New perspective

Hi folks, thanks for all your words of encourgement! I am happy to tell you I have a new perspective today and had a very encouraging lesson yesterday. Today I can barely move, I am so sore everywhere now I know how Harley feels! I did some soul searching and talked with a good friend and we were able to put alot of things in perspective for me. I think it all boils down to the fact that I carry to much guilt around, probably enough for the whole state here. I let all the outside stuff get in my head and then I cannot concentrate on the task at hand, which was my riding. True the new saddle threw me as well but I think I tend to over analyze everything anyway. Being a mom , wife and employee I want to give everything my undivided attention and feel guilty if I let someone down. Thing is I never stop to think about me and my needs. This week I had to much stuff going on around me to distract me, the truck broke down again and therefore my husband is out of work which makes him unbearable. My appointment for my throat was cancled again until April 9th now and the not knowing of that is torture, and several other little inconviences. Fact is thou these things are always going to happen and I need to find a way to file them away when it is my turn to learn. Easier said then done but I am going to work on it.

Yesterday I came clean with Mike my trainer and he also was supportive and told me to just live in the moment when with Harley. That is after all how horses function, they are not thinking ahead to feed time or behind at what they did last night. So when I saddled up in the new saddle which by the way I LOVE, I had the right frame of mind. We fixed the stirrup leathers and that gave me more confindence and Mike explained at great length the how's and why's of leg position and hands which helped me help Harley. I need lots of work on my hands which are to quick and more trust that Harley isn't going to sling me off. I practiced spins and WOW! my little horse can burn a hole in the ground! I need more help there to but I came away feeling much better about my abilities and my relationship with Harley. My goal is to go and ride at least three days a week and hopefully that will get me going again.

I think the folks interested in Tank are going to try him for a week and do a trial run. I really want him to fit where he is going and be happy. I will keep you posted.
Happy trails.....

Boot Camp update

I have been remiss at keeping you informed of the boot camp adventures.
I have visited twice this week and am happy to tell you Harley is already fit and doing so well. Me on the other hand am as rusty as an aged nail in the rain..... Today I took a lesson on Harley and it was a disaster by my standards. First Brent rode him and showed me his progress and I was ....stunned yes that is the word I am looking for. He was spinning beautifully with his hind foot planted and his head straight and level.
He still needs work on his stops, but is coming along nicely. Then came my turn, I decided to ride in a different saddle as mine is not fitting Harley well. The stirrups were to long and no more holes so I made due, mistake! It is a cutting saddle with flat seat and I am used to my reining seat, whole new perspective with balance here. I tried taking things slow and trotting circles, apparently I am too heavy on my hands and this aggravated Harley causing him to speed up, dart from side to side and sling his head. I'm like, what the hey??? I just saw this horse perform beautifully for Brent. It only got worse and I just got discouraged and am sad to tell you I quit. Now I am mad at myself for quitting and pretty much ruined the rest of my day. I don't know why I am beating myself up, I haven't ridden seriously since last September and Harley is a little quirky to ride anyway. The new saddle and lack of stirrups didn't help so I am cutting myself some slack and tomorrow is another day, better I hope! Harley's galls have healed and today he got a bath to wash off all that yucky sweat and grime.

Onto Tank news.... I have a family interested in adopting him and I am considering letting them try him for a weekend. I am anguished at the thought of parting with him yet I know he needs more attention then I give him. I am investigating them pretty hard and I want them to know I care about him and will be picky, picky, picky about who and where he goes. We will see how that works out.

Finally some warm weather although the rain can go somewhere they need it, we need floats around here. Hope you all are getting spring fever and getting out there more with the ponies!
Happy trails....

Back in the saddle again...

Well kids I am back in the saddle again..... and I am sore. I visited Harley twice this week and he is making great progress. I watched them ride him on Thursday and today I took a spin. He looks like a little wet rat, all that dang winter hair he refuses to shed is curled up making him look like a curly horse. They have been riding him hard everyday and tomorrow will be his first day off. Already he is sitting down and sliding without shoes and much better in his turnarounds. I was disappointed to see that he was galled from the girth on one side. I know with all the hair it is inevitable, I galled him last November trail riding. They are taking good care of him though and had special cream used on human burn victims that they dressed him with. I rode for an hour today and he tried his usual tactics of squirting out from under me to see if he could scare me.
Mike had me work him harder when he tried this and it seemed to help.
I know he is just trying me and I have to ride a little more aggressively than I am used to. I got to try two saddles on him today, a Dick Pieper and a Billy Cook Cutter. My saddle is a crates and I love it but it just does not fit Harley well, it rolls since he has little to no wither. I really liked the Billy Cook and am going to ride it some more next visit. Harley gets beginner slider plates this week, interested to see his stops after that! We have a long way to go but I feel like we are making good progress so far. Tank has adjusted to life alone here and the grass is coming in strong with the warmer weather and rain. Till next time........
Happy trails

Spring is Here!

Spring has sprung! How do I know you ask. Well for one thing, my daffodils and tulips have emerged from their winter hiding mulch. But the real evidence is the monsoon rain we are getting and of course the warmer weather. We have had two inches so far today and it is supposed to rain all night and most of tomorrow. I am also invaded by the lady bugs from Hell! As soon as the temperature outside reaches 50 degrees, it is fair game for the invasion to start. I think they hibernate in the window casings or the wood floors all winter. The house is brick so they are not in the walls, even the inner walls are brick here. Living in this old house we are accustomed to them but my relatives are not. It brings to mind a visit from my sister and her family a few Thanksgivings back.

My sister her husband and two kids, Tiffany who was 14 then and William who was 9 came north from Miami to visit us here in the woods. First the kids thought we lived in the middle of nowhere, which is partly true it is somewhere just not near anywhere cool by kid standards. They thought maybe the house might be creepy being it is 135 plus years old and perhaps haunted. It is neither I can assure you. Anyway it was fairly warm the first part of the trip and the lady's came out in force, every cabinet you open every warm bathroom, well you get the idea. Tiffany thought they were absolutely disgusting and I bet she was texting all her friends down south just how backwoods this place was. Despite the bugs we did get some snow before they left, which delighted all of us and made for some great pictures for them.

On another note, I am not feeling so bad about Harley being stuck inside at boot camp since he would be contained here as well this week. Tank is handling the solitary OK, and his face is no longer looking like a watermelon. I hope to swing by and see Harley tomorrow on my way back from work, I am sure he is getting quite the workout these days.
I am diligently dropping pounds and working out to get my self fit for the season as well so he isn't the only one in boot camp!
Happy trails.....

Fade into......good

Hi All, sorry to keep you in suspense this week it was another trying one.
Besides Tank and his issue , wee one decided to get the stomach virus thing complete with projectile vomiting. FUN....

After several calls and consults with my vet he made it out Friday night and Tank has ulcers in his mouth from sharp tooth that turn to cellulitis.
His jaw is mighty swollen and actually abscessed and ruptured out the back of his throat, Gross to say the least. Unfortunately my vet also had the stomach thing and Friday was the earliest he could possibly make it.
After tranquilizing Tank twice, (tells you how painful it was) we were able to power float his teeth and hopefully fix it. He gave him a whooper shot of antibiotic and now we hope for a quick recovery. On the bright side he thought he looked great and said his teeth are in remarkable shape for his age, and that he should live forever! grin.....

I had Harley's teeth done as well and got him a good check up and all his vaccines and such before his boot camp departure. He was in good shape and just needed a little seat put on his teeth for the bit. After the visit my poor vet got his truck stuck in the mud here and then we promptly got our truck stuck trying to rescue him, four wheel high and all! So..... off to the neighbors to borrow a tractor to get us all out. Have I mentioned how much I love winter here??

Today I managed to get the horse trailer out without getting stuck by the grace of God I am sure. I am proud to say Harley has finally made it down to boot camp. He looked so surprised when I put him in that unfamiliar stall. His training starts tomorrow! Tank is crying his big ole head off out there and pacing the fence. Tomorrow , if it doesn't rain again.... I am going to make him a new little temporary paddock that actually has grass and turn him out in it to rest my pasture for a month.
Things are looking up folks I can feel it! This week is the scope and hopefully that will turn up good as well, fingers crossed . Thanks for listening as always.... Happy trails!

When it rains.......it pours

OK, my life is taking on the version of a bad country song here lately.
What gives??? Thanks for the encouragement on the throat issue, I have no doubt it will work out just the way God planned it to. I have had issues previously with it and had polyps removed and yada yada yada . I am not in a panic state or anything, just day by day and not looking forward to being scoped again! For those of you unfamiliar with it, they must go up your nose and down your throat with oh something the size of a pencil.
Not fun.....

Besides this fun, Tank is off again. Not sure what is going on here, he is just lethargic and not very interested in food and just seems off. I am not getting good vibes so I called the vet for a consult, better safe then sorry .
I am especially concerned because Harley is to leave Saturday and I am worried the added stress of being left behind may worsen it. I can always borrow a pal horse to keep him company but again new friend stress may be worse. Decisions , decisions.........

On another note of some positive here, the sun is shining on all my fresh mud and makes me happy. I also want to put this out there for thought for you. I have a friend with a Thoroughbred gelding that broke his hind leg last may. She had the leg operated on and pinned and he has made a great recovery, she is starting to ride him lightly and he should be trail or lightly ridden sound. The problem is she bought him to three day event and jumping is not in his future. She has since purchased another horse and would love to find "Eddie" a new home. He is not your typical Thoroughbred, he is quiet on trails and is a real lover. I think he is about 12 years old and bay with white star. He is current on all his shots and such. I think she is willing to give him to a good home. Reply to me if you are interested or know someone who is. I know the rescues are full and people are bailing out on horses and it may be hard to place him, but she just wants him to have a decent home with some more attention. She has two small children and two other horses as well. Thanks for all the encouragement and I will keep you posted on our progress here.
Happy trails......

I'm still here

Hi friends, yes I am still here and well. The last week has been a challenge weather wise and life wise. I got some not so good news about the throat issue, seems I must have the dang scope again. The doc is narrowing it down to tumors or cancer, what a great outlook. I am not buying into it quite yet so life is going on. I am taking Harley to the trainers this weekend come snow or high water! He is quite the little mud ball again and it will be a challenge to make him presentable for public viewing. Good thing he is a ranch horse! Today he followed me up and down the fence as I was doing some trough filling and minor fence repairs, I think he misses riding and our time together. It is going to be hard to get there to ride him regularly with the trainer being an hour south of me but I am definitely going to go the extra mile. My oldest son who will be five in May has begun to take an interest in Tank and I am encouraging it all I can. The old man is so grateful to have the attention and Carson is learning how to groom him, well... his legs since that is all he can reach. I love seeing them together, Tank is so patient and careful which is just what timid Carson needs. Not sure if I related but Harley bit or rather nailed Carson in the back last winter and scared the be jeez out of him. Totally unprovoked and had me questioning if I wanted to keep him around after that. We have all learned that anything below Harley's mouth is fair game, dogs, chickens and small people. We are working with a flag at warning him to back off when waved but the little folk are not the greatest at timing just yet so we are vigilant in watching him around the kids. Starting to think about a trip in the near future I am getting spring fever bad! A few days of 40's and you'd think I was back in Florida. Here's looking ahead....

And now a word from the Queen......

Of our house of course.....Meet Betty queen of camp swampy here. Er

I should call it swamp snowy today.. we are in a blizzard warning here.

We have nine inches of snow since yesterday and still going.......... the wind is howling and it is just miserable out there. Betty informed me that I failed to properly introduce her so I am turning the blog over to her today and she will inform you of the goings on around here.

Hello, let's get one thing straight here I may be little at 11 inches tall and 10 pounds but I am the queen of this house! I am a rough coat Jack Russell Terror and yes I can be a terror. I am 11 years old and am fed up with her not giving me my fair shake here in blog land. I sit patiently on that heat grate pictured at the top, watching her type away on her computer and never a mention of me. OK , once in an old picture with her horses. I have put up with alot around here, first these two spawn invading my once quiet house the rescue dogs being housed here as they show up and now a freaking cat! I have gone from front row when I traveled everywhere with them to the cute little dog down here. Oh I know she still adores me and all but she could chronicle some of my happenings once in a while... Like the time I got lost for nine days, or how bout when I fell through the ice on the pond and scared the be jeez out of her. She is trapped in the house complaining about the snow today and the fact that she can't take her beloved Harley down to the trainers again.
I can't say I like this snow either but dad did shovel me a path to get my business done in. We have seen some robins around so maybe spring is coming. Thanks for hearing me out today , happy blogging from paw ville.

Better days ahead

Well here's looking to better days ahead, this one was a bust. Nothing earth shattering just a bunch of disappointments and general crap going the wrong direction. It started with the usual thirteen wake up calls from wee one starting at 11:30 last evening right up to 4:30 this morning. Then I discovered upon first light that two fence post decided rot at the base and fall over in yesterday's torrential rain and wind. The horses have been cooped up for two days so it was necessary to go out and fix the fence in the 20 degree weather first thing. I won't bore you with the rest of the day's events as they are not worth writing about. The trailer shopping didn't go well either yesterday. Even though I called and asked all the questions necessary before going to look and was assured that indeed it was the size listed it was not what I was looking for. You see I am not that glitter and glam girl, I don't want a fancy slide out, carpeted

and all the goodies trailer. I like my stock with the exception that 1. it does not have a tack compartment and 2. the dressing room although nicely finished is not big enough for my family of four to sleep in. I really want my boys to start going to my shows and to camp with me so thus the need for bigger digs up front. I'm not in a hurry so I will just keep shopping around and I am sure I can find something in time.

thoughts running amuck

So last night, well actually early this morning around the tune of 2:30 am I couldn't get back to sleep after being awoken by my wee one for the umpteenth time I found my head filled with random thoughts. I should have just gotten up and started typing but instead laid there thinking all this stuff over and around. Some of the things I was pondering were small in the scheme of things and others had more merit to them. The first one is a bigger one that is evidently on my mind more than once a day. As the day nears for Harley to go off to the trainer's barn, I am nervous about it. I have never relinquished my horse to anyone for training and although I have ridden with them for over a year and trust them I still find myself worrying about it. OK, worrying is a strong word to use maybe concerned is a better choice. The thing that concerns me most is that Harley won't be getting time outside in a paddock to play. I usually keep my horses out as much as possible and let them be horses.
Harley enjoys his days outside playing and creating havoc on Tank. I know he is going to be ridden 5-6 days a week and harder than I usually ride him so exercise is not my concern. I just think he may be bored the rest of the time cooped up in a stall not seeing the outside world. The facility is all enclosed in an indoor barn and arena. I am sure he will survive and I plan on visiting him as much as I can although I am banned from riding him for two weeks in the beginning I can take him out for walks weather permitting. Well enough on that, speaking of weather I am back to the crud of 32 and rain/snizzle today so that brings me to my next thought. I am considering getting a different horse trailer and it seems one that may do is at a lot just up the road from me so..........
what better thing to do on a cruddy day than go shopping! So I am off to horse trailer shop today.
Happy Trails...

Another day in paradise

Well folks I didn't make it to the rescue on Friday, my oldest came up with a strange hive pattern on his back and shoulders and a trip to preschool was necessary to retrieve him. Still not sure what set him off, checked for different foods, detergent and the likes but it is another of life's mysteries. He is none the worse for wear and tear I assure you.

Today I enjoyed a glorious day in paradise.... OK, I am stretching it here but I did have lots of horse time and rode Harley! I dug out the trailer and I do mean dug, lots of mud now that we are in the 40's and trailered him to a friend's house. My friend Tiffany has an indoor and a few more acres than me to ride on. Plus her dear hubby just brought her home a new/used trailer. Lucky girl.....honey are you reading this??? Heck I would settle for an outdoor arena at this point. But I digress......
Harley was an absolute gentleman, despite Tiffany having her jumps set up and two very large and colorful pinwheels in the arena. You see Tiffany is getting ready to three day event and is throwing everything at her horse to prepare him. Harley actually walked up to the pinwheel and nudged it, causing it to move and him to jump backwards! The footing is quite deep in the arena and Harley is much out of shape so I did not push to hard but he seemed to remember everything where we left off. After schooling we couldn't help but take a ride down by the creek in her hayfield, I think it did both Harley and I wonders to see something different than home. When I got back I turned Harley out into the abyss
of mud and watched him play. I never tire of watching my little horse, he is such a lover of life. He must have rolled six times covering every inch of himself in grey mud, but oh the joy in his expression. Tomorrow I am going to do it again and will worry about all that grooming I have to do to get the mud off, for now I am basking in the glow of happy horse love.
Happy trails indeed......