Hoofbeats and Paw Prints

January-itis

2012-01-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

I'm honest about the fact that January is my least favorite month. It's long, well, feels longer than the other months. It's dreary and cold where I live, though this year has been oddly warm and snowless. I find myself depressed because I'm on a wind down from the holidays and I tend toward SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). While my goal for 2012 is to have a positive spin, gosh, January tests me every year.

Right now, I'm thrilled to be past the midway point. I can see the light at the end of January. People around here are saying winter is passing us over this year with temps up and down from 20's to 50's. There's still plenty of time for winter weather, I'm not falling into that frame of mind.

To ease my dismal mood, I called my horse-friend. I hadn't talked to her in a few months. We've been friends for the past eight years, met when we were both working at a riding stable. Horses, and our animals, are our common denominator but we have other things in common too.We can pass an hour, easily, talking about our horses and animals. She tends to feel the same way I do in January, bluh. We talked about attending Equine Affaire in April. The crazy things our horses did the past few months. Information either of us may have acquired concerning horses, new trends, new clinicians, new ways of using our time with our horses. It's a good "visit" when you come away smiling and January doesn't feel so darn gray.

So, if you're like me and suffer from January-itis,the best advice I'd give is to find those things that make you forget how long January can feel. The things I've done include: phoned a friend, groomed my horses, watched the squirrels and birds take advantage of the buffet I've provided, taken short walks with my dogs outside, read an uplifting book, watched an uplifting movie or TV program (if you can find one). Also, remember, January is only thirty one days and by March, it will be a memory.

GMC's Heartland

2012-01-12T13:11:00.003-05:00

Last year I stumbled upon a really cool television show, Heartland, on GMC. GMC is the Gospel Music Channel, but there are family oriented TV shows on the network, it's not all gospel music. I am very picky about the TV shows I watch and there aren't very many that interest me. I am so thrilled to have found Heartland! I look forward to the airing on Thursday nights at 9pmEST. There's also an encore at 10pm EST. The show is well made, well written, and well acted. The stories are believable, realistic and visually captivating at times. The series was made a few years ago and GMC is currently showing Season 2.

The TV series, Heartland, is based on the book series of the same name by Lauren Brooke. I've not read the books. Amazon notes that the books are for ages 9 and up. Well, let me tell you, this 50 year old girl is hooked! Even my husband has been watching it! There is something for everyone in the characters and the storylines.

The series began, and I don't think I'm spoiling anything, as Amy, the young heroine, and her mom, are trying to rescue what they believe is an abused horse.On the way home, with horse, Spartan, in the trailer, there's an accident. Amy's mom is killed. Spartan is traumatized. Amy blames herself for her mom's death because she begged her mom to go after the horse. Amy wrestles with the "if only" and eventually starts working to bring Spartan out of his trauma to ease her own pain.

Amy's mom is a well known horse trainer/horse whisperer, and believed Amy had the gift for horse training/whispering as well. Amy had never trained horses on her own, always with her mom's guidance. The story moves on as various characters are introduced. Grandpa, the gruff, no nonsense cowboy who realizes ranch life is changing, but longs for the old days. Lou,the older sister who gave up a high profile job in New York to help out at the ranch after the tragedy. Will she stay? Will she go back to New York? Mallory, the sweet neighbor girl who sometimes gets in the way but means well. Ty the handsome, bad boy, trying to make right his past wrongs by working at the ranch. He's not so good at horseback riding and no one lets him forget it. As the seasons roll on, more characters emerge. Lou and Amy's father, Tim, a rodeo star who's trying to connect with his daughters again, decides to settle down close by. Ashley, the rich girl who's mom owns the local riding facility. Kit, the barrel racing gal who tends to come between Amy and Kyle because neither one of them want to admit they have feelings for each other. Caleb, the aspiring rodeo bronc rider who decides Amy is worth his time, but just can't quite keep from lying to her.

The horses are always a centerpiece of the story, in some way, which I love.The show was done intelligently. It's respectful but not sappy. It's clean without being preachy. The young people are up against various trials like most teens and find ways to work it out. They get into trouble but the consequences are always dealt with in an appropriate way.

There aren't many TV shows worthy of praise these days but I give the highest marks to Heartland. If you can't get the the TV show, the DVD's are available at Amazon.com as is the book series.

Wildlife Rescue

2012-01-04T11:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I heard the telltale thud against the back sliding glass window. Sure enough, there lay a pitiful bright red cardinal on the porch floor. Head turned backwards and not moving. Didn't look good. I hurried to get a pair of gloves and a towel. If the little guy didn't die instantly, I may be able to keep him warm until he revived himself. I've been through this before. I've learned if the bird has any chance, and is only stunned from the impact, thirty minutes to one hour will tell the tale.

The temperature outside was a very cold 20 degrees and the wind was chilling. I decided I'd place the little guy in a cardboard shoe box I found in the closet. A new pair of shoes that didn't fit anyway. I'd place him in the box, wrapped gently in the towel, in the back room of the house and close the door. Buddy, the cat, was asleep in the bedroom at the other end of the house and hadn't moved an inch so I wouldn't have to worry about him. I'd check on the cardinal every ten minutes. Before placing the cardinal in the box, I held his fragile body in my gloved hands. I could feel the life still there. His tiny heart beating and I could see he was still breathing. I was encouraged with this one.

On Saturday, a Red Bellied Woodpecker met the same fate, but he didn't fare as well. I got to him in the same amount of time but no heartbeat. Nothing. He was still. I held him in my gloved hand, lightly wrapped in a towel, for quite some time but it was clear, he'd passed on quickly. I quietly took him down by the creek, laid him underneath the giant white pines and in a bed of pine needles. Covered him over and let nature have him back. As I stood there admiring the bright stripe of red on his head, I wondered how many other people would bother? Probably not many, but we have a rule around here, we respect wildlife in death and life. If we can help we do. He was a gorgeous bird and his final fate saddened me. I felt responsible because he slammed into the glass door, but realistically, I know it wasn't my fault. My husband said he'd noticed two RBW flying around like they were arguing over territory a little while before the crash.One of them won the battle, one of them didn't.

So, I was hoping the little cardinal's fate would be better. I checked the box about every ten minutes. By about the third check the cardinal had set himself in the towel like he was nesting,which I found as a good sign. I closed up the top of the box and waited for the next check.

When I checked the fourth time, he moved his head when I opened up the box. I didn't want to disturb him too much, we were on the hour countdown. As noted, if he wasn't up and flying within the next 15-20 minutes, he probably wasn't going to be.

The last time I checked on him he seemed alert. I then decided to move the box outside, open it up and if he was going to survive, he'd soon take off. He sat on the towel, inside the box for a while longer. I checked on him a couple of times. I figure he could hear the other birds, see them flitting by above him. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer and with my gloved hand I gently went under him. Surprise, he jumped on my hand. Now I realize this is a wild bird, he has no clue I'm trying to help him. I remained calm, lifted my hand up slowly to the railing of the deck thinking he might choose to perch on something solid. Within a few seconds, he flapped his wings and flew off to the trees. My wildlife rescue a success this time around.

Both of the cardinal photos courtesy of JJS (aka my photographer husband)

Random Act of Kindness

2011-12-22T10:36:00.000-05:00

With all the ugliness we see in the news, online and in life, it's heartwarming to actually witness a real life random act of kindness. Does give one hope that there are still some good people in the mix. The young man's random act of kindness will stay with me for a long time.

My husband and I were on our way to the store for grocery shopping. We're excited to have our whole family in on Christmas Eve. We decided to stop by a small diner we enjoy. It's always friendly there. The owners are often working along with their small staff of one or two, depending on the time of day. This evening, one waitress and one cook. It was an hour before closing.

As we sat waiting for our order, at one of the out of the way booths, we noticed a young man exiting from the restroom. He walked slowly, deliberately, with a heavy limp. He sat down at the counter. The waitress and the cook were friendly with the young man. From the exchange, it was apparent that the young man ate at the diner often. In walks an older man, probably in his fifties, who sat down at the counter beside the young man. There were four other men sitting at a booth near the counter area. The younger man and the older man, at the counter, strike up a conversation. It was easy to hear what was said. The older man was engaged in what the younger man said. The young man had slower speech, and seemed to struggle a little, but the older man was very generous.

The older man explained he was passing through Ohio, to Michigan, to spend Christmas with his eighty-nine year old mother. He said he was from North Carolina and it was a long drive. He was planning to get a room in Columbus (about 90 minutes away) for the night, then head on to Michigan in the morning. By this time the other four men were also involved in the friendly conversation.

After a while the young man got up to pay his bill. As he was heading out the door, he turned to the older man and told him he hoped he had a safe trip to Michigan. Then he said "Merry Christmas!" and walked out the door.

The waitress informed the older man that "Jimmy" had just paid for his dinner. It was obvious the older man was stunned. He turned and looked at the door where Jimmy had disappeared. The waitress told him Jimmy was just like that and often left her a bigger tip than he needed to. The other four men all agreed and said Jimmy was even nice before the accident. The older man asked about Jimmy's limp, and his speech, and they acknowledged that Jimmy had been in a bad car accident. The man was still in shock, shaking his head a little in disbelief. I could see he wasn't used to something like that happening to him. As he was leaving, he told the waitress, and the four men, that their town was very friendly and you just don't see that very often these days. He wished all a "Merry Christmas" and presumably headed on his journey north.

Jimmy's random act of kindness touched eight people yesterday evening, those who were present to witness it. I'm sure he had no idea that he touched eight souls with his kindness. Regardless of whether it's Christmas, or not, being present to witness a random act of kindness is God's way of showing the rest of us that there is still good in the world.

Merry Christmas and may the spirit of this season be with you throughout the year!

Winterized

2011-12-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

I feel I'm ready for winter this year. I'm at ease that the horses are prepared. My hay building is full, which hasn't happened too often in the past. I'm usually scrambling to get some more hay in before our winter hits hard, which is usually mid-January for us here in Southern Ohio. I like to distinguish Southern Ohio from the rest of Ohio because we're different around here from what is often perceived of Ohioans. Most people have visions of Columbus or Cleveland. My end of Ohio is more of a West Virginia and Northern Kentucky association. Yeah, we're the "hillpeople". When I was growing up I had a cousin who lived in Northern Ohio. She liked to call me a Hillbilly. I didn't really mind so much, I figured I was better off than her anyway. I prefer hills to flat land any day. We tend to refer to anyone who lives above Chillicothe, Ohio as Flatlanders.

Both horses are winterized with fuzzy fur. My big boy, Bo, looks like a bear, in my opinion. His hair has basically grown into a soft teddy bear-like looking fur and I love hugging his neck and petting him when he's in his winter coat. Spirit's coat grows a little different, but still furry, just not as teddy bear-like. I don't do blankets. Never have, probably never will unless there's an illness. I keep my horses as natural as possible. They've never worn shoes since I've had them. They have excellent hooves, so I've been told, by three different farriers and two vets. And they even have, the supposedly dreaded, light colored hooves! Guess I got lucky.

The heater is in the water tank. Sure, I know all the controversy about water heaters but I chose to go that route because I didn't want to be busting ice all the time. At my age, it's all about ease of the job on my part. I think after a while, we earn the right to be a little lazy on some chores, find ways to deal that make them easier for us.

We were able to get sand into the corral area back in October so I'm free from mud this year. That's a relief. The sand has its drawbacks, it gets tracked all over and I have to sweep off the stall mats occasionally. The horses have discovered they enjoy rolling in the sand which can be unsightly when it's wet and sticks all over their coats. I think Hubby appreciates the fact he doesn't have to listen to me gripe about mud this year. No swamp to deal with. I don't have lava rocks pointing up, which happens when the mud freezes, although the water logged sand did freeze after the heavy rains we had four weeks in a row. But after the temps warmed up, the lava rocks were gone. I'm thinking I like the sand better than the mud any day.

Brought out my Carhartt overalls last week when the temps dropped. I do love my Carhartt's! Both the coat and the overalls keep me warm on cold mornings. Of course, I feel like the Michelin Man or a human size marshmallow walking around, but I'm not cold.

Of course, Dear Mother Nature has other plans and this week we're back to temps in the 40's & 50's with rain predicted most of the week. No worries, the worst of our winter usually always shows up by mid-January so the worst is yet to come, but I think I'm ready.

Right now I feel confident that when December 22 rolls around next week I can say Winter, Bring It ON! I hope I don't regret those words but for once, I feel winterized and energized!

This photo was taken a couple of years ago after a serious ice storm in early February.

Short and sweet...I'm not

2011-12-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

I tend to ramble sometimes and that's what I'm doing today.

I've been busy, for once. For a few years now I haven't had to travel to any kind of job for work. Hubby and I are fortunate we can be comfortable with his income alone. Actually, I've not been employed full-time since 2004, when I was a librarian/library branch manager. My last job was working part-time at a horse facility from summer '04 to winter '07. My life plan didn't necessarily include not being gainfully employed, at age fifty,I had planned on becoming an elementary teacher, that was my training back in the '80s. But, as we all know, after dwelling a few years in the adult world, life has a way of moving down different roads and away from our original plan. It's up to us to choose which route is best. I love this little gem: We plan, God laughs. Something like that. I have no regrets.

Anyway, the past weekend saw both Hubby and I on the road and putting down miles. Saturday we headed to a few out of the way places with a little Christmas shopping in mind and a gun show on the way home. Saturday night, our oldest son called asking if Hubby could help him replace a broken brake line on his truck. A deer attempted to cross the road in front of him, typical this time of year, but as Son put on his brakes, the truck kept going. Fortunately Son wasn't hurt. He's not sure about the deer. Besides the brake line, the front grill and headlights were obliterated. Son's truck is a '90somethning Chevy S10 he's trying to keep running until he can afford something else. The incident could have been much worse had the brakes gone out at another time in another place. I believe his guardian angel was flying with him that evening. So, Sunday was spent at our son's place, about fifty miles northeast of us. Our daughter-in-law fixed a fantastic dinner for us, which was much appreciated though not expected. I enjoyed spending time talking with her. She's a busy lady and I'm so proud of her for many reasons. Though I've known our daughter-in-law since she was a young girl, there's a lot I still don't know about her and enjoyed that she wanted to share her thoughts and ambitions with her mother-in-law on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

By Monday morning, Hubby and I were both tired, unfortunately, he had to go to his job. I do feel guilty about that at times. I remind him, his time will come and I may be the one heading out the door while he gets to do his own thing at home around our little farm. OR, maybe we'll win the lottery and we can both just spend time here at the farm!

Then, yesterday, I took my mom to some stores just to try to get the Christmas feel. I actually detest Christmas shopping in general. Most of my gifts are purchased online. I thought Mom should get out. This is a tough time of year with my dad gone and even though she tries to act like she's OK, I know it's a painful time. Well, that trip was another fifty mile jaunt north. Any time I need to shop for anything, it usually involves a 30-60 minute drive, unless I just want to check out the Dollar Store or Post Office in my little village. I really don't think it's a town though it is listed on the map.

Basically, random thoughts on a dreary, half snow/half rainy day. Not so short and sweet because I guess my mind doesn't run that way. I'm trying to get into the holiday mode, but quite honestly, I'm not that into it. I'm not a Grinch, or Scrooge, but I've found the feeling has to be worked on the older I get. So, back to working on that holiday cheer!

November 2011

2011-11-30T10:27:00.001-05:00

November felt like a fly-by month. Now it's done.

The first days of November will forever be tough for me. Seems, in my life's journey, the days of October 28-November 3 have been designated my trying time of year. I always feel, if I can get through those days without anything horrible happening or any life changing event, I'm good for the next year. Several major events happened over my lifetime and they were often during this time. From the death of my grandparents,cancer diagnosis, to surgeries for my sons, among some of the events,and then ultimately my dad's passing on November 3, 2009. I always feel apprehension, sadness, and often depression when the end of October into the first of November arrives. No major events this year. I breathed a big sigh of relief this morning. I made it.

Looking back over November, the next big day of the month is November 14, which was my youngest son's twenty-sixth birthday. My oldest son (who's twenty-eight) was determined we'd all get together for his brother's birthday. They live about three hours from each other, with our home right smack in the middle of their travel time, meaning we'd all gather here. It made me smile that my two adult sons still think the world of each other. I made a point to foster a caring relationship between the two of them when they were growing up. I am more than pleased my influence paid off. They are brothers, but they are also best friends. Makes me proud! We gave baby brother a sweet little birthday party including sword play (Hubby's new collectable weapon) outside, practicing their slicing technique through water filled gallon milk jugs sitting atop a tree stump. My "boys", all three of them, have never been lacking for ideas when it comes to play of one sort or another. My daughter-in-law even took a turn knowing full well,this is how we often have fun in this family. It was a good day!

Thanksgiving came earlier than I had anticipated this year. I hadn't paid attention to the calendar. I thought we had one more weekend before Thanksgiving Day. I was caught off guard. I remedied that by ordering from Bob Evans for our Thanksgiving dinner, the week prior. My mother-in-law probably shook her head at that, but who cares? She didn't come anyway. My mom thought it was a fantastic idea. Food is food and however it's served, it's the time spent with those we love that matter the most.

My sons were here Thanksgiving afternoon, and evening,with their ladies. Both ladies have their families in the area and I told both sons to go to those gatherings because I felt it was more important. I told my sons I'd have something here in the late afternoon into evening and hoped they'd stop in. I left it open ended.

Oldest son has been married for three years now. He and his wife have known each other since they were kids. Youngest son is getting married in June 2012. They've known each other since high school, and she has said she ALWAYS had a crush on my son. After graduation they went separate ways when they attended college. They got back together a couple of years ago and officially started dating. The story she tells is that they remained friends via Facebook chat through their four years of college. They jokingly agreed that if neither one of them was married, or involved with anyone, when they both turned twenty-five,they'd just marry each other! As it turned out, they were probably meant to be together way before they both realized. They were engaged in December last year, the year they both turned twenty-five.

Hubby and I are thrilled whenever we can have all our kids together, and on Thanksgiving Day, it worked out that way this year. I'm a realist. I know that these times are precious and as lives evolve, children come along, time becomes more demanding for all of them, we may not all be able to get together on the same day. That's why I find these gatherings very special.

Hubby and I made one more hay run last week. We picked up thirty more bales of hay. When we placed the last bale I felt a sense of relief. My hay building is full. I am ready for winter! I have enough hay to get through even the toughest winter this time around. The dog houses are filled with straw. The cat is warming by the fireplace. Our new generator has been tested and ready to go should we get any foul weather power outages. We got a few flakes of snow last night. OK, December, and winter, bring it on!

Maggie's Pawprint

2011-11-18T08:50:00.000-05:00

I've decided to run some posts about the animals I've had in my life over the years. How they've affected me and how their personalities are all so very different. It's amazing, really, when you start thinking about the personalities and characteristics of the animals who've shared your life. I don't believe, for one moment, that animals don't have souls, maybe not like ours, but something is in there.

Maggie came to us in 2005. Our oldest son had been working at a state park over the summer. One evening, when he rolled into our driveway in his Jeep, with no doors, I could make out something sitting in the passenger seat. At first my thoughts, no doubt loud, though I can't recall if I said anything out loud, "Are you kidding me? You actually brought a dog home?" Yeah, my ire rose at first. We had one German Shepherd, Xena. Xena was not the most social dog when it came to other dogs. I was worried more than anything else. Son jumped out of his Jeep, and the dog bounded after him. He explained that the park manager had said if the dog wasn't picked up by the next day the dog warden would be called to pick her up. Son is a caring soul regardless of how macho he tries to be sometimes and just couldn't let that happen, so he brought her home. He'd done the same thing with a box of tiny kittens three years prior.

The dog was kind of cute but kind of not. She was of a black/gray marbled color.She looked like she was an Australian Cattle Dog/ Blue Heeler with one blue eye and one brown eye giving her an odd, almost spooky appearance with her rather tall pointy ears. My son reminded me that I once said I'd love to have a Blue Heeler after seeing "Zip" in the movie Last of the Dogmen. Well, yes, he was right, but I'd like to be prepared for another dog. Giving a dog a home is a major responsibility, in my opinion. However, it was kind of hard to reject her when she sat down at my feet and looked up at me as if to say "I'll be good. Can I stay?" while her tail thumped behind her and I was drawn to the blue eye. Funny, when you look at her, you tend to focus on the blue eye. My sons had done this to me once before, ten years earlier, with Xena. I had said NO to one more dog, we already had two "rescues", when my mother-in-law, their grandma, had shown the adorable fluffy black pup to my sons, fully knowing they'd fall in love with her. But that's for Xena's pawprint story...

So, I said we could keep this apparently abandoned dog, for a while. She may belong to someone was my thought. Son decided to name her Maggie Mae. I didn't really want to name her just yet. He explained, pleading her case even more, she'd been wandering around the state park camping area. She had a collar but no tags attached. She also had some decent manners and knew how to sit when asked. She appeared to be around two years old, not quite a pup, but not quite an adult. I told Son to at least TRY for the next week to see if someone is looking for her when he went back to work at the park. He said he would ask around and ask other workers to do the same. In the end, after a couple of weeks, no one claimed her and no one came to the park looking for her.

Maggie seemed like an awfully nice dog on further inspection. But, I had the horses to consider and I didn't want a dog running them. Little did I know then, I'd only had the horses for about nine months at that time, for the most part, my horses don't like dogs in their field and they can take care of themselves. Sometimes, it seems the two of them even like to tease the dogs. But, on our property, the horses are the top dogs and that's my rule.

Maggie did have her period of transition. She is a herding dog, hence the variety of descriptive names of her anchor breed; Australian Cattle Dog, Blue Heeler and Queensland Heeler. She's most likely not full Heeler, but looks to possibly have some Sheltie, Border Collie or Australian Shepherd after researching these breeds. She's not as stocky as most Heelers, but doesn't have the same hair as the other three breeds. Blue Heelers are not known to have blue eyes, in general, while the other breeds can. Anyway, most of that doesn't matter. What mattered was that her herding instinct was getting her into trouble with me.

For several months I had to find a way to turn that herding instinct in another direction. She had a habit of chasing and barking at the horses when I opened the gate to let them into the front field or when they were enjoying a leisurely roll on the ground. They ignored her most of the time. It took some patience on my part to work through this problem. Unfortunately, for Maggie, the problem took care of itself. One day, as I was opening the gate to let the horses out, Maggie took off after them, heeling and barking, not really sure what she was doing. In the blink of an eye my younger horse, Spirit, he was three years old at the time, turned on a dime and ran Maggie down right in front of me. I gasped as Maggie rolled on the ground, scrambled up and ran out of the field. I was horrified. I found her lying by the fence, breathing hard, blue eye looking up at me as if saying "What just happened?" To this day, she rarely goes into the field where the horses are, she'll stay along the outside of the fence and if she does enter,I command her out, by simply saying "Maggie, OUT" and pointing toward the gate,she trots out and waits for me. Even dogs sometimes have to learn life lessons the hard way. I checked her over after the incident, she appeared bruised in the rib area, but nothing worse. She learned when and where she needed to be careful around the horses that day. Now, if the horses are romping in the field and she starts barking, all I have to do is say her name to get her attention, and tell her NO. She stops. One thing that is indisputable about Blue Heelers they are intelligent and learn quickly.

My fears about Xena not accepting Maggie into our "pack" were unfounded. Xena and Maggie got along well. They became buddies, BFF, if you will.Naturally, Maggie and Xena had their arguments until the position thing was worked out, but it didn't take long. A few growls, a couple of "arguments", and they settled into their relationship. When Xena died three years later, Maggie was genuinely lost for a while. There was saddness in her eyes, well, especially the blue eye. Maybe she was feeding off our sadness at losing our friend of twelve years, but I believe she missed Xena. Dogs do grieve losses for a period of time.

I must admit, at first when Maggie was chasing my horses and barking, alot, at times I was exasperated with her. Xena never chased the horses so I wasn't sure how to deal with this young herding dog. But, I'm not the kind of person who gives an animal a home then turns around and abandons it or sends it somewhere else because of some inconvenience on my part. Dogs, and horses too, need guidelines. Once you've worked with them and showed them, with patience and consistency, what those guidelines are, they are the most wonderful companions in the world. When they know they have leadership in you, are safe, cared for, have plenty of food and shelter, and insecurities can be overcome, they return the favor with their devotion. Isn't that all we really want from them? Our animals really ask for so little yet give so much.

Sometimes I've wondered what Maggie's life was before us. She seems attracted to older women which made us wonder if she maybe belonged to an elderly woman and was abandoned because something had happened. My mother-in-law is not a dog person yet every time she would come to our home, Maggie would sit down beside her. Or maybe that was just Maggie being sensitive to someone who didn't really care about dogs one way or another and was trying to win her over. Maggie has proven to be a people pleaser. I've also noticed that Maggie loves kids and gets excited when she sees them, while our other dog, Lucy, doesn't, so maybe Maggie had kids in her life as well.

Whatever her background story, it ends with our family. Maggie has earned her place in our pack and forever left her pawprints on our hearts.

Pasture Envy

2011-10-26T14:38:00.001-04:00

I have a confession, of sorts, I've discovered I suffer from pasture envy. As I pass by homes with big country yards and lush thick grass I think: "what a waste of space, that would be such great pasture for my horses. If it were mine I'd put up fence and have lots of pasture for my horses. Why do they waste time mowing?"

Then there are the farms with, what seems to me, acres and acres of fenced grass fields. I find myself wistful that my two horses would love that much pasture field and the hours of grass grazing.

My two Spotted Saddle Horses came from a farm where they had probably a hundred acres to roam grassy hillsides. I remember the farm had so much grass I questioned moving the horses to our two small pastures. Granted we have over sixty acres of land, but approximately fifty of it is forested hills and valleys with creeks separating the hills. This area has been called The Foothills to the Smokys. Don't get me wrong, I do love the forests and it makes for great walking/riding trails as we carve them. I've regretted that my horses don't have more grazing area and that I took them away from some awesome pastures. I have no idea how they feel about it but I suspect if they could voice opinions, they'd prefer the awesome pastures.

My older horse was six when I bought him. He was used to roaming a big space and eating all the grass he could in a day. His body showed it. But my younger guy was two and I wonder if he even remembers the lush pastures he came from, I'm thinking, not so much.

Over the past seven years we've worked at various rotations of the smaller fenced acres, which amounts to about ten acres. We use a portable electric fence in the front yard area of our house during the summer months, for a couple hours of evening grazing. It's more like a field anyway and I'm not a person who gives much credence to what my yard/field looks like out here in the country. God made grass for grazing animals, not so we would have to mow it.

If I were to actually design, or buy another place, with my horses in mind, I wouldn't build it in a valley, between hills. I also would make sure there was not a tree line near my fence line. Seems we sporadically have to fix broken fence areas due to falling branches or entire trees. With a heavy sigh, I've decided, we'll deal with it all as it is and I'm going to quit complaining about it. I don't foresee us moving any time soon. The place is paid off so unless we were to sell it as a small horse farm and move to Kentucky,I love Kentucky,it is what it is. My youngest son lives in Maysville and when we go down that way to visit, I admire the green rolling pasture land, and feel that pasture envy creeping up on me.

Hubby and I continue to work it out, for the horses, here on our little plot of the planet as best we can. Eventually, we'll have all the trees out of the back field and more grass will grow there. Realistically, because of the ground composition, we'll never see lush green pastureland back here. When I've brought this subject up to my vet a couple of times, about my lack of good pasture grass, he looked at my guys and said "You're probably better off with less pasture. You don't have to worry about founder and these guys look like really easy keepers." So, evidently, it's not really as bad as I keep thinking. However, I'll probably continue to have pasture envy. The grass is always greener at the other farm.

Exotic Animals Loose In Central Ohio

2011-10-19T10:35:00.000-04:00

If you've been listening to, or reading, any form of news this morning you've learned that approximately fifty exotic animals were released from their cages on a private farm and are possibly roaming a rural area of Zanesville, Ohio. Zanesville is about a two hour drive north of where I live in Southern Ohio. Latest report I heard during a TV interview, allegedly, the owner of the farm possibly opened the animal cages before killing himself. While that is tragic in itself, what I find more tragic in this situation is the fact that approximately 50 exotics were being kept by a private citizen, in cages, on his own property. The sheriff's news conference confirmed 30 animals have been put down by law enforcement since last night, most of them were on the outside of the property when law enforcement arrived and the sheriff gave the order shoot to kill. There are suburbs close to the farm where the animals were kept.The sheriff also confirmed that there had been ongoing investigations following up reports of abuse and loose animals since about 2004.

Let me just say right up front there is absolutely no good reason for any private citizen to keep exotics like lions, tigers, bears, giraffes??? whatever, especially in a populated state like Ohio. It's not right. It's cruel to the animals and dangerous for surrounding homeowners. I also learned from another interview, and I haven't checked this information out myself, Ohio is one of the worst offenders when it comes to exotics being kept by private citizens. Ohio? I was stunned. Evidently there are no strict regulations for owning and keeping exotics in the state of Ohio.

The Columbus Zoo and The Wilds (an official wildlife preserve near Zanesville) are on the scene hoping to rescue some of the animals alive, although they didn't say what kind of animals they're looking for at this point. They've closed some schools in the area and are advising people to stay indoors. While I realize news media outlets run with this kind of story, I always try to glean what I think is credible and dismiss the hype.The deceased had been in prison for a year and had a jail record including animal abuse as well as possession of illegal firearms. This fact, if true, is troubling at any level.They were aware of the situation and had been concerned something might happen. I suppose they're all tip toeing around much of the law issue because as we all know, you can go down quick with a bad TV interview. This is an ongoing story so the information will change as the day goes on.

A few years ago someone in the county ten miles north of us kept two lions. One of the lions got loose and was running down the main highway. Now, Southern Ohio can be wild and wooly. We have acres of forests, hills and hollers. Wildlife is abundant. We have seen an increase in coyotes, black bear and wild boar. But for someone to keep a lion, is simply beyond common sense. I never heard what happened to the lion although local news stated the owner was fined. Whoop tee doo!!!

Three times a year, the local fairgrounds, which is five minutes from my house, hosts a gigantic swap meet known as Swap Days or Trade Days. I personally quit attending several years ago because I don't like crowds AND there were people selling all kinds of animals in very confined cages as well as exotic animals. Common to see cages with baby lions or bears. I couldn't understand why they were permitted to sell them. Did the officials look the other way? when I heard about the lack of exotic animal regulations for private citizens in Ohio, it all made sense.

I am not an over-the-top animal activist but I do play by common sense rules. I cannot understand the mentality of someone who would even consider keeping 50 exotics like lions, tigers, bears, etc on a small farm just because they could. I think it's one for the psychologists to figure out.

When I first heard the story my thoughts went to horse and livestock owners. I was thinking if it were in my immediate area my shotgun would be locked and loaded and I'd be out there with my horses until all the animals from the farm were accounted for. While I don't like the idea of having to shoot any animal, I would do it in defense of my own. I suppose we'll get stories from the neighbors in the upcoming hours as news media scour the county to talk to the locals. Unfortunate as it is, it is the story of the day here in Ohio.

Dream a dream, but reality is what it is...

2011-10-12T15:42:00.001-04:00

The Tevis Cup endurance race, one hundred miles in one day, was held in California this past weekend. Due to weather induced terrain problems they moved the race from mid-summer to October 8. A few days before the race, a snow storm blew in leaving snow in the mountains, on some trails, and in camping areas. But, they carried on. The race was completed and won by a veteran Tevis participant, who's won it previously. In my mind, and I'm sure in the mind of many of those riders, it's not winning, it's finishing. And to those people who even attempt, they have my respect. The prize...a highly prized belt buckle.

I'm in awe of the people who have the opportunity to ride with their horses, as a team, in this event. Realistically, I know it's not something I'll ever do. Yes, we can dream dreams, but more often than not, reality is what it is. So, from hundreds of miles away, through the magic of technology, I checked the Tevis updates on my Facebook page over the weekend, following the progress of the race, gazing at the posted photos of horses and their riders. You could even check in on a webcam, but unfortunately, my current satellite internet is not conducive to webcam viewing. I found myself sighing heavily, that the experience was out of my reach.

I'll continue to admire those who ride endurance, and particularly The Tevis Cup. I still have a dream, that maybe, one day, I'll get to a Competitive Trail Ride, or a shorter LD (Limited Distance). And the possibility of an ACTHA (American Competivtive Trail Horse Association) event, is within my reach. But The Tevis, ah yes, the top of the line, is an event I will only be following online. That's OK. We need to dream our dreams, but also realize that sometimes reality is what it is, and adjust.

Happy Trails, whatever that may mean to you!

The Tevis Cup

ACTHA

Get Your Emotions Out of It!

2011-10-05T13:29:00.001-04:00

I had one of those AH HA moments recently. Read an article by one of the popular trainers and his words clicked with me. Get the emotions out of your horse training. I realized for the longest time that's been one of my problems. Emotions getting in the way because they're MY horses.

When I worked at a riding stable and was training those horses, well, keeping their abilities up for our young program riders, I was business with them. I didn't feel anything I just did what needed done whether it was working on their starts and stops, getting them use to trail riding vs. arena riding, stand while tying, all the little things that needed attention. I knew the horses had to be rideable, leadable, mountable, accessible to the children we were servicing. The horses had jobs to do and I had to make sure they were ready.

At home it's been a different story, and I think I just figured it out when I read the words of the trainer. When it comes to my two horses I've worried too much about what and how they do things. I've worried I'll ruin them in some way. This, I decided has been my problem and my handicap with getting my horse-life fulfilled. I think part of it comes from the very fact that I wanted to own my very own horses for so long, when I finally got them (at age 43) I was star struck in many ways. So now, I've decided that the reason my progress with my two guys has been at a stand still has been due to my emotional involvement.There's a place for emotions with our horses but there's also a place for business. I've been too concerned about right and wrong, which is important to a point, instead of just doing what I did with the school horses.

My new training philosophy is to get to the same mental place I used with the school horses. I really think I'll make more progress that way. Easier said than done, probably, but those light bulb moments can be cause for turning corners, and I want to go there. Plus, I've come to a time in my horse-life where I'm questioning if it's right for me to have my guys since I haven't taken full advantage of what horse ownership could be. But, that's a post for another day....

Draft Horses,Visions of the Past

2011-09-29T08:50:00.000-04:00

I attended a draft horse show in Hillsboro, Ohio, a week ago. I've been a fan of draft horses all my life. When I was a kid, my parents and I attended the Ohio State Fair to see the Budweiser Clydesdales. This was back in the 70's when there was no internet, no instant access to photos of these gorgeous animals. I still remember the pounding of the hooves and the jangle of the hardware as the team thundered into the coliseum. An experience forever stamped in my memory.

A few years back I was thrilled to find an annual draft horse show an hour's drive from us. We've been attending for a few years now, but didn't make it last year, I think it was weather, or a family event, can't remember exactly, so it had actually been two years since we'd attended the show. The first years Hubby and I attended I was amazed at the number of draft hitch participants. Marveled that there were still people who drove six-horse hitches and traveled with their draft horses to shows across various states. As I recall, there were eight of the six-horse hitch wagons in the one class. They had to divide the class up into two sections, with the winners vying for first place in the third round. This year, there were three. THREE! I was saddened by the decline though I've thought for a while that the show would dwindle and with the economy so sluggish, I really wasn't surprised by the downturn in entrants. There were also several canceled classes due to no entrants. As I looked around the outdoor arena, there were fewer people in attendance and it was a relatively nice day, though cloudy with a threat of rain. The entrants in the hitch classes, six-hitch,four-hitch and unicorn, were mostly from Ohio, one wagon from Indiana.

Back home I got to thinking, what will happen to the drafts? Obviously, not used in farming, except in Amish communities, of which we have many here in Ohio. Close to my home I often see Amish farmers with their Belgian drafts working their fields. But what of draft breeds in general? I was curious so looked up Spotted Draft horse. They came to mind because of my big Bo, who is actually a big Spotted Saddle Horse. We often wondered if he had some draft in his genes. I also looked up Percheron. What I found was that drafts are now being used to breed with smaller, athletic breeds, and warmbloods, for eventing and dressage horses. At least they have a place in the 21st Century. Still, I wondered about the future of the legendary work horses who were integral in working the American farms of yesteryear. My grandpa trained drafts to do farm work back in the early 1920's when some Ohio farms still hadn't transferred to tractors yet. I often wish I'd had a chance to talk with Grandpa about his horse training years, but he died before I was five. All I have are pictures and stories my mom has told me. Probably also the fate of the drafts in the future.

I'll always get a chill when I see a draft horse standing in a field, or working an Amish farm, and especially when I have the opportunity to see them roll in their wagon hitches,as long as the opportunity remains, reminding me of a less hurried time in American life.

September Has Arrived

2011-09-08T11:09:00.001-04:00

Been incommunicado for a while. I always thought that was a clever term, incommunicado. Actually, I think it's just called l-a-z-y where I'm concerned.

Hubby has been trying to squeeze in vacation days before the company he works for transitions the workforce to another company at the end of September. We're still in twilight zone over that move, or at least that's how it feels. When he's on vacation, so am I. Just works that way. My daily routine gets all out of whack.

Most of the time we've spent working on projects around our little farm. Last week we picked up a supply of hay. We had to drive an hour, two counties away. I never realized hay could be such a deep dark secret in our county, but apparently that's the case. I made numerous inquiries. Ended up getting fed up and decided we'd just make the drive to a farm supply operation we knew had hay for sale. We also ordered in forty ton of sand mix, which was an easier proposition because it was delivered to us. The sand mix is for the horse corral area. I'm done with being patient about the mud and this year was the last straw. After asking a few horse owners, and reading online articles, I finally came to what I hope is an economical, and hopefully, good solution to my mud problem. A local horse breeder/trainer told me where he bought his sand mix for his arena and training areas. Turned out, the stuff was what I was looking for. It's not as fine as masons sand, but not as rocky as bank run or pea sized stone. So far we've put about 1/2 a ton down and I'm pleased to say, after the last rains from Tropical Storm Lee passed through this week, no mud. This stuff might just work out!

We did manage to get in one afternoon motorcycle ride last week, before it got way too hot and then rains came into our area from Lee. Can't really complain, it's been dreary, but nothing like what many other places had to face from Hurricane Irene and remnants of Lee. We were spared flooding this time around.

Neighbor dog has returned. Rufus, the black lab, stopped in Monday evening and has been here ever since. I don't know exactly what the problem is with his real home up the road. Obviously, he prefers to escape to our home instead of staying at his own. He doesn't act like he's abused. I can't very well feed our dogs and not feed him so he gets fed a bowl of dog food when we feed Maggie and Lucy. Hubby believes Rufus isn't fed enough. He thinks, even for an active a year old pup, the dog is too skinny. I think the neighbors just don't pay enough attention to Rufus and when he gets loose, he's off for freedom,which is our place because he's free.

Around here Rufus seems happy just to be around people, lay near the house, on our back deck and tries to get our dogs to play. Hubby and I have tried to ignore Rufus, but I'm a sucker for an adorable face, so it's harder for me. Plus, Rufus has been fairly well mannered and hasn't bothered the horses.

I called his people, yet one more time, today. Left a message. Told them I thought someone would have missed the dog by now and sent someone down to get him. They have to go by our house. We live on a dead end road. They know where Rufus hangs out. Makes me wonder if they really care about the dog. OH, looks like someone must have gotten my message. Rufus just took off running up the road following behind a blue pick-up truck that I know to belong to one of his people. Good! I'd rather Rufus be at his home, where he belongs. He has two kids there who hopefully adore him. He is an adorable pup, I have to admit. Maybe he'll outgrow his need to visit here, eventually. I don't mind if he drops by and then goes home, but he was here for two nights and had become like one of those guests who outstays their welcome, according to looks on our dogs' faces.

For now, I'm trying to get myself into some kind of routine. I've been really lax. I've learned something about myself this summer, I'm the kind of person who NEEDS routine and planning. When left to my own devices, I get NOTHING accomplished. If I have a plan, a routine, or lists, I'm much more productive. Some people can be productive without really knowing where they're going or where they'll end up. I'm not one of those and I finally realized that this summer when trying to be one of the other kinds of people. Hubby is kind of like the "others", but my reality is deadlines,lists and a plan to follow. Sometimes it takes a little while to figure things like that out. Looks like it took me the last 30 years!

Relaxing for the moment...

2011-08-18T14:17:00.000-04:00

The horses are taken care of for a while. They've been vetted, trimmed and de-wormed. They got the works this month.

Spirit had his teeth floated a couple of weeks ago. He was definitely in need. The vet showed me the points on Spirit's teeth. It's so weird watching the vet do his power dentistry inside my horse's wide open mouth, held that way by a very odd looking mechanism of a halter. The poor horse slightly swayed under the fog of a sedative and Hubby held the rope keeping Spirit's head steady through the procedure. The results, Spirit is eating much calmer now and appears to be enjoying his grain much better than before.

Looks like the unsightly slobbers are over. The fungus, brought on by this summer's high humidity and extended rains, no longer growing on the leaves of the white clover in our field. I'd never experienced the slobbers with my horses in the 6 years I've had them here. The vet said he's seen it all over the county this year. I'm thankful it only lasted with my horses for a few weeks.

My farrier came yesterday and trimmed up their feet. Always glad to hear my farrier tell me how good their feet are, he rarely has to do anything but trim. They've got good strong feet and for that I am uber thankful!

Our cat, Buddy, continues to work through his asthma. It still seems almost comical to talk about my asthmatic cat. I'd just never heard of it before his problem started. He gets a depo injection once a month, sometimes an antibiotic. I decided a while back to try to keep him as comfortable as possible and as long as he still seems content with his life, that's how we'll leave it. Sooner or later the condition will worsen, as it has already but not enough to where he doesn't want to eat or drink his water or head outside to sit on the deck. He'll tell me when he's tired of it all. Considering we found him abandoned in a box with four other kittens, no bigger than the palm of a hand, eyes closed, and hand fed for weeks until he could eat on his own, helping him as much as I can through the end of his life is my goal. He's a wonderful cat and has had a good nine years with us. Nine years he probably wouldn't have had otherwise.

So, right now, my biggest goal is to try to get in some hay when Hubby is on vacation in a few weeks. Hay supplies are low around here from what I'm hearing. Just peachy! I honestly, and I've said this before, never thought about hay being among the problems a horse owner faces because I always thought hay was one of those things you could always find, easily. Live and learn! In the meantime I've been getting them used to Lucerne's Hi Fiber forage which they do seem to like. Not that I want to feed it to them as a complete forage because that would be very expensive, but as a supplement, it's a definite maybe. I was scared off of hay cubes after Spirit's choke incident, unless I soak them. I decided I don't want to spend time each day soaking the hay cubes if I have other alternatives.

Right now I feel I can relax for a bit. The corral is finally free of mud! The horses are up on all their appointments. The cat had his vet visit the other day. The dogs are doing fine. Hubby seems good too after a bout with numerous seed ticks on his legs, which is a topic for another post some time. The mowing is caught up for at least a week. Today I have the feeling of....ahhhhhhh. Enjoy the day!

Vet Visit

2011-07-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

Funny how something as simple as a vet visit can set you on a high. Well, it does me, when things are deemed good and all the questions I had written on my list were adequately answered. Plus, once again, I learned a few things. This particular vet is strictly an equine vet. We're lucky to have him. He does alot with local breeding programs and power dentistry. He's a local "boy" who worked at the University of Kentucky and at the Lexington horse farms before returning to his home town. I decided after the choke incident, with Spirit, that maybe it was s good idea to try to stay on Dr. R's client list since it's difficult to get any of the other vets in the county to come out on farm calls.

The main reason for the vet call was that I have put off giving my two horses their vaccines this year. I usually do it in May, myself. This year though, I don't know, I just decided I wanted a vet to do it. Then the weather has been so bad with storms and rain, I kept putting off calling Dr. R. Then I decided since I had the vet out here, I was going to make good use of his knowledge and add to mine. I've learned alot over the past six years, but there's always more.

I keep a notebook on my horses. I log their de-wormings, vet visits, farrier visits, any problems I run across with the horses in general, how I dealt with it, what worked, what didn't and hay purchases. I was able to show Dr. R when I gave the vaccines last year and what they were. He was fine with the vaccines I'd used, which I bought from one of the local vet clinics, but said he was adding the West Nile to it. Well, I can openly admit, I actually thought I'd been giving West Nile but he told me it came in a separate injection. So, I learned that the vaccines I'd asked for at the local clinic which were 5 in 1 did not have West Nile. That was an eye opener. I knew what they had in them when I bought them (East and West Equine Encephalitis, Equine Rhino, Equine type A2 viruses and Tetnus) but didn't even think about WN and "assumed" it was covered. Sometimes it does pay to have a vet visit once in a while to get educated.

After the injections were given I started asking him my laundry list of questions and concerns. Oh, actually, it wasn't that long of a list but since I had him there I was going to hit him with them. One thing about Dr. R, he enjoys explaining things. I told him about Spirit's choke incident. Once again I was reassured that most choke events take care of themselves. He advised me, if needed, to use water into the mouth to help the horse salivate so the food, or as it was in this case, hay cubes, can soften and the horse can then swallow. When the episode is going on, the horse is still trying to swallow. Dr. R said he hasn't run across any serious scarring issues. He told me he hasn't run across a case of choke where the horse hasn't been able to handle it, but there are always those cases where the obstruction may not be food. He just hadn't run across one yet.

From that point I told him that I was pretty sure Spirit needed his teeth floated because he was exhibiting some of the signs: dropping food, turning his head, and I thought the choke incident may have also been and indication although part of that was brought on by him being startled from behind when he was trying to grab a few cubes from Bo's pan. I also mentioned that Spirit was drooling in the evenings. Now this was something I thought was part of a teeth problem but Dr. R told me that right now white clover has developed a fungus. The horse eats the clover with the fungus and it in turn irritates their mouth. He said the drooling would probably last a week or so then I wouldn't see it anymore. It's nothing that affects the horse in any way, other than the drooling short term. Makes sense because the drooling happened in the late afternoons after I'd brought the horses in from their grazing field. I never saw Spirit do it in the mornings when I was feeding, brushing or preparing them to go out. Mystery solved.

I made another appointment to have Spirit's teeth floated next week. After that, we should be good to go for a while and I know I'll feel better.

Dr. R also eased my mind on Bo's weight issue. I was shocked at the amount of weight the big boy had lost over winter. He looks good now but I'd never seen him that skinny in the six years I've had him. He's always had plenty, probably extra, meat on him. I showed Dr. R a picture of Bo when I first brought him home six years ago. He laughed and said "He looks pregnant" Yeah, that's how fat Bo was because he'd come from a big open pasture home where there was more than enough to eat. Dr. R said he knew of many horses who'd lost extra weight this past winter because we'd had a pretty cold one. He said horses in our area cannot keep weight on through January and February no matter how much they're fed because in very cold seasons their bodies are busy trying to keep them warm. So, I felt better about that knowing I didn't do anything to cause it. He told me he prefers to see a horse on the thin side anyway because it's easier on the joints especially on big boys like Bo.

I felt satisfied when Dr. R rolled out of the driveway. I looked at the receipt and even though it was more than my last doctor appointment I had a sense of relief that we were all in good health.

Finally, the vet will make his visit!

2011-07-20T18:55:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, exactly, but I've put off this vet appointment for waaaayy too long. I used the weather as an excuse. And honestly, I am embarrassed about my mud situation. But, after talking to my friend, who's been into horses for 20+ years, we both agreed, Spirit is probably in need of a good float on his teeth. The signs are there, dropping food, the choke incident, turning his head to the side when eating his pellets.

First though, I need to have a wellness check and probably the dreaded vaccinations. Dreaded, because my guys are usually lethargic for a few days following their vaccinations and now, our temps are soaring into the 90's with heat index around 105 during the late afternoons. I'm questioning my brevity at finally making the appointment, but I know it must be done.

I've made a list of questions for the vet. Since I don't have him out very often I thought this would be a good time to address some questions and concerns. He's an equine vet who grew up in the area and moved back here after working for a while at the University of Kentucky and at Lexington farms. He has an on call business, no office so you have to call him to make an appointment. So, right now, I'm feeling fortunate that I finally have a vet coming to look at my guys and hoping to make the most of this visit. I'm guessing I'll need to set up another appointment to get Spirit's teeth floated but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Rant about my mud problem

2011-07-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

I'll preface by saying I realize there are bigger problems in the world but in my personal little dot on the planet this is a big issue for me this year. MUD. Freaking mud when it should have dried out. Why does this bother me so much? Well, because it won't go away and I can't keep my horses cleaned up, and any number of issues that comes with mud in close proximity to trying to have a life with horses. UGH!

I have a run-in shelter stall to the side of our barn style garage set up for my two Spotted Saddle Horses aka Tennessee Walkers. The area they have to move through to get to the run-in stall is the problem. I was going to post a photo but we changed out computers last week and my IT guy (husband) hasn't decided which photo program he wants to install since the Kodak photoshare we had isn't up to par. Anyway....trust me, the mud problem is more than just an annoyance. I'm thankful each day the horses haven't had a leg wound this year because it would not be pretty trying to keep it clean. Last year at about this time Spirit ripped open his back leg and I was tending to that into August but there was no mud.

So, I realize the weather can't be controlled. Most years the mud dries out by mid June when the rains have usually calmed. Unfortunately this year, the rains keep coming. They're not nice summer showers either. They're gully washers as we like to call them around here.I have been trying to get the property manager (husband) to agree to put something in the mud prone area so I can have piece of mind. Finally, I think he's relented because he's probably tired of hearing me rant about it. We are talking health issues here as well, for us, and the horses, is what I've been explaining to him.

I looked up Geotextile fabrics which I'd read were great for the base of a muddy area. The stuff sounds super! I presented the information to the grounds keeper (husband) who was intrigued by the idea. He then estimated the cost of the Geotextile fabric and the two layers of different size gravel (recommended) and informed me we were looking at $2000+. He insists he can order in 40ton of smooth bank run rock to lay as a base and get a good result. He also informed me that to do that project, the mud needs to dry out and he needs to get the tractor, with blade, in there to smooth it out before laying out the gravel. He has also told me he just needs to cut out the gigantic sycamore tree next to the corral fence, which would allow for sun to dry out the mud. He's been meaning to do that for a couple of years. It's a huge tree and does need to go because if any of it falls, and we've had limbs drop, it could take out a number of fencing sections in the corral area and front field as well as the roof of the run-in stall and garage itself.

How does something as simple as mud turn into a big ordeal?

I've almost quit looking at the long range weather reports, brings on a sense of dread. Lately, I only look to the next day. I think the property manager and grounds keeper have decided to go with the tree removal and the 40tons of bank run.When asked my opinion I said as long as I get the horses better footing and rid of that horrible mud, I'm game for just about anything right now.

To end on a positive note I found this quote by Mother Teresa which I have now adopted as my own life quote: "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

FYI...You can't do the Heimlich on a choking horse!

2011-07-06T11:01:00.000-04:00

While the title was meant to be amusing, I actually saw someone ask, on an obscure forum, how to do the Heimlich on a choking horse. I often shake my head and wonder where common sense has gone but I also thought maybe the person was as freaked out as I was when it happened to my horse, Spirit, a few weeks ago.

In short, Spirit, my nine yo Spotted Saddle Horse, was eating some hay cubes. I usually put out a small amount of Alfalfa-Timothy hay cubes to get my two horses to come in from the front field in the afternoons. Plus, I have to use hay stretchers and hay cubes have been my choice for about a year. My other horse, Bo, ran up behind Spirit, startling him. I didn't think anything about it until I saw Spirit walking and coughing. I didn't panic at first because he's coughed before, figured he was just clearing out some material. Then, when he walked into the run-in stall and continued coughing I became concerned. It got worse. Mucous and gunk started coming out of his nostrils. I knew nothing about choking. I've been involved in many horse emergencies over the past seven years but choking was not one of them. I admit, I panicked. I felt helpless. I didn't know what to do. I tried to soothe him but he couldn't clear the debris. Obviously, he'd probably sucked down a hay cube when he was startled. I ran into the house to see what my emergency book said about choke but this time it wasn't much help. I ran back out and tried to keep Spirit calm. It was hot, he was hot, so I sponged him off with cool water. At the time, I didn't realize he could still breathe, unlike humans when we choke. I was afraid he would pass out right there but I noted his breathing continued. After about thirty minutes things calmed down. The hay cube must have moved down. I took the opportunity to run into the house and look up "choking horse" online. I found a very informative, to the point article by Bob Brusie, DVM, Preventing Choke in Horses. I was relieved after reading.

What I learned: Most choke cases resolve themselves within 30-45 minutes. If you call a vet,by the time a vet gets there the episode would have ended. It all depends on the obstruction. You can use a gentle stream of water from a hose to run in the horses's mouth if he'll tolerate it. This helps to stimulate the horse to swallow and move the object down if it's food. I've since purchased a 50cc large animal syringe to have on hand. If you feel a knot on the left side of the horse's neck, below the throatlatch, you might be able to dislodge the object by massaging. You'll need to watch the horse for at least the next 72 hours because it is possible the esophagus has been stretched and may not be back to normal. There is a possibility of another incident. Water down all food you believe my be a problem to make it easier for him to swallow, dry pellets, hay cubes, etc.Surgery is rarely needed. Sometimes a tranquilizer will relax the esophagus enough to allow the obstruction to move on down.

I also asked my personal vet, when I took my cat for his monthly steroid injection, for his thoughts on choking horses. He said in his experience, 95% of the time by the time a vet can get to the farm call the incident will be over. Again, it depends on the obstruction. Horses can still breathe while choking so asphyxiation isn't a problem. He agreed that a water hose would be fine but it was his suggestion of a large animal syringe to control a smaller amounts of water and might be more acceptable to the horse. You don't want water getting into the lungs then you'll have a pneumonia problem within a few days.

This incident made it clear to me, once again, when you're a small time horse owner you'd better be prepared for any kind of emergency. You can't pack them up and take them to the ER. If you call a vet you may not get one for a very long time at least that's how it is in the area where I live. Oh, and this happened on a Saturday afternoon so fat chance getting one of our local vets. It just ain't gonna happen. On this occasion I was very thankful for the internet!

I realized I need to make an appointment to probably have Spirit's teeth floated because it's been quite some time. It's one of those things I put off because he has to be sedated and I really hate that but better to have healthy teeth than an hour or so of me being uncomfortable.

From now on the hay cubes are soaked for 30-45 minutes before putting them out. I don't want to take a chance of a choking episode like that again! I'm thinking about finding another kind of hay stretcher. There are many different products out there these days. I decided I don't necessarily want to be soaking the hay cubes every day if there are alternatives.

If interested in learning about dealing with a choking horse I found Dr. Brusie's short and informative article here at the following website:

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/nutrition/feeds/eqchoke396/

He's Still The One and We're Still Having Fun after 29 years!

2011-06-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

My husband and I are celebrating our 29th year of marriage today, June 10, 2011. It's still hard to imagine but even after all these years and all the trails and trials we've taken together, we're still the best of friends and I wouldn't trade him for anyone or anything. He's always been by my side. He's always been my support system. He's always been there for me. We were very young when we got married, he was just 20 (today is also his 49th birthday) and I was 21 but somehow with God's blessings, we've made it this far and he's Still THE ONE I want whispering in my ear....

Rufus returns...again and again....

2011-06-03T13:42:00.000-04:00

Now I'm beginning to wonder why dear Rufus, the adorable lab who belongs up the road, has decided he likes our place better than his own home. Could be they keep him tied up all the time??

Yesterday evening Rufus showed up again.This time he was dragging a shredded rope tie which was still attached to his collar. Obvious he'd spent time chewing through it. In all our years of living in the country, the dogs we've had have never chosen to live anywhere else beyond their home here. They've always been around our house, on our property. Granted, they have ventured off into the woods but they've never chosen to stay with another family up or down the road. So, since Rufus seems to escape, and always ends up here, I have to wonder what they're not giving him that he finds so pleasing at our place.

I've come up with two probabilities. Rufus seems to have a form of separation anxiety and has a need to either be around people or at least other dogs that accept him. When Hubby and I were doing our chores last night the pup had to be right where we were. He laid in the garage where Hubby was working or he followed at my heels as I watered my flowers. He waited politely outside the fence when I fed the horses. He has even been refraining from chasing the cat since I reprimanded with stern "NO's" last night. I kept watch until after dark and no sign of his people to fetch him. Nope. Rufus stayed here. Hubby said Rufus barked throughout the night. I must have been tired, I didn't hear it, but then I've gone to putting cotton in my ears lately because of all the storms we've had.

I'm not calling Rufus's people any more.They know where he is.They have to drive by our house to get out of the holler. It's sad, really, The pup just wants a secure home and it appears his people aren't home much, don't care much, and obviously seem to have no clue as to how to bond with their dog so that he wants to stay at their home. I've decided to just let it ride. If Rufus is here when we feed our dogs, he's getting some food too. Maybe his people don't feed him much. He doesn't look starved, he's thin like a young pup but no bones showing.

Sometimes people get adorable pups for their kids and then when the cuteness grows into all paws and a big body, well, they're not so adorable anymore. I'm not trying to be judgmental but if I have a dog,or any animal, I've always been responsible and caring towards them. My conclusion is that they're really not trying too hard or Rufus would be their Clifford and he wouldn't choose to run down here whenever he's loose. I tried not to feed him anything for a long time but I can't not feed him when we feed our dogs. Just doesn't feel right. In my view, it's as if a child were running the neighborhood but felt safe at my house. I sure wouldn't feed my own kids and not give that child food....anyway for now, we seem to have three dogs instead of two.

Rufus

2011-06-02T15:28:00.000-04:00

Back around Mother's Day a visitor showed up at our place. A young, lively, sweet, black lab. Adorable. His tag said Clifford but I started calling him Rufus, for what reason I don't know. It just seemed to fit.

We tried to get Rufus to go home over the course of many days, actually, as it turned out, the entire month of May.The address on his tag located his home at 1/2 mile up the road, last house on our cul-de-sac, well, out here in the country it's just a plain old dead end road. Rufus seemed to have decided that he preferred spending time with us and our two dogs, Maggie and Lucy, both of whom are "fixed". He simply appeared to enjoy their company.

My main concern in the beginning was he had no idea about horses. He barked at them. He went out into the field with them. They charged him. My guys do not care for dogs in their field. I was concerned the horses would run him down. I sure didn't want an injured, or worse, dead, neighbor dog on my hands. His people didn't show up all day. I figured such a nice dog, with a collar and tag, someone would be missing him. My husband, son, daughter-in-law and I even drove the UV up into the valley to shoot pistols that first afternoon. Now, our dogs scatter when they see us with our pistols and realize we'll be shooting targets. They disappeared. Rufus? Nope, the silly boy followed us up the valley and sat with us the whole time we were shooting! We were all amazed. The gunfire didn't faze him one bit.

Eventually that day I decided I should call the phone number on the tag. Got a machine. I left a message. No one ever called me back. The next day when Hubby and I were out grooming the horses, the kids from Rufus's family came riding their bikes down the road, calling to him, and he loped like the big footed pup he is out to meet them. He followed them up the road. I figured that was probably the end of it. Not so fast.

A couple days later, Rufus showed up again. Happy and bouncing all over the place appearing very thrilled to see me, or maybe just a person in general, not sure. As I went into the corral area to groom the horses before letting them out into the field for the afternoon, Rufus decided to follow me. Maggie and Lucy stood back with concerned faces. If they were verbal, I'm sure they were saying things like "Dude, you'd better get yourself out of there...Man, Lucy, you see what he's doing?" "Oh yeah. He ain't coming back out alive if he goes any closer." Well, that's what I think they'd be saying.

About the time I turned to brush Bo, Spirit reared up, which he never does when I'm right there with him. He never had in the past. Looking behind him, I see Rufus. Spirit pivoted and with both front feet flailing nearly clocked Rufus on the head but the dog scrambled out under the fence quickly. I can imagine Maggie telling him, "You know kid. if you'd listened to us in the first place...." It was at that moment I decided if Rufus was going to hang around, he was going to have to learn my rules. No barking at the horses. Dogs stay outside of the fence. And, I was going to call the owners one more time. Funny, his tag was now missing but fortunately I had written the number down near the phone in the house. Again the machine. Again, no one called me back to claim their dog. Later that evening his family stopped in front of our house in their vehicle and yelled for "Clifford". The woman yelled out to me, "Sorry!" and they were off down the road.

This pattern continued through May although sometimes Rufus's family didn't come fetch him, or at least I never saw them. In the mean time I taught Rufus to stay outside the fence when I went in with the horses. I learned, he's actually a smart pup. He sits and waits for me to come back out whenever I'm feeding or letting the horses out into the field. I'm impressed. I pat him on the head and tell him "good boy". He seems happy to have that little bit of attention and proudly follows me back to the house. For the most part, Maggie and Lucy seem annoyed by the intruder and spend much of their time moving away from him when he tried to lay down near them. It was comical.Whenever I'm outside, Rufus was my shadow.

OK, it was looking on the surface like maybe the family didn't really want their dog or I had dialed the wrong number.The next to the last weekend in May, Rufus was at our house continuously from Friday until Monday evening. Hubby and I were discussing the possibility of another dog in our family but Hubby was honest, and said he didn't really want a third dog. So, I decided to drive the UV up to Rufus's family's house and see if I could talk to anyone personally, since they weren't returning my calls.

When I get there I'm finally able to talk to an owner. She told me they'd been looking for "Clifford" all weekend. Calling to him down the road, in front of our house, but he never came to them. Our house does sit a good distance from the road and we have fencing along our property line. But, I honestly don't know how they missed him. I told her he'd been camped out on our back patio and porch, but I have an idea she thought we might have been keeping the dog in our house. She told me that last winter Clifford ran away with their other dog, ended up a few roads over. The woman who found Clifford kept him in the house and wouldn't give him back. Somehow in the story, the pup ended up in Springfield, Ohio, which is about three hours away. I assured her we were not keeping Clifford in the house and that I wanted him to be with his rightful family especially since there are kids who seem to love him. She apologized and said they'd try to keep him home. I explained about the horses and told her Rufus, um, Clifford, had really been no problem but again, I wanted him to be with his own family I stressed we really didn't want another dog. I was relieved to see his family did want him, they were just having a hard time keeping him home and were going to work something else out.

I also discovered why poor Rufus was scared at night and barked...A LOT! He stayed inside with the kids at night at his house. At our house, he was outside. It was apparent he was scared of lots of things. When he wasn't barking he was laying near our dogs or at our sliding glass back door looking in at us.

Rufus is just a pup, maybe not quite a year old. He jumps and chases butterflies! How could you be mad at that? I didn't mind so much having him around but he did add some chaos to our little pack. He chased Buddy, the cat, which is not acceptable. Buddy soon learned to make himself scarce or stay indoors. You could feel the disturbance in the calmness of our own little pack when Rufus was around. They knew Rufus didn't really belong here. When he was gone, calmness returned.

Rufus was back yesterday for the day. I just accepted him like a neighbor kid who decided he wanted to spend the day at the neighbor house because there was someone to play with and someone to pay attention to him.There's only one other house between our place and his place. He seems to end up down here after his people leave for work in the mornings. When I went outside, Maggie looked at me as if to say "Not again." But all three went running up in the woods in the morning. Then spent the afternoon under the deck where it was cool. Some time in the late afternoon Rufus's family must have stopped by to pick him up because he was gone. Haven't seen him today. As long as the little guy minds his p's & q's around here, and has manners, which, for the most part he does, I don't mind him visiting. I just hope his family realizes what a sweetheart of a dog Rufus, aka Clifford, is because he deserves a good family.

Yes, I've become attached to the adorable pup. What can I say?

It's Kentucky Derby Time!

2011-05-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

I am not fond of horse racing in general but every year I find myself drawn in to the drama of the Kentucky Derby and The Triple Crown races. I admire the horse athletes so I leave it at that. After Eight Belles, I swore I was never going to watch another Derby, or horse race, on TV. again. The next year I found myself drawn in one more time. Finally, I gave in to the fact that it's the horses I enjoy watching. It's become a guilty pleasure.

I suppose this Saturday around 5 pm I'll be tuning in to see who will be the next big media story in horse racing for this year. I can't enjoy my own horses in this ultra wet, mucky, muddy, rainy period,and that part of my world doesn't look to get much better in the near future.

To anyone who enjoys this guilty pleasure, It's Derby Time!

Reunion Part 2

2011-05-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

Tuesday proved to be a bad weather day. I couldn't leave my homestead due to high running creek. Spent the day keeping debris from clogging up the drains so we wouldn't have our own disastrous flood into the horse stall area and garage. The ranch itself had high water. Weather looked good for the following day.

Wednesday and Thursday were absolutely gorgeous Spring days! They've been few and far between in the month of April this year.I was excited to go back over to the ranch and work with my old horse buddies. I honestly hadn't been this excited about horse related activities in quite some time.

The two afternoons were spent with groundwork, leading and riding. These horses hardly ever get beyond a trot in the riding lessons. My philosophy was always, work with them like they'll be worked with during the programs. Besides, I was only there this week so in my mind my focus was simply on exercise. If they'd developed too many problems since the four years I'd been absent, I wasn't going to have the chance to work correcting too many bad habits in two afternoons.I worked with four horses, and Lori worked with four others.

On Wednesday I worked with Dani and a horse the barn calls Dinky but I refer to as DeeDee. I never liked the name Dinky when I met her four years ago. She was newly brought in just before I resigned so I'd never worked with her much. I was told DeeDee was former barrel racer mare. Both Dani and DeeDee did fine with my leading and ground work. They both tacked up nicely. DeeDee did have a cinching issue so I slowed the process down even more. She wanted to anticipate being cinched up tight, quickly, but I showed her I wasn't going that route. Now, just because I do it that way doesn't mean the next person won't come in and do it the way DeeDee anticipates. Dani,a Halflinger/Icelandic from appearances, was always a solid ride. She does have a "go" issue sometimes. But, if the rider remains consistent and firm, Dani will engage. Dani just needs to know the person up there means what they're "saying". She will test the rider. It's something she's always done. She actually does better with adults. More than one lesson rider became frustrated with Dani. DeeDee did like to surge ahead quickly with an easy "kiss" and not even a leg squeeze. I worked with her a little on that and when she smoothed out she was a very nice ride. I can understand the startle factor though, for a new rider who might get that surge. The only thing I could do would be to explain my findings on my review. Whether the staff paid attention or tried my suggestions, I knew that was completely out of my control.

Thursday brought another fine Spring day. Warm, sunny, cool. Lori and I had two hours, four horses to work and the barn to ourselves. Seemed almost like old times without having to worry about stall cleaning.

My first pick of the day was a horse named Sissy. I have never worked with Sissy, she was a newly, donated horse to the riding facility. She is a nicely built, about 15 h QH mare who had also come from a barrel racing background. She is a people pleaser for the most part. She was very good with grooming, tacking and the necessities. Her main quirk is apparently being herd bound. She goes a little spastic when she's in the arena alone. I was able to keep her mind on what I was doing with her and over a period of about 20 minutes she settled and didn't worry so much about being the only one out there. Sissy seems like she would be one of the better schooling horses although she had an instantaneous get-up-and-go with the gentlest of urging. Didn't take much. I wondered how the current staff would work on that. Hopefully, they'd read my evaluation and take my suggestions to heart. Speckles, one of my past favorites, a little Appaloosa pony-size fella who is way too smart for his own good was my last "student".

When we'd worked with Speckles in the past his issues were based on who was working with him. If he thought he could get away with a little nip, he tried. One time, as I was cleaning a front foot, the little bugger reached around and got hold of my upper arm with his teeth, to which my response was to put my body weight into him and he fell into the wall. I'm not a huge woman, but I have some weight on me. I recall he looked at me with a rather puzzled look, ears moving back and forth. I honestly never had that kind of problem with him again. This day he seemed eager to get out and do something which worked in my favor. I tied him, leaving a length of lead rope hang to the ground. Went to get his tack and saddle. When I walked back toward the arena, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Speckles standing there twirling the lead rope like a lasso. Yes, we'd allowed him to do that and he'd remembered. We realized he liked to twirl the lead rope so we had encouraged it. At the end of our programs we'd give him the lead rope and he would twirl it around just like he knew what he was doing. The girls would laugh and applaud. Speckles always enjoyed the attention. I'd forgotten he could do that little trick. However, obviously the new staff group didn't find it as cute or entertaining because they said he had a habit of grabbing the lead rope. Oh well. I would leave a note letting them know it was something we'd taught him a few years ago. At least they'd know what it was all about when he did it. From then on Speckles complied nicely. Rode nicely and listened fine. I had no complaints and couldn't see much of a problem. Maybe Specks just needed to get out and go, period.

The afternoon ended much too quickly. We wrote up our evaluations and hoped we'd helped out. We laughed about the fact that at first we thought we were getting into some kind of wild horse mess from the information we'd been given. We decided the horses just needed handling and riding after being idle since October. Maybe the staff just wasn't use to all the horses. Hopefully they'd see our suggestions as helpful. OR, they'll read them and say we were a couple of crazy old ladies who didn't know what the heck we were talking about! Whatever the outcome, it was an enjoyable week and renewed my confidence. Now if the rain would just stop so I can work with my own horses!

The only thing I heard later was that the programs went well and that Lori and I were appreciated for coming to the rescue that week. We were rewarded with boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Honestly, Lori and I both agreed, our payment was simply spending time with some of our old horse friends and that had been enough reward.

Reunion-Day 1

2011-04-20T16:03:00.000-04:00

April has not been a pleasant weather month. There were a couple of pleasant days last week, amid the storms. During those two gorgeous days, I was invited to help with some old equine friends at the riding stable I'd worked at for three years. I hadn't been back or seen the horses in four years. It was a happy reunion for me and I wondered if some of them actually remembered me.

My good friend, Lori, called me and said she'd been contacted by the camp manager, who knew we'd worked with those horses in the past. Seems the ranch horses (it's a Girl Scout camp with a year around riding facility) were wired up, and acting up, needing some handling and riding before the Spring programs were starting the following week. Lori had worked at the facility a year longer, but she left about six months after my departure. We both had the intentions of devoting more time to our own horses.

The facility is under a new equine manager who was on maternity leave. The three other staff members seemed to be at a loss as what to do with the horses, and one of the older staff women was on vacation, from what Lori understood. Lori was told the horses had problems from bucking, bolting, resisting leading, rearing...sounded like a wild bunch of untrained horses.During our phone conversation, we both wondered what we might be getting ourselves into, yet we knew most of those horses and couldn't believe they had become that bad. We wanted to find out for ourselves.

Monday evening it was threatening rain again, and had been raining off and on all day. We've been in a terrible rain/storm pattern since the beginning of April. When I pulled into the ranch driveway Lori was out in the field trying to see who would come to her. I got out of my truck and walked over the the gate. My first impression was how fat the horses all looked. Guess they'd been eating well all winter.I grabbed the halter and lead Lori had left outside the gate for me and walked into the field.

The Fat and Sassy bunch were hanging around the hay feeder. I think both of us wanted to see if the any of them remembered us. Trimmer, Kleo, Ginger, Dusty and Dani were in this field. All horses we had worked with in the past. Lori haltered Dani. Ginger walked over to me and I let her study me a moment, to see if I could tell if she remembered. Well, she didn't seem interested after the initial sniff. I was just getting ready to halter her when she turned and walked away. At that moment, Trimmer makes a big run and all the girls, except for Dani, took off with him to the far side of the field. Well, fine. I sure wasn't going to chase them. Lori and I walked Dani out and figured we'd grab one of the horses over in the other field. Just as we were out the gate, here they come galloping back up the field right to us. We figure they must have had a little conversation and said "OH, now we know who they are..." I know, that's far fetched. But fun to think anyway. Ginger stood at the gate so I slipped inside again and put her halter on. We quietly walked back out while the other horses turned away again. Hay being more interesting at that point evidently.

There was suppose to be a list of the horses and their current problems, we didn't want to waste time on the ones who didn't really need too much handling or riding. We looked around the office but didn't find much in the way of a list. We did find some written pages from the staff over the past week. Reading over it we were wondering what was going on with this bunch. Surely, only Spring fever? The horses were always full of themselves in the Spring. Maybe that's what the staff were seeing. Maybe they weren't quite in tune with the horses yet since they were all new to the facility. In all honesty, Lori and I were both going to be very cautious until we figured out what was going on with the horses.

I'd put Ginger in her stall for a few minutes so I could gather her grooming supplies. When I walked into her stall she eyed me quietly but didn't move back or turn around. I took her out into the arena. Fortunately, they have an indoor arena because the rain started pouring on the roof about that time. Ginger's eyes got wide but I just kept walking her around the arena. The wind was blowing too. But Ginger and I had a history. I knew her quirks. She'd been my project horse. I knew if she gets her mind on the person handling her or riding her, she focuses. After about fifteen minutes she calmed down. I don't do lunging. I just don't. I don't see a point to it. I prefer close handling, walking and in hand training. Lori likes to lunge with long line and at liberty. To each her own is my view.

After our initial getting acquainted again, I tied Ginger, let her stand there with the loud noise of the rain pounding on the roof. She moved around a little but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. I only remember one time when she pulled back and broke a halter. It was during a very windy day too.I watched and she seemed to be soothing herself. The first change I made was her saddle. The saddle Ginger had been assigned was one I hated for her 5 years ago. I tried it on her because I didn't want to seem like someone trying to tell the new manager what she should do. That saddle would have dug into Ginger's shoulders had anyone got on her with it. I pulled out a Wintec I knew I had used in the past. Fit Ginger beautifully. I did suggest on my evaluation that I thought the assigned saddle was too tight and maybe that caused some of Ginger's riding issues.

Ginger was fine with tacking up. No bridling issues. I walked her around with the saddle on. Tightened the girth three different times like I always do. No problems. She did have a problem standing to be mounted. This disappointed me because it had been one of her issues I had finely worked through with her. We spent about 15 minutes on that until she finely stood quietly. I use a mounting block. I'm also fatter and sassier than I was five years ago and felt no need to be pulling on her back. I'm also out of mounting practice. Our initial ride was just as I remembered Ginger could be. Light and responsive. Good stopping and going cues. When I urged her into a trot she did throw her head up,which was one of her habits in the past. I'd checked her bridle before riding and it seemed in a good place. But, after a few more stops and starts into the trot, Ginger's head tossing ceases. Always that initial "I don't wanna..." for Ginger but I can see how that would frighten a young girl never having ridden before. Most of the programs are only geared for beginners anyway and they don't often go beyond a walk and steering.

I rode Ginger for about 30 minutes trying to recreate what I remembered we did with the girls during the riding programs. Ginger showed no resistance and was fine with everything I asked of her. Dani had been a not issue so Lori was working with one of the new horses,one we had never worked with. Maxi supposedly reared up at a gate, bolted, and wouldn't listen to her rider. Lori said Maxi lacked some confidence but showed no signs of reacting anywhere near the wild thing we'd read about even with that loud rain still pounding down on the arena roof. Lori has been riding much longer than I have and is much more attuned to that part of horsemanship. I still consider myself and OK rider, I listen to the horses and use my own sense with them.

We finished up that evening by writing out our evaluations on the horses we'd worked. I was pleased with Ginger. I was completely relieved she wasn't as bad as what I had been carefully anticipating. Then again, when I was with Ginger I had my expectations from when I had worked with her in the past so I think that worked favorably on my part.

We decided we'd meet back on Tuesday evening for Part 2 of our reunion.

It's Baaaackk!

2011-03-30T12:19:00.000-04:00

Winter. Really thought we were heading into spring two weeks ago. Glorious warm sunny days then we got slammed last week by a huge storm system with hurricane gale winds and a cold front following. Been cold ever since. We had snow cover on Sunday morning and freezing rain this morning. The bright yellow daffodils that tried to bloom over the warm spell are wilted and look very sad this morning. In this neck of the woods, we're usually into Spring by this date. I console my humdrums by telling myself this too shall pass...eventually.

March has felt like a long month. I was in a routine of posting something every Wednesday but then got off schedule from one event (dr appts) or another and just let March roll on by me.

On March 6 I officially passed into my 5th decade. This fifty thing has been more on my mind than any other decade I've crossed into, except for my twenties, for different reasons. In my twenties I was in love with life, and my future husband, and the future it all held. At fifty, well, I seem to look back more than forward lately. That's not the way I want to be but guess it's just the transition. It's really hard for me to say yes, I'm fifty and I've never been shy about my age, except for this time around.

Those thoughts aside my family gave me a memorable pizza party. I had emailed my sons that I didn't expect them to drive here for my birthday, I was fine with it, letting them know Hubby and I would probably just go out to eat somewhere. Well, #1 son, who lives about an hour north of us, wasn't satisfied. He called me and said it was my fiftieth birthday he thought there should be a celebration. So, bless his heart, he called his brother, who lives in KY, and they made plans to get home for the day. I didn't want to go out to a restaurant just wanted a good pizza, #1 son insisted on bringing a birthday cake, and stay at home to enjoy good company with Hubby,my mom, our sons and their ladies. Best fiftieth birthday ever!

The animals have officially made it through winter in my book. The horses have started shedding although with the cold temperatures I'm glad they didn't really start shedding out until last week. The farrier came at the beginning of the month and everything was great with their hooves. The mud, of course, remains, but I see green of grass out in the fields. Buddy, our cat, doesn't seem to be bouncing back from his steroid injections for feline asthma as quickly. The injection isn't lasting as long as it once did. I'm not sure what our next step is but the vet says he'll continue with the injections as long as needed. I've been taking Buddy once a month. Maggie and Lucy, our dogs, are probably wondering what happened to Spring, well, if they thought like that, but we all know they're just in the moment. Sometimes I wish I could just live in the moment too but I have a responsibility gene which drives me to plan ahead and at least have some idea of what I need to accomplish during my day.

Looking forward to drier and warmer days. They surely have to come some time soon...

Book Review: The Dark Horse, A Walt Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

2011-03-02T14:08:00.000-05:00

Amazon recommended this author because I read the Joe Pickett series by C J Box. Plus, I think it was recommended due to the variety of horse books I've ordered both fiction and non. I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised.

I looked over Craig Johnson's previous titles in the series and decided to start with this one because horses were part of the main story. The Dark Horse is number five in the Walt Longmire series. I've had the book sitting in my "to read" pile for a few months. When I finally decided to pick it up I was glad I took the chance on this author.

Johnson's style is crisp and witty. Dialogue moves the story forward easily. His characters well defined. The action is just enough without being overdone or interfering with the main plot and sensationalizing the story. The story moves along in the present as Longmire is performing his undercover investigation, then, jumps back four days. At first I didn't think I liked that device because I'm a linear type of reader but after a while I liked the way the story evolved using the technique.

The inside flap reads: "Wade Basard, a man with a dubious past, locked his wife Mary's horses in their barn and then burned it down. In return she shot him in the head six times~or so the story goes."

Walt Longmire, Absaroka County, Wyoming, sheriff, goes undercover to figure out what isn't quite right about the story.

While undercover as a presumed insurance investigator, Walt infiltrates the town locals, some trusting, some not. Most of the folks Walt talks to are not fond of Wade Basard in the first place. If Mary killed Wade, well then he deserved it. And, to lock her horses in the barn and set it on fire....he got what was coming to him in their eyes. But, the pieces don't fit together for Walt. Even though Mary confesses she did it and was found with the gun in her hands, Walt's gut feeling is that things are a little less cut and dried.

Walt also discovers that Wade took Mary's prize mare, Wahoo Sue, out to the desert, presumed dead...

Johnson does an excellent job with the horse-man interactions but I don't want to spoil the whole story because Wahoo Sue plays a bigger role than you originally believe at first, so I'll just leave it by saying I let the scene slide because over all it added suspense. It also added to Walt Longmire's character.

One of my favorite conversations occurred as the old cowboy Hershel, Benjamin, the boy from town, and Walt, were saddling up their horses for a trail ride outside of town:

The old cowboy Hershel, "You know what they say about a horse bein' only afraid of two things?"

Walt, "What's that?"

Hershel, "Things that move and things that don't"

Walt also has his loyal companion Dog who is always with him. Dog is apparently of unknown breeding somewhere between a German Shepherd and a St. Bernard. I'm looking forward to getting the first four books in this series so I can see how Walt evolves.

I highly recommend this book and I gave it my top rating of four ****.

Pet Peeve Day

2011-02-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

pet peeve-noun. Particular and often continual annoyance.

An extended definition from easily accessed Wikipedia:

Pet Peeve is a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to him or her, to a greater degree than others may find it. First usage around 1919. The term is a back-formation from the 14th century word peevish, meaning "ornery or ill tempered".

Everyone has these. What bothers me, may not bother you. Things that annoy my husband, do not annoy me and vise versa. When I become annoyed by my own pet peeves, I try to remind myself that in all actuality, it's probably ONLY bothering me. However, there are some situations where I'm not alone in my pet peevishness. But, I'll start with my own personal pp's just because I feel like it today.

Recently I commented on a friend's Facebook post. We'd been going back and forth about the weather. That particular day, the morning temperature in my area was at 10 degrees. I posted, trying to be humorous, that when I went out to feed my horses that morning, they had icicles on their face whiskers. One of my Facebook friend's other friend,who I do not know and is not my friend anyway, posted, "Should horses be outside in this kind of weather?" When I read that, my eyes rolled. I was going to post a response, but in Facebook's limited wall space, I just didn't want to get into details of the why it was not necessary for my horses to be inside during cold weather. That is, I don't barn my horses, they have a run-in shelter. A very nice one I might add. But, it did peeve me that this person didn't know enough about horses to realize, they can weather the weather if they're acclimated to it, well fed and watered. I doubt all the people who own horses up in Canada have nice heated barns for their horses. I'm sure they have barns and run-ins but the horses get acclimated to the weather.

The post reminded be that these days people seem so wimpy to me sometimes! What do they think people did with horses a hundred or more years ago? Their barns sure weren't heated. They kept their horses fed with hay, hopefully inside some kind of shelter but not always, and did the best they could. Why would horses be any different these days, unless we made them that way? OK, so not all people are horse people or know facts about horses. But it seemed like an odd question that could have been answered by simple common sense observation.

More PP's: People who take in cats and dogs but refuse to have the neutered. I still hear of people locally who say the didn't want to do that to their cat or dog. Even if you can't afford it, there are shelters and vet clinics who advertise reduced or free spaying and neutering for people who may not otherwise be able to afford it.There really is no excuse for the attitude of not having your animals "fixed". Now, I don't think there should be laws about it because I've heard of that coming up in a couple of states, it's all about personal responsibility which seems entirely in the toilet these days.

Personal responsibility. Yeah, where is it? Seems our population wants the government to take care of us. I prefer to take care of myself, thank you very much!

Kids in restaurants. While naturally I would never think of considering the idea of banning children under the age of ....oh, I don't know, just children in general, in restaurants, and that would be silly anyway, I would really be super pleased if parents would take on some of that personal responsibility to keep their kids from running around the restaurant and screaming at the top of their lungs while I'm trying to enjoy a meal out with my husband. This happens more times than I can even count anymore and feels to me like it's an epidemic. I don't blame the child. They can only get away with what their parents ALLOW them to get away with. I've come to the conclusion that there is a generation of parents out there who have no clue how to raise their kids. I can guarantee, when our boys were little and we took the special occasion to go to a sit down restaurant, they SAT in their chairs. They did not scream. They did not cry. They were instructed how we all behaved at a restaurant. We all had a great time.

Two examples in the past two weeks. I witnessed one little girl running around the tables, picking up salt shakers, moving things around on empty tables, while the parents watched, or didn't. Then, when the little girl was finally "asked" to come sit down she started screaming. The mother tried to talk to her, but the girl knew what she could get away with. You could see it on her face.Well, that was a fun dinner for us. When my husband went to get a pizza box to put our left overs in, the girl at the counter apologized. Well, not like it was her fault. Then yesterday, at yet another restaurant where I was having lunch with my mom, I noticed a little boy, about four, running up and down along side the booths. The mother just watched, said something to him but then never once made him stop while people were trying to walk through to get to their seats. I just don't get it! These are not isolated incidents. Watch around you how parents no longer seem to be parenting. It's scary to me.

Only two check outs open at a Walmart, at 9:30am when I have a basketful of items and the two check out lanes are for 20 items or less AND they both have lines four people long in each. What is wrong with this picture? That's one reason I detest Walmart these days.

And this PP which I know I've mentioned before, non return of phone messages, voice mails, and emails. That's just rude and I think more than just a pet peeve.

All right, I think I've done enough pet peeving for today! I feel better. It was good to get those off my chest! Now, if something could just be done about them so that I don't have to be annoyed!

Enjoy this life, it's the only one we've got right now!

Encouragement=New Saddle

2011-02-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

This time of year horse people start itching for the real Spring, not the pseudo-Spring we're getting at the moment teasing with 60 degree daytime temperatures. While the warm Spring-like temps we're experiencing this week are encouraging, I needed another kind of encouragement. Last week I ordered myself a new saddle.

The first saddle I bought for my big Spotted Saddle Horse (16.3h), Bo, was a typical heavy black leather Western saddle. I found it on ebay from an upstart saddle company. They specialized at the time in gaited, draft and mule saddles. I decided on a gaited saddle, though at the time, I wasn't really sure what I was doing. I had gaited horses, so the gaited saddle seemed appropriate. Reading a few sources, and with the saddle company's sizing help, the sizing seemed right. The price was right, in my opinion, for a first saddle at $500.

It's a very nice saddle for the price. But over the past seven years, some things have changed and my opinion on leather vs. synthetic has changed. I'm one of those "older" riders now. On my birthday next month, I'll be the big 5-0. I want things to be less work for me and a lighter saddle seems right.

This time around I studied up on sizing, bars, trees, leather vs synthetic, gaited vs QH vs trail. I really liked the synthetics we used at the riding stable, but had been told they wouldn't hold up. Mind you, this was back in '04 when the synthetics were becoming much more popular. My boss was a strictly leather saddle fan. She didn't really like the synthetics we used, but the price was right for the budget of the riding stable. She could purchase 4 new synthetics for the price of one new leather Western saddle. As staff, we appreciated the lighter synthetics when tacking and untacking ten to twelve horses. I don't recall ever having a problem with fit on the variety of horse backs we had there and those synthetics would clean up quickly.

Well, time proved my boss was a little off on her opinion that the synthetics wouldn't hold up to the leathers. They did. When I left that job, I decided I'd be going synthetic. The previous year I'd purchased a half synthetic/half leather saddle for my other horse anyway. Ended up using it on Bo, but just didn't feel it fit him right. He's is simply a big Walker. The leather saddle fit him well, but when I rode in it, or used it on him, I never felt comfortable. My husband seemed to like it but he's never ridden in different saddles so he really can't compare apples to oranges.

I looked over saddles in the horse supply catalogs the past month. I narrowed my choices down to the popular Wintec synthetics, which I had experience with at the riding stable and an Abetta Cordura Saddle. The Abetta had excellent reviews from people who owned them and is available in a wide tree sizing for the horse, which I have decided would be better for Bo. As for me, I can do either a 16 or 17 seat, depends on the saddle. I went for the 17 figuring that would cover both my husband and me nicely, rather, I'm pretty sure I can cover it with no problem.

One of my hold ups in ordering was the fact that a saddle is something very personal. I don't have saddle retailers close by, I'm buying sight unseen. Took me a few days to build up the nerve to make the decision. There is a return policy, but who wants to box up a saddle and send it back? I wasn't looking forward to that if it turns out to be completely wrong. But, I took the leap of faith and ordered it. Should be here any day now.

That's how I'm encouraging myself in these teasing pre-Spring days before the real Spring sets in.

TMI

2011-02-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

I am all about the phrase "Knowledge is Power!". I used it a lot when I was a librarian. I had a t-shirt with the slogan on the back. However, in my horse-life I've decided, Too Much Information, aka TMI, can be confusing and unproductive especially when it comes to figuring out what you want, or need, to do with your horse. Kind of sounds contradictory, I realize, but the past six years, I've been through tons of information and lately, I've decided I need to glean what is useful to me and my horses. Yeah, took me that long to figure it out for myself.

There comes a point where TMI can hurt your progress more than it helps. There comes a point when TMI leads to confusion. Most of the time this is in the areas of training techniques, clinicians and horse health, to name the most common concerns.

Back in 2004 I left a librarian/branch manager position at our local branch library. Too stressful. Imagine that! A library.Turned out I'm not a public oriented type. If you ever get a chance to talk to a librarian, I'm sure you'll hear similar stories. My son is working for a community college library. I have to laugh at his tales. They are similar to my experiences. Anyway, after I left that job, I decided I was going to take the time I had to make my dream come true, the one I'd had since I was a child, horses. My husband was all for it, our sons were grown, and we were in a position where one income would work for us.

We prepared the property. Learned the best fencing to put in, built a run-in type shed area, and all the other amenities needed to make a couple of horses comfortable. I took riding lessons which led to a part time job at a summer camp helping with their riding program. There I was, a 45 year old woman working with teenagers, but it was probably one of the best summers I ever spent! I learned so much about horse behavior that year. I was happy to have the opportunity. After the summer, the stable needed another assistant so I stayed on. It was a hands-on opportunity to learn more about horses and riding.

That fall I bought my two horses, brought them home and worried I wasn't doing things right for about the next 5 years. I watched clinicians. Ordered books. Watched videos. Observed one clinician (on RFDtv or video) I really liked for a couple of months then switched to another which ended up being a pattern. Finally, about a year ago I had an epiphany. I needed to find what exactly worked for me and stick to it. Not necessarily one clinician although that's a help if you can be particularly loyal, but your own consistent techniques. Since I decided I wasn't doing a cookie cutter type of training I've been more relaxed and my horses are responding in kind.

What am I getting at here? Well, you need to have all the knowledge you can acquire to pursue any goal in life. But in the getting there, don't get caught up in the right or wrong of who or what. Some people will flourish following the exact techniques of a clinician. Others will find that too restricted and will discover their own talents in following their horse's particular character and talents. We are in an age where we are extremely fortunate to have tons of information available to us. Don't allow TMI to cloud your goals. Knowledge is POWER but TMI can overwhelm.

Enjoy the journey!

Winter Fat

2011-02-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

Much of the year I concern myself with the obvious fact, my horses are on the plump side. I've heard it from two different vets. I've had people tell me "He's really big", referring to the bigger of my two Spotted Saddle Horses, Bo. He is actually big, but I admit, he's also fat. I think my farrier is just being nice by telling me he's seen fatter horses. Over the years I've used the justification that Bo is simply big boned. He is the old style Tennessee Walker frame. But, since Spirit, my smaller SSH, has grown out of his youth, I can see, both of my horses are indeed, fat.

This year though, I am glad of it. We've had one rough winter. I am comforted in the knowledge that under their shaggy winter fur, they have insulation to withstand February's winter blow. One reason my horses are fat all year is because like me, they haven't been getting extra activity. This year will be different. Or at least, that is my plan.

Right now though I've decided no more worrying about fat horses. They're fattened up for this very rough winter and I'm OK with that. I'll let you know around June how my plan has worked out...

Weathering the long winter, the very long winter...

2011-01-26T13:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, this winter is really an extended one for us! Granted, I realize there are places all over the country faring much worse than we are, but nonetheless, the locals around my neck of the woods are grumbling.."Is it over yet?" with heavy sighs. Winter fatigue has set in. To overcome the gray, often dull, cold days of January, I have found my own personal way of dealing. I keep my bird feeders filled.

I get calm satisfaction seeing flocks of goldfinches, cardinal pairs, juncos, tufted titmouse, hairy woodpeckers, blue jays, red bellied woodpeckers and chickadees among the daily feeders. I don't even mind the local crows. I do have a problem with the brown-headed cowbirds over running the feeders, but that will probably be more toward the end of February when they return. Those birds are parasites in every sense of the word and they run the regulars out, but for now, I can enjoy my local feathered friends.

Bird feeding through the winter is a relatively inexpensive past-time, in my opinion. If you have children it's a great way to teach them various local bird species which can then lead into a more widespread interest even life long hobby.

When my sons were small, and as something we could do together through the winter, they learned the species that frequented our feeders.My oldest son was so enthusiastic about birds for a few years he completed a 4H project and a science fair project on birds. In college he took an ornithology class that took a trip to Lake Erie during the spring migration time. Birding has turned into a lifelong hobby for him just as it has for me. I've enjoyed birds and winter feeding since I was a kid. I can even remember making a simple bird feeder out of a cardboard milk carton bottom.

Over the years I've had a variety of bird feeder types. I've finally found the ones I think are the best I've ever had and they weren't terribly expensive. I found them at TSC. They' are metal wire mesh tube feeders with twist top and bottom for easy fill and cleaning. I've also come upon the easiest combination of seed and feed: black oil sunflower seeds, thistle seed, and a suet block or two. A little corn doesn't hurt but not really necessary. I've watched the crows and blue jays ignore the corn and go for the sunflower seeds. The bulk seed with the little white millet seeds is really a waste. You'll notice, the birds don't eat it. It's simply fill for bulk sale. If you want the best bargain and the most complete feed, buy straight sunflower seeds and thistle seed.

Snowing again this morning but when I look out my window and see the birds flying in and out from the feeders, perching and eating at my four feeders it takes my mind off the weather. In reality, they'd survive fine without the feed. They'd find a way, but I guess a little part of me feels gratification that I can help them, or at least think I'm helping them, get through a long, cold winter here in Southern Ohio.

Animal Planet's Confession: Animal Hoarding

2011-01-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying I am not a fan of most reality shows, but recently found myself caught up in this one.

Surfing around the channels, I stopped on Animal Planet's Confession: Animal Hoarding. I thought to myself~How bad could they be?

Unfortunately, from my viewpoint, it was like a train wreck. I could not help watching. I suppose that's how all reality shows get people hooked. But watching this one, I was interested in the psychological aspects of how the people got into such dire situations with their animal addiction.

I felt bad for both the animals and the people. I was relieved that the people were handled compassionately, at least that's how it came across. One of the stories made complete sense to me. A woman worked at an animal shelter. Every time a dog came in, and she felt it wasn't going to find a home, she ended up taking it home with her. I can see that happening. It was reasonable...to a point.

Some people don't have an off switch, some people do. I am fortunate to have an off switch. I have two dogs. Sure, I'd love to give a home to more dogs, or even more cats, currently have only one sickly, asthmatic cat, but I know it wouldn't be right for us to bring more animals in at this time. Both our dogs were abandoned, as were most of the dogs from our past, and we gave them a home. We've had many dogs over the years, usually no more than two at a time. Probably the only animals we've had, who weren't abandoned, are the two horses.

Anyway, the people who ended up hoarding started out with good intentions toward the animals. At least that's how I see it.They did their best to care for them, although you would think they could realize as the numbers increase and they're feeling stressed, something isn't right, but they feel they are needed. Needed to the point of turning their backs on family, friends, and the reality of what is happening. The off switch quits working.

No one should judge them. I appreciated that the show ended on a positive note with the people getting help for their animal hoarding issues and the animals going to a better place than where they were living.

I suppose sometimes it's hard to talk to these people. Friends and family often say they tried or the other side of the coin, they had no idea how bad it had gotten.The hoarders believe they are saving lives and see others as interfering.The man with over 100 chickens was an example. He was very concerned the roosters would be killed once they left him and he didn't want to take that chance. Some of us might say, "Chickens, they're just chickens!" but to him they were individuals and they filled a need he had for acceptance. We often do the things we do because we get gratification from it. Sometimes, that gratification drives us to addictions, when we have no off switch life can turn ugly.

I hadn't realized how widespread the problem of animal hoarding had become, according to the statistics presented. I suppose it's been a problem shoved aside in the past. Neighbors or family members may have known of someone, but possibly had no idea how to help, so they ignored the situation.

One lady asked her son to help her clean the house. I can't even imagine the odor...it looked horrid. She had cats. Over 80 if I'm remembering correctly. The woman lost her restaurant job because of the odor that stayed with her, in her clothing, constantly. Her husband couldn't stand to live in the house anymore. Disgusting, yes, but also, sad.

My hope is that this reality show helps those people AND brings to light the importance of spaying and neutering cats and dogs. There are so many free clinics these days where even people who can't afford it can get their pets neutered. I do have trouble understanding reasoning behind not getting pets neutered. It's good all around for the pets and their owners. Lack of neutering is often one of the key issues in these hoarding situations. The people acquire the animals without thoughts of neutering, and then they multiply. I think sometimes the people are so overwhelmed, yet so guilty of what they'd done yet were afraid to admit they'd lost control. From what I've seen of all the people in these episodes, they seemed to genuinely love their animals. Most of the time they had favorites, which in most cases they were eventually permitted to keep once they'd gone through a kind of cleansing.

My husband and sons have often joked that they could easily see me becoming the "cat lady" of the holler, but I've never had more than 4 cats at one time and all of them were neutered. These episodes give new meaning to the title "Crazy Cat Lady." It's not a joke when it goes too far.

Our dogs are neutered. Every dog we've ever had over the years was neutered, even when we were in lean times.The horses are gelded, but they came that way. Anyway, if you get a chance to peek in at this TV show I recommend it. It's done very well, with compassion, which I find admirable. While you watch and feel disgusted by what you see, you can also realize that the people who take up animals to the extreme, also seem to have love in their hearts. They have that on their side.

Book Review: Crazy Good: The True Story of Dan Patch

2011-01-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you happen upon a nonfiction book that is written so well, with so many facts, and good storytelling, about a time long past, you become mesmerized. That's how I feel about this book by Charles Leerhsen.

The name Dan Patch was in my memory of historical horses but I had no idea the impact the little bay horse from Oxford,Indiana, had on the country in the early 1900's. Leerhsen scoured tons and tons of material to put together this historical account of one little crippled horse who had the country cheering at race tracks where he ran. Dan Patch became on of the country's first superstar athletes. People couldn't get enough of Dan as he won race after race,some rigged, most not. Leerhsen doesn't sugar coat the racing world in the early 1900's but you get a sense of innocence from the people who were fans of Dan Patch.

While I'm not a big fan of horse racing, in general, I do admire the great horse athletes and enjoy reading about the lives they led, the people who handled them and got them to the winner's circle. Not always the most pleasant part of the story, but without those people, there'd be no story. Sometimes a good part of the story, sometimes not so good, but all in all, Dan had a good life even during the years he was being used as a symbol for numerous commercial products.

Leerhsen emerged himself in the life and times, going as far as to try to find Dan's last resting spot somewhere in field near Savage, Minnesota, alongside a river. It had to be kept secret when the Great Dan Patch died, he was so famous, the owners feared fans would try to dig him up. Sounds like fans today. Who would have thought in 1916? An autopsy showed Dan's heart weighed 9 lbs 2 oz. which is four pounds heavier than an average horse's heart. It's believed that the oversized heart, which was an asset for Dan in his racing days, had hurt him in his post racing years. It was stated that Dan Patch had the heart of an athlete and that's probably what brought him to his end.

If you're interested in the history of the early 1900's, horse athletes and the people around them, you'll enjoy reading Leerhsen's work about a scraggly, not very pretty pacer who became America's most famous race horse.

What is it you say? It's 2011?

2011-01-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

Feel l like I've been on a self imposed hiatus since about Thanksgiving, from just about everything. It has always been amazing to me, the older one gets, the faster time seems to fly by and then, well, it's a new year already! Hubby has been on holiday break plus he took vacation time so we've been pretty lazy together!

December here in Southern Ohio was snowy and cold. Very unusual for us. Our ground was snow covered from the first week of December until the last week of the month. We actually had a white Christmas for the first time in....well, I can't remember when. It was nice for a change, but honestly, I've decided a white Christmas is overrated. I don't think I'll dream of a white Christmas anymore.

Probably the best news of December for our family, #2 son proposed to his girlfriend. He called me the day after he asked her. Their proposal story is sweet and simple, one they can treasure and tell their kids one day.

He'd planned their day but didn't want her to know he was doing something special. They live in Maysville, KY, which is a beautiful area. It was snowing. They walked around in the snow for while through a local historical site that was having a Christmas weekend. He fixed dinner for her. Then, he got his banjo out. He is a super banjo player. Self taught. Doesn't give himself enough credit there. But anyway, played her a few songs because she'd said he hadn't been playing and singing for her for a while. The last song was one he had written for her and at the end came the proposal. He said she was so happy, so stunned, all she could do was shake her head up and down and smile the biggest smile he'd ever seen. He had the ring hidden in his banjo case.

As he was telling me the story, I was so moved I couldn't help crying over the phone! So happy for them both! They had been friends their last two years of high school, but had gone separate ways after graduation. He had gone to Athens, Ohio, to attend Ohio Universtiy, she stayed in the hometown and attended the local university. In early 2009 they caught up with each other through the magic (as I see it) of Facebook. Started dating in the summer of 2009. In January of 2009 he got a job as an assistant librarian at a community college library in Maysville, KY. She remained in her hometown. And as sometimes happens, fate intervenes, she also landed a job in Maysville around June of 2009. Now, in my mind, things like that are meant to be and are signs that one is moving in the right direction.

They are a good match and seem to really enjoy each other and compliment each other in many ways. We're all extremely happy for them! The wedding plans are up in the air right now. They want to get married in June 2012 because that was the month of their first official date. They want something small, very small, but her parents, well, I think they want something else for their daughter. Time will tell who wins out.

On a more somber note,our poor little asthmatic cat Buddy. He manages to be himself for about 2-3 weeks after the steroid injection then is congested again. Just like human asthma, some days are better than others. The last vet visit they did x-rays and ran some blood tests. The only thing the vet could see was a small area in one of the lungs which he still believes is an asthma condition. Everything else checked out OK. Looks like Buddy will have to see the vet about once a month for his injection.

The horses are in winter mode. We were able to get in a truck load of hay bales before the winter gets bad again. At least I won't be fretting about running out of hay toward the end of January. Since December was cold and snowy, that sort of messed with my hay calculations. I add alfalfa-timothy hay cubes to their rations to extend the hay.

The ground out there in the corral area is a pain because where we had a thaw last week, the mud has now frozen into what I call "lava rocks". So, it's tiptoeing around for the horses as the move from their shelter out to the field. I always grumble about the lava rocks. I thought I was going to avoid the situation when the first snows came in early December, but no, of course not, Southern Ohio thaw took care of that!

The dogs have adjusted to the early winter. Their coats are thicker. Stocked their dog houses up with straw which they huddle down into during the long, cold nights. In the mornings when they come out, their bodies feel to me like they've been sleeping in a warm, heated bed.

So, resolutions for 2011? No. I'm not doing that. I am beginning work on myself. Working to get muscle strength back and more limber. I figured out that one of the reasons I haven't been riding much is because I don't feel confidence in my own body. Naturally, I need to lose weight, which is something I'm working on as well. That will be tougher, but I am taking it slowly. I've been having the dogs take me walks back in our valley most days but when the weather gets Arctic cold, I need to find other activities inside. My plan is a rotation of yoga, stationary bike, and working with a kettle bell workout DVD. I'm going to keep track of what I do, or don't do, each day because I tend to do better when I keep a record and can see what I've done. Not a resolution, a plan!

Also, work on more writing. I need to get that stuff down, just write as someone has suggested, instead of simply twirling the stories and characters around in my head! I did send a short story out a few months ago, to get myself in gear, realizing, one short story does not a writer make, but you gotta start somewhere. I'm not so good at multi-tasking.

When 2010 rolled into 2011 my first thought was that '11 seems like it'll be an odd year and I don't just mean the number itself. Then I remembered I would be 50 this year. Maybe kind of odd after all because turning 50 feels kind of like twilight zone to me. Well, doesn't matter, I have to turn it anyway. But, I'm going to start out with positive thoughts and see where 2011 leads me. Happy New Year to all of us!

Hello November

2010-11-02T15:13:00.000-04:00

October was a busy month. We finally got busy clearing out the dead trees in the back field. Not complete but sure looks different. The horses seem to appreciate their more open space too. Not more pasture grass, but more space. We will always be lacking pasture grass. I've just come to accept that.

Hubby and I spent our weekends and evenings on that project. October was nice to us, weather-wise and I truly appreciate that. Now, we're moving into colder temps and shorter days. The horses remind me of fuzzy bears with their soft winter coats. Time to put the heater in their water tank and lay the water hose down the hill so we don't have a frozen hose. Didn't have to fight mud which is always good. No more flies. Hay is in the building.

Today is election day, and yes, I voted. I wouldn't think to admonish anyone if they decide not to vote because it's my belief that's what's great about this country. We can CHOOSE to vote or not.

Today is also the day my beloved dad passed away last year. I had a tough emotional weekend which I was surprised by but I've learned grief over the loss of a loved one is not on a time table. Sometimes it creeps up when you thought you'd cried all the tears you possibly could. Even through an extended illness, you are never really ready for the end. But, I know my dad wouldn't want me to dwell. He's probably shaking his head at me now telling me to get on with my own life. That's just the way he was, not wanting anyone to worry about him. He was a good man, and a great dad as well as grandpa. My sons adored him. I'm so thankful they got to share their lives with him and he was able to enjoy them.

November is the month of giving thanks.Take a moment each day to be thankful for something in your life.

Asthmatic Cat....who knew?

2010-10-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Our eight year old cat, Buddy, was diagnosed with asthma last winter. It was the first time I'd ever heard of cat asthma.

At first the depo-medrol (steroid) injections were working but instead of every 2-4 months the time between has gotten closer. I took him to the vet for his latest injection recently, which was a little over a month since the last one.The rides to the vet, which are thirty minutes in length, are hard on him. He cries the entire drive. The injection doesn't seem to have taken very well this time around.The vet said the injections are probably the best treatment for Buddy.

I have researched cat asthma online. There are similar treatments to those that humans use such as oxygen and inhalers. The vet and I talked about these treatments early on. I don't know about other people and their cats, but I know, any cat I've ever had I could never have used an inhaler on them or put an oxygen mask over their little faces. When I was reading these articles online all I could think was "Get real!" I guess they worked for the people who wrote the articles but there is no way they would work for Buddy. He's a loving cat, but come on, he is a cat! They don't sit still for taking a pill let alone attempting an inhaler into their mouth or an oxygen mask over their nose and mouth.One website posted pictures of a cat with an oxygen mask. My thought was, either that cat is very old or sedated.

Buddy was found in a box, with his four litter mates, on the steps of our church back in 2002. My oldest son and his then girlfriend (now wife) found the kittens and brought them home. The kittens were just a handful. Single handful. They were so tiny their eyes weren't even open. We took it upon ourselves to try to save them by hand-feeding them, cleaning them and seeing if we could save the lot. They grew and thrived, except for Buddy. He was the sickliest one. He had goo in his eyes that always had to be cleaned. He was small and skinny. Didn't seem to be putting on weight. My husband and oldest son took it upon themselves to give Buddy the extra care he needed. When the other kittens were big enough for homes, we found homes for three of them. We kept Jinxy and Buddy. They were almost identically marked gray and white, though Jinxy had rabbit-like fur, extremely soft and fine. Buddy grew and thrived.

Buddy and Jinxy were outdoor cats at first. We live on a small farm so plenty of room to roam around the house, in the barn, up in the woods. They stayed in the barn during the winter and I fixed them special area for sleeping with blankets to cuddle into. A couple of years ago, Jinxy died from an undiagnosed problem. We were never sure. When I took her to the vet and left her for observation, she didn't survive the night. I always felt bad about that because I wasn't with her. She was my little friend out of the two. Buddy always seemed to bond with the guys in my family. I think because my husband and sons were the ones who cared for him and bonded with him when he was a baby since he was the sickly one.

After Jinxy died I started inviting Buddy inside when the weather turned cold. He and Jinxy had always cuddled up together. So, that's how Buddy became an indoor/outdoor cat. These days he stays inside at night, goes out in the mornings for a while, comes back inside, and depending on the weather may stay out most of the day.

When the asthma diagnosis came I told the vet I wouldn't keep Buddy inside because it wasn't his life. He enjoys laying on the deck on a sunny day, stalking in the weeds, hiding in the tall grass,and basically just living. I wouldn't take that away from him when he's eight years old. The vet told me he actually sees more asthma in indoor cats due to their cat litter so outside would probably not be a problem. No more a problem than for a person with asthma.

So, my dilemma is what's next?. Buddy still goes outside. Sometimes he seems fine, sometimes I can tell his breathing is bothering him. He is congested but not enough where he doesn't try to go outside or he just lays. I'm nagged by the fact that I feel I should be doing something for him but my vet has said the injections are the quickest for relief and if they don't work, the pills probably wouldn't either.

I'm not sure what to do at this point especially since the steroid doesn't seem to be working. The vet has mentioned x-rays but then decided against it when Buddy's temp was normal. I've always appreciated this vet because he's common sense when it comes to treatments.

Right now, Buddy is still eating well, drinking water, and keeping weight but I have no idea how long that will last. Actually, the vet sort of gives me the impression, this is the best we can do without going overboard and possibly making life more miserable for Buddy. My way of thinking, as long as he seems comfortable and wants to carry on his usual daily activities, let him "be". But, there's still part of me that says, "isn't there more I can do?" I suppose that's how we all feel about the animals we care for when it seems there should be more we can do, but must realize, sometimes, there just isn't.

October

2010-10-04T08:40:00.000-04:00

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. Here in my neck of the woods we are graced with the beauty of changing leaves blanketing the hillsides. The landscape will be breathtaking in about a week with yellows, reds, and oranges. The hills will look like God is laying down Nature's quilt for the coming winter. Even with the extended September dry spell, I think the rain showers of the past week will bring on good color.

Then there is the mood of our animals.All of them seem more high spirited this time of year. The horses running, bucking and generally feeling good. My husband cringes as they run around the field tearing up the turf.I enjoy watching them and don't really care. I understand the philosophy behind "saving the grass roots" but appreciate the beauty of equine play more.The two dogs seem more energized as they take off up into the hills behind our house. Our hills and forest acreage provide plenty of room to roam.

October has challenged me through the years with family sicknesses, injuries, surgeries, and last year my dad entered the hospital for the last time the last weekend of October. My grandparents passed way at the end of October in '66 while I was in the hospital with pneumonia.I was only five. My oldest son had to have serious surgery the last weekend of October back in '97. My youngest had surgery the last weekend of October back in '08. I had my first biopsy for thyroid cancer in October '08. Odd how certain things pop up for me in October.Regardless of these seemingly bad omens for October, I have still always admired the beauty that comes this month, if only fleeting, until the leaves have all fallen.

As I spread hay out in the back field for the horses this morning I noticed the running hoofprints in the mud. I had to laugh because it was obvious someone had been kicking up his heels in honor of October!

What's their worth?

2010-09-30T15:45:00.000-04:00

What's their worth?

That question was posed to me recently when I applied for an equipment loan. I'd been thinking about a Utility Vehicle for our little farm for about a year. As with most people, the time has to be right to make the purchase.Paid off the tractor at the beginning of the month and immediately,as fate usually works, found a sweet UV for sale.So, back to the Farm Credit Service to start another loan.

Amid all the questions about the things we owned and or owed on etc, the one question that stumped me immediately came when I was asked about my horses.They're still considered livestock for farm loan purposes.

What's their worth?

My mind went blank. I shrugged and stammered, I don't know. The loan officer waited. It shouldn't have been hard to answer. How much did you pay for them? Well, that doesn't quite figure into the total worth, was silently whirling in my mind, but I had to come up with something. So, I gave the amount I paid for them six years ago.

This got me to thinking about what my horses are worth to me. As far as monetary worth, there's really no compensation. I don't use my horses for anything that brings in an income. No breeding. No showing. They are just mine. I feed them,take care of them,ride them, worry about them, which goes way beyond their net worth. As with most "pleasure" horse owners, you put more into them than you can ever recover.

When the question was posed to me I hadn't considered it. I know what they're worth to me but I really don't know what they're worth to the bank! I guess it doesn't really matter in the long run but I was amused that this simple question had me stumped for a few, uncomfortable moments.

Weather Related

2010-08-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been asking myself-When did WEATHER become such an important part of my life? I've always been interested in weather patterns and how weather affects most everything we do. It can ruin the best laid plans. It can make a day feel wonderful. The answer, in my particular case, is six years ago. Yep. Six years ago when I bought these two horses of mine.

These days, weather is at the top of my list of aggravations in my horse-life. Maybe I take things too seriously. Been trying to just roll with it. Some days are easier than others. Those days are when the sun is shining and the daytime temps are hovering around 70 degrees. Yeah, that's about perfect for me. Haven't seen many of those in quite some time. I think April was the last time this year. After April, seems like the weather conspired against me with storms, rain, more storms... Yeah, I think I take the weather a little too personally.

This week is our third week in a string of Heat Advisories and Warnings for our county. Heat index at 100-110, so they're reporting. In Southern Ohio, we don't just get hot, we get hot and humid. I am not a tropical kind of gal at all. I don't think I ever was but the older I get, the more I want my weather moderately pleasant as often as possible.

The horses are being annoyed by horseflies. Try as I might, there just isn't enough fly spray to do the job when they get hot and sweaty. I am an unbeliever of the label that says "lasts 7-14 days". I'm wondering if they're talking about stalled horses because that's the only way it would make sense to me. You can't stop your pastured pony from rolling in the dirt unless you keep him stalled and that's not how I keep my guys. I spread my Fly Predators once a month and that is a definite improvement on the black flies. But those big, fat, ugly, horseflies...Man, I HATE them!!!

I find myself these days monitoring the local weather radars when bad weather has been forecast. What's the deal with that? Not like I can change it. I guess part of me just thinks I can be more alert for the "what ifs". Right.

Well, the night the tree fell on the fence and Spirit ended up with a sliced leg, there was no wind, there was no rain, there was no weather at all. It was a quiet, hot evening. Trees have a way of just letting go sometimes.

I find having horses I am particularly attuned to what's happening with the weather, even more so than I was before I had horses. Then my thoughts go to the fact that 20 something years ago, we only had The Weather Channel, local news weather, and the radio for our weather news.

Sometimes more information can become an obsession. Wonder if there's a support group for this? Seriously. Because I'm thinking I'm way too wrapped up in what the weather's going to be rather than just dealing with it as it comes every morning.

Sure am looking forward to next week...they say we're suppose to get down into the mid-80's.

When it's your horse, it's a different story...

2010-08-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

Honestly, I think I'm adding July to my least favorite month list, though January is still on top. Last year we dealt with a flash flood and illnesses; mine, my husband and my dad. This year, I just couldn't believe the luck July threw at me yet again!

Three weeks ago, on a quiet Sunday evening, I had the misfortune of dealing with a serious horse injury. I have been more than fortunate for the 6 years I've had my guys. A couple bouts of mild colic. A few minor scrapes and bites, mostly on Spirit. Bo tends to be a tad too bossy. But other than that, nothing I deemed serious enough I couldn't handle.

I worked at a riding stable for 2 1/2 years and dealt with many horse injuries and problems in that time. Funny thing though, when it's your own horse, it's a whole different ball game!

Sunday evening, Hubby and I had fed the horses around dusk. It was a quiet evening. Nice actually, if not sultry for Southern Ohio. About thirty minutes later, as I was cooling down in the house I heard our dogs barking. That isn't so odd, they bark alot. We live out in a rural area. However, this barking is what I term "horse" barking. Lucy, our hound, has a certain bark she uses when alerting to the horses. She often barks like that when the horses are rolling in the dirt or playing around at the water trough. I opened the back door to check and was surprised to see Bo and Spirit roaming on our back hill behind our house. I figured I'd forgotten to close a gate.

First things first, I needed to get both horses back into the corral and stall area. They'd already been out in the front field grazing earlier in the evening so I figured the front wasn't going to be quite as appealing as if they hadn't been out there. So, I grabbed their grain buckets and put a handful of grain in each one to get them inside. Never once looking over the horses to see if they were OK, because, I thought I'd left a gate open.

I ran out to the suspected gate, but it was latched. I didn't want to run all the way up on the hill or out into the back field to check the fence line, but did close the big gate to that field. Then went back to the house to inform Hubby of my suspicions that there was probably a tree down.

It was dark now. So I turned on the stall light where the horses had been eating the grain and was stunned by the sight of a pool of blood where Spirit stood. My stomach flip flopped. I have to say I panicked big time. I went into the stall to find out where all the blood had come from and in the meantime, Hubby had gone to check the fence line.

Spirit had a 4"X 6" laceration on his back leg, right below his elbow bend, on the hock. I didn't see pumping blood, only blood from the wound but that was bad enough. My mind raced back to the time one of our horses at the stable had gotten into a barb wire fence and tore her leg in a similar area but tore the artery. Talk about a mess! She did survive by the way though the injury was very slow to heal as I've since learned, these types of leg injuries can be. I didn't observe any bone and he was still able to walk though I was thinking shock might set in if I wasn't careful.

I immediately got my head together and with Hubby's help,started with first aid to the wound as best I could. I got it cleaned, and wrapped enough to settle myself down. But was concerned about Spirit's shock factor. He's a very sensitive horse. He was very hot. Since he still seemed able to walk, we walked a while. I checked the bandage and didn't see major bleed through. When Spirit seemed calm enough, I walked him to the front field to be with Bo. My thoughts, Spirit would be better off walking at his own pace through the night, keeping his circulation going, than standing in a stall. I checked on him hourly, needless to say a sleepless night for me. Besides, Spirit's not the type of horse to take inactivity well.

We don't use barb wire we have horse fencing. Hubby found a solid tree had fallen, bending and breaking a section of fence down to the ground with just enough room for the horses to walk over and out. The odd part of this, in my mind, the horses escaped on the forest and creek ravine side of the fence line. I would not have expected that. But I have a scenario in mind of how it happened and how Spirit ended up the one with the injury. Bo had no marks on him, no scratches, nothing.

I believe the tree fell after we went in the house. At first the horses were probably scared, but then Spirit's curiosity got the best of him so he went to investigate. After he figured it was OK to snoop around, he probably tested the waters over the fence, probably half over and half back. Then, Bo joins the investigation but pushes Spirit, which he often does, and Spirit panicked, then caught his back leg on the sharp ends of the broken fence as he tried to hurriedly get out of Bo's way. Bo, on the other hand, was able to gently walk over the broken fence, plus, he's taller.

Well, it took Hubby three days to fix that fence. We tried to fix it that night but it was just too mangled. I was possibly overly concerned about Spirit's wound and called a local equine vet (we have only one, the other vets are hard get for farm calls) who informed me if it wasn't an emergency, the horse wasn't bleeding out, he couldn't stop by until Tuesday morning. Wonderful.

In the meantime I watched for leg swelling which fortunately didn't occur. I learned how to wrap a Figure-of-Eight leg wrap from my horse first aid book. When the vet arrived that Tuesday morning, he looked at the wound and informed me he'd seen worse. Nice to know. The vet did his own cleaning and wrapping. He didn't think antibiotics were needed but told me to wash with Betadine scrub and re-wrap every three days, for three rounds, then dry bandage every two days for the following fourteen days. Spirit already had his tetanus so that wasn't needed either.

I've learned, it's not an easy task to keep a leg wrap on a horse that is pastured. I'm pretty sure after the first week, Spirit had learned to pull the wrap down. Unless I used a whole roll of Vet Wrap, I was wrapping that part of his leg daily. Keep it bandaged three days, sure! I was lucky to get twenty four hours most days.

Spirit was a gem through it all, I'll give him that. He's not one to stand still long, he's got to move but when I was working on his leg, he stood perfect! Until last Friday. I guess it was by then, and almost three weeks of all the wrapping, he decided he was done and enough was enough. I got a little irritated with him and finally decided maybe he knew better this time. The vet had told me that eventually air drying would be my friend for this wound. I sprayed some Wound Kote on it, right or wrong, and it's healing fine. He's walking fine. So, in my opinion, we won this one.

I don't have the luxury of depending on a vet to come out when I call. It's just not something that private horse owners in my area can depend on. Maybe it's like that everywhere. But, I managed,and we all got through it. At some point in horse ownership, you will have to deal with something. That's just the way it is. Try to be as prepared as possible, but more than likely it will be something you've probably not dealt with in the past and it'll happen on a hot sultry or freezing cold night. Just the way it seems to work.

What's in a name?

2010-07-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

How much time do you spend naming your horse? Do you take time to see what his/her character might be? Do you keep the name your horse came with? Did you change your horse's name?

I take naming very seriously. I took it seriously with my sons so it only seems logical I would take the same consideration when naming my horses. Not equating my wonderful sons to my horses, but you get the drift.

When I first met my two horses, they already had names. I didn't like one, and could live with the other. I changed Overdue to Bo, and left Spirit, as Spirit. Six years later, I'm kind of rethinking my thinking on that move, and have wished I'd called him Sunny, because he has a sunny disposition, but it is what it is and he knows his name now.

Some people don't change names. I've read they believe it will confuse the horse. Really?

I was amazed that Bo's first name was Overdue. The only story I recall on how he got that name, he was overdue when he was due to be born. Hubby wanted me to keep the name Overdue. His reasoning, I had been overdue for a horse of my own for many; many years. But, the name just didn't please me. Didn't fit right. I'd had in my mind that I would name my first horse Bo and that came from the movie TrueGrit, where John Wayne's horse, in the movie, was named Beau. In reality, Beau was Wayne's favorite movie horse, Dollar. The name Beau had stuck with me for decades, though I decided to spell it Bo. I guess Overdue didn't have a chance, his name was changed.

Spirit's official name is Spirit of Stuntman. His daddy is a registered SSH/TW, Stuntman. The owners said they named him Spirit because he was, well...yeah..Spirited. That he is!

I had a farrier suggest, a few years ago, that maybe I should change Spirit's name. She was having trouble with him. He was a little more spirited than she liked to deal with.......which is not very spirited at all. He was also young and learning. I have another farrier who could care less how spirited Spirit is and besides that, Spirit is grown up now, and well mannered. But, I was thinking the other day, maybe I should have gone with Sunny. He really does fit that name. If he were a human, he'd be the one everyone wanted to be around because he seems happy all the time. Sure, a little sensitive too, but you can overlook that quality because he's so darn cute!

Names are important and they can have meaning to the personality of the horse. I remember a few names of the horses I worked with and their names often painted their picture before people even knew them. Sometimes, the names were deceiving.

Speckles-An adorable POA-Appy mix. He was barely 14 H tall. You couldn't let that name fool you. He could be an ornery little guy. Opened gates for one thing. Stepped on feet, which became obvious after a while this was on purpose. But, the name Speckles is benign so people didn't expect trouble out of him.

Bubbles-Another pony. He had the right name for his personality, but he was another ornery little guy. Couldn't catch him sometimes. He ran up the hill, then turned around and seemed to laugh at us.

Flow- A beautiful, big, black Tennessee Walker mare. Such a wonderfully gentle personality. She was renamed by a barn staff member when she came to the ranch. I never found out what her name was before we got her. She had a gorgeous flow to her gait and when you rode her, you felt like you were flowing....

Ginger-One of my favorite horses at the ranch. I would have renamed her only because I felt Ginger wasn't right for her. She came to the ranch with her buddy, now get this, Gilligan. Yep. Someone had named them Gilligan and Ginger. Gilligan kept his name too and that's another one I would have changed. I mean, he was a gorgeous all black Walker with a little white star on his forehead. He had some training issues we were still working on before I left the ranch. I think I'd have issues with a name like Gilligan for my horse! Ginger was a sorrel nicely built Quarter Horse, and great trail ride, yes, reddish like the Ginger character on Gilligan's Island.

Names are labels sometimes, no getting around that. So it's an individual decision on whether to change a horse's name or not. But, if you're the first one to name a horse who's never been named, be kind.

The 3 H's

2010-07-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well, it IS July here in Southern Ohio and the three H's are with us: Hazy. Hot. Humid. July with a heat wave. Temps soaring upwards of 95 to 100F. Wonderful. There is sarcasm in that wonderful. I am not a hot weather kind of gal these days. Give me the cool of September through October all year long and I'd be happy!

The past couple of days I have brought the boys in around 2pm. Given them their ration of hay cubes and as they ate, sponged their legs with cool water. I'm sure they'll be playing in their water tank in another hour.

At least, as a respite from the heat of the day, this evening, I'll be able to move them out into the grass of their temporary grazing fields.

Weather. It's always a factor in our lives. I'm sure I think about it way too much and my horses could care less. They have their fan. They have a shady rest area. Wish I could accept things as simply as they do!

Father's Day

2010-06-20T10:51:00.000-04:00

This will be my first Father's Day without my dad. I had him with me for 48 years of my life and I treasure every one of them.

I've always liked this quote: "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a DAD." So true, and this was my dad, all the way through.

I was his only daughter, his only child. We had a special bond. I finally figured out recently what that was and it was unconditional love. He was, and always will be, my hero in my eyes. I feel blessed to have had such a wonderful Dad.

So, on this special day for many people, if you have a special Dad or Gran-dad in your life, tell them how much they mean to you.

This is the first year in my adult life I have not made a rhubarb pie for my dad on Father's Day. His mother made him rhubarb pies when he was a kid and even into his adulthood. They were his favorite. I know my rhubarb pies could not have been as good as hers, but Dad always told me they were delicious. I doubt he would have told me they were awful, even if they had been.

I miss you Dad. You are forever in my heart!

Vaccines, the necessary evil

2010-06-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Here I am, a month past my last post. Haven't been doing very good at this blog thing.

Update: Haven't accomplished much with the horses, again. In one word-RAIN. Another word-FLOODING, One more-THUNDERSTORMS

While I realize folks here in the midsection of the US have suffered through much worse than we have locally, I feel I am forever at the mercy of WEATHER.

Yesterday was the first day in a week we hadn't experienced heavy rain and/or storms of some kind. May, and now June, have been very wet. We are now in a heat wave of over 90 degrees each day.

I am past the age of enjoying hot days out in the sun. So, my next move must be, to try to get back with my horses in the early mornings as long as we get a dry spell.

I do not have a covered arena. I have two open fields. I have a run-in stall area, nice, but mud is a major issue during times like these. Thus, my two horses have once again, basically, become pasture ponies. I'm sure they're happy with that situation, though a bit bored. They are getting grazing time since the front field is open. Takes some of the boredom out of they're system for a few hours a day.

Yesterday I gave my two guys their yearly vaccinations. I have been using the Fluvac Innovator 5 combo. When I administer the injections I always keep an eye on the horses for any swelling for the first hour. In the past I haven't had any problems but I always think, maybe this time. No, they managed fine by the time I fed them later in the evening.

Today, however, I'm seeing the typical lethargy I notice every year after I've given my horses their injections. So, when I see them in this state for the next twenty-four hours, I can't help but wonder- Are the vaccines we give all our animals simply a necessary evil for the duration of twenty four hours of misery for them? Or, would they survive if we didn't vaccinate?

Of course, I realize, they don't really know they're miserable. They don't really understand what's going on. But I know I see the change in them, and I know the vaccines are what is affecting them. I've seen it every year.

I know, I know, the vaccines are arguably the best protection for them, but the older I get the less and less I like having things injected or added to my own body. I always have faith I'm doing the right thing for my horses, and other animals, but I know the vaccines definitely affect my guys for about twenty-four hours. That period of time is enough for something to go haywire.

Does anyone else see this in their horses? If you have a big event coming up, do you vaccinate earlier so it doesn't interfere with the event?

I'm running a little late this year on vaccinations. Buddy, our cat, has developed cat asthma which is requiring steroid injections every couple of months. I'm also wondering about that. But about 24 hours after Buddy gets the injection, he is no longer coughing. I've read that at his age, he's eight, the shots could bring on diabetes. Great, another diabetic in the house! I'm a Type 1 myself. Sure wouldn't relish the idea of giving my cat an insulin injection. Have enough trouble getting the Frontline Plus on him monthly. Which brings to mind yet another question...What about all this flea and tick repellent we put on our animals?

Well, at any rate, horse vaccinations are done for the year. I'll just have to keep an eye on them for a couple of days. I doubt they'll have any problem with the rest and relaxation part since that's pretty much their daily activities right now anyway.

Gotta get back up and start all over....

2010-05-19T13:47:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough month, May. Rain. Storms. Floods. Mud. Found this quote the other day....

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do. - Confucius

Seems quite appropriate at the moment.

On the Road Again

2010-04-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

OK, not exactly a dirt road, or a paved road, but the road to finally, yes, finally, devoting the days, weeks and months ahead to my two wonderful guys. They've been so patient!

My Spotted Saddle Horses, Bo and Spirit, have welcomed my short evening training sessions the past two weeks. They're both responding beautifully. I'm especially proud of Spirit. He no longer loses concentration with simple exercises and is completely willing to attempt anything I've given him to do.

The weather has finally "Springed" up and the ground has dried out. My health issues are, for the most part, a sidebar. Other issues that took up my emotions, and my mental strength over the past two years, have resolved themselves. Time for my guys to get what they deserve, a dedicated owner and partner.

I started back with simple groundwork activities a couple of weeks ago. All in-hand. Next week, I'm moving up to saddling. Then, in a couple of weeks after that, we'll get to the riding. I'm not in a hurry.

My good friend and I have decided we'll get together every couple of weeks at either her place, or mine, to work with our horses. She lives about thirty minutes away, has other commitments in her life but wanted to get motivated with her three horses too. She has two seasoned Quarter Horses, and a three year old she is training. Like me with my guys, she sort of lost track of time in the three year old's training. Bought him when he was eighteen months old, a registered Quarter Horse out of some line. I'm not into breeding lines so that just goes right over my head. My strong suit, in my humble opinion, is horse behavior.

So anyway, we're checking up on each other's progress with our equine students and then getting together every couple of weeks. She is an accomplished rider having shown in Western Pleasure in the past. I can learn a lot from her! This little arrangement gives us both motivation and something to work toward.

Today I released my guys out into the front field. It's the green field. I shut it off around December and then allow them back in, for a few hours a day, on May 1. We're having such a gorgeous day I opened the gate and let them out one day early. They were very mannerly about the whole event, which surprised me. But then, Spirit isn't the wild child he was a few years ago. They both calmly walked out and began munching away. Another surprise, when I walked out two hours later to round them up, thinking I would have a hard time with the lush green grass being more attractive than the alflafa hay cubes I was going to use as a lure, they were quietly standing in their run-in shelter. They really made it easy for me today!

Short term goal, saddle 'em and put some hours on them around our place. Long term goal, Hubby and I taking our two over to the state park to trail ride. Oh, and I do need a horse trailer too, which I've been looking into.

So, wish me luck and check back in as I finally get some things going on. It's been a long time coming!
Leslie~

Book Review: Laura Crum's Going, Gone

2010-03-31T15:12:00.000-04:00

Going, Gone-A Gail McCarthy Mystery by Laura Crum

Gail McCarthy, veterinarian, horsewoman, also wife and mother, is settling into a new direction in her life with husband Blue and young son Mac. Life is good.

A much anticipated camping trip, to an old boyfriend's ranch, begins quietly and without complication until Gail arrives at Lonny's ranch.Gail discovers Lonny has been arrested for a double murder. Gail being the good, loyal friend she is, doesn't believe Lonny could kill anyone and is determined to find the truth.

Going, Gone is an engaging mystery that keeps you guessing until the last ride. Readers also get a glimpse of Gail's new life as she tries to settle down with Blue and Mac. Her thoughts and how her priorities have changed since raising her young son. As happens in real life, circumstances intervene.

Gail's animals, especially her horses, are a big part of her life, something horse lovers and animals lovers can all relate to. The horse scenes are appealing, endearing, realistic and believable without getting into cutesy characterizations. Laura Crum writes with an abundance of realism and sensitivity. The scene descriptions of the landscapes vivid. You are moving along in the story with Gail, Blue and Mac.

Great read, Quick read and all in a tidy package. If you enjoyed Laura's earlier titles you won't be disappointed with Going, Gone.

Absolutely Perfect Birthday!

2010-03-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

Saturday was my 49th birthday. I look at that number and say, whoa! How'd that sneak up on me? But then I realize, it took all those years to have the perfect day I enjoyed Saturday.

The weather was gorgeous. After all the winter storms of February, the past weekend was our reward for persevering through the bad winter weather. Bright sunshine and clear blue skies!

Hubby and I simply enjoyed our day. We had a few things we attended to in the morning including attending a gun & knife show and then stopping by a jewelery store to see about getting my original engagement ring re-set. I'd been meaning to do the ring thing for a long time. I told him that's what I wanted for my birthday this year. I'll either be getting a ring close to what I had or, depending on the estimate, I may have my tiny 1/5 c. diamond mounted in the middle of two emeralds. The diamond in my engagement ring has always had a special sparkle but the setting is showing it's aged wear and tear.

When we got home, I spent time with my horses. They enjoyed the attention and the brushing.

Later in the day, and during the evening, #1 son and his wife, as well as #2 son and his girlfriend, stopped in. They brought gifts, which I will always cherish in my memory, bright yellow tulips and a handmade button flower pin. We simply enjoyed the evening with good pizza (my choice) and good talk.

I told Hubby yesterday, it was probably the best birthday, and day, I'd enjoyed in a very long time. I think I smiled and laughed all day!

Saturday and just "being" with those I love was the best gift of all!

The Debate

2010-03-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

Since I was a little girl, I have been in awe of orcas. I don't like calling them killer whales. I was interested in them before they were chic. When I was young, I saw nothing wrong with Sea World having orcas in their shows. Children and young adults, in the late 70's and early 80's, were much more innocent than the children and young adults of today. Today, information is at fingertips.Truth often crushes the rose colored glasses.

The horrible incident at Sea World, Orlando, last week, touched me. Made me think again about using wild animals in shows, for human entertainment. Educational? I can't quite buy that one anymore, not at the price of human lives, and the lives of the animals.

What are we really doing? Conservation? I don't think so. I can't buy that argument anymore either.

Upon hearing about the tragedy, I was sad for Dawn, but I was also sad for Tilikum. I don't fault either one. It was a tragic accident no matter how you try to turn it. I have personally decided orcas should not be used in shows for the entertainment of humans. I know it won't end, I'm a realist.

I have been relieved at Sea World's decision to keep Tilikum, though I realize that decision comes down to dollars, not necessarily sense. He's their prize stud having produced thirteen offspring making his services highly valuable. He's been in captivity for something like 25 years. What else are they going to do with him? Sea World is sort of between a rock and a hard place with this one.

As when working around your own horses, you learn their behaviors.You learn to pay attention. You learn what bugs them and what they don't ever pay attention to. When working with horses, you learn to know their body language and what kind of mood they're in. I personally don't believe there is such a thing as a bombproof horse. There is a button for every horse. Something that will cause him to surprise you when you least expect it. It's really inevitable. It's just the way they're programmed. It's not about being on edge around them, it's about being observant.

Unfortunately, we're human, we're emotional, and we have a tendency to probably relax when we trust. I don't believe Dawn did anything wrong, but then I wasn't there. I'm only forming an opinion on the interviews I've seen and the articles I've read about the incident. I believe, it was one moment in time, when Dawn trusted and let her guard down.

Sure, orcas are different from horses. Orcas are predators. They have the ability to kill with a giant mouth, strong jaw and lots of sharp teeth. On the other side of the coin, how many people are killed by horses every year? And what is the main reason? I don't have statistics, but I'm thinking, it just happens.

As humans, we're the ones who choose to interact with animals, both wild and domestic. We're the ones responsible for most outcomes, good and bad. But sometimes, it just happens.

Enthusiasm Curbed

2010-02-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Funny how The Universe works sometimes.

Last weekend I was at one of those low ebbs of the winter months. I was cleaning out the stall area. My two horses quietly munching on their evening hay in the corral area just a few feet away. Hubby bustling around picking up my slack on the evening chores.

I looked around the area, discouraged by the mud, snow, stuff in the stall and asked out loud "What am I doing all this for?" I had a meltdown.

I told Hubby I'd made a mistake with the horses. I should have never bought them. I wasn't spending enough time with them. Last year alone I can count on one hand, probably, how many times I saddled them, let alone actually rode Bo. They were in their prime and I wasn't. On and on I blubbered.

Hubby, being the understanding sort he is, listened. Then, when I was done, he said simply, as is his way, "You know you would be unhappy if they went somewhere else. You probably wouldn't forgive yourself either."

I knew he was right, but I've been feeling, over the past couple of years, with all my health issues and then my parents' health issues, I just haven't had the energy to spend quality time with the horses. I feel like I'm letting the horses down, and my dream was more an illusion.

Well, you know, we women tend to have these meltdowns once in a while.

Low and behold, the very next evening, my friend Lori called. I hadn't talked to her in months. She is my horse-friend. We bonded over horses about 6 years ago. We both worked at the riding stable as assistants. We were close to the same age-over 45, so, we had lots in common. You know sometimes when you meet someone and it's as if you've known them all you life? That's how our friendship feels.

So anyway, Lori had her down times in '09 too. We talked horses for over an hour. I told her how I'd been feeling, that my enthusiasm for my horses had curbed. She said she understood but now, we needed to get back in the saddle, so to speak. We made some plans involving horses for the coming year, and I could feel my enthusiasm return.

I told Lori she must have been picking up my vibes to have called at just the right time.

Funny how The Universe works at times.....

So, though my enthusiasm for the horse-life was curbed for about 48 hours, I can see the light again. I remember why I have my horses and what they mean to me. Sometimes, the Universe knows more about what we need than we do, we just need to listen.

Elmer Bandit Takes the Trail Home

2010-02-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

I just read that Elmer Bandit, the 38 year old endurance horse, passed away on February 14. The decision to euthanize was made after Elmer was found, unable to get back to his feet, while out in his pasture. Attempts were made to get him up, blankets put over him to keep him warm, but as bad weather moved in, the decision must have become clear.

I followed Elmer's last years, reading various articles about him on The Horse Journal, so, felt I knew him. I admire his owner/rider Mary Anna for doing what they both loved, right up to the end. Elmer was one of the lucky ones. He had a mission in his life and he lived doing what he loved, with someone who cared about him, with him all the way. Mary Anna had often said Elmer would tell her when it was time to quit endurance events, but he actually never quit. They had cut back their rides in '09 but still managed to get in a few.

Elmer Bandit makes me think about older horses. These days, horses are living longer, often will into their thirties. People who own horses need to keep in their minds that they may be caring for a senior horse for many years. They should be dedicated to that issue and how they will choose to handle it.

My friend called me the other day. We hadn't talked in a long time. Our friendship began over horses. Lori told me she lost her old guy, Boy, just before Christmas. He was one of her first horses, bought when she got into horses over twenty-five years ago. Boy was in his late twenties.

Lori told me she noticed Boy had been acting odd that morning. He wasn't one to fidget but he kept walking, acting uncomfortable.So, she walked him from the field into his stall. Being the dedicated horse owner she is, she checked his vitals then called her vet. Unfortunately, before the vet had returned her call, Boy had fallen in his stall, seized, and quietly passed away. Lori was with him, as she had been all of his life.

We all hope we can do that for those we love. Doesn't always work that way, but when it does, we feel blessed. Boy had a good life with Lori. Well taken care of, enjoyed as a riding partner, and nurtured. He was one of the lucky ones.

Another older horse in my memory is Koko. I only knew Koko for the three years I worked at the stable. She was one of the originals. Koko, even in her thirties, still enjoyed taking a child on her back and participating in classes on her good days. She passed away in the field where she'd lived for many years, surrounded by her herd buddies.

Whatever your view on end of life issues for yourself, or your horses, the main thing I keep with me is the responsibility of doing what is right. When the time comes, I hope I can make the right decision, though sometimes the decision is taken out of our hands.

Happy trails Elmer Bandit, Boy and Koko! May you enjoy pastures of green lush grass and bright sunshiny days!

Winter Months

2010-02-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, for me, winter months mean everything slooowwwws down, especially me.

I've noticed that by the time the middle of February rolls around, I am really at my lowest ebb.

I realize March is coming, but that alone does not help my mood.

I think Bo, my eleven year old Spotted Saddle Horse is the same way. Or, is it that he is picking up on my drab mood? Bo tends to get grumpy when it rains or the dreary days of winter continue with little sunshine. His face shows his mood. He actually looks grumpy! If he were human, he'd be frowning.

Now Spirit, my eight year old SSH, is completely opposite. If he were human, he would be one of those people, who makes people like me, look really bad. I mean, Spirit always seems happy. Nothing much bothers his mood. He's like my Hubby that way.

I was thinking I really have nothing to complain about this winter, so far. We've been managing with only about four inches of snow, some icy roads, but no other problems. Nothing like the storms we had last year and definitely nothing like what they're getting East of us or the rain and mudslides out in California. This year, we are seeing a reprieve from really nasty weather troubles.

Looks like Bo and I will just have to look to our sunny buddies to get us through the rest of the winter. Maybe their good moods will rub off on us.

Coyotes and Horses

2010-02-03T11:24:00.000-05:00

Living in Southern Ohio, we have not been use to dealing with coyotes. That time has ended. Coyotes have now made their presence known in our Appalachian forests.

Monday evening, around 5pm, I saw my first coyote, up close, running along our wood line, about 50 feet from my back door. It was being trailed by our two dogs, Maggie, a Blue Heeler, and Lucy, a Beagle/Hound mix.

The coyote was actually beautiful as it ran, easily out-distancing the girls. They were far behind, but Lucy, being the hound she is, continued after the rogue canine, Maggie following along in support. Hubby and I were able to call the dogs back before they also disappeared over the hillside into our valley.

My first thought was that my horses would be in danger if we have coyotes inhabiting our forest. We have 62 acres of timber, which has not been logged. Many of our neighbors have opted to have their properties logged, usually clear cut. We have one of the few properties with full timber growth. Ideal for the local wildlife. My next thought was to keep a firearm handy. Then, I decided, research before jumping to conclusions.

So, I took some time to read up on coyotes. I wanted to know what we might be up against. What I learned eased my mind, for the moment.

Coyotes are opportunists. They usually prey on smaller animals like rodents and rabbits, and smaller livestock like goats and sheep. Unfortunately, cats and smaller dogs fall into the category of smaller animals.

The coyote I saw was definitely bigger than Maggie and Lucy. They are medium sized dogs, both weighing 50 pounds each. The coyote looked to be taller, longer and probably more like 75-90 lbs.

Coyotes do not usually attack large, healthy, horses and cattle, from what I read. They usually avoid larger animals, even larger dogs. The other part of this, coyotes are smart and learn quickly. Working together, or in a pack, is often where the trouble comes in for livestock and animal/pet owners. Coyotes are known to bait their prey while the other one(s) come up behind and attack.

If anyone has personal experiences with coyotes, I'd be more than happy to hear about it. This is a new situation for me. I don't want to overreact to their presence yet when you see one coyote, and it is breeding season, there are bound to be more.

Hello, February!

2010-02-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to have made it through January with basically only to incidences. Much, much better than I endured this time last year. Last year, I had to have a thyroidectomy because of cancer cells being found. I had to go through RAI treatment. On top of the health problems, my dad was increasingly in poor health and Mother Nature threw us an ice storm, followed by a wind storm both causing power outages and other problems.

I am not a fan of the month of January. Period.

This year the second Monday of the month, #2 son hit a deer with his barely two week old car. The car was totaled by the insurance company. It was a gem of a used car too. A 2003 compact with only 25,000 miles on it. He had bought it because he needed a small car for his long commute to his new job. A job that took him over a year and a half to land.The job is in another state but because his finances aren't the best right now, he opted to commute instead of trying to move closer.

The incident occurred second Monday of his new job. I received the phone call around 7:45am. He couldn't drive the car because the radiator was busted. I had to drive to where he was so we could get a wrecker. He's not sure what happened to the deer but he said he had no choice except to plow right through it. He said he rounded the corner, driving a busy two lane highway, and there it was! I was thankful he wasn't hurt an no one else was involved! It could have been much worse if the airbags had deployed. Evidently the deer hit just above the sensor. So there was the first incident that foretold maybe January wasn't going to be nice after all.

The rest of the month was actually quiet. That is, until Friday morning when I was awakened by the most violent headache I can remember. Needless to say, that day went downhill quick. Having other health problems (Type 1 diabetic, and thyroid thing) I got scared. I asked Hubby to stay home from work because I wasn't sure how things were going to develop. Fortunately, I was able to come out of it, though even today, my head is a little achy. Still haven't figured out what was going on. Didn't have a fever so I guess it's not the flu. Whatever it was, it sure had me down for the count this last weekend of January.

All right, so now it's February. The days are actually getting longer! The sun is still giving light up until about 6:15pm. I'm sure February is going to be better!

Technology Eludes Me

2010-01-28T14:39:00.000-05:00

At one time I felt I had a handle on the tech world, well, at least I could handle email and the internet. That was ten years ago. When I interviewed for the position of Library Branch Manager, back in 2001, the interviewers were interested in my email ability. They were pleased I could indeed handle email. Nothing more was ever asked about my tech abilities and as a branch manager, I really didn't find myself doing much more than internet and email. Thank goodness for their great IT department!

My husband is knowledgeable about computer tech stuff, although he'll tell you he's not THAT knowledgeable. Come on, Honey, you spent two years debugging software and setting up a computer system to integrate information! I guess he's just being modest about his capabilities. I, on the other hand, have not entered the 21st Century! At least that's how I feel as I watched Steve Jobs' presentation of the new Apple iPad yesterday evening. Hubby likes to watch G4 sometimes. If you, or anyone in your household is a computer nerd, geek, whatever the title, you've probably heard or seen this network. I was stunned. I felt even more techno challenged. I use a pay-as-you-go cell phone and we still use a land line telephone in our rural home. Though, we do have satellite internet otherwise we'd be left to the mercy of dial up or driving miles to the library.

I think my problem with computer and electronic tech, at my age (48 soon to be 49), is the fact that I just don't care to keep up with the constant changes. I feel I'm from another time anyway. I'm pretty sure that's why I'm comfortable with my horses. They are of another time and those of us who keep horses in our lives, may often find their simplicity is what draws us to them. Even with all the gadgets one can buy for their horses, I find myself falling back on the good old simple stuff.

I had to buy a new land line phone. It's charging. I'm more than happy that it was very simple to set up. Living in a rural area, our cell phone range isn't good so we keep a land line. I read the other day that the land line phones will be obsolete in the next ten years. That's how I feel some days, obsolete! I can only imagine how folks in their 70's, and beyond, must feel in this brave new techno world!

Time for New Stuff

2010-01-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

Time to get moving on some new things. It's been almost a month since I said good bye and good riddance to 2009 which is NOT going down as one of my better years, as a matter of fact, it's one of my worst. But 2009 is in the rear view now, and to celebrate or maybe motivate, I've changed up my profile picture, colors and just tried to spruce up a bit.

The handsome fella in my profile photo is my eleven year old Spotted Saddle Horse, Bo. He is of the "old" generation Tennessee Walker. Big, gorgeous head and a body to match. He can be moody, but then, so can I, needless to say, we understand each other...most of the time.

January is rolling to an end and I am counting down the days. I am not a fan of the month. It is my least favorite.

I realized the other day that many major upheavals in my life occurred during the month of January. Maybe it's just because my mood is dreary during this month, no matter what I do. I am definitely one of those people affected by SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Probably a good thing we didn't move to Alaska when we were considering it ten years ago. Yeah, don't think that would have been the best idea, for me anyway.

Fortunately, our path didn't move us that way.We're still here in Southern Ohio, the Foothills to the Smoky's and it's not so bad. We can pretty much depend on the change of the four seasons here and I like that. Don't get me wrong, Alaska, especially the Inside Passage, where we traveled back in '99, is gorgeous and breathtaking. People who live in Alaska year around are a gutsy bunch!

Now, I know January is not going to leave without a bang. It surprised us last year with the ice storm and wind storms during the very last days. Weather forecasts are calling for "significant" winter weather toward the weekend.

Here's three cheers to February coming in next week! Won't be long until the crocus are popping through after that.

So Long, 2009, You Weren't One of my Favorite Years....

2009-12-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

I thought about listing all the stuff that went on for me, and my family, in '09, stuff that really tried our stamina and emotions at times. From health issues to weather issues to my dad's passing-but have decided to concentrate in the newness of the upcoming New Year.

Can't change what came to pass and dwelling on it does nothing.

We got through it.

We know it was basically a bad year for us.

Time to march onward.

So, right here and now I am saying GOODBYE to 2009.

Welcome 2010 and all the promise of a much better year.

Seaons Change

2009-12-28T16:06:00.000-05:00

Since I last checked in here, some changes have occurred. Change can be good. Not necessarily comfortable for some of us, but good none the less.

The season changed from fall to winter for us here in the Northern Hemisphere. We are definitely feeling winter in Southern Ohio today! Some snow, cold and wind. However, from what I've seen in the news, we have gotten off lucky so far. Probably won't last. Our worst winter months are Mid-January through Mid-February. Seems we started early this year. I am so relieved to finally have a consistent hay supply!

Christmas Eve brought a pleasant and memorable gathering at our house. In the twenty-seven years I've been married, we have always gone to my parents' house for Christmas Eve. This year, after my dad's passing in November, we brought Mom out here for the day. I knew this would be a hard time of year for her, having spent the past 54 years with my dad on Christmas and New Years'. Both my sons were here along with #1's wife and son #2's girlfriend. I can honestly say it was a rewarding and loving evening.

One moment of my own, I looked up at the top of our Christmas tree and noticed Dad's special ornament sparkling. Imagined or not, I felt his presence and my heart warmed. All the people in that room, were all the people he cared about most in his life and he would be happy we were all together.

Now, that part done, time for me to be on the down-slide. Usually, by Christmas Day, I am ready to be done with it all. Actually, this year, I was done about a week ago, but wanted to be in as good spirits as possible for my sons. I pulled it off, and honestly, I might add. But, by the next day, the old bear in me descended and I've been trying to grumble out of what seems a lengthy bad mood. It's a daily chore.

A positive change for #2 son, he landed a job! That is really the best part of our new beginning, at least that's how I see it. The past year, 2009, will go down as a tragic and trying year for our family, but I feel a change in the air for us. And, in my end of year post in a few days, I'm going to review 2009, and officially let it go into the wind. I feel a change and I feel it's good.

The Days Roll On

2009-11-22T09:35:00.006-05:00

I looked at my calendar this past week and nearly fell over realizing Thanksgiving was already upon us. November is drawing to a close. Looking back over the past month,even the past year, the days are hazy. Surreal. We've had alot going on around here this year. But I guess that happens sometimes in our lives.

After my dad's passing on November 3, I seem to have some kind of transformation going on. It's hard to describe. One thing I do know, after the experience, I feel I can handle anything now. Your worst fears are often those you must face head on and when you do, and it's over, you find something in you has changed. At least that's how I feel now.

Through all the events of this past year Bo, Spirit, Maggie, Lucy and Buddy the cat, have all been distractions when times got rough. Distractions in a good way. Our animal buddies give us more than we can ever repay them for, but then, they never think of it that way. They just accept us as we are, and listen when we want to tell our troubles, or need to cry. I am always grateful to have them around even when I grumble sometimes, about going out on these cold mornings. Without them in my life, well, it just wouldn't be the same.

So, the holidays are approaching and will be here and gone before we know it. This year, I will enjoy every moment of time spent with my family. The days roll on and if you don't stop to really feel them, and enjoy those around you, you'll miss the best parts of life.

One Journey Ends

2009-11-04T05:14:00.005-05:00

Tuesday, the ringing of an early morning phone starteled me awake. I'd had very little sleep since Friday evening, when my dad was admitted to the hospital. I knew who was calling. The night nurse from the hospice center quietly, and compassionately told me that Dad had taken a turn for the worse, his breathing was very shallow.

Upon arriving at the hospice center, the night nurse rushed to me, taking my arm, giving me a hug. She was crying, and told me to hurry. I remember running to Dad's room, grasping his hand. He was still with us. Brenda told me she had been with him all night and when she saw he was slipping, she told him to hang in there. She said she kept telling him to hold on, that I was coming. He did. I held his hand and stroked his head as he passed, something I never thought I'd ever do for anyone. I'd never even imagined such a thing. But, it was beautiful, even though his frail body looked nothing like the man he once was. I talked to him, told him it was OK, Mom and I were with him, he could go........we'd be OK. He would be concerned about us, even at the end. In about five minutes, as I talked to him, he quietly, peacefully, slipped away. I held his hand until the warmth of his hand began cooling and I knew his life's journey had ended.

The previous evening, my two sons, and our daughter-in-law, spent the evening at the hospice center with us. My sons were able to visit with Dad. The hospice nurses assured me the sound of a familiar voice, and a familiar touch transcend to the soul. I believe that to be true.

My oldest son had not seen his grandpa for over a month. I warned him before he entered the room that he might be startled by how Grandpa appeared. #1 son bravely stood by his grandpa's bed, talking to him for a few minutes. Then, when he walked out of the room, he broke down. His wife, not having seen him so vulnerable, consoled him. I saw her compassion for his pain in her face. My two sons had always been close to their grandpa. #2 son had been witness to Dad's decline over the weekend, but still, later that evening, I was told he broke down in his girlfriend's arms. How wonderful these two young men had such an abounding love for their Grandpa. It makes me so proud and I know how proud Dad has always been of them. They were his life in his later years.

My mom has been through so much the past five years. She is tired. She is worn out. She never thought she could do the things she did to care for Dad these last years. They've been together for fifty-three years. She has been saying goodbye for along time. This past weekend has been extraordinarily hard for her, yet, the release has come, and I feel a sense of calm from her. I know she'll be lonely at times, but as she has told me, Dad has been leaving for quite some time and she has been ready. We are all going to be around for her.

Mom told me to make the decisions this past weekend, so I did. By Saturday, I simply told God to guide me, help me do the right thing. I opened up, I listened and I was led. In the end, Dad had a dignified and compassionate end to a long, fruitful life. At times over the past couple of years, he's felt useless. The COPD left him housebound. I took him to his doctor's appointments, but it became too hard for him to do much else.

My dad was my first hero, and my biggest fan. Even this weekend, when I would walk into his room he would smile when he saw me, as much as he could muster. The nurses on duty said he always perked up when I was there. A memory I can cherish. We had a wonderful father-daughter bond and I do know how much I meant to him. I can only hope he knew how much he has meant to me. He took care of me when I was sick. He always took me with him on his errands when I was a kid. His unconditional love is always with me. He was the strong one in our family of three when I was growing up. He was involved in my activities when I was a child. He was involved with my sons' soccer teams. He was so happy for me the day my horses came. He was and always will be the most special man in my life. He is what all fathers should be..... a true Dad.

This is how I saw my dad: Anyone can be a father, it takes someone special to be a dad. And so he was.

We are having a small, private, family memorial service and then my sons and I will be scattering his ashes up on our hill overlooking the valley where my horses are pastured. Mom says, Dad would want to be near me and he always knew how I love my horses. I think she's right. Even in his last days he would ask me about "the boys", meaning my horses, because he knew how much they mean to me. He always wanted me to be happy.

Today is our memorial service and looks like we'll have a beautiful weekend. My sons and I are planning to hike up on the hill one last time with Dad, and there, we will release him, and we will say goodbye, until we meet again...................but the Love Remains.

Sad part of the journey...

2009-10-28T11:50:00.003-04:00

Lately, my mind has been elsewhere. My dad is very ill. My mom is trying to care for him at home. She is experiencing her own severe stress and depression in trying to be his caregiver. He is still somewhat mobile and can do minor things, but he seems to be deteriorating the past two weeks. He's 81 and has had numerous medical problems since 2001. I feel fortunate to live close to them so I can help when needed, but I often feel inadequate. Just last night Hubby got home from working over-time, and I blubbered for about thirty minutes to him. He is such a sweetheart. A guide during my periods of self involvement. Right now, I need to remember this time is not about me it's about my dad. This is not an easy journey right now, but I keep trying to find the right path.

So, because of this particular part of my life, other areas are pushed aside. I know, as Hubby tells me, I need to remember myself in all of this or I won't be any good to my parents. I hope I can be strong, and I'm always asking for courage. I wanted to keep this blog up. I wanted to share stories about my horses, my dogs, and the things that make me happy. But for now, I may be a little more on the sad side. I know I should keep my mind busy on other things, and I'll try. I am an empathetic type who tends to absorb the feelings and emotions of those around me. This trait makes decisions difficult unless I block the emotions and get back to my logical way of thinking.

So, if you're reading, and you find I've dipped into the well of sadness, this is why.

I am an only child, my dad has always been my rock throughout my life. I want to do what's best for him. Right now, I'm not sure what that is.........I'm praying for guidance each day.

Taking your OWN advice seriously...

2009-09-24T10:36:00.003-04:00

Ever since I've had my two horses, Bo and Spirit, I have emphasized the importance of "safety first" when around them, to my family members, who are in contact with them daily. This means my husband, and #2 son, who is still currently living at home.

I've had my geldings for five years. I worked at a riding facility, as an assistant, for almost three years, helping kids learn to ride safely. You'd think I'd be the one to heed my own warnings.

Sometimes, I guess, we think we're not in the same category as our non-horsey family members. We get a little careless.

The other evening I didn't listen to the little voice in my head. Not so much words as a feeling. Isn't that what the little voice is?

I decided to let my two guys out into the front field. It was evening, and time to let them go out to that field for about an hour. It's actually not a big field, but to them, I think it means a different view with a few more sprouts of grass than what the boring back field provides

Spirit, always the eager one, always trying to please, was right at my heels, but politely a few feet behind me. I thought it a little odd he was walking alone. I looked back and saw Bo still standing by the water tank watching us. He thought he was going to go out the gate by the water tank, which is the way to the fresh growing grass near the front of our house. My husband and I do put them out there off and on, but not every evening. Bo was biding his time, evidently thinking Spirit and I were going the wrong way. He had other plans. Bo is always right. Never wrong. One of those types!

So, it apparently dawns on Bo that Spirit and I are continuing to walk toward the front field gate instead of walking back toward him, so he hurries to catch up.

Now, I am not afraid of being between two horses. My guys have always been polite. I usually walk between them, their heads at my shoulders, on our way to the front field gate in the mornings. No lead ropes, no halters, just quietly walking with me. They quietly stand at the gate as I open it. I tell them to wait, they do. Then they quietly walk out into the field.

This time, I didn't take into consideration, didn't even think about it, well, should have listened to my inner voice, that it wasn't a good idea. The feeling was there. I should have made sure Bo was on the right, just like in the mornings. It may seem silly, but he gets a little edgy if he doesn't get his way. Bo is a bossy one though he doesn't get away with the attitude with me, he does with Spirit. I spend alot of time calling him off his reprimands, as in nips, of the little guy when they are in the corral and stall area. Bo stops when I yell at him to "Quit". Spirit usually just tries to avoid him anyway. Bo is a jealous type. I've heard it said horses don't get jealous, well, I think they do and he proves it to me often.

I really am not clear about the series of events. I've tried to piece it together but it was one of those two second episodes that when it's over you're left thinking "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?". I'm usually more polite in my language, but that's exactly how I felt.

Somehow, Spirit got between me and the gate, I think he was trying to get away from Bo, who was walking up behind. Then, somehow Bo got in front of me and Spirit, turned his big butt and tried to kick Spirit. Bo's hoof clipped my left hip. Man, did that HURT!!!! I've been kicked in the arm before, by a small horse at the stable I used to work at, but I must say, this was really painful. It was a fuller kick by a much bigger animal.

I had a grooming brush in my hand because I'd been grooming them both in the stall area, and hadn't laid it down. I instantly threw the grooming brush at Bo's big butt. Yes, he has a big butt! He ran away, Spirit following. Of course, I had yelled a few words I honestly don't usually use so the outburst must have made my anger clear to both of them. Probably my body language too. I was hurting and I was mad.

Well, the pain in my hip concerned me that something may have been cracked, like my hip bone. Good thing I have lots of hip padding! I think it would have been much worse if I were a smaller person. I do have middle age, extra padding that's sometimes good for something!

No one was home at the time. Just me. I kept walking around. Tears filling my eyes. I was afraid to sit down. Afraid I wouldn't be able to get back up. My left leg was feeling weak, like it might give out. I was a little frightened. I calmed myself down. Told myself to just keep walking around a little while. As long as I could walk, I told myself, I really wasn't hurt that badly. Finally, after about thirty minutes, I decided I'd better go in the house, get some water, take a couple of ibuprofen and just sit down.

I survived. I have a very large, ugly red and blue bruise on my left hip today. I'm sure it'll be an uglier black and blue in a couple of days. The area is sore. I can feel it when I walk, a little painful. I realize, it could have been worse.

I have reprimanded myself for being so careless. It had been such a simple task, but that's usually when we are caught off guard in the first place. I usually watch for the signs. That evening, I don't know where my mind was, but I wasn't being careful. I knew it as soon as the events unfolded, or rather after the fact. I've always tried to keep safety first. It's more than important, it's essential.

So, for anyone who has encountered a lapse of being in the present when dealing with their horses, I'd like to know how you handled it. What was your lapse of "safety first"? How did it manifest itself? What did you learn from the episode?

I always thought I didn't take things like safety for granted, but all of us can sometimes get careless, especially when it concerns ourselves. Maybe we're being reminded when we are getting too careless. Unfortunately, sometimes the results are much worse. Be safe, not sorry.

Horses=Joy

2009-09-11T12:08:00.001-04:00

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire. ~Sharon Ralls Lemon

Lazy Daze of Summer

2009-09-08T08:38:00.003-04:00

Been taking a self-imposed break from some of my responsibilities. Ok, should probably just be called lazy. But, everyone gets that way sometimes.

August seems to have vanished without a trace. I don't remember doing much that would be considered constructive. I did get my son and daughter-in-law's wedding pictures printed, finally, after a year! They've been stored in the computer. I hadn't taken the time to decide which ones I wanted to put in the album. Guess I'll count that as being constructive. Sometimes this computer stuff makes one lazy. I mean, I had the pictures THERE, so why bother putting them in an album. I may not have even done that if it weren't for the fact #1 son and his bride had given us an engraved album last year.

Last week we had gorgeous weather. Hubby took a week's vacation. We hoped it would be less stressful than the vacation he took in July, which actually ended up being a bust. That vacation time we spent cleaning up after a flash flood off of the hills and then poor Hubby got sick with some kind of flu bug. Took him a month to get over that stuff! The doc said it wasn't the dreaded H1N1, just plain old flu/cold. This time, he got to enjoy his time off, just doing some little odds 'n ends he'd wanted to do. We took a couple of day trips, one in the Jeep, one on the motorcycle. I can certainly understand his reluctance to head back to his 8-4:30 routine today. But, as I remind him, be thankful to have that 8-4:30.

The horses wait for me to do something constructive with them. They are so patient. Well, realistically, they have no choice.

At least I'm done with my medical issues, for the time being. Had to have one more body scan to make sure there were no remaining thyroid tissue. Three weeks of the low iodine diet, again, then running to the doctor and hospital the last week of August.

So, time to change things up a little. Get busy and get out of this late summer whatever it is! Life doesn't wait so patiently, it continues on no matter how lazy we get with our personal time.

Horse and Rider Editorial Article

2009-07-27T10:56:00.003-04:00

I wanted to take a moment to point out a really great editorial piece in the August issue of Horse and Rider Magazine. I still enjoy getting a few magazines. I don't read everything online. The feel of a new magazine in my hands is still a guilty pleasure. Horse and Rider has been a staple in my mailbox for quite few years. I've downsized my magazine list, but never Horse and Rider!

Sue M. Copeland's editorial "Of Girls & Horses" is superb! I felt every word of it. Sue wrote how I felt growing up. I'm sure many of you who read these various horse blogs felt, or still feel, the same way. I especially loved the part about "horse genes". I believe some people just have it, some don't and if you don't you can never truly understand how a real horse person sees their horses or why we are the way we are about them. We don't even understand it we've just felt it all our lives.

So, if you get Horse and Rider or if you get a chance to pick one up, read Sue M. Copeland's editorial on page 8.

Speckles 'n Shines

2009-07-20T12:55:00.008-04:00

Summer camp time so I was thinking about one of the first horses who left some hoof prints in my life.

I don't have a ton of years' worth of horses to remember. I didn't get started in an actual "horse life" until five years ago when I took a job as part-time riding instructor, but more staff, at a Girl Scout summer camp and then working at the year around stable as program staff. This was before I had horses of my own. Since I didn't feel as knowledgeable in the skills of riding beyond beginner level, I focused on the horses. There were some characters!

One fella who became one of my favorites was a little Appaloosa gelding, who I still believe was more POA (Pony of the Americas) than Appy, but, that's what his papers stated. Speckles was all of 14H, if that. Just right for most of the girls we had in our horseback riding classes at summer camp.

When I first met him, Speckles was fifteen years old. Brown with the blanket rump of white spots. His eyes told me something was definitely going on in there. Speckles was for the most part a mellow guy who did have a penchant for stepping on human feet and nipping at arms when his front feet were picked up for cleaning. At first I thought the girls weren't being careful but as time went on, it became apparent to me that Speckles knew what he was doing. He had a mischievous side and, I believe, got some enjoyment from human reactions to his little acts of naughtiness.

In my three years with him, he stepped on my right foot three different times leaving nasty bruises. He nipped my upper arm once when I was working on his front foot, which got him body checked into the side of the stall leaving him to look at me in a "What the......what just happened?" expression. And he kicked my forearm as I turned him out one day. I accept the consequences for that one because I shouldn't have released him like I did, back end closer to me than his front end. He was always a quick little stinker and was excited to be out in the field that winter morning kicking up his heels quicker than I anticipated.

During summer camp trail rides we discovered Speckles didn't like being the lead horse, but he didn't like being at the back either. So, he ended up being number two in the line up when we took girls out on the Friday morning trail rides. He apparently approved of that position.

When we tried him in the front he would balk, he would turn around, he was simply not a leader. When we tried him farther back, he hurried too much often getting right up into the rear of the horse in front of him and once or twice, taking off to get closer to the head of the line. We had a different group of girls every week and they were always beginner riders who'd had at least three summers of the camp program, so it was our job to figure out what was safe. By the third week of camp, we had figured out, Speckles needed to be number two and he was comfortable as well as much more manageable for his inexperienced riders in that position.

Some horses are better leaders, some are better followers, Speckles was a follower who never wanted to be the top horse, but was never the bottom horse either.

Another of Speckles little quirks was that he could unlock certain gates. We had to fix those gates with a chain as well as the regular gate lock. How he figured out the gate lock, only he knows. But there were times when we'd gotten to work and all the horses from his field would be munching grass in the open field. Lee, the manager, said she was sure it was Speckles because every time it happened, it was his field and he was the newest horse in the field. He had the nickname Houdini for a while.

Speckles also liked to entertain by twirling a halter and lead rope around while holding them in his mouth. We discovered this by accident. One day, after a program, a halter and lead rope had been dropped near Speckles. Next thing we notice, Speckles is standing there twirling them in his mouth like a cowboy with a lasso, which is what it looked like. The girls were laughing and giggling. He enjoyed the attention from his little trick, stopping to get a better grip, then twirling again. Unfortunately, we encouraged it and he would try to grab a lead rope just to twirl it. After a while, Lee told us to quit allowing him to do it. But it was so much fun to see him play like that!

For a long time I wasn't that fond of Speckles, that is, until I got to know him better. After summer camp had ended that season, Lee had the opportunity to keep some of the summer horses, with the option to buy the following August, after summer camp concluded. She chose four, Speckles was one of them. The summer camp horses, twenty of them, had been leased for the summer, the other sixteen would go back to Illinois. There were the eight year around horses stabled at the ranch.

After getting settled in for a few weeks that September our Fall weekend programs began. Speckles was always a trooper in the arena, but he had his little quirks. Don't all horses have quirks? You just learn how to deal with them. Speckles was always used in our weekend programs. He was dependable under saddle though he had a problem with walking. That was one of his quirks. He didn't want to walk he wanted to trot all the time, which is not a good thing when working with beginning riders, although gave his rider a challenge.

Before every program we always matched horse with rider experience. We attempted to make sure Speckles would be assigned riders who were a little more authoritative with a little more experience than the riders who were assigned Gloria,or Koko, both the kind of horses who took care of their riders. Gloria and Koko rarely did more or less than was asked of them. Naturally, sometimes, we didn't always get it right. Speckles needed to know he wasn't going to be getting his way. He would always take advantage of his riders if he figured out they weren't going to be firm with him. He'd stop and munch grass. Trot to the rail. Trot towards one of us. Stop in the center of the arena. Keep going instead of stopping. He could figure his rider out quickly too. I watched him do it over and over during summer camp. If he was ridden to his specifications of what a rider should be, he was great!

During out winter months Lee assigned us horses to work with until March. That's how I became better acquainted with Speckles. He was one of my winter project horses. I wanted to work on his walking and his nipping habit. We made alot of progress that winter. We got to a point where he would not even turn his head when I lifted his front feet. He would walk instead of trot when cued.

When weather got better we took the horses on trail rides to get them ready for our spring programs. Some of our horses were great arena horses, others were better at trail. Speckles was an excellent trail horse. I think the fact that he was so smart is why he did so well at trails. The trail offered him a challenge, something different. He preferred to be challenged. He would often become bored with the arena work.

I remember one trail ride where he shined through, and one where.......well, not so much.

On one of our practice trail rides my co-worker and friend, Lori, and I rode a trail that wasn't often used by us or the summer campers. There was an extra steep, rocky hill. Here in Southern Ohio, our beautiful hills are part of the smaller Appalachian Mountain chain and are also known as The Foothills to the Smokys. Smaller versions of the Smoky Mountains.

At first when I looked down from the top, I thought "Nope, we're walking down this one." But then Lori, who is a great horsewoman and natural rider, took her horse down and of course, I figured, well, I could do it on Speckles. The little guy didn't let me down! He was sure footed all the way. He never balked, he didn't refuse when I asked, he just put it in gear and there we went. Now, I will say, on the way back when we had to go up, he looked up the steep incline, actuallyglanced back at me as if to say "I don't think so!" Lori and her horse had already begun climbing so I asked Speckles one more time, with a little more emphasis on my ask and he was off. Picked his way up carefully and quickly, never missing a step. I was proud of the little pony. I had decided he was more pony than horse by then, but it didn't matter, he saw himself as a horse and no doubt, a big horse. Don't all ponies think of themselves that way? I think this was probably the first time I started admiring Speckles.

Now, his less than stellar incident happened during one of our weekend programs. We'd taken a group of girls on a trail ride. Speckles had been acting a little antsy, I thought, but the girl who was on him had ridden him the previous season so I figured she had him under control.

We were getting near the barn, which was in view, but a field away. The line stopped while we all waited for Lori, the last rider, to close the gate to the field we'd just walked through. I was in the middle of the line and walked Ginger back that way. If I couldn't have Speckles on trail rides, Ginger was my ride. She was more of a handful for most of the beginner girls anyway. In the meantime, I heard a commotion up front. I turned Ginger and the only thing I saw was Bailey, a rather temperamental twenty-something Arabian mare, kick Speckles with both barrels. One of the riders on either Bailey or Speckles, screeched, as girls will do. I then saw Speckles rise up on his back legs, dumping the rider and before we knew it he had headed across the field for the barn. The girl was fine, though a bit jolted. She jumped right up from the ground. All our girls wore helmets as well as those of us on staff. I can't really blame Speckles although I was told Speckles had been dancing around and bumped Bailey, which in turn is what caused Bailey to react the way she did, Bailey being Bailey, exciteable and often touchy when other horses invade her space let alone bump into her rump.

Back at the barn, Speckles was happily munching on grass in the front yard. Lee was not happy with Speckles. After the program ended and all the girls had left, Lee said she was going to take Speckles back out and make sure he walked back to the barn a few times. In all honesty, after the lapse of time and the event as it occurred, I didn't really think it would curb Speckles enthusiasm much. I had learned by working with him, he'll gladly work with you if he feels you know what you're doing, guess I had him buffaloed a bit, but he was one to take care of himself and when Bailey kicked him, in an instant, he decided he was heading for greener pastures.

I drove by the ranch a month ago, just to see if Speckles was still around. You never know what can happen with an organization. I was relieved to see him grazing out in the field with the other horses and I remembered, he is now twenty. I am hoping he gets a good retirement at some point. I had even thought, if those horses were ever sold, I wouldn't mind bringing him home, but I'd definitely have to think that through.

In my mind, Speckles will always shine. The little Appy-POA who taught me a few things about horses, and ponies, in my equine journey.

The Blink of an Eye

2009-07-16T09:19:00.004-04:00

However I decide to think about it, the past week has been either where did the time go, or, my goodness, will it ever end?

Last Friday evening, (July 10th), Hubby started his long awaited vacation week. He and #2 son helped my hay supplier bale hay. Son was paid in cash. Hubby was paid in hay bales. I shouldn't have to worry about hay this year. It's good looking Timothy hay too, which my horses love.

Saturday (July 11) I go to fix my first morning pot of coffee. Sadly, I can't function without my coffee. I turn the cold water on and it's slowly trickling from the faucet. OK, I know what this means. Yep, sure enough, a water main break up the road in the neighbor's field. I was able to dribble enough water in the coffee pot to get a decent brew.

Fortunately, the water company had the line fixed by 1pm. That wasn't the normal routine a few years ago, but I'm happy their service has improved. We are part of a private water company because the county water system wouldn't run lines out here back in the late '70's. In the past, the service has been less than stellar. When a water line broke, we were without water for quite some time especially over a weekend.

Saturday, late afternoon. Storm blows in from the north. Those are always the worst.

We are surrounded by forested hills which offer some protection from the heaviest of winds but that day also brought torrential rain (six inches in 45 minutes I was told) and a flash flood of water and debris off of the hills, through the creek and into the run-in stall, corral, shed and garage.

For the first part of the storm I was keeping an eye on the creek that runs beside the field. Water was pooling in both fields. Heavy downpours and wind. Finally after about 45 minutes of this I peeked out the back door looking over toward the corral area and was horrified to see water raging like a river over the horse bridge, which is the bridge Hubby built over the creek bed for the horses to cross out into their fields. Naturally I throw on rain coat and run out. Shouldn't have wasted time with the rain coat, ended up shedding it anyway. Just as I got out there the "river" ran into the stall, over and through the fence slats, and flooded the area where the tractor is stored and into the garage. No way to stop it. We've never had anything like this in the past.

The horses are walking around in their stall with water up over their pasterns and rising. Naturally I am still horrified and downright mad because Hubby and sons didn't follow me out the door. As if Hubby could have stopped the raging river! He can do alot of things but he can't do that. He knew it but I expected more. I ran back to the house yelling at him and my sons (#1 son had come home for a visit) to get outside. I thought they were ignoring me. Meanwhile, the horses seem to be playing in the water! UGH! The rain had stopped. The flow of the creek-river hadn't.

Hubby finally meandered (that's my version) out after what seemed an extra long time. Reality check, he was waiting until the heaviest rains stopped knowing he couldn't stop a raging creek river. He surveyed the situation as I'm yelling "THE HORSES, THE HORSES!!" as my guys continued to slosh around in their new indoor pool. Hubby calmly tells me the horses would be fine and pointed to the the bigger problem. Debris, tree limbs, dead leaves all caught in the fence line causing the water to be diverted from the tiles under the bridge to the raging river over the bridge. We both started prying the debris away from the fence. I was in creek water up to my waist, not a good thing in any kind of rushing water. Hubby, who is tall, had the good sense to stay at the side of the bank where water was only knee deep. Naturally, I fell in up to my chest! That's why I mentioned I shouldn't have bothered with the rain coat in the first place.

As we were trying to work our way through debris, the horses walked out through the water to check on us. I was worried they'd step over the edge of the bridge because with the running water there was no way to see the edge and the fences along the side bulged out from the force of the water. I finally got the horses out into the field, where they stayed, munching on hay while we worked. I'm glad my guys are curious but sometimes....................

The storm quieted as quickly as it had started. The waters slowed down. We had a mess! Then, as always happens on our little rural road, just as the sun came out, the power went off. #1 son came out of the house saying, "Probably not a good time to tell you this, but the power just went out." I looked at him and said "You ARE kidding, RIGHT?" No, he wasn't.

So, amid all the gully washing water, mud, leaves, horse manure we now had no electricity. I am thankful our house sets up high and is not close to the creeks.There is also a creek in front of our house, near the road. We knew we were in for yet another stretch of "house camping". The third time this year!

The next four days we spent on clean-up. I felt bad for Hubby since it was suppose to be his vacation week.

Now, I've always considered myself the kind of person who keeps on plugging when times get tough, but you know, sometimes, it just gets to you no matter how strong you believe you are. This year has been hard. I know it could be harder. People just over the hill reported an EF 1 tornado touch down and there was tons of damage in different areas of the county. But I'm definitely feeling battered this year, with my health issues and then Mother Nature wanting to knock me off my rocker! I'm just about had. I'm tired. I should take my own advice and enjoy the journey(previous post). Sometimes though, that journey is full of pot holes along the way and you just want to say STOP IT!

As I like to remind myself, which I have often this year, it's not so much the events that happen, as your reaction to them. Yep. I need to plaster that one on my fridge.

So, in the blink of an eye, a storm blew through and put my husband's long awaited week's vacation on hold as we've spent it cleaning up the mess. Our power did come back on Monday afternoon, for that I am very grateful.

The horses, bless their hearts, are fine. The dogs made it too. The cat could probably care less one way or the other, he's been in the house! If only I could recoup so quickly!

In the blink of an eye, plans can change. Life can change. It's how we deal with it that makes or breaks us. I will admit, I've felt a little broken this week but trying to put it all back together and just move on beyond what 2009 seems to keep throwing at us.

We've had an ice storm, brush fires, wind storms and now flash flood. As Hubby said the other day, we haven't seen pestilence....................yet.

Time for the Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
Wisdom to know the difference. Amen

Joy in the Journey

2009-07-02T09:08:00.004-04:00

I recieve these inspiring, often thought provoking, newsletters and want to share the wealth.

Today's message -- JOY IN THE JOURNEY

LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM, a free newsletter sharing life, love and laughter,

Published by Steve Goodier.http://www.lifesupportsystem.com

JOY IN THE JOURNEY

Anonymous did it again. Whoever this person is put it well: "Follow your dream!
Unless it's the one where you're at work in your underwear during a fire drill."

Yes – some dreams should be forgotten as soon as possible. But when it comes to life dreams, rather than sleep dreams, I am coming to believe that it is less important whether you actually reach a goal or achieve a beautiful dream than just to follow. Simply start following and see where it leads.

Let me explain.

Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.

"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.

"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers volunteered excitedly.

The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible.

After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up jar full shiny pebbles, worms and a wide assortment of odd insects. He showed it to the scoffing visitors and said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way."

Maybe their goal was too ambitious, but it did get them to dig. And that is what following a dream is about – our best dreams point us where we want to go and then nudge us in that direction.

In other words, they set us to digging.

But you know how it goes – you just won't achieve everything you attempt.

You may shoot for the moon and only hit the neighbor's window.

You may fully intend to be in love for a lifetime. But not every relationship will endure.

Not every hope will come to pass.

Not every endeavor will be completed.

Not every dream will be realized.

But here is the wonder of it all …when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way.Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something." I think those boys got it right.

It is in the digging that life is lived. It's the joy in the journey that matters most.--

Support.http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com/

Gaited Horses

2009-06-29T11:54:00.005-04:00

This is my personal opinion and probably not the opinion of schooled riders or professional trainers.

I feel there is too much emphasis placed on how a gaited horse gaits. I don't understand why people who have gaited horses are so intent on making sure the horse gaits properly, unless of course, you are in the show ring. I don't get why people are so concerned about their gaiting horse if they are using them for trail. It is my opinion, that too many folks turn away from gaited horse breeds because they have been told they HAVE to learn to keep the horse in gait. Why? What is wrong with taking a nice trail ride in a plain old every day ordinary walk?? Gaited horses can do that but for some reason their owners don't expect them to, they expect more.

My older (11 now) Spotted Saddle Horse (aka Tennessee Walker) was obviously trained to get into a running walk as soon as the rider hits the saddle and asks him to move down the trail. I was rather frustrated with this and I wondered why they trained him in this manner. Then, after researching, I've discovered that's how gaited horses are often trained.

I have been spending the last four years, that's right, four years, working to get him to just enjoy a simple walk. A simple, ordinary walk. He's coming around, but he still has moments when he wants to bust into that running walk. All I want is a nice trail walk out of my horses. I'm not concerned with a running walk (maybe sometimes, but not the entire trail ride).

Bo is basically my lazy horse so for him to get into the running walk as soon as I ask more of him, well, that's my verification of how his previous owners rode him. I can see the change in his face as he believes I must want the same thing. When we go at a walk for a while, I can feel his relaxation because he's finally figuring out, I don't want all that other stuff from him.

Spirit is my younger guy and basically a clean slate. So, I haven't experienced this with him. He was entered in halter shows when he was two, before I bought him, but never trained to the specific walker gaits. I'm thankful for that!

Back in the early days of this country, when saddle horses were being bred and used to move people from one town to another comfortably, I doubt very many of those people concerned themselves about what gaits their horse could do. All they really knew was that the horse could move and they could ride comfortably for many miles over uneven trails and roads. It's only in the past 100 years or so, when horses were no longer used for transportation that people have put labels to the gaits. Now, that's fine if you're showing your horse and want to display all the gaits he can do for competition purposes, but in my opinion, if you want a gaited horse for pleasure riding and trail riding, don't get too caught up in whether your horse is gaiting correctly or not. Personally, my gaited horses will be walking down the trail and I'll be enjoying a great scenic ride, not rushing through it.

Mondays

2009-06-22T10:12:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, my view of Mondays has always been dim. Most of my work-life, which is in the past right now, Monday's were dreaded. It was probably just my issue, I mean, after all, Monday is the start of a new week and prospects of hope for the newness of it!

When I was a substitute teacher, Mondays meant starting over with a new class, a new school, and getting into gear for a week of early morning cold calls.

When I was a lab tech, Mondays were the first midnight or on day-shift, everyone back in the lab and very crowded. I preferred the off shift actually.

When I was a library manager, Mondays meant a long day working from 11:30am until 8pm. That just made it seem longer. The rest of the week was 8:30am-5pm. Since the little branch library was closed on Sundays, all the weekend DVD's were returned. Mondays were ALWAYS a madhouse at the library. Who would have thought??? Just remember your local librarian on Mondays, he/she may feel the same way.

The only job where I never resented Mondays was when I worked at the stable as staff and assistant riding instructor. I enjoyed getting back to the horses. I enjoyed feeding the horses before turning them out. I enjoyed getting the hay out to the field. Mondays on that job were a good thing!

Nowadays, I'm sort of on my own. I don't really have a schedule which I think is hurting me. I do better with schedules in general. That's my goal. Get a schedule set up so I follow it. I'm sure I'll get more accomplished that way.

This week looks like a good weather week, FINALLY! No rain. A little warmer. Sunshine at least until Thursday. I am pumped. I wish I could start today, but I'm taking my mom to her doctor appointment, which, living out here, turns to an entire day because I have to drive in to get her then take her to her appointment on the other side of the county. I don't mind, I want to do it. I'm glad it is on Monday, so that I have the rest of the week to concentrate on my horses.

So this Monday I'm using as a jumping off platform for a more constructive week. I'm feeling better these days, though the heat can make me remember I do have some issues, I'll try to work around that by getting out earlier in the morning. There's always a way to deal, you just need to figure it out and get motivated. Sunshine, dried mud and no rain is a great incentive!

Lives Shared for Twenty Seven Years

2009-06-10T09:08:00.005-04:00

Twenty-seven years ago, today, Hubby and I were married. In retrospect, we did everything backwards. Very little money. Low paying jobs, he worked at a grocery store, I worked at a fast food joint. But we had our dreams as young couples do.

In the long term, our life together has sweetened over the years.

In the beginning, we were innocents, oblivious to alot of things in life. We decided we wanted to be together, to build a life and that's all that mattered. At the time I couldn't understand why my parents silently objected to our marriage. It was one of those things where words weren't said, but all you had to do was read between the lines. On my in-laws side, they were thrilled their youngest son had found stability. They liked me! Looking back, I now understand what my parents, especially my mom, were seeing in our decision. Hubby was nineteen, I was twenty-one. I think anyone can get the picture and understand the misgivings of the parents of an only daughter.

After twenty seven years, my parents both love Hubby. I don't really want so say, "See, I knew what I was doing!", because twenty seven years ago, I probably didn't, really. It was a leap of faith for both of us.

But, over the years, Hubby and I have proven we can survive. We depend on each other yet we also find strength as individuals in our union. We are each others' best friend. We have our separate interests but find sharing those interests actually brings us more joy. Hubby has his motorcycle, I have my horses. We have two fantastic adult sons!

I have thoroughly enjoyed our motorcycling hobby. He decided on a touring bike back in 2002, so we could share rides and enjoy weekends traveling the country roads, day trips where we simply let go of ourselves for a few hours. In 2004, when I decided the time for my horse dream to come to life was imminent, and our youngest was heading off to college, Hubby threw himself into making our acres into the best home possible for my dream to become a reality. He and my sons spent the spring and summer dropping posts and putting up fencing. Hubby searched to find the right kind of fencing for my yet to be found dream horses. He has been the driving force in helping my horse dream come true. I hope I have helped his dreams come true too.

What more could you ask for in a life partner? I am blessed. Not much more to say about it other than I am grateful to be sharing my life journey with him, my best friend, my partner, the love of my life. All the heartaches, all the triumphs, all the tears, all the laughter have been sweeter, sharing with him.

The hoofbeats, paw prints and foot steps continue on the shared journey.....

There are friends and then there are friends with horses....

2009-06-05T15:12:00.006-04:00

The past few months I've been getting reacquainted with some long lost high school friends. My Best Friend, or BFF, as the kids say today, is one of the main coordinators of our high school class reunion. Still hard to believe it's been THIRTY years. Whew, 1979 seems like a very long time ago! Our class was small, by most standards, having graduated a total of seventy two. Over the years we've lost three classmates. We all pretty much knew each other from elementary school.

In getting reacquainted I have come upon a realization. There are the women friends who are your women friends, then there are the women friends with horses, who are your horse friends. They are two different breeds!

I met up with two of my women friends from high school at a quiet, river-side, pizza place for dinner. We haven't seen each other in many years. One lives in the same area I do, but she has a busy life, married to an oncologist and her own career. The other one, is a busy attorney, living hundreds of miles away with a husband and three kids under the age of ten.

I don't think we've changed all that much. We ate, but talked more than we ate, talked about the reunion, our lives, remembered times from our high school years as friends. The only time horses came up was when I was asked what I was doing now. Other than that, our focus was on what I consider most women friends tend to talk about; life, loves, children, work, other friends. We talked for over three hours as our pizza got cold and the sun melted into the river. It was a beautiful sunset!

My "horse friend" called me a few days ago. She was originally asking about a cookie recipe but as always happens, our discussion turned to our horses and horses in general. We spent over an hour on the phone talking mostly about horses. Horses are our connection and our history. Sure, we wander off to other subjects, but as it is with us horse people, our conversation always flows back to our horses.

Believe it!

2009-06-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

New day. New week. New month. Makes you think of starting with a clean slate whatever you may need to start new. My fresh start will be with my horses. I didn't do such a good job with them the past month, but May is done. So, to start this new day, week and month, I was lifted by the following piece. Maybe you will be too.

FROM:
www.LifeSupportSystem.com.

__________

BELIEVE IT

Writer Norman Cousins tells about a football game at which a doctor
found himself treating five spectators for stomach disorder. Each
complained of nausea, dizziness and cramps. Upon checking, the doctor
learned that all five had previously consumed soft drinks from the
arena's concession stands. In the interest of protecting public
safety, an announcement was made to the crowd that it would be wise to
forego drinks in the stadium because certain people were becoming ill.

By the third quarter of the game, 200 people – all of whom had been
slurping sodas – were reporting the same symptoms. Half of these
hurried off to a nearby hospital. Later in the afternoon the doctor
determined that his five original patients had also eaten potato salad
from the same delicatessen on the way to the game. The potato salad,
not the drinks, was apparently the culprit.

An announcement was made. Almost immediately those who were sick felt
remarkably better. The fans taken to the hospital were sent home as
their symptoms quickly disappeared.

All of this goes to show the tremendous power of belief. What we
believe to be true will often become true.

The power of our beliefs will dramatically affect our future. Like
automaker Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or not, you are
right." If you believe you will succeed or fail, you are probably
right. If you believe strongly enough that something good or bad will
surely happen to you, it likely will.

Mahatma Gandhi found this principle to be true in his own experience.
"If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing
it," the Indian leader said. "But when I believe I can, then I acquire
the ability to do it, even if I did not have the ability in the
beginning."

Where did that ability come from? Was it the sheer power of his belief
that gave him the capacity to do what seemed impossible? He was sure
that was the case.

Great belief is great power. And probably more than any other single
factor, great belief that something just might be possible … can bring
about what we want in life.

Believe it.

-- Steve Goodier

To Give Advice or Not

2009-05-28T11:49:00.005-04:00

I don't beat around the bush, my responses are straight forward and blunt, especially if the welfare of horses, or humans, especially children, are at risk.

Recently one of Hubby's co-workers asked for some advice on buying a horse. He and his wife had decided to buy their eleven year old daughter a horse. Presently, they have nowhere to put the horse, but are working toward building a run-in shed and putting up fencing. Hubby had filled me in beforehand. I was already cringing during the intro chat but........Hubby referred the fella to me. Hubby is still relatively new to the whole horse thing, he usually defers horse questions to me. Hubby's specialty is premise maintenance and construction. He's great at that.

"Bob", not his real name, called me, well, Hubby called, but anyway......Bob asked my advice on buying horses. His first question concerned the age of a horse, as in what's a good age. He said they were looking at a 2 year old. I cringed. I told him for an inexperienced, young rider I would suggest anything between 7-15 years that has been ridden alot. He told me his daughter has been riding the neighbor's horse and knows all about horses. OKEY DOKEY. Has "Janie" taken any lessons in the past? Naturally, the answer was no, but she has learned about some horse care through a group she's in and from the neighbor girl. I am trying to keep my voice calm at this point, figuring I'm talking to a completely inexperienced person when it comes to horses. The family lives out in the country and own property. I thought maybe they'd been around horses in their lifetime. Evidently, only goats.

Though I've not had my fair share of riding lessons in my adult life, a child's parents I will always advise, GET LESSONS. Learn how to ride correctly. Learn about horse care before jumping into horse ownership. At the facility I worked at for a few years, I helped teach kids beginner riding lessons and horse care, I know the importance of safety. To this day I am amazed that parents will simply buy their kid a horse without themselves even knowing much about horses.

My next question concerned gender of the horse. I asked if they were looking at a gelding or mare, and hopefully not a stud colt. Bob hesitated and told me a gelding, he thought. hmmm. I wasn't convinced he was sure that's what the horse was. I told him the difference between a gelding and a stud colt, in case he wasn't sure and just didn't want to admit it to me. I also told him, in no way shape or form, in my opinion, should an eleven year old be trying to deal with a stud colt unless they were going to geld him soon. I could tell from the silence I might have hit on something there.

I also mentioned that if he could find a good trainer for a two year old horse, he would probably be better off to send it there before taking it home. Bob said he felt his daughter would be able to handle it. I feel I'm getting no where now.

Bob asked about saddles which I thought should be the least of his concerns at that point in time, but gave him my insights since he asked about the synthetic vs leather. I thought for a young girl a nice light synthetic would be ideal. We used them for our classes and for the 3 years I was at the facility, they held up well with little maintenance. Not like the leather anyway.

My personal inquiry to him was about a helmet for his daughter. Bob told me she didn't have one. I stressed the importance of getting her a good fitting helmet. He said he'd have to see how SHE felt about that. I was basically deflated at that comment.

OK, so zoom ahead to present time., probably about 2 months from the original phone call. Hubby informed me Bob had purchased a 2 year old mare, which I informed him at two, we're talking filly, but that's probably a mute point. Janie had been riding the filly at it's place of residence since Bob doesn't have their place set up yet. Bob said the horse's main problem was that is wanted to stop and eat grass. I'm getting this picture in my head of this little eleven year old girl, no helmet, pulling on the horse to stop eating grass......................these kinds of stories do make you cringe. It's hard to say how that little filly will act once it leaves it's farm. The man who owns the filly told Bob that she does OK with a group of horses. We all know as horse people, you ofte need to read between the lines when it comes to horse selling. Can't you see all the warning signs here? Hubby told me yesterday Janie was trying to ride the filly but the mare was being moody. I don't know the specifics of what happened, I can only guess. UGH! I'm sure none of them know what to do in that situation, or any of the situations that will probably come up.

I feel bad for the eleven year old girl who has dreams of that perfect horse until it does something not very cute, since it will probably have very little guidance and will act, well, like a horse. I feel bad for the horse. I hope the end result is better than my imagination of events.

I know myself, I have learned SOOO much about horses in the past five years. I was immersed in them through working at a riding facility. I learned things I didn't know, especially about behavior, having witnessed them first hand. I understand why people have problems when they simply bring a horse home or get the daughter a horse for her birthday.

Horses are not like dogs! They are big! They often won't stay when you tell them too, unless properly trained of course. They aren't always ready and willing to take on the day. My biggest concern for Janie and her family is that they get this filly home but she doesn't act "right". They don't know how to deal with her. Someone gets hurt or the horse gets forgotten because things weren't as easy as they thought they would be. Why oh why don't people at least find out what they're really getting into? I cannot imagine an eleven year old girl trying to manage a two year old horse of any kind, unless she's had proper training herself. To me, this situation appears to be a train wreck, one way or another, in the making. I hope I'm dead wrong but right now, things don't look to be on the brighter side.

I've sent my horse magazines to Janie and family. There have been some really good articles lately in Horse and Rider and Trail Rider. Maybe they will take the horse on as a family project. Hopefully they'll get the filly a buddy, if not another horse, then one of their goats. I also sneaked a DVD in the magazines about riding safely.

We all make choices, but as for myself I try to be informed. OK, I bought a 2 year old with very little training, but I was forty four years old and had spent a summer immersed in horses, as well as 3 years after that. I told Hubby to let Bob know I would be glad to help Janie with teaching ground manners to her new horse. I'm not one to teach much more than beginner riding, but I feel I have a good method with ground manners.

I may have overstepped my boundaries with my suggestions and advice anyway. You know, people often hear what they want to hear, and do what they want to do. Hubby mentioned that pricing of the 2 year old had alot to do with the purchase. That saddens me too, especially when an eleven year old child is involved. I remember telling Bob he may have to pay more for a well trained horse, but it would be worth it in the long run for his daughter.

It's times like these you wonder, should I give advice or not? I was asked, so I gave it as I see it. When it comes to the safety and well being of a horse and a child, I will always be blunt and truthful. I hope Janie's dreams of a perfect horse aren't doused. I hope no one gets hurt, including the horse.

Please, please, if you are thinking of buying a horse, but have no background or knowledge of horses, read up, or find someone who can help. A horse is not a dog! It's not that simple.

Detective Work

2009-05-26T11:41:00.004-04:00

I'm a straight forward kind of person. I want the facts, straight up. I want to be able to know what's going on, not have to figure things out. Maybe that's called lazy, but at any rate, when you have animals, and especially horses, you'd better be ready to be a detective when it comes to illness or injury.

A week ago, Monday, things were rolling along as they usually do. Fed the horses in the morning. I always eyeball them making sure no one got into anything during the night. Both looked fine. Spirit seemed like himself. I remember a couple of hours later I glanced out the back door, noticed the horses out on the hill near some trees. Everything OK, again.

Around 12:30pm I went out to open the gate to the front field. Both horses were standing in the stall area. Bo standing near the water tank. Spirit partially in the stall with shavings blanketing the left side of this body and mane. I took that in as being a little odd, but then dismissed the thought. Walked straight for the front field gate and both followed though they were hanging back more than usual. Most days, Bo is right up front ready to go through first.

Still not noticing anything amiss, I opened the gate and Bo walked quietly out to the field. Spirit stood right where he was and it was then I noticed he was shaking. His whole body trembling!

Now, I must admit, I sort of went into panic mode. I'd dealt with various injuries and illnesses with the horses in my care at the ranch, from colic, to a slashed leg artery, to hoof abscesses among a few. But, when my own horse was standing there shaking and trembling I became weak in the knees!

Thoughts running through my head "What if he collapses right here? Where will we bury him? Crap! What's my next move? Crap!"

The poor guy tried to walk out into the field to eat some grass. I quickly ran back to building to get his halter and lead rope. I knew I needed to get him back to the stall, at least to see if his vitals were irregular. Then there was the mud he'd have to wade through. My mind simply said CRAP! Although I'm pretty sure I used the other form of the word. "What if he collapsed in the mud? Oh gosh that would be awful." Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I waded in mud up over my boots, and sloshing mud water on my clothes, I gently coaxed him back to the stall. In the mean time I had to close Bo out in the field because if he came in, well, he tends to bully Spirit out of what he deems, his corner.

I get Spirit into the stall. I break out the first aid kit where the thermometer is stored. I check his gums. Capillary refill seems OK. Doesn't look like shock yet. I take his temp. It was up to 102. I try to check his pulse, unfortunately, I am very lacking in that talent and curse myself for not being able to find that darn artery under his jaw. Check respirations, fairly normal, not rapid and not slow. He does not seem in distress except for the shaking. I'm thinking about which vet would be easiest to contact, but, I don't want to jump to that conclusion too quickly.

My next move was to get an old blanket to throw over him for a little while in case it may be some kind of toxic shock. I feel all over his body, his legs, shoulders, ribs, don't see anything out of the ordinary. He's still shaking.

At this point I'm frustrated. I go into the house to find my two horse vet books. I still can find nothing that really fits. Maybe it's wait and see. I spent the afternoon in the stall with Spirit. There was definitely something going on with him. He wouldn't miss an afternoon out in the grass. I gave him some hay. He started nibbling. His manure looked fine and he wasn't dehydrated.

Eventually the shaking subsided. He walked around the stall. He ate some more hay, slowly. He drank the water I offered in a bucket. The only thing that really started standing out was when I ran my hand down his right front leg, he would lift it up. Now, That's not something Spirit does. I mean, he'll give you his foot if you ask, but to just lift it like a dog would lift it's paw, that was odd.

At that point I started pressing on his shoulder and ribs while watching his face. I noticed a bit of a wince on his part and he looked back at me. It was right then and there I decided that Bo had probably kicked Spirit. I found no outward evidence. No hoof prints on the skin. I'd seen that happen with the ranch horses plenty of times. Usually the mares, Kleo or Lena, hauling off and kicking one of the others leaving a dusty hoof imprints.

From this evidence, I deducted that the reason Spirit had shavings all over him was because he had either been down in the stall, lying or rolling, or whatever, and Bo decided he wasn't happy with that, because Spirit was in "his" space. In response, Bo kicked the crap out of Spirit. That's the only thing I can really come up with. Through the rest of the day and evening, Spirit walked gingerly on that leg, dragging it a little as he walked. I'm pretty sure it was a shoulder or rib kick. Bo usually does the double legged kind of kick. Spirit, on the other hand, is more of a cow kicker type.

The next day, Spirit was not dragging that foot. I still had in my mind any type of toxic problems from EPM to Lyme disease, but he didn't fit any of those symptoms. Over the next few days Spirit was back to his almost usual self. The only other evidence of an altercation that I have witnessed is the fact that Spirit appears a little more wary of Bo. I don't like that, but in the horse world, they have their own rules. I don't stand for any kind of aggravating when I'm around, but when I'm not there, well, there isn't much I can do about their disagreements. Most of the time, Bo and Spirit get along fine. I'll never know what sparked the incident, and I'm not even sure if I'm right about it. I'm only going on clues, evidence and gut feelings.

I never did like playing Clue!

Two Book Reviews

2009-05-18T09:55:00.004-04:00

Riding With Confidence!
Practical and inspirational advice to help you deal with your fear and enjoy your riding

I originally thought this book was more concerned about breaking through particular fear issues, which it does, but different fear issues than I've actually had. However, the information and format make it an interesting read, nonetheless.

A variety of female contributors from the horse world:
Christina Barlow-instructor and riding school proprietor from South Africa.
Julie Goodnight-instructor and natural horsemanship trainer from the U.S.
Abigail Hogg-author and equine trainer from the UK
Liz Morrison-ICF accredited NLP coach and Level 2 international instructor from the UK
Sharon Shinwell-professional hypnotherapist and counsellor from the UK.

My favorite chapter was chapter 1, Managing Your Fear by Julie Goodnight. Always clear and practical in her teaching she walks the reader through identifying fear, understanding fear, a plan for recovery, making your plan, polish your horsemanship and safety skills, and improve your riding skills. She describes the basis of many fears and how to learn to start dealing with them when they are interfering with your relationship with your horse or simply running your life. The whole fear concept can cover many aspects of life, not just riding or horses. Personally, I have never been afraid of horses themselves but as with anyone who has horses in their lives, there have been times when my own confidence issues with my riding ability have gotten in the way of enjoying my partnership with my horses.

For me, the other chapters weren't quite as interesting, though I did glean some helpful advice in my areas of interest. I think this book is a great read for older women who may be a little intimidated by riding again, or maybe have developed a fear, or lack of confidence in horse skills or riding skills. Very easy to read because it's divided into chunks you can spend as little or as much time as you choose at one sitting.

Chapter topics:
Understanding the Horse-Abigail Hogg
Teaching the Nervous Rider-Christina Barlow
Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis-Sharon Shinwell
The NLP Approach to Confident Riding-Liz Morrison

The forward had some helpful information also as Kelly Marks provides top ten tips for handling fear.

What Your Horse Wants You to Know
What Horses' "Bad" behavior means, and How to Correct It
Gincy Self Bucklin

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, some different insights I suppose. For me, most of the information became "ho hum" and I ended up skimming to the sections I thought might give me some different aspects of common misbehaviors.

Now, not to say this isn't a good book! It's definitely a great insight for people who may never have been around horses at all and have not experienced horse behavior or what their meanings may be. Definitely some great information and insight on horse behavior. If I'd found this book back in '04 (Copyright 2003) I'm sure I would have gobbled it up. It's an excellent source for anyone just getting into horses or who may have questions about some horse behaviors they've been dealing with on their own.

Simple short chapters on topics from Bathing to Tying: won't tie, in alphabetical order. The introduction was an excellent start: What You Need To Know To Help Your Horse. If every new horse owner, who has none to very little understanding or experience around horses, would read this, they'd be giving themselves a gift of knowledge and understanding, as well as their horse.

I appreciated many aspects of this book and believe it is one of the better guides on horse behavior. The importance of learning how to communicate with your horse in the right way and what he's trying to communicate to you can never be underestimated for the loving partnership most people want with their horses. There's an abundance of information in this book from a woman who has tons of experience and years of devotion to horses.

Gincy Self Bucklin has 60+ years of riding and training experience, 50+ years of teaching experience, and 30+ years of managing stables large and small. She is certified as an Expert Instructor by the American Riding Instructor's Association. She is the daughter of of well-known horsewoman and equestrian author Margaret Cabell Self. (excerpt from back cover)

Both of these books are excellent additions to your horse training library though you'll find, as I did, and depending on your own knowledge, you can breeze through some sections while taking in others.

And do you want some whine with that cheese???

2009-05-07T13:54:00.006-04:00

OK, here I go again. I was getting groundwork done with both horses. My guys were responding great, then the rains hit us once again.

I saddled Bo up a couple of Sunday's ago. A beautiful, sunny, spring day! I was impressed and delighted that he stood still while I mounted. We've had to work on that for a long time. He was in the habit of walking off as soon as I lifted my foot to the stirrup. I thought I was going to get some great riding time in that day, alas, Bo decided to be a butt-head. I don't want to talk about the incident in detail right now, but I will later. Let's just say, he had it in his mind he wasn't gonna do one darn thing he didn't want to do that day, except the standing still while mounting part. I was too ticked off to ride him again. I should have, but I didn't. I did make him walk back out to the field on a lead and do some circles, stops, backs and forwards. I was ticked off for a few days over the incident. One thing that happens to me, physically, when I get scared, is that the adrenaline rush makes me shaky and I have to wait to calm down. Result of 13 years of T1 diabetes.

ANYWAY, we have been deluged by rain for almost two weeks now. Mud, once again, up to horse hocks, and my ankles, in the corral area. I'm extremely thankful Hubby extended the roof of the shelter and the mats from the open stall space so the horses have a nice big dry area to spend under roof time, but it's getting out to the field that's like a Florida swamp. There's sloppy mud out in the field. It's really frustrating. I'm not talking mud you can simply work through, if I try to work the guys out in the field, they'll just be slipping. I'll be slipping. It's just not worth it. So, I'm once again back to being behind in my imagined schedule of training and riding. I make a calendar each month to record what I accomplish. April looks pretty sad at the end. May is basically empty so far.

I feel like I'm always whining about this part of my horse life but it's just not something that worked into my "plan". Kind of like the hay problem I couldn't seem to get a hold on. Fortunately the hay problem has subsided a bit. I can turn the guys out into the front field for a few hours of grass grazing now which cuts back on their hay intake. I also have made contact with a very helpful farmer who owns a feed supply store and he's going to try to keep hay for me since we've talked about my need for hay year around.

More rain and storms Friday and Saturday. This too shall pass....................I think I'll go fix a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich while I ponder my predicament for a few more minutes.

My Hummingbirds Have Returned!

2009-05-01T16:21:00.006-04:00

Each April I eagerly await the arrival of "our" Ruby Throated Hummingbirds. I can't remember when I first started feeding hummers, but I know there have been a number of generations returning to my feeder every year.

I check a migration map for return dates. This year, they came in last week, though the map stated April 5-15. I had the feeder ready and waiting. I ended up dumping out the original liquid preparing fresh for them. They'd come all the way from Mexico. I heard one expert say it's a non stop flight once they get started.

I noticed one male and one female last weekend. Now, I'm seeing four at a time. By summer, double the number of birds seen flitting around the feeder at any one time, and you'll get an approximation of how many hummingbirds are visiting the feeder.

I enjoy sitting on our deck watching them. Sometimes they'll hover and look at me, seemingly sizing me up. They'll fly away or decide I'm not a threat and land on the feeder to take in the nectar. The females seem to be more timid than their male counterparts.

Sadly, yesterday afternoon, Buddy the cat got lucky. I believe one of the hummers hit my sliding glass door window and fell to the ground. Buddy, being the lazy fellow he usually is, didn't pass up the opportunity. I heard a commotion and went to the door. There sat Buddy with one of my little guys in his mouth. I really don't think Buddy realized what he'd done. He looked up at me, hummingbird in his mouth, and in my moment of anger I told him to "drop it", which he did, surprising me even more. We often refer to Buddy as a cat-dog. I picked up the delicate body but of course, there was no life in it. I felt really guilty having the feeder close to the porch. Buddy hadn't really bothered the birds in the past, which is why I have the feeder hanging on the porch. Now, he lays out there in wait, watching. I may have to move the feeder. Knowing Buddy is really a fairly lazy fella, I'm going to hold out for a while.

Hummingbirds are a wonder. Each spring, upon their arrival, I feel blessed to have a hand in helping them along, at least I always hope that's what I'm doing. They give me my daily dose of "wow, they're really incredible" along with a smile just watching them.

Spring Training

2009-04-17T09:33:00.008-04:00

Finally. I can get some consistent days in for what I call Spring Training. We're looking at 3 days of warm, sunny Spring days in these parts!

My two boys are usually always off from December until April. They get to be lazy horses in the back field during the winter months. They get bored. When I start spending more time with them, they look forward to it every day. As a matter of fact, Bo gets grumpy when I haven't been with them for a while. His face shows it. He tends to boss Spirit around more.

I have researched many of the training techniques from various clinicians and trainers. I tried Clinton Anderson for a while, but in my mind, I now feel his techniques are too aggressive for my horses. My guys don't need that kind of training. I realize Anderson's training techniques, and those of other trainers like him, have their place. They just weren't comfortable for me with these two particular horses.

I have decided to follow a lesser known trainer's techniques. I don't like round penning although I have a round pen. I feel round penning is just another scare tactic, I understand "round pen reasoning", but I also believe, it depends on the horse. Ryan Gingerich does not believe in round penning. He has an excellent article on the subject on his website.

I had seen Gingerich at Equine Affaire, Ohio, last year and was impressed with his training techniques. Basic and patient. His training program consists of five elements: Basic control, lightness, rhythm, line and connection.

My boys do better with a one-on-one type training. They are responding positively to the techniques I've been learning, via DVD, from Ryan Gingerich. They are much more relaxed with these training techniques when I'm working with them. I am much more relaxed too so the time spent in the exercise is good for all of us.

If I were to give advice to new horse owners I would say, above all, find what works for YOU and your horses. Enjoying the journey is all a part of the experience.

Ryan Gingerich's website: http://www.connectivehorsemanship.com/

MUD!!!!!

2009-04-15T11:27:00.005-04:00

Need I say more?
Bo & Spirit

Mud, mud, EVERYWHERE! The back field is my sacrifice field where the boys stay December through April.

Don't get me wrong, on one hand I'm happy to have the April showers. The rain means my measely grass pasture will surely green up by May 1, when I allow my guys to get into into it for a few hours a day.

However, I had just gotten back into working with my guys again after the long winter break. We were doing pretty good too. Spirit is so eager this year makes me look forward to working with him! Bo, well, as usual, he just needs saddled and ridden.

I don't have an inside or covered arena. We're completely o'natu-ral, meaning barefoot horses, run-in stall/shed area, 24/7 outside horses, and we try to do the best we can with what we've built. When Hubby and I designed our little farm area, we thought we had things pretty well covered. Some things you just never see coming................at the time neither of us saw the disadvantage of putting the corral area at the base of a hill. Live and learn!

Green pasture grass ready for grazing by May 1.

At my next farm I'll remember to have a 60x120 barn with indoor riding arena, stalls AND acres upon acres of lush green pasture grass. Probably have to be in my next life though.......so, I deal with this muddy crap every cotton pickn' spring and fall.

Good news, we're looking at sunny skies and warm temps Thursday through Saturday! Just enough to probably get dried out enough to get muddied up again when the rain comes through next week. I need to quit watching the Weather Channel!

Ohio Equine Affaire

2009-04-08T12:59:00.003-04:00

I hadn't planned on attending Equine Affaire in Columbus, Ohio, this year. I've attended the event for the past four years, ever since I found out about it. This year there were other things going on around me and it just didn't seem that important to attend. Lo and behold, a friend called me Saturday to say she was going up to EA on Sunday and asked if I wanted to ride along. Opportunity knocked, so I answered.

We went to the Extreme Cowboy Race final at 9:30am. I didn't really think I'd be impressed with the event but it ended up being an enjoyable couple of hours. Watching both pro and amateur riders compete through the course in Cooper Arena was really more thrilling than I expected it to be. I had expected to be bored to tears. I'm glad I was wrong.

The winner of the event was a 57 year old female, non-pro, rider on a grade horse. Now, how much more thrilling can you get! Sally and her horse, Ghost, were up against some pro horses and riders as well as other amatures like herself, though most of the females were 30 years younger than Sally.

I tend to observe the horse more than the riders in these events. I watch their faces, their responses to their riders. Sally and Ghost were definitely partners. Ghost listened and waited for direction and responded. They were tuned in to each other more so than any of the other horse and rider teams I observed.

Probably the most crowd pleasing competitor was 65 year old Larry on his Spotted Saddle Horse. Though definitely not the fastest, his persistence at completing the course got the crowd on it's feet by the end of his run.

Second place went to a gorgeous dark chestnut QH stallion who was all muscle and definitely well trained. I believe they said he was a working cow horse from Michigan.The only problem in the tie breaker actually came from his rider who forgot the pattern to one of the obstacles, otherwise, he probably would have won the tie breaker event.

After ECR we went to Julie Goodnight's clinic on lead changes. Now, I have to admit, I am lost when it comes to lead changes. I've never had training in that area of riding and didn't really understand it. Julie did a great job at explaining the why and how of lead changes, so much so, that someone like me actually understood what she was talking about. Now I wish I was attending Julie's clinic in North Jackson, Ohio, in May. My friend applied early and will be one of the 15 riders in the clinic.

After Julie's clinic we did the shopping thing around the two vendor buildings. As I expected, there seemed to be fewer vendors this year. Enjoyed looking but didn't by a single thing not even a t-shirt!

We then went to the last clinic of the day with Craig Cameron. I was very tired by now, it was 3:30pm we'd gotten there at 9am and left for the event at 7:15am that morning. Craig was tired too, his voice just about gone. His clinic dealt with establishing communication with a horse that is spooky and maybe not well trained. Craig can be entertaining and he does like to talk! Sometimes though, I feel I get lost during his explanations.

At any rate, I do appreciate the fact that for $19.99 ($5 parking fee and $14.99 entrance fee) you can take in horse breeds of all kinds and clinics on various topics for a whole day. It's a bargain and an enjoyable experience. We're fortunate to have an Equine Affaire located in the middle of our state each year. An opportunity not often seen in these parts!