More of The Same

But It Is Warmer

The sun is shining and the temperatures are above freezing--for the time being at least. The snow is melting, but when you have two feet of snow, that's not saying much and it's a long process. Trouble is, there is another storm headed this way for the beginning of the week. It's still not clear whether it will hit here, how much snow there might be, or if it will be a rainy mix instead. Frankly, this winter has caused enough trouble already.

The snow appears to be melting, although my solar panels are still under several inches of snow cover. The sun is helping but it has a long journey before its rays penetrate to the lower levels of white we're stuck under.

Meanwhile, I am trying to organize all my information for filing my income tax. Each year, here in the USA citizens are required to file a Federal Income Tax form to determine how much tax they are required to pay on their income. This year, mine is a mess. I have all kinds of little complications to sort out. Hopefully, I will have it all organized so I can file sooner than later. It is just a chore getting everything together.

This, of course, has prompted me to to a bit of cleaning. But around here, cleaning one thing triggers the necessity to clean something else, which necessitates something else....and so on. What starts off as a little project of tidying up becomes a large adventure in full scale cleaning. As I am not the most organized person to start off with, the challenge can be daunting. Oh well, it had to be done sooner or later.

I fed the Boys and cleaned the stalls this morning when I fed, so the basic outdoor chores are done, at least. With the horses turned out at will they do not make a big mess in their stalls. I'm a bit surprised this time of year, since I'd think they'd want to stay inside more, but I guess being out is far more entertaining for them.

I often think of horses that are kept in most of the time with very little turnout. I've read that in some of the top competition barns, some of the horses are in for the bulk of the day with the only time out when they are in a supervised exercise/training situation. I simply cannot believe that is good for them.

I grant you, 24/7 turnout may not be ideal and there is a lot to be said for keeping horses in under shelter for part of the day. When my horses were boarded out, they were usually inside either during the day or during the night as the season warranted, and they seemed perfectly content. But even then, to me, turnout was an essential service the boarding facility needed to provide. In most cases, it was turnout in a herd situation of some sort, with the geldings usually separated from the mares.

Horses are social animals and seem to be much more content with the contact and companionship of other horses. But, I suppose of you've spent thousands of dollars on a well bred competition horse, you are highly unlikely to want that horse out with other horses that might bite, kick, or injure him, even if it was in play.

We are our horses' caretakers, that's true, but how far should we go? Somehow I have to feel sorry for the horses that are so taken care of they never get a chance to simply be horses.

The Fitness Game

And, Oh No, Not Another One!!

First the other one. When I came home from church last night, as the garage door opened, a gray cat dashed out of the garage. Patches is black and white, Mommycat is a very dark tabby, this cat was a light gray stripey. My big concern was that there was an ominously wide shape to this one in the belly area. I have a fear, a bad fear this may be a pregnant female. The very last thing I want around here is a litter of kittens, especially this time of year. I do not need a cat colony, and the world does not need another half dozen kitties needing homes.

It's too darn cold to set the trap too, although if I put it in the hay and go out to check every hour or so, it might be all right. But then what. I have to contact one of the kitty rescues to try to get a low cost spay, but that would mean keeping the cat "in custody" until arrangements could be made. That means setting up the kitty cage in the sunroom and keeping the kitty inside for a while, all of which requires a lot of due diligence on my part.

Not that I wouldn't do it, but, "What the heck do people think!!" How did these cats get here in the first place?? They didn't just drop out of the sky. Patches has the look of a once cared for kitty and the gray cat looked pretty good too. Now, grant you, Mommycat has been living outdoors for quite some time, but she has been well fed by both my neighbor and me, and she is spayed. It could be that Graykitty has been here longer than I realized and has been eating the dry food I leave out, that's true, but did she just fly in from outer space? Somehow I doubt it. I rather suspect, as with Patches and Mommycat, that someone just decided, "Oh, here's a farm let's dump the cat here. There are plenty of mice to eat and we'll just let it fend for itself. Farms always need cats."

Wrong!! Responsible farm owners like me do love cats, but we don't need any one else's cats. In fact, I don't want any outdoor cats here as our road is far too dangerous, and I don't ever want to have to scrape another dead kitty from the pavement. I will suffer my rats and mice to live until they drive me to distraction and then I will put out some rodent bait to do them in, thank you. And I do have a few resident snakes and perhaps a fox or two who might be of assistance. Most kitties I've known are not quite up to tackling a rat anyhow--that takes a special cat with ratter instinct/skill and I've only met one in my life.

So now, all I can do it worry, keep the kitty dish full of dry food and keep my eyes peeled to see if I can see the new stray again.

Muriel mentioned in her comment about the fact that Thoroughbreds and Arabians are easy to get fit, while other breeds are not. I've never had an Arab, but, as you know, most of my horses were TB's. And yes, TB's do get fit pretty quickly. As a matter of fact, it was one of the things Patrice Edwards mentioned in one of her clinics abouthow you do not have to drill a TB too much because their muscles build so quickly. But, I also had an Appaloosa and a Saddlebred in my care years ago and both of them were also pretty fit.

So what's the key? Regular work, with variation.

I try to never do the same exercises two days in a row. I have two theories about this. As we know, muscles need to get tired, break down a bit, and then rebuild stronger. They need time to do this. The second theory is that the horse's brain also needs to process the workout/lesson. You need to know your horse's individual "learning curve." Some horses need a lesson only once, others require lots of repetition. But most I've trained need a day or so "off" from a particular exercise to process the information so it can become a part of their thought pattern. If you've ever worked on an movement--let's say shoulder-in on Monday, and then found, on Tuesday, that your horse has no clue or seems to have forgotten where to put his feet, then he may well be the kind of horse that needs a day or two in-between the sessions to process the new concept. Again, once a horse really learns an exercise, it's OK to do it more often, but do remember that repeatedly exercising the same muscles and joints in the same way day after day can lead to fatigue and breakdowns.

If you have access to trails, that's great. If you have places to go for long trots/canters/gallops, that's even better. If you have hills, that's super. There is nothing better for getting a horse fit than hill work out in the open where you don't have to make sharp turns or stops. It's even more fun if the hills actually take you someplace so the whole training session can become an adventure.

I used to board across from a State Wildlife Preserve a local fox hunting club used as its "stomping ground." The terrain was varied, there were all kinds of hunt fences scattered about of various heights and difficulty and there were tons of places where you could take a long run if you wanted to. That's the perfect place to get a horse nice and fit.

But we're all not so lucky. The land around me now is relatively flat. I do have a hill in my pasture I can use and one little one in the paddock behind the barn. I this case, when I was "fitting" Tucker up because of his stifle, I'd trot large circles, going up and down the hills repeatedly. Trotting here is the key, because it's the gait that develops muscle in a horse.

Trotting loads and works each of the horse's four legs pretty evenly. For Tuck's stifles, I trotted him for 25 minutes every day--doctor's orders. This was exactly the protocol I used when I was riding and eventing Russell R., my first horse. While it does break my rule of giving a day off for muscle development to some degree, we were working on muscles in general, not specific muscles, and once we'd worked up to the 25 minutes, it was no big deal and simply kept the muscles fit. So, once the muscle is built up, it needs continual exercise to be maintained.

Galloping/cantering does build muscle too, but remember, as a lateral gait, it does not build up a horse evenly as trotting does. What this gait tends to build is stamina and wind. Listen to a relaxed horse breathe during the canter and you can almost hear his lungs at work.

I know I've mentioned this before, but an beloved Hungarian riding master I once rode with advocated galloping the dressage horse every day for at least four minutes. Again, no exercises, just a nice strong gallop--around the arena if there was no place else to do it. He said dressage horses were often worked too much in collection and did not have the stamina horses in other sports did. Again, it was a practice I used years ago and will use again once the weather breaks around here.

And don't neglect the walk. My original event trainer stressed it was a valuable gait. "But don't dawdle," she'd say. "Make sure when you are doing your road work that Russell really moves along at a good forward walk." The walk allows for recovery between periods of higher physical effort, but it serves no purpose if the horse doesn't use his muscles at all and just kind of "falls apart" into a go nowhere walk. Besides, a lazy walk makes it even harder to gear the horse back up to more intense work afterwards.

I know Tucker will be easy to get fit again. Toby, if I do ride him much will be a little trickier and need more TLC because he is now 20 and, even though his muscles were once used to some really hard work, they are very much out of shape now. I don't want to stress him too much at this point in his life, so his fitness will be less intense. Chance will be the interesting one. As a warmblood with a grade mare as his mother, he has the least Thoroughbred blood of any horse I've worked in years.

The good thing is, though, that so far, I can feel Chance start to get tired. The advantage there is that when he reaches that point, I know I need to just push him a little longer and then back off. This way, I can gauge each workout to his fitness on that day--tire the muscles, stress them, then let them rest to build up for the next time. TB's like Tucker and Toby to do not work that way. The will rarely, if ever, give up or give in if they are tired--well Tucker might start to protest. It's bred into them to never quit, which is why a Thorougbred on the track will run with a broken let. (shudder)

Good example here. Put Chance on a lunge line to work off his excessive energy--should he have any-- and after a bit he'll slow down on his own and relax. Put an over excited Tucker on a lunge line and he gallops, bucks and works himself up into a lather, feeding off the exercise as if it's a drug. Nope, I've never been able to "work him down" on the lunge.

So, I have a lot of work ahead of me. My friend noted the other day that he figured the ice in his driveway might melt by July at this rate. If so, I'll have plenty of time to plan my riding strategy for the season. *LOL*

"The Temperature's Rising"

"Which Isn't Surprising"

"We're having a heat wave." Well, not really, but it does look as if the temperatures are going to go above freezing within the next week or so. Right now, all I want is for the snow to melt off my solar panels so I can start generating electricity again. I hate the idea of potential free energy going to waste under a blanket of snow.

We had another three, perhaps four inches yesterday. At least I know where most of the ice is underfoot, so that I can try to avoid it when I'm out walking.

This morning, as I was feeding the Boys, I heard a very loud cat cry. I looked over to see Mommycat at the tackroom door, meowing at me. She was apparently quite hungry for some nice canned food and wanted me to know about it. She was so insistent that I finished up the graining and went inside to get her food. There, just outside the barn was Patches, the other stray, following in Mommy's footsteps. I had to laugh. So many people think of cats as solitary creatures, but already these two have formed a "tag team" of sorts to get me to follow orders. I have been putting out two dishes of food every day, so this morning was no exception. I just wonder now if the new commanding cat performance will become routine. I usually feed Patches after I am done with the Boys. Today, it was either feed the kitties first or be subjected to a rather loud vocal solo by Mommycat. (I've tried different names for her, including Mitzi, but Mommycat sticks as she did have that litter of kittens here. She spends most of her time at my neighbor's house, but I think the lure of canned food is too tempting here.)

Tucker has lost a bell boot in the snow and I haven't bothered to replace it. (I have tons of new ones I bought during the summer tent sale.) The one left keeps flipping up anyhow, so I'm not so sure they were doing much in the snow--which is still a foot deep in most places. I was contemplating attempting to ride someone in the arena, but I am still in "thinking only" mode about it. Just what is the point, anyhow?

I guess the question is, just what is fair to the horses? They do have the advantage of full turnout, so they are not completely unfit, but with the snow, any exercise they do takes twice as much effort. Add a rider and the effort increases, of course. Even a short trail ride in the woods would be pretty exhausting unless the snow mobilers have made enough trails to pack the snow down.

I've never felt it right to take an unfit horse and work him. I can still remember one clinic where the trainer was griping about how most show riders never really got their horses fit enough for real work. To prove his point, walked over to my PJ who was a rather "round muscled" Thoroughbred, to poke his finger into PJ's shoulder muscle just to show how soft and unfit he was. When he jammed his finger into solid, fit muscle tissue, he kind of gulped and said, "Well not this horse, but most of them." I was laughing inside. Back then, when I was competing seriously, I used to ride six days a week. I'd learned from a short list Olympic rider how to get a horse fit for three day eventing, and although I never competed at that level, I always aspired to keeping my horse's fitness up there.

Once the weather stops fighting me, I have resolved to get Tucker and Chance into good competitive fitness. I'd like to get Toby fit enough for some nice trail rides or even, perhaps a short riding lesson. All this is going to demand some pretty serious work on my part, but as I strive towards the goal, I'll be a lot better off myself.

The fact is, being truly fit is good for everyone. Horses stay sounder, and riders stay healthier. I may not plan to show, but that does not mean my horses won't be ready if I wanted to. We may not be fit enough for a three day, but we'll be fit.

A late New Year's resolution, perhaps? Hope I can stick to it. Meantime, for now, I'll wait until the snow melts a little. Right now, it's just not fair.

All For the Want Of A Horseshoe Nail

Trivia and Other Cliches

I realized yesterday that my post title, "The grass is always greener," should have finished with "on the other side of the fence," to be clear. The quote is one of those old cliche' expressions that somehow suits hay carousel perfectly. Like so many of us, the horse always thinks that what the other guy has, or what he can't quite reach is better than what he has.

So that led me to look up the expression to find it seems to be a mostly American idiom, although it does appear in a similar form in Latin somewhere. Then I began thinking of all the ways horses have influenced our lives an language. Even after horses became obsolete as the main mode of transportation, it's the poor car lover who doesn't talk about his vehicle's horsepower. And how many TV commercials do I see with fair maidens or handsome men riding along on white horses. Back to the cars you have the Colt, the Mustang and the Pinto, at the very least. They may not all be on the market anymore, but their mere existence tells the world how much the image of the horse is revered.

The Budwiser commercials say it all. If you've never seen one with the majestic Clydesdale eight horse hitch commercials, do yourself a favor and visit Youtube to watch a few. My favorite is the snowball fight, but as I was browsing through, I found a few others I love too. There is, of course, the great 9-11 tribute and one with a zebra referee. I like the Rocky one too and there's one where the Clyde falls in love with a circus horse I've never seen before. The funny thing is that the horses themselves and the advertising method have nothing at all to do with drinking beer, or how good Budwiser tastes, but the ads make the label so well known the message is loud and clear.

That's all a part of branding, and advertising technique where the primary goal is to get the product name fixed in the consumer's mind by some kind of easy to remember symbol or concept. The Clydesdale hitch is a good example. My nephew who worked in advertising for a while told me the Nike swoosh is considered by many to be the most significantly successful branding symbol out there. I'd have to say the Clydes are pretty high up too.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," always used to puzzle the students in my English class, especially when I taught them the story of the Trojan horse and added, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, " to the mix. It was one of those class lessons where I tried to combine thinking skills, figurative language and classical literature all together. The "gift horse" phrase, of course, as all horsemen know, refers to the fact that a horse's true age can be determined by looking at its teeth. So, if someone gives you something for free, then don't spoil it by really trying to assess its value so that you ruin the giver's good intentions. (Well, that's kind of a loose explanation, but you get the idea.) So, I related that expression to the Trojan horse which was, in the myth a gift offering to the gods left by the Greeks. If you know the story, the big wooden horse was filled with hiding Greek warriors and once the gullible Trojans pulled the horse into their walled city--tricked into thinking taking the horse was kind of a slap in the face to the enemy--the warriors inside waited until dark, then sneaked out, attacked, opened the city gates from inside, and let their own invading army in.

Despite warnings from one of their prophets, the Trojans didn't look that particular "gift horse" in the mouth and it cost them their city.

Every time I think of "a horse of another color," I, of course, see the scene in the Wizard of Oz film where Dorothy and her companions enter the Emerald City and see the pony drawing a carriage. The pony keeps changing colors as it goes along, (Wizard of Oz horse) changing from green to blue to orange to red to yellow to violet. (Found out now that they colored the horse with jello and it kept trying to lick itself the whole time they were shooting! *G*) The phrase was taken literally there, but in figurative terms it means that something is just not like everything else in a group.

My title today refers to an old nursery rhyme:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost

For want of a shoe the horse was lost

For want of a horse the rider was lost

For want of a rider the battle was lost

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost

All for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Every time Tucker loses a shoe I think of this one for my own reasons, but once again horsekeeping teaches the world a lesson that it's best to take care of the small things before they escalate into something too big to fix.

Speaking of horseshoes, I'll close with a little trivia as I sit here watching it snow--again--outside. My farrier once told me this one. Let's say the shoer charges by the nail rather than by the shoeing job. Here's the deal. He'll charge 1 penny for the first nail and then two pennies for the second nail and then continue, each time doubling the amount he charges each nail thereafter. (I know there is a mathematical formula for this kind of geometric progression, but I never was very good at that kind of stuff.) Suffice it to say that if the customer agreed to the deal and the farrier put on four new shoes with eight nails in each one, he could retire a wealthy man and never have to shoe again.

Apparently the weather is putting my brain into some kind of logical overdrive here. But what else can I do with over a foot of snow on the ground and more falling? (Won't be much, but anymore white out there is just downright depressing.)

I'm longing for the green grass on the other side of the fence.

The Grass Is Always Greener

Horses Are Opportunists

Here's my barn set up. I have a barn with a center aisle and the stalls on either side. Toby and Tucker's stalls are on the east side with a run in roof outside. Chance's stall is on the west side, as an enclosed end of the run in roof on that side of the barn. All the stalls have gates opening into the aisle, and doors opening into the run in sheds. Nice little set up, as far as I am concerned, and nearly all the time the outside doors to the stalls are open so the horses can come and go as they please.

As you may have read in previous posts, I have been known to accidentally leave one of the inside stall gates open now and then allowing a horse--or more to get into the aisle of the barn. This wrecks various levels of havoc, depending on which horse it is. Toby's not bad, Tucker tries to break into the feed room and strews a few blankets about, and Chance the Ripper might do anything to anything that happens to be in the barn.

This is, obviously a source of some kind of entertainment for all. Toby might just come in and stand there, so surely there is nothing in the aisle to lure him in. It's just a matter of principle. The gate is open therefore it must mean something.

When I feed in the morning, I generally do not shut the interior gates until all the little chores are done. Ater all, you'd think that with a feed tub full of nice feed, most horses would simply stay in their stalls to eat.

Not so at Follywoods. This morning, for example, I fed everyone then decided to pick out the stalls while they were eating. I left the barn to dump the wheelbarrow and what did I find when I came back in? Toby was in the aisle eating the hay I'd stacked there and Tucker was in Toby's stall eating Toby's grain. Now it only took a second to sort it all out by my saying, "Tucker, out!! Toby, back in your stall." (My Boys follow verbal directions well--the result of being owned by a talkative English teacher.)

But it struck me as to this peculiarity of horse behavior. Tucker still had grain in his own feed tub. There was no need to eat Toby's. But, nonetheless, as soon as Toby left it unguarded, there was Tucker ready to swoop in. I also have to watch both Tucker and Toby as they will go out of their stalls to reach over the partition in Chance's stall (He has no bars on his stall) to eat from his feed tub before he's finished. As the low man in the herd, he backs away and lets them eat his food.

Have you ever noticed that if you have two horses and you put out two piles of hay, the horses play "Hay musical chairs" or "Hay carousel?" The dominant horse will chase the other horse from one pile, start to eat, and then when the other horse goes to the second pile, number one horse will chase him from that one too. Add another horse to the mix and the dance just gets more complex. If you watch, it doesn't take long to sort out the herd pecking order. The lowest level horse spends more time running from one pile to the next trying to grab a bite while number one horse manages to alway have his head down in the food. The middle horse dominates the poor low man, of course, and in the case of Tucker, will even try now and then to snatch from, the alpha horse's choice selection.

Fortunately here, things have pretty much settled down with all that, so I don't have to put out four piles of hay to assure that all three horses will have enough to eat. I just make sure all three piles are nice and big. Apparently, my Boys have figured out that there's plenty for everyone, so after one or two initial rounds of Hay Carousel, they settle down, each to his own pile. Again, interestingly enough, each horse usually ends up at the same pile each day.

I've also made the mistake of leaving a paddock gate open now and then while I am doing some kind of chore outside. I don't do this if the horses are anywhere in sight--unless I've been extremely careless--but an open gate is a magnet to an opportunistic horse. About a month ago, while the horses were eating grain in their stalls, I went into the paddock with my arms full of hay and didn't quite get the gate relocked. I did close it, but it swung open a few inches. I put the hay out in the paddock and turned back around to see Toby trotting out through the opening onto the back lawn. No biggie again, as the driveway is gated and there was hardly a blade of grass on the frozen lawn to keep him too interested. But Tucker was heading for the opening too and two loose horses causes a frolic which I didn't exactly need.

The open gate was far more attractive than a feed tub of breakfast. It was an opportunity for adventure and perhaps a mouthful or two of dried up winter grass.

I left a bag of used alfalfa cube bags--those plasticy burlap ones--under the fenced off section of the run in shed where I keep the tractor. I thought I'd put them far enough away from the gate so that the horses could not reach them. Nope. The next morning I found the bags off to the side and two of them dragged into the paddock where it appeared a certain Mr. Ripper had been playing with them.

When my friend Donna was doing the stalls for me, she stacked the bedding in the same spot. The first thing I did when I went out later and saw them, was to slide the bales away from the gate. If I hadn't, I would have found ripped up bedding backs and wood shavings all over the place. Donna also fell victim to the "tip the wheelbarrow" trick Chance loves to pull when you are cleaning the stalls. All you have to do is turn your back when he's in the area and he'll grab the wooden handle and over it goes. Opportunity knocked, and Chance simply couldn't resist.

Horses will look for any opportunity to get food or amuse themselves. I'm sure the food part is a natural survival instinct and clearly supports Darwin's theories of survival of the fittest. The lowest horse in the herd is last to eat in the Hay Carousel, so the dominant horses are assured a good diet.

But the amusement part? I think horses enjoy laughing at us.

Addendum side note: Just discovered a new language tidbit. I was reading an article on the Olympics and the author had described the men's downhill race as a "blue riband" event. I paused, confused. I'd always heard, and thought, that a premiere event was known as a "blue ribbon event." (Note, here in the US, blue ribbons are awarded for first place.) Looked it up, and sure enough, the author was correct. "Blue riband" was initially a nautical term which referred to the fastest passage a ship could make. Then it became a reference to anything that was the best....and then, here in the USA, it gradually became changed to "blue ribbon." Apparently, riband is the name for the stripes or ribbons worn on navel badges. So it suits just as well as ribbon and both terms are perfectly acceptable, at least in American English.

The world of language is full of wonders that just never cease.

Dodging the Snow Bullet

But It's Still Cold

I cannot remember since having the horses home--over ten years--such an extended period of below freezing weather. I judge this by how long I had had to fill the water trough either with buckets or by using the coil hose--now residing in my bathtub. We've had colder weather, with temperatures below 0 F, but this is many more weeks of cold in the 20's.

We may luck out and be missed by the next storm coming across the country. The latest track calls for it to hit north of us with a chance that we will get some rain instead of all snow.

Good and bad, as rain creates ice--far from my favorite kind of footing.

Which leads me to the topic of the day since I will not be riding again. I am quite amazed as to just how much of my life is governed by owning horses, especially now that I have them here at home with me.

For one, weather is definitely not "take it or leave it." I follow the weather forecasts like an addict. Temperatures, precipitation, the comings and goings of storms all are important in ways the outside world could never understand. Will there be mud? Then Tucker has to have restricted turnout. I'll have to fill the second water trough and make sure the interior fence rails are all in place. Will it rain? Do the Boys need waterproof turnouts? Thunder and lightning? Close off the pasture and perhaps put them in the barn. Too dry? Dust in the arena when I ride. Too cold? Frozen footing makes training impossible. The list goes on and on.

Then, there's timing. There's a feeding schedule to keep. I'd rather be home around 4:30 in the aftenoon to feed, so activities that keep me away might be a no-no. When is the feed store open? Will a holiday interfere with being able to get my hay?

And just when do I need to go get a new load of grain or hay? How many bags do I have? Will they hold me over the weekend? Is there enough hay to carry me over in an emergency?

What if the power goes out? Here, my water comes from a well, and the pump needs electricity. I do have a generator for serious outages, but that means I also have to keep tabs on having enough gasoline to run it. All this, not because the house will get cold--I have a gas fireplace--but becuase I have the horses and they need water.

I'm sure people with children have similar worries, but at least you can pack the kids into the car and go someplace until the crisis is over. Not so with horses.

Well, OK, if you have a trailer and a place to go, you can always evacuate. But I have three horses and a two horse trailer. Who'd get left behind?

Don't get me wrong. I love having the horses home. It is, for dozens of reasons, far better than boarding out. But it is also an awesome responsibility. Everytime I read of some person who';s guilty of animal neglect, I simply cannot understand it. Once you put a horse behind a fence, it becomes your job to see that he has enough food and water--seven days a week--to stay healthy and sound. He cannot fend for himself.

That's why when a person speaks of his/her horses or other animals not as pets, but as "children," I totally understand. Like children, they need care, nurturing and protection.

If I need to mold my lifestyle around them, it's fine by me. I don't regret a moment of it.

Surprising Turn of Events, But Not Horsey

My Car Is Back!

I took the car in on Monday because, if you recall, I had backed the tailgate into a tree when I was moving hay to the barn before the storm. The accident was Friday. The car was in the shop by Monday early afternoon.

I had called the insurance company earlier on Monday and they approved my repair shop as one on their list of authorized shops. The repair people told me my car would be there a while as it was "in the queue" with others.

I then received two emails from the insurance company with the second telling me they had paid the repair shop and were authorizing three days of rental car as the repairs should take no longer than that. However, if I needed an extension on the rental, I could call them to make arrangements.

Tuesday night and all day Wednesday we were hit with the blizzard. Thursday morning here was filled with trying to plow out my driveways, again, as you may recall. I'm pretty sure most places were doing the same thing.

So, here I was blogging away on Friday morning when the phone rang. My care was finished and I could pick it up at any time. To say I was shocked is an understatement. Apparently, the body shop had found a new/used tailgate in the same color in excellent condition aside from a scratch that needed some minor painting. On it had gone in record time and voila! my car was finished. While I did have to pay the $500 deductible as specified in my insurance agreement...ouchers....I am more than pleased. The car looks perfect from all I can see and you'd never suspect it had ever been damaged.

Super body shop, super service, super work, and one happy customer make for a good outcome in the end. Costly, but sometimes that's how things are. I'll just have to watch my pennies for a month or so to make up for the payment. Budget, here I come.

It is still cold here and the snow is not melting very much. The big annoyance is that the barn roof and hence, the solar panels are under a layer of six-eight inches of stubborn snow. There is no real way to clean it off. If the temperatures rise, it will melt quickly, but at this rate is doesn't look too promising. And, there is that new storm headed our way.

The horses are making all kinds of pathways through the snow, so I can see they are out and about. But most of the time they seem to be hanging about around the barn. However, I think I will be going out later to saw up the one tree branch that's lying on the front fence. No damage, but I want to get it off before it snows again to weight things down. I'm sure if they see me, the Boys will come out to snoopervise. Anything like that will break up the boredom of the day. They must feel contstrained by the snow as much as I do.

Had to laugh a bit yesterday. My cute little stray kitty uses the horse water trough to drink. It's a bit of a walk from the garage where he/she sleeps and eats to the trough. The other day I saw Patches leaping through the snow which was well over his/her head. I dug a path to the horse trailer where I store the squirrel treats for myself and as I was watching through the window, I saw Patches come out of the garage and then disappear under the trailer. I saw nothing at all for a span and then, the kitty emerged from the path I'd dug and headed for the barn. What was cute was that all the while Patches was in the path I could see him/her at all. Clearly the snow is deeper than a cat. I think I will dig a path from the carport/garage area to the trailer when go out, or at least a path where I see kitty footprints, to make things easier for my little furry friend.

Actually, I'm not sure what kitties I have out there so I've been putting out two dishes of food. Mommycat has been here quite a bit lately and she is not at all shy about the food, so to be sure Patches has enough to eat, I am doubling up. I wish I could make real friends with Patches, but he/she is so afraid right now it doesn't look too promising. As long as he/she looks well groomed, clean, and well fed, I'll just have to be satisfied. But, I am going to be watching for any signs that he/she is a she and pregnant. Then I'll get out the trap and take action. The last thing I need is a litter of kittens. (Been there, done that....)

Watching animals has always fascinated me. While I do feel sorry for strays like Patches, I do have to admire their survival instincts. In this case, I am more than happy to help. Patches has the hay, two garages, and lots of sheltered places to stay. Perhaps in between meals he/she will help out with rodent control in the barn in return for the favors. (or flavors)

I'd much appreciate the help.

It's All A Matter of Perspective

How Deep Is The Ocean? Etc.

Callie, at Midwest Horse Blog made a comment that they'd had a foot of snow out there too, "Really nothing for us." I had to laugh, because around here in Central New Jersey, a foot of snow is a rather big deal. Well, it was, although this year the concept might change a little.

I remember visiting some friends who had moved to South Carolina years ago. They told the story of how they'd awakened one winter morning to hysterical newsmen on the radio warning people to stay in, that all kinds of businesses had to close down, and how treacherous the roads were. When they opened the curtains, they saw just an inch or two of snow on the driveway.

It's all a matter of perspective.

It's like that with horses too. Every horse I have owned recently was over 16 h. Russell was 16.1, as is Toby. My PJ was 16.2 and Tucker is 16.3 +, nearly 17.0h. So when I got Chance, I started calling him, "Little Man." He now is nearly 15.3 h, and a nice solid chunk of horse. Yet he is still, "Little Man," to me. Yet when I put a young rider up on him--she's maybe all of 5 feet tall, maybe--he looked like a huge draft horse under her.

A number of bloggers I read ride Western and often Quarterhorses. One blogger commented that her horse, at 15.2h was really big. Meanwhile, when I looked at pictures from Caroline's Smarties Diary, her big boy, Radar, looked like a little guy compared to the hunt master's horse. Radar is 16.3--perhaps a big more now that he's fit and muscled--so you know how big the other horse must be.

But size isn't the only issue of perspective with horses. The most unremarkable looking animals can often be the best performers. I can still remember seeing one of the greatest US racehorses of all time, John Henry, race here in NJ. As the horses paraded out to the track, one very plain bay, with a very laid back attitude, looking less like a racehorse than any of the other competitors, walked along as if he were out on a hack in the country. He was actually a bit common looking in the crowd of flashy Thorougbreds. But, it was John Henry and when he exploded from the back during the last few furlongs of the race and pulled away to win, he didn't look common at all.

I remember once being at a horse show after the competition was over. I was up at the secretary's stand and we were all just talking when a flurry of excitement broke out in the trailering area. There, a group of people were trying to load a absolutely gorgeous big, chestnut warmblood into their trailer. The truck windows were full of ribbons, nearly all blue, from the three day show. The horse, however, was not only unruly, but he was downright dangerous, rearing and battling every attempt to get him to load. I'm not sure how long we watched--there was no point in helping as they already had a whole collection of handlers there--but after a good half hour, I said, "He may have won a ton of ribbons, but as far as I'm concerned, that horse isn't worth anything, right now." Shocked expressions on the faces of people around me made me shrug my shoulders, "What good is he if you can't take him anywhere?" The trailering debaucle went on for nearly and hour more before, somehow the horse surrendered. I'm convinced proper loading training would cure him, but at the moment? Worthless. What if he had to be transported to the vet for some kind of emergency?

And think about horses like Theodore O'Conner or Lendon Gray's Seldom Seen, just two "ponies" who competed with the "big guys" on the International Stage and won. I've seen beautifully conformed horses who can't move worth a darn, and strange looking critters who take your breath away once they start to move.

Like people, each horse is an individual and needs to be looked at that way. There may never be a perfect horse, but somewhere, there is the perfect horse for every job and every rider.

Like the foot of snow, it's all a matter of perspective.

Definitely Needed Some Help

Well, Maybe I Could Have Done It Myself

Or, maybe not. The pine branch across the east driveway was BIG and HEAVY. While I could lift it with the tractor, I couldn't get enough of a grab to move it. I was contemplating getting the tow chain when my friend's son came by to help out. We managed to drag the branch on to the front lawn out of the way. Then I handed the wheel of the tractor over to him and he worked for another hour or more cleaning out the rest of the driveway. Since he enjoys driving the tractor, I was just as happy to have him do it.

The snow is deep and heavy. I would guesstimate we easily have at least 16 inches, and this is wet snow so it's not fluffy. And that is on top of whatever we had the last time. So we are talking about 2 feet in some places. Below are the pictures I promised. The first one is of Mic waiting for me at the back door. I took it though the screen, so it's not as clear as it might be, but this was the face that greeted me.

Then, there are the obligatory snow pictures. The "foggy" looking ones are while it was still snowing. The ruler was from early yesterday before the second storm was finished, and that's at 10 inches already. You can see the tree branches down in a pile by the carport. These are a tangled mess of fairly heavy branches. The poor tree was stripped in the front. You'll see Toby looking a bit disgusted as he hangs out under the run in. There are the snow piles in the back of the house, and if you look to the right on the shot going down the driveway, you will see a mass of evergreens which do not belong at ground level. That is two more big branches from the pine tree. One of them is lying on my fence, so I will have to deal with that one before too long.

I'm OK here for now. I have a nice clear path to the barn, and the driveways are open. But there may be another storm headed this way on Monday or Tuesday. I do have a few more open spots to put the snow, but it's going to be tricky, as I said in the last post. I haven't seen snow like this in years. I do recall some really bad storms when I was a child, so it's not unheard of, but now that it's my responsibility to clear out the mess, it puts things in a different perspective.

While my friend's son was plowing, the traffic was streaming by, one car or SUV after another--many of them driven by women. The road was still pretty bad, but they kept coming. Where the heck was everyone going? Then I called my choir director to see if perhaps cancelling rehearsal tonight would be a good idea and I caught him on his cell phone---at Dunkin' Donuts buying coffee. OK, just how much sense does that make?

Oh, wait, I nearly forgot. For you all there is also, in the middle of the pictures the metaphorical image of marshmallow on the fenceposts. It's my artistic side coming through. *G*

Tractor's Gonna Get A Workout

There's At Least Another Foot

All I know is that the snow is over my knees in most places where I did not previously shovel or plow. I just dug out the path to the barn one more time and it was another 9 or so inches filled in. That's the third time I've shoveled it, and once plowed it out with the tractor.

To add insult to injury two of my evergreen trees have lost branches in my driveway, and the evergreen in front of the house next door has lost a branch across my driveway as well. These are not little branches, but fairly substantial ones. I am confident the tractor can move them so I'm not too worried, but it certain means some extra effort here. The plowing and digging out is going to be bad enough, but add the tree branches and we have a real mess to deal with in the daylight tomorrow.

Thank heavens I have the tractor with the front end loader! I think even the truck with the plow in full working order would have a major challenge this time. The problem is getting the snow out of the way rather than just pushing it to the side. A snow blower would do well, but I don't have one, so tractor will have to do.

Actually, once I'm out there, the whole challenge becomes a bit of an intellectual exercise as well. It's kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Each piece of the clearing out effort has to be just so to work. I'm sure I can get the west side of the driveway cleared OK. I am not sure about the east side. The only advantage there is that most of the pushing is downhill, so if I can keep the amount of snow piled up in front of the loader, I should be able to push it away. We'll see.

Honestly, I haven't seen this much snow here in perhaps 10 years. And I honestly cannnot recall having two big storms...well three, actually, come one after another like this. Today, we were hit by the first storm coming from the west, and then the second one a few hours later, coming up along the coast from the south. The only blessing here was that, from what I saw, we did not get the high winds predicted. That has kept the snow from drifting too much.

Now, there is an ugly rumor that there may be another storm coming next week.

Please! Enough already. My jigsaw puzzle is nearly complete. Once it is, there are no more places to pile the darn stuff.

The horses have spent some time under the run in sheds and some time standing outside in the paddocks. I do know that the sound of cracking tree branches spooked them out of the barn when I fed them. So the theory that they would prefer to be outside where they can run away from danger instead of being locked in the barn may have some merit. It may be just as well. If something should happen to the barn itself, I'd be just as happy if they weren't inside.

There is reason to keep horses inside now and then, of course. And sometimes, they play the fools and stay outside when they really would be better off inside. But for tonight, I'm just as content to know they have the choice.

Meantime, as I watch the snow still coming down--although it seems to be tapering off at last, I will try to rest easily until daylight when I can see what's really happened out there. I just called my friend Stacie in South Jersey and her power is out, so I can add her to my list of worries.

Once again, let me say it--Bummer!

Phase One

The First Storm

Just a quick report for now. And yes, Charlotte, I did take some pictures. I'll post them later.

We had perhaps 8 inches of snow overnight. This was a very wet snow and kind of heavy...not too much fun to shovel. However, the blizzard is still on its way and some snow is starting to fall again even as I type.

I decided to go out and clear at least one side of the driveway for now, with the idea that if we do get another 18 inches, the tractor will have a shot of clearing only that instead of 26 inches or so. Years ago, when I had the truck with the plow, I would go out while it was still snowing and, like the road department, keep ahead of the snow, clearing the driveway before it got too deep to push. Since it stopped snowing for a couple hours this morning, I used that same concept.

But once again, people are driving by as is if there is no snow at all. Several big trucks came by as I was trying to clear the end of the drive at the road. They hardly slowed down at all. I hope the rest of the cars out there were headed home, or someplace they really needed to go because the storm is promising to be terrible here.

Blizzard conditions mean it is nearly impossible to see well enough to drive. I once went to church on a Sunday as a storm was kicking up. I had the truck with the plow on it, but had no idea what was coming our way. I went to the barn to take care of my horse--good boarding stable where I didn't HAVE to go, but I'd promised to plow the driveway for them. My plow had some problems, but I did manage to push some of the snow out of the way before the plow froze in place just a few inches off the ground. Enough clearance to drive home, at least.

I headed out. It was 15 miles of some of the worst driving conditions I have ever experienced. I was in four wheel drive and that was fine, but twice the snow blew so hard, I was in a complete whiteout and could not see the road at all. Visibility: absolute zero. Fortunately, I knew the roads so well, I managed to stay on them. My only little mishap was running into the guardrail on the Turnpike bridge with the plow when I got a little too far over to the side. Thankfully, I made it home safely.

I kept a heating pad on the plow all night long, drained the frozen fluid out the next morning, put fresh fluid in and got everything working. I headed out of the garage door, plowing my way forward, and got stopped by the HUGE pile of snow in front of the truck about 20 feet out. That meant that the eastside of the driveway was now impassable.

By plowing diagonally, I did manage to clear out the west side driveway...my driveway loops around the house. Later that day, one of the big machines from the Operating Engineers dropped over and cleared out the first driveway side with one gigantic scoop of snow. Otherwise, I think I would have had to wait until spring to get out on that side.

My plan had been to plow at intervals all night during that storm, but the faulty plow thwarted me. I learned my lesson. If there is any way to keep the snow from building up too much, I'm in on it. So far, so good.

But I'm not sure what the next several hours are going to bring. It doesn't look good.

More later.

Calm Before the Storm

Sunny and Beautiful

It really is a lovely day. The sun is bright, the temperature is hovering just a bit above freezing, and the sky is blue. Hard to believe the dire weather forecast ahead....12-18 inches of snow and near blizzard conditions.

My car is in the shop. The auto body repairman said it was "undrivable" because the hatchback has a big gap in it. Rain, snow, and exhaust fumes would get in the car. That meant I could get money for a rental from my insurance company. But, I already have the SUV Durango that I use to pull the trailer, so why bother? It does use more gas, but it has a bit over 6000 miles on it and is a 2003, so it can use the exercise.

Speaking of exercise, C. called as planned this morning and since it was such a beautiful day, we arranged to go out for a trail ride together. There was a little miscommunication, but soon my phone rang and she was out by my pasture fence after riding along the woods, so I hurriedly mounted up Chance--already saddled and waiting-- and managed to get him out of the arena before Toby and Tucker mauled us too badly. I'd tried to keep them out of the arena, but when Toby saw C. and her horse JJ, there was no stopping him and he plowed through the gate before I could close it. That forced me to mount up in the woods, so I carted my mounting block out there and clambered aboard. (I call it "clamber" as my mounting is somewhat awkward as I struggle with my very bad knees.)

Chance was delighted to have a friend to go out with. JJ is a 10 year old Arabian and C. rides him in endurance. She has a first place in a 100 miler, and in a 50 miler, and has done numerous other rides. But that does not mean JJ is super quiet. The funny thing was that Chance fed off him and he fed off Chance, so for the first part of the ride, at least, we had quite a bit of jogging off.

It was a great ride, though! This was the first time I rode Chance along the field by the NJ Turnpike with big tractor trailers racing by. While they are a couple hundred feet away, and separated from us by both trees, bushes and a chain link fence, their noise and looming presence can still be intimidating. But with the more experienced JJ as his partner, Chance settled in nicely.

We road around the first field and then decided to ride all the way around the Van Dyke Farms 200 acre field as well. Then, we threaded our way through the wooded trails back to my house where C. left me to go back to her farm across the way.

What a pleasure to have someone to ride with! Out two horses seemed well matched pacewise, and even appearance wise. Like Chance, JJ is a chestnut. Like Chance, he has a wide blaze in a similar shape, and even white under his chin like Chance. He does have four white stockings while Chance only has two hind ones, but the could easily go in a pairs class. JJ is around 15h, I think so Chance has a few inches on him--both in height and around the middle--and they seemed quite happy with each other.

C and I chatted the whole way, and I'm sure we'll find lots to talk about if we keep riding together. All in all, we were out for about an hour and a half which was a lot for Chance. He didn't seem the least bit tired, and we did walk the whole way, so that was nice and relaxing. I'll have to admit I was kind of stiff when I dismounted, but since I haven't been in the saddle that long in ages, I'm not surprised. I'll probably have a few more aches and pains than usual tomorrow as I sit, homebound, watching the snow fall, but it was worth it.

It was a grand ride and a beautiful day.

I'm Gonna Cry

Enough Snow Already!!

Now we are under another snowstorm watch. This one is coming from the west and promises, at the moment, to dump "substantial" snow on all of New Jersey.

OK, OK, I can handle it. I can. I can. I still have some places to pile the stuff with my front end loader. And I was fine shoveling the initial path out to the barn the first time.

Since I've already smashed up the tailgate of the car, it will be fine to load it up with hay again and cart that to the barn. Why I might even go over to the sandpit and pick up a few extra bales just to be safe. And, I should have time tomorrow to go buy some more alfalfa cubes.

I have plenty of food in the house, although, I am nearly out of milk, so I'll put that on a very short shopping list.

It's just that....I hate it! I hate dragging myself through the snow, or having to watch where I put my feet so I don't slip on a patch of ice. It's hard to get the stalls actually clean when the manure is frozen in solid lumps so you can't differentiate between the frozen bedding and the actually clean stuff. And filling the water trough by carrying buckets gets old too. While I did use my coil hose yesterday, it's a bit shorter than the old one, and I really had to fight the coils. I may manage to attach two hoses together which will make it better, but that too is annoying.

Fact is, everything is annoying. I think the problem is that snow forces you to do things "its" way, instead of your own. First, of course is that the spontaneity of life is lost to preparation. You can't put off an errand "until tomorrow" because tomorrow you may be stuck in the driveway, unable to go anywhere. You have to decide what rugs the horses need to wear and set up the barn so there's a minimum of tasks needing your slogging through snowdrifts.

And then, there's the imprisonment of it all. The snow forms barriers everywhere. Once you decide to shovel a path somewhere, that's the route you have to travel unless you want to shovel another one. Stepping in a drift fills up your boots and makes your feet cold, so you limit yourself to the confines the snow determines.

Of course, there is the inevitable promise of meltdown some time in the future. As bad as snow is in its frozen form, when it melts, there's nothing quite like the slop, mud and general sogginess it creates. Depending on the ground conditions before the snow, it ranges any where from a slippery surface mud to that deep abiding pull off your boots mud as the melted precipitation soaks itself into the earth trying to find a place to go.

As I look out my window now, all I can see is white. Even the blacktop road, is covered in while salt in my line of vision. Some people seem to think its beautiful, and for moments, so do I. The world is still, clean, incredible. Blue shadows paint patterns of tree branches on the white canvas of snow. Unraked leaves disappear from view under white wrapping, as if nature is telling me it's Ok that I didn't clean them all up this time. Little bird footprints decorate the back yard along with cat pawprints telling me my little stray has been touring the barn. Snow hides and reveals secrets at the same time.

But even with beauty...enough is enough!

White As Snow

Is More Coming? (Edited to correct spelling!!)

There is another storm coming from the West Coast. If it hits us, it will be mid-week. I hope I have places to put the stuff if I have to plow again. *sigh*

The minister of my church put a positive spin on the snow this morning in one of his prayers where he mentioned the idea of being cleansed white as snow...and how the snow reminds us of God's promise to forgive us for our sins. Even if you are not religious, the visual image can work, but what was interesting is that he mentioned later how some exchange students visiting from Africa who were here had seen snow for the first time in their lives. What a moment it was for them when they finally understood the Bible passage. Up until that moment, it was just words instead of a reality. Kinda cool...or cold, as the case may be.

It struck me that so often our verbal expressions depend upon assumptions of our audience's cultural background or life experiences to work. Back to the snow, for instance, how could someone ever really grasp, "blanket of snow," or "marshmallow topped fenceposts?" I use the marshmallow description mostly because it was in a literary worksheet I used with my students and some of them--even after living in New Jersey, couldn't quite get the picture the metaphor created. They had either never really noticed marshmallows or snow topped fenceposts, so they just didn't get it. Take it a step further to a person who has always lived in the tropics and not been exposed to many photographs or movies, and the entire image is completely lost.

How does all this relate to my horse blog? Those of us immersed in the world of horses all speak a fairly common language. Here and there are a few differences such as "rugs" vs "blankets" or "manege" vs. "arena" vs. "ring," but somehow we manage to understand each other.

But try to explain to the outside world how you were pleased your young horse took the correct lead, or how you chipped in at a fence, and you're usually rewarded with blank stares. Oh, they are often polite, but the glazed look in their eyes speaks volumes.

And even inside the horse world, some things are simply too hard to really explain. Even the best trainer may not be able to articulate exactly how to do a proper half halt, mostly because so much depends upon the horse's reactions to the rider's aids. Sure, the textbook tells you what to do, but how do you know the exact moment to release? How do you feel that the half halt has actually engaged the horse's hind end? What if Horse A needs only your seat, while Horse B really needs a potent rein aid?

The fact is, I keep hearing Lockie Richards's voice in my ear as I ride or try to help someone else ride. "Feel it?? Feel it??" Like snow, you never quite appreciate riding until you actually feel it.
It may be a blanket, but it's icy cold. It may be a half halt, but it can make a tremendous difference.

You really do have to see it and feel it to understand.

Winter Bummer

A Bit of Luck--Good and Bad

Where to start? Yes, we are still in the midst of a snowstorm here, but I think it's easing off. We may have 8-10 inches, which is pretty good considering that places to the south of us had over two feet of snow.

It did, however, blow into my barn in several places including Toby's and Tucker's stalls. Not a lot of snow, but enough to coat the shavings. The Boys seem to be hanging out under the run in sheds and in the stalls for the most part, so that's good for them.

So, the amount of snow seems to be the good luck.

The Bad? I managed to wreck my car's rear tail gate last night in my efforts to set up for the storm. I needed to take some hay over to the barn, so I put four bales in back of the car. The hatchback door/tailgate was up. It was dark, I could not see well behind because of the hay, and I THOUGHT I was much farther over to the left than I actually was. I started to back up and heard a dreadful "Crunch" as the edge of the door hit the evergreen tree trunk.

Hopes were dashed after I unloaded the hay to find out that the gate was so bent it will no longer shut. I had to tie it closed from inside the car. Double, triple BUMMER!!! I have no idea what it's going to cost to fix it, but it's not going to be cheap, that's for sure. Fortunately, I do have collision insurance on my cars, so the bulk of the repair will be paid for.

My friend has recommended a good body shop close by run by a former classmate of mine, but I certainly can't take the car there today. I guess that leaves Monday.

It's sad, as I love my little car--Toyota Matrix, with OK brakes and accelerator. I am fortunate to also have the truck to drive, so when the little guy is laid up in the car hospital, I'll be able to get around just fine.

It was one of those stupid moments we all regret.

I guess I'll just have to blame it on the weather. *sigh*

It Was A Shoe In

Anticipating the Storm

Scott called early this morning to let me know he was coming to shoe the Boys. That meant Mic was coming too, so I was going to be very active playing fetch for the bulk of the visit.

I still have to download the pictures of Mic at my door. Scott took one of him before I came out, I and I got a shot of him through the porch door window waiting for me. Scott insists I am the only person he behaves this way about. While he is sociable at other farms, he is not as totally taken as he seems to be with me. I guess it's the good toys! ---One of which is now stuck way up in a tree. It was a throw toy with a rope attached and when I tossed it, the rope caught on a twig very high up in one of the maple trees. Since the air was incredibly calm today, there was no breeze to knock it down, so I guess I will have to wait until the storm blows in for it to fall out on its own.

While Mic and I were playing Scott and I chatted. One of the very interesting things Scott is involved in is a horse based business venture called Equine Baseline. This is a new concept of analyzing a horse's conformation, gait, and shoeing/trim information to be stored in a permanent data base. Scott has enlisted other professionals to help assess horses in the program. The idea is to record a horse's natural way of going, etc., his progress in training, and other information about him to be set up as a baseline and record of his athletic career. (Trust me, visiting the website will do a much better job of explaining all of this.)

Chance and I were able to help out today by serving as models for some video Scott wants to test on his website/database. He put white spots on Chance's knees, ankles and hocks and then tested three different video cameras as I led Chance in straight line towards and then away from the camera. The purpose of the videos is for gait analysis. For years, Scott has kept records of his clients' horses by photgraphing their feet through the years of his trimming and shoeing. This photgraphic record allows him to really notice changes in a horse's hoofs over time, and helps him assess any soundness issues that might arise or make decisions about shoeing /trimming changes.

Equine Baseline takes that basic data collection much further. Eventually, I think the database will also contain any health concerns, vet records, etc. that might impact a horse's overall fitness or abilities down the line.

By the time all the filming was done it was early afternoon. C had already called me to postpone our possible trail ride since she had a ton of extra things to do before the anticipated storm. So I decided to follow through on my own physical therapy appointment instead. I ended up getting a chiropractic adjustment as well, so I opted for stopping for a haircut on the way home and a "quick" trip to the supermarket for some lunch meat so I could make a sub sandwich.

I don't know what it's like where you live, but around here, the threat of a snowstorm brings out the basic nesting instinct big time. The supermarket parking lot and the store were both packed. I ended up in the back parking lot--quite lucky to find a place to put my car. I didn't go too crazy in the store, but there were a few sale items I just couldn't pass up. And, I bought some more onions to make another pot of onion soup since the last batch was SO GOOD!!

Before I finish for the night, I have to once again clean the stalls because the Boys were stuck inside while Scott was shoeing. And, I also need to carry several bales of hay to the barn itself so I don't have to struggle with carrying any through the snow over the next day or so before I get myself shoveled/plowed out. I also need to dress the Boys in their waterproof winter blankets again so they are protected against the storm since I'm pretty sure they will be out in it at least part of the time.

These are the moments when having the Boys in the back yard is a real blessing. I have plenty of hay and grain for them, so there's no problem there. Water is not an issue as long as the electricity is on, but I do have an emergency supply should I need it. I can also easily melt snow if need be because I have both a gas stove and a gas fireplace in the house, neither of which need electricity.

So, at the moment, all is well in Follywoods. With a winter storm on the way, we are all snug and content with a plan for handling the snow.

Here's hoping it won't be too deep.

Snow's on the Way

Or So They Say

We are under a storm watch, which means a big low pressure center is moving in from the West with lots of moisture and wind. It may pass south of us, or over top of us....whatever. I expect we will be getting some snow, but how much depends on the track of the storm.

I took advantage of the good footing today to lunge everyone. Of course, the whole exercise turned in to a free for all when Chance managed to get into the arena as I was working Toby. That encouraged Tucker to frolic his way in as well, so within a matter of seconds, I had three horses cavorting wildly around, with Toby on the line and Chance and Tucker loose.

To say anyone actually got an honest lungeing session is not exactly true. I did manage to settle Toby down for some trot work in between the wild gallop and bucking. Fortunately, he is so well traine on the lines that he never once put any more than light tension on the lunge line so I was just able to stand there while he frolicked.

I captured Tucker next and he was, to say the least, FORWARD. The trouble was that he kept running his trot into a canter. I had to reel him in several times, settle him back down and then send him out. We had some decent circles, but the canter was Tucker Bucker for sure. One thing about a Thoroughbred is that once they get wound up, exercise--such as lungeing--does nothing to settle them back down. They just do not get tired or relaxed once they have gotten into fun mode.

I defended my Thoroughbreds on Caroline's blog this morning, and what I said was quite true. Under normal circumstances, loosening them up at the canter is a good warmup and gives them much better, relaxed and forward walks and trots afterwards. But, I should have added that when the excitement builds or is built up already, more work does not necessarily settle them down.

Now Chance, on the other hand, is a horse of a different temperament. He goofed around a little, then settled into his "Chance speed," and that was that. What is rather amusing is the little, overly relaxed, slow canter he can manage, particularly on the left lead. His right lead is a little less balanced, so he doesn't quite get as slow, but it is still cute. He would make the perfect pleasure horse, I suppose--presuming the show classes are still the same as they were years ago. I'd just have to push for a little more energy and he'd be ideal.

At any rate, everyone got a little controlled exercise to add to their own exuberant play. I do find just watching them race around on their own, playing, bucking, and chasing each other, is more entertaining than most TV shows I've seen.

Some creative genius supposedly has invented the "puppy channel" with 24 hours of TV showing puppies playing. Perhaps the next genius with money to burn might develop the "Frolicking Horse Channel?"

An idea whose time has come?

Midweek Meltaway

Morning Snow

We had real snow again last night. Only enough to coat the trees and the ground, so it wasn't bad at all. As the day went on, the sun came out and very gradually, the snow melted.

In the early afternoon, I went out to take the waterproof sheets off the Boys, leaving them in their lightweight blankets. At that point, the ground was still frozen and lumpy. I figured, once again, there wasn't much point in riding with that kind of erratic footing.

But once again, nature played me the fool and by the time I went out for evening feed, the arena seemed to be pretty well thawed. Yet again, I had already fed the Boys by that point and simply ended up poo picking the arena. The sun was on the verge of going down, so it's going to freeze back up pretty quickly.

I won't play fox and the grapes here. Another missed opportunity, but frankly, it still felt pretty cold to me. I am getting worse and worse about being outside in the cold, that's for sure. If I am going to ride with C., I'm going to have to figure out how to stay warm. Guess I need to dig out the long underwear! Funny how, with the barn in the back yard, I don't need the layers of clothes I used to wear when I had to drive to the boarding stable. Now, if I get cold, I just go back into the house to warm up again. I am spoiled!

I suspect my farrier will be coming tomorrow, although he hasn't called yet. Either way, it's OK. Tucker's shoe is still on and none of the Boys has grown a lot of foot. The hoof growth always slows down in the winter. If Scott is coming however, I will have to be prepared for a full visit of playing fetch with Mic. I will have to make for the lost time from the last shoeing when I was in the hospital. If Mic does come to the back door before I get out there, I will be sure to take a picture of him from inside. Should be cute if I can get one.

Anticipating tomorrow, then...again...as I missed today's meltdown by an hour or so.

Not Today

No Sun, No Fun

It never did thaw today. Perhaps it's just as well as I had physical therapy and a chiropractic adjustment, so no fear of messing up either by riding.

I did, however, in the morning, go over to my friend's barn on the next road over--virtually across the woods from me--to meet another rider. C. is an endurance rider with an adorable Arabian who looks very much like Chance. Her horse is a red chestnut with a wide blaze and four white socks. Chance has a similar blaze but only two shorter white socks in the rear. C. has been looking for someone to ride with, so the two of us ought to make a good team. We're hoping so set something up for Friday, if the weather cooperates. We don't need thawed ground, but there is some snow in the forecast, so we'll have to see what that does to the footing.

Like Chance, C's horse is barefoot, so that will keep us on the same page. And, she noted she really doesn't want to do much besides walk which is pretty much what I do when I trail ride.

C. is also a certified riding instructor specializing in Natural Horsemanship. We have similar attitudes about a lot of things from what I can tell after our first meeting. She is interested in dressage and would like to learn more, and I would like to learn a bit more about NH myself, so we should have a lot to talk about.

With two of us going out together I will be far more willing to try out some of the longer trails I've heard about in the area. Most of the time, I stick to the tracks through the woods behind my house because they are pretty accessible and getting home from there is not a big deal should something happen. But when I have company, I'm far more adventurous. I should think Chance will really enjoy going out with someone else and be willing to explore some new places as well.

We talked as well a bit about saddles and C. is not exactly pleased with her current saddle, so I am going to let her ride in my Ansur Carlton or Excel to see how she likes them. Ansur has just come out with two brand new endurance models. While I have not yet seen one "in person," I am sure they are super comfy saddles. If C. gets to ride in the Carlton, she may get a good feel for what treeless is all about. Then, I can, perhaps borrow one of the endurance models from the company to let her try that. Even if she doesn't decide to get one, having a real endurance rider's opinion about the saddles is a great thing. C. has ridden 100 mile rides--won one down in Maryland--so she really knows her stuff.

I am looking forward to establishing a partnership with C. so we can do some horsey stuff together. It will be nice to have someone to ride with.

Well, That Was A Surprise

Cold Day But!

I went to the feed store to get feed, unloaded it and that was about it for horse activities. I was below freezing all day, so I figured, better warm than sorry.

Imagine my suprise when I went out to feed about an hour later (4 PM) to find that the arena footing wasn't bad at all. I managed to poo pick it, but I'd already fed the Boys so there was no thought at all of working someone.

Ah, well, another missed opportunity, but that's OK. I guess the sun is getting strong enough now to thaw my sand footing as long as the sand is relatively dry. If it's like this tomorrow, I will do something horsey before I go to the chiropractor/physical therapy in the afternoon.

If you wanted to read the snake bite story, you will find the post below.

In the meantime, wishing you the warmth of the midwinter sun. One can never underestimate its power to thaw and cheer!

Story For Another Day

Snake in the Class

I won't keep you in suspense. While my eggplant parm bakes and my onion soup simmers, I will take you back in time perhaps 30 years ago or so when I was still relatively young in my teaching career.

As I recall, it was a class of all boys--auto body students, if I am not mistaken. I had them in the afternoon, perhaps an hour before school let out, so they weren't exactly in the best frame of mind for English class. But, I taught them, and, I suppose, they learned.

One of the boys--I'll call him Joe--came into class one afternoon carrying a pillow case. "I have my pet snake with me today," he said. "I had to keep him in this pillow case in my other classes. Do you think I could let him stretch out on my desk for a while?"

The other guys kind of tittered and covered their mouths, waiting for me to scream or something. But I had a trick up my sleeve--I am not afraid of snakes. In fact, I kind of like them. "What kind of snake is it?" I asked.

Joe's eyes widened as the room grew silent. "It's a rainbow boa."

Knowing full well that boas are generally pretty quiet if they've been handled a lot, I said, "OK, but keep an eye on him, and I don't want anybody fooling around about this. If you and the snake disrupt the class, you'll have to put him back in the pillowcase."

Joe grinned, reached into his pillowcase and pulled out a glossy, soft brown snake, perhaps a bit under three feet long. He stretched it out on his desk while all the other students "oohed, and aahed. " I complimented him on what a beautiful snake it was and settled everyone down for the class lesson.

The student sitting next to Joe--how about calling him Bill--was totally distracted by the reptile. He took his pencil and with the eraser, gave the snake a little poke.

"Stop that, Bill," I warned. "Leave the snake alone."

Well, Bill, being a teenage boy, simply could not leave well enough alone. As soon as I moved away, he started poking the snake again. It all happened in a split second. The snake reared up, struck, and bit Bill solidly in the meat of his hand, right below his thumb!

"It bit me! It bit me!" Bill screeched.

I hurried over to see two distinct fang makes in Bill's hand. I'm pretty calm in emergencies, so I just said, very quietly, "Well I told you to leave him alone. Now look what's happened. I guess we'll have to send you to the nurse."

Joe hastily stuffed the poor snake back in the pillowcase while Bill looked on in growing panic. "It's not poisonous, is it? Am I going to die?"

Now, I know my snakes well enough to know that a boa is definitely not poisonous, but I wasn't going to let on. After all, Bill had gotten what he deserved and I figured he really needed to learn a lesson. "Gee, I don't know," I said, but I'm pretty sure the nurse will know. Here I'll send someone down with you just in case and she'll take care of you."

Bill and his escort vanished from the room, with Bill taking the lead. At this point, I'm not quite sure what happened in the classroom, but Joe was keeping his mouth shut, that's for sure. It was pretty clear his snake had never bitten anyone before and even he wasn't quite confident in the consequences.

Class went on for another fifteen minutes or so, and then, still a bit pale and nervous, Joe came back to the room with some bandaids on his hand.

"Well," I asked, "What did the nurse say?"

Joe grimaced, "She told me she didn't know if the snake was poisonous either, but she said she figured we'd know for sure in a half hour or so."

I have a feeling that was the last time Bill ever poked a snake.

I reminded the school nurse of this story years later, and she denied she'd ever do something like that to a kid, but I didn't believe her. Sometimes you just forget those moments of genius when you work in a school.

I never have.

Saturday Humor

A Laugh Might Warm You Up

Since it's too cold to do much with the horses again, I decided to post a story inspired by Callie at The Midwest Horse Blog. She had written about wrong number phone calls and how funny they can sometimes be. That reminded me of many years ago when I was boarding my Russell R. at a small barn with my friend's horse, Dexter Medley.

This was years before cell phones, so to be safe, we decided we needed a phone installed in the tack room. My friend, N., agreed to take on having the bill sent to her house so we called the phone company. This should have been simple, but the phone company insisted that the phone had to be listed in the name of someone who lived on the premises. Since we didn't the only solution was to list it in the name of one of the horses. We chose Dexter and the bill was regularly sent o N's house in his name. When the new phone books came out, sure enough, there was a listing for Medley, Dexter.

That's when the calls started. Vendors would try to sell Mr. Medley wall to wall carpeting and newspaper subscriptions. Sometimes I'd tell them he couldn't come to the phone because he was out to pasture. Once, a salesman insisted he needed to speak to Mr. Medley personally. When I asked why, he told me Mr. Medley had called him and left a message for him to call back. Now I had seen Dexter play with a telephone in the sales barn before he was bought, but our phone was in a locked tack room and he didn't have the combination to the lock--good thing as if he'd opened the door and let Russell in there, it would have been a disaster. I let the salesman dangle for a bit before telling him Dexter was a horse. There was dead silence on the end of the line and then a quick "click" as he hung up. I hope his face was suitably red.

This went on for a while until my friend moved Dexter from the barn and they moved out of state. The phone still worked, but something got messed up with the billing and suddenly, neither one of us was getting charged for the service. I finally called up the phone company. A very relieved customer service rep said, "Oh, thank goodness you called. The bills kept coming back to us and we didn't know whom to contact."

"Well, my friends have moved, but I want to keep the phone," I replied, "So can you simply send the bill to me instead?"

"Well, that won't quite work. We will have to change the listing over to your name since Mr. Medley is no longer there. "

"Does it still need to be in the name of someone who lives here, " I asked. "I don't."

"Oh, yes. Whose name will you be assigning it to?"

"Uhm, well, I guess it will have to be Russell R."

"So that's a Mr. R. Russell, then?"

"Uhm, I suppose so. That would work." I then gave her my address for the billing.

She seemed quite pleased with all of this. "Now there are just a few formalitities. We need authorization from Mr. Medley to do this. I have some papers for him to sign. Do I send them to you?"

I may have coughed, "Well, that's not exactly going to work, you see, Mr. Medley is a horse and he can't write very well."

This time I definitely heard her gag. There was some talking going on in the background. Then she came back on. "I see. Well we need Mr. Russell's signature, then. I take it he's human."

"No, he's a horse too."

Dead silence....and more background talking. And then, "I can do this. You're not going to get me. I know what this is. You're one of the supervisors calling with a problem to see if I can do my job. That's what this is. I'll figure it out. Just hold on."

"No," I assured her patiently, trying hard not to laugh. "I'm serious. This is a real call." I then went on to try to explain how the phone company had insisted the phone be in a resident's name and since the only ones who lived here were horses, that we'd had no other option. As I went on, she must have been relaying the story to her co-workers because I could hear the giggles in the background.

It took some doing, but eventually, Russell had his own phone. I'm not sure how many times he was invited to subscribe to the New York Times, but I was always quite pleased to tell people to look him up in the phone book if they wanted to get in touch with me while I was out riding.

This is one of my fond memories, a tale to cherish--along with the story of how there is a record of a snake bite from my English class somewhere in the school nurse's office.

But that's a story for another day.

Wishing you sunshine.

Applying My Own Advice

And More Thoughts on Yesterday

Actually, the sun came out yesterday and in between bouts of really gusty wind, it was kind of nice out. So I managed to saddle up Tucker and give him a schooling session in the arena.

I am pretty sure something is bothering him in the hind end because he is crabby about canter, and is reluctant to keep going if I try to make a small circle--10-15 meters. What I get then is an up and down canter that feels as if it is going into a "stall" and then he finally does break gait. So, for now, I am not pushing it. The trot is fine and really feels nice. Since canter is a lateral gait, it does put more stress on one hind leg at a time, and that's when whatever it is shows up. I will continue to get him more fit in case it is his stifle and, weather permitting, have him built up enough so that a vet evaluation in another month or so will be worth the time and effort--and money.

Meanwhile, I applied nearly all the methods I mentioned yesterday, except I was not carrying my dressage whip as I had no intention of working hard enough to provoke anything as neither one of us is fit enough to do much. Also, Tucker very well understands the leg aids, and, when all is going well, responds when asked.

All in all, he was quite good that way. Canter was prompt but a little sticky once we got the gait and he did break on the right lead. But he was reasonable about striking off again, so I made no issue of it. I did numerous changes of direction and then ran through the lateral exercises.

There is no reason to drill him on any of these as he does them quite willingly. We did two sides of trot shoulder-in on each rein, two sides of travers, and then one leg yield in each direction at the trot, ending a shallow half pass in each direction. Tucker is just learning half pass so I do not expect him to really bend and sweep sideways yet, so I was very happy with his willing effort and some nice steps from the rail to the center line. Then we picked up the canter and we did a half pass on each rein as well. He is much better half passing to the right than the left, making me suspect his left hind might be the sore one. But he really tried, so that was just fine.

Then we did a good number of canter/trot/canter transitions on a large circle on both reins. This was the best exercise for "forward" as he got very sharp to my leg and was making some very nice departs. He also added a lot more energy to his strides, again a big plus.

Finally, we walked, halted did about four strides of reinback, trotted forward, halted and repeated the reinback with a good move off afterwards. This was exceptionally good because he was not at all resistant to the reinback and kept his head down and on the bit without one single question. It's been a problem in the past, but not yesterday.

I realized after my previous post that I'd said "what horses do wrong," and how that phrase might be scoffed at by so many riders who claim it is always the rider's fault. Sorry folks, but when a horse ignores a well executed aid or bucks when you put a leg on, that is the horse. Granted, it then becomes the rider's/trainer's job to figure out how to correct that and ride that horse better, but it was the horse that started the problem. In Tucker's case, I've had him ever since he was a yearling and there is nothing in his training history to undo, except perhaps for the ulcers. They well could have taught him how to balk, buck, and kick out to leg aids. It is quite possible that if I had been more aggressive back then and simply insisted that he work through his issues and go, no matter what, that he would not be so sensitive and frustrating now. But physical issues like that are not the rider's fault and, to my mind, making him work through pain is not necessarily how I prefer to train.

Some people do, however. And some horses are just fine with that. Somehow they cope with soreness, etc. with a stoic acceptance and just go about their jobs because they are told to to them by a dominant master. I have chosen another approach. It has "come back to bite me" more than once, I suppose, as I do tend to indulge my Boys' whims. (Remember Tucker and the water trough.) But I'd rather be a good listener. If, however, I find that Tucker does have spavins that need to fuse, and that hard work is the best solution, he will have to work despite his discomfort. When I was helping him recover from his stifle issue we trotted and trotted--including up and down hills--to build up his muscles even though it was hard work for both of us.

In the meantime, though, I prefer listening to my horse and letting his attitude guide my training. If the first canter depart is a little "rocky" and the next one is better, then I know he can manage, so we canter. If we try to do a smallish circle and he struggles, if a more moderate size works and I can't make the circle smaller without more struggle, then we simply don't have to ride small circles. There is nothing at stake now as I am not competing, so it's just fine.

Note here: When Chris, my previous trainer, was showing Tucker for me (before ulcer meds when he was dreadful in the warmups) he excused himself from a test when Tucker started to shut down in a canter circle. What's the big deal? Chris is a strong, determined, talented, excellent rider who will work a horse through most anything. For him to stop and leave the arena, telling me afterwards that "something is wrong with Tucker," said volumes. In that case, we had, as I recall, been battling an on/off front end lameness that eventually turned out to be a very well hidden hoof abscess that took months to resolve. Regardless, here was a rider perfectly capable of making nearly any horse perform who ended up listening to my horse's complaint.

Should I be any less sensitive?

Far too cold to ride today. The forecast was, I fear, accurate as winter is back in her most chilling glory. Hope your day is, at the very least, bright with sunshine. We can all use some.