a year since I had used anything commercial on my horses, I make my own. After finding the Swat, I just put a dab on their bellies for the no-see-ums. That was it….just a DAB!
24 hours later, I noticed pinned ears. 48 hours I had 3 horses in FULL CYCLE, Kicking each other and extremely aggressive. I also noticed that I was having hot flashes again, HUGE NASTY ONES. Was it possible that a dab of Swat could influence hormones that drastically????
The answer was yes, sadly, it was the SWAT That was fully responsible for not only mares trying to kill each other, but also for me feeling horrible and not even wanting to function! It took a full week for the 4 of us to recover. From TWO NIGHTS of a little dab of SWAT! That is what started my journey into Toxins and hormones.
Mares always get a bad wrap and it got me wondering, are we, the HUMANS, the cause of the mares bad wrap?????
I decided to go through and check the ingredients of EVERYTHING in my tack room, no small feat and I actually gave up after only a few items. EVERYTHING had Toxins, cancer causing, poison control warnings, Endocrine Blockers, you name it, it was in the ingredients. I just used CDC and the Center for poison control to look stuff up, stuff I could not pronounce or even type! The worst were the cleaning products.
The SWAT Went in the trash, I developed a non-toxic salve (I like to call it TAWS since it is the Anti-Swat) and if you have read this far, the recipe is in the Three Snippets for you!
If you are interested in finding out more, click here to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!"
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
I have 3 mares, you know, MARES. I have one that has high liver Enzymes and COPD which makes things additionally challenging and has me on a whole new journey into the world of TOXINS and what is not toxic. My horses and I have been "Clean" for over a year now!
I used to have hot flashes, lots and lots of hot flashes but I fixed that. The horses have very mild cycles and all 3 get along great. I never have issues, feeding time, taking one or two of them out, they are always just calm and quiet. Truthfully, they are better than my geldings used to be.
Three weeks ago, I found a "STASH" of SWAT. I thought hmmm….I better use this stuff up. It had been a year since I had used anything commercial on my horses, I make my own. After finding the Swat, I just put a dab on their bellies for the no-see-ums. That was it….just a DAB!
24 hours later, I noticed pinned ears. 48 hours I had 3 horses in FULL CYCLE, Kicking each other and extremely aggressive. I also noticed that I was having hot flashes again, HUGE NASTY ONES. Was it possible that a dab of Swat could influence hormones that drastically????
The answer was yes, sadly, it was the SWAT That was fully responsible for not only mares trying to kill each other, but also for me feeling horrible and not even wanting to function! It took a full week for the 4 of us to recover. From TWO NIGHTS of a little dab of SWAT! That is what started my journey into Toxins and hormones.
Mares always get a bad wrap and it got me wondering, are we, the HUMANS, the cause of the mares bad wrap?????
I decided to go through and check the ingredients of EVERYTHING in my tack room, no small feat and I actually gave up after only a few items. EVERYTHING had Toxins, cancer causing, poison control warnings, Endocrine Blockers, you name it, it was in the ingredients. I just used CDC and the Center for poison control to look stuff up, stuff I could not pronounce or even type! The worst were the cleaning products.
The SWAT Went in the trash, I developed a non-toxic salve (I like to call it TAWS since it is the Anti-Swat) and if you have read this far, the recipe is in the Three Snippets for you!
If you are interested in finding out more, click here to get my "3 Snippets of Removing Toxins from the Tack Room!"
Detoxing Your Tack Room SNIPPETS!
There are so many places that I could start this part of my story. I have talked about the accident, I have talked about some of the things I have gone through, but I think I will start this part of the story with Taika. I lost my big jumper in 2013 and I just know that somehow, he brought Taika to me in Sept of that year. She was three and had flipped in the starting gate at the racetrack and fractured her skull and ended up with kissing spine (or the KS was the reason she flipped, we will never know which). Where did I start, where did I turn, what steps did I take? It was Daunting!
1. Fix the Physical!
My fear of flipping and her terror at flipping caused us to be a great match for an amazing learning journey. First things first, almost everyone really thought I should put her down. My heart told me different. I worked with vets/chiropractors and a lot of physical therapy exercises to heal her. It took three years but she was deemed 100% sound. During this time, I had learned a lot about horse training so I would be ready when she was ready to get back on.
2. Understand the training!
I found CJ Corral, Carson James, the Buckaroo Crew and through them I also found Warwick Schiller (and a few others). These trainers and supporters gave me the tools I thought I needed to enjoy riding again! It certainly helped. But, getting on and riding Taika again was petrifying. She was scared and I was scared. Just about every time I touched the left rein, she BOLTED RIGHT. We had a LONG way to go and a lot of fear to get over!
I had thought training the HORSE was the answer, WRONG....It is part of it, but not the WHOLE it.....we left out the most important part......
3. Healing our emotions! (Healing Taika's will be a future Blog post!)
Fear follows you, it hunts you down and surrounds you when you need it the least, or at least that is what I thought. Her fear, my fear, the combination was TNT. What I discovered was that I really needed both of our fear to GROW! I needed it to FIND my courage! I needed it to LIVE LIFE in the saddle again.
Finally, last August, I found the start of some help for me, my emotions! I had a lady help me with a process called Aroma Freedom Technique (AFT). My goal for the session was to enjoy riding again. The process we developed, was Thieves essential oil on the Left Wrist and Stress Away on the Right wrist. The left wrist gave me COURAGE, and the right wrist gave me CALM. This first step in the process of working on my emotions, was amazing and it STOPPED the Bolting Right, but I never understood the bolting right, at least not at this point.
I remember that day, the first day that we turned effortlessly left, the smile on my face was HUGE, and the relief in Taika, was palpable.
4. But was that all?
My journey continues. Emotionally healing takes time, effort, and most of all, it in and of itself, takes COURAGE. It is one day, one ride, one step at a time. It is understanding that emotions for both you and the horse flow, just like the tide, good days and not so good days. It takes courage to Not ride when things are not right, and it takes even more courage to NOT use FEAR as an excuse. It is a journey, and I have a long way to go on this journey.
I talk a bit more about my journey to emotional healing in a short Youtube video and it includes my latest breakthrough, for me, IT WAS HUGE. It explained the BOLTING RIGHT when I touched the Left rein, and it WASN'T WHAT I THOUGHT! To watch, Click here!
I love having support and supporting others with building Courage! If you haven't joined my FB group, Finding Courage, and are interested in a support community for Courage, click here!
1. Fix the Physical!
My fear of flipping and her terror at flipping caused us to be a great match for an amazing learning journey. First things first, almost everyone really thought I should put her down. My heart told me different. I worked with vets/chiropractors and a lot of physical therapy exercises to heal her. It took three years but she was deemed 100% sound. During this time, I had learned a lot about horse training so I would be ready when she was ready to get back on.
2. Understand the training!
I found CJ Corral, Carson James, the Buckaroo Crew and through them I also found Warwick Schiller (and a few others). These trainers and supporters gave me the tools I thought I needed to enjoy riding again! It certainly helped. But, getting on and riding Taika again was petrifying. She was scared and I was scared. Just about every time I touched the left rein, she BOLTED RIGHT. We had a LONG way to go and a lot of fear to get over!
I had thought training the HORSE was the answer, WRONG....It is part of it, but not the WHOLE it.....we left out the most important part......
3. Healing our emotions! (Healing Taika's will be a future Blog post!)
Fear follows you, it hunts you down and surrounds you when you need it the least, or at least that is what I thought. Her fear, my fear, the combination was TNT. What I discovered was that I really needed both of our fear to GROW! I needed it to FIND my courage! I needed it to LIVE LIFE in the saddle again.
Finally, last August, I found the start of some help for me, my emotions! I had a lady help me with a process called Aroma Freedom Technique (AFT). My goal for the session was to enjoy riding again. The process we developed, was Thieves essential oil on the Left Wrist and Stress Away on the Right wrist. The left wrist gave me COURAGE, and the right wrist gave me CALM. This first step in the process of working on my emotions, was amazing and it STOPPED the Bolting Right, but I never understood the bolting right, at least not at this point.
I remember that day, the first day that we turned effortlessly left, the smile on my face was HUGE, and the relief in Taika, was palpable.
4. But was that all?
My journey continues. Emotionally healing takes time, effort, and most of all, it in and of itself, takes COURAGE. It is one day, one ride, one step at a time. It is understanding that emotions for both you and the horse flow, just like the tide, good days and not so good days. It takes courage to Not ride when things are not right, and it takes even more courage to NOT use FEAR as an excuse. It is a journey, and I have a long way to go on this journey.
I talk a bit more about my journey to emotional healing in a short Youtube video and it includes my latest breakthrough, for me, IT WAS HUGE. It explained the BOLTING RIGHT when I touched the Left rein, and it WASN'T WHAT I THOUGHT! To watch, Click here!
I love having support and supporting others with building Courage! If you haven't joined my FB group, Finding Courage, and are interested in a support community for Courage, click here!
I can't get back the days I have missed riding. I can't get back the joy I would have had riding on those days. They are GONE forever. I have been going through a grieving process for those days..... A cleansing......
I have lost hundreds of hours using FEAR as an excuse. I am not going to lie and say it is all ok....it ISN'T.
So, let's really look at fear and what I am going to do differently in the future, and what you can do!
FEAR is ok, it is natural and we should and do feel it! But, the first thing we have to do, is evaluate the FEAR.
What is causing us fear?
1. Is it something we need to do something about immediately. Example: I am afraid when my horse pins her ears at me.....THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION.....The horse is communicating with you and you need to have the conversation with the horse. Every case is different, I can't tell you what to do in your particular situation, but I can tell you, your horse is communicating with you, are you listening?
2. Is it something that we are carrying with us from the past? There are things we can DO to get past that. Example: The horse I was riding Flipped over on me, in 2000 because he was bit by a black widow. I have missed HOURS of riding and enjoying my horses because I carried that fear, from the past along with me......it was heavy, it was daunting, and it was IN THE PAST. (See the 3 Snaps exercise reference below!)
Fear should be evaluated, honored, and then either ACT if appropriate as in Number 1, or Let it go as in number 2.....but Don't let it be the excuse you are not enjoying your horses and riding. This will be OUR path to COURAGE...together.....You, me, and our beautiful horses!
What are some things we can do?
1. Coaching session (My FB group did one last week, it Helped tremendously). Join our support community, Finding Courage where we share and learn and grow through our challenges and fears. We even once in a while get a surprise guest to help us out, Like Mindsets Matter with Jazz! (Link will be at the end).
2. Get help with your horse if the fear is associated with your current horse. In my opinion, make sure the help is for YOU to help the horse and the two of you get that help together. I don't like the idea of sending a horse to a trainer because in my experience, Most, not all, issues are communication between you and your horse and that is what needs to be embraced!
3. Ruling out all health issues for you and most importantly, the horse.
4. Use props and techniques that you can learn to help you. I love using oils on me and the horses, for courage and calm. I love the 3 snaps technique (More information a little further down). I love pretending to be my favorite trainer. Different things work for different people. I was given advice to Sing when I get nervous. When I tried that one, my horse stopped, pinned her ears, and tried to bite my foot.....guess that wasn't for me.....but the point is, find things to help you. I wrote 3 snippets about this which you can get at the end of this blog, so keep reading!
Summary of the story, Don't let fear be an excuse to keep you from riding your horse if it is something that happened in the past or you are afraid will happen in the future.
Here are some changes I have MADE!
I rode Run Binky Run, today, May 24th, 2020. She came home in Oct, 2018, and I used FEAR from the day she got here until now, NOT to get on her....She was a DREAM, so relaxed and amazing to ride. I rode Michelle's Fault today. Her 4th ride since arriving off the track, Dec. 30th, 2019 and the first since Jan. 6th. No lunging for either one, no fuss, no fear....just brushed, tacked up and got on and rode! So much freedom, So much Calm, So much Courage! and the best....SO MUCH JOY!
Here is a little summary of the coaching we had in the FINDING COURAGE FB group.....
We had an AMAZING Group coaching call, with Jazz, at Mindsets Matter in my Finding Courage, support community. She helped four of us, work through our FEAR. She helped each of us look at it and FEEL it. She helped each of us go through a process, that fit our specifics, to process that fear into LOVE. For me, the connection I have had to the accident in 2000, was SEVERED....not fixed, not released, but sent back to heaven with my Thank you for all that it has served me to be turned back into divine love. The process was beautiful, crazy, intense, and a huge SHIFT in my very center.
This wasn't what I expected, I have been through a lot of counseling and work after the horse flipped on me, but it was on a cellular level and it was VERY GOOD. If you ever have a need to work through fear, consider having Jazz help you, JUMP ON IT, click here to contact Jazz!! (Ask her to give you the 3 Snaps Technique, HUGE).
My favorite quote from Jazz during the session: Forgiveness is the KEY, Love is the ANSWER.
This did lead to some GRIEVING.....for the fear...it is gone, it is now love, but...IT IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE! COURAGE ON my friends! Courage on.
If you read this far, you deserve a bonus.....Click here to get my Snippets, 3 Easy Ways to build Courage with your horse.
I have lost hundreds of hours using FEAR as an excuse. I am not going to lie and say it is all ok....it ISN'T.
So, let's really look at fear and what I am going to do differently in the future, and what you can do!
FEAR is ok, it is natural and we should and do feel it! But, the first thing we have to do, is evaluate the FEAR.
What is causing us fear?
1. Is it something we need to do something about immediately. Example: I am afraid when my horse pins her ears at me.....THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION.....The horse is communicating with you and you need to have the conversation with the horse. Every case is different, I can't tell you what to do in your particular situation, but I can tell you, your horse is communicating with you, are you listening?
2. Is it something that we are carrying with us from the past? There are things we can DO to get past that. Example: The horse I was riding Flipped over on me, in 2000 because he was bit by a black widow. I have missed HOURS of riding and enjoying my horses because I carried that fear, from the past along with me......it was heavy, it was daunting, and it was IN THE PAST. (See the 3 Snaps exercise reference below!)
Fear should be evaluated, honored, and then either ACT if appropriate as in Number 1, or Let it go as in number 2.....but Don't let it be the excuse you are not enjoying your horses and riding. This will be OUR path to COURAGE...together.....You, me, and our beautiful horses!
What are some things we can do?
1. Coaching session (My FB group did one last week, it Helped tremendously). Join our support community, Finding Courage where we share and learn and grow through our challenges and fears. We even once in a while get a surprise guest to help us out, Like Mindsets Matter with Jazz! (Link will be at the end).
2. Get help with your horse if the fear is associated with your current horse. In my opinion, make sure the help is for YOU to help the horse and the two of you get that help together. I don't like the idea of sending a horse to a trainer because in my experience, Most, not all, issues are communication between you and your horse and that is what needs to be embraced!
3. Ruling out all health issues for you and most importantly, the horse.
4. Use props and techniques that you can learn to help you. I love using oils on me and the horses, for courage and calm. I love the 3 snaps technique (More information a little further down). I love pretending to be my favorite trainer. Different things work for different people. I was given advice to Sing when I get nervous. When I tried that one, my horse stopped, pinned her ears, and tried to bite my foot.....guess that wasn't for me.....but the point is, find things to help you. I wrote 3 snippets about this which you can get at the end of this blog, so keep reading!
Summary of the story, Don't let fear be an excuse to keep you from riding your horse if it is something that happened in the past or you are afraid will happen in the future.
Here are some changes I have MADE!
I rode Run Binky Run, today, May 24th, 2020. She came home in Oct, 2018, and I used FEAR from the day she got here until now, NOT to get on her....She was a DREAM, so relaxed and amazing to ride. I rode Michelle's Fault today. Her 4th ride since arriving off the track, Dec. 30th, 2019 and the first since Jan. 6th. No lunging for either one, no fuss, no fear....just brushed, tacked up and got on and rode! So much freedom, So much Calm, So much Courage! and the best....SO MUCH JOY!
Here is a little summary of the coaching we had in the FINDING COURAGE FB group.....
We had an AMAZING Group coaching call, with Jazz, at Mindsets Matter in my Finding Courage, support community. She helped four of us, work through our FEAR. She helped each of us look at it and FEEL it. She helped each of us go through a process, that fit our specifics, to process that fear into LOVE. For me, the connection I have had to the accident in 2000, was SEVERED....not fixed, not released, but sent back to heaven with my Thank you for all that it has served me to be turned back into divine love. The process was beautiful, crazy, intense, and a huge SHIFT in my very center.
This wasn't what I expected, I have been through a lot of counseling and work after the horse flipped on me, but it was on a cellular level and it was VERY GOOD. If you ever have a need to work through fear, consider having Jazz help you, JUMP ON IT, click here to contact Jazz!! (Ask her to give you the 3 Snaps Technique, HUGE).
My favorite quote from Jazz during the session: Forgiveness is the KEY, Love is the ANSWER.
This did lead to some GRIEVING.....for the fear...it is gone, it is now love, but...IT IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE! COURAGE ON my friends! Courage on.
If you read this far, you deserve a bonus.....Click here to get my Snippets, 3 Easy Ways to build Courage with your horse.
Let's talk about Flying Pests! (and some that crawl).........
I had a huge challenge with a horse that was rescued from Hurricane Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. Not to mention, she has a lot of Chrome! I think because of being immersed in water for so long, her skin just isn't right even now, several years later! She is so sensitive. Combine that with the other two mares, they all seem to be very sensitive to chemicals that are toxic. I have discovered that it affects their cycles as well.
In comes me, wanting them to be fly free, or as close as possible, and doing that only using products that do no harm. I am their advocate.
1. Where I started, SmartPak Bug Off - works great as long as all the horses are getting it. One horse on it, in a pasture of 5 others, doesn't help at all in my opinion. The nearest horses to us are a few miles away so I can use this to get the bugs significantly reduced! Before doing anything else I had about 10 flies on the face and the neighbors that I went and checked, had probably close to 100 so I know this is a good first step.
2. I discovered that not all pests, react the same to what I tried. SOOOOO.....I took all my supplies into the 3 sided shed on a hot day, and my computer, and I tracked what I sprayed and what happened to the pests until, one by one, they were pretty much gone. So much so, that even on hot days now, my horses seem to go out and graze about 70% of the time where as before this, they grazed about 10% of the time and that was usually just going to and from the water trough. I started with a base and then added.
Base: (in 24 ounce spray bottle)
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (I use the filtered one making fly spray unless I have other issues and then I use the one with Mother)
1 cap of Thieves Household Cleaner - Flies, No-see-ums, Gnats
1/2 tsp of YL Insect Repellent - Flies, Mosquitoes, and most importantly around here - TICKS
Add in as necessary for your area:
30 drops Rosemary - Flies, Mosquitoes
30 drops Lavender - Skin Support
30 drops Tea Tree - Fleas, Mosquitoes, biting insects
20 drops Citronella - Mosquitoes, Biting flies, no-see-ums and gnats
20 drops Lemon - Flies
10 drops *Purification - (if you have deer flies)
10 drops Clove (if you have deer flies)
10 drops Peppermint - Mosquitoes
30 drops Lavender - Skin Support
30 drops Tea Tree - Fleas, Mosquitoes, biting insects
20 drops Citronella - Mosquitoes, Biting flies, no-see-ums and gnats
20 drops Lemon - Flies
10 drops *Purification - (if you have deer flies)
10 drops Clove (if you have deer flies)
10 drops Peppermint - Mosquitoes
10 - 20 drops of Lemongrass - TICKS
10-20 drops Basil - Big Black Horse Flies
Fill the rest of the bottle slowly with water and you are ready to do battle!
If you are interested but don't know where to get the products, click here: Get the ingredients here!
(If you were to do all of them, it comes to about $13.00 per bottle of spray but I have never seen anyone need even most of them)
Application: Fairly heavy coating in the morning. I spray into my hand and wipe down their face and ears and udder areas too. I reapply a light coating if I see them in the shed for a while in the early afternoon.
3. Fly Predators - I have been surprised at the reduction in my black flies. I was sad to find out they don't really help with the green flies/ deer flies/ and the Black Horse Flies. I have also changed my manure management based on the recommendations from the company and it is helping.
Stay tuned, I am working on an ointment to replace my Fly Repellent Ointment that I discovered is toxic!
If you found this information useful, get my 3 short snippets on Healthy Coat and Skin and it will let us stay in touch on this journey to happy healthy horses and their Humans! GET MY SNIPPETS!
