Still Alive

Wow, I have not been here since the summer!

I admit to being pretty busy at all times, but still I could at least stop in once in a while.  It was a nice quiet treat to go through and catch up on my favorite blogs.

Quick recap of my fall and winter.....

I went to work in a feed store for a while, but then left because I was going to go open a store with business partner Mary.  At the last minute, some of the "business plan" that we discussed through up some big red flags so I back out.  Her store is thriving, as I knew it would, however I am glad I will not be involved when Tax time rolls around.

With that being said, I started putting a little more time into Bonanza Saddle Shop.   My son made me a new website http://www.bonanzasaddleshop.com/ which is awesome.  And I secured a new saddle supplier out of TN, who has been hooking me up with some amazing saddles at very nice prices.  I am gearing more and more towards higher end saddles, a little bit of high end tack, and not wasting my time with junk stuff.  I know there is always a need for low dollar items, but I cannot compete with Mary and her pricing, so I let her stick with that stuff, while I stuck with the nice stuff and our friendship remains in tact that way.

I have had boarders come and go, which is a given.  A few of my favorites are leaving because they rented their own horse property, but more will come.  I am getting pretty good at weeding out the high maintenance, potential nut cases in the first conversation I have with them.  That is always a bonus!

I did buy another horse.  Not because I wanted one, or needed one, but because he needed to be bought and the owner was not going to let him go just anywhere.   His name is Smokey Joe.  He is a pretty awesome little guy, half mustang, half QH.  I have had him a month and have been riding him pretty consistently just getting him used to being ridden again.  He is so easy going, super smart, just a real pleasure to be around.  He had gotten used to doing what ever he wanted, but the minute someone else takes control, he is totally cool with that.  He is just a good all around horse.  Not finished in any direction, but could be.

I knew that eventually he would be for sale, and I actually have turned down some pretty lucrative offers on him.  I just wanted to get to know him a little better before I just sent him down the road.  It is pretty hard to match the right person up with a horse, if you don't know the horse...right?  A good match is much more important than money.


The other day I got a phone call from a man who was looking for a place to board a horse.  He had not bought said horse yet, but was starting to look for one and wanted to have his ducks in a row.   As it turns out his wife had been diagnosed with a Brain Tumor, and when that happened they made the tough decision to sell their 3 horses so she could focus on getting better.  That was a few years ago.  Now she is ready to ride again, so he wanted to buy her a horse for her birthday.  

"I think you need to come see me."

They came on Sunday.  I have never seen a horse take to someone so quickly as he did to this young lady.  I showed them what we had been working on, rode him around a little, and then offered to let her ride. She was very nervous, but he took great care of her, and soon they looked like they had been riding together for ever.

When it was over, she sat on the mounting block at the gate of the arena and he stepped up and nuzzled her ear.  It took weeks for him to do that with me.

A perfect match.

So now Smokey already has a new owner, I have one less horse to keep ridden (Yay), and I have a new boarder too.  Oh, and I have offered to let them use Killian for trail riding on the days that the two of them want to ride together.  Win Win Win!

I love it when everything falls into place.


I have been taking lessons with Melody.  We have learned that my horse totally has my number, and I am learning how to properly post a trot for the first time in my life.   At the rate we are going, we may miss the entire show season...but I'm learning stuff and that is what is important.

Trax has been lame for several months.  For a year he had gotten progressively more broncy.  I tried different saddles, tried chiro, tried a trainer, tried everything, but couldn't figure out what his problem was.  Then he came up lame.

Then I visually saw that he has one leg longer than the other and by putting shoes on him and making his feet symmetrical, I added an inch or more to the longer leg.  This in turn jammed up his shoulder.  He had been telling me all along that he was in pain, and I couldn't see it.

I pulled his shoes, trimmed the one foot, and have just been letting nature take its course ever since.  I rode him very easily the other day and there was no favoring of the shoulder at all.  I can still see where his shoulder blade is higher, but he has an appt with the best Chiro in the valley, which hopefully, will take care of that.   I miss riding my go to guy, and am really looking forward to having him back.

The last bit of news is an "on the fence" deal.  I have been offered a position as the manager of a feed store in Scottsdale.  It is a long drive, but a decent amount of money, and I have a VW at my disposal, which would make it less expensive to  make the drive.  I can't decide if I should take it or not.  A lot will depend on whether or not they will work with me on which hours I work.  If I am stuck in peak rush hour traffic, I will be driving 3 hours a day.  Plus the 40-45 hours a week, plus a boarding stable, plus saddle sales on the side, plus trying to have time to ride and show, plus being a mom, and wife-ish person.  

It is a lot, but on the other hand it will give me the opportunity to squirrel away some money for my next big equine adventure.  I can't talk about it just yet, other than to say that it is going to be expensive...and time consuming....and super awesome!!!!

For now though, I still clean saddles to pay the bills, and I have one waiting for me right now, so I shall stop typing and go do that.

For any of my blogging friends who I am not friends with on facebook, I have missed you all very much.