The Best Part of Being a Grandma

Is when your Grand daughter is truly horse crazy.

Some of my grand daughters say they love horses, but when it came time to be around them, they held their noses because there was poop.  So they are more of admirers from afar I think.  However, little Catrina, who is only 6, thinks they smell perfect, and jumped in with both feet this morning to help with chores.  Not just the fun chores, but the dog poop, the horse poop, the feeding, or what ever needed to be done.  Gotta love those horse crazy girls.   She was so excited when she got to lead Trax out to the pasture and he was a very good boy, watching her closely and keeping a safe distance so that no one got stepped on.  I wish I had gotten a picture of that...it was so dang cute!

Since she was so helpful this morning, she got to go swimming in the pool and then she got to go for a ride.

  As always Big K did his most important job...taking care of the little ones.

Yes that is me (Granny) out there rockin the cutoffs with my Ariats....because I'm cool like that!

She did a great job with Killian, and eventually I even let her do the steering on her own. I'd love to get her down to my place a little more and really get her some experience so we could ride together in the big arena.

I really regret that we did not get to spend more time together as once again my job got in the way with my life.

Good Red Fun

The Never Ending Pajama Party

There is a facebook page called the Traveling Pajamas group.  It was started by myself and my "Ex-wife" (another story for another day) Jamie.  Jamie's sister sent her the pajamas for Christmas a few years ago.  Jamie opened the package and thought it was the best joke she had ever seen because the pj's were hideous. She called her sister, laughing her butt off, and told her how funny she was for coming up with such a clever joke.

I believe the response went something like this, "Er...um....what do you mean,so funny?  It wasn't supposed to be a joke, I bought a pair for myself just like them?  You don't like them?"

This of course made the joke even funnier, and since then the pajama's have been worn by many people around the globe.  If you put them on, you have to get your picture taken in them.  Some people have done so less than willingly, others can't wait to get them on to have their picture taken....and some like to up the ante and come up with something that has not been done yet.


Here are some of the pictures that have been taken so far

This is Jamie, my "Ex-wife" in Oregon

Logging pajamas

In the kiddie zone of the airport

My Daughter in law- Pin up pajamas

Jamie at a different airport

Everyone likes to join in

My grandson

Jamie and her sister (the one who bought the pajamas) in Mass

This is none other than Jalan Crossland and me. 

The latest in Prison Attire

Shawn Kelly, Jalan's bassist

This is Dugan- TC's most beloved dog who is no longer with us. 

Pajama snow man in Buffalo

FYI these were taken in May in Buffalo WY

Horse show attire!

Jamie looking sexy in her big tractor

Dakota

This was a fabulous cut and paste job! 

Oh TC!!!!

There are no words for this
except these were taken in Georgia

Simon

Even Santa wants to get in on the action

Florence AZ

Don't ask

SOA aint got nuthin over my son! 

Those are just a small portion of the pics that have been taken of these pajamas.  But since I am one of those people who likes to "up the ante"  I knew it was time to call in reinforcements.  I needed to find someone with as good a sense of humor as myself and Jamie, someone who knows no fear, someone with a great sense of adventure. A wild child in the true sense of the word.

This required a special touch and I knew just who to enlist into the Pajama Ranks.....

Brown Eyed Cowgirl!  

When I told her the story and that it was time to up the ante, she was all for it.  After all, they have been around the block a few times, but they have yet to go to the rodeo.....or a barrel race. 

She was willing, heck almost excited, to wear them in a barrel run.  I was excited to see it, and other people who were there pretty much thought we were insane. While we are still debating that issue, Click here to watch the run. 

After her run, while I was watching the other gals I came up with another brilliant idea..

He was a great sport and the crowd had a great laugh

Then later in the day we headed to Globe for a little exploring.  We found some cool stores and a gorgeous old church.  And then we saw this....

Talk about the perfect photo op!!!!!

"How"

But then BEC being who she is, had to up the ante again.  This is why I love this woman!  

I laugh my butt off everytime I watch this

Seriously Guys!  I've watched it 20 times and I still laugh.  Talk about the coolest of cool!  

After that we went back to the rodeo, and my biggest regret was that I forgot the pajamas in the room because I know we could have got the rodeo clown to wear them.  Plus there were probably several other missed shots as well.  

Oh well, such is life, and I'm sure there will be more to show soon, as Jamie will be here on the 30th of May.  

Here are a couple of other pictures of the rodeo. 

I fell in love with this big old jug head. 

I wish I had had my good camera for this instead of my cell. 

Something I found out yesterday is that a very good friend of mine was sitting right nest to us at the rodeo, but we haven't seen each other in 20 years so we didn't recognize each other.  Craziness I say! 

So now we are back home and back to work and my crazy friend is headed home in the morning.  It has been a great winter hanging out with her, and I will miss her. But we are already planning out next year, and I, for one, cannot wait.  

In 2 days I get to visit with my grand daughter who I have not seen in a year, and in June I get to fly home to WY to see my littlest grandson who is a year old now.   In the mean time I need to get to riding, and training, and conditioning.  

Starting tomorrow! 

Which horse are you today? AND The Best 30 Bucks I Ever Spent

One thing about having a bi-polar horse is that life never gets dull.   You just never know which horse you are going to go halter up on any given day.   Just when I feel like I can say Trax is changing and calming down, he shows me that No, it was just an act to lull me into a false sense of security.

Today I managed to get up early (not sure I'm loving this plan- LOL) get everyone fed early, slammed two cups of coffee and got out there with halter in hand before it got hot.

Trax saw me coming with the halter....and....bolted to the other side of his pen!

Say what?!?!?

"Um Trax?  You do realize that it is me right?"

So rather than play kissy face with him I just pushed him around a little and then backed off to see if he would lock on.

He did...sort of.

I walked up to him, let him sniff my hand in perfect Dennis Reis fashion, reached up touched his neck, and he spun and took off again.

I expect this kind of crap from Sassy, but he hasn't done it in 2 years. WTH?

So I pushed some more until he showed signs of letting down a notch.  I was finally able to touch him and I gently patted* him on the neck.  Then I put his halter on.

*There are some people who get really snippy about whether you should pet your horse or pat your horse.  I know there is good foundation behind the "only pet your horse theory" but I also believe that there is an exception to that rule and Trax (of course) is that exception.  He and I  both generate a ton of static electricity.  Petting him often results in a very sharp static shock.  Patting him negates this possibility and he prefers it to being petted and then shocked.  It is so bad between us that on really windy days I have to ground myself to a metal pole first before touching him. 

You will be happy to know that although I am a slow learner, I do learn and decided that just jumping right up on him was not the brightest idea today.   So we went to the round pen.

Um Yeah.....definitely one of my better decisions of the week.  "Completely Whacked" is the first phrase that comes to mind.  

I won't bore you with every detail, but we worked through it and then I borrowed from BEC's bag of tricks and just stood there with my arms around him, and stroked his mane (the one place that does not generate static) until he finally sighed, licked and chewed, and rested his head on my shoulder.

Then we went to work.

I was pleasantly surprised once we started riding. He was a little wound up, but not unruly and even the billy goats gruff were not an issue today.  (well not in the sense of spookiness- they still smell)  Once we got feet moving and mind engaged he settled down nicely and after our warm up routine, I was able to lope him around a lot with out him ever once trying to take control.

Once he was able to lope with his head down and super relaxed, I had some things I wanted to try, and I knew the timing was right.

Last year I bought a book by Mike Majors for 30$ at the local tack store.   You might remember seeing this video I posted a while back of him.  Mike wrote a book for Western Horseman about training for Ranch Versatility.  I bought the book before I knew who he was, before I ever saw that video, before my friend Jay ever went to one of his clinics, before any of that...I bought the book, because it looked interesting.  I have flipped through it on and off for the last year, but a few months back I took out, dusted it off and started really reading.

Last night I ran across some exercises for prepping for the lead change by working body control  It was detailed out in a way that made sense to me, so I thought I would give it a try today.  Basically you start at a walk in a circle.  At one side of your circle you tip your horses nose to the outside of the circle just a tad, then you pick up the shoulder and counter bend him (or her) into your figure 8.  Once you have changed sides, you go into your circle in the other direction. You do this in both directions until your horse is soft and supple, and gives easily.

Because we do a ton of leg yields and side passing already, doing this at a walk was pretty darn easy.  However, stepping it up to a trot, as he says to do in the book is quite a bit harder.  But pretty soon we were executing it with ease.  I was actually quite proud of my guy.   The next step is to do it at a slow lope, only when you ask for that counter bend you are actually asking for the lead change.  The key, he said is weight distribution.  You have to make sure that you a) are not looking down at the horses shoulder (which I do every-single-time)  and b) put your weight on the opposite pocket of the change you are asking for. So if I am asking for a left change, I want my weight on my right pocket.

Okay, it sounds simple right?  Wrong! But there were a few times where I remembered all the pieces and our lead changes were coming together.   We still had to break down for a step to get it done, but I could tell that he was understanding what I was asking and trying hard to do it right.

I think that I can take this new information back to Melody, and use it to refine my lead changes with her.  I mean she pretty much does them automatically, but they are smoother if asked for correctly, and if my weight is where it is supposed to be.  Now that I have a better concept of what I am really trying to do, I think I can pull it off.

This is the first time I have been able to find any thing that really broke down the process in a way I could understand.

He has lots of other very cool exercises in his book for gaining softness in your horse. Many of which I intend to work on with Trax...well with all of my horses.  I had planned on doing some of them today, but I guess I should have reread the items I have highlighted (yes I'm one of those people who highlights and post it tags) this morning, so that it was fresh in my memory. After all I am still a slow learner!  As I put these into action I will share them here.

After we finished that exercise, we did some trail stuff and even did our gate- billy goats and all.  It is high time we got over those billy goats. They aren't going away, so we may as well learn to live with them.  I just wish there was some way to get past the smell...UGH!


I need to take some time tomorrow and work on his feet.  They are getting uneven again, which is effecting his movement.

Now, it is time to go take a dang nap.

Getting to Know Each Other

I haven't posted in a while simply because I have not done a single thing except sleep and work for 7 days.  Its disgusting and I hate it.  I can't say I was sick, but I was not well either.   The sudden onset of summer is not helping either.

Last night I told TC that I wanted to get up early before it got hot, so to please not let me sleep late.  He is always up early with the dogs, no later than 6am, usually closer to 5am.  I woke up at 7, he had closed the door again so no one would disturb me.  ARGH!

Yes I know it is very sweet, but damn!  If I don't get up till 7, it takes me till 7:15 or so to get my first cup of coffee in me, then I get the horses fed, and usually like to give them an hour to finish most of their food before I saddle up.  It was 9 am before I got Melody saddled.  

Note to TC: When I say I want to get up early, that means wake me up when you get up!   I can always sleep when it is hot outside.   I think he understands now. Tomorrow will tell for sure.

Anywho.....Since my Circle Y Flex tree only fits Killian, I did a little temporary trade with a gal I know up in Northern AZ.   She has a ranch style saddle that she is selling, and so we agreed to do a trade to let each other try them out.

Princess Mellypalouza modeling the new saddle. 

At first I was not sure if I was going to like it, and I am still not sure if I love it, but I don't hate it either.  The stirrup leathers sit back a little further than I wanted, but once I let them down a notch it was not bad at all.  I definitely need to lengthen the strap that holds the rear cinch in place, it is pretty far forward.  It does fit her pretty nice.

Today as we rode I payed attention to whether or not I felt like my feet were falling out of the stirrups, and I don't think it was near as bad as it was last time, so that is good also.  It is a very comfortable seat, however I do think that when it comes to sitting my stops better, my stirrups need to be a bit further forward.  I suspect that I am going to need to find a reining or cutting saddle, so that I can really get down into that pocket.

What I figured out today is that I have been riding the same horse for 3 years now.  I am so used to the way Trax moves, what every single subtle shift means, his gaits, and his foot falls, that other horses feel awkward to me.  So is the case with Melody.

She feels awkward to me, so today I really focused my attention on just getting a good feel for how she feels when she is moving.   She, on the other hand is still trying to figure out what is I want from her.   We did some loping today and I really wanted to just lope the fence but she tends to want to make the circles smaller and after two circles one direction then she is ready for the lead change and circling to the other direction.  If nothing else she knows her job!   But we still got it done the way I wanted after a little discussion on who was leading this dance, and it was a lot of fun.

I did some imaginary flag work and I love how she gets right into it.  She can sure move her feet with a purpose when you ask her too!

We also did lots of long trotting to help get her back into shape.  She really is out of shape pretty bad, and me only riding her once a week is not helping that any either.

During our ride I asked her to ride between the poles and the fence often.  She always looked at them funny but managed to handle it without bolting.

After our ride I put the halter on her and we worked on walking through the poles.  We have a ton of work to do here.  If her foot touches one pole OMG you'd think she got bit on the leg.  We had to start from the beginning several times.  Asking her to step over the poles is not happening so I am going to have to change my tactic on this.

First we will have a couple of lessons on "I can move your feet where ever I want them to go."  Then I will put one pole in the round pen and just move her around so that she has to step over it. She will balk at first but if she knows that I can move her feet, then eventually she will have no choice.  From there, it should get easier.

A trail horse she ain't!   Luckily I've still got the old paint for trail stuff.  However, if I plan on using her for stock horse shows, she is going to have to learn how to do trail obstacles.

I was going to try to ride Trax today too, but just didn't have enough time before it got too hot, so tomorrow will be his turn.

I am a Princess!