Once Upon an Equine

Misty's Monday Muse - Cow Pony?

2012-01-23T06:00:00.002-07:00

The cow ~~pony~~ Percheron!

MyLady took me to cattle sorting again. It was our 2nd time. We're not very spry and agile, so the heifers slip by us easily. But we had a little success and a lot of fun. And it's a great confidence builder.

After sorting, I participated in my favorite event of the day - the resting event. When it comes to resting, I can't be beat. It's all about how to prop your toe and cock your hip. I'm very good at it because I have ample hip to cock and I practice a lot. But you can see I had some stiff competition.

The Resting Competition

I don't know who that little sorrel horse is on my left. But it's a good thing we are both peace-loving equines since we are resting "cheek to cheek." The cutie on my right with the knee-hi white stockings is my friend Cheyenne. He is a Spotted Saddle Horse. He was my sorting partner. This was our 3rd date. We've gone out on two trail rides before and hit it off right away. Cheyenne has a lady friend at home, but when he's out with me, he can't keep his eyes off me. He looks longingly for me when his owner rides him away from me and he nickers sweetly to me when they return. Cheyenne loves me.

Wanna know what Cheyenne is whispering to that gelding on his right? He's saying, "Hey buddy, you see that big beautiful mare to my left? She's with me. Eat your heart out." Or maybe he's saying, "Hey Dude, I'm out with my girl and I just pooped. Is it hidden by my tail alright?"

Cattle sorting. It's not just for Quarter Horses anymore,

Misty's Monday Muse - Shadow

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Me and My Shadow

January 14, 2012

Time to Say Goodbye

2012-01-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's alright.

It's not sad.

It's a good thing.

It's time to say goodbye to the Christmas decorations.

Goodbye Birdies

Goodbye Doggies

Goodbye Horsies

We'll see ya'll in about eleven months.

I must report one Christmas decor casualty.
A Santa hat placed atop a lamp shade is no longer a Christmas decoration.

We found it on the floor, a little tattered.

Bella had claimed it as her own.

It was promoted to Christmas dog toy.

Goodbye 2011

Hello 2012

Go See War Horse

2011-12-29T20:29:00.000-07:00


Source

This is a good movie.

I was apprehensive about seeing it. I'm glad I did.

It is full of life, death, joy, and sadness. There is grief, loss, hope, cowardice, bravery, cruelty, kindness, fear, and friendship. A little of everything.

And of course, there are horses.

There is a lot of action, a lot of war. You know that from the title. Some scenes may be tough to watch if you are like me, an amiable person who does not like conflict. Just say to yourself over and over: it is just a movie.

It is sprinkled with humor, which I appreciated very much.

I liked it.

Go see War Horse.

I heard the movie provokes some discussion about war. That's true.

The story is set during World War I. Seated next to me in the theater was a World War II veteran. After the movie, while the credits were rolling, his granddaughter asked him, "Grandpa, was that how it was for you in World War II?" He replied, "No, we didn't fight in the trenches." She asked, "Did you use horses?" He said, "No, we used artillery."

My husband and I had an interesting discussion on the drive home about the raw brutality of trench warfare, and about the emergence of tanks and big guns; the absence of air combat.

Take some tissue with you. Steven Spielberg is a master at tugging on heart strings.

Go see War Horse.

To coin a phrase, I give it two thumbs up.

All in a Day's Work

2011-12-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Work has kept me very busy and away from the Blogosphere. I hope you all are doing well and I'm sorry I'm behind on reading your blogs. I'm looking forward to taking next week off and catching up on your blogs and enjoying the holiday season at home.

Speaking of work...this is the electronic whiteboard my work group uses so our boss can keep track of us. We had a snowstorm last night and into this afternoon and everyone who is not on vacation chose to work from home today.

I bet you can tell which icon represents me on the whiteboard.

Funny story about the bank robber icon. It belongs to our boss.

One Monday morning Wiley Coyote came into the office and found a surprising voice message awaiting him. We all gathered around his phone to listen and were quite shocked. It was a conversation amongst three bank robbers who didn't realize they were being recorded. There was a lot of static and garbled words, but we heard them talking excitedly about a large amount of cash. The male robber said, "Here, count the money" and we heard another start counting "One hundred, two hundred, three hundred.....this is a lot of money!" We heard the male in charge clearly exclaim, "We're bank robbers!". Then a female said, "I've got the cash between my legs."

Wiley Coyote called the police.

A uniformed officer came to our office and went to Wiley Coyote's desk (he sits right next to me) and listened to the recording and said, "Don't erase that. I'm going to call a couple of Dicks to come listen to this." No kidding, that's really what he said.

Within the hour two plain clothes detectives showed up at Wiley Coyote's desk. They listened to the voice message several times, recorded it on a device of their own, and asked Wiley Coyote lots of questions like:

Do you recognize the phone number? (The voicemail system had recorded the incoming cell phone number)
Do you recognized any of the voices?
Do you know anyone who might commit a crime like this?
Where do you live?
How long have you worked here?
Who has your work number?
Who calls you at this number?

There had been a string of bank robberies in our city and the latest one had occurred that very weekend. This was quickly becoming a hot lead.

The detectives left but soon returned, escorted by the facility manager to our boss' office this time. They had discovered the caller's cell phone belonged to our boss! It was getting late and one by one we each left to go home, wondering what was going on behind our boss' closed door. Could our boss be a bank robber?    He doesn't seem like the type. But how well do any of us really know the people we work with day-in and day-out? Or maybe his cell phone had been stolen during the weekend and used by the bank robbers.

The next day we were relieved to see our boss arrive at the office.

He told us the detectives asked him lots of questions and then asked him to listen to the recording.   They asked him if he recognized the voices. He didn't recognize any of the voices. Then they asked him if he had lost his cell phone. He said no, he had it with him. They asked if they could have his cell phone and look at his call history. He handed it over to them, unsure of why he was being questioned. They showed him the call history that listed a call to Wiley Coyote's office number on Saturday. Our boss was dumbfounded. They asked him if he had loaned his cell phone to anyone. No, he had it with him all weekend. Then the detectives asked our boss to tell them exactly what he did on Saturday. He said, "....my wife and my son and I went to the Mazda dealer to look at cars. Then we went to the bank and withdrew some cash to purchase a car, and then we went back to the dealership...." Then the light bulb went on.

Our boss had his cell phone in his pocket and it accidentally "butt-dialed" Wiley Coyote's desk phone number in the contacts list as he and his family were walking to their car in the bank parking lot. The voice messaging system picked up and recorded the conversation between our boss, his wife, and their young son a they got into their car and began driving back to the car dealership. They handed the cash to their son in the back seat so he could practice counting in hundreds. What wasn't recorded clearly was their young son asking, "Can anyone walk into a bank and ask for all this money?" His dad jokingly replied, "No, we're bank robbers!"   Our boss said it's a good thing the voice message ended before we all heard his reply when his wife said she had the cash between her legs.

This happened during a very busy, stressful time at our office and we all appreciated the good laugh. One of my co-workers replaced our boss' white board image of Mr. Slate (Fred Flintstone's boss) with the bank robber image and it has stuck.

The string of local bank robberies came to an end and I don't recall if they ever caught the real bandits.

Wiley Coyote is still employed, although we teased him that he shouldn't expect a raise this year.

These Birds Aren't Angry

2011-12-01T17:50:00.000-07:00

Not to be confused with Angry Birds, these birds are their lesser known cousins, the Chilly Birds. Maybe if they had their own video game to star in, they'd have a reason to move around and warm up. Poor things. They didn't look very happy this morning when I snapped this picture from my kitchen window.

Birds Chillin' in the Pasture.

Today was cold and windy, but yesterday was sunny with temps in the mid-50sF and no wind. A perfect day for a ride. I couldn't pass it up, especially with today's snow storm in the forecast. So I took a long lunch and ran home and rode Misty in circles around the house for 30 minutes. I'm so glad I did that. Chances to ride are rare this time of year.

Colder temperatures are on the way. I was planning to take Misty to a clinic this coming Saturday, but the clinician has rescheduled. Our high on Saturday may not even make it to 20F. Even an indoor arena won't compensate for temps that low and students don't learn well when they are shivering. It's too bad we have to reschedule, but I'm relieved. I really don't like being that cold.

I'm trying to seize any chance to ride in an indoor arena this winter. A few weeks ago I summoned my inner cowgirl and took Misty to cattle sorting practice, just so I could pay to ride in the indoor arena where the event was held. It was great to simply ride around in the arena with other horses and riders, but we actually did get to take a couple shots at sorting. This was only our 2nd time in the presence of cattle. My first sorting attempt, I couldn't get the assigned cow separated at all. After 60 seconds, I deferred to my partner who didn't have any luck either. It was like the heifer was attached to her herd mates with Velcro. The 2nd time my partner and I each sorted 3 of the 7 and got those 6 in the other pen within the 2 minute time period. I'm not interested in speed or whether we are successful at sorting. Misty's not built like a quick-on-her-feet cow pony. I just wanted to spend time with my mare and get some exposure and experience with cattle.

I was very pleased with Misty. During one of the cattle changes, I was expecting the cows to come down the center of the arena and out the door to their holding pens. I placed Misty in one of the corners of the arena near the exit, facing the center of the arena so we could see the cows coming. They decided to drive them down the side of the arena this time and it startled me when suddenly 7 cows went running right around Misty's butt. But Misty didn't even flinch. She continues to amaze me at how she has matured and gained confidence this year. I love my mare.

What's Cookin' and Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Plan B: Cranberries, mashed potatoes, and....pizza?

November 23, 2011

I am grateful for two gray girls in our backyard, and pleased that they get along so well. I feel honored to care for two of God's most magnificent creatures.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trust But Verify

2011-11-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo of your favorite equine figure, verify the talent of your artist first.

Photo Source Unknown

Shades of the Morning

2011-11-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

When I stepped outside to feed the horses Friday morning, I was stopped in my tracks by the beautiful color of the sky. I grabbed my camera so I could capture the sight before it disappeared; the light and colors change so quickly as the sun rises.

The first shades of morning.

Shades of pink emerge.

Misty: "Quit lookin' at the sky. Can't you see I'm starvin' here?!"

My favorite shades of gray.

(And you can see that Misty is far from starvin'.)

SaraJane LOVES her Progressive Diet Balancer pellets. After scarfing down her pellets in her stall next door, she visits Misty's stall to Hoover-up the few pellets Misty always leaves behind in her grain bin.

SaraJane: "As long as I'm here, I might as well help myself to Misty's hay too."

The girls get some loose hay in their troughs and a larger portion in their individual Porta-Grazers, to slow them down a bit. They go back and forth between the stalls, nibbling from both slow feeders and troughs.

Barn chores done; horses fed; manure scooped.


Shades of gold are joining the pinks.

Shades of gold chasing shades of pink.

The gold has consumed the pink.

It's time for me to go inside and get ready for work.

What a great way to start the day.

Attack of the Killer Kidney Beans

2011-11-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

Ok, I've watched too many low-budget horror movies lately.

If the Halloween zombie horses didn't get you, please tune in for the following announcement.

Beware the Red Kidney Beans

Tis the season for warm soup, stew, and chili. Prepare these comfort foods with caution if they call for red kidney beans. Canned, processed kidney beans are relatively gentle, peace loving legumes. But dried red kidney beans are armed and dangerous. They must be frisked at the kitchen door and rendered harmless before you invite them to dinner.

I attended a Halloween party last weekend that included a popular Fall culinary event: The Chili Cookoff.

The buffet table was lined with 20 or more crock-pots containing a variety of chili concoctions. I sampled three of the chili dishes. A few hours later I became ill - violently ill - like I've never experienced before.

I suspect I fell victim to kidney bean poisoning.

Dried red kidney beans contain a toxin called Phytohaemagglutinin. This toxin is present in many types of beans, but the red kidney bean wins the prize for packing the highest concentration. It only takes a few unfit beans to make a person very sick.

One of the most sinister methods of cooking dried red kidney beans is to slow-cook them in a crock-pot (or slow-simmer on the stove). The temperature may not get high enough to kill the toxic agent. In fact, slow cooking may increase the potency of the toxin.

The raw beans must be boiled for at least 10 minutes.

If you ingest toxic kidney beans, your tummy will expel the ghastly substance as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

The process is absolutely miserable!

But good for a rapid 2 pound weight loss.

Suggested steps to prepare raw beans before using them in a recipe or crock-pot:

Soak raw beans for at least 5 hours.
Discard the soaking water.
Place beans in clean water; bring to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I'm not a scientist, doctor, toxicologist; nor am I a professional chef. So don't take my word for it. Research multiple online sources (not all Internet cooking advice is valid) and be careful when cooking with raw beans.

Interesting resources:

Bad Bug Book: Phytohaemagglutinin (Kidney Bean Lectin) from U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Beans! Beans! The Poisonous Fruit! from davesgarden.com

Red Kidney Bean Poisoning from foodreference.com

P.S. Horse Owners: Beware the White Kidney Beans too.

Abstract from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15086107
Thirty-four mixed breed horses from two separate farms showed signs of abdominal discomfort, pyrexia and dehydration after being exposed to a new batch of 14% complete horse feed. A new batch of cattle feed from the same manufacturer resulted in dairy cows showing depression, a drop in milk production and diarrhoea. Examination of both diets revealed the presence of white kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Inclusion of raw beans of this genus in animal feeds is to be avoided.

Beware the Zombie Horses

2011-10-31T09:19:00.000-06:00

I have several Breyer horse models atop an armoire in by bedroom. I may be sleeping with one eye open tonight.

Happy Halloween!

Misty's Monday Muse - Slicker Training

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-06:00

My Lady and I plan on enjoying lots of trail rides together. The weather can change quickly in Colorado, so its a good idea for riders and horses to be prepared for rain.

While I was at school this summer my trainer, Andie Lee, taught me that rain slickers do not eat horses. They flap around and make rustling noises, but they don't bite. I kept my ear on that slicker, but I was very brave and did not get silly or overreact.

Don't I look good in yellow?

Ready to hit the trail,

Misty's Monday Muse - Cool Cows

2011-10-10T19:50:00.000-06:00

Hello there! It's been awhile. I've been a busy mare; going to school and on trail rides and playing with cows.

You read that right.

I, Misty the Percheron, am now a cow horse. Well, sort of. I can confidently say that I'm not afraid of cows and I like moving them about and manipulating them.

My Lady and I were scheduled to attend a 2-day clinic this past weekend. Saturday was "Ranch Riding and Patterns". But we missed it. Know why? Because it snowed!

It snowed so much that the roads got dangerous and My Lady loves me too much to risk my life. So we stayed home. That was fine with me, but My Lady was bummed. She stayed in bed and watched three movies and ate Fritos corn chips all day.

The snow finally stopped and the roads cleared, so we made it to the 2nd day of the clinic: "Introduction to Cattle". But it was very cold.

It was 26F/-3C when we rolled out of our driveway. 36F/2C when we arrived at the clinic.

Do you know what a cold metal bit feels like in your mouth at 36F?

Me neither.

My Lady wouldn't do that to me. There was a microwave in the rider's lounge, so she used this cute bit warmer that was hand made for us by Dreaming over at Living A Dream.

Thanks Dreaming. It worked great!

My Lady says it's also a handy neck warmer for the kink in her neck that she got from scraping ice off the windshield of the truck.

We warmed up in the indoor arena and then all of us horses and our riders gathered at one end of the arena while they brought 8 cows through the gate at the far end. My Lady wasn't sure how I would react, so she was going to dismount and stand on the ground with me. But she found her cowgirl spirit and stayed in the saddle. (She's learning that I've matured into a trustworthy mount.) I was very curious and had my head and ears on high alert, staring intently at those creatures as they came into the arena. But I wasn't scared at all. The cows walked in slowly and huddled in a little-cow-clump-in-the-corner.

Then the whole group of us, 10 horses & riders, walked up to those cows and slowly drove them around the arena, each of us taking turns at the front so we could be close to the cows. I like how they move away from me; it makes me feel empowered.

Then we paired off with another horse & rider and picked 2 cows to separate from the little-cow-clump-in-the-corner and we drove them down the arena wall.

After lunch we broke into two teams and tried to play cow hockey. The offensive team of horses & riders would try to drive the cows across the goal line, while the defensive team tried to block the cows and prevent the other team from scoring. But that got a little crazy when the cows un-clumped and started running this way and that, and some of the riders with more cow experience got competitive and wanted to chase them, and some of the younger horses got a little too excited. So our trainers switched us to a slower game. The cows re-clumped into the corner and each team took turns separating 4 cows from the little-cow-clump-in-the-corner and driving them down the arena and into an imaginary pen that was marked by orange cones. I did a good job of this because I can walk right up to those clumped cows, pick some out, and drive them calmly down the arena and not scare them into a trot. Slow and steady is the polite way to move cows around.

Cows are Cool,

Equine Identification and Microchipping

2011-09-15T10:20:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about equine ID lately, especially as I get ready to do more trail riding.

I watched an ACTHA video recently that suggested attaching an ID tag to your horse's mane whenever you go trail riding. So today I'm dropping by PetSmart to pick up an ID tag to braid into Misty's mane when I go trail riding. Engraved upon it will be Misty's name, my name, and my phone numbers. I think I'll doubly attach it to her mane with a leather string and an alligator clip.

Attaching ID to the horse's mane is suggested because tack can break and it is possible for a loose horse to rid itself of bridle and saddle. Having ID on both horse and tack increases your chances of getting everything back should you become separated from your horse while trail riding. Heaven forbid this ever happen, but it is good to be prepared.

SaraJane came home last weekend and while she was out for training, her rescue had her microchipped. She came home with a brand new, pretty pink halter with her name written on one side and "Microchipped Horse" written on the other side.

This morning I saw the news report below about Willow, the microchipped cat found after 5 years! This amazing story really presents a good case for microchipping.

Do you microchip your pets or your horses? Do you have identification on your horse when you trail ride?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Colo. cat, missing 5 years, is found on NYC street
By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press The Associated Press

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 9:21 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her.

How she got to New York, more than 1,600 miles away, and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries.

But thanks to a microchip implanted when she was a kitten, Willow will be reunited in Colorado with her owners, who had long ago given up hope.

"To be honest, there are tons of coyotes around here, and owls," said Jamie Squires, of Boulder. "She was just a little thing, five and a half pounds. We put out the `Lost Cat' posters and the Craigslist thing, but we actually thought she'd been eaten by coyotes."

Squires and her husband, Chris, were "shocked and astounded" when they got a call Wednesday from Animal Care & Control, which runs New York City's animal rescue and shelter system.

Willow had been found on East 20th Street by a man who took her to a shelter.

"My husband said, `Don't say anything to the kids yet. We have to make sure,'" Squires said. "But then we saw the picture, and it was Willow. It's been so long."

ACC Executive Director Julie Bank said a scanner found the microchip that led to the Squires family.

"All our pets are microchipped," Squires said. "If I could microchip my kids, I would."

The children are 17, 10 and 3 years old, so the older two remember Willow, Squires said. As for the 3-year-old, "She saw the photo and said, `She's a pretty cat.'"

The Squireses also have a yellow Labrador named Roscoe, who knew Willow, and an English mastiff named Zoe.

"We had another dog back then, too, and I remember that Willow would lie with them as they all waited to be fed," Squires said. "She thought she was a dog."

Squires said Willow escaped in late 2006 or early 2007 when contractors left a door open during a home renovation.

Since then, the family had moved about 10 miles from Broomfield to Boulder, but it kept its address current with the microchip company.

Bank recommended that all pet owners use microchips.

She said Willow, who now weighs 7 pounds, is healthy and well-mannered and probably has not spent her life on the mean streets of Manhattan. But there are no clues about her trip east or anything else in the five years she's been missing.

Squires seemed a bit worried about a possible New York state of mind.

"I don't know what kind of life she's had, so I don't know what her personality will be like," she said. When Willow disappeared, she said, "She was a really cool cat, really sweet."

The ACC and the Squireses were trying to arrange for transportation back to Colorado and health certificates and said it might be two weeks before the reunion. Willow may spend some time with a foster family in New York.

"The kids can't wait to see her," Squires said. "And we still have her little Christmas stocking."

Tough Times in a Desperate Horse Market

2011-09-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

I dipped my toes into the horse market recently and found the waters to be cold and uninviting.

Many of the online advertisements make me feel wary and I'm reminded of this icon from my childhood:

A couple weeks ago I came upon an ad that didn't conjure up images of the Lost in Space robot. My trainer and I went to see the horse and ride him. We both liked him and the seller suggested I take him on trial. The ideal situation was to take him to the training stable where my trainer could evaluate him and give me lessons on him. But the training stable required a rabies vaccination, which this horse did not have. I offered to pay for the vaccination and the seller agreed to get the vaccination and draw up a pre-purchase trial contract. A couple of days went by. I left a voice message for the seller. Then at 8:30 that night the seller called in a panic, in need of money because of an ugly divorce situation, and said I had to buy the horse tomorrow or the horse would be sold to a cattle rancher with cash in hand. Wow! I was stunned. I was disappointed. But I will not be pressured into a rapid purchase like that.

I summoned up some courage and looked at more ads today and it was sickening. I saw ads placed by desperate people trying to unload their horses "ASAP". I feel sorry for the horses because the most likely person to respond to these ads is the kill-buyer.

Let me tell you about a couple I just read. I don't want to copy and paste them here, so I'll just give you the gist of them.

Ad #1 offered a "FREE" 2 year old "Polomino" quarter horse stallion. The seller pleaded, "Please rehome him ASAP...he is FREE." While the horse is free, his tack costs $300.00 and has to go with him. The free "Polomino" horse and tack is $300.00 today only. If you wait until tomorrow "the re-homing fee becomes $500.00" for horse and tack.

What the heck is a "re-homing fee" on a FREE horse? Now, doesn't that make you want to rush out to the nearest ATM?

Ad #2 offered another free horse. A 16 year old, "broke to ride" quarter horse that is "not a push button horse, but is a good horse." The horse "hasn't been ridden in awhile", but the seller put her kids on it and they ~~survived~~ "are fine". Seller needs to re-home the horse "ASAP" because the power has been shut off at their vacated farm. Her rotten husband is in jail and she moved out and is raising their 6 children and didn't have the money to pay the utility bill at the farm. You can have this horse for free under one condition...when you pick up your free horse, you need to pick up its pasture mate and return that horse to its owner in another town. The seller can't return the pasture mate to its owner because her husband did not renew the registration on their truck & trailer before he became incarcerated. Lace up your track shoes, you lucky horse shoppers, because the race is on. The seller says "preference goes to whoever can get to my place first."

Too bad my horse trailer is in the shop for repairs right now. I lose again.

Times are tough and I feel badly for people who are in difficult & desperate situations.

I feel most sorry for the horses who are the innocent victims. Those two "free" horses probably ended up on a truck bound for a slaughter plant south of the boarder.

I don't think I'll look at any more ads today.

Horseless at Home

2011-08-21T08:03:00.000-06:00

There are no horses in the Land of Once Upon.

Misty and SaraJane have both gone away to sleep-away school.

Misty left a couple of weeks ago and our foster filly, SaraJane, left Friday afternoon.

The horse rescue that owns SaraJane received a training grant and with Misty away at school, this was a perfect time for SaraJane to get some training and become more adoptable. I had hoped to be home from work in time to say good-bye to SaraJane before the rescue picked her up, but I was too late.

When I arrived home, no horse greeted me.

The barn felt empty and lonely.

I got teary-eyed.

I miss them.

Fortunately it is just temporary. And as much as I enjoy my daily barn chores, I'm not shedding too many tears over a brief furlough from manure scooping.

It's all good.

Misty is doing well with her training. She's a novelty at the stable where most of the horses are long-legged, fancy, shmancy hunter/jumpers. So she gets a lot of attention.

The rescue owners notified me that SaraJane loaded easily into their trailer and has settled in well at her boarding school. She's such a sweet-natured filly.

Happy (Horse Trailer) Campers

2011-08-10T23:00:00.000-06:00

I had hoped to do some horse camping this summer, but Misty's tooth issues derailed those plans.

At the beginning of Spring, my riding club held an overnight horse camping practice. I went sans horse, but it gave me a chance to see how I would fare sleeping in the bunk of my gooseneck horse trailer.

I don't have living quarters, so I was without the usual creature comforts in my bare, steel trailer. Springtime in Colorado can be very chilly. This particular weekend brought one of the last cold snaps of the season. It got down to 35F/1.6C during the night, with a light rain, at our mock campsite.

Brrrr. I had no heat, but my trailer nest turned out to be "beary" cozy.

For my bed, I use a king size foam mattress topper; folded in half, it is the perfect size for a bed in the bunk.

For bedding I use flannel sheets, an open sleeping bag, and a heavy duty down comforter topped with my decorative fleece horse blanket. Inexpensive kitchen valances serve as window coverings. A battery operated camping lantern and magnetic tent light provide some illumination. And a 3-drawer plastic storage chest fills in as a nightstand.

Even at 35F, I was fairly comfortable with the addition of socks, gloves, fleece cap, and a cowl neck warmer. It got pretty toasty in my little nest. In fact, I awoke at 2:00 am and couldn't peel off the socks, gloves, hat and neck warmer fast enough.

I followed advice to crack one of the windows open, but still developed some condensation in the trailer. I do have a ceramic heater, but there was nowhere to plug it in. I'm considering purchasing a Little Buddy Portable Heater to take the chill off next time.

Have you used a portable camping heater? I'm curious what others have experienced.

There is one more item that comes in handy in a non-LQ horse trailer, whether you are camping or parked at a trail head.

I never leave home without my Luggable Loo.

Have you camped in your horse trailer? What creature comforts do you take along? I'm not a seasoned camper, so would love to know what works for you.

Do you have pictures to share in a blog post? If so, let us know in the comments where your post is, and please link back to this post.

And the award goes to...

2011-08-04T19:52:00.000-06:00

MISTY!

For best dental check-up!

We went back to our local horse doc today for our last, final, concluding, determinate vet visit since this whole tooth ordeal began four and a half months ago.

The vet and the tech discussed checking Misty without sedation. They decided, "Yes, let's try it because she's been such a good girl." So they inserted the dental speculum and flushed Misty's mouth. Misty stood patiently while the vet reached in and examined the empty socket...and declared it good!

The socket is granulated up to the gum line.

There is no putrid odor.

External facial swelling has decreased to almost normal.

Misty can go back to work.

I'm not wasting any time. I'm taking my girl to a clinic on Saturday and then taking her back to her trainer on Sunday. I'll probably just do ground work at the clinic and will play it by ear on some very light riding. And Misty's trainer will begin easing her back to work and put some finishing on her. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get to go on a few trail rides before it starts snowing.

Here are the final pictures of the tooth as it was removed in stages.

Left to right: The slab fracture removed in March, the pieces that broke apart when my local vet tried to extract the remainder of the tooth in May, and finally the rotten root portion that was removed via Steinmann Pin Repulsion in June.

The dentist who performed the repulsion said this hole was not made by the Steinmann Pin. It might have been caused by decay and abscess. Interesting.

THE END

(I hope, I pray)

Double Dip

2011-07-27T15:45:00.000-06:00

Last evening's rain shower treated us to prairie a la mode.

A double dip of rainbow sherbet.

Delicious to the soul.

Seek a Shady Spot

2011-07-22T12:13:00.000-06:00

I've lived in Kansas and Missouri, so I know what heat and humidity feel like.

I was in Phoenix, Arizona when the temperature hit 122F/50C. That's just too blasted hot, even if it is a dry heat.

It's been warm in Colorado; in the 90s with a bit of humidity. At this altitude the sun is strong and can cause a sunburn in a matter of minutes.

Sometimes we have to seek a shady spot wherever we can find it.

Donkeys chillin' in Alamosa, Colorado

Misty's Monday Muse - Two More Weeks

2011-07-18T19:49:00.000-06:00

Two more weeks. I have two more weeks of ~~vacation~~ healing time before I have to go back to training school.

I went to the horse doc today to get my stitches out and my teeth floated and the hard-as-rock packing removed from my recently vacated socket. The horse doc said I have some beautiful granulated tissue in my socket, but it needs more time to fill all the way in. The horse doc doesn't want me going back to training until I'm completely healed. Good call Doc. I have plans to fill the next two weeks with lots of eating, pooping, and napping. My three favorite activities, in that order.

Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

2011-07-15T10:03:00.000-06:00

If you like horses, you probably like dogs, then this book is a must-read. I enjoy most books I read, some very much. Occasionally one will strike me as exceptional and this was one of them. You'll want to hug your dogs after reading this; maybe ask them for some advice too.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an imaginative and endearing story; cleverly narrated by a dog named Enzo, a terrier/lab mix. Enzo shares intelligent and humorous anthropomorphic observations on life; meeting adversity with hope and courage. I got a kick out of his optimism and desire for opposable thumbs and human speech. For me, it wasn't a gripping page-turner, but a very charming, sweet-read that I wanted to savor. I downloaded the eBook from the library. One third of the way through I decided to purchase a copy because it is a keeper.

View all my reviews

Home Sweet Cubicle

2011-07-13T07:32:00.000-06:00

It's been two weeks since Misty's dental surgery and she is doing well. Her stitches should come out today, but par for the course, we have to wait until Monday; my vet is on vacation. Oh well, veterinarians need vacations too.

I took several days off work and then telecommuted for a week so I could take care of Misty at home. Alas, I couldn't stay away from the office forever, so I returned this week.

I've mentioned before that finding Work-Life-Horse Balance is challenging. My job can be very stressful and demanding. So last month I decided to personalize my office cubicle with happy things that motivate me to keep my butt in the chair and my nose to the grindstone.

I decorated my cubicle corner - the one I spend hours and hours facing - with happy horsey wall art, turning it from a drab space into a charming nook in which to rest my eyes and unwind when I need a brain break.

The small stuffed horse underneath my monitor is actually a screen cleaner. It's tummy is made of soft microfiber cloth.

I love the picture in the center because it reminds me of Misty, with her big head and drafty hooves.

The artist titled it: "Reclining Nude"

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It's off to work I go.

(It's Wednesday! Just two more days until the weekend.)

Quote: "Corporations no longer try to fit square pegs into round holes; they just fit them into square cubicles." Robert Brault

Success At Last

2011-07-03T19:33:00.000-06:00

Misty's dental procedure went very well and that tooth is outta there! Finally!

They let me take a couple of pictures during the procedure, but asked that I not post them online. I'm not sure why. Maybe because someone might think it looks like abuse rather than a veterinary procedure. It did look rather Frankenstein-ish, but was fascinating to watch. I think it is safe to share one of Misty's xrays. After all, I paid for them and they are not as disturbing as seeing a metal pin sticking into her sweet face.

First the dentist inserted a needle into Misty's jaw, above her bad tooth (#207), and took an x-ray to check the alignment. Next she inserted a Steinmann pin, following the same path as the needle. Another x-ray was taken and the pin realigned slightly, and another x-ray to confirm the desired positioning. I don't have a copy of the final confirmation x-ray. After this shot the dentist chose to reposition the pin forward by about 2mm. Since the tooth was rotten, the dentist was being very careful to aim the pin at the strongest part of the root to lessen the chance of the pin passing through the diseased tooth.

Then the dentist began tapping the pin with a metal surgical mallet, while her tech kept a hand in Misty's mouth, feeling for the vibration on the bad tooth. It looked like the pin kept sinking deeper and deeper into Misty's jaw, when the tech finally said she was feeling the tooth move slightly. The dentist switched places and felt the tooth. The tech continued the tap...tap...tapping...and finally the tooth, root and all, dropped right into the dentist's fingers and everyone rejoiced. Vets and their techs get really happy when procedures like this go as planned. My local vet and her tech were there too. Everyone got a learning experience feeling inside Misty's mouth, including me. I've never had my hand inside Misty's mouth before. It was amazing to feel her big teeth and the sharp point of the Steinmann pin still inserted through Misty's jaw and protruding into the huge gap where the rotten tooth had been.

The procedure took about 3 hours. Misty was discharged a couple of hours later and spent the night at home in her pressure bandage. I fed her soaked Timothy grass pellets when we got home. She was very hungry and that bandage didn't slow her down one bit.

The next morning I removed her bandage. She'll get her little pink stitches out around July 13th. Until then I will be giving her oral antibiotics through a syringe and flushing her mouth twice a day with diluted Nolvasan. Surprisingly, she likes the Nolvasan flush. I don't even have to halter her for it. She readily opens her mouth and lets me flush it 4 or 5 times with a syringe. When she realizes I'm done, she tries to grab my container while I'm putting the cap back on. Silly mare.

Misty is doing well and happy to return to napping with her good buddy SaraJane. Goodness gracious those two princesses like to nap. Must be nice. I think we humans should follow their lead and take more naps.

Here is the official treatment report:

Misty was sedated with Dormosedan and Torbugesic, given anit-inflammatory (Banamine), and a maxillary nerve block was performed. Oral extraction not possible with missing crown. A Steinmann pin repulsion was performed successfully with radiographic guidance. The Steinmann pin tract was flushed with saline/dilute Betadine solution. The socket was packed with Metronidazole and Technovite packing.

Oh...you might be curious what something like this costs. Me too! I haven't received the final invoice yet, but the office told me it looked like it would be about $800.00.

Click HERE to see another Steinmann pin repulsion that is documented online by
The Academy of Equine Dentistry.

Waiting

2011-06-29T13:51:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone. I'm sitting in the waiting room at the equine clinic where Misty will have her tooth repulsion done soon. Just waiting for my local vet to arrive and for the dentist to finish up an extraction.

It's nice that they have an Internet station in the waiting room.

We were warmly greeted and Misty was shown to a holding pen and promptly served some grass hay to munch on. She's a happy girl. Ignorance is bliss.

There is a 1 in 5 chance Misty may have to stay the night, but most horses go home the same day. I'll post the results of her procedure when I can.

Still Alive and Holding

2011-06-21T21:57:00.000-06:00

Despite how this picture may look, Misty is still very much alive and doing (relatively) well.

She's just a very sound sleeper.

We are still in a holding pattern, waiting to resolve this dental issue once and for all. Misty's tooth repulsion surgery is scheduled for next week. This whole ordeal has been an exercise in patience

" God grant me patience...NOW! "

Misty has displayed more aplomb than me through this prolonged trial. She takes it all in stride, enjoying long naps in the poo ditch where the ground is soft and warm.

Trusty sidekick, SaraJane, is quick to follow Misty's lead.

Misty is a very stoic mare, but this week I will begin adding a digestive supplement to her feed. She has never shown any signs of ulcers, but since this could be a stressful procedure and recovery period, I've decided to add Progressive Nutrition's Soothing Pink to her feed for 30 days. And I'll be stocking up on equine senior and timothy pellets to soak for the soft diet she will have to be on for a time. Hopefully by the end of next week, we'll be past the waiting stage and into recovery.

The Next Step - Drill and Punch

2011-06-02T09:23:00.000-06:00

My vet was unable to extract the rest of Misty's tooth on Wednesday, even with a variety of interesting dental tools graciously loaned from an equine dentist with whom she has been consulting. The root is holding strong, but the tooth is riddled with micro-fractures and my vet cannot get a grip without causing the tooth to break into tiny pieces.

The next step is to take Misty to the equine hospital near Denver and the dentist there will drill into Misty's jaw and punch the tooth out. I'm just sick about it, but it appears to be the only option now. The tooth has to come out or it will be a chronic problem.

I'm worried and dread the idea of a hole drilled into Misty's jaw. I don't know what to expect yet with aftercare and healing. This will be another learning experience. I just want to get it over with so Misty can heal and get back to normal. My vet is arranging the appointment so she can be there too. I hope we can get it done next week.

Hump Day Humor - CNN Reports on Horse Herpes

2011-06-01T10:21:00.000-06:00

While horse owners and event sponsors are taking the recent EHV-1 outbreak very seriously, you just know that when the non-horse public hears the words "Horse Herpes", there is bound to be some giggling.

Click on the picture to watch CNN's Jeanne Moos share her report in a way that only Jeanne Moos can.

*Hump Day: Wednesday; the middle of the work week; we've climbed the proverbial mountain and now it is downhill to the weekend.

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be...

2011-05-31T19:51:00.000-06:00

...another day, another vet visit.

Four of my six critters are having health problems. I've lost track of how many times I've been to a vet clinic in the last several months. I am ~~hemorrhaging money at~~ frequenting three separate clinics these days....one for the birds, one for the dogs, and one for Misty.

These little gals have been with me for 17 years. Tessa is an 18 year old African Grey parrot and Newport is a 17 year old Maximilian Pionus parrot. I take my parrots to the vet for regular check-ups, with blood work, because it is very difficult to detect illness in a bird and I like to catch any health issues early. We usually receive a good report or have something minor to fix. Newport had high cholesterol a couple years ago. This was unusual and we attributed it to too many peanuts. So we cut peanuts out of Newport's diet completely, much to her dismay. (Newport is a glutton.) But this year's check-up showed her cholesterol is still very high and her blood is thick and milky. Tessa, who was "healthy as a horse" (the vet's words) last year, has developed a problem too. They both have poor liver function and Newport's pancreas is hardly working at all. After three visits with an avian vet, we know that Tessa is responding to medication but Newport is not. There is not much else to do but keep giving Newport her medication and wait. On the outside she appears to be happy and healthy, but I am braced to find her dead on the bottom of her cage one of these days. But maybe she'll surprise us and live on for several more years. It's hard to tell with birds.

Sadie is a Dalmatian/Australian Shepherd mix, about 13 years old. She has been my constant canine companion for 12 years now. Her last check-up revealed poor liver function also. (Maybe I should have our water tested. It seems odd to have 3 critters with liver problems.) She has been on medication with milk thistle for about a month.

Just a little warning...the picture coming up is not pretty.

We took both of our dogs to the groomer about 11 days ago. They came home with that freshly shampooed smell; they looked pretty and felt soft & clean. All was well.

Last Sunday evening I was petting Sadie when I felt some scabby, crusty bumps on her back. As I checked more closely, her hair started coming off in patches. "Oh no. What now?" I thought. Monday was a holiday. So today, Tuesday, I got her into the vet as soon as they could fit us in. The poor girl has a raging Staph infection.

2nd warning: here comes the picture...

Fortunately Sadie doesn't appear to be in any discomfort. She's not scratching or licking the infected area. I never would have suspected a problem if I hadn't felt it when I was petting her. She received a steroid injection and is on oral antibiotics for 10 days. Twice a day I am to wipe her skin with a warm, moist washcloth and apply antibiotic ointment. We expect her to heal quickly. She's being a good sport about it.

And then there is Misty and the ongoing saga of the bad tooth. I will drop her off at the Equine clinic again tomorrow morning and hopefully they can get that ornery tooth out once and for all. I'm hoping for a positive outcome (as in...that tooth positively must come out).

In the meantime, while I wait for Misty to heal from these extractions (3 of them to get the whole tooth out), I've scheduled some riding lessons on a school horse with Misty's new trainer. That way she can get to know me and what I need to work on. Then when Misty goes back into training, she will know how to work with both of us together.

I hope you and your critters are all in good health.

Even EHV-1 Has a Facebook Page

2011-05-26T10:44:00.000-06:00

I recently stumbled upon a Facebook page for EHV-1 at this link.

I asked myself, "Am I the only person in the world who has not joined Facebook? For heaven's sake, even a virus has its own Facebook page. Am I not better than a virus? Shouldn't I have a Facebook page?"

I know I'm not the only living Facebook holdout but our numbers are declining.

I have nothing against Facebook, but I hesitate to join for these reasons:

My free time is severely limited. Will I have time for Facebook?
It really annoys me when I'm buried in work at the office and I see co-workers around me killing time on Facebook.
It bugs me that Facebook insists that members sign up with their real name, threatening expulsion from the community if they choose a pseudonym. (I started to join, but changed my mind when I read this rule.)

Perhaps I should give Facebook a try. I don't know. I keep getting invitations to join and I feel bad that I'm ignoring them. I'm receiving more and more invitations from equestrian friends and horse professionals. Will I miss out on some good information if I don't join? It's not that I don't want to be "friendly", I'm just not sure I want to give up my privacy and give into the Facebook frenzy.

I wonder how long I can hold out. If I join, will I forever be stuck in Facebook's database, even if I delete my profile? Will it consume my life? How long can I remain "friendless"? I just read this article:

You Have No Friends - Everyone else is on Facebook. Why aren't you?

A few months ago, I said I would never want an eReader such as a Nook or a Kindle. I would miss the feel of holding a real book in my hands and turning the pages with my fingers. Reading a book electronically just didn't seem right. But I decided to consider it. Now I own a Nook Color and I'm hooked on eReading. I like to read and now easily carry umpteen books with me in my purse and read just about anywhere, even in the dark.

I can be assimilated.

I hear of horses who have their own Horsebook on Facebook. But I can't see any of them because I'm not a member.

Does your horse have a Horsebook page on Facebook?
Do you find Facebook to be a benefit or a burden?

Hmmm? I'll have to think about it some more.

As Lady Macbeth Might Say

2011-05-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

Out, damned tooth! out, I say!

Misty spent three days and two nights at the vet clinic last week while they worked on extracting her bad tooth.

Day 1: They patiently wiggled the tooth to loosen it. We're dealing with tooth number 207 on the chart below. (the 2nd upper left premolar)

Day 2: They spent almost five hours extracting the tooth but could not get all of it out. It fractured more and they had to remove it in pieces. Fracturing has been our problem since this ordeal began. The vet has several molar extractors that have worked well for 10 years on all dental cases. But now they cannot get a good grip on the remaining tooth with their extractors. They need to acquire some more specialized dental tools; extractors with multiple prongs on the end, I think.

Day 3: They observed Misty to make sure she was comfortable and eating normally. The decision was made to send her home for a break. Misty will return later this week. About 1/3rd of the tooth remains; hopefully they'll get the rest out without another overnight stay. Worse case is they'll have to drill into her jaw and punch the tooth out. I hope it doesn't come to that.

While Misty is home, I am flushing the left side of her mouth twice a day with Chlorhexidine solution mixed in water. Coincidentally, my own dental hygienist has me using a Chlorhexidine rinse to treat periodontal disease. So I'm very sincere when I commiserate with Misty on the bad taste.

The good news is we're seeing progress. Misty is eating well and appears to be in no discomfort. There is slight inflammation on her cheek from the diseased socket, but she is no longer pocketing a wad of hay the size of my fist in there.

The vet commented on how good-natured and easy Misty has been to work with. Good behavior deserves a discounted vet bill, don't you think? A horse owner can hope.


Modified Triadan from Wikipedia

Misty is an 8 year old Percheron. Her xray is in this post.

The Next Door by Gayle Sliva

2011-05-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

The Next Door by Gayle Sliva

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I downloaded this very affordable and entertaining eBook from http://www.smashwords.com/ and read it on my Nook Color. I enjoy a good mystery/thriller and this one was extra fun to read as it is bespeckled with anecdotes of horse care and rural living. The ending had me guessing with its unexpected twists and turns. I couldn't put it down at the end until I found out Whodunnit!

View all my reviews

Misty's Monday Muse - Troublesome Tooth

2011-05-16T17:53:00.000-06:00

Looks like my tooth woes are not over yet, but we have a plan.

I went back to the vet today and the Doc pulled the stash of putrid hay out of my cheek and found some new inflammation. Something didn't smell right and it wasn't just my stinky rotten hay breath.

The Doc took some pictures of my troublesome tooth and said the root does not look healthy. I was sneaky because I hadn't shown any signs of infection or abscess all along.

Bad Tooth - 2nd from the right.

At least now the decision is easier to make. I will go back this week to have the remainder of my naughty tooth pulled.

Everyone is sad that my young tooth could not be saved. But it is best to be rid of it.

I should have flossed more often,

Waiting for the Tooth Fairy

2011-05-11T09:32:00.000-06:00

I took Misty back to the vet last Friday for our 7th appointment due to her fractured tooth. The deep pocket in her gum had to be cleaned and repacked many times because food kept getting packed into the root pocket and slowed the healing process.

Finally, Misty's gum is healed. That is good! But now we have a new problem.

The slab removed was on the outside of tooth 207 (upper left). Now there is a cup-like gap where the slab used to be. The location of the fracture - left side and on the outside of her tooth - combined with the mechanics of how Misty chews with a motion from left to right, is causing hay to become wedged into the gap. She has a huge, uncomfortable lump protruding from her cheek. And since the gap is on the outside of the tooth, Misty's tongue does not come into contact with the wad of hay and she cannot dislodge it naturally. The hay is accumulating and putrefying inside her cheek. The only way to remove the hay is to have the vet sedate her and dig it out. That certainly is not a good long term solution.

Our first thought is to go ahead and remove the rest of the tooth. But the remainder of the tooth is large, healthy and solid. Misty is a Percheron; she's got big teeth and she is only 8 years old. This would not be a simple extraction and might require a costly trip to an equine hospital. My vet is consulting with some equine dentists to see what our options are and I'm anxiously awaiting a call back.

I think I'll give them a call now and see if they've come up with a plan. I'm tired of waiting.

Happy Peepster

2011-04-24T11:28:00.000-06:00

I'm very burnt out with my day job and have been dreaming of a career change. Let me tell you, a career in cake baking is not in my future.

I first saw the Taste of Home Sunflower Peep cake at First Draught Farm's Peep Show. I thought, "That's adorable and looks so easy!" I'm not sure what I did wrong, but both layers of the cake stuck in the pans and cracked & crumbled when I removed them. Perhaps they were in the pans too long. They were to cool for 10 minutes before removal, but I fell asleep while watching a re-run of the show Bones. Bones is not a boring show; it is one of my favorites. But I tend to fall asleep when watching TV. Ask my husband. There are many shows and movies to which I don't know the ending.

So here's my Peep cake:

It is gingerly held together by gobs and gobs of chocolate frosting, like glue.

If you are like me, and prefer just a little bit of cake with your frosting then it will still be delicious. I'm just not sure what's going to happen when we make that first cut.

Nobody in our family will suffer from a lack of sugar today; or from a lack of Peeps.

It is a rather dreary, foggy Easter morning here.

This is a difficult time of year for me in Colorado. After a long, cold winter I'm longing for Springtime warmth and sunshine. But at this altitude, warmth and sunshine are not ready to make a consistent appearance. They just briefly tease us between cold snaps.

Misty still has that big bump on the side of her face. Her recovery from the slab fracture has been slow and frustrating. The hole in her gum was very deep and narrow and, while it is healing, it keeps getting packed with food which seems to slow the process. The vet has cleaned it out and repacked it with dental wax several times. We return to the vet tomorrow to see what is going on in there. We expected her to be completely healed by now and I'm eager for her to be well enough to return to training.

Have a Happy Easter.

A Job Well Done

2011-04-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

Misty and SaraJane take their job, holding up the barn, very seriously.

Misty on the Mend

2011-03-24T19:41:00.000-06:00

Misty's bump was diagnosed on Monday. She had a slab fracture of tooth #207 on her upper left jaw. Fortunately there was no abscess. The bump was inflammation caused by a HUGE ulcer where the broken slab of tooth was digging into the side of her mouth. Poor girl must have been in a lot of discomfort, but she never showed how much.

Misty had two vets working on her and it took them about one and a half hours to remove the slab. They took turns wiggling the slab loose until they could fit their big tooth-puller around it. Then it was quick business to pull it out. She has about two thirds of the tooth left. Misty was a good patient, albeit stoned out of her mind. They had to give her a couple extra shots of sedative to get that big mouth of hers to be still. Even with her head drooping almost to the floor and her legs splayed to keep her balance, her mouth remained very busy. She managed to wriggle out of the speculum twice while they were examining her. Good thing vets can pull their hands out of a horse's mouth with lightening speed. But the third shot was a charm and her busy lips finally succumbed to the sedative.

Wow, it was a stinky job with a very strong odor of putrid hay and dental decay.

Misty is home while she heals and receives antibiotics. The inflammation is going down slowly. Hopefully she'll be ready to resume her training sometime next week when the swelling is completely gone.

Uh Oh. A Bump!

2011-03-18T18:50:00.000-06:00

It's day four of Misty's training. She's been ridden the last three days and the reports have been positive. But we're on hold now, due to a mysterious bump that popped up overnight on her left jaw.

The folks at the stable looked at the bump. They peeked inside Misty's mouth and saw some hay stuck inside near the bump. The trainer called me and recommended my vet take a look-see. Misty is eating well, but does appear to be dropping a little bit of hay from the left side of her mouth as she chews.

The bump is very hard and about the size of a large egg. Misty is uncomfortable when it is touched.

Of course, this bump-thing chose to make its debut on a Friday and I can't get Misty into the vet until Monday. I sure hope it is not an abscessed tooth.

We will find out on Monday.

Bump - front view.

Bump - back view.

Not the face of a happy girl.

Hoof Shoes: On Your Mark. Get Set. GO!

2011-03-15T09:39:00.000-06:00

Ok Ladies (and men?),

Let's race out and be the first on our blocks to sport this new fashion in footwear.

Or not.

Read more about it:
Horse foot shoes on sale at Cheltenham Festival

I dare you: Do a Google search on "hoof shoe" images for even more bizarre possibilities.

Misty's Monday Muse - Boys!

2011-03-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

Guess what they have at my sleep-away school?

Boys!

My next-door neighbor is a boy.

He reminds me of someone.

I think I'll call him Wilson.

I love boys,

Misty's Monday Muse - Sleepaway School

2011-03-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm packing up my jammies and carrots and getting ready to go to sleep-away school.

I will be taking lessons to become a more refined lady. I'm practicing already.

"The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain."

I'll also be learning to be a confident trail horse. Here are some of the lessons I may be challenged with:

Wish me luck,

Misty's Monday Muse - Got Your Back, Friend

2011-02-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

A good friend will watch your back when you are most vulnerable.

I've got your back!

Thanks Friend,

Need a Laugh?

2011-02-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Do you need a laugh? Check out these hilarious animal voiceovers from the BBC.

And have a laugh with some equines of the striped variety:

Misty's Monday Muse - Winter Horses

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's been very cold, but we don't mind. Our barn builder said he builds barns more for the comfort of people than horses. It's true. SaraJane and I prefer to be outside, even when it is cold and snowy.

But we are eager to come in when the dinner bell rings.

Stay warm,

When Hippos Fly

2011-01-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Link to original post: Tuckered Out: A Hippo's Story

Tuckered Out: A Hippo's Story

by Mark Danielson

FedEx flies all kinds of cargo. Animals are among the most interesting. I have flown sea turtles, horses, a variety of birds, and ferrets, and can now add a hippopotamus to that list. This is Tucker’s story. If he could write a sign, it would say, “Eight year old male hippo in need of a new home”. FedEx donated our services to move him from the Topeka zoo to the San Francisco zoo. Delivered under perfect flying conditions, Tucker is busily exploring his new surroundings.

Tucker’s story is as interesting as his journey. Born in captivity at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, he was destined to be relocated to the San Francisco zoo over a year ago, but the timing wasn’t right in San Francisco. Instead, he was transported to the Topeka zoo where he met a lovely mate. They fell in love and had a baby together on August 21, 2010. But this miracle of birth also proved to be Tucker’s downfall, for the Topeka zoo is not large enough to accommodate three hippos. Handler David Jaffe told me that while Tucker is a very docile animal, they were concerned he would inadvertently kill his baby by playing with him. Sadly, Tucker had worn out his welcome.

He was supposed to have been transported on November 30th, 2010, but this transportation fell through. With winter in full swing, an appeal was made for FedEx to fly him to San Francisco. FedEx agreed to transport him gratis as a hippotarian gesture. On January 6th, Captain Rich Fazio and First Officer Michael Michaud flew Tucker from Kansas City to Memphis. There, he patiently waited for First Officer Brian Donar and me to fly him to Oakland. His crate was then loaded onto a flatbed and trucked to the San Francisco zoo.

Tucker’s oversized crate was approximately 1 ½ times the size of a normal MD-11 pallet. Loaded with hay and food, he was as comfortable as any hippo can be under the circumstances. Attended by handlers David Jaffe and Scott Gamerl, and veterinarian Shirley Llizo, he was in good hands. Thankfully, our airplane was equipped with a rigid cargo barrier that kept Tucker’s distinct aroma confined to the upper cargo compartment.

Thanks to good weather, Tucker probably never knew he moved. He was a perfect passenger throughout our flight. Had he been upset, we definitely would have known since annoyed oversized animals tend to bounce airplanes. But Tucker did none of that. His handlers checked assured me our four thousand pound puppy was quite content. Only they would know.

On our initial descent into Oakland, the Oakland Center controller assigned a step-down altitude. To make it easier on Tucker’s ears, I had Brian request a constant descent because of our special cargo. The controller then asked if we had horses on board. Pleased to hear it was a hippo, he replied, “Cool.” From then on, we received special handling that never required us to level-off. Tucker’s information was passed from controller to controller to assure our arrival went smoothly.

I elected to use the full runway length so our deceleration was gradual. The taxi in went as smoothly as our taxi out. The SF zoo was very appreciative of FedEx’s service, and I was happy to be among those playing a part in his relocation. Far more people were involved in this operation than I will ever know, but this was a success because it was a team effort.

Single again, Tucker is now free to find a new mate while enjoying California’s moderate climate. San Francisco may not be Disney World, but it’s far better than winter in Topeka. As for FedEx – we again proved that we deliver the world on time.

T.G.I.F.

2011-01-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

Whew! We made it through another work week.

I'm going to try to leave the work stress behind at the office and spend some quality time with my mare.

Have a good weekend!

Will Someone Please Turn Up the Heat

2011-01-01T19:14:00.000-07:00

Brrrrr...we've been in the icebox here with temperatures dropping to -12F/-24C at our house. Misty and SaraJane have fared well with plenty of hay to keep their tummy furnaces stoked. They usually eat their meals in the barn, but the last two mornings they have shown a strong preference for dining outside in the sun. Smart horses.


Patio Dining for Two

Last New Years I set some equine related goals. I cringe a little as I look back at that post where I wrote:

With Misty, I would like to attend a horsemanship clinic and a trail riding clinic. And of course, do more riding and get out on more trails.
With Marley, I would like to be able to drive him around the neighborhood by myself and attend some driving clinics and/or pleasure drives with other driving enthusiasts.

Goal 1 Result: I came very close to meeting my goals with Misty. The trail riding clinic I had signed her up for was canceled (although I did ride Marley in a trail clinic). But we did go on some nice trail rides and we attended a very productive horsemanship clinic. I feel good about the accomplishments I made with Misty in 2010.

Goal 2 Result: Well, you know part of that story and Marley is in a new home. I'm sad about that, but it was best for both of us.

While goals are great tools for helping us achieve our dreams, they needn't be set in stone. Goals should be reasonable and they need to be periodically evaluated and adjusted.

W.C. Fields said:

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Then quit.
There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.

I didn't meet my goals with Marley. I'm disappointed about that, but it actually helped me achieve my goals with Misty. Marley made me re-evaluate my circumstances and see that I needed to simplify. I decided not to purchase another horse. Instead I am focusing on Misty's saddle training while providing a foster home for a companion horse.

I don't have any specific equine goals for 2011 in mind right now. I have more of a mission statement:

To enjoy my horse and keep improving my horsemanship skills by taking riding lessons and attending clinics and trail rides whenever I can.

I wish all of you and your horses a happy, productive, healthy, and safe New Year.

Christmas Copter Surprise

2010-12-25T19:08:00.000-07:00

Christmas day started out very calm and peaceful. We had just finished a late lunch when we saw an unusual black and white striped helicopter fly low past our house. We watched from the windows as it hovered over the property across the street as if the pilot were intending to land at our neighbor's house. Then it reversed direction and circled back around our house, around our barn, coming very low over the horse's dry lot, then we lost sight of it. We ran to the living room window to watch it land across the street and I said, "I bet that was a good desensitizing experience for the horses." Just after I spoke those words, we saw SaraJane running wildly across our front yard with that tail of hers straight up in the air. Oh oh! Horse on the loose! And on the run!

The helicopter landed across the street in our neighbor's yard. I found SaraJane behind our house, running up and down outside the pasture fence, whinnying frantically to Misty who was on the other side of the barn, still in the dry lot where she was supposed to be. How on earth did SaraJane get out? Then we saw the dry lot fence.

The poor little girl must have lost her mind when that horse eating pterodactyl flew overhead. It looks like she ran right through the fence.

Fixing fence was not on the agenda for Christmas day, but Mr.OnceUpon got right on it. As he was working, I noticed that Misty has been doing some of her artistic whittling on this wooden fence post. Silly termite!

I went across the street and introduced myself to the neighbors. (What a way to meet your neighbors, huh?) They are renters and haven't been here long and will be leaving soon when their new house is finished. I told them we had a little mishap with the helicopter flying so low over our horses and asked that they call me before the helicopter takes flight so I could close the horses in the barn. They were very nice and were sorry to have scared the horses and asked if SaraJane was ok. She is fine. She made it through the fence with just one small scrape on her leg. The pilot is their son and he was "dropping in" for dinner to surprise his mother on Christmas day. At first he had tried to land from the other direction, but the wind was not in his favor and that is why he circled around our house and came in low over the horses.

The dad gave me a call when his son began his pre-flight and I locked Misty and SaraJane in the barn. It probably would have been good for them to see the helicopter lift off and fly away, but we had enough excitement for one day.

The pilot lifted off and flew away into the sunset, with an audience of neighbors standing in the street. It's not every day that a really cool looking helicopter lands on our street.

Oddly, this is the 3rd helicopter to buzz us (if you count the gyrocopter) and the 2nd time this year that one of my horses has had the wits scared out of them by a low flying helicopter (the trail ride incident last June was the first). My horses seem to attract more helicopters than flies.

But all are safe and calm now.

Merry Christmas.

Under the Gun and Under the Weather

2010-12-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, however I would love to vacation on another planet right now.

I'm under the gun at work which continues to be extremely stressful as several project deadlines are looming in February. I won't be online much until I get through this big push. I'm just hoping all the other parties involved in this huge work effort get their acts together so I can get my part done and over with. I don't want these projects bleeding into spring and summer.

I'm under the weather because stress + overtime = illness. It was bound to happen. I got hit hard by a virus and have been sick in bed all week. I'm hoping the worst is over. I don't have time to be sick.

Horse time is limited too, but I'm trying to ride once or twice a week depending on weather, health, and energy level. I only have two opportunities to ride during the winter weeks. I can ride on Saturdays if the weather is mild enough for outdoor riding. Or I can ride one evening a week when a local equestrian facility opens their indoor arena to the public.

Riding with the public is an interesting experience in itself. The arena may be packed with riders going both directions at various speeds. In a word: chaos. Unfortunately there is no arena etiquette during these public riding times. It's every rider for himself; watch out and avoid collisions. Other nights I may find myself with the entire indoor arena to myself. That is a different challenge with the eerie silence interrupted occasionally by sudden noises that are amplified by the big space. I think I'll take a radio with me to cut through the heavy silence when I find myself riding alone. I hate to ride alone!

I hope to catch up and visit your blogs this weekend since I'm still too sick to ride.

I do hope everyone and everyhorse is having a healthy and happy holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Misty's Monday Muse - Feelin' Groovy

2010-11-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's not even Christmas yet and I got some groovy new threads. Check me out in my new fleece cooler.

MyLady says it reminds her of a pair of bell bottoms she had in the '70s. You couldn't pay her to wear pants with horizontal stripes now though. I'm cool with the stripes.

Being the full-figured chick that I am, clothes off-the-rack don't always fit me to the max. I'm wearing a size 81 and it is a little snug in the shoulders. The length is good, but the belly straps had to be extended all the way.

Big is beautiful, Man!

Since I have all my winter hair now, I get sweaty under my saddle when I shake my groove thing. My new cooler will keep me from getting chilled when I ride home in my rolling box after a workout.

Can you dig it?

Peace out,

Things People Say

2010-11-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last night my husband and I attended a church youth barn dance in a small country town. The dance floor was lined with hay bales and the D.J. was spinning tunes from a big flatbed trailer strung with white lights. The organizers did a great job decorating. The refreshments were yummy and the kids were having fun.

At the entrance were some ladies seated at a sign-in table to check kids in as they arrived. The dance music was loud and I probably didn't enunciate my words well, resulting in a funny exchange with one of the ladies.

Next to the table was a tub full of horse shoes for the kids to take home as a memento. Mr. OnceUpon made a remark that started this odd conversation:

Mr. OnceUpon: "None of those shoes would fit Misty."

Me: "Nope, they are way too small.

Lady: "Oh, do you have a horse?"

Me: "I have a draft horse and she has really big feet."

Lady: "Really?! Wow! Where do you keep your giraffe?

Up in the air! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

2010-11-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

As I was finishing my morning barn chores one day last week, I saw an unusual, loud, slow moving aircraft circling our property. I've seen an ultralight plane fly over once in awhile, but this was very different. It was small, bright yellow and had a rotor much like a helicopter.

A few days later my husband received this photo taken by a friend of ours who was riding in that odd little craft which I now know was a gyrocopter.

You can see me walking back to the house. Too bad the horses aren't in the picture, but they were in the barn happily chowing down on their breakfast hay.

Can you see my horse trailer, discreetly parked behind the house? It's a big pain to back it around the corner, but that's the place where I must park it in order to comply with our rigid homeowner's association rules.

You can see the circle in the front where I lunged Misty this summer before the grass got too dry and she started slipping on it. I really want a round pen. That would be a good place to put one, but alas, our snooty homeowners association won't allow a round pen at the front of the property. I might be able to put one in the pasture, but it would require some costly excavation.

Don't be alarmed. We haven't buried anyone in our backyard. (That would also be a violation of homeowner association rules). That's just our septic tank buried in what looks like a grave.

Misty's Monday Muse - Something's in the Air

2010-11-01T09:49:00.000-06:00

It's baaaack.

The inevitable has happened.

Yesterday afternoon, the sky was blue.

Yesterday, I took MyLady on a lead line walk to the pond.

This morning, the sky is all white and fuzzy.

Today, MyLady doesn't want to go for a walk.

Bella is happy.

She loves to roll in the snow.

Bella would like to go for a walk today.

(This snow won't last long, but it's a glimpse of things to come.)

It had to happen sometime,

Me and My Mare - Horsemanship Clinic Getaway

2010-10-24T14:38:00.000-06:00

Work continues to be very stressful and demand long hours of me. There has been little time for blogging or riding and it is going to remain this way through February. Every now and then, I have to TAKE some time to get away from work, and purposefully schedule some "Me and My Mare Time". That's what I did a couple weeks ago.

Misty and I attended a Debbie Bibb Horsemanship clinic and I had a blast focusing on my sweet mare. It was a real bonding weekend for us. The clinic was held at the CSU Equine Center in Fort Collins where we had a very nice, comfortable indoor arena in which to work and ride.

We started out with some ground control exercises, then rode a pattern to see where we are with our horses and what we need to work on. We walked along the left side of the arena, turned right, through two orange cones, over ground poles ,then turned left around another cone and trotted to the far end of the arena where we did two big circles that formed a figure eight when put together, then we continued back down the long side of the arena, trotting serpentines through about 8 ground markers, then to the right where we came to a stop between two parallel ground poles, then we moved forward at a walk, turned right, came to a stop and backed up.

Other exercises during the weekend:

Controlling our horses feet and mind from the ground
Leading exercises to get in synchronization with our horse and control their stride as we lead them
Giving to the bit on the ground
Giving to the bit from the saddle
Riding exercises to help us with our seat and balance
Sitting trot, to learn to move with our horse and not against the horse
Emergency Stops
Moving our horse's shoulders and hips from the ground and from the saddle.
Walk, trot, and canter transitions
Lengthening and shortening our horse's stride

We had a competition during the lengthening/shortening exercise. Four ground poles were placed to form a square (a box). We practiced riding straight through the box to gauge how many strides our horse walks normally through the box. Misty took 4 strides. Then as the competition began, we had to state how many strides our horse would take to walk through the box on that 1st round, then each successive round we had to add an extra stride. Sometimes strategy works if you lengthen your horses stride through the first round, then let them walk naturally (the easiest to predict and control) through the 2nd round. It can give you the advantage of having an extra round before shortening the stride gets really challenging. But sometimes it backfires. Most of us started with our horses normal stride. So first time through I said Misty would take 4 steps, and she did. 2nd time through I said she would take 5 steps; I shortened her stride and she took 5 steps inside the box. Next time she took 6 steps. If a horse takes fewer or more steps than you state, then you are out of the competition. Misty and I won the competition with 8 strides through the box. For fun we tried to do 9 strides, but didn't quite make it. She stepped outside the box on the 9th step.

We did another fun challenge near the end of day 2. Parallel poles were set up for us to ride through, forming a "shoot" (pictured above). We each took a turn riding up to the shoot, through the shoot, and beyond the the shoot. For example, a simple instruction may be: "Ride a posting trot to the middle of the shoot, then ride a sitting trot out." As we did this, we had to look ahead at Mark (Debbie's husband) and call out how many fingers he was holding up as we rode through this exercise. Debbie gave each rider different instructions on each turn. These were instructions meant to challenge us individually. My biggest challenge on my last turn was "trot up to the shoot (sitting or posting) and then in the middle of the shoot transition to a canter. Misty and I are both new to cantering under saddle together and I've had a tough time getting her into a canter when I've tried it on my own in a large arena. She just keeps trotting faster, faster, faster. (And the previous day, when we worked on walk, trot, canter transitions in a large circle, I worked only on our walk-to-trot and trot-to-walk transitions. We aren't ready to canter in a circle and have only gotten into a canter a few times.) So I was surprised when Debbie challenged me to canter. I wasn't sure if I could get Misty to canter in the shoot, but we had been doing so well together all weekend, I decided to give it a try. We trotted into the shoot, I asked her for the canter, and what did she do? She immediately picked up a lovely canter!!! I was really quite surprised. We cantered forward for a few strides, then back to the walk and I gave Misty lots of At-A-Girl pats on the neck and told her what a good mare she is.

Near the end of the clinic, we repeated the riding pattern we started with, to see how we had improved in just 2 days.

I had a great time at the clinic. Misty was super focused on me through all the exercises and I couldn't have been more pleased with her. I love my mare!

It was a busy weekend and I didn't have time for pictures, except for a few taken during our breaks.

During breaks we tied our horses to sturdy hitching posts outside the arena where they could relax and visit with their neighbor.

Next to Misty is a 2 year old Holsteiner gelding, not yet started under saddle since he is young and still growing. But his owner did just about everything from the ground that the rest of us did in the saddle, including the riding pattern by leading the gelding at a walk and a trot over poles, through and around cones, and in circles and serpentines. It was a lot of fun to watch the youngster progress from being scared to walk into the building at the start of day 1, to trotting alongside his owner confidently through the patterns by the end of day 2.

Hitching posts double as scratching posts.

That's the spot!

Misty's Monday Muse - Welcome Wagon

2010-10-04T14:57:00.000-06:00

On her first day here my new roomie, Miss SaraJane, received a welcome gift from the Misters Pippin and Doc of Living a Dream. The boys' Mrs. Owner was kind enough to deliver it for them; I think they were a little shy about meeting the new girl.

Carrots (my favorite)! Horse cookies! A cute card! All tied together with the ever useful baling twine! I was so jealous! Then SaraJane shared her treats with me and I got over it.

Thanks Pippin and Doc. Your gift was well received and deliciously thoughtful.
SaraJane sends you carrot kisses.

XO, XO, XO,

About SaraJane our Foster Filly

2010-10-02T21:16:00.000-06:00

Misty was a lonely-only for several months this summer after her barnmate went to a new home. I considered purchasing another horse, but decided against it. I've made great progress with Misty since she has been an only-horse and she needs to remain my focus. My job is stressful and requires some long hours; upwards of 60 hours a week lately. The reality is: I don't have time to ride two horses.

But horses are herd animals and I didn't want Misty to be alone for long. So SaraJane has come to live with us. SaraJane belongs to a horse rescue and we are providing her a foster home.

SaraJane and her herdmates were picked up last Spring by the rescue after receiving a phone call from a concerned individual who knew the horses were in jeopardy. SaraJane and her herdmates were being kept in a junk filled pasture with no grass. They had not been fed in two weeks. Their keeper did not care about them at all so fortunately relinquished them with no argument.

SaraJane is as sweet as they come. She is a gentle soul who likes people. She seeks people out, follows people around, and loves attention. She is a beautiful rose gray color and cute as a bug's ear. She is 2 years old and apparently had no hoof care her whole life. She came to the rescue with a slipper foot, 8 to 12 inches long, on her left front hoof.

SaraJane's farrier told me when she walked, she rolled onto the outside of her deformed hoof. She had no heel to support her weight and her frog - what there was of it - did not make contact with the ground. He was not sure he could save her hoof, but started working on it little by little. In four months time it began to resemble a normal hoof. Below you can see her left hoof is still much smaller than her right hoof and her heel is contracted. But at least she has a heel now.

SaraJane's hoof is a work in progress. She needs time to just hang out, receive regular hoof care, eat good food, and interact consistently with people. Her future is a little uncertain, but the rescue's veterinarian thinks she will eventually be suitable for light riding. Time will tell. Until she is ready for more training or gets adopted, she is welcome at our home. She is fitting right in and follows Misty's lead, even napping in one of Misty's favorite spots....the ditch-o-poo.

Misty napping in the poo last winter.

SaraJane napping in the poo today, as Misty stands guard.

A girl needs a warm, cozy spot to nap on a chilly morning.

Check back soon to see the adorable Welcome Wagon gift SaraJane received from two handsome admirers.

Misty's Monday Muse - Lonely No More

2010-09-20T19:56:00.000-06:00

I have a new roommate.

Her name is SaraJane.

I think we will be good friends.

The End(s).

Everybody needs a friend,

Baking Lessons

2010-09-11T22:22:00.000-06:00

Misty and I had our 4th baking lesson with Sir Cowboy today.

I call them baking lessons because during lesson #1, Sir Cowboy called Misty a half baked cake. He said we need to turn up the heat and finish baking.

The heat is on and Misty and I are baking together. Stick a toothpick in us, and it will still come out with some batter on it, but we are progressing and on our way to becoming fully baked.

Lesson #1: We walked and trotted in the round pen, working on my use of reins and leg aids. Sir Cowboy evaluated my tack and made some adjustments and suggestions. He loaned me a breast collar and rigged up a makeshift flank set out of a light horse sized flank cinch, nylon straps and baling twine. (Baling twine...almost as versatile as duct tape.) It did the trick until a local saddle maker could make those items in draft size to fit Misty. It is hard to shop "off the rack" for Misty.

Lesson #2: We trotted a lot and did exercises around barrels. Sir Cowboy surprised me when he instructed me to put Misty into a fast trot around the round pen and kiss her into a lope. She kicked out a little bit the first time we moved into the lope. The furthest we loped was 1/2 way around the round pen. Loping under saddle is unfamiliar to Misty and it was the first time I had loped (cantered) in 25 years. Then we finished up with some trotting exercises so Misty could end the lesson with confidence.

During lesson #3, I was surprised Sir Cowboy didn't make us lope some more. Instead we did our turning and trotting exercises in the round pen. Then we ventured out of the round pen to the front pasture where Sir Cowboy had us trot through a line of poles suspended from a high wire. We worked on leg cues and releasing pressure through the poles. It wasn't pretty, but we did it with only one mishap. While turning around the end pole, Misty stumbled on some uneven ground and went down onto her front knees. Don't ya just hate it when that happens?! She recovered fine and I stayed in the saddle. Sir Cowboy said, "It's OK, she just tripped. You are riding a horse with big feet, you know." Next we walked over a wooden bridge Sir Cowboy uses for training. We walked over that bridge as if we had crossed it a thousand times. The next time over the bridge Sir Cowboy told me to stop Misty on top. No problem. Piece of cake (even if it is just half baked). But Sir Cowboy likes to challenge us. He told me to back Misty off the bridge. What? Back her off the bridge? We've ridden over these types of training bridges before, but always in one direction....forward! I'd never thought of backing her off of a bridge before. Misty was a little surprised with that first step backward off the bridge, but handled herself well. The next time, Sir Cowboy had me say the word "Step" to prepare her for the step down, much like I do when I back her out of her horse trailer. She stepped backward off the bridge with ease. I really need to have Mr. OnceUpon construct a bridge for us at home. I like riding over bridges. We ended that lesson by trotting a barrel pattern.

During the two weeks between lesson #3 and today's lesson, I've been practicing trotting in an arena, around barrels and through a line of orange cones. I've also been putting Misty into a lope on the lunge line often. That is something I have not done with her until the last 4 weeks. I've stayed in my comfort zone too long, lunging her at the walk and trot only and that's probably why she kicked out a little bit when we went into our first lope under saddle during lesson #2.

Lesson #4: Today we stayed in the round pen for the whole lesson. We started out with ground work to warm Misty up like we do at the beginning of every lesson. Then I mounted and we did some trotting. Sir Cowboy had me stop and get off while he made an adjustment to my saddle. He tied a rope onto the rings at the back of the cantle. I still tend to perch forward a little too much and he said this would help me get the feel of sitting deeper in the saddle and will give me confidence at the lope. He doesn't want me sitting back with my butt all the way in the saddle. He wants me sitting on my pelvic bones, with weight in the stirrups, but not pitched forward so much. He instructed me to hold the reins in my left hand, hold onto the rope behind my hip with my right hand, move to the rail at a fast trot and then move into the lope. Misty picked up the lope without kicking this time. We did this several times and she was very good, if only a little difficult to get into the lope because she was tired, and it is harder for a horse, especially a draft horse, to lope in a circle in a round pen. I was tired too and made some mistakes. One time Misty started trotting faster and faster, but wouldn't go into the lope and I felt a bit out of control. Sir Cowboy said I was tensing up and using my legs to tell her to lope, but was hanging onto her mouth at the same time; giving her mixed signals. We started over and I concentrated on moving my hands forward with her and not pulling back and we went right into a nice relaxed lope and traveled several times around the round pen. It was great and we are a little more baked.

Sir Cowboy wants me to practice loping Misty on my own when I take her to an arena. He told me not to lope around the corners, but to put her into a lope as we travel down the long side of the arena; start with a short distance and work up to loping the length of the arena. He told me to be brave and that I've got to turn up the heat to get to the next level.

And so we bake...

Misty's Monday Muse - Cruisin' the Neighborhood

2010-09-06T21:45:00.000-06:00

I took MyLady on a ride through the neighborhood today, accompanied by a couple of my horsey friends and their humans. We've only cruised the neighborhood once before and that was exactly 1 year ago. It's sort of like a trail ride, but with a lot of strange and noisy things moving around; the kind of things that can worry a horse.

I had no problem passing the driveway culverts and the big green electrical boxes and the "house-for-sale" signs. The cars driving by me on the big road didn't bother me at all.

Then we turned onto one of the neighborhood side streets and I became distracted by all the activity on both sides of the street.

It was very windy on this street and there were flags flapping atop poles on both sides.

Humans were moving around in their yards. Some were traveling on their 2 legs, others were riding ATVs and noisy lawn mower machines.

There were horses on both sides of the street that caught my attention. One was running along his fence and calling to us. I've met him before. I think he wanted to join us.

I was pretty nervous as we left the street and rode into a big grassy field. When I get nervous, MyLady gets nervous. And when MyLady gets nervous, I get even more nervous. It's a vicious circle.

It wasn't so windy in this field and soon MyLady and I both began to relax and enjoy our ride. We circled a bunch of picnic tables. No big deal. Picnic tables don't eat horses.

Then we had to go back onto that street with all the busy humans. That's when I saw a REALLY, REALLY tall human, the tallest one I've ever seen, making a loud hissing noise as he spit white stuff onto the side of his house. I got nervous and MyLady didn't know why. Then she saw the really tall human too and said, "Oh Misty, it's just a man on a ladder spray painting his house." I was glad when we moved passed that scary, tall, spitting man.

The rest of the ride home was easy. The street we live on is much quieter. As we rode onto our home property, our next door neighbor came over and said he and his wife had seen us riding on the side of the road. They said from now on we don't have to ride on the road, but can pass through their property to get to the field behind us. That is so nice of them and gives us access to more riding area.

MyLady removed my saddle, brushed me, and turned me loose in my paddock. I was so glad to be home. I immediately found a spot in the sunshine, stood very still, cocked one back hoof and let my head down and my eyes got droopy. Mr. OnceUpon laughed at me because I got so sleepy, so quickly after getting home.

I've been a good mare during this holiday weekend.

Saturday I took my lady on a lovely trail ride through the pine trees

Sunday afternoon I rode in my rolling box to an arena where MyLady trotted me around orange cones and barrels. Whew, that was hard work.

Today we experienced strange sights and sounds in our neighborhood.

Tomorrow is my day off! Yippee!

Tranquil Trail Ride

2010-09-05T13:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I rode the trail horse I dream of owning.

Oh wait...I do own that horse! It was Misty!

Yesterday Misty and I went on a trail ride with two of our equestrian neighbors. It was only our 3rd trail ride of the year. The first two trail rides were good, but there were minor issues to work through.

Drainage culverts to cross where the dirt changes and horse-eating pipes protrude from each side.
Mountain bikers riding up behind us with little or no warning.
Tree stumps and gnarly wooded shapes that look like strange beasts.
Hikers with dogs off-leash
Misty trying to eat every pine tree we pass.
Regulating our pace along the trail. (Misty can be a speed walker)
Circles, circles, and more circles.
Motion sickness. (Don't eat lunch and drink soda pop shortly before riding a draft horse with a big, lumbering stride.)

But yesterday the ride was different. Within a few minutes along the trail I exclaimed, "I'm riding the trail horse I've dreamed of owning!" Misty was very calm and relaxed on a loose rein. I felt calm and relaxed, enjoying Misty's steady, rhythmic stride. The ride was beautiful and peaceful. We are making progress. And it was great fun to ride with friends.

Unfortunately I have no pictures. My camera is hiding from me. I know I could find it if I did some house cleaning. But right now, this bumper sticker from Horse Hollow Press is my motto:

September is offering up some of the best riding weather of the year. We must take advantage of it. Soon enough, the snow will fall and there will be plenty of time for house cleaning then. (I promise Mr. OnceUpon).

Cavalia in Denver September 2010

2010-08-25T09:59:00.000-06:00

I wanna go to this.

Hey Mr. OnceUpon.....it's near my birthday.

Cavalia will be performing in Denver September 22 - October 3, 2010

If you've seen Cavalia perform, please tell us what you thought of the show.

Misty's Monday Muse - Termites

2010-08-23T07:46:00.000-06:00

Psssst.
I have a secret.

I hear we have a termite problem in our barn.

They say it is one really big termite.

I know nothing about it.

Misty's Monday Muse - Half Baked

2010-08-16T07:43:00.001-06:00

Hello there. I haven't had much to say since my little buddy went to a new home. It's been kind of boring and lonely without Marley, but I've handled it well and I'm enjoying the extra attention from MyLady.

On Saturday, MyLady and I went into the country for a riding lesson with Sir Cowboy. Sir Cowboy called me a "half baked cake". He says I'm half baked because I'm 7 years old and am not a finished horse and MyLady has been dabbling with my training for 3 years. He says we need to turn up the heat and get me fully baked. MyLady has to raise the bar for both of us. She has to get brave and move beyond her comfort zone.

So on Saturday, we started out with groundwork in the big roundpen. I had to do a lot of trotting and loping. Then MyLady got onboard and we did exercises at the walk and trot (more trotting than walking). Sir Cowboy put two barrels in the roundpen with an orange cone on top of each barrel. He gave MyLady 3 rings. She was supposed to trot me around the barrels and place a ring over the cone, then switch rings and reins to the other hand and drop another ring over the next cone as we trotted around the 2nd barrel. Even at a standstill MyLady was all discombobulated trying to practice switching rings and reins between her hands, so Sir Cowboy took the rings away. We did the exercise without rings so MyLady could practice switching just the reins between hands and using her leg aids to move me around the barrels. It wasn't pretty to begin with, but we did pretty well. Then Sir Cowboy decided to raise the bar on us. He told MyLady to move me into a fast trot around the round pen and "kiss me into a lope".

A lope!!! MyLady has never asked me to lope before! And if you read her last post, you know she recently just loped on a school horse herself for the first time in 25 years. Sir Cowboy told her to be brave and trust me. He told her to put me into a lope for just 1/4 of the way around the roundpen, then pull me up to a stop and we'd talk about it. We trotted fast, and then moved into a lope for just a little bit and then MyLady asked me to "whoa." It went pretty well, but she was a little surprised because she felt something unexpected as we moved into a lope. She felt an extra hitch in my giddy-up, as she describes it. She turned to Sir Cowboy and asked, "DID SHE BUCK?!" I didn't really buck, but I did kick out a back leg. Sir Cowboy said it is not uncommon for a horse to do that the first time it lopes with a rider because it can be a bit of a surprise to us. (I had a Pro lope me under saddle once, over a year ago, but I haven't done anything like that since.) He told her to put me into a lope again. I didn't kick out this time because I knew what to expect. We stopped again to talk and think about it and I got lots of pats on my neck and was told I was a good girl. I was glad to rest and relax and catch my breath. Loping is hard work. The last time we loped we went 1/2 way around the roundpen before Sir Cowboy told us to stop. My Lady didn't want to stop, but she did because she is an obedient student. My lope felt really nice to her and she was enjoying herself. Sir Cowboy said that on that last lope, I was very relaxed, loping nicely, and that MyLady was perfectly in sync with me.

We rested for a few minutes so I could think about what I had just accomplished with MyLady on my back. Then Sir Cowboy had us end the lesson with some trotting exercises. He says it is good to end with an exercise I'm very confident with after having moved forward into a new challenge, like loping. Next week he plans to have us work up to loping 2 times around the round pen.

We have some homework to do this week. MyLady is to get more aggressive with our groundwork and has to make me lope in a roundpen or on a lunge line while she is directing me from the ground. Sir Cowboy could tell that MyLady has been stuck in her comfort zone and hasn't been asking me to lope during groundwork.

We also have to work on my stops. I'm pretty good at stopping, but Sir Cowboy wants me to come to a full stop more quickly when MyLady asks for a "whoa". He doesn't want me trotting for a few strides, then walking a few strides before coming to a stop. There is a difference between transitioning to slower gaits and a "whoa". I need to have a good "whoa" from any gait. He said that someday MyLady and I may need a good, solid stop and wouldn't it be better if I stopped sooner, rather than traveling several mores strides....right over a cliff? Then he told us this funny story:

One day a policeman pulled a motorist over for running a stop sign. The driver argued and said, "But officer, I slowed down!" The officer took out his billy club and started hitting the driver over the head. The driver yelled, "Stop! Stop!" The officer asked, "Do you want me to stop? Or do you want me to just slow down?"

Whoa means whoa, not slow down.

The Confidence Booster

2010-08-05T19:04:00.000-06:00

Quite by accident, I came across a horse for sale that sounded interesting, so I called the seller. The seller, whom I'll call Sir Cowboy, is a professional team roper/cowboy/trainer. Sir Cowboy trains roping horses, gives roping lessons to people as well as teaches beginning riding lessons to children and adults. He suggested I come to his ranch and take some lessons and he'd put me on this horse he has for sale.

I've taken 2 riding lessons on this roping horse and he's been a big confidence booster for me. On my 2nd lesson, I loped for the first time in 25 years. It was wonderful!

I wish this were the horse for me, but I'm trying to be wise about this next purchase. He's 15 years old and has been a performance horse. He has a big knot on his knee; looks like it might be a capped knee, but I don't have much experience with equine knee issues. He's been perfectly sound when I've ridden him. He moves nicely and is comfortable to ride. But the knee worries me and I'm afraid it will become a problem down the road. The protrusion on his knee joint feels hard, like it must be calcified, and that worries me. So I guess I'll keep looking. My farrier advised me to "ride 10, buy 1". Ugh...do I really have to ride 9 more horses before I recognize the right one? This is harder than finding a husband.

I think I can learn a lot from Sir Cowboy, so I will continue taking lessons from him. He is a traditional cowboy - encouraging, yet firm and won't put up with any weakness. Here are some words of wisdom Sir Cowboy has spoken during our lessons:

"I know you got hurt recently, but if you want to ride, you gotta dig down deep and be brave. You gotta control your motor (as he taps on his chest over his heart)."

"There is no such thing as 'pleasure riding'. Riding is work and if you aren't riding, then you are just hanging on."

"You are training your horse every time you ride. You keep training him until you bury him."

During lesson #2 when Sir Cowboy told me he was going to have me lope, my eyes got big and I said, "Ohhhhh, but...." He stopped me and said, "I don't want to hear that. I told you you've got to be brave...or get a bicycle."

I look forward to more lessons with Sir Cowboy. He pushes me and corrects my riding, but he also tells me when I'm doing everything right.

Finally a Truck Purchase

2010-07-27T14:16:00.000-06:00

My old Ford truck failed me and I was grounded for a couple of months while Mr. OnceUpon and I considered repair/replacement options and test drove several used trucks.

We chose to replace the old Ford F250 diesel with a new 2010 GMC Sierra 2500 HD SLE Z71 4x4 with the 6.0L gas engine. (If that isn't gibberish to you, then you know trucks and I'm impressed.)

I've never had such a difficult time narrowing down a vehicle choice. Ford, Dodge, Chevy, GMC...then there are the different engine options and trim levels and this and that. It was becoming overwhelming so one Saturday we decided to get in the old Ford, drive to a dealership, and "Get 'er Done!" Eight long hours later, we drove home in the GMC.

We went back and forth about gas vs. diesel and everyone we talked to had a strong opinion one way or the other. We decided on the gasoline engine for a couple of reasons.

The diesel engine is a $7,000.00 option. Ouch.

A diesel engine is overkill for the amount of towing I do, which is less than 2,000 miles a year (3,219 km).

This new truck has the power to haul two horses anywhere I want to go. Sure, it will be less fuel efficient hauling a trailer up a mountain pass, but I can buy a lot of gasoline for many years to come before I'd reach the break-even point on a diesel purchase.

The new truck is a pleasure to drive and it is nice to have a positive occurrence after the recent string of truck & horse issues.

LESSON LEARNED: Get the facts - the Carfax (or AutoCheck report) when you buy a used vehicle.

When someone wants to make their problem your problem...buyer beware! (That goes for horses too.) We got ripped off on the old Ford which we bought based on the seller's word and a pre-purchase check at a local diesel specialty shop; both of which turned out to be a bit unreliable.

We spent a lot of money repairing that truck, but kept finding more and more problems. It was time to be rid of it. We received a clean title when we purchased it, but when we went to trade it in, we discovered it had been salvaged early in its existence. It originally came from Canada (the tire pressure info on the inside of the driver's door was in French). Apparently it was wrecked at 15,000 miles, rebuilt, sold, and the title got washed as it passed through several states in the U.S. If we'd pulled a Carfax or AutoCheck, we would have known better because all the details showed up in the report. We didn't get much in trade at the dealership because of the salvage history. As they say, "Live and learn."

In the meantime, I'm finally getting out & about with Misty; taking riding lessons and getting training help.

Misty is faring well as a lonely-only, but I do want her to have another stablemate one of these days.

I heard from Marley's owner that "he is happy and doing well."

I'm shopping for a 2nd horse now and I wish I could pull a Horsefax on prospective ponies. I hope I can be smart about this next purchase. I'll be sharing some thoughts on that in an upcoming post.

Horse shopping is even more portentous than truck shopping!

The Littlest Swallow

2010-07-14T17:51:00.000-06:00

It's very nerve-racking when children begin to exercise their independence.

We have our first family of Swallows nesting in our barn.

This was taken a couple of weeks ago:

I love how the parents decorated with equine tail hairs.

Just this past Monday evening when I went into the barn to feed Misty, I discovered the babies had left the nest - all five of them. Three were on the floor and two were precariously perched on a board about 10 feet up the wall.

I shut the stall doors so Misty couldn't come in and step on anyone. She would have to spend the night outside, but that's ok; she's an outdoorsy kind of girl.

One of the babies on the floor flew upward and tried to land on the top of the inner stall wall, but it couldn't find a perch and quickly disappeared as it fell behind the wall, down to the bottom and became trapped between the inner stall wall and the outside wall of the barn.

Gasp!

I couldn't bear to think of the poor little guy stuck back there. He wouldn't be able to get out unless he could fly straight up, like a helicopter, for about 8 feet. So I called my husband down to the barn and we went over the options.

1. Let life (or death in this case) takes its course.
2. Rescue the little guy....but how?

We opted for option 2. We knew the barn builder did a good job when he constructed our barn. We were about to find out just how good a job he really did. We wish our home was built as solidly as this barn.

First, Mr. OnceUpon removed the trim so he could get to the boards.

Then he began prying the edge of the bottom board loose a little bit, working the nail heads out enough to get the hammer claw around them and pull them all the way out. This turned out to be quite difficult, as the nails were about 6 inches long and strongly embedded.

With a lot of struggle and grunting, Mr. OnceUpon pulled the last nail out, but alas, the board wouldn't budge. That's when we noticed that the two bottom boards had additional tacks in the center of each board. Those two boards weren't going to come out at all. So Mr. OnceUpon repeated the process of prying and removing the nails from the 3rd board up. Again, a difficult and time consuming task...and not how he had planned to spend his evening.

The third board was finally loose, but there was no way to dislodge it completely. It was wedged tightly in place by the boards on the corner wall. And from what we were discovering about our barn, the boards are probably nailed in on that end too.

We scratched our heads, wondering what to do next. We couldn't pull the board out far enough to reach the baby swallow. Should we get destructive and cut the board? Oh, why not. We've already been at this for a couple of hours and we're so close.

Mr. OnceUpon asked me if I had a block of wood he could use to hold the board out far enough so he could cut it with a saw.

Hmm? A block of wood? I looked all around the barn. No blocks of wood, but I do have this collection of cow bones I've found on our property.

Mr. OnceUpon fired up his power saw and started cutting. And here's why those two bottom boards were too secure to pry loose. They are tacked to this extra support piece. The baby was to the right of this support board.

And here's the reason for all this trouble (click the picture to get a good look at that face):

I tried to reach down to scoop the baby up in a dust mask, but my arms weren't long enough. Fortunately, Mr OnceUpon has longer arms than me and the baby swallow was finally freed. Hurray!

It was getting late, but the lights were on in the barn and the little trouble maker started flying around, looking for a place to perch. He managed to make his way up to the board where two of his siblings were perched. The three of them huddled together and spent the night on this board.

During all this drama, one of the other two had managed to fly back up to the nest, leaving the youngest sibling on the floor, looking very pitiful. This baby, the littlest swallow, must have been the last egg to hatch and was not ready to leave the nest this day. It reminded me of something my dad used to say when I was a kid, "If all your friends jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, would you jump too?" In the case of the littlest swallow, the answer is yes. I placed some hay around him so he'd have something like a nest to surround him.

It was 11pm by this time. All the birds, including the parents, were in the barn and seemingly safe for the moment. Mr. OnceUpon quickly glued the board back together and secured it in place with long screws and we called it a night.

What a nice man I married. He never got angry or cranky once; not even when he bonked his head on the stall door while prying those long nails out of the wall.

About 5:30 Wednesday morning, Mr. OnceUpon put the trim back in place while Misty supervised. She's still banned from the barn so she enjoyed her breakfast outside.

The babies all survived the night in their various sleeping spots. Before I left for work I was surprised to find the parents and the four older kids all sitting on the pasture fence just outside the barn.

But what of the littlest swallow?

Thank goodness I emptied the automatic waterers the previous day!

He looked pretty safe in there and while I was snapping this picture one of the parents flew into the barn to check on him.

When I came home from work Tuesday evening, I found the four older siblings all back in the nest and the littlest swallow was on the ground in Misty's paddock. He flew a little bit and managed to perch on the pasture fence where he was joined by his parents. They fed him dinner and then went to the barn and called for him. He eventually made it back into Misty's stall, but he couldn't gain more than about 4 feet in altitude and was stuck on the floor of the stall again while his siblings cuddled together in the nest above. I put a 2-foot tall wire shelf in the stall and he flew up onto it and settled down for the night. He was still perched on the shelf this morning. I left for work wondering how they would fare today and hoping the littlest swallow would find his wings soon.

I'm happy to report this evening that all the kids, including the littlest swallow, have found their way into the nest for the night.

A Big Decision & Change

2010-06-27T20:30:00.000-06:00

I've had to make a difficult decision, but I think it is for the best.

I decided Marley needs a stronger, more confident owner than me. He is now owned by a professional trainer with 30+ years experience training carriage horses, including 6-horse hitches. He's gone to the best home he could possibly have, but I cried buckets on the night his new owner picked him up.

I feel like I failed Marley, but he is in better hands now and will get the regular and consistent work he needs. He is a very strong and willful hunky chunky pony who needs to be worked often or he gets too full of himself, inviting past vices to rise to the surface. With my increasing work load at my job, I have less time this summer than I had last year to devote to two horses that need a lot of training and it was beginning to show in Marley's behavior, leading up to the bucking incident (even though it was triggered by fright and not obstinacy). That incident really shook my confidence in my ability to ride or drive Marley.

I miss Marley. I know Misty misses him too.

I worry about Misty being lonely during this transition phase, but she isn't acting nutty or afraid. She is turning to me for attention now and that could be beneficial for both of us. She nickers loudly as soon as she sees me and follows me around like a puppy dog.

I will be focusing more on Misty, working with a professional instructor to continue her training. She still needs a companion and I need a confidence builder. So I'm looking for another horse to become Misty's new barn buddy; the kind of horse I should have bought in the first place - a gentle, seasoned, consistent, bombproof trail horse with no vices.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

2010-06-10T17:26:00.000-06:00

Sing it with me:

A Spoonful of sugar...or Dove Chocolate...helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar...or Dove Chocolate...helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way!

I took my first spill off of a horse in more than 25 years.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I wasn't expecting it to hurt so badly and warrant a visit to the hospital.

Yesterday I took a day off work so Marley and I could go on our first trail ride of the season. I was looking forward to this ride, as I'd heard of this nice park with thoughtfully planned trails designed for equestrians. Unfortunately, we didn't last 5 minutes.

I went with a group of four other ladies. We had been on the trail for only a few minutes when we rounded a bend in the trail and discovered a big open space before us, surrounded by trees and buttes. We were all exclaiming how beautiful it was, when suddenly a loud, low-flying helicopter came swooping over a nearby ridge, down into the valley where we were riding, and buzzed right over us, scaring all 5 horses who were fresh from just starting the ride.

Marley started to bolt and run. I tried to employ the 1-rein stop I had been practicing, but he got his head down and started bucking repeatedly until he dumped me.

Thank goodness I was wearing a helmet. I put it on every time I ride, thinking I'll never really need it, but being sensible and cautious. I'm so accustomed to wearing it now, I would feel uncomfortable without it. But here is a case when I really did need it.

I always thought the visor on my helmet was just decorative or to provide a little bit of sun shade, but I discovered it has a more important purpose. I would have done a face plant into the hard ground, but my visor made impact first, sparing me from even a tiny scratch on my face. However, I did smack my head pretty hard and had an instant headache followed by dizziness. I'm sure it would have been much worse had I not been wearing a helmet, because I basically landed on my head.

I was embarrassed and disappointed and hated adding drama to a ride that had barely begun. My kind friend escorted Marley and me back to the parking lot, while we wished for the others to go on and enjoy their ride.

I was really hoping this would be a summer filled with trail riding with both Misty and Marley. We've been preparing, but you can't anticipate everything that can happen on a trail ride. How on earth can you prepare to be buzzed by a helicopter? That is just a freak thing. I hate to think someone would do that deliberately, but I do believe this was a mischievous, mean-spirited pilot out joy-riding and getting his kicks by scaring horses with his helicopter. He was flying way too low and flew right over us.

My friend graciously gave up her trail ride and drove Marley and me home. I was still dizzy and had an aching head, so my step-daughter drove me to the Emergency Room where I was examined and given a CT Scan. The radiologist found no bleeding in my brain and no indication of a serious problem. The ER doc said I got my bell rung, but that my helmet was my saving grace.

I still have a slight headache, my back is aching, I've pulled a muscle in my abdomen, my legs are sore and I'm hobbling around kinda funny like. This ole body doesn't bounce like it did in younger years. So I took a sick day from work to recover from my vacation day, intermittently napping and watching TV, and chasing my regularly scheduled Percocet pain killer with Dove chocolate. I figure if the Percocet doesn't do the trick, the chocolate will.

Now comes the challenge of getting back in the saddle, working through the fear, and trying to learn from the experience so I can handle future riding challenges better. I wonder if I could have done something different. I probably need to be more aggressive with my 1-rein stop. Maybe I need to swap Marley's snaffle bit for something with a little more leverage. I don't know. It happened so fast. But next time I hear or see a helicopter, I'm going to dismount immediately.

And now it is time for another nap.

I'm grateful for well designed riding helmets and good friends and family who looked after me.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen...

2010-05-29T20:15:00.000-06:00

...except my husband, because he was there with me this time.

We had quite an ordeal hauling the horses today.
(Don't worry, all are safe. No gory accident story follows.)

I had a lot of trouble pulling the horse trailer in the mountains with my crappy old 1994 F250 turbo diesel last summer. I experienced overheating and extreme loss of power going over the mountains. It received major repairs at a diesel specialty shop after that trip, but I've still been having repetitious problems with the truck. Lately, my eyes have burned as I get fumigated with diesel odor while driving. It needed to go back to the shop, but I've lost faith in my diesel specialist.

I said to my husband last week, "I don't want to take the truck back to So-and-So Diesel Repair because it always costs us $1,000.00 to go there and I think they are missing things. Let's take it to the Ford dealer."

Ha ha ha. Famous last words. $2,550.00 in repairs later and I still have a crappy old truck; however my eyes aren't burning anymore. I'm happy with the mechanic and what he did. But dealer service prices are outrageous! We can't be doing this very often.

The mechanic found my fuel leak. Turns out the fuel leak was likely caused by So-and-So Diesel Repair. When So-and-So Diesel replaced all of the injectors last year, they didn't bother to replace the o-rings at the same time. Most of the o-rings around the injectors were leaking fuel.

The dealer mechanic also found excessive and large slivers of metal on the rear differential plug. Not a good sign. He had to take apart the rear diff and replace the pinion and carrier bearings. Of course, there were other things that needed repairing, but the leaking o-rings and the rear diff were the biggies.

We had a long talk with the the service adviser at the dealership and he was hopeful that repairing the fuel leak and a few other things might have fixed the poor towing performance. He suggested we do a test and pull a load up into the mountains and see how it does. My husband agreed.

This morning, we loaded Misty and Marley in the trailer and headed out for a long drive in the mountains with me at the wheel. It was a beautiful, warm day, and I've been wanting check out a dude ranch where I would like to go camping and trail riding.

We made it up a steep mountain pass with better performance than I expected, gaining hope that maybe the recent (and obscenely expensive) repairs did the trick. But as we passed through town, we started to experience some power loss.

We stopped at a red light. When it turned green I began to accelerate, but had no power. I had to shift down to 2nd to get the truck to slowly creep forward. We had watched the transmission temperature rise as we climbed the mountain and it was still high. Not in the yellow zone, but getting close at about 200 degrees.

So we stopped for a bite to eat at Taco Bell while the transmission cooled.

We'd made it over the toughest part of the drive and decided to press on to the ranch.

And then it happened!

Traveling up the steep dirt road leading to the ranch, the truck began to go slower...and s l o w e r...and s.l..o...w....e.....r, until it came to a halt. We were perplexed. So we put it in 4-wheel drive, hoping that's what we needed on this dirt road. Even in 4WD, I could not get any forward movement. The tires just wouldn't turn.

We were stuck. Stuck and blocking the 1-lane dirt road leading to this dude ranch, on a holiday weekend, during the guest check-in window.

My husband called the ranch and gave them the bad news that we were stranded on their road, with a horse trailer, and blocking access to their place.

I wanted to cry. Breaking down in any vehicle, anywhere is no fun. But breaking down with horses in tow is miserable at best. I find it frightening. And it wasn't long before someone pulling a giant 5th wheel RV came along behind us and had to wait.

The owner of the ranch was very, very nice. He came down in his F550 and towed us (truck and trailer and horses all together) up to his ranch and told us we could turn Misty and Marley out in their arena so they could rest and stretch their legs. I did that while my husband and the ranch hands peered into the truck engine and talked manly truck talk.

Misty and Marley were happy to be loose in the big arena. Marley immediately rolled in the dirt and Misty began eating the manure of strangers. I hate it when she does that! She doesn't eat manure at home, but loves to sample the dried droppings left behind by unknown equines.

After letting the transmission cool for an hour, we were on our way home.

It was smooth sailing down the mountain toward home. And my husband drove!!! My nerves were shot and I was glad to sit in the passenger seat.

But as we were nearing home, on relatively flat ground, we had some power loss again; and this time the transmission temperature was not unusually high.

What do you think it could be? I think the crappy old truck has a crappy old transmission. We've already put more into the truck in repairs than we paid for it. I think it is time to part company and this old truck needs to find a home with a young man who likes big, noisy trucks and likes to get his hands dirty.

I live in Colorado. I want to trail ride. I need a truck that can do mountains.

This old F250 is my first truck and my only experience towing horses. I'm now afraid to haul my horses with this truck. It's not safe and it scares me.

What do you drive? Gas? Diesel? How much load can you pull and do you have any trouble pulling up hills, particularly in the mountains?

Tow vehicle recommendations wanted.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-05-23T20:18:00.000-06:00

I haven't dropped out of the blogosphere.

I've just been too busy to blog because this is what my job has been like lately:

It's that work-life-horse balance dilemma again. Work has been consuming my life. Something has to give, so I've kept the computer off at home while I squeeze in some horse time before collapsing at the end of the day. But there are a few accomplishments and fun things to report:

I attended a parade and helped on the ground crew. I love a small town parade.
Marley and I had a nice driving lesson where I received some good instruction and practice using a driving whip and keeping communication with the lines while driving him through big puddles (remember...Marley doesn't like water).
I attended an interesting rein board training class designed to help driving students learn to hold the lines and use a driving whip, while keeping proper contact...without actually driving a real, live horse. Driving lines attached to weighted ropes and pulleys simulate the feel of a horse at the end of the lines. Here is an example. In our class, we didn't have an actual board that the pulleys were attached to. We tied pulleys onto a hitching rail. It's a good way to practice (without annoying and confusing your poor horse) and see the affect you have when you lengthen and shorten your lines. Then try to use a driving whip and watch what happens to the weights as you "drive".
Marley and I attended a 2 day trail riding clinic. It was a lot of fun and we played with many interesting obstacles. Marley is great walking over a teeter-totter bridge and passing through swim noodles suspended from a frame. And he absolutely loved pushing around the giant soccer ball as I rode him toward it. First he nudged it gently with his nose; the ball rolled forward slightly, then back into his face. How rude of it! So he gave it an aggressive nudge the next time and sent it rolling forward. We followed after the ball and Marley kept pushing it forward like he wasn't gonna let some giant 6 foot tall beach ball get the better of him.
I took a riding lesson on Misty with a new instructor last week and she pointed out many things I need to improve upon. My biggest challenge is to ride with loose reins and get off of Misty's mouth before she gets irritated and starts developing behavior problems.

I hope to be posting and reading more often, as I get a better grip on the stress I'm under at work. I've missed reading your blogs and hope everyone is enjoying their best horse buddies.

When Life Gives You Rubbish

2010-04-28T14:32:00.000-06:00

Today is trash collection day and it is very windy.

Our neighbors didn't consider the wind when they set cardboard boxes out with their trash this morning; empty boxes except for some packing paper inside.

The boxes, of course, blew onto our property and I retrieved several long strips of packing paper from our horse pasture.

The neighbors have driven by several times and surely they have seen how their boxes have gone astray, but they've done nothing to retrieve them.

Apparently they believe that once their garbage has blown off their property, it becomes the refuse of another.

I could be annoyed at my neighbors...or I could turn their trash into something useful.

Perhaps I could use it to ~~frighten~~ desensitize my horses.

I tied several of the long strips of packing paper around the corral panels.

They crackled and flapped in the wind like spooky hellions (mischievous snickering ensues).

When life gives you rubbish, turn it into a training tool.

Misty's Monday Muse: Scared!

2010-04-18T17:31:00.000-06:00

My name is Misty and I'm scared of my rolling box.

Recently, I've been expressing a fear of my trailer. I've never been very comfortable in it, but I'm an amiable girl and try to do what is asked of me. But in the last couple of weeks, I've become very disagreeable and my naughty behavior has escalated on a daily basis.

MyLady says it is her fault and she feels very badly. Despite the dilemma of her cockeyed Work-Life-Horse Balance, she has been trying very hard to work consistently with Marley & Me and has been hauling us to places that have round pens and arenas to work in. I've had to travel in my rolling box a lot lately and my anxiety is growing.

I've become very fussy about getting in my box; and last week I started running away from MyLady as soon as I see her with a halter in her hand. I just want to be left alone!

I've never really had the chance to make friends with my trailer. It hasn't been mean to me, but when I step into it, the doors shut, it gets dark, the world disappears, and I feel very uneasy. I'm always so glad when the world reappears and I can get out of that box.

On Saturday, I had a lesson to properly introduce me to my trailer. I had to trot a lot until I figured out that the trailer was a place where I could rest. I was given lots of chances to snoop around in the box and play with it, but was allowed to leave when I felt uncomfortable. TrainerLady said I needed to use my natural curiosity, but fear and curiosity cannot co-exist in my equine mind, so I was allowed to approach and retreat as needed. It was a long lesson. After 3 hours, I was finally comfortable enough to walk all the way into my box and relax in there and have a snack.

Then yesterday I found the rolling box just sitting at the top of my dry lot with its big, gaping mouth wide open. Inside was my lunch. That was really weird.

I stayed away, but every now and then I stole a glance. Then I saw MyLady sitting in it, playing with my food tub. I decided to check it out before she ate all my food.

Hey, save some of that for me.

I hung around for a little bit, then I turned and galloped to the other end of my lot. This back-and-forth went on for awhile until I finally got curious (and hungry enough) to start investigating further.

Nibbling outside the box.

Nibbling inside the box.

Getting braver.

Oh oh! What's that I hear?

PREDATORS!

Gotta run!

The next-door predators scared me with their yapping.

Just look how scary they are!

Wouldn't you run too?

Finally, I calmed down and went back to my box and got most of my body in. That's all I could do yesterday. I suspect I'll be dining in the box again.

OH MARLEY!

What a show-off.

One day at a time,

The Scoop on Poop: Deworming

2010-04-16T11:12:00.000-06:00

Deworming ("worming" or "drenching") is the process of dosing a horse with drugs to purge them of parasites. These drugs work by killing or paralyzing parasites so that they may be discharged from the horse's body....and that's the poop!

Horse owners have been battling equine parasites for centuries, beginning with old fashioned remedies that included blood-letting and feeding cigars to horses.

Tobacco was once thought to be a cure-all for man and beast. In 1565 a physician published a pamphlet about tobacco's medicinal powers. From the book Tobacco A Cultural History of How an Exotic Plant Seduced Civilization by Iain Gately, we read that tobacco was considered a treatment for many ailments:

Griefs of the breast...rottenness at the mouth, and for them that are short of wind...an effective cure for any illness of any internal organ, for bad breath, especially in children who have eaten too much meat, for kidney stones, from poison arrows, indeed for 'any other manner of wound'...Tobacco...could heal cattle of 'new wounds and rotten', of maggot infections, of foot-and-mouth disease, and of any parasite that had or might trouble them.

The mysterious plant from the New World was thought to be a wonder drug. We know better now. While some people still use tobacco as a backyard horse wormer, it is not recommended and can make a horse gravely ill.

Times have changed and veterinary medicine has advanced, thank goodness. But we must continue to wage war against the worms.

When I was young, tube-worming was the popular treatment for equine parasites. Twice a year the vet would come out and fill a big metal bucket with a chemical solution, insert a tube into my horse's nostril and pump the mixture into his gut. It looked very uncomfortable for the horse, and certainly not something I could do myself.

Then the practice of rotational paste worming took center stage and has been very popular and effective for several decades. Rotational worming allows the horse owner to easily dose their horse bi-monthly (every 2 months) by injecting a drug imbued paste into the horse's mouth, varying the chemical combination to target particular types of worms throughout the year.

Also popular is a daily pelleted wormer combined with occasional paste worming.

I have been a faithful follower of a bi-monthly paste worming rotation....until now.

My bi-monthly worming schedule has been so important to me that I keep the schedule posted on my dresser mirror, next to my earrings. (Not very decorative, but I know you horse lovers will understand).

I dutifully check the calendar to make sure I administer the appropriate paste wormer at the right time of year.

But now we are hearing more about those pesky, clever worms developing a resistance to our arsenal of dewormers. Last year my veterinarian suggested I change tactics. So in December, I used up the last of my paste wormer supply when I gave Misty & Marley their measure of pyrantel pamoate paste.

Last week I locked each horse in their own stall and waited for them to produce some manure. I didn't have to wait long. I strategically plucked several "apples" from different places in their piles, put them in separate plastic baggies marked with their names, and dropped these gems off at the vet clinic so they could do a fecal egg count.

The results...drum roll please...negative! Misty & Marley do not have worms to speak of. In fact, I was told "their manure looks great!" I'll take that as a compliment, thank you.

So what do I do now? Instead of paste worming 6 times a year, my vet has instructed me to paste worm just twice a year. And because Misty & Marley are worm free and it is just the two of them living at home, I don't need to submit another fecal sample for 18-24 months. Our new semi-annual schedule is:

Spring: Equimax (ivermectin/praziquantel), targeting roundworms, tapeworms, lungworms, and bots.

Fall: Quest Plus (moxidectin/praziquantel), targeting large strongyles, small strongyles, encysted cyathostomes, ascarids, pinworms, hairworms, large-mouth stomach worms, bots, and tapeworms.

I must admit...I'm a little uneasy about abandoning my trusty bi-monthly worming rotation. It's a paradigm shift of sorts. I'm taking a chance because I want to do what is best for my horses and thwart resistance in the parasite community. I trust my vet, but I will probably submit a fecal sample in 12 months for my own peace of mind.

Whatever strategy you choose to combat parasites, please consult with your equine veterinarian. Your vet can help formulate a plan based on the latest research, your geographic location, and your horse's living situation.

Interesting reading: Horsetalk's Parasite Series

Misty's Monday Muse: Dining Etiquette

2010-04-05T06:42:00.000-06:00

When I first came to live in the land of Once Upon, I had very bad mealtime manners. As my picture shows, I was impatient and would grab at my hay as it was being served through my feed door.

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I was even more ill mannered than the gluttonous pony!

I've been taking etiquette lessons that teach me how to be a lady at feeding time. I've learned to turn away from my feed door and wait until my hay is served before I start ~~ripping and chomping~~ nibbling daintily upon it.

My manners are much better now, but sometimes I forget and fall back into my former bad ways. When that happens my waitress swiftly pulls my hay back through the feed door and gives me a look. Then I remember my manners and I step away from the feed door until my hay is properly placed in my trough.

Equine dining etiquette isn't just about obeying rules. It is a matter of being kind and considerate of others. After all, I wouldn't want to hurt my waitress by accidentally tearing into her hand with my hungry horsey teeth. Besides, I'm a vegetarian.

Dining with grace & style,

Spring Thing: Curry Comb

2010-04-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

Spring is the time to dust off the curry comb and flex those grooming muscles that have been idle all winter.

Circles, circles, circles.
Feel the burn.

Each springtime grooming session reveals a little more of the beautiful horse hidden underneath all that winter hair.

Marley is really giving it up here.

Happy spring and happy shedding to all our equine friends and their devoted groomers.

Spring Thing: Puddles of Opportunity

2010-03-31T19:37:00.000-06:00

Spring is a good time to take advantage of all those yucky puddles that form after spring showers and melting snow. If you are looking forward to trail riding, puddles at home offer great training opportunities.

When I purchased Marley I was forewarned of his great aversion to water.

He hated getting his toes wet.
He hated baths.
He hated any water touching his body.

I was even told of an incident during a cup-of-water relay game, when Marley threw a tantrum when a small amount of water spilled out of his handicapped rider's cup onto his shoulder.

Marley has challenged his trainers in ground training sessions involving water. I watched as he refused to walk across a water puddle and opted to run up a hillside, pulling his trainer with him. This was a forested hillside, so the trainer took quick advantage and wrapped the lead rope around a tree and brought Marley to a surprising halt. Marley can put up a pretty strong argument when presented with a task he doesn't like. But we've been working on his water issue every chance we get.

When I came home from work yesterday, I was pleased to see that the melting snow from last Saturday's blizzard had created puddles of opportunity for Marley.

Marley's opportunity to walk through a puddle:

Ok, Mom, I can do this.

When working through puddles on the ground, I like to do more than simply lead Marley through the puddle. We started out that way, but now we work in a circle on a long lead rope and I "send" him through the puddle, without being close to his side in a typical leading position. When I'm riding Marley on the trail and we encounter a puddle, I won't be by his side to lead him through it. I'll be on his back and he may feel he is facing that horse-eating puddle all alone, unless I've reinforced his confidence on the ground by sending him through these preparatory puddles.

Marley's opportunity to stand calmly in a puddle:

Look Mom! I'm calm and sweet and willing.

And finally, Marley's opportunity to stand patiently while the puddle muck is washed away:

I'm a good boy. Can I have dinner now?

Misty's Monday Muse: On The Road Again

2010-03-29T19:11:00.000-06:00

Can you feel it in the air? That's Springtime! We're feeling it in Colorado too...in between blizzards, that is.

In the spring, the horse-peoples start planning lots of outings and adventures to share with their best equine friends. Soon, a lot of us will be hitting the road, traveling with our best horse-peoples. It's very exciting and scary too.

With all the courage and loyalty that our big horsey hearts can muster, we'll be stepping into that rolling-box you like to haul us around in. We are very flattered to be your special guest, but remember...we put our life in your hands every time we enter that box. We want to arrive safely and unharmed at our destination, whether near or far.

So please be sure to have annual maintenance performed on your rolling-box. They seem like such simplistic contraptions; after all it's just a box. Don't let that fool you. Even if your rolling-box has been sitting around unused, there are a lot of hidden pieces and parts that can break; the results of which can be tragic.

Annual rolling-box maintenance is very important!

Please read more about it in this article posted at The Horse Prepare Your Horse Trailer for Travel Season

Prepare Your Horse Trailer for Travel Season

by: Edited Press Release
February 08 2008, Article # 11301

Before the start of the summer travel season, it is critically important for horse owners to perform basic yet essential maintenance on their trailers.This will be time well spent because it will ensure that their trailers will be in optimal shape to provide safe passage for precious cargo during the upcoming season.

"A good roadside assistance program is something all horse owners should have but hope they will never have to use," said Mark Cole, managing member for USRider, a national provider of roadside emergency assistance for horse owners. "To that end, our mission is to continually educate horse owners about trailering safety."

To provide a reliable and accessible source of information about trailering safety, USRider maintains an Equine Trailer Safety Area on its Web site.

"We have carefully developed this area to be a resource with helpful and practical topics--all free and available to members and non-members alike," added Cole. "Our Web site is designed so visitors can print out information as a handy reference. We also post safety bulletins as new information develops."

Some of available resources include a list of items every horse trailer should have on board, short trip and long trip precautions, and trailer inspection procedures.

Here are some tips to prepare your trailer for the upcoming travel season:

Remove and inspect all wheels and hubs or brake drums.
Inspect suspension for wear.
Check tightness of hanger bolt, shackle bolt, and U-bolt nuts per recommended torque values.
Check brake linings, brake drums, and armature faces for excessive wear or scoring.
Check brake magnetic coil with an ohmmeter. The magnetic coil should check 3.2 ohms (+/- 0.3ohms). If shorted or out of tolerance, replace.
Lubricate all brake moving parts, using a high temperature brake lubricant.
Remove any rust from braking surface and armature surface of drums.
Inspect oil or grease seals for wear or nicks. Replace if necessary.
Inspect and grease wheel bearings.

In addition to these recommendations, horse owners are advised to check all trailer tires, (including spares) for signs of dry rot, correct air pressure, faulty air valves, uneven tire wear, overall tire wear, and damage. Use a high-quality air pressure gauge to inspect tire pressure before each trip. Always replace tires if worn or damaged. In addition, tires should be replaced every three to five years regardless of mileage. When replacing tires, always replace the valve stems. USRider recommended that only high quality tires specifically designed and rated for trailers be used--never use retread or automobile tires on a horse trailer.

It is also important to service the wheel bearings every 12,000 miles or annually (regardless of mileage) due to moisture build-up. Keep a spare set of wheel bearings in your trailer in case of premature failure. Be sure to inspect trailer wiring and lighting; inspect door latches and grease the doors; inspect the floor (be sure to remove any rubber mats so the entire floor can be examined); and inspect and lubricate mechanical moving parts, such as the hitch and suspension parts. If the trailer has been sitting for a while, check for wasp nests, spider webs, and any other creatures that might have taken up residence.

Cole also reminded equestrians to check the contents of their equine and human first aid kits.

Those hauling horses are also encouraged to program emergency contact information into their cell phones under the listing designation "ICE," which stands for In Case of Emergency. This can aid emergency workers in identifying victims and determining who needs to be notified in case of an accident.

Horse owners should also ensure that their emergency contact information is stored in their tow vehicle. To facilitate this, USRider has developed an In Case of Emergency form and posted it online for horse owners to print out. Simply fill in the blanks and store copies in the tow vehicle as well as in the trailer. Additional recommendations, including a Power of Attorney form, are posted on the USRider Web site.

For additional safety tips, visit the Equine Travel Safety Area on the USRider Web site.

Happy Trailering,

A Beautiful Award

2010-03-24T08:21:00.000-06:00

Thank you juliette of honeysuckle faire for this Beautiful Blogger award. It is a huge compliment to receive an award like this from juliette because she is the perfect example of a Beautiful Blogger as she shares her talents and thoughtful insights on horses. See juliette's Beautiful Blogger Award post here.

The Beautiful Blogger award rules are:
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to 15 other bloggers.

I'm having trouble coming up with things to share about myself, so I'm tickling my thought processes with a stack of conversation cards. When our family gets together, we like to randomly draw from these cards as we sit around the dinner table, then we each take turns answering the questions. So I'm going to draw 7 cards from the stack and answer the questions.

Q1: Would you like a quiet life of safety or a life of great adventure and uncertainty?

A quiet life of safety. I am a seeker of peace rather than thrills. I like to plan ahead and I'm the safety monitor of the family. That doesn't mean I won't take reasonable risks to accomplish new goals, because there are always risks we must take when we stretch and challenge ourselves. But I believe we can mitigate those risks with good planning, preparation, and education. Ok, I'm boring; I admit it.

Q2: Would you rather live by the beach or in the mountains?

Definitely in the mountains. I love the scent of pine trees and the crunchy sound of dried pine needles under foot. I love hiking around the bend of a trail and discovering a beautiful blue lake reflecting the surrounding mountains in its calm waters. I'd rather be clothed in denim, flannel, and hiking boots than in a swimsuit and flip-flops. Although I do like to wear flip-flops and sandals in the summertime and I want to go someplace warm and tropical for vacation. But I want to come home to a mountain view.

Q3: If you could relive your childhood, how would you like it to be different?

I wish I had grown up on a farm or a ranch. I like the earth and animals, which are in short supply in the suburbs where I grew up, living most often in an apartment or townhouse. I would have enjoyed more room to roam, although I did have fun riding bikes around the neighborhood with friends when I was young. I have a longing for rural roots.

Q4: When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a veterinarian and a mom. Missed the boat on both counts, unfortunately. But life doesn't always go as we hope and I'm not mournful about that.

Q5: What car would you love to buy without considering any practical reasons?

I don't want a sports car. I don't want a luxury car. I want a big, bad pickup truck that can haul my horses with ease through the mountains and anywhere I want to go. Maybe a luxurious, big, bad pickup truck that is comfortable inside the cab, has a nice sound system and has that new-pickup-truck-smell. I have a 1994 F250 turbo diesel non-PowerStroke truck and it is under powered for mountain hauling. It's the first pickup truck I've ever had and while it is a great old truck for what it is, I wish I could upgrade.

Q6: What kind of party would you throw if you had an unlimited budget?

Hmmm? I'm not good at party planning. But with an unlimited budget, I could hire a party planner to handle all the details. I'd want a long weekend or a week-long, summertime party, in the mountains of course, where family and friends could gather. We'd stay in a big mountain lodge with a swimming pool, theater room, bowling alley, hay rides, horseback riding, hiking, jeeping, ATV-riding, crafts, games, movies, and good shopping in a nearby, quaint, rustic, mountain town. And of course the food would be delicious and we'd have theme nights for dinner (Italian, Mexican, BBQ, Pizza Night, Build-Your-Own-Sandwich bar).

Q7: What one goal do you want to accomplish this year?

I'd like to achieve the confidence and skill (for both Marley and me) to take Marley on a pleasure carriage drive without a driving trainer in the cart with me.

I pass this award onto the following bloggers. If you have received this award and don't want to post your 7 things again, you don't have to; I admire your blog and just want to share your link.

Feel free to answer these same questions if you need to tickle your brain too.
In alphabetical order:

50+ Horses
Adventures of a Horse Crazed Mind
After Racing: Retraining Thoroughbreds
A Good Horse
A Year With Horses
Dapple of my Eye
Down on the Farm
Food, Life
Golden the Pony Girl
Highland Hooves
Horse Centric
Horse of Course
Living a Dream
Super Size My Cob
Wander With Wild Things

...the list could go on, but that's 15.

The Work-Life-Horse Balance

2010-03-17T18:20:00.000-06:00

The stick is in full swing here in the land of OnceUpon and I’m very frustrated about it.

I don’t mean that stick used as an extension of the human arm in some Natural Horsemanship training techniques.

I’m referring to that stick which falls heavily upon us and rocks the equilibrium of our work-life balance.

Work-life balance is the achievement of parity between one’s “work” (job, ambition) and one’s “life” (personal, spiritual, family, leisure).

My work-life balance is really out of whack right now, as exemplified by the following video clip.

Can you relate to that poor little stick figure on the left?

We’ve experienced a long, cold winter in the land of OnceUpon. Mother Nature is teasing us with a few warm, sunny days scattered amongst the impending spring snowstorms. As the temperature warms and the sun shines, I long to be outside working with my horses. (Heck…I even long to be outside scooping manure in the sunshine.) But doggone it! I’m getting beaten up by that mean old stick called “work”!

Keeping horses isn’t cheap. I have horses, therefore I work.

The problem is…my work load is increasing. Like a lot of companies in this current economy, mine has experienced layoffs and reduced benefits, including pay cuts. While staffing and benefits go down, the work load goes up for those of us fortunate to have kept our jobs. I do feel fortunate to still have a good job, but I’ve developed a frequent twitch in my left eye and I’m exhausted. I have less time and energy to spend with horses.

Some may suggest I sell my horses. NOT an option! Then I’d be just another eye-twitching, exhausted, horseless woman with more money in her purse. That doesn’t appeal to me because the intrinsic value of a horse cannot be measured in dollars.

Hoof care in April: $80.00
Vet care in May: $220.00
Hay purchase in June: $1,500.00
The sound of a soft nicker greeting you as you walk toward the barn: Priceless!

So, I’m stuck with this work-life dilemma. What is a horsewoman to do?

My first idea is to improve my diet. As I sit here typing this post, I’m very aware that I don’t feel good physically. Sitting at a computer all day; and stress-snacking from the vending machine in mid-afternoon after my microwave entrée (eaten at my desk while I work through lunch) has worn off, does not help the situation. Perhaps a healthier diet would aid in combating the exhaustion I feel, leaving more energy to play with horses in the evening. (Ok…and do household chores too, if you are reading this Mr. OnceUpon).

How can we successfully juggle the demands of work (whether employment or other ambitions) with our personal life and horses?

What suggestions do you have to manage the work-life-horse balance?

Breakfast, Anyone?

2010-03-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a little tip from this blogger.

Do not sit down to write a blog post while toasting a bagel under the broiler.

Why I do not have a cooking blog.

I've been blogging for over a year now, and I'm happy to report that my house is still standing. In my defense, I did retrieve this from the broiler before the smoke detector went off.

Today is a sunny Saturday.

Sunshine + Saturday = Horse Play.

I'm turning off the computer.

I'm staying out of the kitchen (for the safety of the family).

I'm loading Misty and Marley into the trailer (hope they remember how), and we're going to a soft-footed arena to get a little exercise.

Have a wonderful weekend and....blog safely!

Misty's Monday Muse

2010-03-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

We had Frosted Fences for breakfast this morning.

They're Grrrrreat!

Hay! I mean, "Hey!" (I have a one track mind). My Haflinger friends are featured in a brand new blog. Hop on over to Living a Dream and say howdy to Pippin and Doc.

Haflingers at Play

2010-02-25T07:49:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. In between snow storms the temperature rose to above 40F (4C). Misty & Marley were kicking up their heals and racing playfully, as their equine friends did the same.

These two Haflinger geldings, Pippin and Meriadoc, were caught at just the right moment by their owner yesterday, as they frolicked in their pasture.

Looking forward to the playful days of Spring.

Misty's Monday Muse

2010-02-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

I've heard rumors of shedding going on out there.

Is it true?

Are any of you equines shedding already?

Not me.
My winter coat is staying on!

And I'd like more warm beet pulp porridge please.

After all, a mare's gotta eat to keep a voluptuous figure.

Colorado Competetive Skijoring

2010-02-18T08:55:00.001-07:00

Are you enjoying the winter Olympics? Wanna see more exciting winter sports next month?

Visit historic Leadville Colorado for the annual Skijoring competition; blending fast horses, "big air", and western spirit. March 5-7, 2010.

Mid-week Merriment

2010-02-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

A happy story to brighten the middle of the work week.

From my time living in Indonesia (where Orangutans are native), I recall "Orangutan" comes from "Orang Hutan", meaning "People of the Forest".

Off topic...but there is some riding in it.

NO ROLLKUR

2010-02-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

I'm adding my support to that of Grey Horse Matters and Horse Of Course by posting the logo below and the associated text. I, too, hate to see the welfare of our equine athletes sacrificed in the name of sport, vanity, and greed.

"The FEI is holding a closed-door round table meeting on Feb. 9th to discuss the training method known as rollkur, or hyperflexion, which involves pulling and holding the horse's muzzle to his chest. This practice is known to have many negative effects on the horse, both physically and psychologically. Gerd Heuschmann, the lone voice for the horse at this meeting, has my support and appreciation as he presents his case "for the good of the horse" along with petitions and letters saying NO TO ROLLKUR."

Misty's Monday Muse

2010-02-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

Friendship is one mind in two bodies...Mencius

The belly rules the mind...Spanish Proverb

Fjords Conquer the West at NWSS

2010-01-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

My husband and I attended "An Evening of Dancing Horses" at the National Western Stock Show last week. We had a great time and I was very pleased to discover what a husband friendly event it was. The Denver Brass was great and my husband spent as much time watching them play as he watched the horses & riders perform (he used to be a flautist). We enjoyed the music very much.

The Fjords were adorable, of course, and I particularly like the fact that some of the Fjord riders are teenagers. What a great experience for young equestrians and a tribute to the versatility and family friendly nature of the Norwegian Fjord. Here is their performance provided by Starfire Farm.

Sneak Peek of Dancing Fjords

2010-01-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

A group of Fjordhorses will be performing this week at the National Western Stock Show - Evening of Dancing Horses.

I stumbled upon a couple of their practice sessions.

You gotta see cute Pauline being put through her paces. She is an adorable little Fjord mare.

Here is one of the group's previous performances:

Misty's Monday Muse

2010-01-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

We have new neighbors who love horses and would like to feed Marley & me some treats.

Now that's what I call being neighborly!

However, My Lady insists that we avoid sugary snacks, so she is on the hunt for a healthy, low sugar treat that she can suggest to the neighbors.

As you know, I LOFF CARROTS! I hate apples. (Marley likes them, but you can't judge a treat by Marley because he'd eat a hamburger if it was dropped in his feed bucket. ) My Lady thinks carrots and apples have too much sugar to be a frequent treat anyway, so no carrots or apples.

And so the experimentation begins. Guess what nasty thing she gave us?

Celery!

I sniffed it cautiously. Then I took a little bite. Strange stuff. I spit it out, walked away and stuck my upper lip in the air. Ewww.

Marley of course, gobbled up his share and then finished mine. He was a little surprised at the texture and bobbed his head up and down real funny-like while he chewed. But now he acts like he was born to eat celery.

We got celery the next day too. This time My Lady had Marley show me how to eat it. She let Marley chomp at one end of the stalk while I sniffed and nibbled ever so slightly at the other end, a la Lady and the Tramp. I ate a tiny bit more, but let Marley have the lion's share, so we never did meet in the middle for a smooch. I'm not sure I can acquire a taste for celery, but I think I'm gonna get another opportunity tonight.

What other low sugar, healthy treats might we try?

Equine Minded Goals

2010-01-06T12:20:00.001-07:00

Whew! The holidays are behind us and life is getting back to normal.

Happy New Year Everyone!

I have some goals in mind for Misty, Marley, and Myself for the year 2010.

With Misty, I would like to attend a horsemanship clinic and a trail riding clinic. And of course, do more riding and get out on more trails.

With Marley, I would like to be able to drive him around the neighborhood by myself and attend some driving clinics and/or pleasure drives with other driving enthusiasts.

What are your goals for the new year?
(Please point us to your blog if you've already posted them).

Twas The Night Before Christmas

2009-12-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

The stockings were hung on their stall doors with care,
Depicting the occupant perfectly there.

Merry Christmas
from
Misty & Marley

May your stockings be filled with goodness.
(and carrots too)

Holiday Horses on Parade

2009-12-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

The minis were adorable.

The drafts were statuesque.

The draft crosses were elegant.

A beautiful team of Hackney/Clydesdales pulling an historical carriage once owned by a U.S. President (Grover Cleveland if I heard the announcer correctly).

Misty's Monday Muse

2009-12-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

We hope that someday Marley will be able to pull a carriage in a parade like these Fjordhorses.

In their cart were lots of toys for good little girls and boys.

More festive holiday horses will parade through this blog on their way to Christmas day.

Misty's Monday Muse

2009-12-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

"A square wheeled potato cart."

That's how our new farrier described Marley when he watched him move. Like a square wheeled potato cart.

He said Marley walks like he's wearing these on his feet.

Poor Marley. We've been concerned about how easily he trips due to his low heels and long toes, even with hoof trims every 6 weeks. His heels are very short and very sloped. Previously we were told he has bad hoof conformation and nothing can be done about it. Our new farrier is hopeful that he can correct the issue, so he put shoes on Marley's fronts to protect his heels in hopes that they'll grow. We'll know more in 10 weeks.

We like our new farrier. He gives us cookies.

Do you want to know what the farrier said about my hooves?

I don't wish to brag, but if you really want to know.

He said... (I'm blushing now)...he said that I have "beautiful feet."

Maybe I could have a career as a hoof model.

Greatest Christmas Decoration Ever

2009-12-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

I needed a good laugh this morning when this timely bit of humor arrived in my inbox.

Be sure to read the story below.

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take my fake man down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down.

First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was only one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard."

Driving Mr. Marley

2009-11-30T16:56:00.001-07:00

I've not had any time to post because I have been so busy with Marley.

Let me catch up...

I had a couple of nice lessons at Driving Pro's ranch while Marley was there for training. The first one went very well as I drove around an open field with Driving Pro beside me in the cart.

The second lesson went well too, but there was a chilly wind and Marley was a little spooky. A horse trailer went by on the road and the horse inside stomped its hoof and Marley jumped forward. I pulled back and said "Whoa!" Driving Pro reminded me that Whoa means Whoa, and only Whoa, and to reserve that word for stopping & standing. When Marley got a little jumpy, he instructed me to pull back on the reins smoothly and say "Easy". I got to practice that at least 6 more times because it was a very blustery day and the wind was carrying many strange noises.

Prior to driving, while we were harnessing, Driving Pro advised me not to be so wordy when working around Marley. I tend to talk to my horses a lot and use their names often. Verbal commands are useful aids when driving, so Driving Pro told me not to use Marley's name so much when I'm harnessing. For example, I should just say a simple "Whoa" when I'm harnessing him and want him to stand still - not "Take it easy Marley, Whoa Marley, That's a good boy Marley, I'm right behind you Marley, yada, yada, yada." Driving Pro said using a driving horse's name usually gets their attention and is followed by a command to move. Like, "Marley walk" or "Marley trot."

Marley came home after our 2nd lesson. We went back the following week for lesson #3 which was a small group lesson with my friend & neighbor and her Haflingers. Driving Pro had disassembled his large round pen and used the panels to fence an area between several of his out buildings, giving us a very safe and confined area in which to drive.

We drove around and around and did figure 8s at the walk and trot between some orange cones. It was great fun and very enjoyable. Marley behaved perfectly, although he was a little lazy. Mr. OnceUpon teased me about "feeling the wind in my hair" as we plodded along at a snail's pace.

Lesson #4 was at home where Driving Pro showed Mr. OnceUpon how to harness and hitch. Driving Pro doesn't want me to hitch the cart by myself yet; he wants Mr. OnceUpon to help so we can bring the cart up to Marley together and each put a shaft in the shaft loops on either side of Marley. Driving Pro said the majority of accidents happen during hitching and unhitching, so he wants us to hitch together to be safe and efficient.

All harnessed and hitched, we began the driving lesson.

We started out by driving around the property and up & down the road a couple of times. Then we ventured onto a paved road where we encountered a few surprised motorists who slowed down and waved as they carefully passed by. Marley was great; traffic didn't bother him at all. Then we turned onto that road Misty mentioned in her last Monday Muse where all the horses live and Marley got excited and Driving Pro had to grab the reins. I stepped out of the cart at the end of that street and Driving Pro schooled Marley vigorously with figure 8s at the trot and then had him trot up and down the street past all those horses that I now call "the cheerleading squad". I was really spooked by the incident but he made me take the reins on the way back home. Along the road we met another neighbor on horseback who road along side of us for awhile and all was well. Whew, we arrived home in one piece. Driving Pro said any horse could get excited in a situation like that where a bunch of horses run up on both sides of the road. He said the way to handle it is to "drive through it" and steer and stay on the road. But my skills aren't quite there yet. I'm so glad Driving Pro was with me. He gave me a homework assignment to take Marley back to that street the next day (ride him or lead him in halter) and do ground work with him in the street near the cheerleading squad. I did that and my fickle pony showed no interest in his adoring fans.

Last Wednesday Mr. OnceUpon helped me hitch and I drove by myself, out in the open, for the first time.

My cart is a Haflinger sized forecart made by Pioneer Equipment Company. It's not a fancy cart, but a farm cart; we can hook a harrow to the back of it and do some real work. It is solid and stable and good for a beginner driver like myself and ideal for going off road and driving on the prairie.

I drove around our property and up & down our street. Then I asked Marley to trot up the street. He trotted nicely but abruptly stopped as we neared our driveway entrance. I urged him forward, but he tried to turn left into the driveway. We had a little discussion that involved right rein, a tap of the driving whip , left rein, right rein, another tap of the whip and "Marely trot!" I was a little clumsy at steering and using the driving whip as an aid. He finally started trotting forward, but stopped at the next driveway entrance. We had another awkward discussion, but moved forward again. I tried trotting him the length of the road a 2nd time, but had the same issue at the driveway entrances. Each time Marley was trying to turn back toward the barn. Uh oh. Red Flag. We do not want this behavior to take hold, as he has had some serious barn-sour issues in the past. I got him beyond the driveways and into a trot to the top of the street and decided to stop on that good note and we walked around the property some more before unhitching. I was concerned though and called Driving Pro right away and scheduled another lesson.

I was worried and a little scared (which grew into 'a lot scared' as I thought more about it the next couple of days). The combination of the bolting incident by the cheerleading squad and a little trouble on my own Wednesday wore heavily on my mind.

I'll share those thoughts and lesson #5 in my next post.

My good husband is preparing dinner now and I really should help him.

Misty's Monday Muse

2009-11-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'm going to tattle on Marley.

Marley gave My Lady quite a fright on Saturday when they were driving through the neighborhood. This was their first time out & about on open roads. They turned onto a street where a lot of horses live and suddenly things got lively! Curious horses on both sides of the street ran up to the road and pranced along the fence lines. Marley got VERY excited and started calling to his fans and then he wanted to run and show off. My Lady nearly fell out of the cart. Fortunately the Driving Pro was with her and he grabbed the reins and saved the day.

Cart driving can get a little dicey at times.

One of Those Days

2009-11-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

I was in a rush to get to work this morning. After caring for horses, I went straight from the barn into my car. Half way to work I'm still smelling that familiar barn bouquet when I realize I forgot to change my shoes! So here I am stuck at work all day in my muck shoes. I washed them off in the ladies room (cleaned the sink well afterward), but it is still like Misty and Marley are right here with me in all their pungent glory. Oh well, maybe folks will keep their distance from me and I'll have a peaceful day.

Some days I wonder why I even bother to wash my hair and put make-up on. If I don't arrive at the office with hay on my sweater, it's manure on my shoes.

Ever have those days?

Cooking, Cleaning, and Cart Driving

2009-11-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Last week was very busy. We hosted our dinner party last night, so Friday and Saturday were full of grocery shopping, house cleaning, and cooking. My menu was assertive & challenging, but everything turned out well. I made another huge mess of my kitchen and the popovers came out of the oven 3/4 the way through dinner (wish I had 2 ovens), but everyone had a nice time and enjoyed the food. One guest went home with the recipe for the tenderloin rub and another wants the butternut squash soup recipe. It's a nice compliment when your guests ask for your recipes.

Prior to the weekend I had 3 interesting and productive driving lessons with Marley. I love that pony! I think he enjoys pulling a cart more than carrying a rider. He's built and bred for pulling. I will post details and more pictures later in the week.

But now, after preparing a Spaghetti Pie to cook for our family dinner this evening, I'm going to put my feet up and rest.