The Aw-w-w Factor.......

In dealing with all different  horses - there are always a few moments that stand out from the rest.  Today, I am going to post some  photos of these moments...

                          Bud & Gracie discussing the weather?

Little Ret catching the rays....

 

Where's our Moms?????

Lil Abby atop Ms. Tia......

                     JoJo's grandchild, Raven, atop the Buddha

           ( This photo SO reminds me of my Aunt and me- back in the day)

 

These two Clydesdale's were at a fair....

                    Rod imitating older horses at the hay bin

                          Lil Ret getting a drink from Mom

                          Raven, Bud, and I just hanging out....



To me, there is rarely a dull or unhappy moment spent with horses and my hope is  these photos will help you understand why.

Updates.....

As my beginning years with the Buddha come to a close on the blog - I'd like to share updates as far as where some of the equine have gone.



Gracie : was sold to a hippo therapy program in Wisconsin, where she was a star -until she decided she was done.  She was then sold to a young girl who loves her to this day.

                                        Gracie Grace




Margarita - was sold to trainers who show her as a Reiner and she is doing very well in the show ring.

                                    Maggie Mae






        Moms and babies - all returned to new owners or original barns

 

Rum & Ret

Bicardi and Rod

                                                   

Can't forget Desi - who now resides at a stable in the suburbs closer to my niece who owns him

    Desi & Laura

Sadly, Pardy left us late last fall - due to a hoof disease. I was able to spend time with him before hand and loved on him and fed him all the apples and carrots he could eat - always is sad BUT I always know they are in a better place.

 Pardy enjoying carrots a fresco with my niece Mindy

Good bye my friend......

To all my wonderful equine who passed away - I miss all of you - BUT - I know JoJo is taking wonderful care of you.

Vroom......... vroom

One Saturday, I was riding alone in the pasture waiting for my friend to arrive.  I had lunged Bud and he did fine - mounted without a problem and were happily trotting away...when my eagle eyed horse spotted a slow,noisy movement from the highway.

                  Here is my sister Joan atop Bud below the highway


Whenever he stops on a dime and turns toward one direction with ears erect and perfectly  still - I have learned there is something there (even tho at the time I saw nothing). We continued to ride, but as soon as he heard this "beast" he would stop, shake and trumpet!!!  I had NEVER experienced this before in all of my horse endeavors and it was quite something- actually sounding elephant like.  This time I DID notice a riding lawn mower along the side of the highway (how the guy stayed seated is still a wonder) - all the Buddha saw was what he thought was a mountain lion !!!  He trembled like a vibrating chair and alerted his barn mates with his trumpeting. They all quit grazing and were on full alert, as this dreaded machine went back and forth - appearing and disappearing thru the trees.

 Here is me lunging the Buddha - imagine seeing something going back and forth in those trees......very scary to some.


I have noticed that when the Buddha is truly frightened - he goes into show mode.  I've actually had people ask me how I trained him to do dressage ( fancy equine foot work).  My answer always is the same - scare him to death!  He prances at a very high speed until he feels he is safe from harm.  It's at this point I decided to stay seated and work thru the behavior and not opt to dismount and lose control of my horse.  We worked for over an hour making huge circles toward the "beast" with constant verbal assurances and finally were able to ride sans the fear.  He was soaked from sweat and I was ready for a nap!

MY friend finally showed up and I dismounted without a problem.  All the other horses had settled back down to graze as Bud had saved the day. After a nice cool down with a hose ( both of us ) we walked around the dreaded area where the menace had been. Bud was very content to simply graze and not have to be the white horse in shining armor for his equine family.

Buddha & the Farrier

Horses should be checked by a farrier ( person who tends to their feet ) frequently through out the year.  I have Bud's hooves trimmed every 6 to 7 weeks to keep them in good shape.  If they get too long - horses can trip or  during the warmer weather, especially, when they are constantly stomping the ground to remove flies - the hooves crack and chunks can break off causing problems to the soles of their feet.

This one particular Saturday, I met John - my farrier - at the barn to trim the Buddha.  He and his pal - Blackjack - were loose in the pond pasture after being stalled for 3 days due to inclement weather.  Usually, I approach Bud with a treat and he happily approaches me and the halter goes on without a problem.  THIS time he took one look at me and tore across the pasture in the opposite direction kicking and bucking to his hearts content.  He was thrilled to be outside and had NO intention of returning to the barn.  After several failed attempts - I was asked if I wanted to reschedule - " he may out weigh me, but I'm smarter,  so lets try Plan B "  was my response.  John and I devised a plan where he would hide behind the open gate leading to the barn ( we had tried this before but Bud would see him and flee the other way ). So this time I approached the Buddha at an angle that would force him toward the barn and he took off in the desired direction and as soon as he crossed the fencing......John closed him in - success! 

As I began to approached my mighty steed - he slowly walked up to me acting like the last 20 minutes never happened.  You have to admire equines and their ability to assess a situation quickly and regroup.  Needless to say, he was a model student while getting his trim  - heck - he was probably exhausted from all his running around like a possessed demon!!

                    The Buddha happily (?) awaiting his  trim

A New Cast of Characters.......

Over the years there has been an influx of horses passing thru the barn (for one reason or another) - some are still there while others have either moved on or sadly passed on.

Two new members of the herd are Tia and Blackjack.  Tia is a double registered paint/quarter horse mare and BJ is a Rocky Mountain pony gelding.    

                     Tia has 2 moms..... Lori & Melody (sisters)

Blackjack is owned by a young girl - Kayla - who does barn chores,lives very close by and is usually at the barn before I am - ergo my riding partner.  Sometimes we put down posts, cones and barrels and do our version of a show and,of course,we both win blue ribbons :))

I have ridden both horses - Tia can do both Western and English and BJ is a gaited pony so his trot is very rhythmic and sometimes feels like riding a cartoon character!  We often trade horses just to get a feel for a different experience in the saddle - like everything else - each ride is unique.