I'm not dead....

I'm just really, really busy. After receiving a couple of concerned emails I realized that people do actually read my blog; it is not for my entertainment alone! Yaaay! Lol.

I'm sorry to be such a flake, people. My life has taken on a life of it's own and I am merely the chauffeur. Rest assured that everything is fine, all the horses are fat and happy, the goats are still here, the cats and dogs and chickens are all still alive and well (for the moment!). Oh, and the humans that just happen to live here are doing well too. I will be back soon with a good blog entry complete with pictures! I promise!

Ok, maybe "promise" is too strong a word....lol.

First, a few updated pictures of Jack - the rescued Appy colt. He is doing so much better! So much better, in fact, that he was turned out to pasture yesterday. The front pasture houses only boys so he went out there and fit right in.

As, you can see, the wound on his leg is nearly gone! We are really happy with how it has healed.

A few other updates...we finally got the chicken coop/corral finished. We have 7 hens and a rooster. We are pretty excited about it too, lol. We are also up to 6 goats now. And yes, of course I have picture proof. :)

The goats : Alice, Sissy, Gladys, Max, Cammo, and Ginger.

Bebe is doing ok with her training. We had corrected the head tossing issue in the round pen so I decided to take her out on her first trail ride yesterday. We didn't get very far away before she started head tossing again. Before we had gone a mile she had reared twice. She tossed her head the entire way home and I barely even touched the reins. We are going to re-evaluate her in a bitless bridle or a hackamore and see if that improves anything. Right now, I am betting that it won't - I believe this to be a behavioral issue. I want to err on the side of caution though so we are going to rule out and mouth/teeth problems before I begin to aggressively train away the head tossing.

Jethro the Fox Trotter is doing wonderfully! His owner has been out the past two weekends and last night got on and went for a mile and a half little ride down the road and back. He did great for her! He also did great when Bebe was being a giant pain in the butt, lol. Dustin rode him for the first time yesterday. He had never ridden a gaited horse before. He wasn't convinced until I told him to bump ol' Jethro up into a trot. He did and his whole face lit up. It is smooth as butter and twice as nice.

Buster has gotten in the trailer a few times now. The next step will be shutting the door. Hopefully we can do that this week. He is being saddled now and worked in the round pen. We have started ground driving him, sacking him out, and getting him ready for his first ride.

More updates to come!

Bebe Breakthough and a few other updates

Ugh. It is so windy. Yes, I know that Kansas is indeed the wrong state to live in if you hate the wind. I still gripe about it though.

It has been a fast paced last few weeks around here. We currently have three horses in for training, I am working with three of our rescues (getting them ready to adopt out), and we have had no less than several family obligations and emergencies arise. Thus, my whole resolve of posting a blog a week was shot to hell.

Eh. Rules were made to be broken, right?

Bebe is doing very well. She's three years old. When she came in she was a bit spoiled and a lot head strong. We had only done a little bit of work with her when she rubbed her head on the side of her shelter and tore the tin siding, exposing a jagged edge, and like all horses was accident prone enough to get cut on it. She was off of work for a few days. When we began again it was with a different tactic in mind.

See, up to this point I had treated her like any other green filly that comes in. Problem is, Bebe is not just any other filly. Besides, she has pretty darned good ground manners (aside from being a little pushy) and her ground work was really done well. She had even been ridden by a friend of her owner around a small paddock.

When I started her, I explored what she knew, which was quite a lot actually, and then I began to test the edges of her comfort zone. That is when things began to get a little hairy. She doesn't like for me to push her at all. Or ask her for a different direction. Or ask her to walk the rail instead of the middle of the round pen. She bobs her head and sulks. She drags her feet, stirring up dust, moping around the edge of the round pen at a mosey. Or, if she feels like it, she pouts and flounces. Lol. She sure does have a lot of personality. I love it.

So after having her here for 4 weeks now I have developed a different strategy just for Bebe; a step two. I don't react to her behavior. I sit and quietly ask until she does it. If she pouts or sulks she gets to trot or do circles. It seems to be working. Since I have started disciplining her for bad behavior through work she has really begun to blossom. The first few days were a trial but this morning was really nice. She did everything I asked and we barely had any behavior at all.

I think we've had a breakthrough.

Jethro the Fox Trotter is doing very well and responding nicely to his training. He is learning to "frame up" and carry himself in a more efficient way as well as learning to respect space and distance. Buster the solid black paint gelding is doing well also. It took his owners three days to get him into a trailer to come here, so we have made trailer training a priority. So far it is going very well. He's a smart cookie.

I will try to post more as soon as I can! Have a wonderful Labor Day!

Rescue Update and Bebe Report

A Rescue Update :

The two little Appaloosa yearlings are doing well. The filly, who we named Grania (Gron-ya meaning Grace in Gaelic) has been wormed, gotten a negative preg test, and is turned out with the rest of the herd. All of her minor scratches and cuts healed with no trouble. She is haltering and leading well.

The little colt we decided to call Jack. He is still dealing with his wound which has healed so much that I would never have believed that it looked as bad as it did if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. We went through a troubling first few days where Jack was rather listless and picked at his food, not really eating well and just generally depressed. We put him in the same corral with the crippled calf, Gimp, and the changes were immediate. He began eating and drinking and was more bright eyed than I had seen him since his arrival. You can see in this pic he has a lot less bones showing than he did when he came in and the wound is doing nicely.

He has really gentled down and is able to halter and lead without issue. So, the other night, I decided to give him a hoof trim. He wasn't terrible but he needed some attention. I brought him out and with a lot of time and patience was able to get his left front trimmed. About that time, Dustin came out of the house and we started talking. I absentmindedly tapped Jack on the hip with my fingers, asking him to move over, when WHAM! The ungrateful little snot nailed me.

He kicked me right in the side of my knee, the same knee that I tore all of the tendons and ligaments in 5 years ago. Yaaaay. So Dustin helped me to the ground, where I sat and breathed like I was trying to give birth for about five minutes. I could barely bear weight at all on that leg but with Dustin's help I limped up to the house and elevated the knee. Cody brought me an ice pack.

I will live, but sloooowly. Lol. The swelling has gone down some and I hope to be able to get back in the round pen by this evening. Dustin has worked Bebe (the pally paint) in the round pen twice for me and I am starting to get jealous.

Her first session was no big deal. He simply asked her to move, change direction, stop, etc. while using his body to steer her movements. She is very responsive and got exactly what he was trying to tell her in just a few moves. The second session she was tacked up and then did more round pen work. This evening we are going to elaborate on that and ask for more. I want to find the boundaries of her knowledge, her comfort zone, so that I know where she needs work.

We put up the side walls on the shelter in pens #3 and #4 on Saturday. She got to see the tin being dragged around, hear the saw and the hammering, put up with my singing....she should be immune to just about anything now. :)

Aaaand..... they're off!

It has been a whirlwind week at Storm Creek! We have had several hoof trimmings to do, two new horses came in for training, we have school enrollment for the heathens, picked up a load of lumber to finish the run in shelters, and we got suckered into (by Cody) two more mouths to feed. Meet Sissy (brown) and Max (black & white) :

They are a pair of Pygmy goats. We have been wanting to get some goats for awhile and just happened along these guys.

This next picture is of Bebe. She is here for training and I am going to try to do an online training journal of her progress here. I will be posting pics and links to videos throughout the training process.

Little Stormy is officially 8 weeks old now! She is growing like a weed and is almost as tall as mom. Her mom, not mine. Although mine isn't very tall either. Anyways, she is still a beauty and as spunky as they come. We have been very fortunate with her. This is a pic of Cody taking and impromptu barefoot ride on Brownie. We decided to take a short walk. Stormy was pleased to be able to run and buck and kick up and down the road. I think she thought it was her own personal raceway.

Pretty Prairie Rodeo *Pic Spam*

A few of you may have heard of the Pretty Prairie Rodeo. It is Kansas' Largest Night Rodeo, you know. The rodeo here isn't the same as rodeo's in other places. Because it's ours.

The entire town wakes up. Lawns are mowed, windows washed, banners hung from one end of Main St. to the other. That entire week thrums with excitement as the rodeo stock are shipped in and unloaded, contestant trailers start pulling in, and there are strangers in town. Shucks, folks, it's our week to shine!

For our family it is a little different. We are transplants. We've only been here three years. That said, it is a small enough community that everyone knows us and we know most of them as well. We ride in the grand entry parade every year and this year we brought a calf (Chester) and our donkey (Eeyore) to the petting zoo. We really are beginning to feel native.

Ok, enough blah blah blah. On to the pics!
Tough enough to wear pink night (like Luna and I need an excuse, pshaw!) just before the grand entry. Luna and I are keeping company with K who's reins match ours. What color? Why, pink and black, of course!

Luna and I, and Jake on Cash riding in the grand entry. We do a serpentine pattern around the arena while the drill team holds flags and our theme music blares from the loudspeakers.

Cody and Splash, Me and Luna, and Dustin riding Badger 10 a.m. Saturday morning for the rodeo parade through the middle of town.

Jake on Cash, Me on Luna, Cody on Splash, and Dustin who hadn't gotten mounted up yet before the Grand Entry on Friday night.

The following pics are kind of awful due to a faulty camera. Above is the bull fighters and a black and white bull who really tried to teach them a lesson, lol.

Saturday night rained for the first half of the rodeo. The arena held up well though and the barrel racers and ropers had no trouble. It got cool outside and after the rodeo was the dance, which rocked!

This is the view of the arena about halfway through the rodeo on Saturday night. I felt bad for all the chicks running around in flip flops. Many, many people lost a shoe that night.



Probably the best "half-time" show I have seen here yet ^^. This man and his Brazilian....somethingorother (steer) and the little girl, Codi Jo, on her pony was awesome. The jumped a culvert with a clown inside (yes, the steer did too!), thru a ring of fire, did a teeter-totter, and the little girl jumped the pony over the steer as he lay on the ground. Oh, yes, the pony and the steer both laid down on command.

The highlight of the show was when they pulled their rig into the arena and put up a ramp, walked the steer and pony up there, and waved to the crowd. It was pretty neat to see the animals so relaxed and well cared for, and so well trained.

Last, but not least, we have Cody and an Amazingly Vicious Beast. Here he is feeding the bucking stock some hay. They kept trying to eat his new hairstyle, a Mohawk. He thought it was hysterical and then started feeding them hay instead. Soon we had a waiting line at the fence. Some were pretty shy but most of them came right up and wanted scritches and, well, the hay.

I have to say that I was impressed with the stock this year. Everything was fat and slick, no apparent illness or injuries, and the horses' hooves were in good shape (not a common occurrence for bucking stock). We were there every day and all of the handling that we saw was low-key and gentle. They had fresh food and water at all times. Pens were clean. I was so happy to see it.

Stay tuned...it has been a week of stomach bugs and vetting horses and extreme temps but I have a blog planned for later in the week.

Stormy at five weeks old

Are words really necessary? I realized that I was in deep trouble when I caught myself watching her sleep the other day. I have to say, I really think she is just about the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (aside from Luna, of course). She leads, picks up all of her feet, and loves to be brushed. Now, if I could only find a halter to fit.....

New Rescues, Fussing with Luna, and truly disgusting pictures!

This weekend was sorta nuts. Friday was spent in a moronic daze, running here - there - and everywhere, while it was about 150 degrees outside and Murphy's Law ran amok. I was going to have to be up and loaded and gone by 6 a.m. on Saturday, not being able to return home before the barrel race that night, so I had to pack everything I needed.

The reason for having to be up and gone so early was my sister. Well, her horse anyways. Patches used to belong to me, but J has always loved her, and so I sold Patches to J's husband for a birthday surprise. She hadn't even had her a month when Patches cut her foot something awful. So...off to the vet (at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning) we go. BTW - it looked like this :

Barftastic. The Awesome Doc at Equine Surgery and Medicine fixed her right up (after making J gag several times, lol) and she has to go back in two weeks for a cast to curb the development of proud flesh.

Saturday afternoon was spent swimming with the kids and giving Luna a bath. She sure is pretty all cleaned up. Then we headed off to the barrel race! Where we ran the most awful run that we have ever ran. It started off well. We came in the gate going all out, Luna's little ears laid back flat on her head, my heart pounding and everything just felt right. Then....a part of my attire got caught on the saddle horn. I panicked going into the first turn and accidentally pushed her past the barrel.

The second barrel went just as badly but it was because Miz Luna decided that we were just gonna be done and as she came out of the turn she headed for the gate, lol. I wasn't expecting that. So we got lined out and the third barrel was a beauty but by then it was far, far too late. Arrrg! It's okay. We had a good time running and it was also neat because it was the first time any of my family had come to see us run (probably another reason the run was horrid - I was nervous!). Besides, I vented my frustrations while I was untacking Luna. I calmly and cheerfully, in a nice and soothing voice, told her exactly what I thought of her turn around the second barrel, that I should have named her Alpo, that her grandma was a yak...and so on and so forth.

Sunday morning dawned to a phone call from a gentleman that needed help. He had taken in two yearlings out of pity and they were in real bad shape. He had enough honesty and courage to admit when he was in trouble. He brought them that afternoon, a filly and a stud colt. They are both Appaloosas (unpapered, of course) and barely handleable at all. The filly is the one with the red halter and the skunky look to her tail.

They both have wounds from being run through a barbed wire fence by a large stallion. If you thought the above wound pictures were nasty, you might want to just skip the rest of this.








Looks awful, doesn't it? Fortunately, both of the poor things are sound with no limp or lameness which would indicate major trouble. As bad as it looks, it is a flesh wound, and should heal with time and care. Since the wounds were already a few days old, we cleaned and medicated them after speaking with our vet. He is always willing to check things out via email because we are over an hour away. Plus, I really didn't want to stress these guys out with another few hours in a trailer.





We are going to trim up the dead skin this evening and then apply more medicine. We are supposed to leave it open but medicated and watch for any signs of infection. Both of these kids got a tetanus shot when they got here so if we can hold off infection we ought to be in good shape. We all wish that the wounds would have been in a place that wasn't impossible to wrap but, although they will have a gnarly scar, they should heal up just fine.





This week is the Pretty Prairie Rodeo (KANSAS LARGEST NIGHT RODEO!!!!) and we will be riding in the Grand Entry Parade every night. I will try to take some pictures but it is nearly impossible to get anything decent when Luna is just waiting for me to let my guard down so she can try to kill me. Jk, she knows I love her.

Feelin' hot, hot, hot!

Ugh. My fellow Kansans, the heat is here.

Yesterday was awful. We worked on the outdoor arena all morning (yay! Its coming along!) and then mowed the lawn and bathed horses in the afternoon.

The heat is a trial that we all have to go through. We lug around our sunscreen, fans, cool drinks, beach umbrellas, and all sorts of things to help keep us cooler and protected from the sun. Have you ever thought what life would be like without those things? If you had to work outdoors, in the heat, without any aids? You would still tolerate it better than your horse.

I recently read an article by Teresa Pitman entitled "When the rider is hot, the horse is a lot hotter". The article says that a horse that is being exercised moderately in hot weather can dangerously overheat within 17 minutes. That is 7 to 10 times faster than humans.

Another interesting fact that it stated was that people tend to work their horses in the morning or evening hours when its cooler and then go to an event that is held during the heat of the day. The article recommended building the horse's tolerance to the heat by working in the heat of the day in small doses, getting the horse used to it before riding in a competition.

Finally, the last thing was that you shouldn't use a cooler or sheet on a sweating horse. The best way to cool a horse is to soak it in cool water, scrape the excess away, and then soak again, repeating this until the horse is cool. The most important part is to scrape the extra water away because the heat from the horse will heat any water that is trapped in it's coat to the same temp as the horse.

You can find the entire article here at http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/

Remember to make sure that your horse always has clean, cool, fresh water and plenty of it. Provide a mineral block to replace lost salts, etc. Ride smart and have fun!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

So, I wish that I was computer literate enough to do a little jazzing up of the blog for the 4th of July. You know, maybe playing a snippet of the Star Spangled Banner or one of those little pictures that move. Sadly, I am not. So you'll just have to settle for a snapshot of us getting ready for the 4th of July Parade in downtown Hutchinson yesterday.

On the right, on the big sorrel with the blaze is Dustin. The horse is Badger (who really thought this parade business was a bunch of bull**** and wanted to run all the way home). We were lined up on Avenue B and waiting for the route to begin. We ride with the Pretty Prairie Saddle Club and we all wore long sleeved white shirts, red white and blue bandannas, and white cowboy hats.

I rode Luna (of course!) and she, as usual, recognised a chance to perform and made the best of it. She dropped at the poll, arched her neck as far as it would go, and with her ears perked up, pranced her way down 20 blocks of screaming and adoring fans. I am pretty sure she thought the event was organised especially for her. I love it when she does her parade trot, it is a super slow and easy but high stepping trot. It looks like a very fancy prancy version of a collected trot.

Of course I used puff paint to paint red white and blue stars on her butt and I fishbone-braided her tail halfway down and tied it with a red ribbon. Hopefully, I will get the pics back from the family that took them for us soon and I can post them here. I had to grin every time I heard a little girl squeal "OOOhhh, look at that one, the black one!!!" She really did look beautiful.

Badger handled everything much better once we got moving. Every time we stopped he looked around at the crowd with an expression of extreme dislike and fidgeted a bit but Dustin kept him calm and well in hand, talking quietly to him most of the ride.

A friend of ours rode our youngest heathen's horse, as he had pulled some muscles and couldn't ride. Splash carried her like a trooper, never being bothered by the moto-cops with their flashing lights, the crowd, the firecrackers, the music, or the other horses. He is a super star.

Speaking of the crowds - I was honestly amazed at how little regard for their children's safety people have anymore. Can anyone tell me why in the world a person would think its okay to allow their three or four year old to run out in the middle of the street into a crowd of horses to try to pet them during a parade?!?!?

Listen Up People - Horses do not like to run people over as a general rule. I imagine we're squishy footing. However, when a horse is scared, cornered, or furious...exceptions are made. I saw a little girl nearly run underneath of a palomino yesterday. The horse was already nervous and it was only by quick thinking on the rider's part that the girl wasn't trampled. I get so frustrated with this. I think some people honestly think that all horses are like Flicka, the Black Stallion, Black Beauty, and Mr. Ed rolled into one. Sheesh.

Anyways, for the most part it was a wonderful day. We barely missed getting rained on (which was good because the white shirts go transparent when wet) and no one, including horses, got hurt or had a bad time of it. Hutchinson looked so pretty with the flags a flyin' and the streets lined with people, it made me feel good to know that I was part of celebrating our country's birth.

So wave your flags, pop your fireworks, and give thanks that we have the freedom to live the way we choose!

Our New Arrival

So, we had a baby born on Friday June 11. She arrived at 12:16 a.m. after a fast labor and easy delivery. We were all worried for the last few weeks because the doc said that it would be a large baby but everything turned out fine. I have to admit; I am totally and completely smitten with her. We call her Stormy.

I'm pretty sure she's gifted. She stood within twenty minutes of her birth, tried to kick me a few moments later, eats like a full-grown hog, is the fastest runner, the highest jumper, and the prettiest filly I have ever seen. She has one blue eye, the right one, and cream colored eyelashes. How can you not love her instantly?

As most people know, we do not advocate breeding of average horses. A horse would really have to be something for me to think breeding would be a good idea in this economy, horse market, and with the flood of unwanted/uncared for horses. Well, last year we had a Tennessee Walker Stallion here that came in as a rescue. Unfortunately, he had cancer and was euthanized shorty after his arrival. However, this was not before Miss Brownie took advantage of him.

You see, Brownie has no respect for fencing. Barbed, hot, wooden, panel, or otherwise, we have yet to find a fence that she won't climb through, over, under (yes, we actually saw her do this), knock down (she rubs against it and pushes until something gives - our panels were welded to pipe frames and she broke the welds!), or otherwise destroy to go exactly where she wants. So last summer, she went through three hotwire fences to have her wicked way with a poor unsuspecting stud.

In all the years we've been doing this, we've had an untarnished record for no breeding, accidental or otherwise. In one fell swoop, Brownie wrecked it.

I can't be too mad. Like I said, Stormy is a doll. And, as Dustin put it, you would probably have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands to get her away from me, so I'm pretty sure she has a forever home, lol.

She's a snotty little princess already (had to double check to make sure Luna wasn't involved in the parentage somewhere :)) and she rules the farm. Mama doesn't like the other horses to even look in Baby's direction, let alone try to approach the fence. However when Luna came up from pasture the first day Stormy was outside, Brownie trotted her right over to the fence and showed her off. I guess that's one of the perks of being lead mare, getting to see the new stuff first.

Luna looked her over, bug eyed and mildly alarmed. She had to check thoroughly to make sure that spindly-legged little thing was actually a horse. All went well until until Stormy snorted, whipped around, and threw a kick in Luna's general direction. Luna yanked her head up and looked at me like "Can you believe this brat?". It was pretty amusing. She is growing like a weed. I want to get some video and pictures here as soon as I can.

I am booked solid with training horses, lessons, and barrel racing. Also summer means bbq, ball games, swimming, and a ton of other things. I have been super busy but I'm trying not to forget about writing here. And trying not to have a heat stroke :)

Our Kanopolis Weekend

As you all can tell, I am not keeping up with my one-post-a-week promise. *sigh* I am trying, be patient with me.

This last weekend we took five horses and two family members with us to Kanopolis State Park. It was just Dustin and I (the heathens stayed with their grandmas) and his brother and sister in law. We left Thursday evening, drove for 2 hours, and then set up camp with a furious energy that would have left a squirrel drained, trying unsuccessfully to get tents erected and blankets laid out before the last bit of light faded from the sky. Of course, the horses come first, so by the time they were fly sprayed, fed, watered, and generally fussed over - it was dark.

I couldn't sleep that night. Dustin fell asleep right away and I believe J and B did too. I lay awake, staring up at the stars through the tent top (guess who forgot that the canopy for our tent broke last year?) and listened to the wind rustle through the trees. I was too excited to sleep. Kanopolis is one of my favorite places in the word. Awesome trails, amazing wildlife, an entire branch of the lake devoted to horse people, and some of the nicest people you could ever meet.

I was up and dressed and drinking coffee (yes, I brought my french vanilla with me) at 5:30. I fidgeted until 6 when I finally couldn't take it anymore and woke up everyone else. They appreciated it, let me tell ya.

That first day we took a short morning ride and a short evening ride. In the morning we did a few hills and then went through two of the water crossings. The water was just low enough that the horses didn't have to swim. I always lean forward and bring my feet up behind me, resting against Luna's flanks, to keep my boots dry. I must not have been clear enough with J because he tried to bring his boots forward and filled them with water. Oops.

He rode Cash the whole time we were gone. Cash did amazing. I don't know that I have ever been more impressed with a young horse. I might be biased, I will admit, but I still think he's gold. I was impressed with J too. From the first day he listened to instruction and then followed it, asked good questions, and really tried to put all of the things we talked about into play.

B rode Splash, a big solid colored paint gelding. He is the one that has raised our kids. For the little ones or an inexperienced rider Splash is a babysitter. For an adult that knows a bit about riding, he is a lot of fun. He's reliable and steady but not a deadhead. B did really well with him too.

They both learned how to put on all of their own gear, mount unassisted, groom, do tick checks, feed, water, and scoop poop. There was nothing this weekend that they didn't participate in which was awesome. A lot of the time the most knowledgeable people are left to deal with the details. It was great having people that wanted to learn.

They also both fell in love. With my horses.

On Saturday we did a 22 mile trail ride. We were in the saddle from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it got HOT. We took frequent breaks and we stopped on the trail for lunch beside a crystal clear little creek in a shady clearing. It was heaven. We stripped saddles and bridles and waded into the creek with the horses, splashing them and ourselves, everyone getting cooled off before we ate while they grazed and dried off.

There was only one glitch. I had to use the..er, little girl's tree. Lol. I told the rest of the group to go on a ways and I would catch up. I spotted a likely place, clear of snakes and poison ivy, and tried to pee. I say tried because Luna had briefly lost her mind and her rein was looped through my elbow as I struggled to not pee on myself and hold my pants out of the way and keep my balance. Apparently, she thought that the rest of the group had been teleported to a distant place, maybe full of grain and green pastures and a bunch of horses she could boss around. I don't know, but as soon as they got out of earshot she had a meltdown.

I finally got that business dealt with (by dealt with I mean that I finally made a flying leap into the saddle while she trembled and shook with barely restrained fury and excitement - but she did stand- and then the second I let her go she charged through the trees, trails are for weenies dontcha know, and caught up with the group at the speed of light. *Grin* That's my girl) and the ride continued.

We saw deer and cattle and buzzards and bald eagle nesting boxes and lizards and horny toads and rabbits and snakes and bullfrogs and fish and caves and rock formations and beautiful prairie flowers and endless Kansas sky.

It was an excellent weekend.

Sunday morning I woke up to rain hitting me in the face and Dustin and I scrambled around like sloths on crack to try to get as much of our things packed up as possible before everything got soaked. It worked out ok. We left and went to find breakfast and finally stumbled upon the little town of Wilson and a tiny restaurant named Made From Scratch.

Our group straggled in the door and found heaven. You know in the movies how they will show something all bathed in golden rays of sunlight and harps start playing? Yeah, it was like that. Breakfast buffet, baby. And coffee, Sweet God in Heaven, don't forget the coffee. The best breakfast I have ever had, hands down. (and I'm almost 30, I only have a week to go, in fact. Ugh)

Nicest waitstaff and owner too. They sent us out a plate of fried chicken made in a cast iron skillet and seasoned to a T just to give us a sample. Trust me, if you ever get the chance to go there, you should.

All in all, the trip was a success. We came back Sunday afternoon tired and sunburned and completely content. :)

So, yesterday my brother in law and his woman came out to ride. We will be taking the horses to Kanopolis State Park in a week or so and riding for about four days. Dustin and I thought it might be a good idea for these two to come out and start getting their muscles used to being on horseback so they aren't crippled two days into our trip.

Now my BIL has had his eye on one of my geldings for a long time now. Cash is the horse in my profile picture. He is 1/2 Fjord and 1/2 Arabian. He's just enough Arab to be really fun and have a touch of an attitude and enough of a Fjord that he is very sane, affectionate, and built for work. He is also Gorgeous. (And he knows it!)

Cash (because of some other health issues) was not gelded until he turned four. This year he is five and as of yesterday had only had about 6 rides on him. He is wicked smart though and is already neck reining, working off of my leg and seat, and going quietly where ever you point him. My BIL wants to take him to Kanopolis. My BIL is not an experienced rider.

I told him, family or not, I won't allow anyone to sore this horse with bad or sloppy riding. So he came out yesterday and spent hours learning about reining, leg pressure, body language, when to push and when to back off, how to redirect, and about a million other things. He is genuinely interested in learning and those are the people I like best.

I enjoy teaching. I do not enjoy teaching people who nod and agree and then do not apply what they have been taught or let it go in one ear and out the other. I enjoy the ones who will listen, pay attention, and then put what they have learned to good use.

At the end of his "lesson" we went on a short trail ride. We rode down the dirt road for 3/4 of a mile and then went into a rolling pasture. We crossed a creek several times, went uphill and down, and scared up a few deer and quail. Cash and my BIL both handled the entire ride like pro's. We cantered and trotted and I was so proud that, when asked to slow down, Cash dropped immediately from a canter to a walk with no fuss. He has been one of the easiest horses I have ever trained.

He was picked up at an auction mostly dead. I couldn't turn away from him though, something there just cried out to me. We brought him home and really didn't expect him to live. But he did. And he thrived.

He was a giant puppy for my kids. They played with him and led him and brushed him and taught him to come to a whistle. I took him on long walks, sometimes through town, by the railroad tracks, beside traffic, down Main Street, ect. He grew up without being scared of all of these things because he had seen them since he was about 4 1/2 months old. He learned to tie, clip, bathe, trim, carry a blanket, load, and untie himself by the time he was two. Then we discovered that he had some health issues that wouldn't be fully resolved for 2 years. And the training stopped. He never forgot a thing though and when I started working him a month ago, he went to it naturally.

Moral of the story - If you are a beginner, listen and apply direction given. AND Teach your young horses, it makes everything so much easier in the end!

Dealing with a hog-headed horse

Do you know what happens to a dog at the pound that has food agression issues? Very rarely are these dogs given a second chance at life. Who wants to take the chance that a dog will turn on them, a child, or another pet over food? Most times, dogs like this are put down. They aren't taught because there are shelters full of non-food-agressive dogs just waiting for homes.



Now let's talk about horses. Who wants to take the chance that a horse, 1000lbs of teeth and hooves and muscle, will turn on someone because of food? I can't tell you how many times I have gotten horses in here for training that have had agression when it comes to their grain. Not just towards other horses, because to be honest, that is to be expected. No, these horses are agressive with people.



I recently got in a very large, very stubborn, and very spirited black gelding. He came with a warning. "Don't try to go into his pen with grain unless he is tied up. He will hurt you when it comes to food."



Honestly, every time I hear something like this, it just blows me away. Why in the world would you have an animal that you would allow to behave this way? Not to mention that if something were to happen to you he would more than likely be sold. What would happen when these new people, completely unaware of the problem, try to feed him and wind up in the hospital or worse?



We, as people, have a responsibility to the animals that we keep. It is our responsibility to teach them to be cooperative and functioning partners. I'm not talking about riding ( not yet anyways, lol) but simply saying that it is our duty to teach, to educate, animals on manners, basic ways of functioning in a safe and respectful manner.



I took the gelding home and put him in the round pen. The next day I went out, haltered him, and began to lead him. He was pushy and defiant on the lead, wanting to alternately drag me around or sulk behind me. I worked for awhile on keeping him at my shoulder. If you lead a horse while walking in front of him you could get trampled if that horse spooks. I was taught, and I believe, that the correct way to lead a horse is with his head at your shoulder, your hand under his chin on the lead, with your other hand holding the slack of the rope.



When he would try to push past me I would use my elbow of the arm that held the lead under his chin to push backwards on his chest. When he didn't get it and continued to push, I pulled him to a halt and then backed him several feet. Then we started again. Soon he was not trying to push past me, but instead, pouting and dragging his feet, wanting to walk behind me. I used the hand that was holding the slack to swing the end of the lead behind my, towards his hindquarters. I didn't do this hard, in a way to hit or scare him, but in an encouraging way, clicking my tongue and telling him to walk.



Soon he was leading at my shoulder. We spent a minute grooming and petting and then it was time for his grain. I went in the barn to get it and when I came out he was pacing in front of the gate, having heard the patter of grain dropping into his bucket. I set the bucket down and unlocked the gate. He immediately tried to push through. I backed him up and turned for the gate to reach through and get the bucket. He charged forward. I whirled and threw up my hand. "Back! Back!" I said, in a loud, firm voice.



He was startled. He backed to get away from the crazy yelling lady. But he still wanted that grain....so after a few steps back he charged forward with his ears laid back and his head cranked at a cocky level. This time I went forward to him and grabbed his halter beneath his chin. I backed him up, both very loudly and very quickly. I returned to the gate. He approached again, a little more cautious but with the same intent. He wanted that grain and he was willing to push me around to get it.

Remember that the grain was still outside of the gate at this point. I would not get the grain until he was standing, quietly, outside of my space. So, when he approached again I backed him again. And again. And, yet again.

I backed this horse a total of 11 times before I could bring the bucket into the round pen. As soon as I did, he charged forward. Out went the bucket and he backed up again. We did this 3 times. Finally I was able to bring the bucket in and set it down and take a step back, calling him forward as I am stepping backwards, giving him the "okay" to come and get it.

The next night I backed him 4 times. The following evening I backed him once. We haven't had a problem since. He finally understood that no matter how big of a fit he threw, he was not getting that grain until he was out of my space.

Once I taught him the Stand command, I parked him in the pen and brought the grain in and set the bucket down and turned and walked out of the pen before I released him from that command. He waited, somewhat impatiently :) for me to release him from the Stand.

Folks, this is only an example of how to correct the problem. Every horse is different. What works on one may not work with another. Ignoring the issue and allowing your horse to become or continue to be food aggressive is begging for an accident. Take the time to figure out what is going to work for you and your horse and then make it happen!

None of my horses are angels, they all have their quirks. However, none - and I mean NONE- of them display agressive behaviors around people. We have carefully taught each one what is expected from them when they are with us. You can't blame a horse that hasn't been taught the right way to behave.

Now, if only I could teach them to clean their own stalls....

Red Caddilac

I eyed the fat red gelding, who was rolling his eyes and snorting, with some apprehension. "You say he's broke?" I asked his owner, the sweetest woman in the world. She is nearly 80 and has several horses, although being respectful of the diminished healing capacities of her body, she no longer forks the ones that snorts and rolls their eyes. That's where I come in.

She nodded. "He's broke, it's just been awhile."

The gelding was 15 1/2 hands of well-fed power, easily weighing in at 1200 lbs. A Tennessee Walking Horse, he stood with his hind end stretched out slightly while I curried and tacked him up. He had been a rescue of hers, having come from a sale where he was most likely doomed for the packers (that's what we call slaughter-buyers around here). She called him Red. The lady who had owned him said that he was broke but high strung. I was skeptical.

I had brought my own gear to ride in (I love my saddle!) and so once he was tacked up, I led him out onto the dirt road in front of her house and asked him to lunge a little. He did the typical "YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!?!?" jump to the side a few times, but he quickly got the idea that I wanted him to move around me in a circle. I helped him see this by keeping my left arm, the one that was holding the lead, stiff to the front while I walked toward his hind end, clicking my tongue to ask him to move. I have found that if you apply pressure, even if its only your voice and presence, to the hind end, they will usually seek to escape that pressure by moving away. When they do, I take a step back and reward them by letting off with the "pressure". Anytime they deviate from the circle, I move back in.

Within just a few minutes he was trotting nicely in a circle around me. I only wanted to trot him enough to give the saddle a chance to loosen so that I could tighten the cinch once more before getting on and to allow him a chance to warm up a little. It also gave the both of us an opportunity to see how the other worked. He learned in short order that I wasn't going to allow him to misbehave and I learned that, while he tested me, he had a general want to please me.

I tightened the cinch and my husband held the reins while I stepped up. The horse felt like a time bomb beneath me, I could feel him fairly vibrating with energy and nervousness. He didn't want to stand still, and now was not the time to argue, not when it had been years since he had been ridden like I was going to ride him today. I pick my battles.

I asked him to move out, away from the farm, heading south on this old dirt road. His nervousness increased as we drew away from the house and the other horses, all of whom were voicing their displeasure at his departure quite loudly. He whirled a few times, wanting to go home to his nice little paddock with his buddies. I simply made him follow through with the turn until we were once again headed in the right direction.

It was about that time I realized that the saddle was sitting funny. I wiggled and he jigged to the side. Perhaps not the smartest idea to try and adjust things while on this horse then. I asked him for a stop, which he gave easily, and then turned him for home, holding him in the whole way as his head was held high and he strutted as quickly as possible. Dustin walked out to meet me and immediately saw the problem. I stepped down and adjusted everything while he held Red, who's slight obesity had made the saddle shift.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous. I wanted my equipment to be on right. You know...just in case.

Mounted once more, we again went south, this time into a ploughed field. I figured that the deeper footing would take some of the starch out of him as well as provide a better landing spot for me if I should happen to come off. Which I had no intention of doing, but you know what they say about good intentions.

The gelding was very responsive, although very rusty. I would give him a little pressure with my heel and he would start to react, hesitate, and then once I cued him again, he would complete the maneuver. Someone had trained him well and he was smart enough to remember most of it, even if he was a little slow on the pick up.

We went about a half a mile and then we started to play. I asked him for figure eights, lead changes, stops, backs, trot, canter, and a gaited walk. He did it all. The more we did the quicker and more responsive he got. Sure, he still tried to go back to the house occasionally, but for the most part he did as I asked.

Since he was mostly fat and little muscle, it didn't take long to have him sweating. I knew that if I pushed him too hard, he would be sore the next day. Horses are just like people in that regard; I know that if I spent the day digging holes or something that I was unaccustomed to that I would be sore, for sure! I let him out into his gaited walk on the way back to the house, stopping and turning around and going the opposite way several times. I wanted to test him, to see how he would respond to being asked to go away from the house once we were on our way back. He did it every time with no complaint.

I reached the drive grinning from ear to ear. Martha was smiling too, she had been watching from afar. "How'd he do?" She asked me.

"Well," I said as I scratched and patted his sweaty neck, "you have your Fords, and you have your Chevy's, and they are both nicely made cars. But then you have your Cadillac's. He's a Caddy."

She laughed and patted him. She has a good eye for horses. I told her I thought he would eat trails for breakfast and that he would go all day for a good rider. She nodded, like it was what she had expected all along.

Now that Red is healthy and we know a little about what he can do, Martha is going to put him up for sale to a good home so that she has the space and time to rescue another horse.

I personally wish I had the time and space for another one. Riding him was a blast. There is something special about a Tennessee Walker.

I'm Back!

Okay, so....yeah. It's been awhile. I am guilty of putting this to the back burner and then forgetting about it. When I started this blog, I had a clear-cut idea of what I wanted from it. I wanted it to give to other people, to promote the things that I am passionate about, and to entertain along the way. I kind of forgot how good it feels to sit and share. I am going to really try this time to stick with it. I want to make one post a week, at the least.