Emotions, self doubting and confusion

Let me start by saying I am not an overly emotional person, at least on the outside. I am not a crybaby and reality has whooped me in the head a plenty in my life. This week however, has been a rollercoaster. I find myself thinking to much, overanalyzing and second guessing my normal self. I am a take charge kinda girl and am proud of that fact , something my dear mom pressed into my soul at a very young age. The thing is, I have this problem with what to do with "Andy" the rescue dog. I have had him evaluated twice and have all the answers to my questions of his health issues yet I cannot come up with a solution for him. He is not a candidate for adoption because of his age and health issues. I am pretty sure he is in pain most of the day because he whines and stares at me with those beautiful eyes. It is hard for him to walk any distance without panting which is a sign of pain. I do not like playing God and putting animals down because I think it is the best thing. That said I also don't believe in letting them suffer for the persons selfish benefit. Unfortunately I have put several animals down for several reasons and believe me it does not get any easier EVER. I would like to think that I have given Andy lots of love and attention this past week and helped him best I could this doesn't help in my decision though. There is no rush here, just my wobbling thoughts of savior to sadist. With me returning to work this week time will become more of an issue as well. I keep praying for the answer and I believe it will come when the time is right. Till then
Andy and I will be buddies and struggle along together.

Tag ......I'm it

Thanks to fellow friend and blogger Shannon at Oh horse feathers I have been tagged to play the following game. I am always up for a challenge so her goes.

"7 things you did not know about me."

Well most people that know me, know I am an open book so this will require so serious consideration.

1. I am the biggest flirt .... Ever!

2. I have an inherent fear of walking on ice. (although I have done it)

3. I was married at 19 and still am to the same man after 21 years.
(do I get my medal soon??)

4. I have never backed down from a dare, so be careful what you ask me
to do.

5. I have an absolutely horrible temper, although it takes alot for people
to see it.

6. My biggest critic is myself, I cut myself no slack.

7. Finally..... I would do anything for anyone in need, but I have a hard
time asking for help from anyone.

There you have it. Some folks this will not be a surprise to and others may have learned a little more about me. NOW........ I am supposed to tag a few people to keep it going so I am tagging Kathy, Victoria, and Carol.
Lets see what I can learn about you ladies!
Happy trails....

I am renewed again

Oh the joy of riding!!! Today it is 40 glorious degrees and sunny and I have just finished a ride on Harley the wonder horse. He was good as gold! I think he was ready for a change of pace as well. It always amazes me how much better I feel when I ride. Forget the chocolate or sex, this is what makes me feel alive! Ok I do love the other two as well. After a week from hell, with Tank's wound, Andy's perilous condition and literally no sleep thanks to my bitty one "Stuart" I needed this day. Speaking of bitty one here is one of my favorites pictures of him in my boots. At two he is a handful and I must confess the apple did not fall far from the tree!

Onto Andy, he is coming around and showing some personality now.

I take him to the vet again tomorrow afternoon for some more test and that will determine what will be his ultimate placement. He is enjoying the warmer weather today outside. He isn't to sure of the horses and Harley of course is dying to come and play with him.
Here he is smiling for the camera.

Tank seems to be on the mend and is healing quite well. I was able to shave away the hair and get the wound completely cleaned out today.

Except for a small portion most of it is scabbing over and that is good.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend.

Happy trails

Andy and Tank update

I took Andy to the vet yesterday and got some bad news on his condition.
I guessed correctly and he has massive ear infections in both ears and could barely hear. The vet felt like it is something he has battled probably his whole life and most likely will continue to have trouble with. The trouble with his leg is common among Shepard's and is from the spine fusing in the hindquarter area. Despite the prognosis I was happy to determine he was not hit by a car as I suspected. Yesterday at the vet's office he looked up at me and I was filled with sadness that his eyes held. Anyone who knows me can tell you I am not the feignt of heart or a big crybaby , but this dog moved me to tears with his trust in me so soon. That said, he will not likely be a candidate for adoption because of his age, health and special needs. I am doing the required posting of him being found and the board of CARE is reviewing our options with him. I am not sure I could return him in good faith if indeed I found his owner. Rest assured if it comes to it, Andy will live out his life here on my farm if necessary.

On to Tank, my old friend. We seem to be making progress with the wound, at least it doesn't stink anymore. Despite my frostbitten fingers I continue to flush the wound twice daily. A good Friend of mine suggest putting the solution in a spray bottle instead of syringe, it worked quite well. He is still eating and drinking well and in spite of teenager Harley harassing him to joust and run he is handling it well. The weather is going to be relatively warm this weekend and I hope to be able to clip the hair away and do a better assessment of the situation. Till next time
Happy trails...

To the rescue again.......

Ok, this has nothing to do with horses but worth the time to share with you. Meet Andy my newest rescue dog.

He has been wandering my street for at least three days now dragging a hind leg. I tried luring him with food and tracked him best I could with my two small boys and the frigid weather. Today he collapsed on my driveway and I came to his rescue.

He was hungry , thirsty and very timid. I am happy to report he is inside with me and resting peaceful as you can see. I am taking him to the vet today at 4 to x ray and check him out. I am sure he has an ear infection and possibly a broken leg or hip displaysia. I desperately want to believe he got lost and someone is searching for him but looking at his condition I don't think so........

Anyway, I will keep you posted on his progress and if you could please say a little prayer for him.

Winter Wounds

As you know, I was away for a few days last weekend and discovered a few days ago Tank had cut himself while I was away. The wound is located under his jaw, it is a good one. I have no idea how he managed it of course, my place is about as horse proof as you could get. Somehow he managed to cut himself from where the curb chain would be up six inches and about an inch deep. It was well disguised by his winter woollies, the stench gave it away. I tried clipping the area to get a better view of what was going on, but with so much drainage and dried blood and the brutal cold my clippers were useless. After nearly freezing my fingers off, I did manage to clean the wound with warm salt water and determined it was too late for stitches. A call to the vet and lengthy discussions about it determined we will continue my flushing the wound and see how it progresses. On the bright side he seems to be unaffected by it and is eating and drinking well. Yet another reason I despise winter.
Happy trails........

Cowgirl in the city

Hello all, sorry for my absence to blogging this past week. I took a trip to the windy city of Chicago for an interview. The city lived up to it's name alright and it was down right frigid even without the wind. But alas, I survived and actually enjoyed myself and got the job! I truly am thankful I do not live in the city as the traffic was something I had not dealt with in quite sometime. I suppose I will be spending much more time in my car now that I am back to being a sales rep again. Actually, I am so looking forward to working again and the challenges it will bring. Please folks remind me of this in a few months time when I start griping about my job. Enough of that. On Harley news he was a real turd (not exactly what my husband called him but close) while I was away. He chose to play the turn and run away game when it was time to come in for the evening. His plan backfired on him, as my husband decided he could stay out in the 8 degree weather for the night while Tank came in. Luckily I put their blankets on before I left town. The next night he was and I quote "a perfect gentleman". He is nothing if not smart that little rascal. The trainer is not healing as well as expected from his broken leg so our training date has been pushed back to the 15th of February, hopefully. Judging by the amount of comments I have had 0n the horse abuse story, this is a common occurrence in more parts of the world than just mine. I am sorry to report that my state had another massive rescue this past weekend about an hour from my house involving 69 horses this time. Where will they all go ?? I am doing my part as usual and donating time and hay if I can find more locally. Frustrating to know this is probably just the beginning with the shortage of hay and the state of the economy. Thanks for listening and all your comments! As always ..
happy trails......

follow up to pay it forward

This is a follow up to my pay it forward blog from earlier this week.
Thanks everyone for participating. A special thanks to Shannon from
Ohhorsefeathers, because of you donating your prize I was able to buy
800lbs of hay for the local horse rescue here in town! Talk about paying it forward.

To Mikael, send your snail mail address to me privately and yours will be on the way.

To A, I cannot find your email online so please email me privately at Imaslider2@yahoo.com and give me your info so I can send your prize as well.

For anyone else who wants to do a pay it forward on their blog, I say go for it the world could use some more happiness.

Happy trails......

Jail time for chronic horse abuser

Ok, let me start by saying the justice system sucks for animals.

I usually don't get into the habit of blogging about animal cruelty and abuse since this blog is dedicated to happy things. But.....that being said I must share this news about a local shithead who finally got some of what is coming to him. I would personally like to give him what I feel is due him.

Some back round info for you and how it involved me personally.

I am in a rescue group for animals here in my home town, it is called Community Animal Rescue Effort or CARE for short. We primarily help small animals such as dogs and cats but we do not turn away anything we can help. You can see more on the organization at http://www.care.rescuegroups.org/ . In May of 2006 the local humane society was called out to a property with the complaint of dead and starving horses. They found four (later a fifth) dead horses laying in mud and removed nine others. Care was called for help with placing the horses in foster homes and any financial help we could muster. Several of our members are horse owners or lovers and of course we rallied and helped whatever way we could. I personally helped remove the horses with the aid of my stock trailer and my family paid to sponsor a mare (her feed and care) since we could not take her in. I am attaching pictures of the horses below. BE WARNED THESE ARE GRAPHIC IN NATURE AND SHOW DEAD HORSES AS WE FOUND THEM.

I am happy to report all the horses did recover and thanks to Indiana hooved humane society they will go on lead better lives. Shirley and Sam Smith are amazing dedicated people and my hats off to them.

The man accused of the abuse is no stranger to the courts, he was arrested before for failure to dispose of dead animals on his property in 1988. Basically he got probation and that was it. You can read the whole story on CARE'S website under horses; terry baxter.

The great news is that he was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Unfortunately all but 2.5 years were suspended. He also must serve 19 years on probation, 5 reporting and 14.5 non reporting. He had to forfeit the horses and pay some of the expenses for care of the horses. Sadly I don't think that is good enough but until the laws change, scum like this will continue to own and abuse animals.

Back in the saddle again....

Oh joy I am riding again!!! I did get to ride Harley on an unseasonably warm day this week. As with everything lately it was not without it's amount of dirty work. That actually is an understatement, really yucky dirty work is more like it. You see, we have been blessed with lots of rain as of late and my pasture she is amud pit. Harley also thinks he is a pig~
First thing he does upon release from that damned stall I keep him in overnight is run to the biggest nastiest mud hole he can find and lowers himself oh so gracefully into it and enjoys the leisure of a mud bath.
Hence, before I could actually ride I had to uncrust the little booger of all that wonderful dried up mud which was clinging to his beautiful winter shag coat. Thank God for miracle groom and shop vacs! Yes I said shop vac, Harley loves the dang thing. I use the little one and vacuum him at least twice a week, more when I am showing. But I regress....

About the ride. Harley knew something was up when I brought him in from the field at lunch time and gave me the knowing evil eye and serious head tilt when I haltered him up. After said decrusting , we saddled up and warmed up with a short trail ride back to my pond. Harley was nervous as the wind was up and playing with all the dried vegetation and you just know those bush boogers were waiting for him to pass so they could jump out and get him. I tried a little trick my trainer said to do when running patterns and Harley gets chargey, humming loudly. Yes it works, he puts his ears back to listen to me instead of letting his pea brain talk him into something else. After a bit he settled and we proceeded down a grass path to a small creek on the bean field behind me. I guess I was too enthralled at being in the saddle again and let my guard down to soon. It seems we spooked a small herd of deer in the woods next to the path and Harley got his chance at auditioning for a wild west show. What a show it was, complete with bucking and hopping and lots of spins to boot! I don't know who was more surprised that I stayed on Harley or me. After I stopped laughing hysterically and got my saddle back to the center position I decided to abort the trail ride and work him back at home. We had an uneventful time after that and ended on a good note. I am sore today from the acrobatic work out on him or was it that stupid spin class I did yesterday??

Pay it forward..

Ok, my blog friend Kathy at of horses and art had a little contest on her blog awhile back called pay it forward. The premise was to be the first three to comment on the blog and win a little prize. The catch was that of course you then must pay it forward. If you have not seen the movie with Helen Hunt then go rent it. The world could use more of these selfless acts of kindness. I haven't recieved my little prize just yet, but that is the beauty of it I am paying it forward.

Here's the pitch..... Be the first three to comment on my blog and I will pay you with a little prize from my new leather shop. Then of course you must pay it forward on your blog. Think of all the happiness we are spreading in the new year! Ready, set..... go!

Forging ahead

Being it is a new year and everyone is into new year's resolutions, I guess I will put mine into motion. Not that I specifically make them, but I guess putting them in print makes them kinda real. One thing I decided to do this year was start my leather crafting business seriously. I have dabbled and made some projects for family and myself, but I really am gonna make and sell my wares this year. With that in mind, I went on a cleaning streak yesterday and prepared myself a studio. We have a loft room in the back of the house upstairs that was good for collecting junk wherever it landed. I decided for winter this was a good place to have my little studio. The room has two big windows for light and a bathroom nearby so no reason I cannot spend my days happily tooling away. I still am in the process of finding a job as well so things look busy this year.
Harley has a little set back in going off to boot camp, looks like Feb 1st will be his time. One of the trainers had a horse fall on him and fracture his ankle, so I am waiting a bit on sending him. Today is in the 60's so I am going to take advantage of this rare day and go for a ride on Harley!
Happy trails......

Blanket blues..

What is it about horses and blankets. My two horses could not be more different in their blanket sizes or preference to wearing them. Harley simply loves wearing his blankie and practically dives into it when I approach his head with it. Tank on the other hand, merely tolerates the whole process of putting it on, and at an 84 inch body it is a process.
Harley is a whopping 69 inches long and low to the ground, whereas Tank is 84 inches long and 16 hands tall. I let my horses hair up good for winter and usually do not blanket unless it is below 20 or raining/snowing. I have noticed in this past year that Tank is not getting as much hair and is more susceptible to the inclement weather now. I reasoned that at 27 he deserved a proper turnout blanket for this winter.
I bought him a mid weight turnout from Schneider saddlery and I swear the dang thing must weigh 15lbs. Most days it is all I can do to get it over his high head and on him without breaking a sweat myself. Then I turn him out and he immediately rolls to try and dislodge the evil thing from his back, thus making it shift and hang off to one side. I have tried tightening every possible strap and yet he still manages to get it skewed before lunch time, resulting in me schlepping out into the pasture to fix it. Harley on the other hand is quite content to wear his turnout when necessary (like today at 10 with wind) and never have I seen it twisted or skewed around him and he is much more active than Tank. I was pondering this and I guess I can equate it to their different personalities.
Like my two boys , one hates to wear socks or shoes and the other always has something on his feet. Praying for the warm spell so I can put the blankets away. Happy trails....... and Happy New Year!