Highfaultin Fox 7/29/11
Show Ticket 3/22/11
Show Ticket 7/29/11
Friday, July 29, 2011
Updates - Before and After
Highfaultin Fox 10/10/10
Highfaultin Fox 7/29/11
Show Ticket 3/22/11
Show Ticket 7/29/11
Highfaultin Fox 7/29/11
Show Ticket 3/22/11
Show Ticket 7/29/11
Friday, July 15, 2011
Becoming a Horse
FIRST TIME WEARING A SADDLE!!! (Sorry - it's a cellphone picture)
Bullwinkle went to "big boy school" on Friday, July 8th. He is with the same trainer that has Millie (who is doing very well and walking and trotting the barrel pattern now)
I had made the decision to take Bullwinkle for 90 days of training. He will probably return next spring, but for now, just 90 days.
He loaded fine and hauled quietly. Because he's "My Baby", I had my own issue talking him. It was all mental on my part. I totally trust my trainer with every aspect. I almost turned back three times, thinking I was going to have a nervous breakdown. But I continued on and made it there.
Once at the trainer's, he had sensory over-load. LOTS of horses, all talking to him. Nothing familiar. There was a BIG scary tractor tire which is used for his hay trough. Within 30 minutes, he had figured it out and was over the big scary tire!
He got into an argument with the grey mare next to him and kicked the panel. When they kick the panels, if they hit it just right, it's like they hit their funny bone. Anyway, Bullwinkle packed one back leg. My thought was "Oh crap! Lame already!" But within 5 minutes he was walking around fine and back to arguing with the grey mare. My trainer tells me that by the next morning, it was true love for both of them, playing kissy-face and love scritching over the panels.
Tara gave him the weekend to settle in, then started him Monday morning. He spent some time high-lined in the round pen. I have never tied him, and while Mary (his first mom) had done a LOT with him, I don't remember if he was ever tied or not.
I pestered Tara most of the day Monday and told her when she saddled him, I needed a picture, that me and his gramma (Cathy) wanted updates! So Tara sent me the picture above - first time wearing a saddle!
A lot of people are like "Big deal" For me, it IS a big deal!! Others might start youngsters all the time, but I DON'T!
Tara tells me that he grabbed himself a little and bunny hopped, then looked around, sniffed the saddle, tasted the stirrup, then ignored it. He round penned relaxed and moving freely, willing to please!
She says that he is more mentally mature than Millie, quiet, nice-minded, and eager to please. And that he seeks out cuddles when he has tried and completed something new. Of course, who wouldn't want to cuddle with him??
Tara's challenge - getting on. He is BIG! 16 hands, easy! I am going to take a mounting block down, because he will need to be broke to a step or block so I can get on him. Mike has announced that HE will be riding Bullwinkle also, since his mare Jazzy is unsound due to an old pelvis injury. At this point, my response is always "NO", but in time, we'll see.
For now, I am so very excited about this kid. I'm sure I am driving Tara nuts with all my pestering!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Rest In Peace Mya
About a year ago, I saw a post on a discussion board about a horse needing a new home, due to new marriage and the family moving. I responded, saying if a home couldn't be found, I could take the horse as a last resort.
In September 2010, Mike and I drove north of Spokane to pick up Mya. In e-mails, the owners had told me that she was well trained, but that she'd had colic surgery and was "delicate" and that hard work would cause her problems. I thought "As if I ride much anymore..."
Since last fall, Mya has had several mild episodes. I carefully monitored what she ate, watched her for signs of stress or pain. Every time prior, banamine was enough to calm whatever was going on and she would bounce back.
She would "sing for her supper" - nickering and chattering until I gave her hay. If I carried a bucket, the volume and intensity would increase, whether it was for her or not. She also had the annoying habit of peeing in front of the stall door right at feeding time. I would have to dodge the puddle to feed the horse on the backside of the barn.
But for the most part, she was easy. I could halter her with no problem. She stood quietly for the farrier. Deworming was a breeze.
In the past week (since Sunday), Mya has had three "episodes". Last night, the banamine didn't give her relief. Her pain was progressing and she was in obvious discomfort. We made the decision to let her go before it got any worse. She might have recovered. She might have gotten through this. But my fear was that she would progress and suffer longer than she should.
It's always sad to lose one of the herd. But I take comfort that since last fall, Mya has been loved and spoiled, and she now has pain-free peace. She has joined the rest of the herd to run green fields and drink from crystal clear streams. She will be missed.
Rest In Peace Sweet Mya!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Off to a Good Start...
(UPDATE - Added Saturday and Sunday)
Here's how MY weekend is stacking up...
THURSDAY
Got home from work at 11:30 am. Mike and I had half a turkey sammich and some homemade chicken noodle soup. Then we took a nap until 1:30. When we got up, Mike went to a movie, then to my nephew's swim meet. When I got up, I turned the horses out, ripped and groomed the arena
Arena looks good, huh! The "lumpy" parts are poop. We spread it in the arena, then work it in. If we ever decide to plant grass, we will have to mow every day to keep it from turning into a jungle!
Then I fixed the fence that Bullwinkle took down, met Tara for dinner, went with her to help her retrieve her panels. I got home a little after 9:00 pm, locked up the horses, fed and topped off water tubs, showered and collapsed into bed. (The day had started at 4:00 am)
FRIDAY
I fed the horses while Mike finished putting up the bird screen on the south side of the barn. (Picture below) There are still a few holes to fill in, but it shouldn't take him long.
I pulled him off that task to drive the four-wheeler and trailer out in the pasture to pick up the piles of poop that the "elephants" had left yesterday. Once the trailer was empty, I unhitched the trailer, moved the drag out to the pasture, then hooked it up to the four-wheeler. Mike wasn't feeling well, so he went inside to lay down while I dragged and smoothed that last of the poops in preparation of me fertilizing.
Our drop-spreader has a flat tire, and it's all "boogered up" (yes, that's a technical term), so I had to use the one pictured below.
In all, I think I walked 400 miles up and down the pasture. Lucky for me, I had put the heavy bags in the trailer behind the four-wheeler, so that helped a little bit.
I was mostly done when Mike came back out. While I finished up the fertilizing, Mike mowed the yard, then high spots in the pasture.
When that task was finished, we came in for some lunch. After, Mike went to his last physical therapy appointment and I sprayed weeds. I decided I'd had enough for the day and took my shower. For dinner we're having more chicken noodle soup (unless Mike comes up with something equally as yummy) and Kali is going to dye my hair.
I might even be able to stand a Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen...
SATURDAY
Saturday, I cleaned more stalls and helped Mike finish the bird screening in the barn. There was one baby bird still in the nest, so we left a place open until it is big enough to fly to coop!
We quit early, had an early supper, then relaxed the rest of the evening.
SUNDAY
Mike decided to dig up and replace fence posts. There were some in the front pasture that weren't "doing anything", so we took them out. The front pasture now looks like... well... a pasture!
That's Kaci and Jazzy...
So Mike was able to get one post replaced. Note that the BEFORE picture appears to have been gnawed by our "beaver", named Jazzy...
Bullwinkle, in his infinite boredom, helped, I'm sure!
Here's a barn shot, just because!
Here's how MY weekend is stacking up...
THURSDAY
Got home from work at 11:30 am. Mike and I had half a turkey sammich and some homemade chicken noodle soup. Then we took a nap until 1:30. When we got up, Mike went to a movie, then to my nephew's swim meet. When I got up, I turned the horses out, ripped and groomed the arena
Arena looks good, huh! The "lumpy" parts are poop. We spread it in the arena, then work it in. If we ever decide to plant grass, we will have to mow every day to keep it from turning into a jungle!
Then I fixed the fence that Bullwinkle took down, met Tara for dinner, went with her to help her retrieve her panels. I got home a little after 9:00 pm, locked up the horses, fed and topped off water tubs, showered and collapsed into bed. (The day had started at 4:00 am)
FRIDAY
I fed the horses while Mike finished putting up the bird screen on the south side of the barn. (Picture below) There are still a few holes to fill in, but it shouldn't take him long.
I pulled him off that task to drive the four-wheeler and trailer out in the pasture to pick up the piles of poop that the "elephants" had left yesterday. Once the trailer was empty, I unhitched the trailer, moved the drag out to the pasture, then hooked it up to the four-wheeler. Mike wasn't feeling well, so he went inside to lay down while I dragged and smoothed that last of the poops in preparation of me fertilizing.
Our drop-spreader has a flat tire, and it's all "boogered up" (yes, that's a technical term), so I had to use the one pictured below.
In all, I think I walked 400 miles up and down the pasture. Lucky for me, I had put the heavy bags in the trailer behind the four-wheeler, so that helped a little bit.
I was mostly done when Mike came back out. While I finished up the fertilizing, Mike mowed the yard, then high spots in the pasture.
When that task was finished, we came in for some lunch. After, Mike went to his last physical therapy appointment and I sprayed weeds. I decided I'd had enough for the day and took my shower. For dinner we're having more chicken noodle soup (unless Mike comes up with something equally as yummy) and Kali is going to dye my hair.
I might even be able to stand a Peanut Buster Parfait at Dairy Queen...
SATURDAY
Saturday, I cleaned more stalls and helped Mike finish the bird screening in the barn. There was one baby bird still in the nest, so we left a place open until it is big enough to fly to coop!
We quit early, had an early supper, then relaxed the rest of the evening.
SUNDAY
Mike decided to dig up and replace fence posts. There were some in the front pasture that weren't "doing anything", so we took them out. The front pasture now looks like... well... a pasture!
That's Kaci and Jazzy...
So Mike was able to get one post replaced. Note that the BEFORE picture appears to have been gnawed by our "beaver", named Jazzy...
Bullwinkle, in his infinite boredom, helped, I'm sure!
Here's a barn shot, just because!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Chaos and Drama
My normal bedtime is 8 pm. My alarm for work goes off at 4 am, and I really have a problem functioning at my 10 hour shift if I get to bed any later than that. One nice thing about this shift is I have every Friday off!
I got to bed later than normal Wednesday night – about 9:20, but fell right to sleep. At 10:15 pm, Kali (my daughter) came home from her job, and though she was very quiet, the stupid weiner dog took up barking and woke us up. The little weenie takes her job as “Guard Dog” very seriously. (mumbling “stupid weenie”) So we were awake… well, at least, I was. Mike went right back to snoring. The crazy thing about that is that he was wearing his CPAP mask.
Also, as expected, the wind picked up last night, gusting to around 25 miles per hour. Normally, I hear only the shrubs brushing against the siding, providing me with a little “white noise”. The wind direction last night, however, came from a slightly different angle, causing the peak vent, which has apparently worked loose, to THUMP at irregular intervals throughout the night. And it kept me awake. I had gone outside several times to try to locate the thumping, and that is what I determined the source to be. The last time I looked at the clock, it was 11:47 pm.
At some point, I fell asleep…for a little while…
At 3:10 am, our doorbell rang. When we came out of the bedroom, complete with dogs barking, we could see the headlights of a vehicle and the outline of a sheriff’s deputy standing at the door. I kicked the dogs out of the way, and opened the door only enough to stick my head out, because, naturally, I was standing there in my T-shirt and underwear. (Heaven forbid I actually put sweats on or something)
The Sheriff said “You have horses” (I believe it was a statement rather than a question, because DUH, he parked right next to the arena holding two of the creatures…)
I said “Yes.”
He said, “I found two across the road.” (My first thought was ‘oh, maybe Jazzy and Kaci got out.’ But there hadn’t been any noise at the barn – cuz that is where Jazzy would have gone, with Kaci in tow, because Jazzy knows that is where the hay is kept and she’s part pig)
The Sheriff continued… “One is white.”
I said “I don’t have white horses.”
He said “Do you know of someone in the neighborhood who might?”
I said, “Does the horse have brown blotches on it? A paint horse?”
He said “Yes.”
I said “Is the other a bay? Brown with black mane and tail?”
He said “Yes”
I said “Sounds like the folks behind us. Their driveway is off the main road, second drive on the right.”
He said “Thank you for your help. Good night.”
He left and Mike and I sat out on the back porch for a few minutes. Mike sat and I had a cigarette, and we were back in bed at 3:20 am… listening to the thumping… again…
I got up a little late, rushed to get ready for work, main-lined my ultra-strong coffee, and was done in record time. I trudged to the barn – because that is what you do when you are freaking tired and only got a few hours sleep…
I fed the seven horses in the barn, double-checked because I wanted to make SURE I hadn’t forgotten anyone (and looking back, I am not so sure I DIDN’T forget one), and headed out the barn door to feed Jazzy and Kaci at the front of the property.
To my surprise, there were two paint mares in my neighbor’s pasture! Surely these were the two running loose (or walking loose, whatever the case might have been). And yes, one was a bay paint with black in her mane and tail, but not the solid bay horse I had pictured in my mind. (Apparently, Franklin County Deputies can’t read my mind at 3 am)
Then I had several thoughts at once:
Apparently, the folks behind us had helped the sheriff’s deputy. (Or maybe someone else that he had awakened)
Apparently, those folks decided that it would be “OK” to put them in my neighbor’s pasture (despite the fact that she wasn’t home. Luckily, neither were her own horses)
This irritated me, because the folks behind me have 5 acres, fenced and cross-fenced, and only two horses which were in the barn at night. Why not put them in their own pasture?
Apparently, no one had thought that it might be a good idea to provide the horses with water.
So I continued on my way and fed Jazzy and Kaci. Then I went to my neighbor’s and filled the water tub. I went home and got on the internet, posting a notice on a discussion board, and my Facebook page of the found mares before heading off to work.
At 8 am, I called my vet to see if the horses perhaps belonged to any of her clients. They did not. I called other vet clinics in the immediate area and left messages, in hopes that the horses’ owner was one of their clients.
At 8:30, I had to drive the company rig down to the shop to have the oil changed. (Because while I never drive the dang thing, I am the only with enough free time to run the rig to the shop…obviously. Whatever)
While I was sitting, waiting for the oil to be changed, my phone rings. It was a number that I didn’t recognize. WOOHOO – my posting worked! The owner of the horses was calling to claim his/her horses!! NOT!
Me: Hello
My neighbor (using her fiance’s phone?): Hi. Did you put those horses in my pasture?
Me: No. The Sheriff did.
Her: The Sheriff did? What sheriff?
Me: The one that rang my doorbell at three in the morning asking if I was missing some horses.
Her: Oh. I figured you did it since you posted about it.
Me: uh huh. (Just because I posted “Horses Found” doesn’t mean I have anything to do with them, other than trying to find their owner.)
Her: Well I know where those horse belong and I have their number and I called them and told them to come and get their F-ing horses out of my F-ing pasture.
Me: Nice. Where do they belong?
She told me, which is just around the corner, and I told her if the horses were still there when I got home that I would take them home. I also told her that I would empty the water tub.
The horses’ owner was found and according to Mike (who is still home on short-term disability recovering from knee replacement surgery) the horses were retrieved by their owner before noon.
So, since I am still waiting for the oil change to be complete (did you know that it takes AN HOUR to change the oil in a pick-up? Neither did I!!), I check my Facebook page. There was a post from my step-son in Alabama that said “If you don’t hear from me, I’m in a better place.” (WTF??!!)
Now – I have several schools of thought on this one. (background – his girlfriend just broke up with him, his mother is in Washington visiting family and she didn’t pay for him to come too so he had to stay in Alabama, he is sick with a virus, and he is a confirmed “quitter” – having proved to us that if you quit, you will never fail.)
1 – He is trying to get attention from his girlfriend, mistakenly thinking that juvenile stunts like that makes us girls give a damn
2 – If he is “suicidal”, any attempt would be a feeble attempt at best, because he has never followed through with anything in his entire 23 years
3 – He needs to grow a pair, suck it up, move on, and GROW UP!!
But still, I DO have a little heart, so I sent Mike a text, telling him what I’d read, and that he needs to call his son. Of course, there is no answer, so Mike calls his ex. She has been in touch with the boy, he is fine – though he is upset, is crying and carrying on, blah blah blah.
So what does she do??? She buys him a plane ticket to Washington, where he is going to stay with his sick and feeble grandmother! So he got his way! AGAIN!!!
I am sure he hung up the phone with a smile and muttered to himself “Stupid bitch”, because that is the kind of person he is.
Whatever happens on THAT side of the family doesn’t concern me – just as long as he doesn’t think, not EVER, not even for one night – that he will come to stay at MY house!
As for me, once this is posted, I am going to apply liberal amount of Jolly Ranchers (Watermelon Pucker and Sprite over ice), and collapse into bed in a drunken coma! (After the dogs and horses are fed, the water tub next door is emptied, Lucy has a dedicated water tub so I can monitor how much she is drinking (more on this in a later post), and I have dug for treasure on the Facebook game Treasure Isle.)
I got to bed later than normal Wednesday night – about 9:20, but fell right to sleep. At 10:15 pm, Kali (my daughter) came home from her job, and though she was very quiet, the stupid weiner dog took up barking and woke us up. The little weenie takes her job as “Guard Dog” very seriously. (mumbling “stupid weenie”) So we were awake… well, at least, I was. Mike went right back to snoring. The crazy thing about that is that he was wearing his CPAP mask.
Also, as expected, the wind picked up last night, gusting to around 25 miles per hour. Normally, I hear only the shrubs brushing against the siding, providing me with a little “white noise”. The wind direction last night, however, came from a slightly different angle, causing the peak vent, which has apparently worked loose, to THUMP at irregular intervals throughout the night. And it kept me awake. I had gone outside several times to try to locate the thumping, and that is what I determined the source to be. The last time I looked at the clock, it was 11:47 pm.
At some point, I fell asleep…for a little while…
At 3:10 am, our doorbell rang. When we came out of the bedroom, complete with dogs barking, we could see the headlights of a vehicle and the outline of a sheriff’s deputy standing at the door. I kicked the dogs out of the way, and opened the door only enough to stick my head out, because, naturally, I was standing there in my T-shirt and underwear. (Heaven forbid I actually put sweats on or something)
The Sheriff said “You have horses” (I believe it was a statement rather than a question, because DUH, he parked right next to the arena holding two of the creatures…)
I said “Yes.”
He said, “I found two across the road.” (My first thought was ‘oh, maybe Jazzy and Kaci got out.’ But there hadn’t been any noise at the barn – cuz that is where Jazzy would have gone, with Kaci in tow, because Jazzy knows that is where the hay is kept and she’s part pig)
The Sheriff continued… “One is white.”
I said “I don’t have white horses.”
He said “Do you know of someone in the neighborhood who might?”
I said, “Does the horse have brown blotches on it? A paint horse?”
He said “Yes.”
I said “Is the other a bay? Brown with black mane and tail?”
He said “Yes”
I said “Sounds like the folks behind us. Their driveway is off the main road, second drive on the right.”
He said “Thank you for your help. Good night.”
He left and Mike and I sat out on the back porch for a few minutes. Mike sat and I had a cigarette, and we were back in bed at 3:20 am… listening to the thumping… again…
I got up a little late, rushed to get ready for work, main-lined my ultra-strong coffee, and was done in record time. I trudged to the barn – because that is what you do when you are freaking tired and only got a few hours sleep…
I fed the seven horses in the barn, double-checked because I wanted to make SURE I hadn’t forgotten anyone (and looking back, I am not so sure I DIDN’T forget one), and headed out the barn door to feed Jazzy and Kaci at the front of the property.
To my surprise, there were two paint mares in my neighbor’s pasture! Surely these were the two running loose (or walking loose, whatever the case might have been). And yes, one was a bay paint with black in her mane and tail, but not the solid bay horse I had pictured in my mind. (Apparently, Franklin County Deputies can’t read my mind at 3 am)
Then I had several thoughts at once:
Apparently, the folks behind us had helped the sheriff’s deputy. (Or maybe someone else that he had awakened)
Apparently, those folks decided that it would be “OK” to put them in my neighbor’s pasture (despite the fact that she wasn’t home. Luckily, neither were her own horses)
This irritated me, because the folks behind me have 5 acres, fenced and cross-fenced, and only two horses which were in the barn at night. Why not put them in their own pasture?
Apparently, no one had thought that it might be a good idea to provide the horses with water.
So I continued on my way and fed Jazzy and Kaci. Then I went to my neighbor’s and filled the water tub. I went home and got on the internet, posting a notice on a discussion board, and my Facebook page of the found mares before heading off to work.
At 8 am, I called my vet to see if the horses perhaps belonged to any of her clients. They did not. I called other vet clinics in the immediate area and left messages, in hopes that the horses’ owner was one of their clients.
At 8:30, I had to drive the company rig down to the shop to have the oil changed. (Because while I never drive the dang thing, I am the only with enough free time to run the rig to the shop…obviously. Whatever)
While I was sitting, waiting for the oil to be changed, my phone rings. It was a number that I didn’t recognize. WOOHOO – my posting worked! The owner of the horses was calling to claim his/her horses!! NOT!
Me: Hello
My neighbor (using her fiance’s phone?): Hi. Did you put those horses in my pasture?
Me: No. The Sheriff did.
Her: The Sheriff did? What sheriff?
Me: The one that rang my doorbell at three in the morning asking if I was missing some horses.
Her: Oh. I figured you did it since you posted about it.
Me: uh huh. (Just because I posted “Horses Found” doesn’t mean I have anything to do with them, other than trying to find their owner.)
Her: Well I know where those horse belong and I have their number and I called them and told them to come and get their F-ing horses out of my F-ing pasture.
Me: Nice. Where do they belong?
She told me, which is just around the corner, and I told her if the horses were still there when I got home that I would take them home. I also told her that I would empty the water tub.
The horses’ owner was found and according to Mike (who is still home on short-term disability recovering from knee replacement surgery) the horses were retrieved by their owner before noon.
So, since I am still waiting for the oil change to be complete (did you know that it takes AN HOUR to change the oil in a pick-up? Neither did I!!), I check my Facebook page. There was a post from my step-son in Alabama that said “If you don’t hear from me, I’m in a better place.” (WTF??!!)
Now – I have several schools of thought on this one. (background – his girlfriend just broke up with him, his mother is in Washington visiting family and she didn’t pay for him to come too so he had to stay in Alabama, he is sick with a virus, and he is a confirmed “quitter” – having proved to us that if you quit, you will never fail.)
1 – He is trying to get attention from his girlfriend, mistakenly thinking that juvenile stunts like that makes us girls give a damn
2 – If he is “suicidal”, any attempt would be a feeble attempt at best, because he has never followed through with anything in his entire 23 years
3 – He needs to grow a pair, suck it up, move on, and GROW UP!!
But still, I DO have a little heart, so I sent Mike a text, telling him what I’d read, and that he needs to call his son. Of course, there is no answer, so Mike calls his ex. She has been in touch with the boy, he is fine – though he is upset, is crying and carrying on, blah blah blah.
So what does she do??? She buys him a plane ticket to Washington, where he is going to stay with his sick and feeble grandmother! So he got his way! AGAIN!!!
I am sure he hung up the phone with a smile and muttered to himself “Stupid bitch”, because that is the kind of person he is.
Whatever happens on THAT side of the family doesn’t concern me – just as long as he doesn’t think, not EVER, not even for one night – that he will come to stay at MY house!
As for me, once this is posted, I am going to apply liberal amount of Jolly Ranchers (Watermelon Pucker and Sprite over ice), and collapse into bed in a drunken coma! (After the dogs and horses are fed, the water tub next door is emptied, Lucy has a dedicated water tub so I can monitor how much she is drinking (more on this in a later post), and I have dug for treasure on the Facebook game Treasure Isle.)
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