Nibbles

Baruka canter

We're getting some nibbles from the ads. Hope he gets a great new home, he deserves it! I'd never sell him if I were 30 years younger and much richer. I'd show him myself! He is just my dream horse, but not bred for a pasture, he needs to go to work!

New year! For Sale signs!

Well, this year is going great so far! I have posted an ad to sell Bear, he's doing well for a pasture horse, and I have decided that my knees and back will not take the wear and tear of training a dressage horse! He has entirely too big a gait for a trail riding/pleasure horse and needs a career in dressage or combined training. He certainly has the breeding to run all day and night, and I don't know where he got the huge floaty trot. Every pro who has gotten on him gets a big smile on their face when he goes into his trot. Huge warmblood movement, if you aren't ready for it, you will be really surprised. Look on www.BuyHorses.com for Baruka!

Rain, rain, go away!

This last week, we had a downpour of 10.5 inches of rain in two days, which resulted in a cornucopia of mushrooms. Bear is looking like himself and enjoying the mudbaths he's taking...

Pet Squirrel

While working at a friend's helping to build a room for his daughter's new home, we encountered this little fella.

He's so friendly, we suspect his health, so we won't let him touch us, but he's all over our feet, and under our feet. I took him to the far reaches of the farm yard (about 150 feet away), and he's back in 3 minutes. We think of maybe taking him home, but nixed that as we have 5 happy, (hungry) kitties. Next day, the air conditioner men are under the house, and he is all over them too! One of them took him home for a pet. He must have been raised by people as friendly and unafraid as he was.

Angels on Horseback

Checking out the canter


Trying a movement

We have had an influx of vaulters at the Meadow Lakes Equestrian Center, their "home" base here in Kentucky for the competitions at the Ky Horse Park this month. Tonight they had a couple of girls from Johannesburg, South Africa, trying out three horses to use for this weekends competition. I'm posting one girl, the coach of the younger girl. We shall see them this weekend in lower level competition. I also met this year's North American champion vaulter (second year to win) from California, Alicin Devita, a real sweetheart. The California team uses only Warmbloods to compete, it gives them an extra measure of difficulty. I'm looking forward to seeing them all compete this weekend, a test for the World Equestrian Games next year!

Second Day

Bear in his field. This is the field I ride him in. You can see the slope of the hill we ride up and down, trying to wear him out a bit, and get him stronger.



He should be tired now...


Eating to get his strength back...

Carrie Dances, Bear Prances

Too bad I can't carry a camera while on horseback...I rode Bear for the first time in over two weeks. Unfortunately, I decided to not tie Carrie up while riding, due to her extreme unhappiness in being so tied. So, I ride Bear out of the barn paddock and Carrie is doing the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy around and about the Nutcracker (Bear and Me). Jumping and twirling and leaping...Baryshnikov would have been jealous of this performance. I spoke sharply to her several times, to no avail. She was making Bear (who had not been around any dogs) a bit nervous, but it may have taken his mind off of me, HA! when Bud asked if I'd like him to tie her up, I agreed with alacrity. Then Bear and I got down to business, trying to ignore the dance of the mares, the digging of the water line, and any other distraction. He bucked twice, very shallow, very slowly, "Immmmm gooooing tooo buuuck nooow"! Ha ha! We ended on a good note after I rode him up and down the hill three times, and he was tired.

New attitude! After yesterday, we have a brand new attitude of obedience from Ellie. Still a lot of spunk, but no bucking and jumping today. Hooray.


New grass. The retired horses have been nibbling at the ground level in their field, so they have been let out into a new field where grass is up to their knees. Boy, do they nicker when I arrive so they can get into the new field every day. I can't leave them there overnight because there is no solid perimeter fence, just electric fence. They get to graze there a few hours every day, while I paint or do farm chores.


New sky. Gorgeous colors in the sky last night!!!!

I'm going to try to ride Bear tomorrow for the first time since he came home. He's been recuperating,putting on weight, settling down.

First Day of Re-training

Ahhh the joys of a good roll. But wait! Aren't we supposed to be in re-training? And who is that in the round pen with us? Mom? It is hard enough to re-start a career in riding with out your MOM horning in on all of the fun. In fact we can't do anything with out her sneaking in beside us and you CAN"T GET RID OF HER. so, here is the embarrassing documentation of my trainer's inability to train.



We are two of a kind. She just asked us to walk...




Leapin' Lizards!





This goes on for 15 minutes until trainer decides to give up and try another day. Maybe she'll be more sucessful in keeping MOM out of the round pen.

Too much work makes Jack a dull boy

OK,so it IS harder to do a blog when you've got farmin' to do! Namely, gardening, treating horses, harvesting and canning. Don't take that too seriously, though, I got all of 4 quarts of beans canned last night. It was my first time, and it may as well have been brain surgery for all of the instructions I had to follow. It took 3 hours to do from start to finish, 15 minutes of which was fighting the canner lid twice before figuring out that it has a front and back and the lid only fits on ONE way. I'd get it half way on and couldn't get the back to go down. Think computers are the only man-made marvel to go out the window? I truly thought about it, and if it wasn't borrowed, it may have ended up on the front lawn. So, every step documented...Then, when finally done, I lift out the 5 jars and one of them has broken out the bottom of the jar, leaving 4! Bud has gently suggested I go buy my cans of produce and not worry about canning. It looks a lot better all the time.