Open pastures

Today we hoist our colors on Sweden’s official national day. A blue roan Nokota horse running free on a meadow among yellow buttercups is a nice way to illustrate this day.

When we opened up the gate to the summer pasture the horses did not hesitate like last year, they knew exactly what to do. There is no better joy for a horse than to run free with friends in a big pasture loaded with a smorgasbord of two feet high fresh grass of many different species.

The feeling to stretch out in a powerful gallop with a mouthful of grass is heaven for these freedom loving horses. To graze peacefully knowing the supply of delicious plants is endless, on a beautiful summers day is indescribable and they are smiling from ear to ear.

After four hours of grazing, Bluebell slowly walks up to the stable for some water and then she chooses a place in the shade for an afternoon nap, but shortly changes her mind and walks back down to Windflower and Wild Prairie Rose for some more grazing.

Sweden’s national day, the sixth of June, was established 1983 but has been an official holiday for only eight years. It was the date on which our first king Gustav Wasa was crowned in 1523 and Sweden became an independent country (even if our southernmost and northernmost states was not included). Some governmental and constitutional changes made in 1809 and 1974 on the same date may also be the reason this day was selected.

Our national day is not like other countries national days; we are generally not very patriotic about it. A day characterized by a contrived celebration of a nation’s borders? There must be better reasons to celebrate; ask any horse if she pefers closed or open fences.

Blackthorn

When we first got here in 2006 this was an abandoned old bull pasture. The hill on which we were to build our house and stable was covered with an impervious blackthorn grove. Since it stood in the way of our human exploitation, we spent days chopping down and dragging away these bushes. The thorns made them tangle up like nothing else. The thorn needles themselves can easily penetrate any fabric and rubber boots are no exception. To chop down the bush trunks you must reach far in under the thorn covered branches and when all trunks are cut you must drag away all of it in one big heap of tangled up bushes.

We quickly decided to leave bushes that were not immediately blocking our construction project. The way these wild blackthorns resisted our relentless conquest not only saved them from local extinction, but they also taught us a lesson.

Most time of the year the Blackthorn (Prunus Spinosa) is a dull bush with strong pointy thorns, leafless in winter and plain green during summer. Its berries are bitter and seem useless. Then a few days in May the Blackthorns steals all attention from the landscape as its fragile white flowers completely covers the bushes. One heavy downpour of rain and the flowers are gone, but this year we have had several dry hot summerlike days and the flowers are thriving. The berries that come at the autumn are very similar to (European) blueberries, almost twice as big but not nearly half as sweet. The trick is to wait until the first night of frost, which magically enough transforms the astringent tannic acid to a sweet flavor. The tradition is to make sloe berry juice (slånbärssaft), but the uses are many; from sloe gin, tea and jelly to various medical uses, as well as ink made out of the sap. The hard wood is known to be used for teeth of rakes, walking sticks (i.e. for officers at The Royal Irish Regiment) and different works of turnery. A hedge of Blackthorn traditionally worked as a natural fence for critter. It is also said to be an excellent fire wood, if you have the patience to gather enough of it.

The Blackthorn is widespread in Swedish coastal areas south of the 60th latitude, primarily in the open landscape at the edge of the forest. The usual name for Blackthorn is Sloe (Slån in Swedish) which sounds similar in most European languages and gives a hint about its ancient origin of use. It is known here at least since the Middle Ages, but sloe has been found in remarkable places like in the stomach contents of a 5,300-year-old human mummy nicknamed Ötzi, discovered in 1991 in the Alps along the Austrian-Italian border.
Sloe is native in Europe, northwest Africa and the Middle East but also appears locally at the North American east coast as well as in New Zealand. It is hardy and grows in most soils, preferably alkaline soils. Sloe is an important food source for butterfly caterpillars and the bees like the flowers. The roots are shallow but far reaching making it difficult to move or remove. We have noticed that several species of birds use the bushes for protection and nesting. The berries are a good late season food source for some of our wintering birds.

So the lesson being; Blackthorn is actually a very important plant and it is well adapted within a complicated ecosystem, despite (and maybe even because) of its apparent recalcitrance. In our civilized ignorance we sometimes tear up and destroy whatever does not cooperate with our own immediate interests. Not unlike other wild flowers, the Blackthorn shares some of the characteristics of a Nokota horse; beautiful, important and a real survivor.

I conclude that it is by the most elusive of signs that the greatest of paths may be found and one step on that path must be to preserve the Nokota Horse by supporting The Nokota© Horse Conservancy.

The Serpent

A Common Viper, common in every meaning of the word, bit Rosie in the nose last Monday. The viper, or whatever it was, must have been resting all dizzy and newly awake in the winter corral and surprised by the curious young horse poking around. Rosie had two clearly visible tooth marks above her right nostril.

Luckily the vet was only three miles away when she got the call and came at once. Rosie walked into the barn and lay down on the side. She was in great pain, shaking, sweating, breathing hard and her nose was swollen. She was given pain killers, liquid and cortisone by intravenous therapy.

During the night we kept Rosie in a separate stall box, while Bluebell and Windflower shared the big stall next to her. We wanted to keep Rosie as still as possible to prevent the poison from spreading to fast and to give her time for recovery from the chock.

It was the first time ever the horses were locked up for the night; otherwise the stable doors are always open, for the horses to choose freely where to go. We did not sleep much the first two nights. I wished I could take her place, why didn’t that common viper bit me instead? If Ireland have no wipers why must we, what are they good for anyhow? Why is it that when your children (and your animal children too) hurt it is worse than when yourself hurt?

Our concern proved unnecessary. The horses did just fine and in the morning they all greeted us, with their heads sticking out of the open upper door halves. Rosie recovered amazingly fast. The third night we left the stable open, but we could see by the marks in the bedding that they had at least spent some part of the night inside the stable anyway.

Bluebell carefully groomed Rosie’s mane and Windflower was also very sweet to Rosie. Four days after the snake bite Rosie was just as good as before, but the incident has affected her in a way. She is even more affectionate now and it seems that she fully understands that we tried hard to help her. Her bold curiosity has hopefully turned into a slightly more mature and careful kind, much like Bluebell’s.

These wild Nokota horses are strong in both body and soul, so if we can’t save them what can we really save?

Nokota® Horse Facing Imminent Danger

The Nokota® Horse Conservancy is now in urgent need of donations for hay. Due to last years drought and an unusual long winter the rising prizes for hay is causing danger for the Nokota horses. With many weeks left until the pastures are ready for grazing a catastrophy may be closing in on the Nokota horses.

If funds for hay do not turn up soon it may come to the need of disposal of horses and many hard choices has to be made by the hard working people at the Nokota Horse Conservancy.

Please help, even small donations may do all the difference!

More information at The Nokota Horse Conservancy.

On the move again

Alexandra went down to the corral to do some hoof care and brushing. When our Nokota horses are relaxing after lunch on a warm spring day like this they show how trusty horses can be. They feel quite comfortable in having their nails done while taking a nap, it is not really practical but it is kind of fun to watch.

The first day off work in four weeks was also one of the warmest days yet, this spring. The nights are still close to freezing. The pasture has been shifting from red-brown dirt color as the snow melted with spots of white yellowish dead grass, but now there is definitely a touch of green coming up. The stable yard got cleaned up and a layer of new sand was added to keep the horses from dragging mud onto the porch and into their quarters.

While taking a break on the bench in front of the stable with our Cocker Spaniel beside me, watching the horses interact, I came to think about how well we have got to know our horses and their personalities since they arrived from the northern prairies of North Dakota, seventeen months ago.

Rosie, our youngest blue roan, was freshly weaned and a very cozy filly when we first met her. During last summer she grew into a proud lady, and a very athletic one. She is so used to be around us all the time and Alexandra has tried a saddle on her just to see what happens. That was a piece of cake for Rosie. A few months ago she got a little excited though; she was growing up and didn’t want to be treated like a baby anymore; she needed more space just like any teenager. They grow so fast, it is not easy to be a horse. Bluebell and Wendy, our red roan three-year old, did the job in setting limits for Rosie’s teenage outbursts. So now Rosie is much more settled in her new role, but again very cozy and cuddly. It is an advantage to get to know a foal as early as possible and to get her used to human ways. She gladly accepts everything and when she is among humans, fear does not enter her mind.

Wendy has always been cool and trusty. She is very keen to learn and so are we. We try to work things out together, listening and explaining to each other, trying to reach a way of doing things we all can feel comfortable about. It is obvious to the other horses that Wendy feels proud about her work and hopefully it rubs off. Alexandra got Wendy started under saddle last spring and they have been spending as much time as possible together ever since. Now when the days are getting longer and the summer holiday is closing in after a tough semester at school, there will be even more of that I recon.

Bluebell, or Bella, is our five-year old blue roan. Her personality is the most perfect imaginable, if any such thing exists. She is smarter than any horse I’ve ever known and she is very considerate and friendly to everyone. She keeps her little herd tight. She knows that when we walk up to the stable it is time to eat, so while we sweep the front porch (where we usually serve the hay) she makes sure the other horses stay off the porch so that we can do our job. Otherwise Wendy wants to stand on the porch by the barn door, blocking the way, while Rosie walks around sniffing at the broom. When we are finished, Bluebell steps up on the porch, walks up behind my back, makes sure I get the key right and then opens the door with her nose, making sure Wendy don’t step over the threshold.

Bluebell is very comfortable among humans she knows and trust. Initially she accepted all kinds of blankets and scary things pretty easily, as long as she stands still and nothing moves. Last summer Bluebell accepted us for some slow easy bareback riding, but when it comes to saddles and loose blankets she gets uncomfortable and trots away. With consistent join up work it would be easily fixed, but we have the luxury of not being in a hurry. This summer Alexandra wants to concentrate more attention on Bluebell. If we look at the half sisters Bluebell and Rosie we see they have much in common, but the difference is that Bluebell was almost three years old when she first got daily contact with humans, before that she basically lived among Nokota horses only. That gave her a good language and much valuable knowledge from the old mares of the plains. It means that she is very straight forward and reacts naturally, but she is also cautious about trusting humans. We don’t want to change her; we want her to teach us what she knows about horses. So we must not hurry. Fortunately Bluebell has a very nice cool personality and it is very safe to be around her. She really likes humans and it shows that she wants to get acquainted with everyone, but she is a little shy that’s all.

Monty Roberts clinic

Last Saturday we took the opportunity to visit Monty Roberts clinic at Flyinge in southern Sweden. It was beyond doubt a great experience to see this seventy-eight-year-young legend in modern horsemanship and to listen to his wisdom.

Monty returned for this clinic at Flyinge with its 350 years as horse breeding and training facility, formerly for the Royal Swedish Cavalry. He spoke about the importance of seeking improvement and not relying on tradition when it comes to horsemanship. He also gave Sweden credit for being a lead star when it comes to the non-violent ways of working with horses.

He started out with a fresh two-year-old, pointing out that he had never before touched any of the horses he will be working with tonight, only given the opportunity to watch the horses while talking with the owners. The demonstration of his hallmark, the join-up and follow-up technique was awesome. The handsome young colt entered the stadium with a pounding hearth and was calmly walked into the round pen by a lead rope looking insecure and vulnerable, staring with big anxious eyes at the audience of almost 1500 people, as we were holding our breath in silence; a few others were applauding frenetically.

Note that the photos show the five year old, not the young colt.

Monty set the horse free and made the young horse trot about five hundred yards in the roundpen “away from his herd”, about five laps in each direction, until the horse “asked” Monty to let him return to the herd; the horse lowered his head and began chewing lightly. Monty demonstrated how he could increase the speed of the horse by just holding up his hand and spreading his fingers, then as he closed his hand the horse slowed down. Monty then lowered his own closed hand and bent his arm in toward his body and lowering his head slightly turning away from the horse; the horse immediately stopped and turned towards Monty and slowly walked right up to Monty totally calm and relaxed. Magical!

The horse now had all his attention to Monty. The power of relief a horse gets when we turns away from him is very strong. A predator that approaches and then walks away can’t be dangerous, it makes the horse feel very relieved. He had been convinced that the safest place in the round pen, and in the entire stadium, was by Monty.

Monty Roberts then worked the horse with a Dually halter, talking about picnic; positive instant consequences, negative instant consequences, while building confidence and trust. Finally the horse was ready for a saddle pad and a saddle, again he made the horse walk and trot a few laps around the pen letting the horse finding out that it was alright. Then followed a demonstration of lunging with the Dually halter working as a kind of side-pull learning the horse to turn easily almost without resistance.

After that it was time for the Irish assistant Adrian. The first time a horse is mounted it is done in three steps. First the rider is lifted up to hang over the saddle a short moment to let the horse feel the weight. Then the same procedure, but Monty now leads the horse to take a few steps. The final step the above is repeated and then the rider puts his foot in the stirrup and sits up. He walks a short ride around the pen and then quietly dismounts. This first session took less than an hour and the young horse surprisingly calml left the arena looking confident and proud.

Mr Roberts then went on to work with different horses. A small pony very afraid of practically everything especially plastic bags, a five year old horse who had thrown off every rider who had ever tried to ride him and a horse who refused to be loaded. Monty effectively solved all problems without any violence or discomfort, leaving all horses calm and settled. The last horse was equipped with a device to measure the heart rate which was displayed on a screen. Even if there were some technical problems, it nevertheless showed that the hearth rate slowed down as Monty made the join-up and then worked the horse with the Dually halter, contrary to what critics has suggested.

Monty Roberts way of first getting the horses fully attention and then building confidence and trust is the whole trick, after that is established the rest of the job seemed easy. It looks simple and it really works. With some talent and hard persistent work it only takes about half a century to get the hang of it. Monty Roberts is not the only one using a similar technique, gentlemen like Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman and many others following the same path has set a standard of non violence that is now the prevailing way of working with horses. Monty Roberts has a personality that not only makes horses trust him, he is a one of a kind, down to earth superstar and it is a privilege to have met him. After the show he promised to remain at the signing stand until somebody asks him to leave. In spite of the somewhat commercial touch of the whole event Monty gives a true impression. Compared to other shows by various famous performers and sports stars I must say an evening like this is well worth its price. Aside from being a good show the audience learns something that can make a difference for many horses.

When we walked back to the truck for the three hour drive back home to our Nokota Horses I could not help thinking about how different the reality is for Leo and Frank Kuntz and all the volunteers that put their lives into preserving the Nokota horses; just as skilled horsemen and horsewomen, but no glory and no fortune, just hard work for the love of wild horses. (Of course that also goes for many other wild horse volunteers on different locations, like The Pryor Mountains, etcetera.) The earnings from just one show like the one we saw tonight would support the horses of The Nokota Horse Conservancy for a pretty long time. It struck me that it was the charity part, in favor of horses in need, which was missing from an otherwise perfect show.

Wonderful April

Just a few days ago, March 28th, the North Dakota House of Representatives voted “YES” to Resoulution 4011, “a concurrent resolution urging the National Park Service to recognize the historical value of the Nokota Horse and provide for its appropriate management in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.” A great victory for the Nokota Horse and the NHC! So now the Nokota Horse is at least officially recognized which gives the NPS both responsibilities and rights to keep Nokota Horses as Nokota Horses, not just a mixed herd of anonymous feral horses. Maybe it opens up for a future reintroduction?

Well done NHC!

We must take the opportunity to thank the bloggers Serenity/Heather-Joan and BlueFairyPipeDreams/Eira for awarding us with the Versatile Blogger Award We should return to that in a proper blog post.

It is nice to be able to groom and look after horses who doesn’t need to be tied up, but feels relaxed and assured that some humans are a lot like horses. No need to chase these horses around the field, just bring the halter and they come walking, knowing it is nice to chat with humans and get the latest news over an apple and a bucket of cold fresh water.