Gloves and The Indoor Arena

We've all been talking about the perfect work glove lately. These are the ones I found at Big R. Glacier Gloves. They were only $9.99.



They're insulated neoprene with a special fabric on the index finger and thumb so that you can manage the details. They're made for fly fisherman who have to work with small equipment.

A salesperson at the store directed me to these gloves, otherwise, I'd never have found them. She said last year they sold out of them as fast as they got them in. She says, they're the glove to have.

So far I've really liked them. They keep your hands warm and dry, and I was able to fasten the bridle with them on. Unfortunately, the smallest our store sold them was Medium, so there's a little room at the end of the fingers, but it's not causing me much of a problem--I just push them on as far as they go.

We had a work day at the community arena last weekend (right next door to me). I love, love, love it!! One of the guys brought in his backhoe and dug it down 3 feet. Then, we used our tractor to incorporate the footing and harrow it.

The crew I worked with dug out the huge sliding doors that hadn't been opened or closed in probably decades!! We still need to replace some of the metal siding, but they're in working order--as are the gates which we also had to reset.

Afterward we had a potluck with stew, cornbread, salad and homemade chocolate cake. And, today I rode in it for the first time since we finished. NICE! I feel so lucky to have an arena next door to ride in through winter.

After Cowboy and I came back home today, I walked out in the pasture to pick up the netting from the roundbales. I entered the pasture from a new spot, closer to the bales. For some reason, this drove the horses nuts!! They stampeded toward me like I was some predator in their midst. Then, they started kicking at each other and cut the skin of my filly C'ya (the one who started the whole mess). I exited the pasture and then they completely stopped--snorted a bit--and calmed down and used their brains. It was REALLY strange!!

Here are some pictures of the arena work day.

Beautiful Autumn

November has been more pleasant than October this year. I really enjoy the morning chores with the sun shining as it is and the barn walls to block whatever wind is blowing.

I've been locking the horses out of their stalls during the day so that they stay somewhat clean. I'm able to tidy them up each morning in about a half an hour--six stalls, one wheelbarrow full--not bad.

The horses are all fat and sassy and full of themselves. They've kept good boundaries with me, but I see them playing with each other quite a bit. They don't seem grumpy, like they did when the temps dropped into the teens, just mischievous--especially Beautiful. (A reminder to me about why they put the little ones in their place.)

Last weekend I planted 200 bulbs--tulips, daffodils, narcissus, and Iris. It was hard work, but I'm sure I'll be happy I did in the Spring. They're always the first things to flower after winter. I blogged about it with pictures on my Emily Dickinson's Garden blog.

Also, since we live out in the somewhat boonies--although, we're a mere five minutes from Spokane, we've always had lousy Internet--Hughes Net--to be specific. Well, we switched over yesterday to Verizon Broadband with their new MiFi--five users can use one hot spot. It is giving me exceptional service. I didn't realize how much time I was wasting in life waiting for pages to load--and I've never been able to upload video. This new system will give me the ability to post better quality photos and video in the future! I'm excited.

Hope everything is well at your autumn homes--and barns!

Happy Trails today.

PS

Lea, at Lea and Her Mustangs, has suggested we all name something we're thankful for each day until Thanksgiving. I don't blog every day, but I will do this every day that I do blog.

Today I'm going to be thankful for the thing that, without which, I wouldn't want to be here--my family--all of them. Kids, grandkids, mom and dad, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters--husband--I'm blessed and my children are blessed to have a large, loving family.

Abscess Pictures

Here is a shot of Red's hoof at the tip of the abscess. It's the indention at the toe. I took this shot two days ago, the last time I wrapped it, and he's back to a hundred percent today, so I imagine when I take off the wrap today there will be a blow out. (I'll post that shot tomorrow.)



Actually, I'm pretty excited to see what happened, but he's still eating his breakfast and I don't want to disturb him.

Here are the supplies needed to mix the Sugardine and wrap the hoof: Sugar, Iodine, and Duct tape. And, by the way, you should get a helper when you do this. I didn't have a helper, and it wasn't easy holding the hoof up, tearing off duct tape, and wrapping it. I've done it all week by myself. I used to have a helper, but as you know, she got a real job and now I'm solo.



Here's the finished product. Nice and wrapped and still holding strong today, two days later. (Pat myself on the back).



When I fed this morning I threw out the yummy alfalfa, as usual, but Shadow (aka PIG) and Beautiful did not want to eat the good stuff. Instead, they went for the round bale. Maybe horses really do know what they need. Hmmmmmm....nah! They're pigs.



Speaking of eating--this Creamy Garlic Sauce by Culinary Treasures (only sold at Costco) is my idea of food heaven. I found it last Spring and bought one bottle, came home, sauted some chicken, dumped the sauce on top, and put it all over a bed of Jasmine Rice. Yum! The whole family went crazy over it.

I went back to Costco to buy more--lots more--and they were clearancing it out! Ahhhh! I bought about twelve bottles to be safe. Then, as those bottles started to disappear, I wrote the company, based in Canada, and asked them where else I could buy it.

Their answer: No where else. Only Costco. It was a temporary item!

I write Costco and beg them to bring it back. Then, yesterday, I'm shopping at Costco and I look up the aisle and what do I see....



Uh huh. Food heaven.

A Survival Story from the 3-Strikes Ranch Nightmare

I'm not sure if this will embed. If not, click here to see the story of Thistle, a Mustang removed from the 3-Strikes Ranch in Alliance, Nebraska.

The story of the 3-Strikes Ranch was a shocking one to me. I'd found their website and blog after adopting Beautiful Girl, and it looked like a great opportunity for Mustangs. They said they were going to bring the 3-Strikes horses (after 3 strikes, Mustangs aren't taken to adoptions anymore) and let them run free on this ranch which, I believe, incorporated thousands of acres.

It didn't happen that way.

They let them run free, yes, but they didn't feed them. On April 19, 2009, they did some fly overs of the ranch and saw that many of the horses had died, many couldn't get up, and most were emaciated. Out of over 200 there on the ranch, I believe, 74 wild horses and burros died. Click here for news Article from that day.

I don't have anything to say about it--the facts speak for themselves. But the video from the Humane Society and Parelli (above) about the Wild Mustang they named Thistle, is heart-warming. It really highlights the integrity of Mustangs, and horses in general and the beauty of the horse/human relationship when done right.

It's An Abscess

Who would guess (who that doesn't own horses, that is) that an abscess would cause a horse so much pain. They really do present themselves like they have a broken leg.

The farrier came today and, within a milisecond, found the abscess on old Red. It looks like it came from a nail puncture on the toe of his hoof. My best guess, and that's all that I can do is guess, is that the mud worked up an old nail--probably from the original construction of the barn. A nail that, otherwise, would have been buried under the hard dirt.

Now, looking back, it all seems obvious, of course. (Hindsight) I could see a dot of red that looked like blood working it's way up, and he winced and pulled away when I tapped that area with the hammer. Hmmmm....

He cut a tiny bit into it and it started to drain. I packed it with sugardine (sugar and iodine) and wrapped it with duct tape. Wrapping hooves with duct tape really does seem like a Redneck ("You might be a Redneck if....") thing to do, but it's also what those expensive vets do if you call them out. Yep. I was surprised as anyone to see my vet wrap my horse's hoof with duct tape. I mean, don't you have any fancy Vet type thing to put on it?!? Nope, just one more use for duct tape.

Do you know how much my farrier charged me for this work? "0."

Oh, and guess what, I found a Veterinarian who lives close to me who agreed to sell me Banamine. I won't tell you who that Vet is for fear that they lose their license. After all, super-expensive Motrin for horses is a scurge on our great country. Right? Nevermind the dealers who sell Meth, and Marijuana, and Crack to our youth--let's go after horse owners (or Vets who sell to them) who want to give their horses a little aspirin! (That will be my last vent (ie. sarcasm) on that point for a while).

I have a confession: I jumped up and down for joy like a school kid when he found the abscess. It was like I'd just chose the $1,000,000 suitcase on Deal or No Deal. I'm so attached to these horses despite all I do to tell myself they're just horses, they're fragile, they're prone to accidents...blah, blah. In reality, my heart breaks to think about losing any of them.

That's just something I've got to live with.

Thanks for all your good wishes, everyone!! And, I hope your day is as good as mine is now!

When Do YOU Call the Vet?

I used to be the kind of horse owner who called the vet at the slightest sign of discomfort in my horses. If I didn't, I felt negligent.

Once, when we first moved to Spokane, my older horse, Red, got stuck in a hole. He was lying there very still with his feet in the air, and I thought he was dead, but when I rode the 4-wheeler out to him his eyes were open and blinking.

I called the vet.

Vets are usually great human beings--the best. I don't know if I've ever met one I didn't like a lot. Some of them even became personal friends. And this one was no different. He and his assisant came out and helped me get Red turned around so that he could get his feet under him. Then, we all stood around and chatted as we observed him to make sure he was 100%.

I felt great. (Though it was something I could have done myself.)

But there were other times vets couldn't help me, or they made mistakes which made matters much worse. I've never held it against them personally, but it has given me a mighty deal of skepticsm when it comes to large animal veterinary care. Some of these vets just don't have enough practical experience, or they deny practicality and rely too heavily on "Science".

So, now to why I'm bringing this subject up:

I went out Friday to find my old horse, Red, lame on the back left leg. He's a 29 year old Quarter Horse.

I put him into a 12x12 stall and inspected him top down and couldn't find any swelling, heat, or punctures. I pressure tested the hoof as well as I could without hoof testers. I couldn't find anything.

Next, I thought let's see how much pain he's in. I introduced Banamine at 1/4 dose. He starts to put it down after a couple hours. I introduce another 1/4 dose. He walks on it like it's A-OK.

Hmmmmm....

I put in a call to my farrier who, it turns out, is traveling. We talk. He's willing to come by as soon as his plane lands, but I've already had him scheduled for Tuesday. I say, let's put it off to Tuesday.

My thinking: if I can keep him out of pain and confined and there's no swelling or puncture, I'm doing as much for him as anyone else could.

Saturday: Banamine wears off. Red is on three legs. I halter him, walk him. He limps. Hmmmm....not good. Banamine at 1/2 dose. Red is standing on it and walking again.

Sunday: Same exact thing as Saturday, but now Red looks worse. Or, am I imagining? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Maybe there's a hairline fracture. Maybe Red is going to have to be put down.

Monday: I go out to feed this morning and Red is using his injured leg without Banamine. He's walking with a limp, but he's not afraid to put pressure on it. He pivots more comfortably. I give him 1/8 dose of Banamine...and wait.

Tomorrow is the day my farrier comes. My thinking now: If it's something that's fixable, either I can do it or my farrier (if it's an abscess). If it's a fracture, and therefore, for a 29 year old horse, unfixable, then the vet will be my last recourse. If he doesn't get better each day we'll call in the vet.

I'm lucky I have a lot of Banamine and Bute on hand because I have a good relationship with my vet who does trust my judgement and who, thank goodness, gives it to me as I think is appropriate.

Personally, I don't think Bute or Banamine should be by prescription only. If you're an irresponsible horse owner, there are a thousand ways you can abuse a horse--buying $40.00 tubes of Banamine is usually not one of them.

Do you know what Banamine is? It's Motrin for horses. We let humans buy themselves Motrin--why in the heck then do we have to have prescription to give our horses Motrin?!?!? It's a scam. A tube of Motrin (I mean Banamine) can cost you up to $40.00 from your vet--$20.00 on the internet (but you need a prescription, which you will NOT get because the vet wants to sell you the $40.00 tube). It's a scam! It's a scam! It's a scam! (Sorry, I had to vent.)

To sum it all up--my personal philosophy is that horse sense is often better than Science. There are things the vets are good at and there are areas where they are limited and either you (the one who sees the horse everyday) or a farrier with a lifetime of equine experience is better able to diagnose and treat.

I've lost two horses and they were both under vet care from the moment of injury or illness. In those two cases it wasn't the vet's fault. In one case they didn't have the proper equipment to diagnose--WSU was better equipped. In the other case, there was just nothing to be done. If I had to do over again, I'd call them out again in those two cases.

The one who ended up at WSU was a shoulder fracture and he was accepted as a student project, operated on, rehabilitated in the equine pool and now living a life of luxury as an English horse--all because he was a beautiful, young, well-trained and smart Thoroughbred who showed promise each step of the way. I'm in contact with the new owner--and that is a story in itself that I'll blog about one day. Here is the most recent picture of him. (The picture makes him look small, but the girl standing next to him is 5'10"--they say he measure slightly over 16 hands.)



My horse, Cowboy, as you all know, was misdiagnosed and almost had to be put down because of Vet error. He was also treated from the moment of injury--and daily after that--until my third opinion. That is another story in itself if you haven't read it already on my blog. And that's probably the point at which I became a major skeptic, and the reason why for injuries that appear to be in the hoof, I call the farrier. Although his broken P-3 (coffin bone) presented itself as a broken leg.

As for today and Red's injury--I'm optimistic after seeing him this morning. If he can move on it better today without Banamine, that's a good sign. Although, he's not out of the woods yet, and things could change and the vet be out here, with his portable X-ray machine, very soon. But if it comes to that, things aren't looking very good for us.

It's Snowing--And They're Not Letting Beautiful Eat!

It's snowing today! And yes, that's snow on my deck! It's not laying on the roads, but it is putting a dusting on the ground, as you can see. It's on the verge of becoming rain.

We put the Timothy out for free-choice eating, but it creates a dilemma, and one that I'm interested in everyone else's opinions about. The herd pecking order.

Since we put out the round bale the usual herd order politics have kicked in, and Beautiful is getting shut out of eating.



I've been watching from the window all morning to see how it progresses, and it looks like she gets in for a bite here and there.



My thinking about the herd order is, even though on one level it bothers me, it serves the function of training the members of the herd. My theory is that if Beautiful is being kept off the hay, it's because they need to teach her respect, and I need to let her learn her lesson and learn how to approach them and be allowed into the feeding circle.



I'd never let it go so far that it jeopardized her health, but it has never gotten to that point. In fact, she's out there eating for the first time right now. She had to wait a few hours and only get nibbles for her appetizer, but it appears they're cautiously allowing her to feed at this point.

How do you all handle the pecking order? And for you readers without horses, how do you handle it with your dogs, cats and other animals?

I've seen on the Dog Whisperer that many of the same dynamics occur in the human/canine pack. The human, to establish their own dominance and get respect, should make the dog wait to eat until they give the signal it's okay. Do you dog owners do this?

***Update: They ran her off again! Sheesh!

The Power of Good Practices

For me, reading my list of blogs each morning is better than reading the news.

The news is just chock full of sensational garbage aimed at exciting our passions, getting us riled up against one another and everyone else, all with the aim of making money. And it has made the most controversial of them very rich.

I found out a long time ago there are things I can change and things I can't change. I prefer to direct my energy to those I can change.

Reading my fellow bloggers each day, rather than sapping my creative energy, inspires all kinds of new ideas and fires me up for doing something positive.

Yesterday, at Joanne's Whole Latte Life, she asked a question which made me think deeper about something I'd already been contemplating--the value of practice.

Practice is an overused word in many ways, and to tell you the truth, I'd come to think of it as just doing something a lot rather than doing it well. But for those of you who followed my blog this last year and a half, you may remember that I started piano lessons last February, and these piano lessons have taught me about:

1. The power of practice

2. The necessity for quality practices to form good habits.

A bad practice forms a bad habit and, as they say, bad habits are hard to break!

My piano teacher told me from the start, when I was more interested in playing a whole song than concentrating on doing small parts right, that correcting a bad habit in piano will take FOUR times longer than learning it from scratch. Four times!!

To put her theory into real time, it means that when I get to a series of measures that I've played wrong, I have to play them and play and play them, ad nauseum, until I can play them perfectly four times. (That's the corrective measure she's taught me). Sounds easy? It's not.

So, I've come to look at practice with a whole new respect. How do I sit on my horse? How do I lead them around? What habits have I taught them?

I read in a book (can't remember which one) a long time ago that there was a family who raised a colt, and when the colt was young, the father taught him to stand with his front hooves on the father's chest. As the horse grew, it turned into what could be a deadly habit and they had to take the horse in for corrective training. With horses, however, habits taught when they're young are sometimes impossible to change--and you eventually see these horses at the auctions through no fault of their own except having practiced bad things from their human teachers.

Last year I started to realize something about myself, I knew how to do a lot of things, but I did a lot of things moderately well. I had focused on quantity rather than quality. That's what made me return to piano. I thought, I want to do at least one thing pretty darn good before I die. It's worth the effort to at least try--then they can say of me,--She wasn't the best, but boy did she put in the effort to learn!

Funny thing though, as I concentrate on piano, guess what happens? The lessons I learn in piano leak into everything else. All of a sudden I see other areas of my life where I have shoddy practices--eating habits, fitness, writing, riding, ....and it could go on and on.

I wasn't born a perfectionist--in fact, I'm the anti-perfectionist--and I wouldn't say that's my aspiration--but there is something powerful to be said about developing good habits through the practice of doing things correctly, or at least as well as we know to do them.

(And thank goodness for teachers, mentors, friends, fellow-bloggers, who help us see these things.)

It's been about seven months since I started piano lessons, and I'm starting to really see the change in my playing. I had worried that, at my age, I was like some of those horses who you seemingly can't fix, and it was too late for me to change bad habits and learn good ones. Apparently, it's not--even my 42 year old brain is capable of developing new pathways with enough repetition!

Is there something you're practicing? Is there something your horse is practicing? I'm wishing you well today as you work toward your goals!

Rain, Rain, Cover the Hay

It's raining today, and I do mean raining! I haven't seen it this wet for a long time.

We have five round bales of Timothy which were delivered yesterday ($40.00 for an 850 lb bale--net wrapped) sitting out there getting soaked! I guess we're going to have to hurry and feed it. Which is never a problem, my horses will eat through a bale like that in no time.



This is supplemental hay to augment the 20 tons of alfalfa we purchased from Waitsburg in July. Horses like to graze all day; it cuts down on behavioral issues and helps them generate heat. This hay will serve that purpose--give them something to chew on, as they say.

Here's little Ezzy, the new barn kitty, chasing around #42. She's been good at staying at the barn when 42 goes on her adventures! Which, by the way, we've been hearing more and more details about from the neighbors whom she apparently visits.



And Ezzy making herself look big and scary for the dogs!



Here's my sweet goat, English, being curious. English was a bottle-fed kid. She's very smart. Also, she doesn't like to be locked in, and has a long history of finding ways to escape enclosure.



And, since it's raining today, the gutters are doing their job of directing the rain-water off the roof and out to the sides of the barn. Notice in the picture my husband has discovered yet another use for twine!



Here's a picture of my boots being worn out at the barn--a self-shot portrait, as you can see by the perspective. I've thought about and blogged about these boots a lot this last week. Each day I wear them they do become more comfortable. They're at the point now where I can slip my foot right in, rather than unzipping them.



One of my thoughts about these boots this weekend, as I worked to get the mud out of the deep grooves, was the concept of "barn to town" apparel. I'm thinking that if you're going to wear these boots to town, you probably aren't using them for the kind of chores I am. Maybe they're referring to people who board their horses at an upscale barn where they just have to show up and ride and groom, because I can't really see them mucking out stalls like I mucked this weekend and then taking a trip to the mall.

Speaking of barn apparel, who out there in the blogosphere owns an LL Bean Field Coat? Don't you think they're the absolute best for working around the barn? I got one this year that has the liner for the cold days, and I just love it. If you don't already have one, you might want to check into them--they may just end up being your favorite coat ever, and they last forever!

Horses As Mirrors

Mirrors are a big part of our lives--we have them in the bathroom, bedroom, cars, decorating our homes, in our purses. They're everywhere. We're constantly looking at our own reflection and wondering how to improve it, how it's changed, what it means.

But I must say the deepest and most accurate reflection of myself I found did not come from a mirror; it came from a horse.

Horses are vulnerable. It may seem the other way around since they are so powerful and large and we are so small and easily breakable. But from their perspective, we are the carnivore--the meat-eaters--and they have as much to fear from us as they do the cougar or the bear. They are prey.

Yet, they will, under the right circumstances, afford this great trust and partnership. They'll subdue their inate fears to the point of allowing us to ride on their backs (the most vulnerable "kill" position for them).

Over at A Year With Horses blog, Kate's thoughts about working with horses, I was reminded of the great gift working with horses has been for me. I think today I enter the barn as "me", who I am and no more, but there was a time I entered the barn as a complete question mark.

A horse doesn't trust a question mark--am I good, am I bad, am I weak, am I strong, am I worthy or unworthy--those questions have to be answered for the horse to move forward with you.

For me, the answer was that I was all those things. I'm good and bad, strong and weak, worthy and unworthy. I try to be the best of myself, but I'm limited.

And you know, the horses seem to be just fine with that. They really are creatures of the day and creatures of the moment. To them, it's all about now--yesterday and tomorrow have no power over it. Humans have a tendency to be exact opposite--we can really get caught up in our regrets of yesterday and our fears of tomorrow.

So, today I'm thankful for Cowboy who first kicked my butt back into the moment--and then C'ya who gently pulls me back into the moment--and Beautiful Girl whose own fears were greater than any I've ever had. The other horses throughout my life have helped me as well, but these three are the most recent and powerful forces in my life.

A Lost Barn Cat & Another Lesson

Tuffa Boots got back to me today--a quick reply, I might add--and suggested that I apply a waxy product for water repellant to my new boots--something like....Saddle Soap! Music to my ears. (I love anything to which I can apply Saddle Soap since I have plenty at my disposal.) They said it would help bring the color of the leather out, too. Above are the boots in progress--below are the boots right after I finished.



As they've dried, they've lightened up a bit. I'll take a picture in the coming days with me wearing them--maybe even out in the mudnure.

An interesting thing happened today on my way to the barn (and at the barn). I let the cats out of their house when I did the morning feeding and all was well. Then, when I went out to get Cowboy, two hours later, for an early morning ride before our lesson, #42 was gone!! I searched far and wide calling her. I went back to the house and looked there and all over the property. I called her name constantly as I groomed and tacked up Cowboy. Nothing. I know my cat, and #42 would never not come to her name being called. She's like an obedient dog.

I figured she was dead--taken by the coyotes. It didn't make sense to me since it was broad daylight, but why else wouldn't she have come?

It was getting close to lesson time and I wanted to be there early, so I took off for the arena a couple houses over. As I rode onto their property and past their large hay barn, guess who I saw hiding against the side of it in the tall grass?

Yes, #42!!!

It was the furthest I'd ever seen her from our home, and I can only figure she followed our dog over and then was scared to make it back across the wide-open fields.

I had to lead her back to the house by horseback--I was calling her name and she was bounding behind Cowboy and I like a cowdog.

Strange cat!!

As for the lesson, it was fun. I'm a learning a new lingo, like posting on the diagonal . I didn't know what she was talking about having been trained to "post" period with the beat of the horse depending on the direction we were moving in a circle. It was something I felt rather than something I saw. So, once I figured out what she was talking about, we were on the same page.

The other thing is full seat--half seat. Full seat is apparently where you're sitting in your saddle. Half seat is where you're pushed off the saddle--as in the picture below--also called 2-point.

I had decided to use my old saddle because when I was riding Cowboy around the pasture I realized that if I scoot up in the seat (it's a large seat) I could get my feet under me like she was wanting. So, when I showed up for the lesson she was pretty impressed that I'd worked all that out.

The difficult part of it all is that she has me do a lot of 2-point riding (without posting) in order to get my balance. She had me ride up in the walk, trot and lope. The lope was very, very difficult. I was supposed to be able to keep him at the lope while balancing myself in the awkard position above my saddle. I accomplished this without killing myself, but Cowboy sure seemed like he wanted to help me out. He wasn't used to it. He's a good horse and he REALLY doesn't want me to fall off--I am, afterall, his meal ticket--(and friend, he he)--and I'm sure I was sending him some mixed signals!

The other thing she had me do a lot was ride with my feet out of the stirrups in the walk and trot--she wants a relaxed leg. Apparently, I'm tightening up and it's causing me to bounce around a bit.

All and all, it was a very productive lesson, and gives me a lot to work on for the next couple of weeks. We tried to take pictures, but discovered I'd left my memory card at home.

Here is a picture of the tree we planted in the dark. By daylight we realized it was leaning to the East. Hmmmm....



Hey, you can see the stained glass in the window above the tree in this picture!

These Boots Aren't Made for "Mudnure"

My Suffolk Tuffa Boots came today from Back in the Saddle. I thought I'd write a review about them just in case someone else is seriously interested in purchasing a pair.

First, I ordered the European 39 because I'm an 8.5 and that's what they recommended. When they arrived, however, they were much too big. I called Back in the Saddle and they said I could return those, but the refund would take 4-6 weeks, so they recommended I buy another pair in the meantime. They didn't charge me shipping again on the new order--but I had to ask for that favor.

Today the boots arrived--the size 38 Suffolk--two-tone. They seemed much lighter than in the picture, but I'm waiting to hear back from Tuffa boots to see if they need to be conditioned to bring out the darker tones. As for the fit, they have the velcro sides, so they can accomodate a number of calf sizes. I have large calves and most English style boots do not fit me--but these do.

They're a tight squeeze on, but once the foot is in, it's pretty cozy. They're lined with fur on the inside--so very warm.

However, I have a hard time imagining myself out in what Tracey, at Mustang Diaries, refers to as the MUDNURE. In fact, the more it rains and I remember exactly what mudnure really is, the harder time I have imagining myself out wearing those boots in it.

But that's what I bought them for, so I'm going to do it! They might not be the barn to town boots they were billed as after I'm done.

Tomorrow is my next Western Dressage lesson. I'm going to use a different saddle this time. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures for the blog when I'm done.

And, we had a tree delivered yesterday. It's a Heritage Birch---I'm guessing 25' tall. They said it would weight 400 lbs, ha ha, it weighs over 1000. Our tractor couldn't even lift it, so there it sat on the road to the barn...



Pretty sad. I get very attached to my plants--and I had to go out throughout the day and talk to this tree. Is that crazy?? I don't think so. I believe a living thing, even as quiet and seemingly lifeless as this tree, has a spirit of some sort that understands when it's being spoken to.

My husband and I went out this evening and used the truck and tractor to get our new birch to its permanent spot. We worked in the dark, so I'm a little concerned about how it will look tomorrow morning.

Pictures to follow....

Most Beatiful Place on God's Green Earth

Sandpoint, Idaho--Lake Pend Oreille--Located in the Selkirk Mountains in northern-most Idaho. A little further and you'd be in Canada. Lucky me, this Eden is only an hour and a half drive from our home.

There might be places as beautiful somewhere, but there can't be a MORE beautiful place on earth.

It's where my husband and I were married 7 years ago, and where we make our annual pilgrimage each October.

If you're looking for a GREAT place to see Fall--consider this experience. For example--

You don't have to go to New York to see the Statue of Liberty--you can see her here, along the shores of the lake.









Here's the old Coldwater Creek Headquarters reflected in the river.












Our favorite restaurant, which changed locations this year and moved down by the shoreline of the Lake.





Some women after a picnic.



As we drove away, the view out the window.



What a great memory.

Comfortable Jeans, Happy Horse

The farrier came again yesterday to trim Beautiful, C'ya, Cowgirl and Shadow. Beautiful is finally to the point where I can say she was perfect. We trimmed her in the 12x12 stall, as usual, and she didn't move an inch after we set her where we wanted her.

She's comfortable with the farrier now. He always comes in and puts his arm under her neck and gives her a big hug before he starts. She knows him and even starts to lift her feet as he walks toward them.

Whew--huge sigh of relief! That has to have been the biggest obstacle I've ever had with her--getting my wild horse comfortable with strangers picking up her feet, stretching her back ones out to get them up to his height and placing them between his legs---then using the big old nippers and rasp on them.

He tested Cowgirl's hoof and didn't find a central spot for her pain. He thinks my assumption is correct, that she's pounding so much she traumatized it. Horses can even create stress founder--like road founder--by pounding and pawing. She hasn't foundered, but he said we really have to solve the problem that's causing it. He recommended hobbling her in the stall. I don't have any experience with hobbling. My solution has been to give her constant turnout.

The thing is, she is NOT a nervous horse. She's demanding. She's only five and can go out on a trail fearlessly after not having been ridden a month. She's been like that since the very first--when she was 3 and 4. She is about as bomb-proof as they come--and for a horse that young, it's phenomonal. Her pounding and pawing appears to be from pent up energy. She's a horse that wants to be used.

When C'ya gets her feet done, she is an abolsute GEM. She hangs her head down and picks up those feet for him--completely relaxed. Every inch of her just seems to melt even as she fully supports her own weight. She is an incredibly laid back horse. She is only four and the sweetest thing in the world. We were talking about that and I said something about it being too bad she didn't have perfect conformation (she's the one with the sickle or cowhock or whatever you want to call it) but he said she's going to be great. He said she turns out and her movement will be out, but it's better than turning in like our older horse Shadow who, if he's not trimmed well, will trip and hit on himself.

Now to the title of the post. I got to thinking about the picture of Cowboy and me where I'm adjusting my jeans--the Panda Express thing--all of it. I decided that I want my jeans to fit comfortably to loose. I could care less about "pounds", but I do care about comfort. So, I'm not setting a specific goal for myself except that my jeans feel loose enough to be extremely comfortable in the saddle. This will 1.) Keep me from having to buy new jeans, and 2.) make Cowboy happier.

I'm going to use Cowboy as my motivation because I'll do things for him I wouldn't do otherwise, and I let him get away with things I'd never let anyone else get away with.

For fun I came up with some Cowboy diet thoughts based upon his expression the other day:







As you know, a husband would get slapped for saying (or thinking) ANY of these things, but since it's Cowboy.....

I'll keep you all up to date on whether or not I've reached my goal--and I'll use Cowboy as my barometer!

Does Anyone Know These Boots?

Today is October 12th, my husband's and my 7th Anniversary. So much has happened since then--'02: successes, failures, heartaches, happinesses, losses, gains, moves and changes--but when I look back I just see joy.

He wasn't a horse person to start with, but because I am, he's climbed aboard more than one and took his chances. He's learned to install automatic, heated waterers, build fence, hang gates, buck hay, build stalls that can't be kicked down, grow pasture grass, kill weeds, and as you know, about a million other things associated with the horse life.

He's my good, good friend, and going through life with a good friend at your side is a gift. He's also my help-mate--without which, I would not live on a horse property or have so many horses, and I'm not referring to the financial part of it, though obviously horses are expensive, I'm referring to the amount of work involved in maintaining a ranch. I couldn't do it without him. Period.

So, what do boots and our anniversary have in common? (I think everything in my life has something in common with boots--oddly enough--or, at least, I try to make it have something in common). This year, boots are my annivesary gift from my husband. Warm, mucking boots, every girl's dream.

Here is their description: Suffolk Ladies Boot

Designed by Tuffa Boots of England, this winter boot is loaded with features: robust rubber sole and an oiled nubuck leather upper that’s also treated with Scotchgard water repellent. The gusseted opening zips for easy on/off, with Velcro fastenings for a perfect fit. And the fine sheepskin lining means there’s no need for bulky socks---your feet will be warm and toasty with a lightweight sock. Great for riding, barn chores or wearing around town in messy winter weather. Made in Portugal. Color: Brown/camel. European sizes: 36 (US 5 1/2-6), 37 (US 6 1/2-7), 38 (US 7 1/2-8), 39 (US 8 1/2-9), 40 (US 9 1/2), 41 (US 10), 42 (US 10 1/2-11)

I've looked at these boots for years now, always wanting them, always wondering if they're worth the investment. Does anyone have a pair? Have a friend who has a pair? Does anyone know anything about European sizes? I've bought European sandals, but not boots.

I'm an 8 1/2--so would a 39 be too big for me or just right? It says 39 = 8.5-9, and my daughter is a size 9. So, does this mean she'll steal my boots from me? She does do that, you know. (And Shiloh, if you're reading this, you know it's true!) wink.