Ahhhh life

False starts, restarts, the thoughts that I should be there not here or the "oh heck, you better scrap it and start overs", yeah, I've had my fair share lately.   Two of my very dear friends have told me I am right where I am supposed to be.... that can be very frustrating to this "recipe follower" mentality I have. .....Life's not recipe, it looks silly to me to have written it because I know that, but yet, I somehow expect life to be a recipe.... some sort of funky formulary that when you pull it out of the oven it is a delectable masterpiece.....I've been thinking alot about that lately....Because I am still ruminating on this I am going to interupt this post and share an experience that means a tremendous amount to me....It's a glimpse back in the not so distant past of where I've been, what I've learned and how I am choosing to pay it forward......Below is a note (slightly adjusted for posting) I wrote to a young lady that I certainly hope I get to spend more time with in the near future. 

 After reading your note I very much feel for you and understand your frustrations and disappointment with your horse and his choice of not so fabulous and not safe behaviors. I am hoping I can offer a different thought process/resource to you two. I believe animals are brought into our lives for a reason. We may not know why at first. That's our journey. Sometimes they are only here for a short while and others stay longer. 

I am sharing my experience with the thought that you might find it helpful. My hope is that you may be able to get some "good nuggets" from what I share..... "Sift and sort the info and options".... "find what works for you." That is a nugget I cherish that I got from my trainer that continues to help me along my journey to this day.

No, I haven't trained horses but I've trained a few sheepdogs that didn't fit the "normal" training methodology. A little over 4 years ago I bought a dog that wanted to bite and take down sheep like an alligator.  I was mortified!!!It forced me to do some out of the box thinking and I'd best do that fast or I wouldn't be welcome at other people's farms. I needed options and I did not think that was going to be easy to find. The other obvious option that was zooming through my head was for me to move the dog on to someone else with the hopes that they would understand the situation better than I.   Considering I was Zeke's 4th home before the time he was 2, I sensed he was put in my care for me to help him. To be honest, I felt he was begging me to help him.  I didn't have a clue on how I was going to do that, just knew I had to. I'd received all sorts of input on what I should do from seasoned trainers (25 yrs plus) that just didn't resonnate with me.  Lucky for me a trainer reached out to me and offered her help (she is now one of my best friends).  Open minded solutions and a let's figure him out attitude that weren't "forcing him" are what she offered... We have done what I consider miracles with Zeke.  He is nothing like the dog I got 4 years ago.  It was an open mind and a willingness to read the dog and interpret what he needs that has got him to where he is today. 

I'm not saying this is the same situation for you, maybe you have Luna to help get him to his next home. I don't know, that is where I think Kate (animal trainer/communitcator) maybe able to assist you in learning more about Luna and what he needs....and just maybe Luna will learn what you need from him.

If there is anything I've learned in this journey of handling/ learning to train sheepdogs and owning sheep it's that there is always another way to gain understanding if the one you are using isn't working. Find new tools to add to your tool box. Some have said I took the weird way, or the long way to get there...well, it has paid off for me in spades, I call it, "doing it my way".  Having done that now it's been the best thing I could ever have done for my dogs and I. Call me weird any day of the week. I'll take that relationship that I've built with Zeke over anybody elses dog out there.... he gives me his heart.  Zeke is the dog I've turned to when I gotta get the hard chores done home.

I hope this is helpful to you and that you are able to find your own answers that best suits the two of you. 

C