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. :)