Siggie goes to camp

[zacharyfarms]

Last March I lucked out and found my new "farrier" Lauren Gruber who is actually a high performance natural trimmer who with her partner Sharon Foley own Nexus Center for the Horsewhich is a Rehab and training center in East Tennessee. Lauren relocated with her family from Florida and Sharon relocated from Massachusetts. Lauren is a master with the rasp and trimming from the top and Sharon wrote the book Getting to Yes a horse clicker training book. It is amazing to watch what she can get a horse to do in a matter of minutes with just the click of her tongue. I cannot tell you how very lucky I am to have them close by and to have Lauren trimming all 24 of my horses with the care and love that she has for equine health. Now that being said, my little Zachary Farms Signature Moon aka Siggie was crippled by a misdiagnosis by one of our vets and after several inappropriate treatments was left in pretty sad shape. Sharon had come to help Lauren with trimming my horses when I had pneumonia recently and worked with him just a little and we decided to send him to their Nexus training & rehab center to see what kind of rehab work they could do for him. I was checking on him last night and this is the email I received from Lauren this morning. Their home is at the center and Danielle is her 13 year old daughter..The first picture is of Siggie with a student when we had been visiting a school prior to his injury and the 2nd pic is at the training center where they have taught him to pony with a tad bit larger horse..

We're hoping that with Sharon and Lauren's expertise they can teach him the Spanish walk and other dressage moves to help with his rehab.

"Hi Judy,

It's late so I will reply in full tomorrow, but I need to tell you what I found today as I entered my house this evening.

Both Doug and I were working late and Nicole had Basketball practice so Danielle was home alone. As I pulled up to the house and got out of the car, she started leading Siggie out of the house. She said she was "afraid" and had Siggie inside watching TV with her! What a HOOT! He may be a little spoiled by the time he comes home.

I'll give you full details tomorrow,

Have a good night,

Lauren"

 

[Reble]

You sound happy with his results. thanks for sharing

What a cutie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Oh my lord, how darling! Danielle is a lucky girl to have your guy around for awhile.

Leia

 

[ClickMini]

You're lucky to be near those folks. You will learn a lot! I know Sharon Foley from one of our international clicker gatherings. She is very knowledgeable! Have fun!

 

[zacharyfarms]

You're lucky to be near those folks. You will learn a lot! I know Sharon Foley from one of our international clicker gatherings. She is very knowledgeable! Have fun!

I told Sharon that one of the people on one of my horse forum groups was really into clicker training. She asked me what your name was and I said..."ClickMini Amy...

I also told her I still had a bag of clickers that I ordered when I first started reading all your posts and the links from your website. She just uses her tongue to click and I have been working on it myself..

but she is just amazing..She and Lauren are wonderful. I just am so grateful to have them close enough to help me and now especially with Siggie. When Lauren first started trimming my horses they were terrified of her because of the farrier that I had before her. Now they just stand there and let her trim, which, by the way she does entirely with the rasp. Their feet are so pretty and they absolutely adore her.

 

[ClickMini]

That is so cool, Judy! I use a tongue click also. Just came in from a clicker session with Gaia out in the barn.

She is back on the "learn to drive in '09" list. We are going back to the basics, though she did already have a start at it last year. Tonight it was head lowering and targeting, it has been quite a while since I actively had her on the training list, so I have to re-address and solidify the behaviors.

If you want you could tell Sharon my full name, Amy Lacy from Monroe, WA. I met her at the Clicker Camp at Dolores Arste's farm in New York, back in about 2002 or 2003. It was at that camp that I decided to buy a mini, after meeting little Panda!

 

[horsehug]

Judy,

Siggie is so beautiful!! I have always just loved that tiny horse!

How neat for you to have Lauren, Sharon and Danielle close by

Susan O.

 

[zacharyfarms]

Thank you Susan. He is such a special little guy his pictures don't do him justice. His granddam is a foundation Argentinian Falabella and his grandsire was an AMHA National Champion 28" and under stallion. Amy, I sent your post on to Sharon. Lauren will be here tomorrow to do half of my herd's feet. It is so much fun to watch her do them. She is teaching me all the time that she trims. Here is another pic of Siggie riding in the back seat of my truck. He loves to ride and jumps right in. When Lauren and her husband took him to Nexus in the back seat of their truck they turned a lot of heads going through the drive thru of McDonalds.