Yesterday was a good horse day. Well, it started out that way.

Scout got to stand tied while I groomed him and played with his feet, then I left him alone for quite a while. I thought he'd fidget a lot but he didn't. He just stood kind of sideways with his butt dangerously close to the electric fence.

I brushed his mane and forelock. I think it's the first time I've ever done that, other than just some spot work on tangles. His mane is very long and thick, and it's lost that puffy punky pony look but it's still not as sleek as his mama's.

He has his mama's mustache though! It's not as long and impressive as hers, but then he's still just a baby.

Huckleberry, my good little sidekick. He's getting so big. He starts Kinderpuppy classes next week. I figure with a dog this smart I better do this right.

Then I got Tonka out, and it was one of those days.

He says, "I feel much better now!"

Look at this sweet face. He's so cute and innocent.
Or not.

I tried something yesterday, and I thought I was being careful and smart. Last time Soxy got beat up she was in with both geldings, and I thought maybe they were both trying to claim her. I had her in with Tonka and Scout for a few days recently and it was fine. It would make more sense for Soxy and Cisco to be together because they're both fat. So I tried it. I put them together yesterday morning and watched them all day. Not a problem in sight.

Last night when I stepped out to feed though, it was a different story. There were thundering hooves. In the moonlight I could see him latched onto her neck, she was running as well as she could with him hanging on to her, trying to kick him. One of them was squealing but I'm not sure which. All this time I'm running. She got away from him but he kept at her and was kicking her. It was awful. I had to get in there and smack him with a whip until he moved off, then I had to continue to hold him off because he kept trying to come back. I finally got her out of there and we did some walking to cool her down. When she dropped her head to graze there was a squeaky sound. So I think there is probably a broken molar. She had a slightly bloody nose but her front teeth are okay.

So now I'm trying to get a hold of the equine dentist, but she's not answering, and the other vet isn't sure he can do much besides look at her and see how bad it is. Sounds like if it's a real bad break we'll have to get it extracted at WSU.

Sometimes I wish I didn't have to muddle through life learning from my stupid mistakes. But really I thought they were okay with each other after such a peaceful day. From here on out I'm not going to put Cisco with any mares, period. He and Bella really went at it too.

I have been unmotivated and somewhat busy lately, so Anchor has been on the back burner. Today I finally got some time with him. He's leading MUCH better now. I still wouldn't take him out for a walk, but it's possible that if I had to he would stay with me. I even got him started lunging a tiny bit. I'll have to get a video later.

He has a bellyache. I think it's just gas. Could be he's not drinking enough water, but I don't know. I'll keep a close eye on him.

I was able to get right up close to him while he was laying down, but then he decided it was too much of a risk and got up.

Here he is waiting for me to get done getting after Huckleberry, who'd gotten stuck in the round pen (where he isn't supposed to be) because his e-collar wouldn't fit under the rail he was trying to go under.
Cisco's been in the round pen since yesterday. Fencing issue... Took down the power to the barn, Scout figured it out immediately and plowed through the temporary fence keeping the horses separated, so they were all mixed together. Cisco tried to kill Soxy last time he got in with her so he's in time out now. I'll hook up my battery powered charger and move him back sometime before it gets dark. Isnt' he cute?

Is this not the saddest thing you ever saw?
Actually it bothers me more than it bothers him. He's looking at something intently, not sitting dejectedly like you'd think.

Cone-headed dog on the sledding hill.The view out my kitchen window. I love those tamaracks. Or larches. Is there a difference or do both names apply to the same type of tree?

I think I have the autumn sads. I don't like it. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning and hard to keep moving throughout the day. I haven't even wanted anything to do with the horses lately. Have to find some way to change that. I'm thinking vitamin D and maybe one of those light therapy thingies. And kicking myself in the pants to get up and get moving more. I really should quit drinking coffee but I'm not really willing to do that.

This is the calendar I'm ordering for 2010. You should get one too. Two adorable BLM burros are showcased throughout. I've always wanted a burro, but George and Alan have made me realize I can't possibly just have one. And I can't have any right now anyway, so this beautiful calendar of George and Alan will have to do.

In other news, Huckleberry is at the vet recovering from his neutering. Poor pup. I'll go pick him up this afternoon.

Today is a rainy, nasty day, but I did manage to play with the tractor some earlier. I pushed all the leaves that the boys raked yesterday into a huge pile.

Not much horse work done, other than getting after Scout for thinking he's king of the hill. Butthead thinks he can pin his ears at me when I feed. I think I'm going to have to get serious about putting a stop to that. I still haven't started working with him daily.

Anchor is sad and lonely, he kept calling when I was out and about. I'll go play with him here in a minute, but maybe not for long if it's raining too hard. Yesterday I loved on him, worked on his feet (he's not progressing there, just stays the same) and then stuck my fingers in both sides of his mouth. Today I think I'll squirt some applesauce in there with a syringe and see what he thinks.

Blah. It's a very blah day.

Tomorrow I head up to hang out with my sister in the Chemo Suite. One of these days I'd like to write about that. It's quite an experience. So many people, all with different cancers. So many beautiful, bald women, with hats and handkerchiefs, wigs, or even going au natural. Somehow the men seem to lose their hair less. Different chemo I guess. People from all walks of life. Some are hopeful and bright, looking forward to their cure, some are barely hanging in there, not doing so well. My sister said last week, "You don't have to look far to find someone worse off than you. Especially here." It's sobering and sad but also surprisingly somewhat uplifting, seeing the love of a wife for her husband having chemo, or the courage of every person there. Lots of people sit and visit with their neighbors, or you can watch TV with headphones. Some sleep, or just zone out. A common thing to hear there is, "So, what's your cancer?" which leads to stories. Stories that make me wonder at how strong a person can be. Pretty amazing.

Anchor had a very big day today, with many visitors.

Just Playing. :)

My vet probably thinks I'm nuts. I had to reschedule an appointment twice within the same day. I hadn't known my sister needed help getting to her chemo today. So I made the appointment for 8am today. Which meant getting out of here no later than 7:30, which would just barely get me there on time. At 7:17 my sister called. "Can you take my dog too?" Oh. My. Gosh. Three dogs? One being her slightly dog aggressive dog? Sure, of course I will. I'm a sucker after all. So I had to run out the door right that instant. She's not exactly on the way to the vet's.

We were only a few minutes late, and the dogs mostly behaved. I even managed to get each one of them individually on the scale. The biggest problem was Huck trying to play with Bella (Amy's dog). Luckily the vet had plenty of time and didn't mind me bringing in an extra dog with no notice.

Huck got his shots, India had her blood drawn, and poor Bella had stitches from her spaying removed and her joint palpated. The joint right above the paw, I guess it would be like our wrist. She had a porcupine quill lodged in the joint and they removed it, but it's not getting better. Poor girl, she is a heavy dog, all dense muscle, and having only 3 legs to walk on is hard for her. Plus you could tell that what the vet was doing hurt really bad.

They must have a porcupine colony near their house. I can't imagine how much they've spent on vet bills for their dogs because of porcupines.

So that was my exciting morning. Now I'm going to go clean out Anchor's area. I wish I could work with him instead, but poop happens. Then off to Spokane for chemo and maybe a stop at the tack store (although the husbands aren't too thrilled with that idea) and then home to finish getting ready for the trip. Crazy day.