Group Photo

This is the group from the second half of the instructor certification.  Starting in the top left, 2 volunteers, Deb student rider from KS, Cricket instructor from KS, purple vest student rider from IL, student rider from KS, Liz instructor from KS, Becky instructor from KS, Carol instructor from KS, Tamara my student rider from KS, Sonja instructor from Alberta Canada we shared the B&B, Louise instructor from KS, Lisa from MS my partner in teaching Tamara, Lynn from Wisconsin shared the B&B with us, student rider, Susan Harris, BOTTOM ROW:  Carol who hosted the clinic at her barn in KS, instructor from IL, Ann from KS instructor, Mary from IL instructor, Kim H. from my barn in CO, Kathy S. from my barn in CO, Me with Ollie, the barn dog.

Auditing my student's lesson

I'm in the blue coat sitting with Susan during the wrap-up for my student's lesson

I'm watching for symmetry in the rider and Lynn (brown coat) is doing bodywork, foot grounding.

Here I look like I'm micro-managing, but I'm just moral support for my rider.

My CO student gets instruction from other CR Instructors

Lynn, from Wisconsin in the brown jacket is performing bodywork on Kim H., my student.  This is a hip release.  Susan Harris is coaching Lynn, and Liz is holding Rain the horse's head.

Kim H. is walking around on her horse, Rain.

So happy together!

What Rain really thinks of the clinic

A discussion from Liz with Kim about visualizing

Learning Bodywork for the Rider

In this photo, Becky is doing a "shoulder release" on me.  It is a passive way of getting muscles to release their tension by gently lifting the arm and moving it around so the shoulder muscles will stop gripping

Second portion of the shoulder release, "breathing into the muscles" that are tense

Demonstrating the "small yes", which is a method of releasing the jaw by only moving the atlo-occipital joint

Repeating on the other side for symmetry

Centered Riding Instructor Certification Part II

Cecil loves to pose for the camera

Cecil also enjoys schmoozing with new people

Big walk on day 1 of the second half of riding instructor certification, there were

 6 instructor candidates riding together

 This second half of the riding instructor certification went well.  I am officially a certified Centered Riding Instructor!  There were 4 days of clinic, with instructor candidates riding in one group in the morning, then updating instructors riding as a group in the morning.  The afternoons were spent in riding lessons, with the instructors working together in pairs teaching student riders. 

New Guinea Pig

She is just so lovely, especially when posing!

 About 2 months ago we lost Pumpernickel to old age.  It was hardest on Nase the dog, who knew him best.  Nase spent a lot of time with one of Pumpernickel's blankets, snuggling and chewing on it for about a week when I finally took it away.  He then became stressed and started chewing his leg until he had started a lick granuloma.  Eventually after steroid spray and a cone for a few weeks he quit chewing his leg and started behaving normally again.

Family friends called me Saturday morning and told us one of their homeschooling families needed to rehome an 18 month old guinea pig.  Their pig lost its buddy and this this pig had lost her buddy, so the new pair were to be new roommates, but they weren't getting along.  I said I would take her.  Owen met the family in town, picked her up for me, and brought her home, much to Nase's delight!  He is so excited to have a new friend, talking to her in the morning and evening.  She is not so delighted that a huge dog is trying to befriend her, it's a little stressful.  But she is eating and drinking well, and enjoys being held and snuggled, which is a change from Pumpernickel who was a pig of action.  He would tunnel through the towels when I held him in my lap, chase Nase around the bathroom floor, chase ME around the bathroom floor for that matter, and nip Nase on the nose if he could reach.  The new girl prefers to snuggle and be held.  She also will talk to Owen but no one else yet. She will whistle and hum at him, but it's because he speaks Guinea Pig-ese.  Get it?  Guinea Piggies!

We are still working on a name.  She had been called Minerva in her first home, but in keeping with the bread theme we've considered names like Rye, Crumpet, Brotchen, and Baguette.  So far we're leaning toward Brotchen (a little German loaf), but I've been calling her Mouse, too, because she is much more timid than Pumpernickel, and she scurries. 

Me, my camera, and my new pig

She does love to be pet on her chin