That Sick Feeling

You know that moment when you go out to feed your horses and one is missing and the gate is wide open? Yeah that feeling. Then there is that big smile, huge sigh of relief as you give your "come and get it" whistle and here comes a big red horse at a dead run from somewhere just outside your property line. God kept my guy safe and close to home.. thanks God!

One Minute

I have about a minute, then must go shower and get my butt to bed.

Many things to write about, but so little time.

Old job let me go the same day I put in my 2 weeks notice.   I learned so much from that job as a cashier.  It looks so much easier than it is.  Always be nice to that lady ringing you up for your purchases. She might be slow because she is struggling with a job she never pictured herself doing.  It might be the first job she has ever had.  Or maybe she is trying to figure out how she is going to pay her bills on the meager amount she is making at the job of cashier.

The new job is good, everything there seems so easy, but probably only because it is so similar to my jobs in WY. But I think I am going to like it there very much.  I do miss my mornings with my horses though.  Now I just get to throw food and leave.

Took Big K out for a jaunt around the block last week.  We went bareback and it was just a nice easy ride.  He likes being a trail horse. He does not like being an arena horse.

Rode Trax the next day, he is happy doing either, or neither.  I think he is just happy in his life here with this herd.  He always comes to me now, even if he knows it is time to go to work. I love my horse so much. We worked on serpentine's again that day. Only we worked more on my skill than his.  I gently picked up the reins rather than pulling, and he responded quite nicely.  We also worked on stepping correctly to the side. One right stop got him the rest he deserved.  it is paying off.

Sassy has been getting her walks and seems to be getting better.  We watched some roping at the neighbors house and when they left the box at a run she thought that maybe she should run too.  But mostly she just loves to go out and about.  She gets visibly angry if she has to miss a day.  We also do some round pen work and although she still short steps sometimes, it isn't as much.

Today I spent the entire day trimming some of the big trees on the property.  I used the tractor as my ladder, and then had my son use the chainsaw extension on the weed eater to get the big stuff.  I wished I had been smart enough to put the trailer under the trees as I trimmed.  Instead I had to drive around to my piles and pick everything up. My neck hurts now but I feel like I got a lot accomplished.

Tomorrow starts a new week, and I probably will not be on line much. So I am wishing all my blogging friends a nice easy happy week, with as much equine time as each of you need to be ok.

Take care.

Nightmares

Last night I had a terrible dream.


It was time to feed my horses.


And it was snowing like crazy.


I got rid of all of my super cold weather horse blankets.


I couldn't find any winter jackets for myself.



I couldn't find any boots.



And my ex-husband was there having a support group for men on why women are stupid.
(hence the word "ex")


Luckily it was just a dream, and it is not snowing and my ex is no where near here.  So I am headed out for my morning equine ritual and then off to Wickenburg for Simon's football game.

Just for the record, I would not mind the drive to the game if my son was permitted to play more than one down per game.  I mean I'll be the first to admit that he is not the best player on the team, but the team has not won a single game so clearly none of the players are all that good (like any self respecting parent I blame the coaches)  and so it probably wouldn't get too much worse if they let him play a little.  But one of the rules of this league is that if we don't like it, we can mention it to the coaches but the decision is still their own.


Have not been able to ride at all this week, not since Monday anyways, Maybe tomorrow night.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

A Bit of News

Through a conversation with one of the kids at work a light bulb came on in my head.  He had mentioned that there is a diesel truck parts place in Mesa, and that maybe I should apply there since I have so much experience in that field. 

DUH!!! Why didn't I think of that before?

Not only did I try that particular one, but there was another one more specific to the experience I have located in Chandler, so I went there as well.  

I handed the manager my resume', he looked it over and said, "Wow."  We talked about this and that, and the fact that although the company did have openings they were all in Tolleson.  That would be an incredibly long drive for me. But he said that he would send my resume' over (yeah for the right amount of money I would make that drive) and possibly give it to his service dept who might be looking for a service writer.  

As we were talking we discussed who his regional rep was.  It was the same regional rep that I had in WY.  I had really only brought it up because I was curious, but it paid off in the long run. 

After I left he called that rep and asked him if he knew me.  I guess the rep said, "If you can find a place for her, it would be a good thing for your company."

Yesterday he offered me a job. It is a pretty good job, with some damn good pay, in a field that I am really really good at. AND it isn't in Tolleson. This is a company that I can (and most likely will) move up in, and it won't take 20 years for it to happen. It is a fast growing company that cares about its employee's. 

I have enjoyed my job at the ranch supply store, but what I have learned through this experience is that I am a horrible cashier.  I am great at customer service, but the whole cash register thing puts so much stress on me, I buckle under pressure.  I suddenly forget how to count change, how to ring anything up...yeah it's bad. 

 Or at least it feels bad to me.  

I can't help but think back as to the day when it seemed as though God was sending me to work at that store. If it wasn't to become a big part of that store...what was it?   

I have some theories.  

I have met some great folks there, who I have become pretty friendly with. Folks who also have horses and ride and stuff like me.  

I met a gal who says that she was inspired by me (long story- another day) and that inspiration has lead her to pursue something that she had been putting off for a long time, and that something is coming together for her.  

I also found myself humbled by that position.  For me humble is vital, and I was glad for that wake up call. 

So I am off to take my pre-hire drug test and physical, neither of which will be an issue for me, and if all goes according to plan I will be putting in my 2 weeks notice by Friday.  

I am excited to be back in a position where I know I can excel.  I am relieved that I will be making enough money to pay my bills and take good care of my animals.  I will be glad to be pulling my own fair share again. I hated that I wasn't.  I will be glad to be able to say, "Yes son, you may have a new football."

So for now Bonanza Boarding will be put on hold.  It isn't like anyone was beating down my door anyway. LOL

What I love about the Mare

Every morning before feeding I have been taking Sassy for her walks.  Yesterday's walk also involved chasing 2 of my dogs down the road and being really mad at TC for letting them out and then not watching them...but that is a different story.  But suffice to say that I was so busy being angry and chasing dogs that I did not really get to watch Sassy to see how she was doing. 

This morning we went the opposite direction down the longer end of our road and back. As we left she was wide eyed with wonder. Not fear or apprehension, just excitement.  Not even excitement, just happy to be going some place.  That is the thing with Sassy, she is the opposite of barn sour, and the only horse I have ever known who was. 

As we walked down the road she was right beside me, even a little a head of me. Not chargey, or pulling on the lead, but more like a little kid, 

"Mom, come on!!! Can't you walk any faster! There is so much to see!"

Am I the only one who has seen their horses smile?   Killian does it a lot but today Sassy was literally grinning from ear to ear.  Okay well maybe not that much, but still she had a very happy look on her face.  You could see it in her eyes, and the set of her mouth. I swear the corners were turned up just a little.  

I love seeing her like this.  

It is that curiosity and confidence that she has all the time which has driven me to keep trying to fix her.  She is going to be one of those awesome horses that is so much fun to ride.  Of course with her handicap I know that she will never be anything more than a trail horse now, but damn, how could you not love a trail horse that actually looks forward to going out?

As we reached the end of the road and turned around, she realized we were headed home.  Her pace slowed down and she got that little kid pouty look.  

"Aw Mom, do we have to go home already?"

By time we got to the drive she started getting stuck.  

"No I won't go and you can't make me"

But I did make her and now she is in her pen tackling the hay net.  

I did have time to watch her move this time...I honestly and truthfully believe that she is walking better!

AND...she hasn't had any Bute in 4 days. 

Another Video

I spent so much time playing with this video that now I am having to rush to get to work on time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TgphU_lCYo&feature=youtube_gdata

Lots of bad stuff, but a few good steps, so I'll call it progress!

One man's trash....

Friday the 13th was pretty tough, the 14th wasn't much better, and today, even though I have the day off and I know that riding would make me feel better, I didn't get up and ride.  I caught up on my blog reads instead.

I think that maybe I am experiencing a certain amount of depression. Don't worry, I'll get over it.

I did take Sassy for her walk this morning before letting her out with the boys. This time we made 2 laps around the arena. (note to self, DO NOT wear sandals next time)  I might be wrong, it might just be wishful thinking, but it sort of seemed like she is walking better.  By better I mean her short steps are less prominent and sometimes not even visible at all.  Do I dare hope that we are making progress?

Trax on the other hand limped all the way to the pasture. I stopped and checked for a lodged rock or something, but found nothing.  Once he got to the grass he was fine and ran and bucked and trotted and moved completely sound just like he always does.  

In a minute I am going to go clean stalls, and then work my arena  and my round pen and make them nice and soft. Then I will take Trax out there this evening just to make sure he is ok.  Please God, let him be ok.

One good thing happened yesterday, I was at my sons football game and walked past a dumpster where someone had thrown away 2 almost brand new folding lawn chairs.   TC and I have been trying to find some exactly like them, so yes I took them out of the dumpster and put them in the back of the pick up. No sense letting something good go to waste.

Go ahead, and say it...I'm a dumpster diver.  *hangs head in shame*

More on the Mare

Well here we are on Friday the 13th and so far it is in fact shaping up to be a pretty depressing day.

I found out this morning that I need a new radiator for my truck.

An hour later my oldest son called and told me that he hit a curb with my new Envoy and blew the new tire, busted the wheel, and who knows what he did to the alignment.  Luckily he works in a repair shop so it will get fixed, but it never should have happened and the timing sucked! He says the custom wheels I have are no longer made, so now we he will have to buy 4 wheels and a new tire. 

Luckily I keep a tub of home made cream cheese frosting in the freezer for days just like this, and I am happily chipping away at it even now. It doesn't fix anything but it makes me feel better!

Yesterday the farrier was out for Sassy.  He put the wedged pad shoes on her, but he also added gel in between to give her some relief for her thin soles. We talked a lot about toe first landings as opposed to heel first landings, and unlike a different farrier I had used who said it wasn't "that" important. This one says it is very important and that is what we are hoping for.  He also did some things different at the heel than most farriers do in this situation, as in, brought the shoes back further to really give her good support in the back.

Let me just say that I am not as optimistic as he as.  This is in no way a reflection on the farrier.  He did a great job and his goals make sense to me. But I am pretty much convinced that there is no hope for this mare.  If she were a wild horse, she'd have been eaten by a Puma long ago.   Natures way of keeping the herd healthy.   Sorry if that seems harsh.

The farrier did impress me in many ways.  His name is Charlie Hill, and if you would like to know more about him, check out his website chillmethod.com.  He is more than a farrier, he is actually a very gifted horseman, and this was VERY apparent to me as we talked about my ponies. I watched him move Miss Sassy this way and that with just a finger strategically placed here or there.  He speaks about horses in ways that I have read about but am just beginning to really grasp.

One of the things we talked a lot about was mechanics.  He says that while most clinicians teach foundations, he likes to start with the mechanics and through that, the foundations come.  In some ways, I think that is kind of cool simply because although I understand all the foundations, I can not execute the mechanics and there for my foundations don't hold up.

Charlie was a student of Ray Hunt's and listening to him talk about his personal relationship with this legend was pretty awesome as well.  We talked about a lot of the big name clinicians, what they have in common and what separates them from each other.

We talked about Trax and our issues, where we started, and where we are now. He applauded my work so far (always a good way to get on MY good side- lol) and then he gave me some new perspective to think about.  For example, was his blow up the other day really about the rope or did I make it about the rope?

We talked about how he was so hard to teach to flex laterally. I told him how he would spin for hours.  He asked, "Were you pulling his eye or pulling his head?"  And then demonstrated with Sassy, about hand position in relation to jaw position.  I can see now that I was in fact pulling his head and he was following his nose.

When we talked about my goals with Trax, and how I want to learn to communicate less with my hands and more with my body, he said he could help me.  He invited me to come and ride at his open ride night, or to schedule some lessons, which ever I prefer.  It wasn't a "come spend your money with me" sort of hard sell. It was more of a, "I can see you really want this and I think I can help you" sort of sell. Of course he is going to get paid, it is how he makes his living.  Asking for it for free would be disrespectful.

Afterwards, he gave me light exercise instructions for Sassy and she had those this morning for a bit. She is still sore on certain steps.  But sometimes she isn't so there is some progress. We hand walked down the road and did some light round pen work. Very light...just walking but the goal is to stimulate the blood flow.

Now it is time for me to put the frosting away and get ready for work.

Take care everyone, stay inside its friday the 13th!

My First Flier and Some Thoughts

Since I had the day off yesterday I spent some time getting things done (yes after the house work and the blogging) one of which was printing off a flier for my new adventure.

I should have done it on my own computer, and then put it on a jump drive, then taken it in for printing. BUT I ran out of time yesterday morning and ended up just going to an office store and using what they had.  I did have my camera handy to pull some photos but my battery was dead, TC was trying to rush me, and I had to keep charging it in 10 min increments. Because of that I ended up being stuck with these photos.

Here is my finished product.  I will say that I do not love it, but I don't hate it either.  I need better photos, and a better layout. BUT on a bulletin board I feel that it will be an eye catcher, and that is what I really needed.  I left a lot of info off the flier, feeling that if I over loaded it, no one would take the time to read it all. I also forgot to put in the part about arena rental, but will get that on my next one.

I want to thank everyone for all the great input they gave me.  All of it was really good stuff that I had not considered. Some of it I will implement immediately, and others will have to come after time. Right now we will be so small, the community tack room will have to do.  We will have to get a porta-potty I guess, until I can build a separate restroom.

I will have my list of rules typed up by this weekend, and will show you what I have for that as well. I got a great contract on line, am in the process of securing my insurance, and will get my signs this week as well.

Now with all of this being said...I did go to the interview for the 8-5 office manager job.  The interview went well, the pay isn't awesome, but is decent, and it seems like it could be a good company to work for.  Of course I don't have the job yet, so we will see what happens with that.

If I get the job, I will almost have to take it. I still have to pay the bills while I'm getting my Stable venture to take off.  I hate to leave my job at the ranch supply store, but I cannot do both unless I work 7 days a week. If I am going to do that I may as well just sell the horses and forget all my dreams.

I'm doing a lot of praying hoping that God will show me the right answer. He usually does.

Men and Their Twisted Priorities....

This post was originally going to be called "Nothing But Net" but just as I sat down to start typing, TC whipped out the dust mop and the vacuum (If it weren't for spell check I wouldn't even be able to spell the word much less actually do it)  and expected me to stop blogging and do the "C" word.

Clearly his priorities are all jacked up.

Clean before blogging?

BLASPHEMY!

Doesn't he understand that this is where I bond with other horsey women?  Doesn't he understand that this is one of the ways I relax on my days off. Doesn't he understand that the world needs  to hear me ramble on about my ponies?!?

So being the good  woman that I am, I stepped away from my keyboard with a smile on my face and ran the noisy thing that you push around which is supposed to suck up the dog hair. I have yet to see or find a vacuum made that can survive my house.

 Of course I still cannot get him to grasp the concept that if you dust before you clean the floor, then you don't have to worry about things falling on the floor.

He likes to start with the floor and then do the counters and the table.

I start with the counters and tables and then do the floors leave the floors for another day! LOL!

Anyway so lets move on to my original post.

Nothing But Net!

I have implemented the slow feed hay nets and it is quite interesting to see the different reactions from each horse. They each have their own method of attack for getting the hay out of the net.

For Sassy it is a puzzle to be solved, and she spends much time putting the pieces together and getting every last bit of hay out of the net. She is relatively dainty about it, taking small bites.  But it seems to be effective, as she has no trouble emptying the net in an afternoon. I don't have pictures of her today, because she is out on the pasture today.

Killian, of course has a more manly approach.

He tends to grab large mouthfuls and bats the bag around with his nose.  He has pulled the bag down, he has stepped on it and pulled hay out.  He empty's his bag in record time.

Trax likes to pull on the net itself, shake the hay out and then pick it up off the ground.

Sometimes though, throwing the bag around can have adverse results.

After that he just followed Killian's lead and just pulled out big chunks.

Danny's reaction was the one I did not expect, and again I do not have pictures, but if you have been following this blog for any time at all and have any idea what a character my old guy is, you will understand.

Basically the conversation went like this.

Hey Danny here is a bag full of hay for you.

 Smells good- go ahead and open it 

No Danny, you don't understand. I don't open it for you, you pull the hay out through these tiny holes.

SAY WHAT????

Yes, see the other horses? See how they are working at figuring out how to pull the hay out through the holes?

Yes, well clearly you have forgotten WHO I am. 

No Danny, I know exactly who you are.

I am not going to play your silly hay bag games. (stomps foot- tosses head)

Well Danny if you want the hay, you have to pull it through the holes. I will leave your for a while to see if you want to try it.

(I watched him pull one sliver of hay through the hole, tossed his head around some more and then went to the other side of the pen and stood with his butt to me.  I went back out 2 hours later and he still had not touched the bag. When he saw me come out he wuffled to me, stomped his foot and shook his head up and down some more.)

I'm not messing around Lady, you come put my hay out where it belongs.  I WILL NOT eat hay out of a bag like a trick pony!


I put some hay in his tub, which he promptly tossed on to the ground and then started to eat. The hay bag remained hanging in his pen for 3 days without being touched. Finally on Sunday I let Killian wander the yard all day to mow my grass spots and he found the bag. He pulled it to the outside of the pen and ate every bit of it.  I no longer even bother with a hay net for Danny. He has made his demands and I have bowed down to the King once again.

I'm okay with that today. After all, it is Danny, and what Danny wants, Danny gets.



As I filled the bags this morning I discovered the hard way that we have ants in our hay.

Biggefy to see the ants

Lets think about this a minute shall we?

When you fill a hay bag, or do anything at all with hay, where does the hay always end up?

If you said "Inside your underwear" then you answered correctly.

So if the hay is full of ants, where do you suppose that the ants ended up?

Yes that is right, I literally had ants in my underpants, in my bra, in my shoes and everywhere else.  Not the best way to start my morning...and then TC wanted me to come in clean?????? Sheesh!


Now it  really is time to get some things done.  I have to go print off fliers for the new business venture, as well as get an ad up for my extra saddle which I need to sell.

Oddly enough, no sooner did I decide to go for the boarding business (and thank you everyone for your input- everyone had great ideas and I have written them all down so I don't forget anything) but I called for an interview for an 8-5 Office Manager position. I will go to the interview, but not as thrilled as I should be about the possibility.

I made my decision to pursue my dream, and abandoning that idea for a desk job is a little depressing.  On the other hand, a decent paycheck would be nice.  Not sure what I will do, I guess I have to see how the interview goes.

I shall end my post with some gratuitous yard shots.

I love the yellow buds

This one is on the down side of its life. 

Old Butchy

Smarty Pants

Need Some Input Please

I have come to the conclusion that a full time or better paying job is not in the cards for me. There has to be a reason for this, and there is only one that I can think of.  I am supposed to do something from home.  So as I sit in my yard and survey around me, I can't help but wonder if maybe I am supposed to make this property work for me.

After all, this property was purchased for me.  TC never would have bought a place with all of these equine possibilities if it weren't for me.  I even said before we moved down here that I would love to not have to have a 9-5 job.  Does this mean that my wishes were answered?  (Yes I know- be careful what you wish for)

So with that, and the fact that I have to do something to bring in some cash asap, I have placed an ad.  I am also working on drawing up a contract and liability release.  I have never had to board a horse before,  so when trying to determine what I need to offer, I went with what I would expect if I were boarding,  As well as what I have learned from bloggers who board.  I have read your blogs and listened to the things you like at certain barns, and things that absolutely drove you up the wall.  But still I would really love some input.

Here is the link to my ad and please folks, I really need to hear what you think.  Do I need to omit anything from my ad?  Is there something I need to add to it?  I do think I need to go work my round pen and then re-take that picture.  It is not very flattering.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/fgs/4045694484.html

Yes I understand that boarding opens up a door to a ton of hassle, but I have to do something to make some money. I have the room and the time right now. I have the equipment to make it a little easier. I have a property that was built by a vet and a farrier, with horse safety in mind.  But most of all I really do care about people who care about their horses. I really do want to provide a quality service, and I want the horses in my care to be treated with as much care as I would treat my own.

You will see that I only offer full care. I had originally considered offering different levels of care, but decided against it.  The last thing I need is someone saying they just want to rent the stall, and paying the bare minimum and then just never showing up, knowing that I am not going to let the horse starve to death.

I would appreciate any suggestions of things to include in my contract, besides the obvious of liability release, definition of negligence, what happens if they do not pay, etc.


If you think I am out of my ever lovin mind, feel free to tell me that too.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Five minutes to post my Random Five

Linking up to Nancy at a Rural Journal
http://www.aruraljournal.com/


1. I'm still pretty stressed most of the time...except when things like this happen.  When I see the world through his ears, life is good. It is better than good....it is perfect.

2.  At least one person who visits my blog will recognize this view.   (and my riding partner and I discussed how awesome it would be if that person could come with us to ride in the desert some day)

3.  Trax enjoys wandering through the desert much more than working in the arena, even if it does hurt is feeties a bit more. We did manage to find plenty of soft stuff to ride in so that he could walk normally. He was a good good boy for me today.

4. There is a trail head on the way up to Globe called "Picket Post"  I am determined to get up there this fall some time. Just as soon as I get something on my ponies feeties.

Source

5. I just got home from work and my own feeties are killing me, so I totally understand how my ponies feel about the rocky terrain.  I promise, my faithful steeds, that your new shoes will come even before my own.

Dumped On My Arse

Today, being the 5th of Sept marks the first time I have ever been dumped on my butt by Trax.

It started with a simple ride on my day off, which was going wonderfully. We had nice soft canters, and wonderful flex at the jaw, and smooth side passes, and I thought, "Heck this ride is going to be a dream!"  I even had my camera on the tripod to record some of the awesomeness.

But alas, it was not to be.

About the time I decided to do the rope gate from the right side, my trusty steed had a major relapse.

He suddenly became terrified of the rope again.

We rode up next to it and he was fidgety. I should have just stopped there and rested. But no, I ignored the signs and reached down and picked up the rope.  I rubbed him with it and he flinched and stepped away.  I moved him back towards it and we attempted to walk through the gate.  He started scootching sideways. I rubbed him with the rope again and it got caught up under the stirrup flap. I reached down to unlodge said rope and Trax did a side ways butt scoot across the ring.

I felt myself falling, and begged him to stop but it was too late, I was already air born which caused him to jump even further.  I landed right on my butt (right cheek to be exact) and felt my spine jar up through the top of my skull.

My crazy paint horse calmly trotted to the other side of the arena and watched me sit there on the ground.

While I caught my breath and tried to figure out if I could get up without getting a ton of goat head stickers in my hands, he then trotted over to the back of the arena where Killian and Sassy were watching with great delight.

While I cursed all three of them for laughing at me, I slowly managed to get up with only 3 stickers stuck in my hand.

I calmly made my way across the arena, saying nice soothing words to my horse so that he didn't run. He had no intention of running though, He just wanted me to walk further to "Work the kinks out"

I rubbed my horse and calmly told him that he was not done, and we obviously had some work to do.

Then we went and got the roping rope out of the track room.  No I did not beat him with it, although I'm sure that is what he was expecting. At least that is how he acted. He was white eyed and prancy, flinching each time the rope touched him. I was petting him....I swear.

I put the lasso around a log and dallied my horn and we dragged the log.  I was smart enough to remain on the ground for this part, as he jumped every time the rope touched his butt. We did this until he no longer jumped, his eyes were no longer white, and his breathing was normal again.  Then I got back on him.

We did some loping circles, some trotting, some side passing, and then went back to the gate. He executed it perfectly from the left.  So we side passed over some poles and then went back and approached it from the right.   He was really bothered by it for some reason.  So we went back to the beginning. We rested next to the gate.

Then we rode away.

A few minutes later we went back and tried again. This time we got as far as picking up the rope and hanging it back up again. Each time I would rub him with the rope and each time he would flinch like I was going to beat him with it.  I have never peat him with anything, much less a rope.  I kept talking to him, letting my air out to encourage him to let his out as well.

Finally after about 10 tries we executed the rope gate from the right with out a flinch or a scoot. It was perfect.

No I did not get any of it on film.  I totally forgot the camera was even there.

As I was working I found myself thinking about Michael Johnson and Shine.  He and I have emailed back and forth a few times.  He told me that for horses like Trax, even though they learn to trust again, they always carry that fear with them.  It will resurface when we least expect it, and we have to know what the warning signs are are watch for them constantly.

If we see that our horse is relapsing in fear, we have to take them back to place when they weren't afraid and start again. That was my goal today, and when we got past it, the second we got past it, I jumped off and loosened his cinch.

I'm pretty sore, have a pretty good head ache, and dread having to be on my feet all day tomorrow. But I have a sense of accomplishment which out weighs the negative.  I learned what his warning signs are, I helped him work through his fear and I saw the exact moment to end on a positive.  All in all it was still a good ride. Even if I did get dumped on my Arse.

A Short Trail Ride- With Company!

So I have been dying to go and ride in the desert by our house, but it is fenced off and locked up. I have been told that one of the the neighbors has the key and that you have to get it from her to ride there. So I went off to find said neighbor and see if I couldn't borrow that key in order to go ride. I knew that Simon wanted to go too, so I figured this was a perfect way to get someone to ride with me.

I figured out which house she lived in, and as it turned out she was already in her back yard. I introduced myself and she said, "Oh hold on, let my shut off my saw."

She was cutting rocks on a rock saw.

I immediately fell in love with this woman.

She was not cutting just any old rocks either. She was cutting my favorite rocks of all time.

Fire Agates!

Lets just say I spent a good 20 minutes there visiting, and talking about everything from rocks, to horses, riding, schedules, artwork, ducks, chickens and peacocks!

I have found a kindred spirit and she lives 3 doors down from me.  She goes rock hounding every week!  She goes trail riding every week!  She is addicted to original artwork!  It was very cool.   I even was able to share some information with her about a particular mountainside in Eloy that is covered in fire agates.

The sad part is that the man who leases the desert took away her key because too many people were abusing the privilege of being able to go out there.  So was not able to get the key. But she did tell of another gate to a different section of desert that is not locked.  She was not able to go ride with me last night, as she was taking care of her paraplegic son, but we agreed that we definitely will go ride together someday.

So I came home and told Simon that we would go and find the other gate and ride in that desert. We saddled the horses, (me on Tras and him on Killian) gave a quick spin around the arena and then headed out.
Oh but first Trax had to lose his mind over the nest door neighbors golf cart.  For some reason it totally freaked him out.  I think because it didn't make any noise. A semi- pulling doubles roaring down the road next to him will not faze him, but that silent little golf cart was going to eat him alive.  So I asked the neighbor to drive by us a few times until he relaxed.

Then we headed off down the road. Trax was ready to go, Killian moved like an old man.

 I snapped that pic over my shoulder which is why it is crooked.

I made Simon kick him up a notch. Killian spent a good amount of time trying to eat the grass on the side of the road.  At one point we found a big puddle from the rain the night before, and made both horses go through it. Of course Killian, pretending like he wanted a drink, found the only piece of grass sticking up.

I like this shot, it makes Trax look really tall.

I know we have seen this shot a thousand times, but it never does get old does it? LOL

At one point Simon said, "Hey let me take a good picture of you"
There is no such thing, but this one isn't too bad.

So we headed down the road and then across to try to get to where I thought the gate was, but I turned the wrong way and we ended up riding down the busy road next the fence we wanted to get past.  I was so proud of our horses, they never even gave that traffic a second look. However we were suddenly swarmed by mosquito's and I could tell that a certain paint horse was getting really pissed off.  Next thing I knew he had blood spots all over and so did I.  I opted to go home.

Simon wanted to turn around and go find the gate. He was really bummed that we did not get to desert ride, so today I will make a point of finding the gate from my car, and then trying the ride again.

So we road on down the busy road and then across.  Not one single person thought to slow down when they passed us.  But then I guess maybe they think that if you are going to ride your horse on a busy road, you had damn sure better make sure he can handle the traffic.

The reality of it is that horses and pedestrians still have the right of way over motorized vehicles so legally those people should be slowing down.

Anyway, as we turned back down our road we saw two dogs running loose ahead. One was black and one was brown. The black one was very big with a strong deep chest, and a drive when he walked.  The brown one moved with a air of athleticism about it and I knew immediately that it was none other than Dakota and Smarty Pants. By time we got to them Smarty was trying to figure out how to ring the door bell of the house he was at. He was tired and hot and was hoping that maybe some nice people would let him in to their air conditioning. Dakota saw the horses and came right to us. Smarty came when he heard his name, which is good. It means he is learning.

They followed us home, Mason was still in the yard. I'm guessing he was sleeping when the other two made their escape, but Butch was gone. I had Simon head off to the North, while I headed south and he found Butch pretty quickly. But not before I had made it to the end of our road, around the block and back up on the busy road again.

I had to laugh at Trax because although I didn't really kick him up to a trot, he sensed my urgency and went to his million mile trot. It is his "horse on a mission" pace. Just fast enough to cover some ground with out being so fast that you can't see what is going on.

With all the doggies safe at home, we put the ponies away with their dinner.

I had thought about trying to ride this morning but woke to the sound of shotguns all around me. Dove season is upon us, so we won't be riding in the desert anytime soon.  Bummer!