Fresh cows

I mentioned in an earlier post that we had fresh cows at our final sorting. So fresh that they had been living on pasture and hadn't even seen a horse or been kept in small pens until they were delivered Friday evening. Friday and Saturday some volunteers settled the cows. Basically riding through them, getting them accustomed to horses and being moved around.

Being a rookie, never really penned or worked cattle before, I was a bit intimidated. This was only my 3rd time sorting. And man were those cows a handful!

To give you an idea of how tough they were here are some stats. There were a total of 50 teams. Each team sorts twice. Only 5 teams had 2 clean go's.
Not that 5 teams got all 10 of their cows on both go's. That 5 teams got a qualifying run on both go's! BTW no one team got all their cows on both goes.

We had 4 partners each. My partners were Erin, RJ, Ben (Kimfer's uncle) and Holly.
My first go with Holly we had a qualifying run. My second go with Ben we had a qualifying run. Other than that my runs all ended up DQ.
It was tough but man oh man it was fun!

I received my disc with the sorting pics taken by the photographer. There were tons of pics so I chose a few to share with y'all :)
This is Scott, he's planning to move here from Alberta. He's a highly ranked cutter (or possibly penner, I'm not sure which)
I love this palomino mare of his. It was awesome to watch her work whenever she was in the pen! (she also has the most adorable sorrel foal)
This is Kimfer's uncle Ben. That great big buckskin he's on is named Bear. Bear is HUGE, but then again Ben is well over 6' himself.
Just want to point out that Ben has his hat on in both of these pics. Funny because he won a prize for the person that lost their hat the most. lol

Yours truly. I hated that cow! lol Poor Applejack and I worked our butts off trying to get her separated enough to move through the gate.
Us again, different cow.
Kimfer and her 4 year old Isis. By the end of the day Isis had had enough. But she did very good for a young'un that hasn't really done anything like this before. (other than the 2 other sortings Kimfer & I had gone to... with the "nice" cows lol)

Kimfer & Isis again, this pic must be from the morning. (K still has her coat on) Isis has only had about a year of riding on her.
Easing off the pressure. This cow is cooperating and peeling off the remaining cows.

After the sorting there was some team penning. There was a $2 jackpot that you could go in to give it a try and then there was a jackpot, winner takes all. You could go twice in the second jackpot so all in all I got to try penning 3 times. I'm not sure which try this was... I do know its not the one where I almost hit the dirt :o I really think willpower is all that kept me from falling. ("I will NOT come off in front of all these people and get run over by the dang cows!" lol)

Scott let Danica take his palomino in the penning. (Scott is boarding at Danica's mom's until he finds his own place here)
Erin penning. See I told you these were tough cows... cows shouldn't run this fast, its not natural! lol
Diane penning. I love this shot, but again cows shouldn't run this fast! :)

All photos in this post taken by Dany Rousseau.

If you're in the Saskatoon area and want to contact him I can give you his number.

countdown :)

The response to the "random act of kindess" draw has been great so far. This is just a reminder that there is a little over 24 hours left to submit names.

cdn_cowgirl@live.ca

I'm still here!

I've just been sick, but I'm feeling better than I have in... a couple weeks. Health-wise at least.
On the pony front I'm feeling guilty for not spending more time with the horses lately.

First I had an ear infection, or rather infectionS. Yup, one in my left ear and in two separate places in my right ear. I hate antibiotics but when I couldn't even answer the phone at work without pain I knew I had to go to the doctor.
An hour later, including the quick stop at the pharmacy, I had meds and the "good" news. I was glad to get pills and drop form of meds though. Worked like a charm, best $35 I spent on myself in awhile! :)

Then, just when I was feeling good we had our final team sorting. That was awesome and I'll do a post on it when I get the pics (there was a photographer there!). All I'll say for now is that, as a beginner, I missed our old cows! Those fresh cows were DARN tough. They had been out in pasture and had never seen a horse, or been in small pens, until Friday when they were delivered. :x Apparently they had settled a LOT by the time of the sorting on Sunday.

Monday after the sorting I woke up with the start of a horrible cold. One of those ones where you're sooo congested your eyes water. Pie actually thought I was crying about something. lol
So the ponies once again sat in the pasture for a week.
Yesterday Chad (mr farrier) was coming though so I caught them and brought them over. (they're in the 'back pasture' again... I hate having to cross the highway with them!)

Cessa was just getting a trim, and she was a good girl. Even though Chad was all rushed. He showed up an hour and a half late (I was soooo happy) and he had to leave in a few hours because he had to get to a rodeo! He had my two horses, our friend Julie had hauled her horse over and Kimfer's two needed done. He did say that whoever he didn't get done he'd be back to do tomorrow.

I wasn't sure whether to put shoes on Applejack. After all it could snow anytime now. I hate having shoes on them in the snow. But we do have some fall jackpots scheduled and the ground is so stony and hard on his poor feeties.
We ended up resetting his shoes. Chad says his feet are really good (yay!).

So now that I'm feeling better (knocking wood!) I need to get my butt out and ride!

"Contest"

**EDIT - This is not a new post, I've just changed the date/time to keep it at the top of the page for now. Just in case someone missed it. I'll do this for a few days, so the "real" new posts will be below this one**

We've all heard of random acts of kindness, of paying it forward.
I am inviting you to participate in a random act of generosity.
Here's the deal. From today until Monday Sept. 29th at 11pm Saskatchewan time (Central I believe) I am taking nominations. The two small plaques below will be the "prizes"

*they are small, about 6" long and 3" high, not including the wire hangers*

This is how it will work. You can nominate as many fellow bloggers as you like, but only one time each. Also you can not nominate yourself. Nominations are sent by e-mail, that way they remain anonymous.

Nominations close at 11pm. I will put each nominee's name on a slip of paper for every time they are nominated (ie: 5 fellow bloggers name you, 5 times you go in the draw!) After all names are in the pot two slips will be drawn. Those people will be contacted and informed that they are the "winners". (if they do not wish to a) accept the prize or b) don't wish to give out a mailing address a new name will be selected)

I will also do a follow up post with the announcement of the recipients.

There you have it, a random act of kindness/generosity. No one knows who nominated them, that IMO adds to the "random" part of it.

For those who choose to participate here is the e-mail to use for this:

cdn_cowgirl@live.ca

Got Helmets?

Yes I know, poor grammar!

This is a subject that's been on my mind a lot lately though. (and not just because I almost ate dirt the other day! lol)

Once it was thought that only English riders wore helmets.
Why? Are their brains more important? Are their heads softer?
IMO its because 1) the culture that comes with Western riding and 2) because people assume Western saddles keep a rider more secure. But those are just my personal theories.

Helmets have come a long way, both in "technical" aspects as well as comfort and looks.

People still seem to either love'em or hate'em. Some with reason and some without.

I've heard arguments for both sides. Some good, some not so good.

I agree that its important to protect ourselves as well as possible. I have a helmet. I even wear it sometimes. ;)

We all know that riding and handling horses is potentially dangerous, no matter how well trained the horse is. How many people do you know that are adamant about wearing their helmets when they ride, but never when they are 'just on the ground' handling their horse?

Trust me, lots of people get injured in ways they wouldn't if they had been wearing their helmets then too.

For those Western riders who think helmets are just for English riding, there are several fairly nice "Western-ish" helmets out there:

Troxel's Sierra

Troxel's Cheyenne

?? but I think by Troxel as well

I've heard tons of reasons FOR wearing helmets. But I've been hearing more and more, some seemingly reasonable ones, for NOT wearing a helmet.

Things such as:

*Human skulls were designed to crack to release pressure, a helmet keeps that from happening and therefore sometimes injuries are worse. (from a biker)

*There is some evidence that helmet use makes neck injuries worse. (from a fellow barrel racer that works in the medical field)

*That it gives the rider a false sense of safety and therefore people ride past their skill level/take risks they otherwise wouldn't.

What are your opinions? Do you wear a helmet? Why or why not? Are you considering wearing a helmet?

** this post is not meant to influence for/against helmet use**

*photos found online*

wow

The "contest", hmmm... guess I should call it a giveaway (?) has gotten a great response! I want to thank you guys for sending in nominations, keep 'em coming!! Spread the word, a week left to nominate people. :)

A special day

I can hardly believe this but...

Its our 5th wedding anniversary!

Only horse people...

Believe in the 11th commandment: Inside leg to outside rein.

Know that all topical medications come in either indelible blue, neon yellow or hot pink.

Think nothing of eating a sandwich after mucking out stalls.

Know why an equine thermometer has a yard of yarn attached to one end of it.

Are banned from laundromats.

Can magically lower their voice five octaves to bellow at a pawing horse.

Have a language all their own ("If he pops his shoulder, I have to close that hand and keep pushing with my seat in case he sucks back")

Will end relationships over their "hobby".

Cluck to their cars to help them up hills.

Insure their horses for more than their cars.

Will give you 20 names, and reasons, for that bump on your horse.

Know more about their horse's nutrition than their own.

Have neatsfoot oil stains on the carpet next to the TV.

Have a vocabulary that can make a sailor blush.

Have less wardrobe than their horse.

Engage in a hobby that is more work than their day job.

Wordless Wednesday

Pics!

Team sorting was, again, tons of fun. The weather was nicer this time, hopefully next weekend it will be nice too! (last team sorting of the year).
At these sortings teams are made by draw. You get four teams with two go's so you sort eight times total. There is a short lunch break between the two go's. I had a huge wait between my first team and my second team so after the lunch break I took advantage of that and snapped some pics.
Of course I put the first three pics out of order! The 1st pic (which I wanted 3rd) is below:
That is young Mark (he's 8) on an awesome little grey Arab sorting with Doug. Doug and his wife Bev own the acreage that hosts the team sorting. Really nice people. Doug's black gelding is Fred. He's 8 and Doug's had him since he was a 2 year old. They have a great bond, nice to see a horse that had been treated so badly find a home and get to live 'the good life'. (He had been very abused before Doug got him and his body has a few marks to show for it :( )
These next two pics were supposed to be at the top of the post! Kimfer's Aunt Jacquie took them at our first team sorting a couple weeks ago. Can you guess who's in these pics?

Yup that's me and Applejack in the big arena warming up. Or trying to... dang it was chilly that day!!! I had on a long sleeve T-shirt, a big fleece hoodie AND my heavier fall jacket. I really wish I had remembered my gloves To make things even chillier, a light misty rain fell for about half an hour part way through the sorting.... brrrr.

Below I believe I was getting him ready to try some bending/flexing. Can't really remember! (this was two weeks ago after all. lol)

BTW I really like how Doug and Bev have the orange snow fence attatched to open rails in the arena and sorting pens. Makes the fence so much more visible for the animals.

Back to pics from yesterday! See how nice and sunny it is :) Above is Connor and Norbert. Connor is 12 and Mark's brother. He's a nice kid but his sorrel can get a bit aggressive with the cows, see those pinned ears! He'll even bite them if he's close enough (have to watch he doesn't get called for excessive roughing!) Good teamwork here, Connor is clear with his cow and Norbert is setting out for the next one.
Here Connor's locked in on his cow and his horse is giving the 'stink eye' to the one on his left.

"Back off cow! Don't you dare try to get through that gate over there!!" lol

Its hilarious watching Connor sort, he growls and yells at those cows!

Talk about a stacked team! Brenda and Ace. Ace is Holly's husband, they're the ones that told Kimfer and I about sorting. Brenda is Holly's good friend, in fact Brenda & Holly are kinda a slightly older Kimfer & Lisa. Brenda, Holly & Ace are all very good horsemen. Brenda's on Yogi and Ace is on Dude, both awesome horses.

Brenda bringing in her cow while Ace guards a charge on the gate, hope he sees that sneaky #6 on his left while dealing with what's on his right!
Yes he did, here he is moving fast and bringing another one in. Brenda and Ace got all 10 of their cows on both goes.
I partnered with Brenda as well, our first run we were DQ'd (trash got through) :( Our second run we got all 10 in 1:19! (time limit is 1:30)
My best run of the day was with Larry, all 10 in 1:14. Not bad for a rookie!
The arena record is 0:54 flat.

Last night on my way home after dropping off my horse and tack I noticed how gorgeous the moon was. So I pulled over on the shoulder of the highway and snapped a few pics. Here's the best one:

*photos featuring myself were taken by Jacquie Fehr*

Horsey anniversary

Its been about 2 years since we bought Applejack ("Super Raincloud") This is a pic of his proud new owner (Pie) and him shortly after being unloaded at home.
(Well, Applejack's home... we board):

Pie has been learning alot about horse ownership since then. For example he's learned not to choke up quite that high on the lead rope! lol
Unfortunately due to his crazy work schedule he hasn't gotten to ride a whole lot. Worse still we're having a hard time finding lessons for him that also fit into the aforementioned crazy work schedule.
This weekend he doesn't get to ride, I'm stealing his horse to go team sorting again. :) Its okay actually, he has 'man work' to do at home. lol

So here's to Pie, Happy Horseowning Anniversary!!

$225.12

That's how much I spent on gas last night.

Why? (you ask)

Because several customers at the restaurant last night were telling me they had heard there was a price increase suspected tomorrow. (which is now today) A BIG increase. In fact 12 cents/litre was the number being tossed about. :O
Then one of our servers got a message from her cousin (who happens to also work for us). She had been given a head's up from a friend that owns a gas station. Same info. :(

** side note: That made me curious. I worked at a gas station for 5 years. We were never given that kind of head's up, not even the owner. We would just get "the call" from our fuel supplier and be told what price we were to have our pumps at NOW. **

I didn't really believe it would go up that much all at once. The biggest one day increase we've seen was 7 cents/litre and that was considered extreme. But I also didn't want to risk being caught with low tanks and the price going up. Besides I knew my vehicles needed to be filled anyway, and Pie's truck was at a half a tank.
So on my way home from work I stopped and filled up Pie's truck, a Chevy 1/2 ton. $69.00
When I got home I let the dogs out to "do their business", changed out of my work clothes, let the dogs back in and told them I'd be home soon.
First I filled up my Chevy, an Equinox. The fuel gage was just above the red line, I had been planning to fill it in the morning. (I normally fill when its at 1/4 tank) $61.55
Then I went home and switched trucks, taking my TRUCK truck (an F250 4X4) to be filled. It was at 1/4 tank. $94.57

Now the good news is that Pie's truck is technically owned by our restaurant. So that receipt I'll take to work to be claimed and I get my money back. (too bad that wasn't the $94 one!)

Soooo, now you all want to know. DID fuel go up today? Or was all that running around for nothing?

I had an appointment at 10am today (yikes, that's very early for me! But at least I got to hear John Gormley as he was on the air instead of the later re-broadcast. :) )

When I passed a gas station I looked and saw that gas was still at $1.349. Yay!

Of course, it was possible they hadn't got "the call" yet...

I was still hopeful.

Then on my way home an hour later:



Yes folks it did happen! A price jump of 11 cents/litre!
(insert foul language of your choosing here.)

Why?

Well supposedly because of Hurricane Ike. Which hasn't yet caused damage to fuel production.

Not to mention the whole "price of oil" argument... that one ticks me right off!
Oil prices go up, fuel goes up. Immediately.
Oil prices go down, fuel stays up. (wtf?) "Because it was bought at the higher price."
Oh WHATEVER. The fuel that was in the ground when oil went up had been bought at the lower price!

Okay, I need to stop now. I'm getting all worked up about this.

Oh, BTW I did the math. If I had waited until today and filled up at the higher price it would have cost:
Chevy 1/2 ton: $74.62
Equinox: $66.57
Ford F250: $102.28

For a grand total of: $243.47 A savings of just over $18.

A bit of a political moment

I remember that morning very clearly. It still can bring me to tears. It wasn't even my home, my state, my country or my friends and family. However those terrible events touched us all, American, Canadian, British. Every single one of us in 'the western world'.
My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were murdered on this day.
And as yet another tragic anniversary of this day begins to dawn on us I would like to give thanks to those that serve both my country (Canada) and that of many of my blog friends (America).
I refuse to argue about whether or not I think this war is a good or bad thing. Or whether we should continue or pull out.

Instead I say that no matter where you sit on this issue, give thanks.

Give thanks to the men and women who put their lives on the line to ensure our freedoms.
Give thanks to the men and women who helped create these two strong, FREE, democratic countries.

*images found online*

Saddles

I noticed something the other day when Pie and I were riding. I think maybe, just maybe, my seat is getting a bit better!
I got on Applejack when Pie was done riding him. We did a bit of bending and then I took him around the arena at a lope. Both directions, a few laps each way.
In Pie's big ol'saddle.
I didn't feel all loose, slippy, slidey like I usually do in that saddle. It used to be that if I hopped on his saddle I'd feel like there was waaay too much room for me and like I was all over the place. (It IS big, its a 17 or 18 Circle Y. Roper I believe)
The other day I still had lots of room. But I was just there. Right in the sweet spot. It was nice, gave me a feeling of confidence that I sorely needed. :)
Kinda reinforced my idea that I should spend some time this fall/winter taking lessons (if I can find a place) and put finding that new horse on hold until spring.

For the record, this is the saddle I normally ride Applejack in:


Its a Raylee Edwards barrel saddle. I got it from Frontier Western Shop (there is a link to their website in my sidebar). I love this saddle. Very comfy and I can ride in it for ages.

Cessa needed a narrower saddle. This is the one I ride her in:

Its by Tex Tan. From their NBHA barrel saddle line, the model is "The Eagle". I really like this saddle too. In fact I wouldn't have gotten a different one but Quinn and Applejack needed something wider.
I used to have another Tex Tan (NBHA, model "The Patriot") but I sold it to a girl I barrel race with. She loves it. I really liked it too, but I found I had better form when running barrels in the Eagle.
I also have a brand new Billy Cook (the REAL Billy Cook). It is a replacement of the one AmanDUH trashed. Since Quinn is sold I don't need two full quarter horse bar saddles right now. I'm holding onto it though, if the new horse is also big and stocky it will be nice to have two saddles instead of running around switching saddles if I were to take both horses to a jackpot.
Two last things... since I mentioned AmanDUH. I believe I found an ad for her online. Giving lessons, starting colts, training horses or doing equine massage. Makes me want to get a free 'phony' email and see if it IS her.
And, nicer news, Tuffy Horse likes my blog! And here is his seal of approval:
Thanks Tuffy!! :)
*saddle images found online, Tuffy award passed on by Tuffy - not of my creating*

Sooo... I'm a Dumbass :)

Yeah, really I am at times. Here's a good example:

For the last little while I've been checking Leah's blog (Barn Door Tagz) and wondering what the heck was up with that chick.
I mean really now. She hadn't posted anything since June 28th! I knew she'd been online, she'd been posting in people's comments.
And as a matter of fact she'd been posting on her blog. For some lame reason (oh yeah, I'm a dumbass :P) I'd bookmarked a specific entry instead of her actual blog.
To make matters even worse (or actually in a way, better) I find out that between June 28th and the end of July (which is where I'm caught up to so far) she'd given l'il ol'dumbass (ummm, yes that would be ME) an award!!!
So Leah here it is. (finally lol)

These are the rules of this award:

1. Put the Logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

3. Nominate 7 fellow bloggers for this award

4. Add Links to the recipients

5. Leave a comment to recipients or email them to let them know they have an award.

Numbers 1 and 2, check and check. Now for number 3 (in no particular order):

1) Great photos, a way with words. It always makes my day to see a new post from this lovely lady, TrainWreck at Cowboys, Kids and Sunsets.
2)A lady who did a world of good for a very special horse, and shared his story with us all. I, like many others, hope she writes a book. Trust me I'll laugh and cry just as much reading it a second time! If you haven't already checked it out, go to Saving Argus. Katie you are indeed a wonderful, special person!
3)Flying Lillies, gorgeous photos, gorgeous horses! What more needs to be said! Check her out at When Lillies Fly: Horse Blog and Philosophy.
4) and 5) Two blogs written from the horse's point of view. Entertaining as all get out! Here are Tuffy Horse at The Horse Diary and Maximus at I am an Imperial Horse Who NEEDS Sugars!
6)Laura and I are so similar in some ways its scary. Yet different enough that I learn from her. So here's to Little Keebler.
7)Only one spot left.... where to go where to go... okay this last spot is reserved for a gal that's inclined to ride. Steph who is enrolled in The School of Life With Horses (love that blog name!)

There we go. Number 4 is now checked off so I'll post this and go do number 5 of the rules.

Thanks again Leah!! :)

*award is not of my own creation*

A Different Kind of Ride

Nobody correctly guessed the ride I took while out east soooo:




Yup, I got to ride in a helicopter!! Yes, it was my first time and it was awesome!

This is how it came about:
Auntie & Uncle told us that on Saturday there was going to be a helicopter landing in their field across the road from their house. This was a big deal, being a small town all sorts of gossip could start from this. Turns out that a very well off man had approached them asking if he'd be able to land in their field. It was his mom's birthday and he always tries to do something special. This year was her 80th and he had connections to give her a helicopter ride, he just needed a place to land.
Auntie & Uncle said sure thing. The day of the helicopter ride came and it was grey, foggy and yucky. Uncle and Bri gave up waiting for it when it was 20 minutes late. I gave up waiting somewhere around a half hour. I said "Watch, I'll go in to wash my hair and it'll come."
Sure enough that's what happened.
Drew (my cousin) and I got a good spot and got pics of the chopper landing and the birthday people getting on and flying off. They went for quite a few rides with different combo's of the birthday lady's family members.
(Drew has an awesome video where he tried to follow the chopper and it flew right over him... he followed until he kinda fell trying to bend backwards)
Now we were kinda bored, you can only watch it land and take off so many times. lol
I was standing at the kitchen table and I saw Drew running for the front door. Knowing something was up I met him at the door.
He blurts out "Who wants to go for a helicopter ride?! Quick, 10 seconds, they're taking 2!!!!"
I look around and everyone is just staring. "Are you going?" I said to Drew.
He nods and starts to run to the field, I ran back through the house to the kitchen door to put on my shoes and then run to join him. (Drew ran across the yard, road and field barefoot) :x
It was soooo awesome. I'm really glad we went!
Here's a pic of Drew in the chopper:

Do you think he was having fun??

This is Auntie & Uncle's farmyard as we flew off:

That little dirt road bordering the trees on the right? That leads down to the lake and the camper Day and I stayed in.

Day and Auntie got a ride after Drew and I:

This was a big shock to Auntie's boys... she is very afraid of heights. Aaron didn't even believe she was in there until they landed and he saw her come out!

Bri and Uncle got back waaaay after all this. They missed everything!

And of course at the local store (where Auntie works) there was quite a buzz going on.... after all this is about the time of year when the government helicopters are flying around the area looking for "special crops" tucked away in the woods. lol

BTW I thought it was very generous of the man who organized this for his mom to let us have rides.

*photo of Dana & Auntie M taken by Dana*

Weekend

First off, my "weekend" starts on Sunday as that is my first day off after working. Secondly, even though it is "officially" verrrry early Monday morning when I say 'today' I am referring to Sunday (I haven't gone to bed yet so it can't be tomorrow! lol)

So this boy, Applejack, has been a super boy these past few days:
I took him for a short ride Saturday. We're trying to figure out what bit we want to use for this new team sorting thing we're doing. The snaffle I used last weekend was okay but he just wasn't as quick to respond as I wanted. I felt like there were times where I was hauling him around in the turns.
Yesterday (Saturday) I rode in a jointed mouthpiece with short shanks. The arena was muddy and it looked slick so I rode him in one of the pastures. We mainly walked and jogged and took it pretty easy as I didn't want to tear up the pasture.
It was such a nice ride though! He was so responsive that it was like I just had to think about what I wanted and he did it! :) We would be jogging along and I'd think to myself that I wanted him to speed up a bit and before I could consciously cue he would speed up a tad. I'd think of asking him to slow down and bam he'd slow down. I loooove those kinds of rides. Also, I didn't have to use any rein to stop him, stops were all off seat and voice commands. We were just so in tune that everything seemed to click. I even tried some turns on the haunches and I think if I were a better rider I'd have been able to get a spin.

So then on to today. Pie finally got a real day off. He hasn't had one in a few months (oh the joy of having your own business). Last night we talked about what we wanted to do for the day and decided to go ride, yay! Pie hasn't ridden in months, and, well... I have kinda stolen his horse for barrels. :o
I was kinda concerned, Applejack was being an awesome beginner/lesson horse for Pie and I hoped putting him on barrels hadn't got him a bit hot or quick. So we saddled up in the barn and then Pie went to walk Applejack in the arena while I bridled Cessa and talked to Kimfer.
Kimfer showed me the bruise on her calf from when she fell off the truck loading bales (ouch!!) I told her that was a pretty spectacular bruise and she should show Pie. She asked if he was riding already and I said no, he was supposed to be walking his horse so he could tighten the saddle and besides he wasn't supposed to get on before I got out there.
Well we walk outside and what do we see:

Yup, Pie and Applejack just tooling around the arena all comfy like its an everyday thing! Pie hasn't had a lot of experience riding yet, his lessons kinda went bust when I fired AmanDUH (oh geez yes, SHE had been teaching him!) I get kinda protective of him and worry too much that he'll get hurt. (I'm worse than a parent! lol) Part of it that Pie isn't really scared because he hasn't had a bad experience yet. I know it will come eventually, it does to all of us that ride any amount. I just want it to be an experience that he can deal with and one that doesn't make him say "forget this!"
Pie was very happy after our rides and glad he'd decided to come out. He even rode longer than I did!! Cessa feels like her mind and heart have more to give than her poor body right now. :( She hasn't been ridden much and she's had some minor leg issues this year. The vet says to ride her but take it slow for now so we walked and did a tiny bit of trotting. I could feel her wanting to go faster but I didn't want to risk it. I was very surprised when I told Pie that Cessa should be put up for the day and he said he'd keep riding for a bit!
While Pie finished off his ride I put Cessa's magnetic boots on and untacked. Then I went out and snapped a few pics of my boys. When Pie was done I got on and took Applejack for a few laps at a lope and then we cooled him out, untacked and grained the ponies and turned them back out.
Here are my boys posing and looking serious:

Tonight Pie and I just chilled and watched some TV, it was a nice day together. I'm glad he finally had a day off and it was lowkey and relaxing for him.

Just a quick one

As some of you may (or may not) know I recently returned from a trip out east. My dad has kidney disease and was scheduled to have a transplant (which went very well, thanks for all your good wishes he really appreciated them). :)
Anyhow, while I was there I spent some time with my mom's family (my parents are divorced) and she happened to be out visiting as well! Turns out the last few days of my mom and B's visit overlapped with my sis and I's. (B is mom's hubby, my sis I call Day)
Day and I stayed in a trailer at Auntie M's. It was awesome, and yes I have pics... but not today.
Today I want to share with you this photo Auntie M sent me. It is on the living room wall in her house:

In the pic is Uncle R's dad and brother with their team that they used in the woods. Uncle R knows I love horses and he took it off the wall and brought it in the kitchen one morning to show me. He told me a bit about his family and the horses. I fell in love with this photo... I love stuff like that!
Just thought I'd share it with y'all in a quick post... unfortunately today IS a work day and since I rode earlier I am really in need of a shower. lol

Oh! I do have pics from a very different kind of ride I took while at Auntie M & Uncle R's farm. Can anyone guess what it was?!

*Mom and Auntie are NOT allowed to "guess" seeing as they were there!!*

Dream Horse

Well it seems that sometime in the future, near or distant, I'll be horse shopping again. THIS time I'm going to try to lead with my head...

So in that line of thought here are my wishes and needs for that next horse:

*sound (body and mind!)
*good ground manners
*well broke and decently trained*
*min. 15 HH, prefer 15.1 - 15.3
*age 5 - 12 yrs.
*loads/hauls well
*easy to catch, good with feet, clips, bathes
*ties (you'd think this would be a given but...)
*prefer a nicely bred, papered mare but would consider the right gelding
*speaking of papers, for my purposes AQHA, APHA, or ApHC (ole Applejack has got me to liking Appaloosas!)
*a do anything horse - I want to barrel race, trail ride, team sort, possibly team pen and rope.**
*not too 'hot' but not a 'deadhead'
*good looking***


*Yes there is a difference between broke and trained!
**No I don't rope, but I do want to try to learn. Somehow I don't think a horse that's not rope broke would like me smacking him in the head with the, er... ummm, I mean, the rope whizzing past him to solidly catch that calf! lol
***Yes I know, "pretty is as pretty does" and all that. But most people don't want an ugly horse. Except one guy I had heard of that rodeos. He swore his ugly horses worked harder because they knew he wasn't keeping them because they were pretty! But seriously, I like a nice looking horse.

Okay, that's my rough list for now. Probably will be added to/changed before I find that horse.

Sophie

This post is not horse-related, and some may consider it sappy. You've been forewarned so don't read it if you don't want to.


Our dear little Sophie, the cuddler and the klepto, its been a year since you left us. You were only 5, it doesn't seem right that you are gone. I know there was nothing we could have done for you, but even that is little comfort.
Chloe misses her snuggles with you. She has come to accept Lola but still puts her in her place, as if to say she tolerates her but doesn't love her like she did you.
I know Pie misses his snuggles with you. And we both still laugh at the way you stole anything you could, especially money. And how you always greeted company, so very un-catlike of you!
We'll miss you always Sophie, our little beauty queen.