Remma has grown!

Grandma Olga when the twins were still tiny! New photos soon.

Millhouse the riding cat.

I can't believe that 4months have past since I last wrote to the blog! It gets very frustrating waiting on dial up or suddenly finding that you have been disconnected in the middle of a post.

But that sounds like I'm just making excuses!

As you can see from the photo Remma has really grown. He's seven months now and is a wonderful dog. He's taken over Millhouse's job of being the "greeter " when we are home, but happily travels everywhere with me, whether I'm on foot, on a horse or driving the truck.

Millhouse really doesn't mind losing his job as it gives him more time to ride!

I always think of November as my month off. The horses and I all need a break after the busy season. But the weather has stayed so nice this month that lessons have been going on although hunting season always curtails our riding on the trails. And because being a new grandmother has taken up some of my time, a lot of my thoughts and a huge amount of my love, the season hasn't been as busy for the horses as usual.

I now need to start planning next summers programs and any input on what you would like is greatfully received. I am thinking of offering more TTEAM Days and perhaps adding some for dogs as well as horses. Comments?

I have also added a program called Animal Connections this fall. So far it has only been offered as a two hour program but I would like to expand it into one or two days. I will be writing up more about it in the programs section of the website.

But what would you all like? Let me know and we can custom design a program just for your group.

Births and Deaths...that's life

Remma

Remma with his mom Sophie

BEAR

BEAR

It is with great sadness that I write about the death of my dear friend Bear. He was 14 years old, a good age for a big dog, but not enough years to enjoy the company of such a special creature.

It is such aprivilege to have been able to spend years with such a gentle, loyal and happy companion.

This year has been so full of death and birth...so full of life. From the death of the last of the elder horses last November to the birth of Sefia, the passing of Cleo and Bear to the birth of the twins and now the arrival of a new young dog with whom I hope to share many years.

Introducing Remma... he is an 11 week old Maremma Sheepdog. The Universe is so generous. Bear and I used to play Maremma Dog ( he was big and white ). Maremma's have always been a favourite breed of mine and Bear would happily jump around with me as I sang out maremma dog, maremma dog!

So after an unsucessful search for a rescue dog,I googled in Maremma sheepdog, and the first of something like 34,000 hits came up as Maremma puppiies only 3 hrs, away. Divine intervention??

It"s not always about horses!

Sorry for the long delay, but my server was being a pain, and I wasn't able to access my blog site for a few weeks. Ah, the joys of dial up. Or is it the woes of dial up?

But the BIG news...my grandbabies were born!!! ( See, its not always about horses!). Anna Margaret Frosst and Alexander Murray Frosst were born on July 4th. They are both absolutely beautiful! Because they were premature they will be in the IWK for awhile but both are doing well and I can't wait for them to be at home so that I can go and start spoiling them rotten! Well, isn't that what grandparents are supposed to do? I am so proud of my beautiful daughter Nella and her wonderful husband Ian. Congratulations to them both.

The top photo is of Alexander, the bottom one of Anna.

It is the most amazing and emotional experience when your baby has babies. Just incredible.

Sefja...more photos

Top photos: Solon with prcupine quills

Photo 1: Lovely lines Photo 2: Sefja meets Millhouse Photo 3: See how much she has grown?

Sefja will be a month old tomorrow. She is still growing very quickly; looks like a stocky little horse! It is still impossible to tell what colour she will be, but she is getting darker around the eyes as her baby coat changes. She is very independent, travelling quite a distance away from Osk, hanging out with Uncle Natt, but rushing back to mom very quickly at any sign og "danger".

I still haven't figured out how to get the photos to go after the text, even though I add them after!

I will tell you about Solon ( Sefja's very young sire), but no doubt those photos will already be at the top. I'm not much of a techno.

I went out to feed the horses early last Sunday morning, and thought Solon had sproated whiskers like Sefjas. On closer inspection, I discovered he had stuck his nose in a porcupine!

He was not a very happy camper. He kept trying to stick his nose out to me, but every time I went to touch them he would jump back. Understandably! Poor fellow knew he needed help, but just couldn't quite handle it. Luckily Wanda was visiting and between us we managed to get them all out.

( photo: Sefja at 1 week)

Sefja continues to grow. It seems that she has nearly doubled in size in just 2 weeks. She is bold and curious and can now gallop circles around her mom. Osk is a great mother;she watches over Sefja very diligently, but doesn't panic when she takes off racing across the field.

I have taken many photos of her, but just haven't had time to download any yet.

The days are full with lessons and riding, working the young horses, caring for them all and trying to spend a little time on my garden. I am lucky to have so many wonderful friends willing to help out. I love the sense of community that has developed over the years at Mandala and would like to let you all know how much I enjoy and appreciate your friendship, help and participation in all that goes on here.

Its been nearly forty years since I discovered this place now known as Mandala. It was like coming home; such a sense of belonging. But from that first moment I felt that this wasn't a place that "belonged "to me, but a place that had so much to offer to many people.

This land has showed me the direction of my lifes work and has helped me become a wiser and more grounded teacher and human being.

As I sit at my computer I am looking west into the sinking sun and even after this many years it is with awe and reverence that I take in the beauty before me: the sky, the trees, the gardens, the fields, the horses, the cats, the guineas.

My love to each and every one of you.

It's a Filly!!

After what seemed like such a long wait its now taken me 6 days to get to this post! My apologies. Little foals keep you busy.

Introducing Sefja!!

Osk's foal was born during the night and I met her on May 21st. when I went out to feed the herd. She was up and dry and both mother and daughter were well and relaxed. Yes, its a filly and her name is Sefja, which means mist. I had tentatively picked the name ahead of time, but when I saw a little silver grey girl I new it was Sefja.

She is beyond beautiful, with a crescent moon on her forehead, fuzzy brown ears, a nearly black back and long silvery legs. And Osk is a wonderful mother.

The Blue Door.

Osk has still not produced her foal...her belly is only a foot and a half from the ground. Guess she is a twelve month mother! She is well, energetic, and always hungry.
So I will talk to you instead of The Door.

Mandala has become a place of great peace, learning, relaxation and heightened intuition for so many people. All of the animals, horses, cats, dogs and humans offer great friendship, comfort and challenges. Tonight I am going to talk about "the door".
Those of you who have spent time at Mandala will be quite familiar with The Door. Right now it's blue. It's very old, having lived here for 39 years and being an antique in a previous life. It leads from the kitchen to the tackroom to the stable. Its a work of art, engrained with designs created by the many dogs and a few cats that have opened it ( or tried).
Shaymas, the giant size afghan, left the deepest marks that reach highest up the door. Cleo was always more accurate and one swipe with her paw usual hit the latch.
So why does this door, that opens so easily for dogs, warrant a spot on my blog? Well, it doesn't open easily for people. Once in a while someone will say "Why don't you fix your door?" And my reply is always "Because its not broken" as I gently swing it open for them, the latch cooperating on the first try.
This door requires a lot from people. It asks them first to be gentle...you can't fight it. It asks them to remember to breath, or find the ground with their feet, or center themselves. Often it reflects what they do when they are riding or handling a horse. Today someone was struggling and I suggested they drop their chin ( their "above the bit" position put a lot of tension in their back, shoulders and arms) and as they followed that directive, the door swung gently open. And yes, that elevated chin did show up in their riding!
Sometimes all it asks of you is to be willing to ask for help.
Like with so many things at Mandala, I thank it daily, appreciating the help it gives me in teaching others. And once in a while it even catches me when I am in too much of a hurry, feeling too stressed or forgeting the deep connection that I have to Mother Earth and all that is.

Mothers Day...what a great day for the foal to be born. But don't get excited...I'm getting a lesson in patience and letting go of control! Listening to the wind and thunder last night made me think about the stories I read as a child where the foal was always born on a stormy night. But Osk must be thinking a warm, dry day would be much nicer. Do mares really have any more control over these things than human mothers do?
The weather really cooperated for the Full Moon Ride. It thundered and rained just before we all gathered for an indoor dinner, but stopped before it was time to tack up. The moon never did appear from the low cloud cover, but the darkness, the peepers and the warm wind all made it a great ride.

Friday, May 8th.
Osk ( and I ) are still patiently awaiting the arrival of her foal. It will be any day now! It has been cool and very wet here for the last few days and I think Osk is waiting for a warm, dry day. She did enjoy a good roll in the mud today. It made me really wonder what it must feel like to the foal inside to have mother blissfully wollowing in mud. She didn't roll right over; just got up and changed sides. I'm sure baby was grateful for that.
Tomorrow is the first Full Moon Ride of the season. Participants are coming from Halifax and the South Shore. Dusk is just settling in and its nearly 9 o'clock. This time tomorrow we will be tacking up and then return to Mandala after the ride to sit around a bonfire and share our experiences.

Cleo and Bear

May 5th and still no sign of Osk's foal. She is VERY big now, with quite a full udder, so it won't be long. Its cooler and rainy now, so perhaps she is waiting for warmer days!
Lessons are in full swing and tonight was the first Therapeutic Riding session of the season. Pretty wet, but two brave souls showed up and enough volunteers to make it happen.

Most of you know that in 1990 I had the wonderful privilege of apprenticing with Sally Swift (Centered Riding)and it is with great sadness that I share with you that she died on April 20th ,2009 just a short while before her 96th birthday. She was such an important person and influence in my life that I would like to do a tribute to her on my blog site. It needs time, love and thought so it will be a little later.

On another sad note, my lovely dog Cleo died on April 7th. She was never an easy dog, but taught me so much in the years she shared with me. She came to me in 1996, as an eight month old puppy, bouncing off the walls and generally out of control. I told the animal shelter that I would foster her for three weeks. Time to get her settled and ready to be adoptable. That was over 12 years ago! TTouch helped her a great deal and she was one of those dogs that were happiest if you could train her 24/7. In many ways life is easier now, friends can bring their dogs, ( Cleo never got over wanting to eat poodles for lunch!), Bear is more relaxed without her lording it over him, but she has left a big gap in my life and a sadness in my heart.

As I write this I am listening to the sound of spring peepers, surrounded by forsythia and daffodils. I wish you all a most joyful spring. Until next time... Olga and the Icelandics.

Osk's belly is dropping and growing larger each day. She seems to want to eat all the time and loves coming in for her extra grain. But as soon as she has finished eating she is eager to return to the pasture and her herd. She clearly thinks her foal should be born outside!

Last Saturday (April 25th) we had our first TTEAM clinic of the season. It had turned into summer for the day, 20 degrees c. and it was very hard to imagine that only 2 weeks ago we had 8" of snow everywhere with drifts up to our knees. Not much spring in this part of the world. We so often seem to go from winter into summer!
The first Full Moon Ride is on May 9th and only a few spots are still available. These rides were so popular last year, each one was unique and many left us speechless, so powerful was the effect of riding in the darkness. What an amazing connection and trust developed between horse and rider. Call soon to book your spot. Hopefully we will have one a month from now until next December.
The weekly lesson program is now in full swing.
The Therapeutic Riding group starts up on May 6th. with the Volunteers training April 29. we are always looking for new people to help. It is very rewarding work, great exercise and a chance to spend an extra hour or two with the wonderful Icelandics!

Spring...I think its really here!

The snow, from the ten inch storm on April 11, 12 and 13th has finally melted and spring feels like it is really here. The crocus have reappeared and the horses are playing their wrestling and racing games or are stretched out on the side hill enjoying the warm sunshine.

Osk continues to grow larger and quieter as her time nears.

We had a great clean up day on Saturday. Six people showed up to help and even though the ground was still wet and even ice covered in places we managed to get a lot of sprucing up done, a lot of shaggy hair off the herd and a lot of tack cleaned.

Lessons are starting up again and this Saturday, the 25th. will be the first workshop of the season. This is a one day TTEAM clinic and there are still a few spots left.

A blog....really??

Mandala crept carefully into the computer age in 1998 and now, only eleven years later, we are posting a blog!

That probably sounds crazy to the rest of you who roam around cyber space on a regular basis, doing searches, visiting websites, meeting new people- but here at Mandala we spend most of the time outside, breathing the wonderful air, digging in the dirt and being with the horses.

But what a great way to stay in ttouch! So I am overcoming my fears,accepting the new age, and starting a blog!

I hope this blog, in my rambling style, will keep you all updated on life at Mandala. News of upcoming workshops, stories from ones just past ( I'd love your input on this), updates on all the horses, and maybe just a little of my thoughts and ideas.

The big news this spring is the up coming babies. My daughter Nella and her husband Ian are expecting twins! I will be a grandmother.

And...my only Icelandic mare, Osk, is also expecting! She will be foaling very soon and if I can figure out all this technical stuff, I will post some photos when it happens!