Rope on a Hope

I am busy enjoying the last couple of weeks before a fresh crew of training horses descend upon us, riding my beasties as much as possible, and the weather just makes it oh so easy to do as well. Truth be known, some of it is avoiding vacuuming, dusting, and paperwork, but I am forced to wait for a rainy/snowy day, and alas, it's been weeks since that's happened (ok...no one visit me right now, or I WILL be forced to bung out the house:) The bottom field of my neighbor's the Stolfus's is drying out enough that we can ride in there, and since this is where the small group of runty calves over wintered and they have (unbeknowst to them) donated their little brown bodies to furthering the education of cattle work to us all, I have jumped at the opportunity to do just that. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to work cattle and take pictures, so these photos are older, some at Quilchena, some at Kuiper's.
A couple days ago, after an amazing short ride in the ring, Ivy and I headed down the hill to try her out following and being in with the calves. The dogs of course have hedged their bets and opted to (wisely) stay on the outside of the pen, away from what obviously are large, fang-toothed and drooling critters with a weakness for Dane steak. (have I ever mentioned that my dogs are a wee bit, er, Cautious?) Ivy on the other hand is thrilled to be actually inside the pen with those weak kneed, doe eyed fraidy cats, and heads them down the fence line like an ole pro. Two slackers hung back, and then scooted up behind us, normally a sure way to spook a green horse, but not Miss Ivy. Stop, rollback and scoop up the two and then lope out to stop the mob from heading into the creek. Tail them back where we started, and stop and settle. Back off and head home, Ivy all puffed up and proud, blowing and low necked...her price tag sky-rocketing as I sit on her, awed and smiling from ear to ear....What a Gal!

And then yesterday was Indy's turn......all the talk about how he would make a fabulous rope horse, all big and stout like he is, an me packin' my 50ft. rope everywhere, catching weeds, logs, dogs and fence posts finally have to step up to the plate and catch a live critter......Gulp! Now as the universe is always conspiroring for me, I had just finshed tacking up when the Stolfus family rode by and Wendall cruised up and asked if I had my rope horse ready...'yep, sure do' ( Oh crap! there is no escape!) and away we went. Wendall and Leanne have been doing this for a living for, well, a long time. Their two girls, Madi and Reese were raised up in cow camps at Douglas Lake and Stump Lake, and are serious contenders in cutting and rodeo competitions, and are no stranger to cattle work. So Wendall catchs up our first victim with a nice head/front leg shot and settles the critter til it is standing quietly, weighing out her options of escape. Fortunately for her, neither of us are serios threats to her having those hind legs snatched out from under her. Madi goes first, which is perfect. This gives me plenty of time to feel me ego squirming around, self-concious fears, pride ( I am a HORSE TRAINER, I ought to know this, right?) and shyness all scrambling for attention. Well. I hear them all, but the opportunity is just to cool, and if I have learnt anything over the last few years, it is how to ignore my egoic fears; allow them to get stomped in the mud and gore of learning something incredibly cool and new, and watching how my soul grows out of the decayed mush of my ego......(sorry, bit dramatic, but, essentially, you get the picture). Sooooooooooo now is my turn. Happily, I can no longer even build a loop, forgotten the terms for the rope (oh!, right! THAT"S my slack...) and Indy has turned into a blowing, high tailed Arab, who has never seen a cow before ( well, never seen a cow on the end of a fishing line before!) and is adding to the entertainment value by trying to leave me to my crazy shenanigans alone. Wendall is a great teacher, never citicizing or laughing (out loud, anyway........) and we get things sorted, Indy tracking up proper, one reprimand for biting (2 demerrits) and soon I am twirlin' and aimin' for a set of moving back legs and wondering how it is even possible to do this and why do some people make some things look just so easy and oh, its Madi's turn again. Watching her style and Wendall's tips to her about follow thru and hand position, then me again. Realizing that I am throwing my rope like a girl (!) and this is sorta because, gee, what happens when I actually catch something....and ....suddenly I do! Both hind legs in a snappy little trap shot, and I dally (thumbs up, brother!) and back my boy up. He is an ole pro! And oh, Wendall is telling me not to stretch her out, and get that dang rope off her and try it again, this time with more finesse. I get her again! Wow! Nothin' like some positive action to suddenly change your outlook on things!
Madi's go again, then me, and we catch her again...just on leg this time, and for fun I dally backwards, and of course Wendall sees (cowboys see everything!0 and laughs and says other way.....
And so it ends.
Am I proud of my big roan horse? Hell Yeah! He is keen, keen, keen, works with me, figures out his job just like that, those turnarounds we've been working on getting speed up on? He just about lost me twice he spun so fast!He stayed ultra soft and obedient, yet totally connected. All in all, humbling yet totally positive feedback on everything we are trying to accomplish and experience. I love having that real work with our horses, it bring out the best (and sometimes worst!) in us.... As we split up at the gate and head our separate ways home, Sage and Griffin demanding for a complete description of what the heck we were doing, Sage barking at Indy, giving him what for, and my happy little family wanders home under blue skies and a plan for practice roping sawhorses.......hmmmmm