Merry Christmas from Buddha & his Friends 2010

Last week Bud was decked out in his usual Christmas garb, as well as a few of his barn mates for his annual photo.



Unfortunately - the photos came out fuzzy after being transferred from my cell phone :(

                      Buddha with his new red halter & garland reins

               And of course his make shift saddle blanket/tree skirt

             Here's Tia dressed for the holidays with her Santa ear hat -
                           Bud would NEVER allow that !!!!

          And lastly Blackjack - who was very unsure of the whole idea.....


             For clearer pictures - check them out on my Facebook page  :)

Barn Party 2010

Finally, today ( Dec.11th) is the party and we had a ball!  We enjoyed delicious food - we all brought appetizers - great company,warm hugs,lots of laughs and of course, prezzies.  Here are some samplings:

 Buddha and I before the soiree in the barn - I had just finished grooming him.

Isn't he handsome????

The Christmas tree adorned by equine decor ONLY

              Our festive table overloaded with tasty food and drink
                    which was happily consumed by all.

Lastly, a photo of myself and my barn family - Patty (owner),Kayla (riding buddy)
Lori & Melody ( Tia's Moms ).



A great time was had by all and I was SO full - I didn't eat again til the next day  - even tho party #2 was only hours away!!!

Christmas Decor 2010 - Part 2

As promised here are some finished pics of the barn all decorated for the upcoming holiday. 

             Here I am ready to beautify Buddha's surroundings for Christmas

                 The Mother Muckers/decorators - Lori, myself,Kayla & Melody
                       ( Owner Patty missing from photo )



     (These next few photos were taken w/cell phone - please forgive graininess)

                      The hanging sign says " Deck the Stalls "
      This was Honey's old stall and each year we decorate it in her honor :)

              Bud's stall door is completely decked out with his stocking,     
                        
                    garland, candy cane and star wreath.

                  Finally our festive big red blows on the rafters



Tomorrow is our annual barn party and I will be sure to share those photos as well.

Christmas Decor 2010 - Part 1

Last weekend we sorted out all the decorations from last year and took inventory of what we had to work with.

                   Bud's stall front looked like a retail shop!

                   


Then we asked the almighty question - do we do the same as last year or do we switch it up?  The answer and photos will appear next week.........



Meantime, our equine friends were busy munching away outside so I took a few photos.

                 Here are Blackjack & Regal with Kayla ( my riding buddy )

                        Chucky could not resist the camera.....

              Nor could Maya......she is SO sweet.  She and Chucky belong to               the owners' son-in-law and are visiting for a few months.

              You are not seeing things - this IS Bud - but the  camera                            was SO cold it looks like bubbles!!!

        Finally the last 2 - Tia and Casino - as you can see - they don't share    very well......he was trying to take a chunk out of her!!!

Break from the Blog.........

I'm going to take a break from horses right now to say good bye to Ivy League - our 12y/o female tortie feline.  My son decided it was time to give Ivy peace and take away her pain.  She had lived most of her last year in his room - as they were best buds - he fed & loved her, cleaned out her  litter box and her messes which were increasing this past month.

We rescued her from a shelter in Ohio many years ago when she was just a kitten.  What attracted me to her was her one peach toe on her front paw.  She was in the back of the cage and not interested in anything when I saw her but it was love at first sight!

We had taken our Pug along that summer - so we had 2 adults, 2 boys, a dog and a kitten for the ride back.  I remember not even being down the driveway of my Aunts house and Festus ( our Pug ) went crazy in the back seat and knocked over her lil kitty litter pan which she had just used. We thought it would be a wild ride home - but it was not.  She simply laid on my lap purring for the majority of the drive.

                If you look closely - you can see the peach on her toe

                      
                         Ivy League in all her glory....

                One of my favorite photos - hanging with her canine family        watching the world go by..... 



Over the years Ivy raised MANY siblings - including an array of kittens, guinea pigs and was recently sharing her space with our rabbit .  She was quicker to accept the canines that entered our lives over the years - I think she just tolerated all the other species to make us happy.  She was the type of cat that if you just said her name - she would start purring - she was SO sweet and loving - even to the end. 


I am SO glad there is something we can do when our animals are hurting  - I only wish there was something for the  humans who are heartbroken.  I trust time will be the answer - but  - it sure is sad to go in my son's room and not see Ivy on his bed looking up at you with her motor running.

Mounts Minus Mine.......

This blog will be dedicated to some of the equine I have ridden, other than the Buddha, over the last couple of years.....

                

This is Charlie - 7y/o Percheron draft horse - I rode last week in the mountains of North Carolina  (hubby Bru was on his half brother Chief)

  

This is Chester - who I rode in the mountains of Hawaii 2 years ago - we actually saw wild mustangs and were told to sit very quietly b/c IF they spooked and took off - our horses would be in hot pursuit!

 

On top of Pardy - Mindy's horse - in Wisconsin 

      

Here I'm on a guy named Corona and had a private trail ride thru the beautiful hills of Galena where we saw some wild turkeys. (Bru's steed was also named after a cigar)

 

Also rode Lady - JoJo's horse - she had been a carriage horse and refuse to do more than a trot when you were riding - this photo proves she could really go :)

Rode Gracie Grace in Wisconsin - her trot is still the smoothest I have ever experienced......sorry Bud.

Margarita was the only horse who did not acknowledge a swinging lead rope when you entered the pasture (most horses respect the motion and move out of the way) - she was just positive you came to get HER!!!

  

My lil Honey -she was not sure of anything when I was riding her - but trusted I would never hurt her.....

          Blackjack - a gaited horse - can trot as fast as Bud canters  :)

Ms.Tia has both an English and Western background and she can even do barrels.



I must end this blog with the statement - as much as other horses are fun to ride - my heart belongs to my Buddha :)

Hmmmm.....

I was wondering if I should even post my prepared blog - with all that is going on in my family ( Mom ) - and then decided to go ahead....because it will make me happy and hopefully bring smiles to you.



This post was entitled Bud's Bloopers:

              These 3 were taken on a trail ride where Bud decided

not to listen to be - but instead follow the horses that had passed us - ergo almost landing us in the forest adjacent to the path !!  We were going backwards at a fairly quick pace.

           In this photo he was scared to death, but never looked better :)

Here is the photo of us I enlarged & Doug ( owner of the barn ) surprised me one year and had it framed IN Bud's stall - where his teeth marks are forever etched!

This one I took last year and as I approached him with camera - you can see his nostrils opening up very wide ( fear ) - as he hates his photo taken......

These 2 were taken on Halloween - I used to work at a pre-school and I went as a horse lover and wore my heart on my hat.....the kids loved it :)

Bud's Birthdays etc

Over the 6 years I have known the Buddha - we have celebrated many a Christmas and Birthday together.  I'd like to share some of these photos with you today.

                    His first Christmas ornament - thanks JB.

                 We decorate all the stall doors as well as the barn aisle....

                Along with the equine - I use decorative garland, vet wrap, 
   
                 a Christmas tree skirt, and of course, his festive red halter!

A close up of the garland adorned Buddha 

After helping unload the stall bedding (dirty shirt)

a photo op presented itself.

This sign goes up every year on his stall door

                     Celebrating one of Buds' numerous B'days

                                      Ditto...

.

                   This banner is an annual decor for his stall
                  
                    ( and also doubles as his B'day neck ware )

Bud will turn 20 years old April 9th of 2011 -I'll be  planning a celebration with lotsa decorations and plenty of delicious treats.  Stay tuned.....