All Things Horses

Busy.Busy. Busy

2011-12-14T10:17:00.004-05:00

Hi Friends,

I call you all that because I feel you are my friends, you know the type of friend that doesn't hear from me in a while and when we do talk again it is like we never missed a beat.

I am again lamely apologizing for my absence from blogging I really am on my way back here regularly. I have been incredibly busy working at my new venture and lots of other stuff in between. Who knew I could cram so much stuff in to one day!

Take today for instance. This is how it has gone so far and keep in mind that it is 10:15am.

Wake at 5:45, make lunches for the wee ones, take out mountain of garbage to the curb, shower, make breakfast for wee ones, gobble bowl of oatmeal, drive wee ones to school, drop husband at airport in Lexington, stop by big lots and dollar tree to retrieve supplies for gift baskets, home to wrap gifts for family we adopted at the mission, assemble gift baskets for adults at mission, wrap presents that ups dropped off while I was wrapping others, sit down to print labels to ship eBay stuff i sold this week, blog quickly!

whew! yep that has been my morning. Now I am off to deliver presents to The Gathering Place mission here in my hometown and help sort donations that have come in this week. Then I will meet a friend for lunch, walk dogs and hopefully squish in time to go see frank for a bit.

I can't wait to share my new venture with you! I know I am keeping you in suspense but as you can see I am only able to work on it in the evenings after the boys go to sleep and most nights after an hour I am too pooped to do much.

I will tell you this, it is a website and it is about horses and it will be fun and great to read, search for info and comment on. Hoping to launch by first of the year at the latest.

Thanks for riding along......Happy Trails.

Plan B

2011-10-25T09:35:00.003-04:00

Hello friends!

If you have been reading along for some time, Thank you, you will understand this latest blog. If you are a new reader, Welcome!, I hope we become friends and you stay for a long while.

I told you some posts ago that I was ready for big changes in my world and was feeling restless, bored, unappreciated, etc. etc. Well I am happy to tell you after my sporadic posts and sometimes long absences from my blog that the time has come.

Last post I told you I moved Frank to a new barn, it was just the tip of the changes to come. The end of September I quit my job at USEF. I know what you are thinking, WHY? in an economy like this would anyone quit a job? Honestly, I hated it! I was literally dragging myself into work each day and hating every second of the day I was stuck there. I found myself daydreaming out the window and avoiding contact with anyone else working there. The work was boring and certainly not appreciated in the least bit by any of my supervisors. So, off I go into self employment again. I LOVE IT!

My pet sitting service is going along fine, I have some clients that I walk dogs for on a weekly basis while they are at work and my weekends are usually full. I have several barns that use my services when they are off to a show so I am happy with the results so far.

I just finished my last show secretary job for the year and am re-evaluating if that is something I want to do next year as well.

I have opened some booths at a local peddlers mall and I am really enjoying being creative with florals and wood burning again. I also garage sale shop for resale items.

But the best part of all this new found freedom is the ability to see Frank daily and ride! I have been riding his hide off!(Not really) but we have been logging some great saddle time. We have been exploring the 300 acres surrounding the farm and found some great long trotting hills and flat fields to lope about. I am heading there now to go enjoy a crisp fall morning of riding. I am considering dusting him off and returning to the show ring next year.

I have so much more to share with you but must get a move on. Next post I will do a recap of a trip to Mammoth Cave horse camp and tell you of my next venture which is of course horse related. For now I leave you with a parting shot of dirty Frankie from yesterday. I am hoping to find him in better shape this morning......

Happy trails.....

Frank's new digs

2011-09-08T10:58:00.003-04:00

Last post I told you that Frank was moving to a new place. I am happy to tell you that on the 1st we did indeed head on over to our new place. It is a much smaller barn and fewer horses on the property. Nothing fancy just a good, safe place where the owner truly cares about her clients and the horses. My new barn owner was very accommodating when I asked for a separate paddock for Frank because of his attachment issues. She even went so far as to move a horse around in the barn to give him the stall which sits off by itself so that he has no direct contact with a neighbor horse. I know this sounds kinda mean but the boy truly has issues with attaching to another horse and it makes my life really difficult. He has a direct view out of the barn and of course can see the horse across the aisle from him. His door even has an opening window which we do leave open so he can stick his precious head out for attention.

Here is a picture of his new place. I love the foliage surrounding the barn.

Frank's stall would be the first one on the right as you enter the barn. It is 10x10 and has mats and bedded heavy with grass hay. That is a new concept to me and I thought he would eat it rather than use it for bedding but it seems to be working fine. Since Frank has now joined the pregnant gelding club he is sequestered during the day and is turned out at night. He seems very happy!

A picture of the boy having a snack.

I had planned on a labor day ride but it was not meant to be. Frank pulled a shoe on Sunday evening and the rain from tropical storm Lee set in. It has rained every day since Sunday so far and been in the 60's for highs! I had the farrier out on Tuesday and we are all fixed up in the hoof department so anxiously awaiting a break in the weather so I can go ride. I am excited to check out the 300 acres available for me to go explore! Well friends as always thanks for riding along!

Happy Trails........

Moving on...

2011-08-17T15:35:00.003-04:00

So last post I eluded to some changes in Frank's living conditions. I will now dish the scoop.

Let me begin by saying that for those of you who don't know I used to own/operate a boarding stable in South Florida. I have also had the privilege of having my horses in my own back yard on my hobby farms. Two years ago we relocated to Kentucky and decided not to purchase another farm for economic and personal reasons (mostly I was exhausted from taking care of the farm). We now rent a lovely farm house on a Thoroughbred stud farm. It has one acre fenced off from the actual farm, yet I have a clear view of the daily happenings there. Being that I have lived in these situations I think that I am the best boarder there could ever be. I know far too well what goes on when you own a boarding stable. Somehow your personal space is no longer your personal space, regardless of how many contracts, signs and amenities you provide. I won't go into the horror stories of boarding horses here, i just wanted to give you insight into my back round and as to why I believe I am justified to consider myself a great boarder. That being said, it is with some in trepidation that I am moving the Frank tomorrow. I do like the barn he is at but there are some issues. I think I posted about the lack of a heated bucket this winter and me having to bring one while paying a premium for full board. Then there was the severe weight loss Frank endured until I started buying my own feed, still paying the premium full board price. When spring came around and I became insanely busy I thought Frank would benefit by being turned out 24/7, still I pay the premium full board price although no stall,shavings or care is being administered. Lately I find myself subconsciously not wanting to go and visit Frank for fear I will run into the owner. That sounds crass I know but I view my Frank time as a luxury and I don't want to share it with anyone most days. I just want to relax and spend what precious little time I have alone with him. I don't want to engage in chitty chat or have someone watch me school or ride him. So to make a long story short as I can, (you know me I am wordy) I am moving the boy to a new place tomorrow.

The new place does not have an indoor but has over 300 acres to ride on which excites me greatly! I will post some pictures later and update you on his new digs soon.

Happy trails......

Have you ever?

2011-08-15T13:58:00.002-04:00

Have you ever had so much to say but just did not know where to begin? Lately my mind is full of thoughts I want to share but I am always thinking of them at precisely the wrong time to write them down. I think it is the universe's way of telling me I am too busy. And busy I am! It has been a tough couple of month's but I know the end result will be worth the struggle I have gone through. Confused? Me too!

I started two new business's a few months ago. The pet sitting business and my antique booth business. I am the type of person who goes "All IN" when I do something so it sort of consumes me. I am happy to say that both business's are doing well and I was able to cut my hours at my "real" job. I will now be able to be home when my kiddo's step off the bus which makes me feel great about my number 1 job, MOM!

I think I mentioned a few posts ago that I have been doing some redecorating in my personal life as well. I have decided to rethink some of my personal relationships as of late. I am a giver and it seems some of my relationships are very one sided in that all I do is give and get taken advantage of. I am in a sense cleaning house within myself.

Big changes in the Frank world as well. Frank will soon be moving to a new location.
Now hold on, before you all think I am re-homing Frank it is simply not true. We are just going to move to another facility, and that is another blog entry in itself. So until then,

Happy trails......

The End of Summer....kinda

2011-08-09T13:19:00.005-04:00

This weekend we celebrated the end of summer at our house. True it is not officially the end of summer but for my kids who started school today this past weekend was it for them. To celebrate we took a much needed "stay cation" to my best friend Susan's house. Well actually we went to her Mom and Dad's house, who were away on vacation. The house is one of the oldest in the small town they live in and sits on roughly 600 acres of planted fields. The family used to raise hogs but has moved onto strictly crops of corn and soybeans now.

Being from a nomadic family myself i always wished I had a home to go back to on rainy days. I feel blessed that Susan considers me family and invited me and my family to come and stay at the farm with her.

Picture of the front of the house

So on Friday evening after the open house at school we packed up the two kids, two Jack Russell's and various suitcases and took off on the 2 hour drive to the farm.
It had been many a year since I had been there and never in the dark so I was a little apprehensive. I need not have worried it all came back to me and we arrived safely at 9:30pm. The kids were mighty excited to see their good friend Eliza and my dogs were happy to join the dog party of 5 already there. We spent the weekend exploring the farm, swimming in the pool and riding Susan's horses. I dare say it was the best stay cation I ever had!

I leave you with this parting shot of the kids at the pool. Although blurry I love it. It reminds of all those lost summers as a child.

Happy Trails.....

Hello Blogger Friends

2011-08-04T12:41:00.002-04:00

Hi fellow bloggers

First I must say to those of you still following my blog, thanks. I know I have been missing and I promised to be a better blogger, but I just can't seem to find a spare moment most days. Rest assured me and the Frank are still alive and kicking. Frank and well er me too have packed on a few pounds and we aren't riding as much as I would like but I do occasionally saddle up for some much needed therapy.

I am still working full time, for now. I am building the pet sitting business steadily and I have started a booth in an antique mall as of a month ago. I still show secretary once a month as well. No wonder I am tired.... Pare this with being the most awesome, fabulous mom ever and well.... yeah my kids will argue that point.
They have however, learned all about estate sales, yard sales and craigslist this summer. They will grown up to be pickers like me!

I have managed a few trail rides close to home at the reservoir by my house and made a few new horsey friends to hit the trail with. Frank has been good as gold as usual and really doesn't mind being the pasture pet. Truthfully the heat has been keeping me off him more than anything. Last night I did brave it and saddled up for a spin around the farm. You know it is hot when your arms are dripping when you are riding in a tank top. I was happy to see that Frank has forgotten nothing when I took him into the arena and put him through the paces of the show pony. I rewarded him with the show pony deluxe bubble bath and spa treatment, he almost fell asleep being pampered.

I am gonna try to leg him up into shape and perhaps try a few competitive trail rides with ACTHA this year. I should know better than to vocalize it because sure as I do something else will pop up.

Hope you are enjoying your ponies and your summer!

Happy Trails......

Late again....

2011-06-03T15:55:00.005-04:00

Cripes a month has gone by and I haven't blogged. So much for my good intentions....
Somehow I just don't have much to say these days.....
Really unlike me! I think I have figured it out. My horse is no longer in my backyard, I don't get to interact with him the way I used to. This makes for dull days around here, much of the same each day. Get up, make lunches, drag myself to work, do the same job, go home, do laundry, watch mindless, TV and go to bed. Repeat for the next four days. If I am lucky I can squish in a visit or two to see Frank.

Speaking of the little devil. Frank has had his share of troubles as of late. We as the rest of the country have been inundated with rain. Rain = soft feet and yes the dreaded abscess. Frank decided to get a particularly deep nasty abscess just a week before my scheduled annual cruise with the in laws. He was three legged for a week before the sucker popped the night before I was scheduled to leave. Luckily for me I have a darling barn owner who packed his foot and took care of him in my 10 day absence. I would love to tell you I had a lovely time in the tropics and in some ways I did, but I would have much rather spent a week in the woods with my boy.
I spend most of my days wishing for that lately. He is sound again so hoping to have a nice ride this weekend. It has been nearly a month since I have rode.

The pet sitting business has taken off and it won't be long before I can do that full time and be my own boss. I am sure that will help. I am entertaining the thought of letting a good friend lease Frank until the end of the year. We are working on some details and we shall see if it works. Not really wanting to sell him so maybe this will buy me some time until I figure out the finances once I am self employed.

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy trails.......

After the storm

2011-04-28T08:23:00.002-04:00

I suppose I am not alone out here when I say that as of late I have been inundated with Spring storms. We have had a week of flooding and tornado's. Luckily my family was not impacted by any of that just the inconvenience of being able to be outside without being drenched. My heart goes out to all the people who lost homes, businesses and yes even loved ones. Today was the first day in a week that I have seen the sun and boy was it a welcomed sight not just for me but because Rolex starts today! The course is bound to be muddy in spots for cross country but they do have two days to hopefully dry out. I will of course be wandering the venues and snapping some photos to share with you. There will be shopping of course! The best part is the Kentucky Reining cup will be held on Friday and Saturday nights of Rolex. Yes of course I have tickets for both nights and I am super excited about the freestyle on Saturday night. I will try and post some pictures for you tomorrow of the Dressage portion of Rolex which starts today. Until then....

Happy Trails........

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T12:01:00.003-04:00

Check out more wordless wednesday picturesHERE

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T08:23:00.006-04:00

Check out more wordless wednesday picturesHERE

New beginnings

2011-04-14T13:06:00.004-04:00

I have decided 2011 is a year of new beginnings for me. I just passed another birthday and with my birthday always comes a review of the year that passed and what I would change about it. Oh last year the list was long. How does one get in that predicament? I must confess I spent way too much of last year unhappy. I did have some outside forces that caused some of it but a lot of it was internal.

So I decided to make some changes for 2011 starting with happiness. Yes, I will strive for happiness this year. I decided a good place to start is by blogging as much as I can again. Yes, it is a challenge some days when work is piling up, laundry needs folding and kids are pulling me six different directions. I do feel much better when I put to words the things happening in my daily life, it is a way to release some of the stress that builds on me. So what else would make me happy?
More time with Frank. Not easy when working full time, hubby that travels five days a week and two young men with busy social schedules. I am striving to see Frank at least three days a week. I am very fortunate that my BO is great and turns him out daily. Another way I am finding my happiness is by doing something more fulfilling with my working life. I have a decent job and I am thankful for it, but it lacks any real brain power and is monotonous most days. I have decided to open my own business! I am starting a Equine and domestic pet sitting service. It is something I can start while still working my regular job and we will see where it leads. I have constructed a website and have gotten some vacation jobs already! I am excited to see where it will lead. You can visit it HERE. I am hoping to transition to it full time and have more outside time and not spend my days wanting to be outside and feeling useful. I have more ideas to add to it but taking baby steps for now.

Last but not least I am writing children's books as well. The books are a series about life lessons and of course Frank is the main character. The books are a reflection of what is occurring in my oldest son's life currently and the lessons we are learning from it. I have written two so far and I currently have someone doing the illustrations for me. I haven't decided if I will self publish or shop the books out to a publisher. Do any of you have experience with this?

Well another beautiful day outside today and I am counting down the hours until I get to go see Frank. Planning an outside field ride tonight.

Happy trails.....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T11:50:00.007-04:00

Scenes from the 4C

Check out more Wordless Wednesdays HERE

Weekend ride

2011-04-12T16:19:00.007-04:00

The weather on Sunday was just to good to pass up. The weather man was calling for low 80's and sunshine with 10-15 mph winds, count me in I am going riding I thought.
I called up my newest horse buddy Shanon and asked if she would like to go trail riding to the reservoir property with me and Frank. Shanon eagerly accepted and said she would trailer over to my barn Sunday morning and we would drive over together. True to her word Shanon arrived at 9 am right on time. I had my trailer hooked up and ready to go. Shanon unloaded her mount Candy Man a 20 year old Sabino Tennessee walker. I went and fetched Frank and after a short introduction loaded Frank into the trailer first and Candy followed right after.

The reservoir property is an old farm the county bought with plans to build a reservoir for the water supply of Scott county, to date nothing has been planned and the county allows hiking, hunting and horseback riding on the property. The property consists of about 300 acres and is a wonderful place to go and ride. There are wooded sections and open pastureland as well with many creek crossings. You can choose to ride challenging hills or just meander through gentle slopes. Best of all you can ride your horse barefoot there as there are few rocks on the trails.

The property is less than 10 minutes from my house and around 20 from the barn where I keep Frank. When we arrived there was not a soul in sight. We quickly saddled and headed out on our adventure. Since Candy Man had not been out in the woods for a few years there was some apprehension on Shanon's part. She need not have worried he was very happy to be out in the woods and was a good sport all day.

The boys saying hello to one another!

We did a short ride on the pasture land and then we headed back to the trailer for a lunch break. When we arrived at the trailer we found four more trailers had showed up and people were getting ready to ride. We took a short break and mounted up for part two of our day. We chose the opposite side of the road this time and did some hill climbing and found a beautiful path through the woods. I spotted a turkey hen running for cover off to my left, she was too quick for a picture I am afraid. We came upon an old road and followed it a bit and I snapped this picture of Shanon up ahead of me.

You can see the trees are not yet leafed out, things are just starting to pop around here. This was my view for much of the day as Candy Man walked much faster than Frank. That was just fine it helped Frank work on his separation anxiety and he did remarkably well this day. We rode for a few hours and decided to call it good since none of us were particularly in great shape yet. All in all a wonderful afternoon spent with a new friend who although is young enough to be my daughter a wonderful companion.

He Loves Me!

2011-04-08T09:26:00.004-04:00

The last post I mentioned that I brought a friend out to meet Frank. This young lady works in the same building as me and we have become quick friends. It is actually quite funny because her fiance was my vet tech for years before I knew her, small world. S as I will call her, had horse experience and owns her own horse, an aged Tennessee Walker. In college she rode western pleasure and some reining horses on the collegiate team. It has been a few years for her since she has done any serious riding and she confided to me that she may have softened and lost her edge. I definitely can relate. With age I have defiantly lost some of my edge and the fact that I had Harley the horse who put the fear of God back in me most days.

S has heard the stories of Frank on our frequent lunch dates and was very curious to meet him. Wednesday evening we headed out to the barn to do just that. He was a muddy mess when we arrived and her first comment was that he must need a good bath before I show him. S also commented that he was just the perfect size horse at 15 hands. After a good grooming I saddled him up and we headed to the indoor arena. The wind was still whipping pretty good outside and S commented on how quiet Frank seemed. I told her the story of the weekend wind ride and she laughed saying she could not imagine him getting worked up.

Once inside I mounted and explained to S the steps I do with Frank each ride. I always start with bending and softening. Not only does this help each of us stretch out it gives me time to see how Frank is responding and what we may need to work on that day. I did my schooling around the arena at the walk/jog/lope did some side passes and backing and then the spins. S was aglow with happiness, she said he was such a nice horse and that I was crazy if I did not show him. I explained to her my lack of interest in showing this year and that I really just enjoy my horse for all he can do and I am not feeling the pressure to show anymore.

I asked her if she would like to try riding him. She jumped with joy! Heck yes! So I dismounted adjusted the saddle stirrups for her longer legs and off she went. I stood in the center of the arena and gave her some tips on how to ride him. I could see it was all coming back to her and her nervousness faded with each lap of the arena. She asked me if Frank fell in and cheated with me. I said no and than I realized his eyes were on me the entire time, he was trying to come to me. We laughed and I went over and sat on the bench. Moving away from me he would speed up and coming toward me he would slow down. It really was comical the way he stared at me. There was only one conclusion, HE LOVES ME!

The feeling is mutual. I LOVE THIS HORSE!
Twice I have put people who were nervous and wanting to get their edge back and twice he has shown me that he is really a healing horse. S now wants to do lessons with her horse and get back into riding regularly.

Thank you Mike Craig for insisting that this horse was a perfect match for me when I doubted it. He truly was a diamond in the rough..

Happy trails......

Testing

2011-04-07T14:02:00.006-04:00

I know two posts in a row.... don't anyone faint out there. It is all part of my new me for 2011, getting back to the things I love and need in my life. I realized with the help of a good friend (Kim) that blogging is a way for my to express my feelings and release some of the stress in my life by talking about my life. Thanks again for all of you following and if this is your first time reading one of my posts than WELCOME and I hope you join in and comment and follow along as well.

This week I have been blessed with hubby taking the boys on the road with him for spring break. That means Me, mommy gets a much needed spring break as well! Yes, I still have to work but that sleeping in an extra half hour and being able to go see Frank after work without time constraints is wonderful. I even managed a girl's night out for dinner with friends the other night!

Last night I went out to the barn to ride and was joined by a young lady that works with me. She has riding experience but was rusty and is wanting to get back into trail riding and perhaps showing again. She has heard lots of stories about Frank and seen his pictures that plaster my office walls but never met him. She met me at the barn and got to meet my boy in person. He was turned out and not in gleaming show condition the way he appears in most of my pictures, but she could tell it was him. Frank is quite happy that spring has arrived and that he gets to go out on grass now. However, along with spring comes the flys. Hence our testing begins.
I hate to openly admit this but I was supposed to do this testing last summer for the folks at Absorbine. They were nice enough to tell me that they had been following my blog and asked me to review some fly spray for them. Unfortunately with WEG here at work and my limited time with Frank being at the trainers barn I did not get to post the results. I am happy to give you my brutally honest opinion on their product. Please note that I am not compensated for providing my opinion on the product in any way form or fashion. Sean if you are reading along you should know by now I am nothing if not brutally honest.

THE PRODUCT:

Absorbine's pitch:

New Ultra Shield® Green from Absorbine® proves that "going green" can be both highly effective and Eco-safe. Ultra Shield® Green is a natural fly repellent that repels and controls biting flies, mosquitoes and gnats for up to 8-hours as demonstrated in an independent university study. 100% guaranteed.

My review on the product:

I started using the product in the middle of summer last year when the fly's were in full force. My program is to turn Frank out after feeding in the morning and he stays out until evening feeding. This leaves Frank pretty vulnerable to the little bloodsuckers all day long. I found the Ultrashield bottle to be easy to grasp and definitely easy to spot in my tack trunk due to the bright green label. I put the spray nozzle to spray and my routine is to start at the neck and work my way back, covering all areas generously. The Ultrashield Green has a bit of a fru fru smell for me and my barn owner also commented on the feminine smell of it. It did apply well and evenly but I noticed an almost oily sheen to it, it made me wonder if it would collect dirt. My fears were unfounded, what I did find is that is held up remarkable well to Frank rolling around in the dirt/grass and it did a great job keeping the flys off of him. When I returned that evening there were flys on his face around his mask where I had NOT applied the spray as a test. The next day I put a small amount on the fuzz at the bottom of his fly mask (think over the nose area) to see if this would keep the flys at bay. The test was a success! When I returned in the evening NO FLYS!

My overall opinion on the product is that it is a great fly protection product. The spray lasted at least 12 hours outside and did not collect dirt/dust to the horse's coat. While I found the smell a bit strong, I will say I am pretty sensitive to perfumes and smells in general. I would rate this product a 8 out of 10 with my on complaint being the smell.

If you are looking for a fly spray that stays on is natural and not full of icky pesticides than this is one for you to try!

Thank you to Absorbine for sending me the sample and for allowing me to critique your product. Frank and I think it works great and if you did an unscented version we would love to try it!

Happy trails.......

Boogers in the wind

2011-04-04T09:36:00.004-04:00

No Frank nor I have a sinus infection. Title kinda sounds that way ....

Yesterday we had a beautiful Spring like day with 77 degrees and sun, glorious sun!
The only down side is we also had wind, like hurricane crazy kinda wind. I was determined to go out and ride Frank, hadn't been on since our cattle trip two weeks ago. (No wonder I have been cranky again.) So after lunch on Sunday I headed over to the barn and found Frank lounging in the sun in his paddock. He was covered in mud on one side from having a scratching good time. I needn't have worried about it because once I got currying him the hair was flying of in droves and taking the mud with it.
His stall looked like a snow globe by the time I finished grooming him. I seriously did not think he even had that much of a coat this winter. I am happy to report that we have gotten him back up to a weight I am pleased with and his back sensitivity seems to have faded. I saddled him up and headed for the arena, the wind was blowing at around 25 miles and hour with gust up to 35. Our ride started out fine although the tin of the arena was creaking and the roof making some other kind of noise I find hard to describe. Frank was paying attention to me and our schooling was going well. About 20 minutes into our ride Frank decided that something outside the open arena door was after him. We had rode by the door umpteen times already with no mishaps but this time he tucked tail and squirted to the opposite end of the arena. I encouraged him back down toward the door but he was clearly nervous about the opening now for some reason. So after he calmed a bit I decided to do some schooling circles just at that end. He obeyed but was clearly rattled about it. When he just couldn't let it go I decided maybe some outside time was necessary. So out the scary door we went. We went to the front field which the barn owners use as a hay field and I have the clearance to ride in. The wind was really whipping and I must admit uncomfortable. We rode the perimeter first then settled on some circles at a long trot. Things were going great until.....yep wait for it.....The next door neighbor donkeys came flying out of their shed and started braying. This was enough to set my boy into a full fledged screaming Mimi donkey loving tantrum. I continued to try and work thru it but he was sure that every leaf/ stick / dark spot in the grass was going to jump up and eat him. After 10 minutes of that fight it was back into the scary arena again. We struggled to get to a happy place so that we could quit. By now Frank was in a full sweat and I wasn't far behind. Finally he relaxed enough to lope some pretty circles, even by the scary door and we called it a day. A warm sudsy bath concluded our day and we lived to ride another day. We are still having quite a bit of wind so today's ride might just be as interesting.

Happy trails.......

Weekend at the 4C- Cedar Creek Cattle Company

2011-03-21T09:41:00.015-04:00

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend at the 4C with Frank this weekend. What a fantastic time we had.

The 4C is a working cattle ranch, a culmination of a family's hard work to bring to fruition one woman's dream. The ranch is located in Southern Kentucky in the quaint town of Burkesville.

The owner is a dear friend, Kim, whom I first met in South Florida when I boarded my paint filly at her barn. We have remained friends over 17 years through spouse changes, state changes and horse changes. Kim is a true friend with loads of spiritual intellect that borders on scary at times. Along with Kim the ranch is held together with Hubby Matt and sons Austin and Charlie. Although Austin is away at college the boys are a great help at the ranch. The ranch runs stocker cattle, which basically means they buy young cattle and grow them up for a while then re sell them.

I left work at 5 and headed straight to the barn to pick up Frank. I had pre packed the night before so all I had to do is stuff a hay bag and load Frank and we were off! Frank of course jumped right in and down the road we went. We immediately found rain, at least it held off until I had the trailer hooked up and Frank loaded.
It rained for an hour of the trip and then the sun came out and my remaining drive was uneventful. I pulled in to the ranch around 8:45 that evening and found the arena lights on and Kim waiting for me. I unloaded Frank and allowed him to sniff around a bit before putting him in one of the open air pens. Frank had a little bottle fed steer "Porky" as a fence mate this weekend. Kim commented on how calm Frank was in this new environment as we got him his grain and some fresh water. We then proceeded to the cabin to put my bags inside. The cabin has been on the property over a hundred years and when found it had cows walking thru it and was in dire need of restoration. Kim has lovingly restored it and even put in electric and plumbing.

I wouldn't have been a very nice guest if I hadn't brought a gift, so we opened the bottle of wine I brought and we sat on the front porch listening to nature. We talked for hours and caught up on each others lives. I was shocked to see it was after 1 in the morning when we finally turned in. The cabin has a queen bed downstairs and 2 twins and a full upstairs. I slept like a baby and awoke to find a beautiful day waiting on Saturday. We fed the cattle and horses first then took to the quaint little kitchen to fix ourselves some viddles. Here is a picture of the kitchen.

After breakfast we went to visit a neighbors stable not far away. The folks that owned it had relocated from the Netherlands and were having a fundraising event at the stable to support their Curly horse rescue. I had never seen a Curly horse up close and personal and I tell you the little curls of hair all over their bodies sure are soft! I learned that they harvest the hair from brushing/shedding and mix it with Alpaca hair to make yarn. They had some items made from the hair and it made beautiful yarn. I wish I had brought my camera with me to take a picture of the horses they were very different.

We returned to the 4C and had a spot of lunch then decided to saddle up and take a trail ride. The property is quite large (sorry forgot to ask how many acres) and there is a ridge that runs around 3/4 of the property. The ridge ride is not for the faint of heart or horses that are not in good shape. Although the trail is plenty wide to ride double wide the hills are steep! Frank got an excellent workout as the trail is also several miles long. I did notice some soreness in Frank's back toward the end of the ride. I say this because he was short stepping his way down the hill and stopping occasionally. I do believe another opinion on his back is necessary. Along the way we saw the fauna just starting to sprout up from winter's slumber. I saw a black snake warming himself on a rock and we heard turkey in the distance. Here is a picture of my host Kim on trusted steed P-nut, that is trusting little Mr Scruff's in the back round.

Here is a shot of the Frank and I with cattle dog Lucy.

After our ride Kim and I decided to fix some hamburgers on the grill. Why does everything taste better when cooked outdoors? We enjoyed the full moon and retired a wee bit earlier than the previous night. Sunday morning arrived just as beautiful as Saturday. Kim's husband was nice enough to feed the cattle so we reciprocated by fixing him a breakfast. After breakfast we headed out to the cattle pens and decided that we would play a game of sorting. Kim asked if I would help treat the cattle with fly solution and I was happy to accommodate. We enlisted the help of her son Charlie and gathered up 11 head. Charlie worked them into the chute area and Kim worked the chute. After Kim had them secure in the chute I applied fly repellent while she put on the neck numbers. Here you can see me applying the fly repellent.

As you can probably imagine the cattle being put in the chute makes a great deal of noise and commotion. The pen Frank was in was only about 20 feet from the chute area and this racket was clearly getting him excited. It was a great learning experience for him with all the mooing and banging around, by the end of the process he was just standing there watching us. Once we were done processing the cattle we saddled up to have a go at working them. I must make note that these were fresh cattle that had never been worked before so this probably was going to get interesting. Frank followed the herd thru the lanes to the sorting pens snorting and sniffing the whole way. When the cattle were moving away from him he was comfortable but when one turned back toward him he jumped and clearly was not sure what to do. Kim funneled the cattle to one side of the pens and I worked Frank in the other just doing basic bending and some trotting exercises letting him get used to the smell and noise of the cows. Kim walked P-nut thru the cows as Frank watched intently. Next was our turn and in we went. I took everything very slow and deliberate with Frank, I wanted this to be a positive experience for him. First I just walked in front of the herd and gradually we moved on to actually moving the herd.

All was going well until the herd split and there were cows on either side of Frank.
This caused him a little panic but nothing major we just worked thru it. Before long he was comfortable enough to do very slow methodical sorting. I just realized that some of you may not be familiar with what sorting is. Basically the competitive sport of sorting mimics what would be done at a branding where you separate cows from calves for doctoring or branding. In the competitive sport there are 10 cows numbered from 0-9 and one additional "trash" cow. The announcer gives you a number to start at such as 3, then your job as a team of two horses and riders is to sort number 3 out to the other side of the pen then 4 etc., no trash or out of sequence numbers can go thru or you are disqualified. The team with most cows and fastest wins. Sounds easy right, ah NO. There is lots of info HERE for those of you interested. We finally got Frank to a good place with the cattle and called it a day. I was mighty impressed once again with my fella, he just keeps getting better and better.

Reluctantly I had to clean up and load for home. I really enjoyed my weekend at the 4C and cannot wait to go back. If you want to spend a nice weekend in the woods with or without horses check out the 4C it is just what the soul needs....

Happy Trails....

PMA...not what you are thinking

2011-03-17T16:41:00.003-04:00

PMA..

Positive Mental Attitude. That is what I am practicing daily. It is not easy when surrounded by negative influences everywhere, ie the news, coworkers and general public. But I am resounded to achieve it, I must.

I have taken a new approach to how I look at things lately and it truly is shocking to realize how miserable the general public is. We are living in the most amazing time and no one seems happy. For instance yesterday at a fast food restaurant I just listened to conversations around me and was surprised at people's behaviour and thought process. I had my two youngsters with me and could not believe that they were indeed acting more mannerly than most of the people around me.

There is an old saying that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it. I like that saying and I myself am going to try to react less to what life throws at me.

This week I have decided that I will LIVE more, stop running around like a mad woman possessed to get everything done in one day. I will make more time for fun! I will leave the dirty laundry and go play ball with my boys before they grow up and are gone. I will go out and hug my lovely, dirty, hairy horse and smell his wonderful horsey scent. With all the hurt in the world today I suggest you all go hug your four legged friends as well!

Oh and happy ST Patricks day!

Happy trails......

Out of hibernation

2011-03-16T11:41:00.006-04:00

Hello world,

I think I am ready to come out of my winter hibernation now. Is it safe? Is the blasted snow over with?? You may have noticed my sparse posts on here and what in the world has happened to me. Well, I will put on my big girl pants and confess.... I HATE Winter! Nothing new here but I will tell you this year it really affected me in ways that I am not proud of. I have been in a funk of all funks lately. I withdrew from friends, posting here and even going to see my dear Frank. I could blame it on a lot of things, my best pal moving South to Ga, the ongoing glut of snow again this year, hubby traveling more than ever to make a buck, etc. etc.
Fact is I was depressed. Not really willing to admit it and making excuses for it.
I gained weight, lost interest in everything and just survived in a zombie like state. There I said it.

Now that I have seen Sun more than once a week and the grass and flowers are starting to bloom I think I can shake it. Oh yeah a little counseling did not hurt either. When I put stuff in perspective I have it pretty darn good compared to a lot of folks. So I am onto the next chapter and that means out of hibernation and back to being well, ME.

First I have called all my friends and reconnected with them, I am making it a point to walk every day and get myself back in shape, changed my diet and making a point to see frank 5 times a week.

Frank is in full shed mode and I dare say he is almost done, his head is still a little rough looking. I may just get the clippers out and finish that winter hair off. I am getting Frank legged back up and plan to do some more competitive trail rides with him this year. We are also going to go back to our first love, trail riding just for fun! Nothing like the woods to recharge your batteries and make you appreciate the things in your life, like a great horse!

So starting this weekend I am going for it. I am loading Frank on Saturday and heading to a friends cabin in the woods! It is about a three hour trip to get there and I cannot wait! Frank has never been there so it will be an adventure for him as well. You can get a peek of her place by looking HERE. I love, love, love this place and it will do Frank good to get some cattle experience as well.

I promise to take some pictures and share with all of you! I want to say a big Thank you to all of you who follow, comment and share your blogs with me.

Happy Trails......

Let's go shopping....

2011-02-25T09:17:00.009-05:00

Well, not really but I like to window shop the horse sights and see what is out there occasionally. I had a new follower bestow me an award (I am getting around to responding, really!) and after checking out her blog discovered they are in the market for a young horse. I couldn't help but put my two cents in on my opinion of the pics she posted, it is just a habit I have. When I see horses I just mentally start evaluating them to my standards, see what parts I like and what bothers me. Not that I am any sort of expert on conformation or picking horses but it is fun and since I judge from time to time it is cool to see if my predictions were correct when I see the horses ridden.

So today I decided to do a post on comparing some horses around the same age and figuring out what I like about them and do not. I know this is from photos and that can be misleading but we will just go with it and I will be interested as always to hear your thoughts.

For our little test my parameters were as follows:
Must be registered Quarter Horses
Up to 1 year of age
Reining bred

so here are our selections:

We will call this Colt #1

This colt is pictured at 10 Mos old. Lets start with what I like about him.
1) He has good wither on him which tells me he will hold a saddle well
2) He has a nice short back
3) Has pretty good scope to his neck, not as good of a tie in as I prefer but good.

Now for my dislikes:
1) He is long in the front pastern
2) He has a short gaskin muscle which tells me he probably will not stop long.
3) He his is rather course for my liking.

Colt #2

This colt is pictured at 3 mos and in tall grass so not as easy to critique.
Likes:
1) This colt appears to have good bone
2) Pretty headed
3) Nice slope to his haunch which tells me he will really get up under himself and
use his hind end

Dislikes:
1) He is short necked. Will not have the scope to make a smooth turn around
2) Long backed, although I have learned in reining this is not all bad as it does
help them in the stops.
3) He is short in the gaskin which tells me his stops will not be long.

Colt # 3 (actually a filly)

This is probably the hardest picture to tell exactly what she looks like with her head angle and bottom toward the camera. But we will give it a shot.
Likes:

1) She appears to have a nice tie in at her neck
2) She has a nice long gaskin muscle
3) She has a nice slope to her hindquarter and a nice short back

Dislikes:

1) She appears to be mutton withered
2) She is very upright in the hind leg
3) Her head is a tad longer from eye to muzzle than I like.

Colt #4

This colt is 9 mos old. I appreciate the fact that the seller took the time to set up the colt and make a nice presentation.
Likes:
1) Beautiful the way his neck ties in! He will be very light on his front end
2) Good Gaskin muscle for powerful stopping
3) Straight legged with good bone
4) Pretty headed

Dislikes:
1) He is slight in the wither area, which could make fitting a saddle tough

Let's remember I was looking at them from a reining horse standpoint and I do not know any of these sellers I just picked them off Equine.com for this purpose.

Now I will tell you #4 was my pick, that being said I will also tell you that this colt is exceptionally well bred and the price reflects that. The other colts were in the $2000 - $3000 range and the 4th colt was priced at $15,0000.

I had fun with it, hope you did too. Any other window shopper/critics out there?

Happy trails........

An Awesome Evening..

2011-02-18T09:11:00.006-05:00

I had the most awesome evening last night. NO I did not win the lottery, lose the 50pounds I need to or meet John Wayne. I simply went out and rode my horse. The weather has finally turned spring like here and I could not be happier! 66 degrees last night! For me it is like awakening from a deep winter depression. After work I changed into my jeans and headed to the barn. I was a little apprehensive about what Frank might look like since shedding his winter blanket and the thaw out left plenty O mud. My fears were not realized.....he had some dirt on him but was not nearly as bad as he could have been. I love the fact that when I approach his paddock he whispers to me the whole length of the fence to the gate. Yes whispers, it is like a real soft nicker that he keeps doing until I pet him and put his halter on. Back to his stall to get cleaned up and I notice we need a pedicure, make a mental note to call the farrier on the way home. Back in his stall he is disappointed to find there is no feed or hay awaiting him, he gives me the look.

Poor pitiful Frank.

Out come the brushes and I notice he is still sore on that one spot on his back. aughh.......I have had him ultra sounded and the horsey chiropractor out to adjust him and given him apple cider vinegar and still it is tender. It is the strangest thing, he is not off, it does not seem to bother him when I ride but to curry it or palpate it sure enough it is tender. What to do??

We saddle up and I decide that I am going to make my barn owners day and let her ride the Frank. I have been hinting to her that she should and she is without her own personal horse for the time being so I am going to share him tonight. Her face beams when I call out to her on the way to the arena. She runs, yes runs into the arena and scrambles up on him demanding that I instruct her on how to ride him. She does really well despite the fact that she rides Saddlebreds and she is now riding in a cutting saddle with shank bit on a loose rein, looser than she is comfortable with. Frank is a star and perfect gentleman and Mommy beams!

After a bit I get up and we get down to some schooling to see what we can improve on, the lesson kids love watching him and are full of questions. I leave the barn with a heart full of love and pride for my boy. Hoping for lots more riding this weekend.

Happy trails......

Finally a reprieve...

2011-02-17T09:44:00.003-05:00

Hi Friends,

I am happy to say I am catching a reprieve. From all the crazy things life has thrown at me so far this year. I am so happy to say my favorite is the reprieve from the blasted winter weather. This week the temperatures have been above normal and that makes me down right Giddy! We had a scare with my elderly Mother in law in Florida and that necessitated a quick trip down there. Work is well....work, I put in for a transfer to the horse dept processing passports, crossing my fingers and hoping I get it!

I actually got a ride in on Sunday afternoon and although it was mushy and wet from the snow melt off, Frank and I had a good time. Tonight I am heading there after work and hope to ride if Frank has not totally muddied himself up. With warm weather the blanket has come off and he has the ability to really get happy in the mud. Hopefully I will not have to spend the entire time cleaning him up and will get a chance to climb up on my buddy for a spin.

Back later with more news!

Happy trails......

horse of a different color

2011-01-25T12:53:00.008-05:00

I am gonna put myself out there and do a post on prejudice. I believe it comes in many aspects and not just to mankind. I have some experience in this because well....I ride a horse of a different color, literally and physically.

I have never been one to be shy to say exactly what is on my mind at anytime or place in my life. This is a blessing and a curse. Not long ago when I was on my search for a new horse Frank came along. I will admit it was his color that threw me, for more reasons than one. I have always been a fan of colored horses, have been owned by Appaloosa's, Paints and Pintos. I have never really considered a horse of Frank's color. Heck I will be honest, did not even no Perlino was an existing color. AQHA did not recognize the color until just a few short years ago regardless of parentage.

I did some research before I bought Frank because of my lack of knowledge on his coloration and if there were any known problems because of it. I had heard rumors and tales from well meaning friends and acquaintances that they sunburn, flys are attracted to them, and that their eyesight is poor because of the blue eyes. I was also told that they would be hard to keep clean, wouldn't get used in a show class because of the eyes, etc. etc.

Just what is a Perlino? How does a grey stallion and a black mare throw a perlino?
Genetics are a wonderful thing, I know cause I have my mama's thighs.....
Basically to make light of a very serious subject, a Perlino is a double dilute both parents lack the red gene. They are in a sense a buckskin reversed. There is a wonderful website filled with all sorts of fun facts to check out here .

I will tell you I fell in love with the Frank despite all the brew ha ha over his coloration. Some facts:
1) yes he is a bit dirtier than a darker horse but not as bad as feared.

I have helpers for cleaning anyway!

2) He does not sunburn, for unlike a horse with white on it he has pigment.
3) I notice as many flys on his horse friends as are on him.
4) Yes he squints in direct sunlight,(so do I!) we use a fly mask when we are out. I do not notice any difference in his eyesight.
5) Yes , unfortunately I do believe there has been prejudice against his color in a show atmosphere.
6) He is the most mild mannered horse I know.

My oldest getting ready to ride!

7)A good horse is a good horse no matter the color!

He is worth his weight in gold for this!

So what are your thoughts? Are you prejudice to color?

Happy trails......

Hello out there......

2011-01-22T11:45:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all of the other stuff I missed.

I am here alive and kicking. This has by far been the worst winter of my life so far. Sigh......it was -3 this morning, I am so over it. We have 4 inches of snow on the ground again and NO the fact that this is not a normal winter here in Kentucky does not comfort me. I heard that crap last year.

Frank is doing well, not getting ridden much with the cold weather. When it reaches 30, (which is rare these days) I do go out and saddle him up and take a spin. I must say Frank is on his way to becoming one of my very best horses. I love the fact that he is the same regardless how much or little I ride him. He is a true gentleman. The barn is working out OK, i still prefer having him in my back yard but this is the way it is right now. He has fast become the favorite to all the kids taking lessons at the barn. He really sticks out being the only quarter horse and cream colored at that.

I have been doing a lot of thinking as to what Frank and I will be doing this coming year. I am a little disillusioned with showing, at least in the association I had been showing. When I joined it was all about the all around horse and having fun. Now it seems that you need a specialized horse for each class unless you are happy with the middle of the road. I am looking into starting a new affiliate with another ranch horse association here in Kentucky. I am heading to Memphis next weekend to check it out. The premise is only four classes total and each horse is judged individually in each class. There is a class winner and an all around winner at days end with the averages of the individual classes. I am definitely going to do some trail riding again....it is my true love. In fact I have made reservations for an all girl trip to ........ Eastfork StablesJamestown, Tn for Derby weekend! My bestie Susan has moved to Georgia and I am definitely missing riding with her. She is going to make the trip North and spend four days with me and some other friends. Anyone else want to go???

I will try to be a better blogger this year and get back into sharing my stories with you. I wish you all health, happiness and a good horse to ride into this new year!

Happy trails

Baby it's cold outside

2010-12-08T08:42:00.002-05:00

I moved South here to avoid some of the winter, it did NOT work! It was 7 degrees this morning, Yes 7. At least the sun is out today, it helps my mood anyway.

I went out to visit Frank last evening after work, it was a balmy 24 degrees. I realized what I hate about boarding him. His bucket was frozen solid. No water, danger, danger. How long I wondered had he been without water??? I went to banging and chipping to clean it out and then offered him fresh water. He gulped down half a bucket quickly, this told me he had been without probably since morning. Sigh.... I cannot afford him to be sick again. I turned him out briefly and cleaned his stall, he was enjoying rolling in the snow with his blanket on and had himself a little jog around the paddock. Then the real fun began. You see I haven't pulled his shoes yet and the snow pack in his feet was a challenge. I must remember the pam tonight.
It took me 15 minutes to remove the ice jam in there, Frank was not thrilled about me playing Klondike digger down there either.

I hunted down the barn owner and told her I was bringing out a heated bucket for Frank. The whole frozen water thing bothers me, especially with the latest colic episode. She was OK with it so tonight's job is to go out and bring the bucket and pam for the feet.

I leave you with my favorite view:

Oh how I long for these days again. Winter go away!

Happy trails......

Where does the time go?

2010-12-07T15:16:00.002-05:00

Hi friends!

I have been away too long......

I am finally catching up your blogs and what has been happening in your worlds.

Mine has been ....well, chaotic. It always is, think I thrive on that.

The weather has turned cold and it is not my favorite time of year. Frank is not getting ridden near as much as I would like but alas I am only one person. One person working full time, raising two little hell yun boys and trying to fit a whole lot more in. Frank had a terrible bout of gas colic a few weeks ago and I don't mind telling you that it scared me BAD. It started with a call from my barn owner that Frank was down and she thought he was colicing. I told her I was grabbing some banamine and heading over. She called me in route and asked me how much longer I would be as he was throwing himself to the ground and thrashing. Not 10 minutes had passed and I was major concerned now. I drove like a mad woman and arrived to find Frank wet with sweat and panting. He was in obvious distress. He would only walk when threatened with a whip and then he would invert himself into a V and throw himself on the ground right at me. He managed to drag me down twice caught off guard. After 20 minutes the banamine did not seem to be helping and I called a vet.
His vitals were good, normal heart rate, pink in the gums and passing poo. However, it was clear he was in pain and I was taking no chances. The vet arrived in 15 minutes and we palpated him and he was clear, next the reflux test and his stomach showed normal. He had stopped sweating by now but was clearly still in pain. The vet gave me two options, shoot him up with more pain meds or take a trip to the clinic. I opted for the clinic. When the trailer was pulled around he let out a whinny and lots of gas, a good sign said the vet. Thank goodness I live and board Frank only 20 minutes from Haygard Equine Clinic. We left him loose in the trailer should he go down again, fortunately he did not. When we arrived at the clinic he seemed somewhat more alert and not throwing himself down anymore. The vet and assistants were very nice and let me be involved in all his tests. First they ultra sounded his intestines and spleen and found all to be good. Next they set up an IV drip for he was somewhat dehydrated. They decided to monitor him and let the pain med wear off before anymore testing. I stayed until 2 am and called it a night when he appeared OK. The vet called me at 7:30 am and told me he was stable and that they were going to oil him and see if he passed the oil. Luckily he did and was fine the rest of the day, I picked him up at 5:30 and took him home. The vet's told me that 4 more horses came in that day with same symptoms. There was a real big weather change that day and I really think they may have had something to do with it, he has never been ill before in the least. Happy to tell you he is all good and back to normal. I have a large vet bill for Christmas but it could have been so much worse if we had done surgery.

Which leads me to this question for you. Do you have colic insurance? A plan in case you get that lovely question, is surgery and option? Just curious.

Happy trails.......

Frank is home!

2010-10-08T10:43:00.002-04:00

Been so busy telling you of my WEG adventures that it occurred to me that I forgot to tell you that I brought Frank home.

No problem in trainerville, I just wanted to ride him more than twice a month. See my trainer moved South to a more affordable barn for him and that meant a two hour trip one way for me to see Frank. I did it for a month and decided that it just wasn't going to work for me right now. I mean this is the prettiest time of year to ride and I was missing not seeing him. So, I went barn hunting for a new place for Frank. You would think that living in horse country it would have been an easy task,
not so. Most of the boarding facilities here are for hunter jumpers or dressage riders, mention that you rein and oh boy you might as well have said you were a terrorist! I think that these people thought all I did was spin and slide all day.
Sad for me to realize how little as horse people we know of each other's disciplines.

I did find a barn thanks to the help of one of my co workers and it is only 11 miles from my house. It is a saddle bred barn and yes Frank does look out of place there. The owner however, is a delightful lady and adores Frank and the fact that we do reining. It is something she apparently did in college as a younger girl. The barn is mostly her rescued Saddlebreds that she uses to teach lessons on. Frank is definitely the only quarter horse and the only one ridden western. The students all love Frank and he is enjoying all the attention from the little folk. They turn him out for me in the afternoon and remark at what a gentleman he is.

This week my young ones were on fall break and Dad was kind enough to take them on the road with him to work. That meant a delicious week to myself! I went out and rode every night this week! I am proud to tell you that I have finally got the lead change down and am feeling very good about our progress together as a team. I have a friend coming down on Monday which I am off and we are going trail riding! I will try and get some pictures to share with you.

Happy trails......

Some pictures from WEG

2010-10-04T10:33:00.005-04:00

Been trying to get back to blogging and I just can't fit it in most days.

Still in the middle of WEG here. I have enjoyed watching some of the venues. I caught some Dressage the other day and watched the cross country this weekend with spectacular horses and riders. But my biggest thrill so far has been watching the individual competition of Reining!

My work was nice enough to provide tickets to me for the individual finals last Thursday. I made the mad dash across the grounds to the indoor arena in record time!
I got to watch the entire competition and the house was packed! I had great seats
2nd row in fact! My fellow co worker from the IT department was there and had his camera, you guys can thank IAN for these wonderful pictures I am gonna share. Of course he did not snap to many as we were engrossed in watching the competition.
All four Americans qualified for the individual finals, they were later in the competition. The caliber of these horses was phenomenal I tell you, everyone was riding to win!

The first rider was Tim McQuay on a beautiful palamino and he took the lead with a 222 score. Here is a shot of him.

We were ecstatic that USA had taken the lead but there were many runs yet to go.
next up was Craig Schmersal and he let it fly I tell you these guys held nothing back! Check out this slide!

Next up was Tom McCutcheon another Texan for team USA. Right from his opening stop I could tell he was in it to win it. This horse was spot on folks. His stops were blazing and his fast circles were amazing, had me holding my breath. He rocked the house and finished with a 228! Here is his opening slide!

We had one final rider to go and that was Shaun Flarida and his beautiful stallion.
Midway through his performance I could tell something happened. I saw Shaun reach out for his saddle horn to steady himself after the lead change. He finished his pattern but I could tell he was not asking the horse for much. We found out after his run that his stirrup leather had broke and he was riding with one stirrup. His score was a disappointing 207.5. He was favored to win and I really felt for him when this happened. I did not get any pictures of his run unfortunately.

So when the dust cleared and the scores were tallied, USA won gold and silver with Tom McCutcheon and Craig Schmersal! I stayed for the medal ceremonies and must tell you I was moved when they raised the flag and played our national anthem. A definite great day in my life!

I am going to try and watch some vaulting and combined driving this week and will of course keep you posted.

happy trails......

who is goin to WEG??

2010-09-24T12:02:00.010-04:00

Anyone heading to the World Equestrian Games???

I am living it, have been for weeks now. Been meaning to do a snazzy post on it and all but alas......busy,busy,busy.

I work here in the horse park at the USEF. I have been watching the progress over the summer and slowly have been displaced out of my parking lot and now am hiking or taking a shuttle 2 miles to my car. I am affectionately calling it the Alltech weight loss program!

It really is a sight to behold. I could not have imagined all that has changed here at the park over the last few months. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow and so is reining. Unfortunately work calls and I am running a show office all weekend in Northern Indiana. I will be back Sunday night so should be able to catch some of the events next week. NO, I do not get free tickets or any other perks. I do get general admission with my work credentials but that is it.

Here are some sights from the park in case you can't make it.

this is how the tents started when they were constructing them.

Slowly things came together

I promise I will be back next week with some more pictures of the athletes and horses and give you some updates from ground zero. If you are in town please look me up would love to meet fellow bloggers!

Happy trails....

show time again

2010-08-18T11:00:00.004-04:00

Hi friends!

Sorry for the delay in posts again. Took myself a family cruise vacation. Met up with my husbands side of the family for a Caribbean cruise for 7 days. It was a good time but I was really missing Frank.

I feel like every time I get going and get in sync with riding again something comes along an derails me.......

I have been riding quite a bit this past week and up until last evening making good progress. But.....isn't there always a but, Frank decided last nite that he would go into his backing up mode and not practice side passing with me. The fights are definitely getting less and less and farther apart but man is it frustrating.
Jed helped me through the rough spot and we got back on track again.

I am showing this weekend in Bowling Green, Ky at a ranch horse show, hopefully we can put together some of the things we have been working at and have a good time.

I will leave you with a picture from last show for now.

Frank the Tank : he's a lean mean reining machine!

2010-07-26T17:01:00.002-04:00

Back from the weekend!

Busier than heck today but a quick post to let ya'll know I am a proud Mama once again.

Frank was a rockstar this weekend! We did Five classes and he placed in all of them!
Jed showed him for me as I was working the show office. We did have a bobble in our ranch reining class, he dove for the gate in his right circle. Not sure why, he has never done that before and it cost us plenty but he came back on Sunday full throttle. He got fourth out 12 in Trail class, 3rd out of 8 in ranch riding and then he smoked them all in reining by laying down some out of this world stops and a penalty free pattern. 1st out of 10 his first trip out in reining!!

I promise , promise, promise I did get pictures! My bestest girl Becca snapped about ten thousand for me and is sending me a disk asap. The header of the blog is right after he won his class and you can tell I am happy and boy was it HOT! 94 in the shade.

That's all for now. Be back soon!

Happy trails.......

Memory Lane......breyer horses

2010-07-23T10:13:00.013-04:00

As most of you know, I work in the Kentucky Horse Park and get to see lots of events coming and going around here. This morning driving in I was taken back down memory lane to when I was a young girl.

As you can see from the picture above, this weekend is Breyerfest at the horse park.
It is an event where thousands of young people with their parents in tow walk around vendors and events all surrounding the Breyer horse. There are statues for sale as well as tack, accessories, barns etc all for the little creations. It truly is amazing how busy it is and the varied crowd that it draws. Today they are invading our building here at USEF to do crafts in our kitchen. That means yours truly will be dining in her office at my desk. It's OK, I remember when.......

Matter of fact I can remember when I was 6 or 7, long before I had my first horse I would save any money I earned or got for birthdays, chores etc and save up for the next Breyer horse I could get.

Here are a few that I still have, most did not survive all the moves and er well... my very active young men who like to put GI Joe's on them and play rather rough.

This one is running colt I think, one of the very first I ever got.

My all time favorite! You can see I always liked horses of color!!

Yes, more colored ones! I had a whole family don't know where the other one got to.

Every one's favorite! STORMY !

Hope this brought back some memories for you. Do you have a collection? Share some with me!

Off to the ranch horse show! Be back next week with pictures and details!

Happy trails.......

The Why?

2010-07-21T14:47:00.003-04:00

Why?

It is such a simple little word, but used so often.

I use it alot. With my job, my kids and yes my horse. Monday I was supposed to have another lesson on Frank. Sigh.....I did not, it seems my little sugar problem is rearing it's ugly head again... WHY? So, not feeling my best thought better of it to get on and get dizzy or pass out on the big guy. Jed rode him. I would like to tell you it was all good, but alas we had some bumps.....WHY?

I swear it is like he lost all that he had learned......I attribute it to being like my kids, they must keep testing the boundaries. They know when they are doing something wrong, they know there will be consequences but they go ahead and do it anyway.....WHY? Perhaps it is the way of the world.

Tomorrow is another day and each day is just a small part of the journey.
So we will not ask why, we will just persevere and continue onward. Still taking him to the show this weekend and perhaps it will all come together again, we shall see.

happy trails......

A first for me

2010-07-14T12:05:00.002-04:00

Warning: This post will probably make you laugh til you cry!

Things have been going well here for me, still busy as a one armed paper hanger but managing to get out and ride Frank three days a week at least. Let me start by saying Frank is doing GREAT!! I cannot believe how much progress he has made with Jed, the difference is amazing. The boy can stop ya'll! He consistently puts down a 20+ slide without even trying to hard.

I have been readjusting my riding form to reining. I say that because I was taught and rode very, well.... as Jed puts it "proper" you know the shoulder,hip, heel all in a straight row. Let me tell ya this does NOT work when reining. It is shall we say a much more relaxed look, feet forward and a bit of slouching thru the stop. I picture that I look like a vulture on a branch. It is taking me some real work to learn to relax and throw my feet forward but I am making progress...or I thought I was. Hence today's tale:

Last evening a very pleasant evening with temps that were tolerable compared to what we have been having I went for a lesson. It started much the same as usual: We jog some circles we work on softness, we lope some circles and work on softness, we move our shoulders in and out and we do some turnarounds. Then comes Fencing........
I HATE FENCING! There, I said it...... For those of you unfamiliar with fencing it involves loping then increasing speed down the middle of the arena from one end to the other. The goal is to sit deep at the end without picking up on the horse to teach him to stop at the wall. Most horses get this fairly quick and usually do not smack into the wall many times. Anyway, I was fencing which by the way did I mention I hate? Frank tends to drift one direction or the other while loping down the middle. Last nights goal was to use only my legs to steer him back on course instead of my reins (the thought being that if I were showing it won't show as bad).
Well...... I am not really sure what happened next, I may have accidentally hooked Frank with a spur or nudged a little to strong when he faded right but.... he whirled to the left at full speed and I was NOT sitting deep. What happened next you ask? Well.... I flew forward and left and got hooked on my 4 inch cutting saddle horn. (mistake #1: riding a cutting saddle while reining) I thought it was my xtra long tee shirt caught, but when I looked down to my amazement it was my jeans! Yep, the horn punched a hole right thru my thigh of my jeans and I was hooked on the horn. Jed left the building laughing and I was laughing so hard I was crying, some from the pain and mostly the absurdity of it all. I had to jump up to unhook myself from the horn which was no easy task whilst laughing so hard. I kept on riding but no more fencing for me! I loped off and did a beautiful stop down three quarters of the arena with no problem, just don't make me fence. I have several new nicknames at the barn now which I am not sharing with you. But heck, it is all in a day right?? I now sport a pretty bruise on my thigh and a great story to share with you all...

Taking Frank to a show next weekend in Indiana and looking forward to it. Stay tuned for more entertainment from my riding adventures....

Happy trails........

Happy Days!

2010-06-30T09:21:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends,

Stopping in to say hello and let you know what I am up to. I am happy to tell you that Frank is growing back his hair and we are on the downside of the rotten fungus attack. I must do a shameless plug here. Vetricyn works! Jed and I have been scrubbing with Iodine shampoo and spraying with vetrciyn and the results are amazing.
His legs are good now just the back and flanks to go. Had my vet out to survey him and he said we are doing well and to just worm him and carry on our program.

I have been riding twice a week and WOW! he is doing so well. Me .....well I need some serious work. I find that I am suffering from a total lack of confidence these days and I am hoping that with more riding I can find my groove again. Frank is so patient with me and really tries to do the right things despite me getting in his way. I did not take him to world show but I did go down for a few days and watch the competition and was wishing I did take him. Oh well, we are aiming to take him to a show in Indiana for July. I will not be able to show him as I am working the office but Jed will do it for me. I am still trying for pictures so be patient with me.

Happy trails

Hello from Kentucky

2010-06-15T16:35:00.002-04:00

Hi all, again a prolonged absence and I apologize!!

Been working full time and doing show secretary stuff for seven weekends straight.....whew! Happy to tell you that all that extra cash is being well spent!

Frank is at a new trainer now!! He has been there two weeks and is doing well... so awesome it is beyond words!! The best part is that the trainer and barn are just twenty minutes from my house! Here is where we ARE. I have known this trainer Jed for about six years now and really, really like him. I had made plans to send my former horse Harley to him when he got hired on to Shaun Flarida's place in Ohio.

I get to see Frank several times a week and am going to start my lessons on him next week! I went to see him Friday night and could not believe the progress he has made so quickly. His stops are incredible!

I guess you can tell I am rather excited about our new adventure and can't wait to get showing again. I had planned on taking him to the ARHA world show next week but it seems Frank has contracted a rain rot/ fungus thing probably from the previous place I was keeping him. He has lost lots of hair around his fetlocks and I am sure the humidity here and the fact that he must wear boots when ridden are not helping. I think I have it on the run now, been scrubbing him with Iodine shampoo and treating with a tea tree oil. He has lots of new hairs popping back in but I cannot possibly take him anywhere looking like he does.

I will try to get some new pictures to post for you of him working and maybe some of our hairless fetlocks! Ha.

Happy trails......

Checking in

2010-04-29T14:47:00.005-04:00

Hi Kids,

Just a quick note today to let you know yes, I am still among the living.

Been riding here and there can't seem to get into a schedule around here, there is always something happening. I did take Frank on a few trail rides with friends and we did well, he has gotten a bit nervous on the downhill transitions particularly if he is following a horse. I am wracking it up to being nervous that the horse will leave him because when he leads he is quiet as a mouse on the downhills. Hmmmmm....more stuff to work on.

I also did a competitive trail ride with Frank on April 17th. It was fun! There were 54 riders total and it was a lovely day. The object of the competitive trail ride is to ride 6-10 miles of marked trails with 6 obstacles worked in along the way. You receive a rider score and a horse score. The score is 1-10 with 6-8 being average. Frank did OK, the bridge obstacle threw him. It was kinda tricky in his defense, you had to go up a hill then down onto the bridge which had rails and this totally freaked him out. The next obstacle was working a gate which he scored a 10 on. The third obstacle was an embankment and stream crossing, he bobbled a bit on the down hill and scored an 8. The fourth was a log crossing and he scored a 10. The fifth obstacle turned out to be our downfall. It was a simply creek crossing or so it seemed. Frank was negotiating the somewhat steep downhill approach when the entire bank gave way. This sent Frank straight to the ground, it was like his legs folded up under him. He saved me by putting his face down on the ground so we did not flip. He was very cool under pressure he stayed down and did not panic. I was worried he was injured and proceeded to step off to the right (only solid ground I could see) but Frank slowly placed his front legs out in front of him and calmly stood up and proceeded to cross the creek. We scored a 1 on that, but I was happy he was uninjured and handled it so well. The last obstacle was a step up of about two feet and then walk through a forked tree. He scored a 10 on that as well. We finished the ride but out of the placings with the bridge bobble and the creek disaster but I would definitely do it again. I found out later that three horses fell at that crossing and I did make mention of this to the ride coordinator later.

I had hoped to put him on cows last weekend at a friend's house but mother nature had other plans....rain and tornadoes. We were spared the tornadoes but got tons of rain and that is what they are calling for this weekend as well.

Happy trails.....

Re Uniting

2010-04-06T11:39:00.002-04:00

That is the stage of the relationship of Frank and I are having. It seems this long winter off for me has changed our relationship. It could also be that I have lost my edge. Let's face it I am no spring chicken anymore and the thought of me getting hurt is not one I relish to think of. I know I am out of shape, riding and in general. I am working on it again.......

I am cautious more so than usual when I am first getting up on Frank. There really isn't a reason but still I notice it.

Yesterday after work I went to visit the Frank. He greeted me at the gate and was talking to me the whole time I walked out to him. He seems to love being outside in the fresh air and sunshine despite the pesty flies. The weather has been unseasonably warm (mid eighties!) and the hair I thought Frank did not have is flying. I gave him a good currying and he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, I was covered in white hair. I brought my new puppy Chloe out to the farm and gave her a chance to see horses and other dogs, she was a riot. She actually climbed Frank's leg while I had him tied. Thank goodness he has a good mind, he just looked down at her clawing at his leg and gave her a little sniff.

I tacked Frank up in the new saddle (still breaking it in) and we worked on some ground tying and him standing still while I mount. Things were a little tense at first, he was doing his normal screaming for the mares and jigging about. I worked on remaining calm and giving him a job to do. Amazingly he did settle much sooner than the previous ride and we got good schooling done. I am still having issues getting him to cross over when turning to the right but last evening I had a thought pop into my head. I am going to try ground work to start working on that issue, perhaps if we can master it on the ground it will carry over to when I mount up.

I am so enjoying having him home and am looking forward to the day when we mesh as one again and get that total trust back. I am riding again this evening and yes I got some pictures to share as soon as I get them uploaded.

Happy Trails......

What's New

2010-04-05T16:03:00.008-04:00

What's new around here? Well as promised I am back to tell you all what the Frank and I will be up to next. I still plan to show ranch horse shows but I am terribly missing my first love, trail riding. Hence my screen name. I must say I can't believe how much I am enjoying having Frank home, did not realize how much I missed spending quality time with him.

I had Friday off and after a quick visit to the ENT with my littlest to check on the ears again I spent the rest of the day with Frank. I rode him in the paddock and he was er... well.. mischievous at best. Seems he has already attached himself to those mares and he isn't even pastured with them. After much screaming and a few Lipizzaner type moves on his part he decided to settle and go to work. I think the 80 degree weather may have had something to do with it. We worked on circles and me getting comfortable riding him again. I rode my new saddle and decided although I like it, Cutter is still my first choice. After schooling I did some work with Frank on opening the gate both directions, he is not as good on a right hand pull so we did it until he relaxed and got it right. After our ride I treated him to a bubble bath and he seemed to enjoy it. He is loving being outside and free to run about as he pleases.

Saturday I had the first trail ride of the season planned with girlfriends. Despite threatening Sky's we headed out to the reservoir for some good times. We were disappointed to find that it was closed due to a youth turkey hunt. Time to punt...
Which we did. We went to a place up the road and headed out into the woods. There wasn't as many trails and we had to do some loops covering the same trails but we had a great time anyway. The wind was howling and blowing stuff around but Frank was good as gold. I was happy that he still seemed confident and relaxed outside after being stalled up over the winter for six months. I was particularly happy because.....

The next thing Frank and I are headed out to do is competitive trail riding. Have you heard of it? It is new to me but I am heading out for my first one on the 17th of this month. Basically it is trail riding 6-10 miles with 6 natural obstacles judged by 6 different judges. The name of the organization is ACTHA or American competitive trail horse association.Go here and check it out. What I like best is the fact that they give a portion of the proceeds to help feed horses. I will let ya know how I like it and of course how Frank does.

Happy trails.......

Changes.....again

2010-03-30T16:00:00.004-04:00

Seems I have left you all hanging again.... wondering where and what I am up to. Too much as usual. The Spring weather did not last it has been rainy and cold and I am fed up with it. Today it is near sixty and sunny at last! The forecast is for nice weather the rest of the week, 70's now we are talking!!

Lots of stuff to report to you.

I went to a show on the 20th of this month, I did not show I was the show secretary. Must earn extra cash to pay trainer. Trainer did show Frank. I was not pleased to find Frank sick and having discharge from his eye and coughing at the show. I was not informed of this prior to the show and made myself clear that it was unacceptable and I should have been notified. The haul to the show was five hours not to mention exposing other horses to the sickness. Frank won his rail class, placed 5th out of 18 in trail with marked improvements and attempted a cattle class. I say attempted because he was DQ'd when he lost his cow to the herd. That was OK, he had never been in a herd of thirty and he was quiet and did a deep cut. Just got beat to the left, he is no speedy Gonzalez here. Overall I was happy with Frank, not so with trainer. I was informed that he let two people ride my horse the previous evening. There was a previous discussion that only HE would ride my horse.
Needless to say the result of the weekend was not a happy ending.

Some good did come out of the weekend. My family was expanded with the addition of this little darling!

This is Chloe! Our newest little Jack Russell girl.

She is a handful and making me re think the whole puppy thing! Been a long time since I have had one. Not to mention working full time and trying to crate train her is another full time job.

My ride home was filled with thought and worry and more thought. But... I knew what had to happen. I decided to bring Frank home. I just cannot handle lack of respect and that is how I felt. I explicitly explained my feelings of other people riding my horse and I feel like it was blatantly ignored. So..... this past Saturday I went down and retrieved my dear boy. I must say I have missed him so. Although I do not have an indoor or proper ring to school him in I will survive and move onward. Where there is a will there is a way. I am excited to tell you about a new organization that I have joined and what Frank and I will be doing next. I will fill you in next time. Must get back to work now.

Happy trails.......

That frisky feeling

2010-03-09T12:19:00.002-05:00

Spring has peeked out here, HOORAY!!

I did go down South to see Frankie this weekend. I did take my new saddle with me.'
I did ride the Frank both Saturday and Sunday. It was......a mixed bag as far as rides go.

Saturday afternoon I saddled Frank with the new Reinsman saddle and it seems to fit him very well. I was warned to lunge him some because he had not been ridden since Thursday. Seems there was a pipe bursting problem in the barn that demanded immediate attention on Friday. So I did get out the lunge line and proceed to lunge my fellow. WOW! I was not prepared for what I got. He bucked, and bucked and bucked like I never have seen. My first thought was something is wrong with the saddle fit. Wrong.... he just felt amazingly frisky and happy with the warm weather.
When I say warm I mean 60, something we have not seen the likes of since early November. Scott came out and was smiling ear to ear telling me I told ya so. I asked him what he was feeding my beast to make him so eager to work. Ya see Frank is er well....Lazy. Not saying it to be mean it is just a fact, spurs are the necessity when riding him. Scott rode him a bit and he was of course the gentleman. We went over what he has learned since I was last there, it has been almost a month, then I rode him. We had a great ride, I worked on some new things and I liked the saddle more than I thought I would. See I have a love affair with "cutter" my other saddle. It is darn near perfect. It is a handmade saddle and is just the bomb as far as I am concerned, 17" flat seat and leather like butter. The Reinsman is a 16" and the cantle is much higher than what I am used to, the seat is rough out and man I stuck like glue. The only thing that bothered me was that the stirrups were stiff and not turned, something I know will come with riding but brother when you got crud for knees like me it hurts!

Sunday brought another beautiful day weather wise and Scott was so nice as to work up the dirt in the outdoor pen! I saddled Frank and headed outdoors. The sun was shining and he seemed genuinely happy to be outside too! I was working on circles and lead changes and all was going good until.......yeah you know there was an until.
The yearlings were turned out in a pasture adjacent to the outdoor pen. They were so happy to be out and were running around snorting and bucking having a great time.
Frank decided he should join in.....
He totally tuned me out and went to screaming (really he does scream not whinny) and jumping all around. I tried getting him back to frame and work but he was really giving me the works. Scott decided that was not gonna happen and he had me get off and he had a conversation with Frank. Lots of work and then Frank saw the light. I guess it was to be expected since he hasn't been out much and the weather change but I gotta tell ya the whole thing left me wondering if he will ever get over the detachment issues.

Happy trails.....

Finally Friday!

2010-03-05T16:53:00.002-05:00

Oh Joy! I have been waiting all week for this!

The weather is finally almost to the average temps here and the sun has been shining for the past two days! What a spirit lifter!

I am heading South tomorrow to see Frankie for the weekend! I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I last saw him! I long to ride him outdoors and it looks like it will happen since it is supposed to be 60 degrees by Sunday!

I will be back with pictures and stories on Monday to fill you all in on the happenings.

Hope you all have great weekends!

Happy Trails......

annual checkup

2010-03-04T15:32:00.003-05:00

This past week was Frankie's annual check up week. Mainly I wanted to have his teeth checked but went ahead with all his yearly maintenance. He turns five this month, the 27th to be exact, and he had some caps hanging around from baby teeth. I noticed last show that there was one sharp one up front and immediately scheduled the tooth fairy to come see him. Unfortunately, the weather kept delaying the appointments. Happy to say that he made it last week and fixed Frankie's pearly whites all up.

I also had the chiropractor out to check him over. We are still having issues to the right with Frank and I wanted to rule out anything skeletal. When I say issues I mean Frank cannot cross over correctly to the right for reining maneuvers. He kicks himself, steps behind his leg, tries to fall down etc....
The chiropractor found him in good shape overall with a small misalignment at the
3rd and 4th vertebra. I feel good that I had him looked at and I guess we will keep going with the thought that it is a mental block for him. Frustrating, as he lopes off beautifully on the right lead and shows no signs of soreness anywhere. My hope is that now we are working him on cattle that it will give him purpose to put his feet where they belong correctly.

We rounded out the week with our coggins test, yearly shots and health certificate for the next show later this month. Happy to have that out of the way although my wallet is suffering a bit.

Happy trails.......

Show number 2

2010-02-25T11:12:00.009-05:00

Don't faint y'all!

I made it back to post another story on show number 2.

The show was held at MSTU in Murfreesboro, TN on February 6. It was hosted by the Volunteer Ranch Horse Association, fine folks they are! The weather did NOT cooperate at all. Since it was a five hour drive from the trainer's barn we decided to ride together (note to self, do not do this again!). It rained the entire way down and was right around the freezing mark. Sigh..... when will it end? We hauled three horses down, Frank, Spook (another Perlino) and Comet. We arrived around six in the evening and quickly got the horses unloaded and into their stalls. The barn was a span barn and it was quite windy and raw. Glad I had a big blanket and hood for Frankie to snuggle up in. We fed them dinner and headed to find some grub ourselves. We returned to the grounds and saddled the horses up for a tour of the arena. The arena was heated which gave me some concern since the barns were not.
The arena was a pipe arena which meant that the horses could see a lot more things then usual. Frank was not to keen on the huge garage type door at the far end where the cattle were housed. We had a good warm up and called it a night. Our first class on Saturday was a warm up ranch riding class, non judged and no points. Scott rode him in that class and felt like he was good to go with the exception of the one area discussed above. Scott told me to let him cut in at that point if need be and to not rattle him by insisting he go deep in that area. I mounted up and prepared myself mentally by humming my favorite tune "All star" by smash mouth. Corny I know but it is my show thing......"hey now get your a rock star get your game on go play"
etc...

This is a shot of the warm up pen...not a whole lot of room but heated and beat being in the rain. Yes I unbraided that lovely tail before showing.

There were nine horses in my class, which is a five year old and under class (horse age) :-)
I felt good, relaxed and was having a good go. Until......yes there is always and until in horse showing. I was loping on the right lead right down by the scary area when another rider came up from behind wayyyyy to close. This startled Frank and he kinda sucked up his butt and scooted forward quickly out of frame and I did not want to hit the person in front of me so I had to kinda do the two hand plow pull to get his attention. Luckily the offender blocked the judge's view of my two handed trick and I was not DQ'd. But.... they did catch the scoot part and it cost me the class as one judge related to me at a later date. I ended up third under both judges and was extremely happy with that.

Later that evening Scott showed Frank in trail again. He did much better with the gate this time and was having a good run until the ground poles portion. The problem was they were painted like candy canes! This really caught his eye and he decided to stop and look at them instead of jogging over them. Then when it was time to lope between them he wanted no part of that either. Guess we are having a painting party was Scott's advice upon leaving the class.

Here he is performing the log drag. The rope man hands you a coil with a log attached and you drag it in a circle.

He finished 5th under both judges out of 12 horses.
Sunday brought the conformation class and he did so well again.... 2nd and 3rd out of six horses. We opted to skip the cattle classes this time due to time constraints and the fact that the cattle were pretty fresh. Still practicing on that at home.

All in all he has done so well and I have put 50 point on him in two shows. The next one is March 20 in Martin,Tn but I am working the show office on that one. We are discussing whether Scott will haul him and show him for me.

The best part of this show? Well there was a raffle going on to raise money for the youth of the Volunteer Ranch Horse Association and the kids were selling tickets. You know I am a sucker for cute kids and of course I bought one ticket cause all I had in my pocket was $10. I ended up winning the drawing.....
Wanna know what I won???

drum roll please.........

Here it is!

Oh yes! A brand new Reinsman ranch cutting saddle!! Can you believe it? Me neither except that I look at each night to remind myself how lucky I am!

More snow today and I swear if it doesn't stop soon I will lose my mind! My oldest is now going to be in school until the 10th of June because of all the snow days.

Happy trails....

remember me??

2010-02-22T09:37:00.007-05:00

Hi Friends!

Happy New Year! Happy Valentines Day and Presidents Day, and whatever else I missed.
I have missed telling you my tales and I have missed reading yours! I am hoping all is well in blogger land and in your lands. I am trying to catch up on my reading but thought I would drop in a little post of my own so you wouldn't think I rolled over into the grass and left ya.

Where to Start?

Well to begin with there has been way, way to much of this stuff the last couple of months!

It figures the year I move South to Kentucky they have a record amount of snow and cold days! Sigh....... this to shall pass.

I am happy to report that the family and I are all surviving the winter and desperately looking forward to Spring!

I suppose y'all want to know what Frankie is up to?
Well he is still down South at the trainer's barn and fit and pretty and doing oh so well.

Here is a shot of him with the trainer "Scott" from January.

I am oh so happy with the progress that he has made and I am truly happy that I took a chance on this diamond in the rough despite my concerns on his coloration. In fact it has not hurt us at all at the shows....

Oh yes! I said shows! You think I have been laying around here feeling sorry for myself all winter? No way baby, I have made two shows so far this year. Unfortunately there have been no photographers present to record this fact for evidence. But I have the ribbons to prove it!! Yep ribbons and points ....

Oh you want details???? Well, OK I guess I can share a few . It's the least I can do since I have abandoned you for so long.

January 23rd Frank makes his debut at his first show in Bowling Green, Ky.
Scott shows him in Trail and goes 7th out of 11. He had trouble with the gate and ticked a pole on the jog over but otherwise did well.

Isn't he so handsome!!

I showed him in conformation and he got a 5th out of 11 geldings. Then on Sunday I showed him in ranch riding (which is a rail class) and against my trainer on another horse and I placed.........1st out of 6! To say I was ecstatic is an understatement!!
What a great first show it was, I was so proud of the boy and officially got the showing bug again!

I took him to another show on February 6th but am keeping you in suspense til another day on that one.

Hopefully I will be back real soon to tell ya about it.

Happy trails.....

Baby it's cold outside!

2009-12-08T15:12:00.003-05:00

Yipes that is an understatement!!

We are in the midst of the cold snap like most of the rest of the country. Enjoyed the first snow of the season on Saturday morning. I say enjoyed because it fell just a little and it melted and went away. No surprise here that I am not a winter weather fan, I mean I am a Floridian still at heart.

Saturday we pulled the Christmas float for my littlest one's school. Well, I should say my husband pulled the float, I walked 2 miles handing out candy to the parade watchers. It was cold, the little ones had to endure 30 degree temps on that float.
Here is a pic of the little cuties!

Sunday I awoke to yet more snow and still frigid temps, 17 degrees. I tried to go and get my saddle out of my horse trailer but the lock was frozen shut. Rats!! (note to self, when we thaw bring the saddle home to the house) I drove the hour and forty five minutes down to see Frank praying the temp would rise to above freezing the further South I got. No deal. It was 35 when I got out. I watched Scott ride him for a bit then I got my chance. I could barely get on with my winter duds on and um the little extra weight I have packed back on. sigh...... endless battle there.

Frank is doing great! He is still having issues to the right but we are hopeful it will click soon. He is almost slick which is strange for me as I usually let them grow hair. He actually does not grow much hair to begin with but man with that hood and blanket on he is looking good. I enjoyed riding him and braided his mane and tail and spent mommy time with him for a good while before heading home.

This morning I had another run in with the deer. I swear I have bad deer Karma.
Yes, another one jumped out and slammed into the truck this morning on my way taking the kids to school. Luckily we were only going 15 miles an hour and she survived and the truck suffered more scratches on the same side. It is supposed to get fixed Thursday I am debating waiting til hunting season is over. Anyone having trouble finding deer to hunt?? Call me up I am a magnet!

Just gotta laugh what else is there to do???

happy trails.....

Back in the saddle again... almost

2009-12-04T13:15:00.002-05:00

Two posts in one week don't anyone faint here.....

I am finally back in the land of living... the little punks gave me the stomach virus and I puked for a day straight before hitting the meds. My stomach feels like I have been on an ab machine for six days straight... where are my six pack abs????
Oh well, happy to report we are all well and mended as of today.

Looking forward to the weekend! I am making the trip down to see Frank and am going to ride him for the first time in oh heck I cannot even remember.....

Scott says he is doing well and is even managing to remember how to turn to the right. He is soooo left handed, (the sign of a genius right?)that he cannot perform the turnarounds to the right without wacking himself and tangling his legs all up.
He is such a patient and good boy though and I think the marble is finally rolling to the right side of his brain (literally). Time for us to start getting it together, the first ranch horse show is January 23-24. You all know how much I love winter riding NOT! but since I am working as a show secretary and everyone and their brother seems to want to hire me I have to show when I can. Time to cowgirl up and pull out the winter skibbys. It was 28 here this morning and I think the high of 40
haven't made it outside. Well best get back to work, must catch up on the three days I missed before another week starts. Hope to check in with you Monday and post some pics!

Happy trails....

where does the time go?

2009-11-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

Hi all,

I have been meaning to get here all month to post but things happen.
So much to tell you where do I start? Well I guess I will start
By telling you that I am having to post from my blackberry
Since my PC is dead. Work is to busy to find the time and my
lunch hour has become an errand marathon.

I did take Frankie down South to the trainer and spent the weekend
They are a great family and I cannot remember when I last
Laughed so much. I felt like Scott and him clicked and begrudgingly
Left on Sunday. I get updates three times a week and he is doing
Great! I went last Saturday for a visit and to my surprise he
Is having a rope thrown off him and doing log drags. He has
Been on cattle a few times as well. The bummer to last weekend was that
I wrecked the truck when a deer jumped out and I swerveded to miss it
I put the truck in a ditch and sideswiped a fencepost. It could
Have been much worse, I am ok and the truck only suffered minor
Damage.

Tonight I am home with a young un who is pukin constantly and I
Am praying the meds kick in soon.

Swear I will be back soon!

Almost time

2009-11-06T16:45:00.003-05:00

So it is Friday and I am so ready for the weekend!!

Tonight is girl's night out and time for GRANDE MARGARITA'S!!

Tommorrow I am loading up Frankie and heading South to a new trainer's barn. I am staying the weekend to ride and check things out. It will be strange coming home without him. I am excited at the fact that someone will be riding him daily and finishing his lessons. Hopefully come spring I will get the chance to start showing.
I am not running for any officer positions this year and hope to get on with my horsey life again.

Speaking of:

Here is the littlest practicing on his beloved donk "Jane"

He is following in his mama's shoes and is going to be quite the little horseman.
He absolutely adores this donkey! She has been such a confidence booster and perfect lady.

Hope you all have great weekends, will post and hopefully have pics for you on Monday!

Happy trails.....

Still kicking

2009-11-05T14:59:00.003-05:00

Oh my friends I have been such a bad blogger of late...... did you miss me???
I miss reading all your blogs.

This working business is really taking it's toll on my other life. Now the time change makes it even more challenging.

The fall colors here are beautiful and I must get some of my pictures downloaded to share with you. It is on my list.

In addition to working full time I have been doing show secretary work at ranch horse shows on the weekends. There is a method to this madness. The extra money is going to put Frankie in training this winter.

I am loading him up on Saturday and we are heading South to visit a friend of mine.
He is a trainer and shows ranch horse. If they get along I will be leaving Frank for a while. I figure someone should be riding him all winter as I won't be. You know I hate the cold as it is.

I know it is short and I will update you as soon as I can.

Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

Cowgirl goes to congress

2009-10-13T20:31:00.002-04:00

I spent a glorious weekend at the Quarter Horse Congress!

Hubby and I escaped Friday morning and returned home on Sunday. BFF Susan was good enough to watch the little hell yuns for us, it was the first time away from them together.

Friday the weather was raining and cool but Saturday brought sunshine and pleasant temps. We did some window shopping on Friday and enjoyed a very delicious dinner out together before we returned to the show grounds to watch the freestyle reining competition. For those of you unfamiliar with freestyle reining, it is where the exhibitor creates their own pattern to their choice of music and they usually dress in costume as well. The contestants were very creative in the song choice and costumes. Several of them did patterns to the wizard of oz complete with flying monkeys! My favorite was a fella dressed in a fake belly that did his pattern to the song I'm to Sexy! It was hilarious.

Saturday it was time for serious shopping. Once again I had to do the dreaded boot shopping. I say dreaded because my feet have high insteps and it is not easy finding a boot to get into. After trying on close to 40 pair of boots I finally decided on a pair of Ariats. I mean to tell ya, the fact that they have purple tops did not faze me by this point.

I also invested in a turnout sheet for Frankie, although I have several in my tack trunk nothing would fit the boy. So....... I invested in another. We chose an emerald green one with Burgundy trim, midwieght and waterproof. Good thing as tonight it is supposed to rain and be a high of 49 tomorrow. Ugh!

I found some other little things like brushes and a cow hair coolie holder for my beverages. There was lots of bling there. So much that it hurt my eyes!! I did enjoy looking at the horse trailers and comparing interiors and such. My hub was in truck heaven! I did of course take a visit to puppy row although I loved the little Cairn terrier I would never buy a puppy!

Sunday we viewed some of the halter classes but it was like watching paint dry so we called it a day and headed home. Fun, Fun , Fun a very nice getaway!

Remember me??

2009-09-22T21:30:00.006-04:00

Hi All! Has it really been this long since my last post?? Where does the time go? To say things have been busy around here would be an understatement. As I was catching up on reading blogs tonight I see that I am not the only one being swamped by life. I really don't even know where to begin with updating you on my crazy life.

Here's a sampling of what's been going on. My oldest joined the cub scouts which equated into me being roped into assistant den leader. Oh, a job I am relishing NOT! Since he is a Tiger cub he must have a partner do all the scouting stuff with him. Since hubby travels and cannot be counted on for jack #### guess who gets to do it. I spent a weekend camped in a tent surrounded by 300 6-12year old boys who made copious amounts of noise until all hours!! I hate sleeping in a tent! My body was screaming by Saturday afternoon, this is why I have a living quarter horse trailer!! We did manage some fun and he earned his totem and belt loops for archery and BB guns. Oh yeah, I said BB guns.....

I have managed to sneak in some rides on the Frank here and there, no trail riding but some schooling stuff. I hauled him to a county horse park 25 minutes from the farm. It has four arenas and an indoor. He remembered all his lessons from the spring although I have not had him in an arena since May. I am seriously thinking of sending Frankie back to Cory for the early part of the winter to finish his training. I really want to show next year and I don't have the place to school him and I really won't have the time to do it because.......

I took a full time job at United States Equestrian Federation (USEF)at the Kentucky Horse Park! Yep, it is official I started on Monday the 28th. I will be working in the Finance dept, my official title will be remittance processing representative (fancy name for accounts receivable). The benefits are great and it is 20 minutes from the house. It will be quite a change for all of us around here. I am still doing my horse show office business as well and had a show this past weekend in Indiana and another the end of the month in Ky.

I am a busy girl. Much more news but I will save some for later.

Happy trails.....

A few of my favorite books...

2009-09-01T09:12:00.002-04:00

Not long ago my pony cousin Pony Girl did a post about books she had found while thrift shopping. It got me to thinking if I still had my copy of Black Beauty so I went looking. Indeed! I do have it, it is not as old as her copy but it is an oldie and still in good shape.

I have several other old horsey books as well. I am a junk collector ya know.
This one has a plain faded orange cover which makes me think it must have had a cover page at one time. It is titled Golden Lady and written by Eleanor Brown.
My copy is dated 1946. It has some lovely little illustrations throughout the book.

The opening page is written like this "In memory of my mother, a gallant woman"
Who couldn't read a book with an opening like that. Here is the title page.

And one of the illustrations of the book

But true to my cowgirl spirit is my all time favorite book, Smoky The Cow horse.
Ever read it? You should. It is true cowboy western tradition complete with a great ending. It is written by Will James and my copy is a beautiful aged blue and it great shape. My copy was published in 1926. Check this out.

Here are some of the illustrations in the book.

What are some of your favorite horse books?

Red Hill Ride

2009-08-31T12:53:00.016-04:00

WOW! What a weekend!

I am back from a weekend at Red Hill Horse Camp and ready to share the stories and pictures with you.

Friday morning after dropping off the little ones at school I headed over to the barn to pick up Frankie and Susan's horse Butter. I arrived in the rain to find Frankie a real muddy mess. I had to take the time to wash him off as he was covered in mud and I was not sure of the facilities where we were heading. So after a quick rinse off and packing a few more items in the trailer we were off.

I actually had Frankie load himself this time! Thought I would give it a try so I just stood at the entrance to the trailer and guided him with my hand and smooched and up he jumped all by himself. Cool! Butter loaded with no issues as well and snug as a bug they were in there.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

The traveling was easy as most of it was straight down I 75 the camp is in Livingston, Ky about an hour and 20 minutes from my house. The road to the camp proved to be a little more challenging, it was filled with uphills and curves but certainly manageable. We arrived around 1:30 to a vacant camp. In fact the gate was closed and I was doubting if something was wrong. I did speak with the owner just two nights before and assured him we were coming. We opened the gate and found the mess hall, there were trail maps and release forms sitting on a bench on the porch.
We signed the release, got ourselves a map and continued on. We found a very clean well laid out campground. We picked a spot to camp close to the barns for the horses, we unloaded the horses and set up camp.

Here was Frankie's house when we were not riding.

The weather was kinda muggy and we had a few stray showers every now and then but we were not dismayed. Friend Carlene showed up about an hour after we arrived and she grabbed a camp sight next door. After putting out the awning and setting up camp we decided on a short ride. We saddled up and tried to translate the trail map we had picked up earlier. We found the trail head at the end of the camp and proceeded into the woods. The trail was narrow and unfortunately very steep and rocky. We felt bad because Butter was not shod on the back feet. Frankie was doing well and was getting an education on having dogs along for a ride. Susan had brought her two jack russell terriers and her yellow lab along. I never have ridden him with dogs and it took him just a bit to get used to them running ahead, behind and darting out of the brush at any time. All was going well until around 30 minutes into the ride.
Then, on a very narrow trail going downhill Frankie started shaking his head side to side and refused to go onward. I thought this odd as he has never refused anything I have asked of him. I gently encouraged him onward. This was rewarded with a complete blow up! He reared, lunged forward and went into full throttle bucking mode. I yelled for Susan to get out of the way as she was just in front of me and we were temporarily out of control. I mean I'm not talking crow hopping buck here kids but, full throw your a** to the ground bucking. He nearly had me off but I was a hanging by the 4 inch Oh Sh*t handle and lots of mane! As soon as I got him under control and back on trail I dismounted to check tack, surely something was out of whack to make him behave that way! I could find nothing on the girth or breast collar and no welts to indicate stings. I remounted, no easy task since Frankie has seen it necessary to grow to 15.3 hands. We walked on and he started again with the shaking of his head and refusing to go downhill. I knew something must be wrong with his hocks, back ??? This was so out of character for my horse so I dismounted and walked the half a mile back to camp. No easy task since A) the trails were narrow and I had to walk in front of Frankie B) The trails were steep, uphill and down and C) There were rocks to contend with. By the time I got back I had a deeper appreciation for my horse and the things he does for me. I unsaddled him and checked again the pad and his underside, nothing. I gave him some bute and put him in the stall. The three of us girls brainstormed and tried to come up with an explanation to the behaviour. I knew it had to be pain related as Frankie is just as laid back as they come.

We cooked dinner and decided we would try some reflex therapy on him after eating.
Susan brought steaks and fresh squash for dinner, a package of instant potatoes rounded out the meal.

As you can see Dawg the jack russell is patiently awaiting dinner as well.

The owner of the camp, Gene, showed up not much later. We asked him the which trails were flatter since the downhills seemed to be the only thing bothering Frankie. He told us that most of the trails required hills and valleys. He questioned my saddle and saddle pad, if either were something new to the horse.
All at once a light bulb went off in my block head!! This behaviour came about in a lesser degree the last time I rode him at the reservoir, he did not buck but did not want to go down the last hill on the way home. I had used a limpet pad on him that day as well. It is a closed cell, neoprene like pad. I generally ride him in a wool pad. Ah Ha! We felt all over his back and sure enough he was sore on either side of his withers. We did massage therapy on him and decided to try some more in the morning. We went back to camp and made a fire and swapped riding stories.

GIRLS AROUND THE FIRE

I did not sleep well that night. I was torn on what to do with Frankie. Of course I wanted to ride but I did not want to hurt him. Morning came and we found his back much better, he did not flinch at all when we touched him. Carlene did some more therapy and reflexology on him and we did administer 1 gram of bute to him. After breakfast we saddled up with my wool pad this time and headed out. We tried a smaller downhill to start, he was a little off but nothing like yesterday. I still had pangs of guilt at riding him.
The trails were beautiful.

THE GIRLS RIDING AHEAD INTO THE WOODS

We came across an older couple riding walking horses at an intersection of the trail.
They asked where we were riding to? We told them we did not really have a plan that we were just going to ride wherever the trails lead us. They explained that they had been riding the woods for over 40 years and knew all the trails. They asked if we would like to ride to moonbeam rock with them. We all agreed it sounded like fun and off we went. They actually rode at a slow pace and our quarter horses had no problems keeping up with the walkers. The gentleman's name was Bill and he was very conscientious about the trails, stopping to pick up trash and cans the entire way. He told us how it saddened him that people littered and that he usually goes back with his saddle bags full of cans and trash every weekend. His darling wife Ruby, was a joy to talk with and I was amazed that she was still riding at 68 when she told me of her previous injuries. We rode 8 miles through the woods together to moonbeam rock. It is a sandstone rock shaped like an arch about 80 feet up on the mountain.

Here is a shot of it.

We ate lunch there at the rock and talked about other trails. We mounted up, me with the help of a downed tree, thank you LORD! and down the hill we went. Frankie was holding up well and we were kidding around about all the badges he was earning this trip toward his master trail horse status. We rode the trails along a creek bed and Bill told us of how people had lived along this creek once upon a time. We passed the remnants of an old school house and several shacks. Here is one that was in the best shape of them all.

We crossed creeks and a concrete bridge, passed an old cemetery and ended up back where we started. We exchanged phone numbers with Bill and Ruby and promised to come back and ride with them again real soon. We made it back to camp around 4 in the afternoon and figured out that we had ridden around 15 miles that day. We found that we had some neighbors in the camp when we returned. They came over to see how our ride went and asked where we rode. They planned on doing that ride the next day.
The horses were treated to a nice hosing off and lots of carrots. We began dinner preparations, the menu was salad and brats for Saturday night. Gene, showed up again around dinner and we started kidding him that his nose must bring him around.
We reminded him that there was not hot water at the shower house and he apologized and went to turn on the water heater. He also came back bearing gifts, in the form of moonshine! I must confess, us girls did partake in the tradition of having some shine. It is rude to turn down gifts ya know.

Ms Susan trying out the shine.

We had another visitor at our camp that night, a young fellow named Monroe who claimed he was Amish and was not sure if he was going to stay Amish. We teased him and called him Semi Amish Monroe the rest of the evening. It was interesting to hear about his home life and certainly something new to me. I wish him well and felt a little sorry for the confusing time he was facing.

Sunday we awoke to a crisp 56 degrees! A cold front snuck in while we were sleeping.
We decided on a quick breakfast and to sneak in one last ride before we broke camp.
We saddled up and the horses were in good spirits from the coolness. We rode the lowest loop trail which basically went around the side of the mountain. We saw lots of rock formations and some caves along the way. I love this next photo, the way the sun beam is shining right down on my head!

We did encounter a large tree down on this trail and the horses had to walk over it as there was no way around it. Susan's horse refused and I tried Frankie. He had to step over a log that was higher than his knees, no hesitation he just slowly went over it the best he could. What a guy!! Another badge for him! The other horses followed and I was so proud of the boy. We rode for about an hour than headed back to camp. We cleaned up our site and the stalls, loaded the horses and headed out.

We all agreed we would definitely ride here again. Go give it a try if you are in the area!

Happy trails.....

My Donk is tame I swear

2009-08-25T10:27:00.010-04:00

Since moving to the bluegrass there have been many changes to horse life around here.
For one the horse and donkey are no longer in my backyard or my care all the time.
Although I do see them everyday and clean their stalls and them some things are not in my control. One thing that is in my control is the farrier. I of course had to find a new one being that my farrier did not want to travel three hours to do two animals unless I agreed to pay him copious amounts of money! I don't blame him.

So..... enter the new farrier Juan Carlos. He has a nice rig, well equipped and seems genuinely interested in how I want my horses done. I made sure I asked if he would trim a donkey before we got started. He was a little apprehensive but said yes he would try to do the donkey. I assured him that Jane was the best little donkey ever and that she would give no problems being trimmed.

Look at her! Does she look like she would hurt anyone???

We ended up having five head to trim and shoe that day, Jane included.
I brought out Frank and explained that I wanted shoes put on the front and that I wanted him at a 55 degree angle. I also told Juan Carlos that he needed to be quiet and gentle since Frank has not had shoes on before and not been handled that much.
He was extremely patient with Frankie and did a great job putting the shoes on.
I need to put on shoes since Frankie had an old injury to his right front and had bad cracking and I was worried that with riding I was going to destroy that foot further. I asked JC if he would like to do Jane next, he declined and said bring another horse out. This happened until the Jane was the last one to be done. I was snickering to myself, knowing that he thought my donk was gonna give him fits when he attempted to trim her.

Finally came Jane's turn to be trimmed, I went out to fetch her.

She looks ready to eat someone doesn't she?

I brought her up to his tools and he again asked me if she had been trimmed before.
Well, you could look at her feet and she that yes she had been trimmed regularly.
But I was amused and said, "OH yes, she is great at it!" JC proceeded cautiously with the trimming, especially the hinds. He seemed genuinely surprised that she stood quietly and gave no problems. I asked him why he wanted to do her last and he said that usually the donkeys are a real rodeo to trim. He exclaimed that she was the best donkey he had ever worked on!

We knew that all along!

Happy trails.......

Why is it that.......

2009-08-24T13:42:00.003-04:00

In life that no matter what we have, we want something different?

Human nature?

I wonder if horses think this way? Like does the stalled show horse wish for pasture time to run and play with buddies? Does my own horse wish for more stall time? Does Frankie go on these trail rides packing my fat butt up the hill and wish for Cory's nice indoor arena instead?

Life has been more than busy lately and I wish I saw an end in sight. I long to go and ride the Frank and start his training again. I feel like all I do is run out there clean his stall and knock the dirt off him and then I am off again. I know he misses me, he whinny's and runs to the gate when he sees me. I wish he was in my backyard still most days. Part of the problem is going to be solved this week, the littlest starts pre-school four mornings a week. This will give me time to ride, but where? There is no arena at the barn which leaves paddocks or an open grassy area. Unfortunately the footing is not great in either area and makes me leery to do to much like work on loping and leads. This in turn makes me long for a barn with an indoor arena with footing. I would have to give up having him five minutes from my house and a whole lot of dollars that are hard to come by right now. For some crazy reason here in KY most boarding places are self care. I could handle once a day but probably not twice most days not to mention when I travel to judge or run show offices on the weekends. Hmmmn...... life's little problems. I know things will work themselves around and out eventually so I will just be patient and wait it out.

Onto a better note. Hubby and I were able to replace the mats in horse trailer this weekend. Yea! I have been wanting to do that since I bought "big blue". The previous owners had put a conveyor belt mat on the floor. It was dangerously slippery for horses with shoes and definitely made practicing backing Frankie out really scary. Now I can start that process this week since Hubby is home and the trailer will stay hooked up as I am heading out for a camping trip this weekend!!

Susan and I are heading to Red Hill Horse Camp a place we have never been but have been wanting to try. It is only an hour south of the house so we are off for a weekend of riding. Now off to clean out the dressing room of the horse trailer and start packing!

Happy trails......

Rehomed horse update

2009-08-11T10:12:00.004-04:00

Funny how life is....... just the other day I was talking about my older horse Tank that I re homed this past May and I get an update from his new owner in my mailbox.

Some of you may remember my old fella Tank, a big beautiful Dun QH that I had the privilege of owning for many, many a years. When the time came for us to move here to Ky I knew I would have to alter my horse keeping habits and the horses would not be in the back yard anymore. The decision to re home Tank was not an easy one but I felt it the best one for all involved. He was really to old to do the kind of trail riding that I do, which is sporadic and challenging most of the time. I did not have the time to keep two horses fit and take care of the young ins and household.
I felt he still had lots to give to someone wanting a great horse to ride lightly and enjoy his sensible and comfortable style.

Here is one of the last photos I took of him at my house.

He is such a handsome devil and always kept himself in good shape and easy to keep.

I am happy to tell you that his new Mom Linda is enjoying him immensely. Linda is a special lady that rescues all kinds of animals from dogs to horses and everything in between. She does not have a rescue per say but just does it on her own accord and out of her own pocket. Matter of fact her husband Sid said to me when I dropped Tank off that this was the first one that did not need medical attention or weight put on him. She rides him occasionally around her 40 acres and he has a whole herd of friends that he is turned out with. What more could anyone ask for their best buddy?

Happy trails...

I'm home

2009-08-10T11:51:00.009-04:00

Well HI everyone!

I am finally back in the bluegrass and happy to be here. It seems I brought the hot weather from Florida with me though. It was 91 degrees here yesterday. We haven't seen any heat here since June, I guess all good things must come to an end.

I won't bore you with the Florida trip details, it is something we must do at least once a year for family sake. I know I sound like an ingrate but man.... the planning and packing and traveling with the wee ones wears me out. Not to mention the ag factor when I get there. But we did manage some fun and got to see my family and I must say my kids adored the beach.

This is what shear joy looks like!

My littlest was content to run and play in the surf and build sandcastles with mommy all day.

Dad and the oldest did brave the surf and had some swimming time, but for the most part we did alot of this.

You will notice there a no pictures of me on the beach. I officially started the plan again today to drop the extra pounds I have packed on. I simply must get back in shape and get riding Mr Frank more often.

Which, actually I did yesterday!

Susan and I headed over to the park by our house for some new trails......

It was super hot and humid and Frank was sweating bullets and the ground was slippery from all the rain we have been having but he was a real gem again.
Such a nice colt he is.....

This is one of the shady trails we opted for yesterday. The big black horse flys were in abundance and Payback was sporting her quarter sheet for protection. Susan has learned the hard way to use this as Payback bucks huge when one lands on her.
Frankie did not seem fazed by the bugs, I did spray him well with the Pyrahna aerosol spray, It rocks!

Here is Susan an Payback in a clearing before we head back into the woods for shade!
We rode for about two hours and called it a day. A very nice relaxing Sunday morning.

The little ones started school today so I am aiming for riding more now. My goal is at least three days a week. Hopefully I can do it and get going on some of the things I really want to work on with Frankie.

Hope you all are having a great start to the week!

Happy trails.......

Note from the road

2009-08-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

Hi kids!

I realized today as I sat on the beach that I have been neglecting you. Yes, I said beach. No, there is no beach in Ky that I am aware of. I am in sunny and sometimes stormy South Florida visiting family. It was a last minute trip and one I am glad we took. Life has been really hectic and busy this summer and a nice trip here puts things in perspective.

Frankie is of course back home gorging on bluegrass getting fatter by the moment. That is OK, I have something planned for him when I get home. Another horsey trip!
Not to far from home but a new place to go try for a few days with girlfriends.

So far we have had a pool party with my family, a pizza party also and a beach bash today. They are all heading back South to Miami today and we will stay here in Port St Lucie for a few more days and visit hubby's family before heading out on Wednesday for home. School starts the 10th for our oldest and we must be back on Friday for the big orientation at the new school.

Just wanted to drop a line and say hello from the road. Hopefully, things will resume back to normal one of these days and I can post regularly again. Miss you guys but am enjoying the beach!

As my life churns

2009-07-20T15:08:00.002-04:00

Life is just churning along here, busy as usual and not enough hours in my day most of the time. As of late I have been doing the Doctor's office shuffle with the wee ones getting them ready for school days. Who knew moving to a new state meant redoing all your medical records and other such crud. Not to worry they are now enrolled and officially can start school on August 10th, yipes that is soon. I am ready for it as it means some riding time for me and Frankie.

This weekend was a bust booty weekend around here. Hubby and I decided to switch the kitchen appliances out and put ours in here. Not a big deal right? Or so we thought. However, this involved taking all the doors off the two refrigerators and the stoves as they would not fit out the house doors. It turned into a four hour ordeal when all was said and done. But.... I now have my smooth top stove and my bottom freezer/fridge and am rid of that side by side that I detested.

The weekend also brought another round of garden goodies and I put up more green beans than I can describe to you. I need to do another round of pickles this week.

I am also in horse show week here. The IRHA is hosting another show this weekend in Indiana and that means I am swamped with preparations and phone calls regarding the show. Never a dull moment here folks!

I did manage to climb up on the big ole fat creme colored tick I like to call Frankie. Man he is swollen up from the grass here. I need to get some serious riding going here or I will have to dry lot him soon. I had a great phone conversation with Tank's new owner yesterday and she says he is doing very well and is happy with his new herd of friends. I think I am going to try and stop and see him Friday morning on the way to the horse show. I think my poor heart might be ready for it. I told Linda that I may come by and for her hubby not to worry since I will have my trailer with me. She said that was fine but that if I loaded him up and took him she would hunt me down! I am glad she is so in love with him and that he is making someone else's life happy, it truly is the best you could hope for when you re home a special loved one.

Until next time, Happy trails.....

Checking In

2009-07-16T08:14:00.002-04:00

Hey people!

I really don't have time this morning to be blogging, but..... I feel like checking in and really wanted to read what you all have been up to. I see it is quiet in blog land, I guess I am not the only one who is crazy busy.

This week was/is a round of doctor's appts for the boys so they can attend school which starts August 12th. Thank God!! I also did some canning and putting up the garden goodies which are coming in quicker than I can deal with them.

I am taking care of Susan's farm while she takes a mini vacation to the mountains.
Frankie is so freakin fat on all the clover in his field, I am thinking of moving him to a smaller paddock today. However, it is right next to Jane and her buddy Payback. I am not sure if this will re instate the negative clingy behaviour he had previously. I tell ya though the slobbers from the clover are enough to drive me crazy, I need rain gear just to be around him lately.

Tomorrow I have the job interview at the horse park and am hoping I get it.
It would enable me to put the smallest spawn of mine in pre school and thus give me some time to ride Frankie without worrying where little people are and what they are up to.

Well, I know it is short but thought I would fill you in on my so called life.
Anyone need any pickles??

Don't spank Frank!

2009-07-07T14:51:00.002-04:00

This little thought came about the other night after Frankie gave me another round of #ss padding. You see I was riding him at the farm and working on little things like moving our hip over at the walk and trot, transitions and just stuff in general.
Frank got to gazing around and generally just tuning me out. I usually wear a small spur when I ride him because he is the original iron sides, I mean you could literally bang on him with no reaction whatsoever. Well, I had forgot my spurs and he was being really lazy and as I said distracted by the horses in the adjacent field. I asked him to lope off on the right lead and he missed it, we continued he missed it again then he just would not lope at all. I lost patience, oh I know bad mommy! and decided to encourage him with a rein end. MY MISTAKE! He did not appreciate it and was startled I think, he took off bucking and doing his signature half rear lunge thing for a few moments. Luckily, he does not last long in that behaviour and it was over quickly.

This got me to thinking about the last time he padded my backside and that was back at Tiffany's house when he was having a fit about Jane and I shoulder spurred him to get his attention. I don't think it is retaliatory , I seriously think it is just a being startled reaction for him. Kinda like the other day when the stick poked him in the woods and he went off bucking.

Moral of the story: Don't spank Frank!

How I spent my 4th of July

2009-07-05T10:28:00.009-04:00

Hi all,

Hoping you are having a great 4th of July weekend and I hope that part of this fun weekend was spent thanking the people before us that made our country such a great place to live and have our freedom.

I had a very enjoyable 4th! I spent the early part of the morning tending my garden.
Have a look see.

The garden is loving all this rain we are having and upon closer inspection, look at what I found:

Oh YEAH kids that is the first tomato of the season! I can almost taste that yummy BLT sandwich now......

I think this week my green beans and a round of cucumbers will also be ready. Which means get out the canner and prepare for some canning. The weather is supposed to turn hot again, always a joy when you are canning. We have been enjoying some nice days in the 70's this past week.

At nine I headed over to the barn to load up Frankie and Susan's other mare Butter.
We decided to celebrate our Independence and go riding! Frankie had never been riding with Butter but they trailered well on the short trip to the reservoir. We met another friend Becky there with her Welsh stallion Wayne. It was cloudy and overcast with rain moving in for the afternoon but we were sure we could get a ride in first. I was pleasantly surprised to find Frankie was relaxed and stood tied like a gentleman to the trailer even when Susan tied Butter to the opposite side.
We rode the same loop that we did last time we rode there. Becky was having some issues with Wayne and his stud like behaviour, he hadn't been out in awhile. Frankie did well with the exception of one incident. I was bringing up the rear of the pack and coming out of the woods into an open area, Butter got out of his eyesight and he starting rushing through a narrow part of the trail. I am not really sure what happened but my best guess is that he got poked in the side by a stick and combined with his nervousness of not seeing the other horses he went into a bucking frenzy.
I was slightly concerned because we came out on the side of a hill and there was an old fence of barbed wire that he was heading for. I did manage to get him stopped and under control before we reached the fence line. Sigh.... young horses.....

Still I am very pleased at his progress and the rest of the day was uneventful for us at least. You may have noticed the new header picture. It is one from yesterday at a small creek we crossed. Frankie was shaking off when Susan snapped it, looks like he is smiling doesn't it??

Here is a shot of Susan and Butter at that creek crossing.

And here is Becky waiting her turn to cross

We made it back to the trailers in about an hour and a half. Becky decided she had enough riding for the day and chose to head home. Susan and I grabbed a quick little snack and mounted back up. We decided to try the other side of the road trails. It was more hilly and the horses were a little winded being that neither of them were all that fit just yet. We did see lots of these.

No, not the cedar trees although there were plenty of them. Look to the right of that cedar can you see the deer? She was pretty far away but the only one that would stand still long enough to let me snap a picture.

We rode for another hour and then the weather started to move in. One good thing about it was that I got to put my slicker on while mounted on Frankie. A first for him and as usual he was non plussed about it. Baby steps each ride and soon he is gonna be as Susan put it "old reliable". Kind of a nice thought!

Happy trails!

Summer

2009-07-01T08:54:00.002-04:00

I love summer! I like the heat, the sun, the pool and all the fresh veggies from my garden. I like canning the goods from my harvest. But dag gone it is sooooo... busy.
I just am not finding the time to sit and blog anymore. I miss reading about your lives and adventures. I miss telling you about my so called life.

But with the boys home and the newness of this place and finding my way around I find the days just fly by. Not to mention I am judging shows, doing show secretary work and planning the next horse show for the Indiana Ranch Horse Association.

I am managing to ride Frankie some and he is being a good guy. He is adjusting to life by himself in the pasture and has hardly given me any antics when I ride him alone. I am hoping to take him South to a friends house with cattle to start tracking them and see how he does.

I have a good lead on a job at the horse park again and am hoping that I get an interview at least. Just part time but at this point I think that is all I could add on to this crazy schedule of mine.

I judge a 4H fair show next Saturday and the IRHA show is the end of the month so things are at a brisk pace as usual. I have a few more judging jobs this summer as well.

Looking forward to the weekend when I can relax and swim in the pool with my little fellas. But first, I must go and set that dratted pool up.......
Ah the joys of motherhood!

Happy trails......

tales from the trails....

2009-06-18T15:06:00.009-04:00

I figure I have kept you in suspense long enough for details of the cottonwood patch trip. Still cannot believe I forgot my camera, think I will tie it around my neck as Luanne suggested in a previous occasion where I forgot it. I did manage to grab these pictures from Susan who thank goodness remembered her camera and to actually use it while we were riding.

Friday morning found rain again, I showed up at Susan's at 7am as planned. We had hooked up the trailer the night before so all we had to do was load up and go. Susan had Frankie all haltered up with fly mask on ready for me to load him. Since Frankie won't back out yet we loaded him first than Payback. We set off with Mapquest directions and another version from one of the fellas from Georgia who had been there before, it was estimated at 5 hours. We hit rain off and on down I 75 but nothing major. We had one stop for lunch and ice before we got off the interstate for good. We turned on Ga 2 and headed into what we thought was the last leg of the trip, after 7 miles we determined this was not the Ga 2 we needed to be on. We found a turn around and backtracked turns out we turned the wrong direction,
just in front of us were two horsetrailers. Susan thought she recognized them as Ga riders, they turned off to the right and I kept on straight as my good ole GPS and navigator Susan instructed, this turned out to be the best thing that could have happened on Friday. The road quickly went from paved to gravel with more switchbacks and uphill then I could tell you, seven miles of this folks. Oh yeah let's not forget the two little narrow bridges we had to cross with my dually. Just when Susan started to doubt we were in the right place again I saw the horse trailers off to my left. I made the remark that I was glad I was not pulling a long rig as the roads were narrow and no shoulder just drop offs. We pulled in the campsite at 2 o'clock and several folks were already set up, they actually came in the night before and were out for a ride. Two friends were in camp and we figured out where to park and then got down to setting up camp. Unfortunately, there wasn't any really good place to place a picket line that would have been in the shade so we opted to tie the horses to a hitching post in the shade instead. Frankie never pulled back but..... he did untie himself and payback a few times until we hard tied him. Soon things were shaping up and then we heard a loud bang and horses banging in a trailer. Just after that Ralph a Ga rider came walking into camp saying James'
trailer was off in the ditch with horses inside and that it was BAD! We walked up the road and this is what we saw:

Now kids, if you are going to drive a goose neck trailer..... remember to swing out before your turns or this will happen.

Yes, there were two horses inside. Yes they were down and on their heads. The fellas had to dig out the hill behind the trailer, empty the rear tack, collapse it and go in and get the horses out. They both had cuts and were shaken up but thankfully they were otherwise fine.

Here is a side view so you can see what it looked like

These are the wrecker drivers who drug it up out of the ditch some hour and a half later. The young lady is one of our camp members who could not resist the uniform.
Ya see, I am glad they took that turn and that I got into camp before this happened or we would have been stranded up there on the road waiting for the wrecker to clear it. There was only one way in and out of the camp.

The rest of Friday was spent socializing and eating yummy fish the group fried at the campsite. Frankie seemed good on the post although I must confess I slept little and checked him about every two hours by looking out my trailer window.

Saturday was clear and beautiful when we awoke. The crew treated us to bacon and eggs for breakfast and we decided to split into two groups to ride for the day.
Fast, long ride for the gaited fellas and slow half day for us er quarter horse riding gals. We packed lunches and headed out for the iron mountain trail, a 12 mile loop around the campground with lots of hills and two river crossings. Frankie had already attached himself to Payback in a fierce way and if she got to far away he started his whinnying and antics of jumping around. Ugh.... I decided to make him lead for awhile and give him something to think about. The trail was not real wide and the drop offs were steep, it kept me on my toes since he is such a greenie.
I know it is out of focus but here he is plodding along.

Actually, he was moving out good and enjoying himself until.......this giant flat rock appeared when we rounded a corner. It startled him so that he jumped to the right and fell over the side of the hill. Well kids, I was thinking this could go really bad here or.....
Well, he wasn't panicking or freaking out, he stopped when I asked him to and when I accessed that we could not back up or go forward we just did a cute little 180 degree turn on the side of the hill and popped back up on the trail. Thank goodness he had reining training! Everyone was surprised at how well he handled it, other horses gave trouble with the rocks throughout the day as well. Frankie got over it after that one little incident. We meandered through the woods and I put him in the middle and in the back just to see how he handled it. When his girlfriend Payback was in sight he was fine but let her get out of view and he worried and jigged me around. Our next surprise came when the horse in front of me tripped over a downed branch in the trail, this turned out to be a God send as a big timber rattlesnake was laying on the trail just beyond it. Here is a shot of the noisy fella.

Thankfully, he slivered over to the ditch and proceeded to warn us to stay away with his big rattles. I was surprised how calm the horses were as they passed within 6 feet of him. We could hear the river as we approached it, the shallows running over the rocks was beautiful and the horses were happy to have a long cool drink.

After letting the horses drink and cool off we headed up the other side and found that it was a good spot to park for lunch. We tied the horses and sat along the river enjoying our sack lunches. Frankie was more than happy to stand and rest in the shade of the trees. We finished up our goodies and saddled up for the rest of the trip, we decided that when we got back we would take our chairs and head to the river for our own cooling off. The trail paralleled the river for about a mile or so and it was so relaxing hearing the water and feeling the coolness of the river
a perfect ending to the ride. We did have to cross a small wooden bridge and then a big steel bridge to get back to camp, Frankie handled these in stride as well. Frankie was a worn out fella when we strolled back into camp at 2 pm. After I unsaddled him I sponged him down with a bucket of water and he was happy to see that hitching post and his hay bag!

We set off for the river with beverages and chairs in hand, the water was cold! We sat in the sun knowing just how lucky we were to be there in God's beauty. A short while later the boys came riding up and checked on us, I inquired about Frankie and if he was still tied and they told me he was laying flat out on his side tied to the rail. We all laughed and commented at how well he handled the day but that his little mind was probably exhausted like his body.

When I think about his life before me and all that he had to take in this past weekend I am pretty impressed with the guy!

Happy trails.......

Awesome

2009-06-15T17:33:00.002-04:00

That is what the weekend was! It was a five hour trip down there to the Chattahoochee National Forest but well worth it. I am happy to tell you all that Frankie did survive and he did great! It was not without some mishaps for me and others but no one was seriously hurt and all did have a good time. I was so stinking excited to go that I forgot my camera. No fear Susan was armed with hers and she did shoot some great photos. I am not going to tell you the story until I have the disk of photos since it is a must to show you some of the events. Just know that we are back safely and we did have an awesome time and are planning the next trip as I sit here and type!

Happy trails....

It's time

2009-06-09T14:21:00.002-04:00

Well, I have had the Frankie out several times trail riding and we have had really good rides each time. I think the time has come for...... ROAD TRIP!!!

Yep, all this busy and hustling and bustling around here has me plain cranky so my solution is to go to the woods and center. Frankie is going to get himself a crash course in camping and trail riding this weekend. Best Friend Susan and I are heading South to meet up with friends from Georgia for the weekend. We are going
here .
We are leaving on Friday morning and coming home Sunday.

This will be the longest haul for Frankie yet, but Payback will accompany him back there. He will have to be put on a picket line when I am not riding. My hope is that this will help him with his pulling back problem and that he won't make a complete *SS out of himself. I think he is ready for this and it should surely help get him in shape and more confident.

Going to dig out my camping stuff!

Happy trails......

I'm riding again!

2009-06-07T21:00:00.003-04:00

I thought after the move things might calm down a bit, but so far it is full throttle around here. This past week I did manage to get the satellite TV hooked up and a phone connected. Since I was captive all week I decided to go commando and potty train this very stubborn almost 4 year old boy of mine. We have tried several times with no success, my fault too since I am always on the go. (no pun intended)
But, I am happy to say I think we have rounded that corner this week as well.
Friday was a trip to Toys R Us for a job well done and yes the dreaded Chuckie Cheese adventure..... shoot me now! After that we drove a very sick and fevered Dad
to the Cincinnati airport for a flight to New York. He went against my advice, work calls you see. It is just an hour to the airport but with two small boys it felt like twenty!! We then booked it home, stopped for groceries and shavings for the equines and went to Susan's to prepare Frankie's new stall and paddock. I got the stall bedded and filled the water trough and buckets in the stall.

Saturday morning I went and hooked up Susan's big aluminum stock trailer and thank God she watched my boys as I drove to Indiana to fetch the big ole Perlino man.
Two and a half hours later I arrived and promptly loaded 78 bales of hay into the front of the trailer. It has a cut gate and that was what I could fit in the front section, was hoping for 100 but oh well. I then went to Tiffany's house and loaded up Frankie and all his paraphernalia into the trailer. Despite the trailer being something totally different and this being his 6th time hauled he did great.
I made it back to Susan's by 3:30pm and proceeded to unload him and some hay.
I turned Frankie out into his paddock to let off some steam. The rest of the horses were up in the barn and this distressed him terribly, not to mention Jane started the hee haw express in there. As I unloaded hay he basically trotted the fence and whinnied to whoever would answer.

Later that evening Susan had a cookout and by then he was settling in and relaxing some. Until...... I turned out Jane. Her paddock is across the driveway from him,
he can see her but no contact. He pawed at the ground and paced a small section where he could see her, she could have cared less. By the time I left at 10pm he was worn down and grazing peacefully.

Today after driving back to the airport to fetch said sick Dad who is now even sicker, I decided to go and ride with Susan. So at 2 o'clock we loaded Frankie and her mare Payback and headed to the reservoir to ride. The reservoir is not actually a reservoir it is just county land that may one day be used for that purpose. It is only 15 minutes from the farm. Frankie did well considering that he never had another horse haul with him in the trailer, I don't have slants just an open box. When we arrived at the parking lot there were about five other trailers there. We had seen a deer on the way in and that was only the first of many today. We unloaded and saddled up the ponies. Frankie did his classic pull back on the lead when I was about to saddle him, something we must work on. It is frustrating because he doesn't always do it and he is completely calm after doing it. After that outburst he was fine while being saddled. Susan had daughter Eliza along for the ride today in her buddy seat on the back of payback, she is six. We headed down the road and immediately crossed a concrete bridge with 4 culverts running under it and sticking out the sides like evil monsters. Frankie just had a look as we were passing over them. We found the trail head and went into the woods, it was a single file trail and Payback led. It was nice and shady and the bugs did not bother us today. We climbed some slippery hills and this did give Frankie some nerves but he handled himself very well. The trails were in the woods then opened into big fields,
we saw several deer and Frankie never spooked or acted up at all. We did some water crossings with no problem either. Of course I forgot my camera but Susan managed to snap this one with her Blackberry.

Can you see the topography in the photo? We did some serious climbing today.
We rode for about an hour and a half and when we arrived back at the trailer little Frankie was pooped. He was actually trying to sleep while I unsaddled him. We headed home and he got a nice showering off and some rest in his stall until this evening when he will get turned out for the night. Me I am turning in also, I am sore all over from slinging hay and tomorrow it will be from riding. That's OK, I am so glad to be back in the saddle again....

The mare may come this week for a trial basis to see if she fits my program, she sounds to good to be true so we shall see......

Happy trails......

Here comes the judge

2009-06-02T22:01:00.002-04:00

That was one of the first comments I heard from a little girl on Sunday morning.
Funny how wearing a jacket identifies you as the judge. I drove up to Indiana on Saturday evening and spent a quiet evening in a hotel. Well, it was quiet until mother nature produced some violent thunderstorms at 11 pm just in time to wake me up. I tell ya, I needed that time alone to re-center. My life has been a crazy mixed up busy time as of late. But yeah I know you want to hear about the show....

I arrived at the grounds at 8:15 am the show was to start at 9am. The weather had cleared and it was cool and very pretty out. I submitted the office staff my patterns for showmanship and horsemanship and received my judges cards. They bulldogged a fella named REX into being my ring steward for the day. He was a part time farrier and pleasant man to work with. The show was not very large, partly I think since the previous nights weather. It is an outdoor facility and I think people may have been afraid that it was wet. They actually did not even get the storm that I had at the hotel some 12 miles South.

This was an open show put on by a sweet elderly lady that owns the boarding stable where the facility was. Her name was Rosie and she told me that she and her late husband had been hosting this show for over 40 years. She holds the show both days of the weekend with the same show bill both days and a different judge both days.

The show started at 9:15 and halter classes were first up. It was a little unusual as the classes were mixed genders and all breeds of horses. I mean I had 16 hand horses and minis in the same class! I really could not take pictures for you as I was judging but believe me the minis were so freaking cute! I especially loved the little mini studs, they had such attitude and presence. I was so happy to see so many youth competing and they were all very polite and well behaved. I am sad to tell you that no one competed in the mini obstacle class or the at liberty class.
I judged English and western but no contesting or trail classes. There were some pretty nice horses there and in a few classes I did have to ask for some extended work out of them to decide. We did have one mishap where a young girl of around 8 did come off her horse but she was OK just shook up. Made me have a gasping moment though. My favorite part of the day was when I was getting ready to leave and two young ladies of 6 and 8 came and thanked me for judging their show! I was impressed at the manners and poise of these young girls.

I landed another judging job while I was there for July, a 4H fair show. Ooh, ought to be good and hot by then. I am pleased, I really enjoy it and working with the kids.

This week I am trying to get into a schedule here at Valkyre house. Happy to say we are all here except Frankie. I am going Saturday to pick him up first thing. Jane is shedding off nicely and has made herself at home in the new barn. Susan loves being serenaded by her each morning.

BIG NEWS to come.......I am trying out another horse.....stay tuned.

Happy trails.....

Believe it or not...

2009-05-27T16:32:00.002-04:00

I am still alive.....

I have been consumed by the ranch horse show and the tallying of results for that plus the big move to KY.

I am happy to tell you I did in fact haul Frankie to the show. I did even manage to ride him Friday evening. He was fresh, we did some lunging then riding and some bucking. He handled the crowds and newness of it all quite well. The rest of the weekend he basically stood in his stall and I had one of the youth kids water and give him hay at intervals. I did walk him around on Sunday during the lunch break and even took him over to the cattle pens to see his reaction. He was non reactive about the cows and generally everything else. The show went well despite rain and having to use the covered pen for every class instead of just the cattle classes.

This weekend is the final push for moving, should be in totally by the end of this week. Thank goodness for that. Today was last day of school for the kiddos so we are focused on getting the rest of our stuff moved now.

Sunday I am judging an open show here in Indiana and I must admit my first mini horse classes. I am curious about this mini horse obstacle at liberty class, should be a hoot!

Promise I will be back to posting more regularly soon, thanks to those of you out there checking on me.

Happy trails....

Stubborn as an ass...

2009-05-12T19:00:00.002-04:00

Yep, that's me! Despite my aching back and my need for vicodin just to be upright I decided to ride Frankie today. I know , I know.... but the weather was just gorgeous today and he is doing well again and did I mention the ranch horse show this weekend?

Well, Frankie was quite good today and instead of pounding myself with trotting and loping we worked on other things. We worked on moving the hip without it being a big deal and getting faster in pace. This will come in handy for working gates and lead changes and lots of other things. We also worked on backing and just standing still for awhile. He looks good and is completely shed out and I must say looking buff! Hopefully, I will get a chance to show him at least a class or two this weekend. Since I am running the show it is a tough call, depends on if my help shows up and works out.

Either way we are making progress again and I know separating him and Jane was the right thing to do.

Now if you will excuse me I am off for a Mojito and another vicodin!

Happy Trails.....

Frankie's heart break club

2009-05-11T18:07:00.002-04:00

First let me start off by thanking all of you for your insights and suggestions in the Frankie / Jane saga. I want to tell you all that A) I am not mad at him or disappointed. I understand he is a young and inexperienced horse and B) He needs more riding from me. Mostly I was just surprised by his actions as he never has shown any of those characteristics before.

So before one or both of us got hurt or digressed any further, I loaded up Jane on Thursday and took her to Ky. She is now at Susan's in her own little paddock and could not be happier. Well, OK she could be happier if Frankie was with her but that is not going to happen.

It was too late on Friday when I got back to go see Frankie but first thing on Saturday I went over to see him. I had talked with Tiffany on the phone and she told me he carried on for about an hour then settled down when I took Jane away.

On Saturday he seemed relaxed when I brought him into the arena , a good sign.
He stood quietly while I groomed and saddled him. Tiffany's horse Cisco did call out to him a few times and he did answer but did not get agitated like before. I decided to lunge him just a bit to see what shape we were in. He worked well and did not seem to preoccupied with calling out to Cisco. I mounted him and am happy to say he was back to his old self. We had a great ride and schooled for about 30 minutes in the arena.

Unfortunately my back has decided to spasm and flare up from previous injury and probably the moving and the fall last week. So..... I am here with heat pad and vicodin trying to get well so I can ride some this week. Now I am preparing for the ranch horse show this weekend which is a full time job in itself.

Round Two.....

2009-05-06T11:21:00.002-04:00

Today was round two with Frankie. I would like to tell you it went better but in fact it was worse.

Last evening I went back over and gave him a bath. After bathing him I tied him in the arena and went to put away my things. He freaked out and started screaming for Jane and pulled back and broke a lead rope. I caught him and decided that we must do something to stop this behavior.

Today when I saddled him he was much quieter as was Jane, I was hopeful. But.... when I got up on him he flatly refused to move forward. I nudged him and bent him to no avail, he just froze up and whinnied for Jane who of course answered. I used my spur ever so gently at first and he just flinched, then he exploded. He did the shaking of the head thing again and then launched straight upward and started twisting and bucking. I took this as my cue to exit stage left. I was not as graceful as I had hoped and ended up in the dirt on my butt.

So, out came the lunge line and we did some work. After lunging for 15 minutes I remounted him and although he was still whinnying occasionally we did get some good work in. I ended on a good note and tomorrow is another day.

I have decided however, that Jane will be heading to Ky tomorrow afternoon and their love affair is over. He will now be pastured alone until he grows up a bit and gains some confidence. Sigh.....

The saga continues....

Bronc riding

2009-05-05T12:19:00.002-04:00

That is what my morning was..... a bronc ride on Frankie. Who knew the boy had it in him?? Let me back up a piece and fill you in.

I decided that since mother nature will not turn off the water works around here and give me suitable ground to ride on, that I would move Frankie and Jane to Tiffany's house since she is still here and has an indoor.

The decision was two sided. I am taking Frankie to the ranch horse show on the 16th and I know Jane is going to freak out when I take him. Last time she went thru the fence when I left her. I thought maybe she will behave better at Tiffany's since her horse will be there for company. I also knew it would make me take the time to go over there and care for him and thus I would ride instead of doing one of the million things around here.

So last eve, Tiffany God love her! Came over with her truck and trailer since mine are in KY with hubby, and got the kids and took them to her house. I also am happy they are there since I can visit with her some more before we part ways and both move to our new locales. Tiffany has a great indoor and several runs for pasture for the horse and donkey. I also like the fact that I can dry lot Jane as she is looking like she is ready to birth twins any day now!

OK, back to today. I got out of her at 8 and headed to Tiffany's, it is only a mile away. I brought Frankie into the arena to tack him up and he seemed very at ease with the strange surroundings. Then Jane started! She was braying and running up and down the dry lot behind the arena, I could hear all of it. Guess what? So did Frankie which led to whinnying and carrying on like a crazed man. He actually tried to rear on the cross ties! Saddling him was no picnic with that crap going on and I was doing my best not to get frustrated. I should mention it has been over a month since I last rode him so I knew it was going to be adventurous. He worked well in between the screaming for Jane and her braying for him. When I corrected him for whinnying to her he got agitated and shook his head and bucked. This went on for 30 minutes and he was in a good sweat despite it being 63 degrees out. I am hoping this will calm down in a few days but not holding my breath. I think Jane may have to head South to Ky and they may have to be permanently separated when we get there.

Any thoughts to how to get them less attached??

Reality sets in

2009-05-04T22:02:00.008-04:00

With all the hustle and bustle of my life lately I have been running on automatic it seems. The day to day life has caught up with me....
The move is now reality as I walk through my near empty house and garage. Sunday I took my little men fishing at our pond for what will probably be the last time. The neighbor came over and teared up talking with me about it. Today I caught myself telling Tiffany she could stay here at my place on her way to a trip South, only to realize it is in August and I won't be living here anymore. Sigh.... there are a few things I will miss around here. Life is hard, change is inevitable and usually for the better. Still the reality of it all is overwhelming.

Today I must give a long overdue THANK YOU to dear fellow blogger and friend Luanne
atAll in a days work for this lovely pendant she made and gave away in a contest on her blog.

This is called Dichroic Jewelry and although I do not truly understand the process in how she creates these, I do know they are beautiful and I am sorry these pictures do not capture the true colors and beauty of the piece. Thank you again Luanne!

Since I am now on the catching up part of my post I must give a shout out to new blogger and my sister at Adventures in paradise Welcome sis, I am sure everyone will want to read about your crazy life on the island!

News to come...... me and the girls are planning our summer horse trip for August.
Now, who wants to come along??

More scenes from Rolex

2009-04-28T08:51:00.006-04:00

Hope you enjoyed the photos from Rolex yesterday, today I will share the rest with you. No, I am not venturing into eventing folks I just love watching anything to do with horses. Think I will stick to riding the trails and chasing an occasional cow or two. Frankie and I worked on backing down the drop off hill yesterday and also on trotting at hand. He got the backing part down but trotting at hand will require some more work. It is necessary if I am to show him in conformation classes at the ranch horse shows. Now onto more Rolex stuff:

After watching several horses go at the head of the lake jump we moved on to view the sunken road jump. This one was actually the jump before the lake one.
Here the rider had to jump a fence constructed of what looked like driftwood then jump down into a sand pit, jump back up out of the sand pit and over another big wood jump. We did see one refusal on this jump at the last element, however in eventing they can just try to complete the portion they refused instead of doing the whole sequence again.

In the picture above the rider has cleared the first fence and is heading to the jump down portion.

Unfortunately my camera has a really long delay so I could not get the gray horse in sequence for you to see. This is the middle part of the "road" the sand pit they jump down into and out of.

Here the rider has jumped back up out of the pit and is approaching the final jump of this sequence. There was not much room between the jump up and this next jump
I would guess maybe three strides for these horses. Just incredible stuff to watch!

We then move on to another jump called the log cabins, yes they were two little log cabins to jump. I could not get a true picture of this layout for you but the line between these jumps is what made it so difficult. They had to jump the first one on a hill then do a sharp 90 degree turn to the left to go up another hill and jump the second one. To make it harder there was a chimney on the second one in the middle of the roof, which meant they could not jump the center of the jump without hitting it.

In the photo above the rider is clearing the first cabin, can you see how she is having to turn the horse for the next jump even before the landing??

Here is the second cabin she did a really nice job on this jump!

This is actually another horse and rider doing the second cabin I just love the sky in this picture.

We did watch some more jumps but I retired my camera and just watched the rest of the day. Unfortunately we did hear of one horse that collapsed on the field and later found out he hit a jump and broke a leg, he was euthanized on the spot.
Sad news and it did dampen the spirits, but as with any sporting event accidents are inevitable.

Later that evening us girls convened on my new little farmhouse and proceeded to get happy with cocktails and reminiscing. We stayed up til midnight and laughed until we cried. All in all a great weekend that I will remember for a long time to come.

Hope you enjoyed the ride!

Trail riding cowgirl went to........

2009-04-27T16:46:00.011-04:00

Sorry to have kept you in suspense all day but I had acres upon acres of mean green grass to mow all day. This mowing two places is really starting to suck. I am not complaining ....honest, I would much rather it be warm and have to mow than that winter crap any day.

No Luanne I did not make Keenland, Not Louisville either folks.... but a few of you guessed right!

Drum roll please.........

Cowgirl went to:

Yeah, ROLEX kids!!

For those of you unfamiliar, it is a three day event of international level.
We are talking the best of the best here, some serious riding for sure.

You see it pays to have friends in high places. :-)
BFF Susan works at USHJ at the horse park and was able to score us passes to the event. I called Tiffany who is still here in Indiana thanks to a big problem with the purchase of her new house in Detroit, she rides three day event so she was more than siked to come down and attend. I am so glad she did, she really was able to explain the jumps and how it all came together.

Here she is at the Head of the Lake jump

Here is the sequence of the jumps at this particular jump. It involved five different jumps right there in front of us. Incredible stuff!

If you look to the far right of the picture above you will see the first jump a huge log jump then they are on to the brush jump down into the water.

Then they go on to jump this wood bottomed brush jump in the water, they then must make a sharp 90 degree turn and jump up out of the water and over this next jump.

This is of course timed and if you think they are just cantering along slowly you are mistaken. Can you tell how this horse is moving out here?

Awesome athletes I tell you, both horses and riders. I have lots more to share but must get a run on. I will share more tomorrow including the after party!

Weekend recap

2009-04-26T21:22:00.002-04:00

I am back here in Indiana after a weekend in Ky again. It was quite the weekend folks! I left on Thursday afternoon with YES! a trailer load of furniture finally!
The sun was a shining and it was just perfect all weekend! We actually hit 86 degrees today!!

I spent Thursday afternoon unloading the trailer with hubby and Friday morning unpacking boxes. Some quick errands on Friday afternoon and a stop at the playground for the kiddies, then we grilled and ate outdoors on the patio, how nice!

There were lots of new foal babies to view this weekend and my kids affectionately named them all including black beauty and brownie!

On Saturday I had the best time with girlfriends Susan and Tiffany! Gonna keep you in suspense as to where we went but I will give you hints.....
It is a world class event that takes place at the horse park once a year.....
I took lots of pictures and IF..... my camera cooperates I will post them tomorrow.

I am sunburned and worn out tonight .... Any guesses where I went????

Checking In

2009-04-21T19:57:00.002-04:00

Forgive me fellow bloggers it has been one week since my last posting......

I truly miss you and reading your blogs. It is just so stinking busy right now that I cannot even think straight.

Last week was another packing frenzy and I had to get my stuff together for a ranch horse clinic the club hosted. Saturday it was gorgeous weather and the clinic was great. I enjoyed the day off for a change, but found myself wishing I had brought Frankie every hour. I did not bring him as hubby was busy packing the trailer for the next run to Kentucky. I really could have introduced him to some great things...sigh..... next time.

Sunday I awoke to yet more rain.....ugh! We went to Ky anyway. We did manage to get the trailer unpacked in between downpours. We spent the night and then visited schools for the kiddos on Monday. We drove home in the rain again. Today was more scattered rain but managed to get some more things packed in between showers. The plan is to leave on Thursday this week and get some serious stuff moved. The weather is supposed to be great and I am looking forward to it.

I did sneak in some Frankie time today and he is shedding off nicely. I long to ride him but now the ground is to wet. Happy to report Jane is finely started to shed as well. I know this is short but thought I would at least check in so you know I am still alive. Looking forward to when this is over and I am telling you about my trail rides again.

Happy trails...

April showers bring.......

2009-04-14T09:30:00.002-04:00

April showers bring May flowers right? Then hell I should be in a virtual flower patch next month. April showers bring an irritable Carolyn around here. The rain started on Thursday evening and rained all day Friday, making it impossible for me to move furniture this past weekend. I really wanted to move some of the pieces I don't use much because I wanted to unpack some boxes so I could reuse them to pack more stuff. Sigh..... It rained all day yesterday and is still raining today.
Frankie and Jane are in thier stalls and I think they have had enough of that. The pasture is just a big ole mosh pit right now and I can't bear to turn them out there.
Mostly because I have them all groomed up nice and I am afraid they may harm themselves being goofy in all that slick mud.

One good thing about the rain is I got to spend time with them inside more than usual. Frankie has got the shedding machine going and Jane is just starting to shed.
I am using a lava brick on them and Frankie is really starting to glow. He is such a character, while I was grooming him yesterday he picked all through my brush box and carried items around his stall in his mouth. I wish I had my camera! He had a pink hoof pick hanging out of his mouth at one point and it just cracked me up.
The boys groomed Jane and she stood so perfectly while they fussed and tried their best to brush and comb her hair. I noticed a small sore under her jaw and cleaned it up. Wondering if it is an abscess or if she got into something and cut it. It is perfectly round and red so makes me think abscess. Will have to keep my eye on it.

Praying for Sun soon.

Happy trails......

Here comes Peter cottontail

2009-04-10T08:15:00.003-04:00

Yep, here comes Peter cottontail hopping down the bunny trail

This is a cake I made for my 5 year olds Kindergarten class today. We are having an Easter theme party for fun.

Unfortunately, the only trail I will hoppin down this weekend will be interstate 75 with another load of stuff to Valkyre house. I am not complaining ....really. Its just the weather is just now starting to get nice and I long to be riding Frankie.
Yesterday the farrier came and he got a pedicure and he commented on how much better he is getting about being handled and with his feet. Yes! the ground work is paying off. Actually it is good that I am spending the only free time I have working with him on the ground. Ray hunt once said to me that you lead a horse from his back just as you lead from the ground. So I figure all our ground work will pay off when I actually do get to start riding.

Next weekend the ranch horse club is putting on a Versatility Clinic with a great clinician Ben Bowman. You may recall I took a clinic with him last year with Harley.
He really does a nice job and I am looking forward to going there. It is limited to ten riders and I have 8 signed up as of now. If it does not fill I may take Frankie just for some experience. He has never seen cows and the hauling would be good for him.

Speaking of hauling. A friend of mine had an idea to try for the woes I am having getting Frankie to back out of my trailer. She suggested working with him on the ground backing down inclines or step downs. Here at this house I have the perfect spot for this, the back lane is lower than the sides so I can step him down from the grass onto the gravel drive. I did not have time to try it yesterday with the rain but next week it is a go. Can't hurt to try it.

I am off to a room of 21 happy, energetic five year olds now wish me luck!

Happy trails.....

Kentucky scenes

2009-04-06T08:11:00.013-04:00

I am back!

What a weekend. Wish I had spent it with my horses, but had to get the move on.
We left on Friday afternoon as I had to go and change all the utilities in Ky into my name. I had to do some of them in the flesh and show I.D. and give them a deposit. Details.. details...

Upon arriving at Valkyre house, (that is what we are calling home #2 right now)we discovered that the key for the front gate did not work. I hiked down the hill to the stud farm office and retrieved one from the receptionist, she was nice enough to drive me back up the hill to the gate. It was windy and cold, not the weather I ordered at all! Karen was kind enough to let me keep the key and go and get copies made. Next came the fun part. The entry to the drive has two concrete pillars, one on each side making getting a trailer in there dicey. Unfortunately there is a fence directly across the street making it difficult to swing out far enough to clear the pillars with the trailer. Let me tell you all it was touch and go. Now I am well versed at driving a trailer but thank goodness hubby is a professional or else it would not have happened. After much maneuvering and getting the truck muddy from the side of the road we did get it in there. We unhooked the trailer and I set off to town to do the switching of utilities and have keys made. Hubby stayed behind with the kidlets and unloaded boxes, God bless him. Friday evening we met Susan in town at a Ruby Tuesday for dinner, how nice to see her more than every once in awhile. Home we went and blew up our airbeds which would serve as our sleeping arrangements for the weekend. The kids thought this was great fun and they made a "fort" in one of the smaller rooms upstairs. We all slept well and woke up happy to be in our "new" house. Saturday it was sunny and really nice! I am going to share some pictures with you.

This is the kitchen, very uh pinky-orange but bright

Here is the view out the back of the kitchen, no horses in the closest pasture today but can you see the newborn foal up on the hill to the left of his momma?

There are so many foals, I think I counted 18 this weekend. They keep them separate for a little bit then turn them out together when they get a little older.

Here is a shot of the detached garage behind the house. My little guy was helping me take some pictures but he did not want to pose for one.

Here is hubby taking a Michelob break on the back deck. We brought down our patio set just for this reason.

Here is the view from the room which will be my office.

If you look closely you can see a black horse challenging the gray horse.
The black horse is a stud, his name is "Lured". I know this because he had a brass plate on his halter that said it. He is very curious as to what is going on in our yard and he agreed to pose for a few pictures before he was led off to the "ladies" barn to perform his duties.

He is huge, the top of this fence is at my neck so I am guessing he stands 17 plus hands.

Here he is looking away at all the foals up on the hill behind him.

This is one of the trees in the side yard, I think it is a flowering crab apple?
This picture does not do it justice it is beautiful!

Sunday we had breakfast and then emptied the rest of the trailer at the storage unit.
Then we headed over to Susan's house and helped her with a few things around the farm. We started back for Indiana and the sky's let loose most of the way. By the time we got home it was 46 and raining, ugh..... Frankie and Jane were wet and happy to see me. Today is catch up on laundry day and start packing again for the weekend.

Hope you all had great weekends!

Too much stuff!

2009-04-02T08:40:00.002-04:00

Oh the joys of moving!

I have come to the conclusion that I have way too much stuff. This week has been a true Spring cleaning. If I haven't worn it or used it in a year out it goes. The Goodwill people know me by name now. Seriously, how did I accumulate so much crap in five years since the last time I moved? Well, I know I now have two more little ones and their things to add to the mess but still....

Poor Frankie and Jane just watch me daily making trips to the car with give aways and trips to the horse trailer packing what is going. Yep, true to the hillbilly roots I am using my horse trailer to move most of it. What a sight we will be moving in with a horse trailer, the blue one none the less.

We are making our first run down to the new house this weekend. I have to go and personally change all the utilities to my name. I have nearly emptied both basements and stuffed it into the horse area of the trailer. The dressing room is full of inside things that I do not need for day to day living. The boys are excited to be camping in our new house this weekend. It sort of will be like camping since we will sleep on blow up beds and have no furniture.

Speaking of Frankie, haven't done much with him except shed him of tons of hair.
I have managed a little ground work with him in the areas he lacks, which is most of them. He has gotten very good about picking up his feet now and no longer does a little dance when I move around him. We are still working on trying to trot at hand so I can show him in conformation and my oldest wants to as well. I fear I may need to invest in a little dressage whip to encourage his lazy little butt. When I give him the cue to trot he just looks at me like I am a bit crazy and sort of lengthens
his neck but does not increase his motion. More work but that is OK. When the move is over there will be plenty of time to ride and work on lots of things. I should mention that Frankie celebrated his 4th Birthday on the 27th of March I totally missed it but made it up to him the next day.

BFF Susan tells me there is a place just five miles from the new house that we can ride. It is state land and has trails and a parking area for horse trailers. She thinks you could probably ride about three hours total without doing the same trails over. Sounds good to me! Looking forward to riding with her lots this summer!

In ranch horse news, we are having one of our members display his stallion at the Hoosier Horse Fair this weekend for the club. We also have two members who happen to be ARHA judges that are volunteering their services to judge the top hand/top horse competition. I am running up there this afternoon armed with info and banners to display at the booth and in the arena. Things are starting to take shape for the first show in May. Hoping I have most of the move done by then so I can hold it all together. Well I am off and running, hope you all have great weekends!

Happy trails.....

New digs

2009-03-30T17:45:00.003-04:00

So as not to keep you in suspense for to long I am posting a few outside pictures of the new digs. The weather was gray on Saturday when I took these so no mares and babies this time around. You will get the general idea of the place though.

This is the front view from the road

This is the back of the house, I love all the windows!

This is a side view from the entry

Question for all my donkey owning or knowledgeable Friends out there. Do donkey's shed? Frankie is an all out hair blowing machine and poor Jane does not have one little bit letting loose. Seems to me Candy may have mentioned that I would need to shave her come summer but my poor mucus in crusted brain cannot remember right now.

Today was filled with packing the horse trailer with totes from the basement and boxes I have been busy filling with the not day to day stuff. We plan on heading down Friday and spending two nights there. That's all I got for now folks.

Happy trails......

These are the days of our lives

2009-03-29T09:27:00.003-04:00

Crud, I have been away way to long again. I do have good excuses and the first being that I had that damn dreaded flu! I had never had the flu before and I do not want it again.

My life is resembling a soap opera lately, but with me playing all the characters. You know the super mom who conquers everything, the sinister bitch who out maneuvers everyone she can, the victim who is forever drowning in self sorrow and finally the happy go lucky gal that takes it all in stride.

No I have not nipped on to much thera flu medicine. Let me explain.....

No surprise that yes I am the super mom juggling two small fries daily by myself and caring for the two steeds and the farm here. Throw in a bad case of the flu and man it becomes really difficult. I literally did not get out of bed for two days except to potty or feed my kids when necessary, I am so NOT that girl but the body demanded it. I am happy to tell you I am over the worst of the flu and all I have left are the ever present mucus blues. I think I could break the genius book of records for coughing the most times in an hour, hell in a minute.

In the midst of the sickness, we had a foster pet again.

This is "Blue" he is actually a kitten from the same litter as orphan "Annie" the kitten we found that fell through the barn floor last October. Yes, we still have Annie and are keeping her. Blue has been hanging around the horse barn for the last couple of months and we have tried to capture and tame him several times. He was WILD! Then this week he just decided to come up to the garage by the house where Annie lives and join the family. He even let us approach him and pet him eventually.
So, we have gotten him shots and neutered and a bath and he is on the rescue website and currently at the Kitty Condo in the local Petco for some exposure so hopefully he will be adopted.

I am happy to tell you we have a bonafide offer on the house and pray with me that it comes to fruition. I have been packing all unnecessary stuff for a month now and it is starting to look barren in here. Which brings me to the next topic.

As most of you know I have been trying to find a place in Kentucky to live and this week something came available that sounded right. So, against my poor ailing body's wishes I drove down to Georgetown, Ky and looked at a house on Thursday. The realtor thought it would be leased by Friday so I did it. The house was perfect!
Just what we needed. It is an older farm house, completely redone on an acre of land within the confines of Valkyre Stud
farm! A beautiful farm that raises thoroughbreds for race and sale. I did some fancy footwork convincing the realtor why I needed this house. I am happy to tell you that yesterday we signed the lease and it is to be!

The best part of this house is that it is a mere 5 minutes from BFF Susan's house!
That is where Frankie and Jane will be residing. I promise to show you some pictures real soon of the place. My favorite room so far is the kitchen, as I gaze out the bank of back windows I see mares and foals grazing on that Kentucky bluegrass. What a view!

Happy trails....

Still kicking

2009-03-22T08:50:00.005-04:00

Hi all,

I know, I know, I have been away to long again....

I have been meaning to blog but just could not get there. I am taking the time to catch you up on things this morning before the day gets away again.

Let's see.....last post was my b day post. hmmmn what's been going on? Well, for my Birthday I rode Frankie out back which led to some pretty undesirable behavior from him when Jane started to bray. You see I put her in the stall this time and he could not see her from where I was riding. Every time she brayed he would answer and try to whirl toward the direction of the barn. This did not make me happy so I decided we would work even harder when he tried these antics. He actually tried a half rear and lunge forward trick. I wasn't to fazed by it just more agitated by the nonsense more than anything. We all survived and ended on a good note. My BFF
Susan sent me these lovely flowers

Amazingly they are still going strong today and adorn my kitchen center island.

I truly cannot remember what I did all last weekend .. sad huh? Well there is a reason for that which I will tell you about soon.

On Sunday, I called Tiffany and checked her status on moving.... there have been some issues with her new house and she informed me it was delayed for two weeks.
Yippee! Oh I know I shouldn't be happy about it but I am. You see I really wanted to go riding with her some more, so we devised a plan for Monday and I called some other friends in Ohio and invited them along. We arranged a babysitter for my two young ins and Tiffany's two sprouts and away we went.

Since Frankie did so well the last trip I decided to try saddle bags on him this trip. The plan was to ride to the small town of Story and have lunch at a quaint little Bed and Breakfast. There are hitching rails for the horses and it is really horse friendly. We met up a pre designated place with Terry and Julie and headed out to Brown Co State Park. It was the gals from Ohio first trip there. We arrived to find just a few trailers parked and proceeded to unload. Of course Frankie did not want to back out of the trailer, Ugh! So another training session on that and we reluctantly let him walk out forward again. Terry brought her three year old buckskin filly Jesse, and Julie brought her paint Scout. Yes, we did have a laugh at how Julie could be Tonto on Scout and I could be the lone ranger on Silver.
We discussed how challenging of riding we wanted to do as there are several ways to get to the town of Story. The girls opted for challenging, Tiffany warned them of my ...er, fondness of the challenge in trail riding. Actually, I was unsure how Frankie would handle the trail I was going to take. There are lots of uphill climbs and some pretty nasty trench/rocks to negotiate. There was nothing to worry about the horses all did a fabulous job and we did arrive at our destination. Only to find......... the B&B was closed! Ugh! we were hungry and really looking forward to a nice lunch.

Tiffany and Terry relaxing on a picnic table lamenting our loss of lunch.

Terry's filly Jesse

One tired little Frankie
Note the hanging head a rear leg cocked, he worked hard.

After a nice rest and water for the horses we saddled up and took the easy route back to camp. We of course had to have another round of backing out of the trailer lessons with Frankie which went well. I think the key is to have him so tired he cannot think about it. We stopped for our late lunch early dinner on the way home and called it a day.

Fun!!

Monday night my oldest awoke me in the wee morning hours to tell me he hurt all over and he had a fever of 102 degrees. Great....
He seemed better by Wed so we packed up and headed to Ky to scope out more houses and schools for the boys since it was their week of spring break. The youngest came down with the hurts and fever Thursday night and was delirious during the night.
A call to Tiffany to warn her and she informed me her littlest was suffering the same and she went to the doctor and he confirmed.... Influenza A. Oh joy! Now I have it and am aching and coughing and running the fever. Hence, I cannot remember what day it is less likey what happened last weekend. I will survive, just mad cause it is a beautiful weekend and I feel crappy. Oh well, now you know the rest of the story.

Happy trails...

The good and the sad

2009-03-13T07:52:00.003-04:00

The good is it is my birthday today. I survived another year gone by.
It wasn't the greatest year or the worst just another piece of the puzzle.
That's how I view birthdays, another piece to the puzzle of your life that when complete should make an interesting thing to view.

Looking back through the years it is amazing the changing of ideals and hairstyles and clothes size, but one thing has stayed constant My love of horses. The breeds have changed and so has the riding styles but they are still my passion my life blood from day to day. I am so thankful that God created these beautiful creatures and that I am blessed to be able to have them in my life.

The sad news is the passing of in my opinion one of the greatest horseman in my time and maybe all time, Ray Hunt.

I had the privilege of meeting Ray a few times in my life and also taking a clinic with him some years ago. I was so hoping to do another but alas, it is not to happen now. I loved his philosophy on horses and his timing with them was amazing.
At least his works have been documented and I feel he truly left his mark in this world doing something he truly was passionate about.

God speed my fellow horseman! You will be missed.

Ta Dah.....

2009-03-10T07:24:00.004-04:00

Wow!

Today is bigger than I thought!

First let me say this is my 200th post, guess that makes me a blabber mouth!

Second we have a winner!

Thank you all for playing the Birthday game with me. I know on your Birthday you usually get gifts not give, but hey , anyone who knows me knows I am a giver!

Do you want to know who won?

Of course you do!

A great gal who thought her first two choices were best but were already taken
so she chose another and guess what she was right!

MY BIRTHDAY IS FRIDAY THE 13TH !

No, I am not freaked out by this, I was actually born on Friday the 13th at 3:05 in the afternoon. I was 10lbs 2ounces and I was the sixth child and last in my family.
Guess they saved the best for last! Ha....

And our winner is Gecko our down under friend.

Be a sweet and tell me what size your wrist is and if you like any of my cuffs in particular on the website. If not I will custom make you one! I have your address
from the "Annie" trip.

For the rest of you clueless about "Annie" you will have to check out Gecko's blogs
to figure that out.

Now, I am going to respond to some comments from the last few posts.

Lets all get one thing straight here. Frankie is NOT white! He is a Perlino
and he has a white blaze on his face to further prove he is not white. Not a sore spot with me just more of a running joke here at home. Hubby says he does not like white horses and I keep telling him Frankie is not white!

I really ,really owe Mike Craig a whole lot of thanks for convincing me that this fella was the "one" for me and my family. If you go back and read earlier posts you will see I was uneasy about buying a young horse, not so much his color. So thank you Mike you were right and really do have a gift of matching people with horses.

He really isn't clean. Somehow those photos really make him look bright when in fact he is green and yellow and really smelly. I was thinking of bathing him today if it gets as warm as they say it is going to. If you look back at the trail riding post pictures you can actually see the manure stains on his butt that I cannot scrub off.

I truly am happy with him and see a long and healthy relationship for both of us ahead. Thanks for riding along.

Happy trails........

A tease but I'll take it

2009-03-09T19:33:00.005-04:00

The weather she is teasing me, it has been in the 60's and supposed to be 70 again tomorrow then plummet back to the 40's. ugh! I know this happens every March, has my whole life even in sunny Fl the weather stunk in March. I happen to know because my B day falls this month any guesses which day? Hmnn. ... how bout a contest!
Great idea, I will award one of my cowgirl bracelets to the one who guesses correctly or comes the closest. No fair family or BFF Susan or Tiffany you guys know already. I will tell you it has not happened yet but pretty soon.

Today I rode the Frankster again, just out by my pond out back. It actually is the only spot I have to ride except for the empty fields but since they were in corn last year they are all stubby and gross for riding. He was the complete gent again and I tried some new stuff with him. I walked him over ground poles today, he tripped and was clumsy at first but got the hang of it with time. We also tried the rope gate today, we were not to successful with this. It wasn't that he was scared of it or anything he just doesn't know how to move his hindquarters on cue.
Well, that is my next project. We have been working on it on the ground now to implement it on his back. My trusty little riding instructor snapped some photos of me today. Not to bad for a five year old!

He loves to take pictures actually and does a better job than me sometimes!

I think I need to teach him about the zoom lens next.

All in all a good day on the Frankie and lots of stuff to work on.Can you see little Jane following us inside the fence? Hope to ride again tomorrow before the weather changes but might be raining, time will tell.

Happy trails....

Tales from the trails..

2009-03-07T19:19:00.008-05:00

We did it! We went out and had our first bonafide trail ride today!

Let me just say Frankie was a rock star! Nothing fazed the boy, he just went right on like he has done this his whole life. I am lovin him more each day. I honestly could not have asked him for one thing better today. This was also a bittersweet day because it is probably the last time I trail ride with good friend Tiffany at Brown County. Tiffany and family are moving in just a few short weeks to Detroit area where her hubby landed a great job, can't blame them for hopping on it and going with the flow. Details....

Tiffany arrived at 8 am , we decided earlier to take her trailer since it was hooked up already and she lives just a mile from me. Her trailer is a nice new Keifer that is a two horse straight load with ramps in rear and a walk out side ramp. I must admit I was nervous to see what Frankie would do on a ramp given our last trailering experience. This is one area Frankie is not to experienced in, he has only been hauled three times before today. We dropped the rear ramp and to my surprise he walked right up it with no apprehension. We tied him in and started the 40 min drive out to Brown County. Upon arrival there was no one at the guard shack, Yea
that means we ride free today! Hey every little bit helps these days. There were a few trailers scattered about but it was pretty empty. We tried to unload Frankie out the back ramp. He started but he would freeze up and I swear we thought he would sit down more than once. We decided to unload him out the side ramp, he did this wonderfully. Frankie was nervous and did let out some really high pitched whinnies that sounded like he was a weanling. We did a quick grooming and saddled up we were headed out by 9:15.

Here are Frankie and Cisco getting to know one another

We decided we would try the easier of the two sides of the trails being that it was Frankie's first ride and it is less hilly and less rocky on the "A" side. We headed out on trail "A" and we were off. The first test was to cross the main road and head past the log shelter house. The only thing he looked at sideways was the speed limit sign but nothing more than a side glance. The trails were still leaf covered and a little mushy but not to bad. Frankie strolled along relaxed and alert but very mannerly. We crossed over a large culvert pipe and he did not even booger at it, then came the first water crossing. It was a small incline down to a small steam, I was surprised to see it was flowing. I must say he wasn't to sure about the mud preceding the stream but he went where I directed him with no problem. He was very curious to sniff and investigate the water but crossed with no issues.

Frankie's first water crossing

By this time I am proud as can be of this fella, nothing is fazing him.
I even turned him around and recrossed the stream without Cisco and he did it with no hesitation. Since he was doing so well we decided to take a smaller trail off into the woods that would be a little more challenging. We veered off on trail "1"
it is a 1.5 mile trail thru the valley and back up to trail "A". We did some log crossovers from snags that had fallen and again he gave it no thought and just kept on. We did climb some pretty steep hills and he was just as happy leading or following Cisco, although Cisco does walk much faster than him which resulted in this view alot today

We rode trail "A" for a while and then took trail "J" back down toward the camp. Trail "J" is a 3.2 mile trail that starts at the top of the ridge then runs back down to horse camp. Frankie was very careful picking his way down some slippery slopes covered in leaves, makes me thankful I pulled his shoes off last month.
We decided it was just to nice to quit riding so we thought we would try the "B" side a little. Things were going so nice I got even braver and had Frankie cross this concrete bridge to the other side

The bridge gave us no issues so we continued on toward trail "B" we took the middle of three ways to get up to "B" . The hill we climbed has an elevation of 604 feet, needless to say Frankie and Cisco were a little winded when we got up there. After a short rest to catch their breath we took a short ride on "B" and veered off to back down to camp about a 1 mile loop. We did encounter two men on horseback who were nice enough to take this picture of us.

When we returned to the trailer we found lots of others had joined us in riding today although we only saw the one group of riders while we were out there. I decided to school Frankie on loading and unloading a little. I had him step up on the ramp with two feet then off again after a short while I had him loading and unloading down the ramp. YES! lots of progress in a day. We loaded up Cisco and were on our way. We agreed that the horses couldn't have been better and that it was the perfect day!

I sure will miss riding with miss Tiffany, she is a great gal to travel with and a joy to spend time with. Hopefully we can make a horse trip once a year together, that is the plan.

Hope you all are having stellar weekends like me!

Happy trails.....

All good intentions

2009-03-06T09:11:00.006-05:00

I did have all good intentions of riding my dear Frankie yesterday. But.....
life got in the way as usual. By the time I got out there to give him some of my undivided attention it was plenty warm but also plenty windy. The wind was blowing about 30-35 miles per hour yesterday, so even the 55 degrees felt still chilly.

Here is what Frankie and Jane thought about it

These two were running around like crazies. Jane braying the whole time it was hysterical.

Along with the warmth also comes the mud. This is what my beautiful pearl colored boy looks like now.

What? Why are you staring at me like that Mom??

Look at this kids, Frankie actually has a white blaze on his face that you can see.
Proving to all of these dang people around here who keep saying he is a white horse.

So I did not ride but I did do lots of ground work with Frankie and we worked on moving our shoulder away from pressure and our hip as well. We worked on backing up and squaring up as well. Today I am hooking up the trailer and after I ride I am going to practice one step in and backing out of the trailer so we do not have a repeat of the last episode.

But the big news is...........

Tomorrow Frankie is going on his first trail ride! The weather is supposed to be in the 70's and I just can't wait! I am hauling him to Brown County State Park to day ride with some girl friends. Hopefully he will be a good boy and impress me on the trail. Anxious to see how he is in the woods. Stay tuned for the results!

Happy trails......

It happens......

2009-03-05T08:10:00.002-05:00

This song by Sugarland probably describes my life best right about now.
Sorry for the absence I have been terribly busy, depressed, excited and now neutral.
Since the convention I have been swamped with Ranch horse doings and meetings and trying to get ready for our first show in May. I say "our" meaning the club not Frankie and I. Sad to say I have not been on him since I brought him home. The weather as of late has been cold, or cold wet or just plain gross. This week is shaping up nicely and I am riding today and the rest of the week come hell or high water.

The depressed part was of course the parting with my boy Tank. I want to let you all know I appreciate your kind words for me. I also want to let you know he is doing fabulous with Ms. Linda. She has ridden him bareback already and promises pictures for me to share with you soon. I know he is in a great place and I am feeling better about it every day.

The excited part was the thought of getting my judges card and a really cool job at the horse park. I felt pretty good about both of those, unfortunately I only got an apprentice judges card and the job at the horse park did not pan out. Sigh.......

I am OK with all of it. Must mean something bigger and better is going to come along. I did get a judging job for May here locally for an open show and am looking forward to that.

Well now you are caught up and I promise to not go away for so long next time!

Happy trails......

Friends. .....

2009-02-26T14:42:00.009-05:00

Today's topic.... Friends

I want to take the time and say thank you to all of you reading along.

Lately it has been a crazy life and without all of you I would be lost.

So Thank YOU!!! I so appreciate your kindness and sarcasm when needed as well.
I am still sick and my poor brain is taxed as well from all the congestion but I hope we are on the mend.

Special thanks to Jamie at Seat belt for my saddle for awarding me this little ditty just when I needed it most:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I am passing this along to some deserving blogs as well feel free to pass along or just know that I value your friendship!

All in a day's work

gecko musings

Life at the rough string

Horses..kids..and homework

Noble Ridge Farm

A Year With Horses

There are so many more of you I wish to bestow this award to, but my head is splitting again so I may save this for another day. Thanks again for riding along with me. Tank is safely in his new home and one day I may be able to write about it without going into crying fits. Just know he is safe and happy and will be fine..

It is what keeps me going.......

Almost wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T17:05:00.001-05:00

Farewell my beautiful boy, may your new life treat you well!

Decision is made

2009-02-23T19:39:00.002-05:00

I have made the tough decision of where my old friend Tank will live out his days.
Kept me up most of the night and surprise today I have a head cold and feel like general crap. It was not easy and I sincerely thank all of you for your input.
Most of your comments were direct reflections of what was going through my mind.
The family while extremely nice just scared me a bit with the lack of knowledge and the fact that the girls might ride him to hard or lose interest. He also would have had no horse buddies, just cows. So..... I decided he will go and live with nice lady Linda in Southern Indiana, almost Louisville. I called her today to confirm and made arrangements to haul him to her tomorrow afternoon. As a good friend of mine once said "no sense in prolonging it, get them in there and go down the road."
It was not for this particular case but fits none the less. The more I agonize over it the worse I will feel. I will spend the day with him tomorrow and cherish our last day together, it is supposed to be in the 40's. I may sneak a last ride .
It is bittersweet to let him go. I know this gal will treat him well and keep him until his days are done but it doesn't make it any easier. Wish me luck, it will be the longest 1 hour drive of my life down there and even longer and sadder on the way back.

Happy trails....

Mental meltdown

2009-02-22T19:46:00.002-05:00

Yes, I think I am in a mental meltdown ....well if I could think. Things are just crazy around here now. I spent the past week answering emails about Tank and talking on the phone with perspective new owners and this weekend did farm visits.
I have two very good options for him. Now I must try and come up with the best choice.

On one hand it is a family that owns the local feed store with three teenage girls wanting to get involved with horses. The girls do not have a lot of experience, but the dad does. They also raise and show cattle in 4 H. I know they would provide him a good home and he would get daily attention and ridden .

On the other hand is a dear lady who rescues horses, minis and whatever else comes her way. She drove over an hour to come see him and rode him and got along fine. I visited her place yesterday and she has lots of pasture and a nice barn for cruddy days. She probably would ride him occasionally and there are several other older horses to keep him company.

Ugh! this is hard to make the right decision. Especially since my heart is breaking to give him up at all!

I am going to sleep on it tonight and hope that God leads me in the right direction.

Happy trails....

Back at it again

2009-02-19T19:28:00.002-05:00

Well, it is back. Winter again. After a nice reprieve from the cold, wet snow and ice we plunged to 24 degrees today for a high with 30mph winds. Ugh! To make matters worse out of the 20 some odd blankets and sheets I have none fit Mr Frankie no hair. I do have a quilted winter blanket that is big on him but works in the stall. To nice to turn him out in and I worry with it being large on him that it will get caught on something. So poor ole Frank had to brave the elements today in his skibbys. Guess I am heading over to EBay to check out some deals.

The weather pattern is supposed to hold through the weekend so no riding will be going on around here. Just as well, I am preoccupied with Ranch horse details and other things.

Got some good leads on getting Tank adopted but haven't found just the right place yet. I am doing a farm visit on Saturday for a potential new owner. Jane is tolerating Frankie herding her around the field all day. Makes me think the boy may be good in cattle one day!

No word on the job or judge's card just yet but expect both to have news any day now.

That's it from the frozen tundra for now.

Happy trails....

Frankie goes to Hope

2009-02-17T18:02:00.003-05:00

Yep, Frankie came home yesterday. I meant to blog about it but was bushed from the weekend festivities. Saturday evening I had enough margaritas for all of us. Can you say hang over???

Anyway, went down to Cory's in the morning and rode. I was very distracted with everything going on in my life and was riding in the "fetal position" according to Cory. I just could not get in sync and it was not pretty. Oh well......

With much in trepidation I took Frankie out to his blue coach. Yes, the blue trailer.
He has only been trailered twice in his life so I was apprehensive on what might happen. Not to worry the little gent took a good look and a smell then quietly stepped on up in his new limo. I must say he trailered well and seemed quite happy back there. Getting out was another story! When we arrived home I opened the gate and climbed in to untie him I gave him the back up cue and he froze. He was scared, really scared! He took a few steps back and started shivering from fear. I eased him back another step and he stepped one foot down and panicked, jumped back in on top of me. I let him settle and tried again, when he got both rear feet down I tried applying more pressure to keep him backing. He really freaked lunged forward, fell all the way down on all fours leapt up and banged his head on the roof. Neither of us was hurt but it shook him up but good. After he stopped shaking and was somewhat relaxed I turned him around in the trailer and led him out without to much trouble. Guess I know what our first project is going to be. I have a small hill by the horse barn and I am going to back the trailer up there and make the step down not so high and we will practice one step in then one step out until we are comfortable backing.

He handled the rest of the day better and is fast in love with Jane the donkey!
I left him in last night and today I put them all out together. He has claimed Jane as his own and Tank is not to happy about it. Jane either, she just wants the boys to leave her alone. Things seem well and everyone is adjusting to the change. Here is another shot of the boy.

And one of the donk~

Lexington update

2009-02-13T07:56:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Just a quick update from the road. I am at the national convention for the ARHA this week and testing for my judge's card. On the way down I got a call back for the job at USEF at the horse park! I had an interview on Wednesday and I feel like it went really well. The job would be issuing licenses for all FEI riders which basically if I understand it correctly are people who compete internationally. I would also be working on pedigrees for the top 25 leading sires for the Performance Horse registry. Can't tell you how exciting this is!!

On ARHA news, yesterday was the judge's seminar and we went over videos and scored reining, cutting and working ranch horse classes then had discussions on them. What fun! This morning I have the rule book test at 9 then video testing at 11 then my individual interview with the judges committee. After all of that I must sit in on the show secretary school for 2 hours. Think I will need a margarita after that???

Or two??

YES!!!

Wish me luck!