Tonight at the barn

The horses wearing their 'War Paint'. That is Swat dabbed under their eyes, in their ears, and the base of their tails and under the belly to keep the little gnats and flies away.


Shadow and Roheryn, the new girl in the pasture. Roheryn is only 2 and still very much a baby. Shadow has taken her under her wing and is showing her the ropes and pasture rules.

Reality intrudes

This is a post I have been avoiding. It was as if writing it would make it more real.

The previous post, our Easter ride was the last ride I had on my Shadow girl. She was the reason our ride was cut short. She started to have difficulty walking, and we turned back. On the way back she started dropping her hip, and I hopped off and walked her back to the trailers.

I had only ridden her a couple of times this spring, for short distances. She has seemed a bit off, but as she has an old injury to that hip that she has been compensating for on her own I thought it was a conditioning issue.

When we got back to the barn, and I watched her walk off, I saw an actual divot in her hip from her hip dropping, and I realized our rides were over. She is in great shape, doesn't look her 24 years (or act it) but the damage we did falling through a bridge back in '99, the past winter's snow and her fight with Lyme's disease last year have all taken their toll. It's time for her to become a pasture puff, and enjoy her days.

She has well earned her retirement. She has been an ambassador for her breed, and for horses in general. She has carried me over countless miles of trails, through hours of shows, parades, demos, reenactments. She has tolerated baths in the middle of winter, clippers, costumes, bands and balloons. She has galloped hunter paces (and we won our division!) and walked oh so carefully with a child on her back. She is the good girl, the one I can turn loose where ever we are to graze, and she will come when I call. She is the teacher, the one I pony the babies with, and lead green horses through water and over bridges. She has also taught many humans to ride, and is the reason a good number of people in MD have a TWH now.

She was the first horse my son rode, the first horse I bred and trained, the first horse I won blue ribbons on. She was the partner I could count on, and tried many things on her that probably wasn't very smart to do, LOL!

As i find old photographs I will post them and tell stories of her life. She has been a well traveled girl, and has quite the personality. But through it all, even when I left her behind for 2 years, sunk her in bogs, and rode her over a bridge that collapsed, her trust in me has never wavered.

Last summer.

OPPC show, we actually got a ribbon in barrels!

Beach ride, in march!
Did I mention the part where she is a saint? (note the 'swimmies', hard to get them on over hooves)

Easter ride!

Everyone was sans urchins today, so we decided to go for a ride.

We decided on Montgomery County Agricultural Park so we packed a lunch, loaded up the horses and headed off to the park.

When we started tacking up we realized we were short a girth, specifically Bill's western girth. It was either drive back home and get the girth (an hour round trip) or not ride. Bill decided rather than not ride at all, he would 'cowboy up' and ride in the spare english saddle we had. Here is the proof of the one and probably only time he will ride in one of those!

Other than getting the stirrup lengths correct, it wasn't too bad, and he adjusted his stirrups on the fly!

Yes, that IS Mythril he is riding!

Steph, Mike and Steve..ever notice how most of my photos are of butts?

Steph and Mike on Bubba and Q


Steve on Austin.

For a couple of reasons we had to cut the ride short, but we had a good time after the ride, sandwiches, beer, and good conversation.

Dreaming of spring...

Spring is coming...

The horse owners 'winter sports'

On my way to work today, I was listening to the radio (WPOC). They were having a discussion about regional winter sports, what winter activity does your community get involved in. There were lots of fun sounding things mentioned, ice sail boating, ice kites, someone created a golf course on a lake (9 holes!), tobogganing, all fun sounding stuff.

Then I thought about my winter sports, as a horse owner. I too face great physical challenges, battling the elements to accomplish my goal. So lets list the horse/barn owners winter games.

1. Ice Chop - The sport of attempting to break up and remove ice chunks from buckets and troughs without soaking your hands (or feet if you have resorted to stomping). Tools can range from hammers to pitchforks to bare hands.

2. Water challenge - This sport is more of a long term competition, with varying levels of success. The Gold would be awarded to the person who has water free flowing from unfrozen spigots with thawed hoses into troughs with heaters. Mid range would be the people hauling water in buckets from the house. Last place are people melting snow with hair dryers.

3. Hay carry - The sport of carrying a 50# bale of hay accross ice patches, through knee deep snow, through a gate while fending off 5 giant 4 legged furballs who try to maul you for the hay.

4. Blanket toss - The challenge is to get a winter blanket on a spooky, snorting horse in the middle of a blizzard with the wind flapping the blanket and dogs barking. Bonus points if a snow plow blasts by with all the lights blinking.

5. Grain chisel - Chip enough frozen grain free from the bin to feed the horses.

6. Obstacle course - The game is to get the horse from the barn to the turnout without slipping on ice, falling in snow, the blanket coming off the horse, the horse spooking and bolting free, etc. Must pass scary plow/tractor, negotiate ridges of frozen mud, ice patches, inside out blankets sunning on the fence, dogs bounding in and out of the snow, etc.

Ok, what other events can you think of?

Snow, and new blankets

With a blizzard rolling in, I tucked everyone in to blankets.
Mithril shows off his new sporty plaid blanket. Purple, black, and blue are definitely his colors!

Coconut has a new blanket too, light blue with purple trim. Quite the fashion diva!

Not that they are interested in talking about their new clothes when there is hay to eat. Notice, that even though there is hay in their stalls, they would still rather be outside in the snow.

Shadow and Symphony are resplendent in hunter/navy and purple/black, respectively.

We are supposed to get up to 28 inches by tomorrow night. Tomorrow they will all get a yummy hot bran mash, with oatmeal, apples, carrots, brown sugar and peppermint candies!

Snow!

Ride!

Horse Poetry

This has been making the rounds on the e-mail lists. As I am approaching 50 with warp speed, I thought it was a good one to ponder.

I Hung up my Bridle Today

Yesterday, for the first time,
I was too tired to ride
I was afraid I would be hurt if I was thrown
I heard someone say my barn was too shabby
I let someone tell me I was too pudgy to ride
I realized I was old
I had to face that I could no longer keep up
I had to let go of my dreams
I felt my heart break
I turned my back on my friend
I knew I was done

Today, for the last time,
I felt warm, braided leather in my hands.
I ran my stirrups up so they wouldn't bang my mare's sides
I released the buckles on the girth and watched my girl sigh
I slowly dropped the bit so it wouldn't hit her teeth
I gave my mare a cookie to thank her for the ride
I buried my head in her soft, warm neck
I inhaled the sun and the dust in her long winter coat
I closed the gate and trudged to the muddy porch
I tracked hay and horse hair into my house
I pulled off my boots and felt the sting of warm blood returning to my
cold toes

Today, for the first time,
I cried after my ride
I felt my hands shake as I set the saddle on its rack
I hugged my young trainer a final goodbye
I waited for the new owner's trailer to arrive
I set my boots in a box to go to the Goodwill
I sighed at the wear on my riding gloves
I had no hay in my hair
I did not hear nickering when I opened my back door
I felt worse leaving the barn that I did when I entered
I had no one to check on before going to bed

Tomorrow, for the first time,
I won't have to buy hay
I can stay in bed longer
I won't see the poop pile grow
I won't be able to fly on four legs
I will be sorry I listened
I will regret letting her go
I will be angry at God
I will be angry at myself
I will cry the day away
I will be glad to die

Day after tomorrow, for the first time,
I will awaken in tears
I will know I was wrong
I will defy all the judgment
I will ignore my old bones
I will return the buyer's check
I will bring my friend home
I will take my boots out of the box
I will be reborn

For the rest of my life,
I will have a horse in my yard
I will ignore the cruel judging
I will watch the poop pile grow
I will have hay in my hair
I will track mud in my house
I will bury my face in her soft neck
I will let my soul fly
I will never be alone.

I'll never Hang up my Bridle, how about you?

by Kris Garrett
11-11-09

November ride!