On the Edge of My Saddle

I'm on the edge of my seat, or saddle, anticipating my upcoming vacation. I've got 4 days off from work plus the 2-day weekend in mid-May. I'm the type of person who doesn't like to travel to exotic lands for her vacation. I prefer to stay near home and ride my horses as much as possible. Considering that I usually work around 60-hours a week, rarely get my weekends and holidays off to take care of my personal needs, and am only granted a handful of vacation days a year, most of which I don't get because of one reason or another, I really cherish those vacation days that I do get to use and feel an intense desire to make the best of them.

One would think that I'd be ecstatic to have these vacation days coming up, and I am, but I am also feeling agitated about them. It seems that when I do get time off from work, someone always has to ruin it for me. Either a relative decides that he or she is going to show up on my doorstep that week and I end up being forced to entertain on my time off, or my neighbors start up some construction project that makes my horses edgy, or someone gets sick or injured and I spend my vacation taking care of him or her, or my dentist schedules appointments for everyone in the family and I end up having to drive everyone back and forth to dental appointments all week, (one dental appointment can turn into two or three before you know what hit you), or one of the horses gets injured and I spend all my time dressing the wound, or one of my dogs gets sick and I end up steam cleaning my carpet every day, or it rains and snows and I have to stay indoors the entire week.

The most common disruption of my vacations is that my next door neighbors bring in a bunch of their relatives from California, and they take over the neighborhood by dive-bombing kites at my horses, riding mopeds up and down the road in front of my house, camping out in the front yard day and night, and let's not forget the excessive staring. I can't even shovel manure or fill up a water trough without having dozens of eyes peeled on me.

Anyway, it has already started. The past several weekends these neighbors have had visitors. Fortunately, the weather has been unpleasant enough that they've stayed indoors, but the mere fact that the activity next door is ramping up as my vacation approaches upsets me. Also, another neighbor whose guesthouse bay window looks directly into my dining room window had "guests" move in this weekend with a U-Haul trailer, so it looks like this group is going to stay much longer than the usual week or two, which means no privacy for us unless we keep our window blinds closed at all times.

Any time that these guests come out onto their patio or do something in and around the detached garage, they can see right into my bathroom window. My toilet is raised on a platform while the window is set very low, so if someone does their business or gets in or out of the shower, these people can see everything. So, we have to diligently close the opaque window in our bathroom every time we use it, which is frustrating because it's nice to have fresh air in such a humid room.

Many years ago I was sick with the flu and had to run to the toilet with no time to fiddle with the open window. I had a bathroom scene like that one in Dumb and Dumber where the guy's friend slips him some Ex-lax right before he goes on a date. When I could finally let out a sigh of relief, I turned my head to see this man and his wife standing at my fence staring at me with their mouths hanging open. I think I blurted out an expletive and slammed the window in their faces. If I were somewhere near a bathroom window and someone started using the bathroom in any way, I would immediately move away and give them their privacy.

I get spoiled not having anyone living in that guesthouse all fall and winter, and then spring comes and the next set of guests move in, and I lose my space. If everyone's mothers just taught them not to stare and not to look in people's windows, I wouldn't have to work so hard to maintain some semblance of privacy. I hope someday I can either move to a location where the nearest neighbor is miles away, or move to a location where people have manners and do unto others as they would have them do unto them.

The other downside of having new neighbors living in this guesthouse is that I have to walk outside with my dogs to supervise them if they need to do their business. Otherwise, they will have barking fits over all these strangers coming and going just a few feet from the fence of their dog run. As long as I'm there, they behave themselves, but as soon as I walk away they feel they have to announce to the world that there are strangers next door.

I ordered a fast-growing hedge that starts out at 5-feet, grows to be 15-feet by the end of the first year, and then can grow up to 60-feet tall in its lifetime. Mrs. Mom and her husband helped me track it down last year by doing a much more effective search of the Internet than I have ever been able to do, but I couldn't plant it until this May. It's supposed to be animal-resistant, but I ordered a special product that makes it animal-resistant just in case. I plan to plant just one in my horse's paddock along the chain-link fence by the starer's house, and if the horses leave it alone, I will plant the rest there and order more.

However, if the horses do eat the hedge, I have two other ideas in my game plan. I will ask the starers that if I buy this hedge, would they allow me to plant it on their side of the fence so that "we all" can have more privacy without my horses eating it. If I make them think I'm doing it for them, they might agree. If they don't agree, then I will plant it in my dog run in front of the guesthouse bay window that looks into my dining room window, so that I can at least keep my blinds open and get a little natural light into my house without the accompanying eyes of a stranger. I'd put some outside my bathroom window, but there really isn't room to plant anything there. I have a patio, a tiny strip of grass, and the fence just 20-feet away from my window.

My only worry about planting the hedge in the dog run is that my neighbor always has her gardeners spray poison through the fence onto our lawn to prevent any grass growing through the fence onto her dirt. She has no landscaping -- only dirt and sagebrush, yet for some reason she pays a gardening crew good money to poison our grass every few weeks. I'm worried that she might talk them into poisoning the hedge too. I'll have to keep a copy of my order so that she can refund me my money if she does kill it.

Regarding my horses, I can always trailer them out to different riding locations if the neighbors and their guests get too intrusive and obnoxious, but I know from experience that the horses will still be difficult to work with and on edge from all the activity around them at home. If something happens often enough, they eventually ignore it (like the freight trains that pass by Leah Fry's riding arena), but the first few months of something or someone new in their environment usually makes them Nervous Nellies.

New cars, new people, new activities, new behaviors, and even new pieces of trash in my neighbors' yard affect my horses. As long as whatever happens is something that has been happening over a period of months or years, the horses are fine, but anything new makes my horses nervous, which screws up my plans to ride them. So, for that reason, I have told my boss that I reserve the right NOT to take those vacation days when I have them scheduled should anything arise that might mess up my ability to enjoy my vacation. I don't want to feel forced to use those vacation days if they are not optimal for riding horses. Here's hoping the universe will cooperate just long enough to let me dedicate that one week to working with my horses without interference.

Why are People So Stupid About Horses?

I just read an article in the local newspaper that informed me that my worst nightmare is coming true. My stupid, stupid, stupid Recreation and County Commissioners have decided that it would be a brilliant idea to build a motocross track next to the local fairgrounds where people ride their horses! This was one of a very small number of places where I could ride my horses off my property. Nobody in their right mind is going to ride their horses there anymore if they have to compete with motorcycles and ATVs revving their engines and racing around just a few yards away.

Sigh! Now I have to take time out of my schedule to write letters and attend these public hearings to voice my concerns. I'm sure I'll lose, because the Visitor's Authority feels that this motocross track will bring people into Nevada from California, and they will spend their money in our county. All they care about is money. So, I may have to offer to pay a fee to use our fairgrounds for riding if I can do it without the threat of a motocross track just a few yards away.

If this project gets approved, they are already lining up six motocross events for this summer. Apparently, they are testing the suitability of the location right now. Well, people do not have their horses out there right now, because it's still very cold, and raining and snowing on the weekends, so of course, none of these people who make decisions that ruin other people's lives will be able to see the affect that these vehicles have on horses.

I have been looking forward to riding my horses at the fairgrounds all year, and now I have one more terrifying, loud human activity that I have to prepare my horses for and get them used to, so that I don't end up on the ground with a broken neck. I KNEW this would eventually happen, because the motorized vehicle enthusiasts have taken over this rural community, and I keep running into them on every horse trail and arena that I visit.

Listen to this quote by Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Authority: "If you look at who these folks are, they drive over in big trucks with bikes and helmets, fuel and gear, and they are very attractive customers. They have discretionary income and are very committed to their sport. They are a good customer to bring into town."

I don't think this guy realizes that he's going to lose other customers in the process. A lot of people do not like the noise pollution that motorized bikes bring to rural areas, especially those poor folks who have houses nearby where they plan to build this track. Can you tell that I am mad? I guess it's time for me to find a more horse-friendly community to live in.

Ding! Dong!

Knock! Knock!

Who's there?

Ding! Dong!

I said who's there?

Dang kids! Always ringing the doorbell and then running off. Well, at least there wasn't a flaming bag of horse manure on my doorstep this time.

Black or White?

I was looking at Gabbrielle this weekend and noticed for the first time that her tail is both black and white... or a mixture of pee-yellow and poo-brown, but let's just pretend it is white underneath.

It used to be all black. SHE used to be all black, but each year she progresses through lighter shades of gray until eventually, when she will be white all over.

What I find interesting is how her tail is black on top and white on the bottom while the rest of her body is black on the bottom and white on top. I know she needs a bath, but it's still too cold outside for cold water bathing. Once I get a chance to wash that tail I'll find out just how white it really is.

Day One of The Great Saddle Experiment

No Sunday Stills from me today. I haven't been able to hold still enough this week to get some photos of barns in my area, and everyone has already seen my barn a million times.

In my previous post, Trying Out Saddles in a Different Way, I "tried on" each of my saddles and discovered that some are comfortable to the human back and some are not. I've been having problems with my mare Lostine bucking each time I move her up into the lope in the Tucker High Plains saddle, and possibly not so coincidentally, that was the saddle that was most uncomfortable for my back. So, today I rode her in what felt like the most comfortable saddle, my old Cordura American Saddlery Arabian saddle.

We did a lot of loping and there was no bucking. Next I plan to try out my Circle Y saddle on her, but it wouldn't be a complete test unless I go back to riding in the Tucker High Plains saddle. Realistically, my mare is going to get better behaved the more I ride her, so in order to rule out an attitude problem as the cause of her bucking, I have to try out the saddle she has been bucking in after I have ridden her a while in the other two saddles.

While riding in this old saddle, I suddenly remembered why I stopped riding in it. I thought it was because I had outgrown the seat, but it was actually because no matter how much you tighten the cinch, the saddle still slides down the horse's side each time you mount and dismount. So, the tree is probably too wide.

While at the feed store yesterday I found some size small splint boots, something I've been looking for for quite some time now. My female Arabs have very small cannon bones and need tiny boots. For years they have been sharing a purple pair of splint boots that I've had for at least eight years -- not the most hygienic choice. Then I found a pair of small SMBs at the Western States Horse Expo last year, but no small splint boots. This year the Velcro on the purple splint boots began losing it's cohesiveness, so I was happy to find these red ones in size small at my local feed store.

While I was riding Lostine I found her to be quite nervous and difficult to slow down. She just wanted to gallop as fast as she could. I was saying, "Easy", and alternating tugs on each rein, but she just kept going faster. I knew something was bothering her, so I looked around and saw a man hiding behind the garage next door watching us. Because he was being sneaky about it, he scared my horse. As soon as I spotted him, he ducked back behind the garage, so I didn't get a chance to speak to him.

One of my neighbors likes to rent out her guest house to different people. She says they are all just friends who come to visit her, but I find that hard to believe since some of these people stay for many months at a time. This latest set of visitors arrived yesterday with a U-Haul trailer filled with furniture and two kids. They don't look like they are on vacation. They look like they're moving in. I'm hoping that once they get familiar with the neighborhood their curiosity will subside, and I can return to working my horses without Lookie-Loos lurking around. I cherish my Sunday mornings, because I can ride while my usual nosy neighbors are away at church.

I'll have to keep an eye out and lay down the law about feeding my horses. My rule is pet all you want, but no treats. I have to monitor what my horses are eating. If each of my neighbors is feeding my horses in addition to what I already feed them, my horses could choke or colic or founder.

In addition to trying out a different saddle, I filed down Lostine's hooves some more. Special thanks to Mrs. Mom for her critique on the condition of Lostine's front hoof that recently had a chip taken out of it. Thankfully, her other three hooves were in much better condition.

I also mowed the pasture today. It still has some patchy spots that need to fill in with grass, but I wanted to get a jump on mowing the first bit of growth so that the horses can get out there grazing sooner than usual. At the rate I'm going, we will run out of hay before the first cutting, so I want to start supplementing their hay with pasture grass.

Trying Out Saddles in a Different Way

Call me crazy if you want to, but I do strange things when trying to solve a mystery. Lostine always tests me out every spring by crow-hopping and bucking as soon as I move her up into the lope. She's fresh from not being ridden consistently in the winter. However, some readers have brought up the idea that perhaps her new saddle is causing her pain. The saddle fits well and the vet has checked her out, so I was sure it was just her attitude being alpha mare and not wanting to be told what to do.

Yet the readers keep bringing this up and as a result, it has been nagging me. I've checked the fit on the horse and it's fine. What else could I do?

Hee hee. I decided to check the fit on ME. I laid the new Tucker High Plains saddle upside down on a pillow and laid in it. Ouch! I couldn't believe how that tree dug into my back on each sides of my spine. The underside is a thin felt-like wool, which doesn't allow for much cushioning. You definitely need a thick saddle pad for this saddle.

I intentionally bought a wide tree, as opposed to the standard Arabian extra-wide tree, for Lostine, because the extra-wide trees ride up past her withers, and before I know it, the saddle is on her neck rather than her back. However, the narrower tree definitely digs into an extra-wide back.

I had to compare the feel to my other western saddles. I pulled out my Circle Y and felt cocooned while lying in it. The underside was much thicker, more like what sheep wear, and the form of the tree was more rounded.

I then pulled out my old American Saddlery cheap Cordura saddle, and amazingly, it was the most comfortable of all. This one had even a thicker interior and more flexibility in the way it conformed to my back.

It was an interesting lesson. I don't know if the difference is simply in the way the linings were constructed, the way the trees were constructed, or the fact that the two comfortable saddles are Arabian saddles while the uncomfortable one is a trail saddle. My best guess is that the tree of the Tucker High Plains saddle is constructed at a sharper angle and the lining isn't thick enough to insulate the pressure from the tree. Anyway, my next test will be to ride Lostine at the lope in the two comfortable-for-me saddles and see if her bucking decreases or subsides all together. If it does turn out to be the new saddle that is bothering her, that will be ironic because that will mean my most expensive saddle is the most uncomfortable saddle.

Hoof Day

The universe decided that yesterday was Hoof Day for me, or at least The Day of Discovering Broken Hooves in Need of Repair. I got a few breaks from work and was able to spend a bit of time with the horses and cleaning up manure. On my first attempt to shovel manure, I noticed that Gabbrielle had a chip forming on her left hind hoof. It was like a large hanging chad. So, I haltered her and tied her up, nipped off the chip and filed the remaining part of the hoof wall down.

I released her back into the paddock only to notice that her left front hoof had an identical chip. I repeated the whole process, then double-checked all of her hooves really well. Once releasing her a second time, I checked all of Lostine and Bombay's hooves, and they looked good.

Anytime that the weather changes radically -- in my case, from snowstorms to 80-degree summer heat -- the horses' hooves have a hard time adapting. The hooves are still moist enough to bend easily, while the ground is getting drier and harder.

I made another attempt at shoveling manure when my neighbor drove up. Anytime that I am out doing chores when either the man or the woman drive up, they park their car, open the driver's side door, swing their legs out, and sit there staring at me for the duration of time that I am out there. I didn't feel like being stared at, so I dropped my fork and went into the house.

I used to think that the man just couldn't get out of his car because he is old and has back problems, but the woman does this too. Then I considered that perhaps they belong to a church that makes them pray every time they get in or out of their car, and their prayers just happen to last a really, really long time. And they don't close their eyes when they pray, but stare at the nearest person. They often come out of their house while I am working outside, get into their car, and then sit there staring at me like they are waiting for something or they can't remember where they were going.

Until now I've never known anyone to take so ridiculously long to put the key in the ignition, and then from the point of starting up the engine take several more minutes to put the car in reverse and back up, then from that point to take several more minutes to shift into drive and drive off. Then even when they drive off, they act like they forgot something and park in my driveway or in front of my house for a while. It's bizarre. One day they drove up while I was cleaning manure, sat in their car staring at me for about 20 minutes, and then drove off. They never even got out and went into their house. What was the point of that?

I'm still trying to figure out how they always manage to appear in their vehicles each time I step outside. They must have computers in their cars that display a streaming satellite video pointed at my house. I've inspected my entire body and haven't found a GPS device implanted anywhere, so the streaming video is the only feasible answer. (For those who don't know my sense of humor -- Yes, I am kidding... about the GPS and video, but not about them always appearing in the same moment that I walk outside.)

Hopefully, one of these days they will realize that when they aren't around to stare at me, my yard is magically cleaned. However, each time that they materialize to start their staring routine, I go inside the house without finishing my manure clean-up, and I am sure to leave the manure along their fence line there the longest. If they don't care for horse manure, they might want to give me my space so I can get my chores done in peace and privacy.

Around mid-afternoon I decided to take Lostine for a quick spin. I caught her, tacked her up, and began lunging her. My neighbor came out, took five minutes to lock her front door, took another five minutes to fiddle around in her car, took another five minutes to unlock her front door, came back out empty-handed, spent another five minutes locking her front door, got in her car, took another five minutes to fire up the engine, and then finally drove off. Lord, if I had a spare 25 minutes to waste like that, I'd be in heaven.

But I digress, like I said, I decided to take Lostine for a quick spin, and she decided to take me for a bronc ride. That's typical. Anytime that I ride when no one is home and I've only got a few minutes to spare, she flips out and goes on a bucking rampage. I'm getting pretty good at leaning back and absorbing the buck. I believe she picks up on my time pressures, even though I am consciously moving slowly in a relaxed manner. She probably senses that I'm being more purposeful than usual, and she feels pressure to perform, only to rebel instead. Plus it's springtime and she's fresh. I usually work the bucks out of her by summer.

She's had a tough week with her teeth float and half dozen immunizations, so I'm sure she was plenty sore. I decided to just park her and sit on her and breathe deeply in hopes that I could alleviate her nervousness.

As soon as I took a deep breath, she turned her head to look at me, and then she took a deep breath and all the tension melted right out of her. I gazed at the mountains and felt Lostine breathing beneath me. After only being gone for a few minutes, my neighbor drove back home and did her usual routine of making a bunch of trips between her car and her house slamming door after door after door, pretending like she lost something, but really keeping a close eye on me. Lostine and I just stayed there with our backs to her breathing deeply and ignoring the distraction. Then a school bus drove past and all the kids started yelling "Horsey!" out the windows, and we just continued to stand there breathing deeply together.

I then moved Lostine into a walk, but she kept turning in and trying to walk to the center of the round pen, which I realized, is where I always dismount. That is her way of telling me to get off. Instead, I steered her to the outside of the pen and turned her in the opposite direction that she usually faces when I dismount. I dismounted there in a new spot on the downhill side and took her by surprise. If you get to be too predictable with horses, they'll take advantage of it.

Once I began removing her tack I noticed that she took a big chunk out of the side her hoof wall. It was really sharp and ragged, so I nipped it a little more evenly and filed it down. This is what it looked like after I worked on it...


I know the hoof could be picked out better, but it was a weekday and I was already spending more time away from my desk than I anticipated. I think I need to put learning how to properly trim horse's hooves on my To Do List, perhaps print out Mrs. Mom's posts and read them enough times that the information will stick in my feeble brain. I'm always doing emergency repairs without really knowing what I'm doing.

I think I will also start keeping hoof boots on the horses while I ride at home. It's just one more thing to tack up with, which extends the amount of time I need in order to prepare to ride, but maybe it will cut down on the number of hooves I have to repair. The sand around my paddock has always been soft enough that the horses don't need shoes there, but this year that is proving not to be true. So, I think I'll put those Old Macs and Easyboots to use here at home at least until the horses' hooves harden up enough to stop cracking, chipping, and bending.

In the evening I went out to try to finish cleaning up the manure, and within 30-seconds the man came driving up the street and did his routine of sitting in his car watching me. What was bizarre was that he called out to his wife, who obviously wasn't home since her car was missing. Only two people live in the house, two cars were gone, he drove up in one... do the math. I don't even live there and I could tell his wife wasn't home. I'm beginning to wonder if they both might be developing Alzheimer's Disease. That would explain a lot.

Intrepid Riders Faction Award

Kacy, over at All Horse Stuff, created this unique and meaningful award. One of the things that make this award special and challenging is that you can only choose one person. Kacy chose Lisa at Laughing Orca Ranch as her very first recipient. Lisa then chose me, and I am honored. The following description is in Kacy's words:

This Award is dedicated to those Horse lovers and riders that inspire others to go deeper in ability, knowledge and understanding of the Equine(s) they have been entrusted to.The good of the horse is the ultimate goal apart from pressures to achieve ribbons and fit into lesson schedules.

~Some of these riders are fearless, when it comes to weather conditions and the forecasting of them...being with their horses fills these folk’s soul and takes the cares out of daily routines.

~They are unconditionally loving to the horse and may have rescued it from known ailments or living conditions.

~Others have researched and purchased/acquired their horse, to find a difficulty in temperament or a physical burden within the animal. Yet, being dedicated , they have persevered to proudly be in partnership with their horse, lovingly striving for deeper awareness's between them.

~Some horse lovers may have been riding for years and suddenly, had an accident that takes them away from the great joy and freedom they have, being aboard such a magnificent animal.

~They have allowed the healing horse to rise in their hearts once again, and beckon them back!

~This is a symbol or an emblem to give away to those we are aware of that have uniquely nurtured and loved the Equine in a special way.
In turn the equine has inspired them as well, to be more and to go further in trust and ability.
It honors the unique drive they have for going the distance, understanding the needs, and rising to the occasion of, supplying the care/training for their entrusted Horse(s).

There are not many rules with this award...JUST :

1) that the person who is given this award, give it to only one person.

2) link back to this post, so they may have an understanding to its true nature. ( Intrepid Riders Faction Blog Post )

3) You can choose either the style at the top of this post or the one below:

Of course, there are many bloggers I can think of who are deserving of this award:

• There are those who rescue horses and care for them the rest of their lives.

• There are those who adopt wild mustangs and train them, then don't want to let them go once they go to auction during the Wild Mustang Makeover.

• There are those who see a horse in need and have to persuade the neglectful owner to release the horse into their care.

• There are those who marry someone on the other side of the world, and ship their horse there to keep it in the family.

• There are those who own horses with severe injuries, and who devote all their time and money into rehabilitating the horse.

• There are those who raise money for horse rescue organizations and educate the public on hoof care.

Who to choose? Who to choose? Well, if you fit any of the descriptions above, you know I thought of you, and you definitely deserve this award. I know it will reach you somewhere down the road. However, I can only choose one person, and I settled on Reddunappy of There is a Horse in my Bubblebath. Here is what she writes in her profile:

We are here in beautiful SW Washington State. My mom got her first horse when I was 2, I got my first pony when I was 5, I did 4-H, and enjoyed growing up with horses. I worked at a feed store for 8 years. Was tack buyer and cashier. Was able to give my girls horses at a young age and have done 4-H with them for 13 years. We have three kids, John, 24; Sara, 23; and Meghan, soon to be (sigh) 18. I read everything horsey I can get my hands on. In 2002 I was hit head on by a drunk driver, recovered from that and most recently in March '08 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, successful surgery and radiation treatment, still recovering, but I am riding again, and enjoying my horses even more! We have three. 9 yr old appy mare, 20 yr old QH/Morgan mare, and a 24 yr old reg. QH mare.

We all know that with the cost of health care being what it is even with the best health insurance on earth, it would be hard for most of us to hang onto our horses with all those medical bills. It is clear that Reddunappy loves and is devoted to her horses and her children, who are now adults. Her joy comes through in all of her posts. She reminds me to take the time to enjoy life. I don't think that anyone would argue against me when I say that she is resolutely courageous. I'm sure that she deserves and will appreciate this award.

Venus and the Moon

I took these pictures on March 1st, 2009, but left them in my Drafts queue and forgot to publish them until now. So, they are not an accurate assessment of how my skies look at night at this point in time.

I didn't ride my horses this weekend since their mouths were sore from their teeth floats. I did groom and lunge them for exercise, though. Standing in the center of the round pen chasing my horses' tails gave me some time to reflect.

I've been perusing what's up for sale on Craig's List in my area, and was amazed by the number of Paint and Pinto horses being sold. I suspect that newcomers to horse ownership often pick flashy horses with interesting markings, or their kids pick out these pretty horses without really having any understanding of all that is involved in horse ownership. That's part of why I maintain this blog. I want to help others have a successful horse ownership experience, and I also want to be within a community of horse owners who can help me when I'm stuck.

People often talk about trading horses in order to get a horse more suitable for their needs. Though I understand that if you are switching riding disciplines you need a horse that has been trained in that discipline, I don't think I could ever sell any of my horses for any reason. I once tried to sell Lostine, but as the phone calls and emails started coming in I realized I couldn't do it. I didn't think anyone could take care of her as well as I can. I decided that all three of my horses are stuck with me for life.

There have been times when I've known that another horse would be more appropriate for my needs, but instead of changing the horse, I chose to change myself. I took equitation lessons to become a better rider. I read every horse training book and viewed every horse training video I could get my hands on. I started volunteering at horse shows and observing what others were doing. I started this blog to get a dialog going about how to solve problems that we all encounter with horses. Now I am in a position where I am shaping the horses I have into what I need them to be, as opposed to selling them and looking for a horse that someone else has trained to do what I want it to do.

I know that each person has a different amount of time to spare, so I'm not saying that everyone should do it my way, but I am saying that I have grown as a person because of the efforts I've made to take the longer route to meeting my needs as a horse enthusiast. The entire time that I have been training my horses, they have been training me. I can say that I like myself more now than the person I use to be when I began this journey of horse ownership.

Sunday Stills: Religion

This week's Sunday Stills Challenge is religion. Since most of the churches in my area operate out of small square business units, I thought I'd pull some old photos out of my archive. These are from my visit to the Santa Barbara Mission in California in the spring of 2008. The indoor shots are dark, because flash photography was not allowed, and I've never been good about taking the time to figure out how to set up the camera to hold the lens open longer. I suppose I should learn that if I'm going to be participating in photography challenges.

Results from the Spring Check-Up

This morning the horses had a 9:00 AM ranch call that I set up for them about six weeks ago. You have to book Saturday appointments way in advance. The receptionist said she would call me if the vet could not keep the appointment, and she never called me. So, while I was waiting for the vet to arrive, I managed to clean up the rest of manure, scrub out all the water troughs, and refill them. I checked my watch and it was 9:15. The vet was late.

I went out front to water the pasture and do a few other odd jobs around the property, checked my watch, and it was 9:30. I went inside the house a couple of times to see if anyone had called to say the vet would be late. Nothing. Then I started panicking. I have the bad luck of having receptionists set up appointments for me, but then they forget to record it in their own books. I didn't want to have to wait another six weeks for another Saturday appointment if they screwed up. I called the veterinary clinic, and apparently it was the receptionist's day off, because only their answering service was picking up. I explained the situation, and asked the answering service if they can contact someone to check their books to see if I do indeed have a 9:00 AM appointment.

They connected me with another doctor, who sounded as if I had roused her out of bed, and she checked her books, then called the doctor who was supposed to be at my house. He called me a few minutes later and said that he got hung up looking at his neighbor's horse and was on his way. A few minutes later he arrived at my place and explained that since he lives in a horse neighborhood and everyone knows he's a vet, they just walk over to his house and knock on his door when they have problems. I expressed my irritation over people who take advantage of their neighbors in that way. I've had this appointment set up for six weeks, and everyone knows how I have no spare time to be waiting around. It's one thing if the vet is on an emergency call and it takes precedence over my health maintenance appointment. It's another thing if someone just needs his neighbor to take a looksy at his horse because he seems like he's under the weather.

Anyway, all three horses got a 5-way shot, their West Nile Virus vaccination, and a teeth float. Bombay had some sharp points and hooks, Gabbrielle had some sharp points, but no wolf teeth, and Lostine still has her wave mouth, but it's being managed. The doc took a look at Bombay's cut on his leg. He said it's nothing to worry about, but it did cut a vein, which is why it took so long to stop bleeding.

Bombay was so cute this morning. I knew he would have torn the bandage off during the night, because he just can't resist toying with things. Sure enough, I walked into his stall and found that he had neatly placed the hot pink bandage in a pile right where he stores his manure. He pointed to it with his nose, and then looked at me, then pointed at it again, and looked at me. It was like he was asking me to please take that garbage away.

I had the vet watch Gabbrielle walk, and he wasn't concerned about the wobbly legs. He felt that size-wise and age-wise, she's ready to be ridden. He just told me not to ride her up and down hills yet. So, once her mouth is past being sore from the teeth float, I can get serious about starting her under saddle. Good news all around.

Thwarted Again

In my post Crying Over Spilt Water, which I just posted today after my miserable efforts to get a lunch break, I talked about how I set out to shovel some manure and ended up dealing with a tipped over water trough and mangled de-icer instead. So, come 5:00 PM I left my desk to attempt to clean up manure again, and walked outside to find this...

Mama, me got bloody nose.

No, Bombay actually had a bloody leg and was pointing it out to me with his nose.

I sighed, put down my fork, and said, "Let's go take care of that." Bombay plodded behind me and followed me out the gate with his head hung low. He's had so many cuts on his legs through the years that he knows the routine. I filled up a bucket with warm water, grabbed the soap and Betadine solution.

Then I found some old Vet Wrap. Isn't it supposed to stick to itself? Well, old Vet Wrap doesn't stick to itself, so I had to break out the duct tape too.

It turned out to be a small cut, but it wouldn't stop bleeding. I know there's nothing in the paddock that he could cut himself on, so I suspect Miss Gabbrielle must be the guilty party. She's going into heat, and Bombay has been pestering her. Her response is to back into him and buck. I've been hollering at her each time I catch her doing that. Bombay gets chastised too for starting it.

What do you think of your pink bandage, Bombay?

Guess how long that dressing stayed on? A grand total of ten minutes! I caught him tearing at it with his teeth, and hollered at him. He walked up to me and stood still, so that I could wrap it up again.

I shoveled as much manure as I could, but still have a ways to go before my paddock is presentable. I guess I'll be waking up extra early tomorrow to finish the job.

Crying Over Spilt Water

I've been working long hours including evenings, weekends and holidays due to a project deadline that came and went on Wednesday. I thought I was done with it and could get caught up on the rest of my task list, but it looks like we have more work to do. I have been so busy, mostly sitting in phone conferences hour after hour, that I cannot even get outside to check on my horses.

Throughout the week I've been unable to clean stalls and clean the paddock like I usually do on a daily basis. All this manure has been piling up, and I've got the vet coming out tomorrow. I don't want him to get the impression that I'm not taking care of my horses on a regular basis, so I have to get the mess cleaned up. Also, I've been noting that the water troughs have been getting low, but have never been able to address the problem because I have a meeting in two minutes, or the phone is ringing, or the oven is buzzing, or whatever.

Anyway, I got stuck in a meeting all morning and given a task to do immediately following the meeting. While I was doing the task, over what was supposed to be my lunch break, people kept giving me other tasks that needed to be done right away. Finally, I said, "No more. I'm taking a lunch break."

So, I walked outside to clean up some manure only to find three horses standing over the outdoor water trough, which was tipped over, dry as a bone, and the de-icer had been ripped out and mangled while it was still plugged in! That could have seriously shocked my horses. I was so angry, but not at the horses. They were just thirsty. I was angry with my employer for not giving me any breaks for two weeks straight and still asking for more. Now I am out $80 for a new de-icer.

I got half the paddock cleaned and filled up a fresh water trough, but I still have to clean the stalls and the other half of the paddock. Then I have to groom all the horses since they've been lying in all that poop. I feel like such a rotten horse mom right now, but without my job, I couldn't take care of the horses at all. I just need to make my employer understand that I have responsibilities at home to living beings and their lives depend on me.

P.S. While venting my gripe, a bunch of instant messages, emails, and phone calls came in for me while I had myself marked as "AWAY" for my lunch break. I ignored all of them since they were ignoring the fact that I was on my lunch break. That's the only way I can teach people to respect my free time. Now I have to get back to work and respond to everyone. I'm sure I'll be working well into the evening and weekend again. I've got two week's worth of work that was supposed to be done yesterday.

My Commute

Here's a post that is a departure from my usual horsey news. When I drive my hour commute between my home and office, this is what I see:

I know, I'm spoiled. Most people look forward to their vacation all year to come here, and I get to work here.

This is Lake Tahoe on a stormy day. Most of the snow had almost melted, and then this storm came in and now we have snow all the way down on the valley floors again. However, we are expecting temperatures in the 70's this weekend and the 80's come Monday, so it all should melt soon.

They are closing down the highway I take to get to work for construction during the month of May. The only two other routes I can take increase my commute to 2 hours one-way. That's a grand total of 4 hours on the road, and most likely 8 to 10 hours in the office. I'm really looking forward to that. (Can you hear my seething sarcasm?)

This is my break room when I am at the office...

I take a catnap in the backseat of my truck and stare up at the towering pine trees while waiting for my brain to shut down enough to sleep. I used to spend my break taking a walk for exercise, but lately I've been working pretty much every waking moment on weekdays, and several hours on the weekends. The only thing that keeps me going is sleep, so I keep a pillow in my truck. I am currently accepting donations of blankets, bottled water, and snuggly stuffed animals... preferrably guinea pigs, bunnies, and horses.

Hanging Out

One of my favorite, most relaxing activities involves letting the horses out to graze on the RV lane. Here they can help me weed and clean up any dregs of hay that would otherwise blow away.

I like to sit in my patio chair and listen to the munch, munch, munch of horses in bliss.

They know the rule is that as soon as someone tries to snatch off the haystack, they all have to go back into the paddock. So, they politely eat the loose hay, because they have learned that they can stay out longer if they avoid the stack.

Open Wide and Say Neigh

I had a spare 20 minutes this weekend, so I thought I'd spend it trying to get my 4-year-old filly to accept the bit. She's been wearing the bit for over a year now, but recently developed resistence to having me put it in her mouth.

It's a single-jointed D-ring snaffle with a copper bar. There are no places where it pinches her, but she must have had a bad experience with it at some point to decide that she'd rather throw her head around than to hold still and allow me to open her mouth by slipping my thumb in the corner of her lips.

The tactic I used this time was to remove the bridle from near her face each time she dropped her head, since raising her head out of reach was the main reason why I couldn't get the bridle on. She caught on quickly and instantly dropped her head each time I brought the bridle near her face, which resulted in my taking it away from her face.

However, at some point I had to actually get it on, which took some trickery, but we did work together to get it on. I was so happy about getting it on her that I forgot that dinner was going to be ready soon, and I started ground drving her in the bit. My husband had to come outside and warn me that dinner would be ready soon. She got the world's shortest driving lesson, got that bit out of her mouth and that bridle off her head in record time.

My trainer taught me to adjust the bridle so that the bit creates one or two wrinkles in the corner of the horse's mouth. I prefer more like flush with no wrinkles or only one wrinkle. Looking at these pictures, I think I'm going to loosen the fit a notch. For those who use bits, what are your rules when it comes to adjusting a bridle?

Trimming the Fetlock Feathers

One of this things I did sometime in the past weeks was to shave off the feathers from each of my horses' fetlocks. I have always liked that extra hair hanging off the back of their ankles. It looked pretty to me. Once my neighbor tried to trim Bombay's fetlocks and he had a fit when she brought that vibrating clipper down to his feet. I was afraid she was going to get hurt, so I stopped her and said I liked that feathers and didn't want her to cut them off. She's really big on grooming since her breeding business depends on how well her horses do in shows. You have to clean them up really well to make them shine.

She's always teasing me by telling me that if she got a hold of Bombay he wouldn't look like a goat anymore. I let hair grow all over his face to keep him warm during the winter months, but he does look like a goat with that beard hanging from his jowels. Since the weather warmed up, I did finally shave everyone's beards and decided to do their fetlocks for the sake of cleanliness. That way they won't get mud and ice stuck in those feathers.

Anyway, now that the feathers are gone, I'm kind of liking the way their legs look.

Flirting with Llamas & The Ghostly Gate

Bombay has been seriously bored, trying to bounce jolly balls off his sister's butt, so I decided he was my priority for riding today. First, we rode inside the round pen, then outside the round pen, and then my neighbor invited me over to ride at her place despite it being Easter Sunday. I'm always glad to take her up on such offers since there is so much more room to ride on her property.

At one end of her back paddock there was this aluminum gate that kept opening and closing each time we would pass by it despite there being no wind. I guess the mere movement of Bombay's hooves on the ground was enough to swing it back and forth, but it was quite eerie. It made a creepy creaking sound and sometimes even screamed. I was more fascinated than anything, and Bombay totally ignored it.

Then Bombay balked when he spotted a white llama with a black tail that had left its pasture to come part way up the hill to greet him. The llama was flicking its ears here and there, trying to communicate with my horse, who just stared back. I said, "Come on, Bombay. She's flirting with you. Flick your ears or something. Don't be such a dead fish."

The llama laid down in some sand and rolled back and forth. Bombay kept an eye and ear in her direction at all times, but also kept working. In two corners of the arena were loose plastic bags, which he handled well. On one end of the arena was a barking dog, which he ignored. We also encountered my neighbor's loose dog in the street, and he ignored that. He did really well paying attention to his surroundings without freaking out over them.

I even tied him to the fence and left him alone with what was now two llamas who wanted to flirt with him while I talked to my neighbor about Lostine's latest granddaughter. Bombay called out to me, begging me to come back, but eventually settled down. When it was time to leave, I had a choice of walking him through two sprinklers or around his nemesis -- the scary upside-down lawn chairs. I wasn't in the mood to get wet, so I opted for the lawn chairs.

It was tight, because we had to squeeze between a tree and the chairs, and I didn't want him walking behind me because I knew he'd try running over me. I turned him toward the chairs, got myself between the tree and chairs first, and then called him over. He definitely walked faster, but didn't run. He spotted another neighbor in her back yard and alerted on her, but didn't balk. When I got him closer to her house, he jumped backwards. I looked to see that he had spotted another neighbor crouched down tying his shoes. We said hello, and Bombay got over it quickly. That was his only outright spook of the day, and it was a small one. I think all this desensitization is working.

Sunday Stills: Something Red

Look what the Easter bunny bought to help out GM and the economy!

With what's happening in the world today, we've been unsure whether to hunker down financially out of the expectation that one or both of us will lose our jobs, or whether to think positive and try to help out the economy while we both do have jobs.

As the family accountant, I worked hard to pay off all our vehicles and credit cards before we had to start paying off my daughter's college loan. I had no intention of getting another vehicle, but then I drove my husband's old Chrysler and realized that it was on its last leg. There was no way we were going to make it beyond another 7 years of college loans without buying a new car, unless we planned to hoof it everywhere. We live in the boonies where there is no public transportation. I suppose that's what horses are for, right?

Anyway, my husband works hard and deserves something for his efforts. I began searching the Internet for deals on slightly used luxury cars with all-wheel drive for our rugged winters. It seemed that all the good stuff was in California. Despite the recession and GM's troubles, it was hard to find some of these "good deals" that you read about in the rest of the country. However, I did find this beauty, which was the last 2008 Caddie on the lot. Our local dealer wanted to get rid of it at a huge discount. We can't afford a Cadillac, but we can afford one at a huge discount.

...And BONUS! My daughter called today to tell us that she got a job being a Community Assistant in the dorms at her college next year, which means free room and board! Now we can use what we would have paid for that and put it into the payments for this big red beast. It pays to think positive.

Happy Easter!

Time for a New Salt Lick

You know that when your horse digs a hole to China with her hoof and then starts licking a rock, she's in need of a new block of salt.


When she tired of licking the rock, she started licking the barn.

Then she licked the air.

Once she walked away, Gabbrielle started in on the rock while Bombay waited in line.

Horsey see, horsey do.