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.

          

A Honey of a Tale - Part 4

We also did this little dance when I would muck her stall and I think she enjoyed it as much as I did. I would open the stall door and go in leaving the wheelbarrow across the entryway. She would stick her head out to investigate the latest ingredients, as I would begin to pick the manure. When I had an adequate amount, I would say “ back “ and sure enough she would back up and I would empty my findings.

After not too long, we were like a dance duo – she to the side and me moving in tandem back and forth until the stall was pristine. She was one nosy equine, too and was always watching and investigating anything she could. One time, when I turned her around in the aisle – she must of noticed the bag of chopped up carrots on the shelf and grabbed them with her teeth. I walked her in the stall and turned to unlatch the lead rope – she was standing there with the bag swinging back and forth. I just had to laugh and reclaim the stolen bag!

             Honey waiting patiently for her turn - Bud was always first.


There were some unfunny times with Honey, too – like the time she and another horse somehow got caught up in some fencing wire (talk about wrong place at the wrong time) and she damaged her back leg. I thought. …here we go. …back to square one….and as much as she was not thrilled about her leg being tended to - after a short amount of time she was trusting once again. Another time she colicked right in front of the gate and luckily the owner and I were standing right there. She would never lie down in the pasture and when we saw her legs sticking straight out – we immediately got her up and into a stall. The vet arrived quickly and checked her over and medicated her - besides having a hissy fit while having to stay in the barn while all her friends were outside - she was out of danger and okay.

         Here are the 2 babies she kept a close eye on after their Moms left



Sadly, my time with this little mare was cut short. She had to be put down recently due to a broken leg after a freak accident in the pasture. She was only 7. I still cry on and off, but relish the time I spent with her and putting all the memories down on paper was very therapeutic for me. The first trip back to Wisconsin was very sad and tears were abundant by all who knew her. Knowing I will never see that face with ears pinned back again is heart breaking. I just loved this little horse so much.

                         The last photo I took of Honey .......



I do find solace knowing that she is not in pain, has some very good company up there (2 other horses from the barn that passed away in previous years). Perhaps she is the alpha mare strutting her stuff. If not, if she is just enjoying grazing and being a horse…it helps soften my grief as well as my sisters. (That was one hard phone call that night after I heard the news).  

I’m saddened by the thought of not riding her this spring and summer – I really was looking forward to loping her - …I bet she moved like the wind. I’m SO glad I have so many photos of her, although I had to remove the framed ones I had in my house, as they made me cry. I look forward to the day I can bring them back out and smile. She was my diamond in the ruff and will always remain, to me, the little horse that could.



The photos are back up - as it has been 2 years since her passing.  I can finally look at them and smile and remember our time together with love - and not sadness - in my heart.

A Honey of a Tale - Part 3

During the next few months, my sister Joan decided to lease Ms. Honey (guess who's idea THAT was ?) - and together we worked with her and loved her and gave her A LOT of attention. Honey seemed to know that Joan was kind and gentle and always approached her without fear. It was wonderful to see her become less and less wary of the human race.

                   Here they are.......Joan and her lil girl

At Christmas time when we decorated the barn  - –we decorated her - complete with red halter, garland around her neck and red vet tape on her legs. She didn’t even  blink an eye and I think she was just happy to be included in the festivities (of course, I had done Bud first!!) She never batted an eye when her photo was taken – unlike Bud, who thought the flash was an alien ship landing!

                   Here she is ...all dressed up for the holidays.


Honey proved to have quite the little personality and a few moments I remember well are - her flooding the outside of her stall (someone hung the hose over the hook by her stall door and failed to turn off the water)………She then turned it on by accident when she pulled the hose inside her stall and was flipping it all around and making the area look like a flood zone. I was glad she had a sense of humor and wanted to play.

Another time she was photographed for a library web sight, my sister worked for, and did far better than Bud. We placed a large book in front of her face and put small carrots inside - she ate those carrots like a trooper and the end result was a horse reading a horse book - the caption ended up being .... Reading is for everyone!!

                         What a lil star she was that day.....


I also remember a spring day when she was freshly groomed and looked beautiful. …until….she was released back out and immediately rolled in the mud and muck and was completely covered in gray slop. The only remaining black was on her face. And I wish you could have seen my sisters' face !

                      These were NOT her finest moments....

                       


During that spring and summer, I began lunging her and doing ground work with her - Joan preferred to ride the Buddha at this stage of the game.  The pinnacle was actually riding her – what a thrill. I kept it very basic and did a lot of turning, standing and backing up and trying to perfect her little trot. She didn’t quite understand what was asked of her – but – she was ready and willing.

I had purchased a new cinch just for her and once when I was lounging her – it started to stretch out and the saddle was slipping side ways on her - this could have made any horse panic and want to bolt. I was trying to slow her down but she picked up speed instead! I began pulling her in and she finally stopped and let me undo the cinch and refasten it without as much as moving a muscle. This is when I KNEW she trusted me – it was a powerful moment. I continued to lounge her and did ride her that morning – although she did test me on the mounting block – she moved quicker than I had liked – but I stayed on. It was almost like she was saying – “ okay, now we’re even “!

Once, on a Saturday, I was the solo groomer and since it was so cold and windy – I grabbed the halter that was closest (after doing Bud first, of course) - instead of heading back into the barn for all the individual halters.  I used the same one for everyone. This was okay til I went for Honey ….she kept approaching me and then backed away. This happened several times and then it hit me – I had just used this on the alpha mare and Honey wanted no part of it. I traipsed back to the barn and got her halter and lead rope and then she walked right up to me - lowered her head for her halter and I slid it on without any hesitation. She never ceased to amaze me..........