I trimmed hooves today and it didn't kill me! I've been having this dang elbow problem for so long now. I've put off trimming because I didn't think I could. But I found this awesome stuff, it's a capsaicin cream called Capzasin HP and it totally kills the pain. Well, it did until after I trimmed, and it didn't hurt that much then. I highly recommend it if you have chronic joint or connective tissue pain. But I wonder if you do more damage because you don't feel the pain you should be feeling... And don't stick your finger in your eye after you use it. It is a hot pepper cream after all. And it does burn mildly at times. Not too bad but I'd imagine some people might be more sensitive to it so it would be a good idea to do a small test area first.

Anywho... I was surprised at how little needed trimming since it's been a while. I just got the girls done today, will get the boys tomorrow. They're pests. I have all the horses in the same area now and they were in the adjacent stall making all kinds of racket while I was trimming Bella. She didn't appreciate it. At one point she decided she had to leave, but I think that was more because of the dogs barking at Liam who looked like a crippled Jedi coming out to visit me in his bathrobe, trying to keep it closed to the wind. Kids...

The horses are obviously loving being pastured together. The mustangs all stand in a red huddle with their blaze faces so close together. Then they play chase, graze a bit, and take a nap. It's all so loving and harmonious. Soxy stays separate because she's old and protective of her space, but I know she loves the company. And she enjoyed teasing the boys and then squealing and striking at them, all from the safety of the other side of a gate of course. She still has to be separate a lot of the time because she gets special feed.

I was going to make a trip to the Seattle area tomorrow to visit my good friend but I had to cancel it. I'm bummed. So I'm "window shopping" online for a bit of retail therapy, even though I can't buy anything.

Check out this awesome barefoot hoofprint pendant on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/79384557/copper-barefoot-horse-hoofprint-pendant You see so much horseshoe art around but not much like this, and not this well done. It's so small I was thinking it might make a nice charm for a bracelet if you're into that sort of thing.

I also like this shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SJZywar?ref=top_trail

This one isn't horse related but I LOVE it: http://www.etsy.com/listing/63937768/oak-barrette

So many beautiful things on Etsy. It inspired me to make my own turquoise and leather barrette tonight, and to attempt to fix an old handmade silver barrette I've had since I lived in New Mexico. I don't have a lot of faith in super glue though... But I really want to do more of this soon. Maybe experiment with horsehair too, and I have a beading loom. So many possibilities, so little time! And I am notorious for starting projects and then stuffing them in a box. (Remember the saddle blanket I was making a year or so ago? I still want to finish it, but it's still barely started.)

Speaking of projects, I've been on a roll. Painting the trim inside the house, giving everything a thorough scrubbing, rearranging all my wall art. My living room is actually kind of relaxing now. Still have a huge TV blocking my big back window but I haven't found a lower table to put it on yet. Speaking of which, I went antiquing the other day and boy could that be an expensive hobby! So many things to fall in love with. I contented myself with an absolutely wonderful ceramic bread bowl that is over 100 years old, for only $30. I first saw it a couple months back and I looked at it several times since then, and I finally caved and bought it when it was still there a week ago. There's something about it, I just immediately loved it. Maybe it was mine in a past life. :)

So anyway, I think this supplement I'm taking is really helping with my energy levels. It's amazing how much I can get done in a day. But I don't know if it's a permanent effect or if something in it is amping me up. Either way, I'll take it. Until I need to quit taking it, that is. Hopefully the energy will stay with me.

On that note, I better go get a few more things done before bed. Good night!

12 years or so ago I bought my first new car, a Toyota Echo. I loved the name, the interior, the mileage, the look, and of course the low price. They didn't seem to understand how important it was to me that I get a green one. But it was, so I had to special order my new car and wait a few weeks.

She was beautiful and shiny, and when I picked her up she only had 3 miles on her. Eventually I named her Darby. I've always loved her, even though these days I mainly drive the truck. John drives a lot for work and at 35 MPG of course he drives the Echo.

She had a big milestone today.

Almost there:

300 thousand miles! Never thought I'd see the day!

Middle of nowhere, near Plaza, WA.
(I love the center mounted dash console - the wheel never blocks my view)

And here we are, 300K after the first time I got behind the wheel:
What a good car she is.

(We had a good lunch, too, and a great visit with my stepdad who, coincidentally, was with me when I bought my car, and cosigned to make it all possible. Thank you, Henry!)

It was a dreary day here but I didn't feel it a bit. I did my morning "run" on the treadmill (actually it's walking and jogging) and then some housework, some horsework, some time with my sister, a chiropractor visit, a trip to the DMV, and picked up my boy who had had a bad day, then got dinner and came home and became a vegetable.

This morning as I was walking back from feeding the boys, our old dog India preceded me with a deer leg she'd found. She was soooooo happy. Talk about walking proud. When she stood at the door cheerfully expecting me to let her in I had to put my foot down. She enjoyed it thoroughly outside. It reminds me that I keep meaning to pick up some bones from the butcher for the dogs. They're really good for keeping their teeth clean. And of course the dogs love them.

I took Scout for a walk around the property, looking for the dead deer. All I found was a small bone for Blue to enjoy. But we did find that the pond on the far side of the property is pretty full, and Scout walked right in, got a drink and splashed around, over his knees in the water. I like his playful inquisitiveness. Meanwhile Tonka got his exercise running and calling for "his" colt. So when I put Scout back, after letting him enjoy some of the tiny delectable green grass by the pond, I got Tonka out. He was all sweaty and breathing hard but he also enjoyed his turn at the green grass. He did walk in the pond when I insisted, but only on the very edge and he pointedly did not enjoy it. We walked around some more and I gave him extra grazing time. I know that EPSM is supposed to be adversely affected by sugars in the grass, but I think that it does Tonka good because of the extra vitamins in green grass. He always does better when he's grazing fresh grass. So I did a couple chores while he ran loose stood around eating, then I put him away. Baby Blue doesn't know yet not to walk right under a horse, as he showed me a couple times today. But he didn't learn his lesson, they just ignored him.

The rest is pretty boring but it was a good day overall. Hope you all had a good day too!

I'm feeling a little weird lately. I haven't said more than a couple words to my horses this week. I've been spring cleaning. I've been working. I've been worn out at the end of the day.

I feel like I'm in a state of potentiality. Like when the stream is caught in an eddy, whirling, gaining energy, but not going anywhere... yet. And I don't feel like I can (or want to) shape the direction I'm heading. Yet. I feel like I'm waiting, whirling, energizing, and the waiting is difficult. Normally I can wait calmly. Or maybe I'm not normally waiting, maybe I'm normally sitting stagnant. Right now I really wish I could direct this energy somewhere, but I don't know where it's going yet. I know that wherever I'm headed is right. I just have to wait, and make ready to flow back out into the river again, then start paddling.

Maybe I'm crazy. (I bet I sound crazy.) Maybe it's springtime in my bones, wanting to burst forth. Maybe it's this supplement I'm on. Maybe I'm getting healthier? Maybe I ate too much salad today. Who knows.

I'm not discounting the possibility that nothing huge is going to change in my life. That maybe all this means is that my house will be cleaner. But that's a change for the positive, and bigger than it sounds. I'll take it. :)

I've gotten farther along in my Real Riding book and I can't recommend it enough. I just finished Part 3: Mindwork. It's really important stuff. At the end of the section he talks about the state of true being with horses: "Have you ever had those moments with a horse when time seems to stand still? You feel totally uplifted by the experience. It is as though you are floating on air. You feel completely connected with the horse and your surroundings and totally at peace inside yourself. Everything you try to do with the horse happens easily and simply, as though the horse were part of your inner self, reading your mind and carrying out your wishes even before you have asked."

A little excerpt from the same page: "Imagine you're a horse... You form deep bonds; you love your friends and family." Yes, this may sound obvious, but did you ever just sit there and think about how deeply they bond? How much they love one another? I'm sure we've all experienced the magnetism of the herd, often in a very frustrating situation. Wouldn't it be nice if they were herdbound to us?

The next section is Partnership Work and I think it's going to be pretty amazing too.

On another note, there is a video I'd like to share with you. It's titled Horse Training with the Initiator Signal - Asking your horse's permission. I totally love it. Mostly I love it because this is something that just naturally came to into being in my training with Bella, but they've made it much more more clear and consistent than I did. I don't give treats and I don't have a consistent signal, but I do ask her to acknowledge me before I move on to something I know might stress her into mentally retreating. I think I ought to make my method clear like theirs, now that I know it is a method. :)

I'm having a horsemanship crisis of faith. I want to find a system that I think is fair, but that is also clear and easily understood, and I can't find it. Perhaps that's partially because so much of horsemanship is based on experience and feel, not words and techniques. You can't always look at a 2D image and get a feel for the horse and handler's state of mind, or how exactly the horse is bent, or what their breathing sounds like...

I don't like the idea of chasing horses in circles when they're freaked out. I don't believe that's natural horsemanship. I don't believe that a horse who cares about another horse is going to chase them around when they're scared. Sure, they do that as a dominance game, but it's not a friendly game if one horse is seriously scared. Friendly chasing happens in comfortable times, in safety among friends. Aggressive chasing is not among friends. Even if the chaser is in a calm state of mind, if the chasee is not, it's not friendly (in my opinion).

(Feel free to correct me if you disagree with the following.) A loving leader among the horses will still reprimand at times, and will still claim the better food, the better place to stand, etc. But when their buddies are scared they might reassure with a touch of the nose on the shoulder or neck. Or sometimes just ignore the goofy spooky horse. Perhaps they spook and run with them, and then show their unconcern or even advance on the scary object, which helps the scared horse realize there's nothing to worry about. They say, "I see what you're worried about, but it's okay." Maybe they don't really care how the other horse feels and they just experience and feel their own feelings, but they don't exacerbate the problem their buddy is having unless they also are afraid. Aha! Maybe we chase horses because we also are afraid? That sure doesn't put us in the fearless leader position, does it?

All that said, I do understand that often a horse needs to move its feet to "get the crazies out." And I'm not against doing what it takes, for as long as it takes, to keep a horse from jumping into my space. I know that sometimes horse training does not look pretty. And I'm not claiming to be an expert on horse training. I don't really know what I am saying. But I do know that I like my relationship with my horses, and I don't like to chase them around (unless they're being naughty on purpose, which the boys have been known to do, but even then circles are not always the answer). And I know I'm in a serious seeking phase right now. So, any suggestions? Books? Videos? Articles? Websites?

Blah. I keep going back and re-reading what I've written and it doesn't seem quite right. Don't think I'm not happy and thankful for the many wonderful teachers we meet along our horsemanship paths. There are so many gems and jewels to gather from them. And I'm not claiming everyone else is wrong and I'm right. I'm just uncomfortable in my own self about some methods. They obviously work for a lot of people. Maybe I've misunderstood, or read the horses wrong. I don't think I have, but I don't claim to be infallible. :)

Anywho... Enough second guessing my writing - I'm going to sign off now!

"Water, like a horse, is always ready to escape out through the path of least resistance: the banks just passively keep it in."

I'm not sure why that phrase struck me while I was reading today. It's so simple. I like it.

I've picked up again on Real Riding, How to Ride in Harmony with Horses by Perry Wood. It's a good book. The full quote would be: "Think of both hands and both legs forming two canal banks, one along the left side of the horse and one along the right, and think of the horse as being the water. Canal banks hold the water between them but do it totally passively - you never see canal banks moving about and trying to keep the water in, the water just stays there. You might say, 'Well, the water doesn't try to escape,' but water, like a horse, is always ready to escape out through the path of least resistance: the banks just passively keep it in."

My daughter took some pretty amazing photos today. The above two are hers. I'd like to post more of them but I'm having trouble with it. Probably because I didn't resize them.

Bella and I went for a walk this morning. That was fun. She's so funny. She wanted to check out every snowbank and stuck her head into the neighbor's garbage, then visited with their mailbox. She does get slightly worried about stuff, but her curiosity is much stronger, and she doesn't scare herself when she checks things out (unlike some big doofus I know). Unfortunately, it was apparent today that she is still lame.
So... I don't know, I guess I'll start getting Scout out. I'm having trouble wanting to play with Cimarron because he's not my horse and we don't trust each other yet, and building a relationship would take a lot of time.

I had a very interesting visit with my chiropractor today. He may be able to help me with my constant lack of energy. He gave me a supplement. (I might sound like a quack taking herbal supplements from my chiropractor, but I trust him, he's done a lot of good for me already.) I really, really, really hope it works. It would be awesome to not have to drag myself through life like a ton of bricks. He also helped me with my elbow problem. I'm not sure if it's whipped but I hope so.

Prayers for health sent my sister's way would be greatly appreciated. She has a biopsy tomorrow. I try to think positive thoughts toward healthy tissue but what I really want to say is, I hate cancer. Which I know is not the most constructive way to think about it. But I don't like things that scare me.

Horse stuff has been pretty slow around here. I've played with Cimarron a few times. I still miss working with my own horses, so today after taking Cimarron for a walk I came home and took my two special ones for a walk. Tonka was happy to come out for a very short wander, and when I put him back up he stood around asking what we were going to do next. Bella got a longer walk, and I considered trimming her hooves but I think I may have to hire someone. My elbow is still shot.

Good news though! I longed Bella at a trot out in the pasture today and I didn't see much sign of a limp! It was in snow that is mushy and icy at the same time so it was a little hard to tell, but it wasn't the obvious head-bob she had before. I am so glad.

Tonka doesn't seem to be doing too badly even in the cold weather. He's doing a lot better than he did last winter.

Which brings me back to the dilemma I've been having about buying or borrowing a horse to ride. I even found myself seriously shopping through the pictures of the mustangs currently available in Oregon, planning a road trip in my head. But I've definitively decided I don't want a new horse. I have two here that I love dearly. I'm going to try to condition Tonka better this year so we can enjoy lots more wonderful rides. And if Bella comes sound we have a lot of riding ahead of us. Then of course Scout will need me to ride him since John's time is still very limited. So I don't have to "marry" a new horse just yet.

But when I do, it will probably be another mustang, fresh off the range. I don't think I want to inherit someone else's problems or training mistakes. And I like that long, slow gentling process for cementing the bond. No just jumping into the saddle and expecting things to go well without a relationship. But of course I could get lucky and get another good one like Soxy. So I'm not saying I wouldn't take a trained domestic. I just don't think the good ones come available very often.

Our weather is supposed to be a little gross this week, with rain and snow. The daily temps are going to be above freezing though so I'm hoping the world will become less of an ice rink. I want to play with my ponies!

Poor Cimarron. He doesn't quite know what I'm up to when I'm taking pictures. It's not as apparent in this small size, but his eyes are pretty worried.
He looks kinda fat and dumpy when he's just standing there, but you should see him in motion. His gut pulls up and his body is organized and smooth. He's a good mover.

And as you can see here, he wants so badly to be a good boy.

I didn't ride today. Not feeling real great, think I have a minor flu or something. But we did some ground work and he was much less "up" today. He realized that there is a slower speed than trot. He was afraid of my brand new flag (cheap short whip + a square of ripstop nylon from the fabric store + electrical tape = better than Brannaman's). Not sure if it was the color or the crisp new sound of it. So we worked on that some. I really felt better about our work today. It was more relaxed. I don't need him on a hair trigger and I think he's starting to realize that. Probably just out of practice since he's had so much time off.

Other than that, I made two very scary trips down my driveway today. One was on the way home from visiting Cimarron. I slid partway down the steep part of the driveway. Then when I went to leave again I got almost to the top, lost my grip, and slid VERY FAST, backward, halfway down the hill. It was NOT FUN. 4 wheel drive isn't much help when you're not getting any purchase. I'm glad the ruts held the truck on the driveway and I got to dry ground before I hit the telephone pole at the bottom. I did not try going up again.

Then I spent a lot of time spreading livestock salt (it's all I had) on the driveway in the freezing cold wind, trying not to fall down. I hope tomorrow is less terrifying.

Now I'm going to go enjoy that downtime I thought I'd have more of today, and hope I kick this bug by tomorrow morning.

Finally I got a picture of Cimarron to share with you all. Sorry for the poor quality. He's a cutie though.

I was finally able to get out of my driveway today. It was so nice to see the outside world again. And the sun was shining too. An absolutely beautiful day.

I spent some time on ground work and warm-up with Cimarron. He's a pretty high energy guy. He's also pretty spooky and goosy in the arena, but then we went for a walk around the neighborhood and he didn't act silly at all. He did have his good buddy leading the way though, and I think that makes a difference.

We were going to go ride the area we'd just walked, but I ran out of time. I did get in a little riding. He's going to need a lot of work on softening, but he's a pretty good boy.

I can go up there and ride any time I want to. I had been really looking forward to having him here at home but then the mountains of snow came. And actually I really like the idea of an indoor arena with dry footing to ride in. So it's a good thing.

I took this picture a while ago and forgot about it. Yes, it is a vending machine where you can buy nightcrawlers and other live bait. There was another one next to it that wasn't out of order. Only in Idaho. :)

I forgot to post a picture of my new headstall. (Yes, I'll admit I fiddled with this picture a bit too much.) It's pretty. It has brass. It's thick and chunky. It has ties at the bit ends, no screws. It's almost exactly right. It's not the quality of a custom made headstall, mainly because of the leather. It's a bit stiff and shiny... Or maybe it's just too new and needs to be broken in. I did oil it. It's made by Billy Cook and I think I ordered it at Horse Saddle Shop, they had the best price by far. And it is almost exactly what I wanted, something that would match the serpentine (actually called a running W) that goes around the edge of my saddle. I like the way it's done on my saddle better. It's simple and no frills. The headstall has a kind of fleur-de-lis looking thing in the serpentine. Too fancy, it ruins the simplistic lines.

Did I ever mention I'm pretty darn picky?

Spring is coming! My horses told me so. Tonka and Soxy are shedding, just a little. I love that they start doing that every year right when winter seems at its worst.

Yesterday we had a little break in the weather and the horses really enjoyed it.

I cleared them a space to stand around the trough, and Scout had fun playing in the big snow pile. Then he found that it's a good place to itch his head.


Tonka wasn't overly cheerful. I think he just wanted to take a nap while he was warm and dry.Ribbit.
Today I had planned to go ride Cimarron, but we couldn't get out of the driveway. So John spent a couple hours plowing the deep slush and compacted snow (I'm sick of plowing so I decided to bake instead) and now I think we might be able to get out, and maybe get the car out so we can take it to town and get tires. I hope so. I want to be able to go where I want, and most of all, go ride!

Today was a very good day.

I guess I'd better check in. It's been a while!

Last Friday I got to take Scout out on another trail ride. We had another colt along, I think it was his second trail ride, and two broke horses. The broke horses are there for support and we all stop and do whatever a rider in trouble needs. Same as how I ride with others but this is a new group of girls and I really enjoyed riding with them. Scout was pretty nervous, and we only rode for an hour but by the end of it he had calmed down. I was impressed with him for walking through puddles with frozen tops and over little runnels of water without having to look at them for a long time first. After a good look at the first puddle he marched on through the rest. He's a good boy.

Monday we didn't do our lesson, we each had our reasons. My reason was my elbow. I don't know what I did to it but it's all inflamed and I can hardly dress myself sometimes. When I'm doing ground work and a horse pulls on me even a tiny bit it really sets me back in the healing process. I know Scout and Cimarron are both going to pull on me, so I thought I'd give it a rest. Then I found out our lesson for next Monday isn't going to happen either but we might be able to fit one in later in the week.

I've been offered Cimarron to keep here and ride all I want, they just need him back for hunting season. Yay! I can't wait to share him with you all, he's a pretty good looking guy. I don't have any pictures of him, darn it. It's killing me to wait for him and not even have a picture to look at. Sometime next week he'll be here.

I topped off my excitement about Cimarron by ordering a new headstall with some Christmas money. It should match my saddle pretty well. I'm hoping it gets here fast. Then today I went and spent some money I'd gotten from selling other tack, and replaced my stiff, uncomfortable chinks. These ones are so supple, and they're a weird kind of leather that's more grippy. It reminds me of pigskin but I think it's too thick for that. They're not fancy but I like them the way they are, and I can actually bend in them! I love them. I got them at Indiana Harness in Spokane. The price was already pretty affordable for good chinks, and I traded in my old ones for more of a discount. I looked at the ones at two other stores in Spokane and there's no comparison. Now, you could probably go to Post Falls and get something a lot fancier for twice the price, but I'm not a very fancy girl. :)

That's about all my horse news, other than a short ride at home where I discovered how small Scout's comfort zone is in terms of leaving his buddies. I'd say it's about 100-200 feet before he gets jittery about it. We'll gradually build on it without blowing his confidence.

Just some pictures.

And look who greeted us when we got home:

Looks like Tonka thought he'd try on another color today.

I went up and tried out Cimarron yesterday. He's a good boy. Gorgeous too. He's half kiger, half QH, and lived his first three years out on the range, so he may as well have been wild. He's got a skepticism that reminds me of Tonka. Worried about the mounting block, dots of light on the floor, a wheelbarrow that had moved. Nothing serious but at first I was wondering if I ought to ride him at all. It's been a couple months since he was ridden, and even then he's just sort of an extra horse, not much time spent riding in the last few years. I've heard stories of him bucking so that's in the back of my head too.

But after doing ground work and liberty work in the round pen I felt safe enough to climb on and try him out. He's not real responsive to my leg asking him to move over, and he had opinions about certain areas he didn't want to walk. He had a nice stop, a great one-rein stop, a good back up, and he's real comfortable to ride. Short coupled and stout. He's pretty cool. If I was still looking (and could afford him) I might ask if he's still for sale. I'll ride him in our next lesson, if he's not too boogery about being in the arena.

Then I came home and it was so nice out I had to get Scout out for a short ride. He was relaxed and mellow. I think he was enjoying the nice weather too. We worked in the field and did a reminder lesson on all the maneuvers he's supposed to know (he was very responsive) and then did some walk trot transitions. Surprisingly, his upward transitions were great but his downward were kinda sloppy at first. Normally he's lazy and it's just the opposite. Then my lovely, smart boy in the pasture decided to eat under the fence and get himself shocked. It was a loud snap! And of course he ran away and stood there snorting for a while. Even though this happened right behind us Scout didn't react too much and we went back to work.

Today is even nicer than yesterday. It's 43 degrees already, and the sun is bright. We're going to hit the trails with my sister. Good fun. I think Scout will enjoy the break from the arena work.

The leads I had on a couple horses didn't go anywhere. It's weird, these sellers that sound pretty motivated but then don't follow through. But that's okay because I don't want to add another horse right now. I'm still hoping Bella's lameness will pass, and even if it doesn't she might be okay for walking on the trail, which is what I mostly do anyway. And I'll have Tonka to ride in the summer (fingers crossed) so I think we're good for now.

Happy trails! Maybe I'll have some trail ride pictures for my next post.

It's funny, just as I decided I wasn't going to get a horse, a couple good leads came along. We'll see how that goes...

Today I rode a strange horse. She herself is not strange, she's just strange to me. She's a very nice girl, a grey anglo-arab named Madrid, who belongs to the trainer we've been taking lessons with. It was good to have a horse to ride, and eye-opening to ride a horse that doesn't know how I work. As I didn't always know how she worked. She backs to different cues, for one thing. It led to some talk about how we ride, and the importance of knowing WHY we ride how we ride. My answer would just be, "because that's how I do it." Which isn't a very good answer, when you want to analyze what makes the most sense and is most effective.

Then, quite excitingly, someone started firing a gun in the outside arena. Apparently it was mounted shooting practice. Only nobody warned us and certainly our horses weren't expecting it. The first group of shots caught us standing still and nothing super exciting happened. A while later the second group of shots caught Scout as he was feeling rather "up" anyway, and was trotting around the arena and had just turned his back to the source of the noise. He went "leap" and John didn't go with. Or something like that. I didn't see it because I was busy shutting down my mount, who was right next to the source of the noise. Despite the unplanned dismount John and Scout were both fine, just a little rattled. My sister went out and kindly asked them to hold off on the shooting for 15 minutes so we could finish up without any more excitement. Everyone mounted up again and we finished on a good, relaxed note.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to go ride Cimarron, a nice kiger cross who also belongs to the trainer. He's kind of just an extra horse, not her personal horse, so I can borrow him more long term. He doesn't get ridden much but he's supposed to be a pretty nice horse.

Oh, and as to why I didn't ride Festus, my brother in law's horse - he needs some work before I'd trust him in a strange setting with a group of strange horses. Not much stop. Some brace, but it's not terrible. I just would definitely want the stop more reliable. If I could go over every day and ride him it would probably be fine, but that doesn't seem very doable right now.

So anyway, I'm having some horsey adventures riding horses that aren't mine, and it's very fun and interesting. But it also makes me appreciate the communication I have with my own horses even more. It's just a difference of dialects, but even that can cause some long pauses and miscommunications in the middle of a good conversation.

I've found a horse to borrow for the lessons for now, so no big hurry on finding another, but of course I'm still looking. He's my brother in law's horse, and absolutely beautiful - I'll have to post a picture of him. If I remember right he's a Percheron Morgan cross, but might have some QH in there as well. He can be a lot like Tonka in that he gets worried and his energy level can get to be a lot pretty quick, but he's not a light horse like Tonka. He thinks leaning into pressure is the right thing to do and he takes a lot of softening work. But he's a total love and one of those curious, into everything type of geldings. I think it will be fun to play with him, and I'm really grateful to have a horse for the lessons.

In other news, Blue was neutered the other day. We've been having a spell of heavy rain, which I didn't even think about in terms of it affecting the surgery, but it means he can't run around outside. I have to take him on a leash so he doesn't get his incision wet. Ugh. He's got way too much energy to be a leash only dog. He's so stinkin' positive about life, it's great (and also a bit annoying). I put an Elizabethan collar on him when he was trying to lick too much, and it doesn't slow him down or depress him one bit. Every other dog I've had has gotten really sad and dejected with those things. Blue just trots around same as ever and rams the dang thing into the backs of people's legs. The other dogs can hardly tolerate him when he's wearing it. But I haven't had to put it on him much.

Alright, back to work. It's amazing how messy this house can get with four humans and four dogs in it. We're babysitting my mom's dog too. He mostly stays out of the way though.

I thought I'd just put this out there and maybe the universe would help me come up with a solution.

I need a sound horse to ride. I'd be happy to borrow one for the winter, or maybe buy one. Maybe one of you near me knows someone who is looking for a good situation for a good horse? I'd prefer one that is at least started but an older beginner friendly horse would be great too, especially if I'm buying the horse for keeps. That way my kids could ride when summer comes and either Tonka or Bella are well enough to ride.

I would be sad that I found Grace a new home and couldn't start her, if it wasn't for the fact that I think she's with the person she was supposed to end up with.

Bella's lameness seems to be getting slightly worse with work (very gentle work). Or maybe I'm just more bothered by it the more we work. I think she will heal, but I don't know. It's a front foot or leg issue, not related to the stifles. (I think it's founder related but could be a splint). I'm trying some different things but I may decide to take her in for a lameness exam. I just don't want to spend a lot of money for an iffy diagnosis.

Scout is still fine, but John is riding him. And of course Tonka is laid off for the winter and Soxy can't work anymore. So I'm horseless. :(

Any other time I'd wait this out and not ride (and I may still do that) but I want to be able to keep doing the weekly lessons with John and Scout. And if I had a seasoned horse to ride we could get out on the trail some too. This winter has been so mild. No reason not to ride (except today with pouring rain and howling wind) if I only had a horse.

The dogs would like to say Merry Christmas.

But I think they would have preferred to say it without headgear.

This is probably the nicest picture.

But I think this one is my favorite. It doesn't look as funny in this size but Huckleberry's buggy eyes cracked me up when I first looked at this one.

They gave me the cold shoulder more than once.

And Huck looked Goofy more than once.
(enter Sir Chaos trying to be good)

But of course India was a sweetheart about it all. And she'd make an excellent Max.

Then we have Blue.

"It's killing me!"

"No, I'll kill it!"
"A little help here?"
(Still stuck around his neck)
But in the end youth and determination conquer all.
May you feel youthful and joyous this Christmas eve.