HAIR TECH

Today seems like just yesterday to me. My father took his last breath around this time 5 years ago he was struggling to whisper love you to me as I held his h...and in the hospital. It was my birthday that day-and today. Every year on this day, I shut my bedroom door and cry all day. I tried to take good care of him for many years. I miss him dearly. Does it ever go away. He was my best friend. So today I took a step. I rescued a horse that was starved, sick, abused I have no doubt. This horse was afraid of air, kittens, human touch. Two hours of finally getting him on the trailer I brought him home. He came home-to love, he learned to receive touch, munched down food & hay. He learned if he just leaned a little forward toward my hand it wouldn’t hit him-it would feed him, a treat in exchange for his trust. I could then pet his nose. He felt loved. Rather than hide in the corner of his stall every am, he heard me coming thru the barn door-he looked up, his ears perked up and he walked forward towards me for his treat, touch and love. I would open his stall door walk in and turn my back slightly keeping my eye on him, he sniffed me, he got closer. Soon I was leading him around the arena with a lead rope. Days later I was teaching him how to lunge in a circle to walk, trot, canter, then Whoa. It didn’t come easy. Baby steps. My hopes of ever sitting on his back seemed so far away or never. I got a saddle pad on him finally. I learned Clinton Anderson’s THE METHOD and desensitized him by smacking a whip on the ground near him until he no longer flipped out. Then came the saddle. English saddle first, sniffing, rubbing and him bolting. Then again and again. Finally, he stood-still. The saddle was put on his back. The leathers and stirrups went down on either side. I cracked them down fast over and over so he could hear that snap and whish then finally he didn’t jump away from the stirrups going down. I pushed them against both his sides, lunged him with them dangling many times and jumped and hopped around him until everyone around me laughed and thought I lost my marbles, he was jumpy too but then he stopped being scared-he stopped with all the commotion around him-me-annoying him with waving hands and plastic bags flying above his head! Next-the mounting block. I put it next to him where I would mount-he moved way away-I moved it near him again, again again and again. He stopped finally. He slept with that and my old saddle in his stall. Saddle on, saddle off. Every day for many days. I knew it was time. Today was the day. He needed a rider. If it wasn’t today I could just stay heartbroken in my bedroom and cry dad why did you go, come back, I wana see you and talk to you again, I hate this pain of missing you!! So my friend Adrianne Lindsay (horse trainer, riding instructor) came to see Cider (named after Clinton Anderson’s rescue horse) Adrianne came in the freezing cold, stood patiently and watched me do my thing with Cider-flexing and bending Cider’s head and neck from side to side touching his barrel. She then took over. My hope was that she could get her foot in his stirrup without incident. That’s all I hoped for today. I mean I had leaned up against him and over him-but not on him. Adrianne worked him and showed me what I needed to do. I watched her in awe-then I cried tears of joy!!! Thank you Adrianne Lindsay for making a dream come true! You are amazing. I’m sure my dad is up in Heaven thanking you for helping me turn a hard day into a joyful one. Adrianne Lindsey thank you for jumping up on him and sitting on Cider for the first time!! See more

This is renamed Stephanie Smith Salon in Little Falls NYThis is renamed Stephanie Smith Salon in Little Falls NY