Alright you guys! Today is the day that I'll be talking to the animal communicator. I'm a wee bit skeptical, but she's fair for pricing and it's worth a shot.

I just cant get over the amazing things our horsey masseuse can do for our boys - Eli in particular. She worked on him FOREVER the other night, and by the end you could tell he was already feeling better. All the places she worked on are now way more loose. Amazing thing here - remember how I talked about how Eli was stressed when I'd ask him to trot, and he'd not pay attention as much? Obviously part of that is being green, but cool enough - his massage helped too! I gave him a day off after his massage, and then when I got on him the day after that, he was awesome! I worked him at the walk and he was super soft and focused (oh and his focus is so commendable. As soon as he's thinking and working, he looses all connection with the outside world. It's amazing the focus and work ethic he has. Hunting season is upon us and a whole pile of gunshots went off - not a flinch, twitch of his ear, nothing. It was crazy.), and then when I asked for the trot, he picked it up right away. He trotted off, I squeezed him for collection, he brought his head right down and continued off at the most wonderful trot. He'd go down the rail, he'd do circles, it was so cool. So if anybody in the Midwest is looking for a miracle worker of a horsey masseuse - please look up Casey Daugherty with Stellar Equine Performance Therapy. She's extraordinary, and taught me some stretches and such to keep Eli loose and comfortable. Love her.

So you guys, we had the call! I'm not sure if I can be called a diehard believer, but it was really cool nonetheless. He said some very sweet things I guess, which was wonderful to hear. I'd love to find out if a few of the things she said are true, but what she said was very fitting. Here's some of what we learned:

-Eli doesn't harbor resentment about his past, he just doesn't really understand what happened. He's quite matter of fact, but he's not totally sure how he ended up in the kill pen.

-Someone had good intentions to start him and was committed to time with him, but he ended up not being what they wanted.

-He was at a place with A LOT of babies, bred for a specific purpose or discipline, and he wasn't the best of the best so he was dumped (one of my theories)

-He was neglected, emotionally and physically. Never starved, but at some point he didn't have enough food or correct nutrition. He really didn't get the attention and love he craved. He doesn't understand why or how.

-He saw other horses getting loved and was essentially left out and really wanted his own person to love him.

-He likes water, in terms of drinking it. But he doesn't think he's ever been bathed.

-Our masseuse found he was stiff in the hindquarters so I asked about it - she said it seems as if it's in the stifle, but Eli said that it is more of a soreness, not an injury.

-His tail was longer at one point, but he isn't sure how it came to be shorter

-He hasn't been under saddle previously, and is a bit confused, but not frustrated (the vibe I was getting)

-He LIVES for praise.

-He might've been in a training barn for a short period of time, but he was outside for a long time and had sat for awhile (interesting because his tips are sun bleached).

-He has no preference between disciplines or speeds - he just likes to go "medium speed"

-He gets along well with the other horses but really enjoys our horse with "the big head" because "he's a riot and makes me laugh ALL the time". Could be two of our horses - one has a long head, the other a thicker head xD

-He likes to be outside with the other horses, but the "funny horse told him he was safe, so he isn't afraid of all the wildlife"

-He wasn't shown ever.

-He feels that "he's tasting life for the first time", and is experiencing a ton of new things. He finds the idea of the woods and trail riding intriguing and exciting. And he wanted to know who would go with.

-He loves the stretches and massages.

-In general, he LOVES how spoiled he is.

-He has a very sweet, bubbly personality, and likes the compatible good energy we have. She said he's such a good boy, and so happy.

-He loves me, feels safe with me, and that he has been wishing for me, a human to love him, for a very long time. He feels like he's won the lottery. He has been wanting his own "person" for forever, and he loves the acceptance and connection we have.

So super interesting the things she picked up on.

We also did my mom's horse. Crazy thing. First thing she mentioned. She said "he says he really is confused with the person training him and really doesn't like and understand their methods". A friend of ours had been helping my mom work him last summer and he REALLY wasn't fond of what she was trying to teach. He said that if he and my mom could be the only two that work together, that it would be a lot better. Plus apparently he's super full of himself and thinks that he's really pretty and a "stud" (as in super attractive). Also, he's super reactive around his head and ears - she said he feels a lot of dizziness and almost has a headache and that's why he's so touchy. In general, he used to be SUPER skittish around men, she said that he definitely had a man in his past that was aggressive with him.

This is some pretty cool stuff you guys. She's super reasonably priced and does this purely off of pictures. So if you guys are ever interested, I trust this enough to recommend her. You can PM me for information or more details if you want.

I'm PMing you.

Eli is such a doll, you guys. Cant get over it. Seriously, went out to the paddock to get my other gelding for a hoof trim, and Eli came running over - trying to shove his head into the halter. After Finny (my other gelding) got his hooves trimmed, Eli shoved his head towards me with puppy dog eyes. I'd never ridden him in the dark, and I was too tired to saddle up, so I decided to ride bareback...in the dark. Here's the remarkable part - I sat on a gate (he's tall! I had no other way to get on!) and asked him to walk over. He put his head in my lap, I rubbed it and told him that it was okay, and then told him "over". I've been teaching him "over" with both his front and hind end and some pressure. No pressure here, just a vocal cue - you guessed it, he moved his shoulder closer. I asked him to stand, and he let me slide right on, and off we went. He was super relaxed and we just wandered around. After a little walking, I asked him to stand, and he stood so quietly, with such a content look on his face. This whole experience was so calm and wholesome, I loved it.