Kaspin goes to Columbus MI

for a fun Parelli workshop last weekend in Columbus MI!! I was taught by Jake Beirbaum Parelli Professional. But there basically was a team all day of 4 Parelli professionals all from MI. There was also Meggie and Steve Andrews, and Courtney Trares along with Jake all helping. How cool to have 4 Parelli instructors all in one place at our disposal all day!!!! I also am so grateful to my friend Kim who once again used her truck and trailer to pick Kaspin and I up again and take us to the event that day. Kaspin still hates the trailer, so we were really hoping that having her horse Shadow on the trailer would help Kaspin out. It helped, but again it took us about 20 mins to load that AM. Argg, we will keep playing with this!!! Once at the event Kaspin's nerves showed once again, but Kaspin's nerves are nothing too crazy ever to handle. Kaspin usually screams out to any horse that will answer him back. Pretty funny actually and Kaspin usually cannot keep his feet still. Kaspin will usually pace/walk circles around me. Which is ok with me. The day was mainly about the Parelli 7 games in depth. Very cool for me and super cool for Kaspin. It's been so fun taking Kaspin all over to different places and to experience different things. I think we both walked away doing lots of licking and chewing! Afterwards, I got a free lesson from Coutney Trares for 1 hour. We worked on Kaspin's trot on line on the circle and a little bit of canter on line on the circle. Kaspin really braces when he thinks canter is coming up. So Courtney showed me how to help Kaspin relax and remove the brace before asking for the canter again. It really helped. I love Courtney's opinions or should I say savvy arrows, since she too owns a RBI horse and has some great arrows to hand out. I also had a few more in depth talks with Meggie and Steve Andrews. Ok, final answer.....Kaspin is a RBI and when he is confident he is a confident RBI. Some people including me would think it was LBI. Kaspin still might show a tiny LBI, but innately Kaspin no matter what, is an RBI. I think I just wanted an LBI so bad, I was really hoping. But my cute little chicken is my cute wall flower and really is truly RBI. I will figure it out and embrace my RBI. Here are a few pictures from our fun adventure. I am am really looking forward to spring already. Since I know I will be able to get Kaspin out even more! Stay warm and embrace the cold for now. Janine, Kaspin, and us missing Enzo

Thankful for......

As you would suspect I am still really missing Enzo! Perfect picture is my thumb below. Why am I going to miss my ugly bruised thumb? Well of course, it was one of the last times Enzo bit me by accident  I will never have a thumb like this from Enzo again. I almost wish it wouldn't grow out:(

 This is the perfect picture below to show you what Enzo did with his mouth all the time. As a Left Brain Extrovert they like to feel everything by mouth and Enzo always did this. He ate and tried to eat anything! Including rocks off the driveway, if I stood to long to talk to someone. One day I took my glove off to do something and placed it on the barn floor in front of Enzo. Yeah I know stupid me. I turned around and there is Enzo chewing on my glove like it was chewing gum! I jammed my arm down his throat trying to retrieve it, but as you guessed it Enzo hurried and swallowed it. Lucky for me it was a cheap dollar store glove, so it was really small. I knew Enzo would pass it, but after that day I knew not to leave my gloves laying around. I will miss that funny investigating mouth of his!

But I am still thankful for the awesome life I have, the family, friends, love, job, home, everything, and of course I am very thankful for my lovely Haflinger Kaspin. Without Kaspin I am sure I would be even more a wreck! Kaspin has that horse warmth to hold and hug. And of course, Kaspin has that awesome horse smell! He too makes me smile and just spending grooming time with him is calming and feels good to both of us. I look forward to our journey together. We both hope all of you have thankful thoughts on Thanksgiving and that it is safe and Happy!

Janine, Kaspin, and never forgotten Enzo!

Interesting Parelli lesson the other night!

I got the chance to take a lesson with Parelli Professional Steve Andrews Monday night for 1 hour. I am sure Kaspin was thrilled once again, LOL. My main thing was picking Steve's brain whether Kaspin is an RBI or and LBI???? Steve thinks 100% that Kaspin is an LBI. WOW, in many ways. I am thrilled, because when I was trying out Kaspin from the Haflinger breeder I thought then, that Kaspin was LBI. I wanted an LBI. Since my last horse Palidor was an LBI and I like that horsenality a lot. But then Kaspin came to my barn and Kaspin has never lived anywhere else but at the breeders and once he was at my barn I had Kaspin the RBI horse. Kaspin was worried and scared of everything. Would even take me half an hour to walk Kaspin into the barn isle when I first got him. Oh boy I thought, but Kaspin was mine and I better figure it out. So over time Kaspin now is very familiar with his new barn, new equine buddies and me. So lately, I have been seeing a different horse. A horse who only wants to eat grass, snakes his neck at me sometimes, lay his ears back(but not mean, just being dominant) sometimes, pushes me with his shoulders sometimes, pushes me his nose sometimes, jumps around and give me attitude sometimes, and flicks his nose at me from afar sometimes. All basically dominant behaviors that come from a left brain horse. I still think Kaspin innately is a LBI, but since Kaspin hasn't experienced life that much. Kaspin of course, still can go RBI in very new situations, or environments  Like when, I take Kaspin to the parelli play days, costume contest, etc. But I think the more I take Kaspin out to places he will realize it also is no big deal and the LBI in him will come back out. I am taking Kaspin out again on Nov 18th to a Parelli workshop. I am really looking forward to it and seeing how Kaspin handles his 3 outing in his life with me. Either way, I will have more savvy arrows to play with my LBI/RBI Hafllinger Kaspin. The journey continues so stay tuned. Missing my other boy horribly, but enjoying I have the buterball to hug and kiss to help the sorrow, Janine, and Kaspin

A favorite picture of Kaspin and I from last fall, so I had to post again:) Gosh, 15'2 hands seems so small when all my life I have had horses 16'2 hands to 17'2 hands tall. Well less height to fall from, right?? LOL.