Horse Therapy

Oh joy! Today was a beautiful day, with temperature in the low 60's, bright and sunny. I spend a couple of hours with my horses, grooming, working with them, and riding a little. Star is actually my daughter's pony--a large pony that can be ridden by an adult. He has always been hard to catch, but I've worked with him using horse treats so he will come up to me and let me put on a halter. Today he seemed to have forgotten all his lessons--he just walked away when I called to him. Finally he gave in, and I got the halter on him. Then I took it off and put it back on several times, giving him a reward each time. Then he was following me around like a puppy dog!

Diamond is my mare. She is a spotted saddle horse, which is a Tennessee Walking Horse that is spotted. She has a wonderful smooth walking gait--sort of a fast walk or slow trot. She is very sweet, easy to catch, and mellow. I rode her some today.

Apatchi is Diamond's son, also a registered spotted saddle horse. He is 19 months old now, and needs to be trained, but I have little experience training horses. I have trained him to walk with a halter, to stop when I give the command, to back up, and to let me clean his hooves. He is absolutely gorgeous--beautiful markings, with a silky long mane and tail in three colors! He has a perfect star on his forehead. Right after his birth we handled him, and he has been extremely friendly and sweet natured ever since. He is still a stallion, although that was not my intention; I planned to geld him (neuter him), but by the time his testicles had descended so the vet could do the operation, it was fly season, so we decided to wait until the weather got cold. Now it is cold, but he is so beautiful I hate to make him a gelding. I know I must make a decision soon--do I keep him and get him gelded (I don't want to keep a stallion here--I simply don't have the experience), or do I sell him to someone who might appreciate a fantastic stallion and who might train him? He would be a beautiful show horse, I know!

What do my horses have to do with my cancer story? I think it is so important to find things in my life that bring me great pleasure. When I'm working with the horses, I feel so calm and loving! I think horses are great healers.

(The pictures are of Diamond and Apatchi when he was about 3 weeks old, Apatchi at about 3 months old, and a recent one of Apatchi and me, and one of my daughter Veronica and Star, taken a couple of years ago.)