Picturesque Day (without any pictures!)

Today was one of the prettiest days I've seen in a long while. The sun was shining; the sky was blue. I knew Lynn was going to call and say, "Let's ride!" I was so, so ready. Driving up the Hennessey road we encountered snow on the side pretty much the whole way, but the road itself was clean. Then we parked and got the boys out.

First things first, I let Jupes smell it, taste it, and get a little used to it so hopefully we would have no mishaps. Buster was the one who seemed the most perturbed--Shirley had to work to get on because he did not want to stand still for her. He never acts like that! When we left the paved road, we also left the plowed road. People playing in the snow left tracks for us, but there was snow everywhere else.

We didn't have any trouble. The boys seemed to like kicking through it like little kids and making it spray. We went through a couple of off road trails and no one slipped. Of course everything looked a little different so Jupiter was on high alert and shied at a couple of things, but nothing major. It was gorgeous! Neither Lynn nor I brought our cameras. It was picture perfect day--definitely would have been our Dec or Jan calendar picture! Oh well.

We rode to the top and stood around in the sunshine and snow for a bit, then headed back down. A couple of turns from the top, Ziggy decided to make snow angels on the road. Yep. Down he went. Pretty smoothly too. He didn't give any indication, he just bent down to a knee, stretched his neck out, and rolled on to his side. It caught Lynn by surprise, but she got her feet out of both stirrups, stood up, and made him get up before he could roll onto his back and ruin the saddle. Consequently, his snow angel only had one wing! I'm sure he was bummed. She ruined his artwork.

She probably could have stayed on him and made him get up, but she was nervous about his long legs,which he can't control, flinging up into the air and nailing her as he flailed around and tried to get onto his back! Jupes stood nearby and looked interestedly at Zigs, so he never got to put his head down even to scratch his nose for the rest of way home. He kept going into the snow on the side of the road and it did look kind of fluffy and nice. . . you know how much he likes to roll!

We slipped once coming home, but he caught himself before he went down on his butt. He behaved really good today and I was happy. Only Zigs got into trouble today. I think some of my DRITS and overall negativity was, if not cured completely, alleviated somewhat. I can't continue to be frustrated and angry when the world is so beautiful and I am surrounded by good partners and the best of friends.

Normalcy, for now

Everything is back to normal around here (minus a few dollars that is!). Hmmm, shoes, saddle repair, new helmet, and the Club-Med bill: that whippersnapper better be worth it and not be a pill when we're out riding!

Yesterday was breezy and a weather change was in the air. The boys were full of themselves--seriously! FULL of themselves! We pulled up to the gate and they came running at us down the road. Jupiter and Buster in the lead. The two who have no idea about where that gate leads to or what might happen if they got through it. We bustled through it and the two of them turned sharply up toward the feeder boxes on our right. Jupiter kept going and then threw himself down on the ground and rolled around. Buster ran right up to a fir tree and then twisted sideways about a foot from it and proceeded to buck and jump up and down. We started down the road and everyone took off running through the trees: bucking, leaping over logs, and generally having a wild time.

All I can say is Ziggy better never buck with Lynn on him. He nearly puts his nose on the ground and his back feet are almost straight up and down. I guess if she just slid down his neck it wouldn't be too far to fall, but it would be face first! Jeez that boy can buck! I so wished I had my video camera. It was quite the show. It continued all the way up to the high ground where we fed; in fact, Indy got a little close and Lynn felt the wind of feet on her face. Old corkscrew head can buck with the best of them! Even Brady put on show. Only Star kept his dignity and acted his age.

Jupes is definitely back to his ornery self. A couple of days after he came home, I found another tick on him. Thankfully it was either not the right kind or he still had enough medicine in him to counteract it. However, he does have a smooth skin spot on the base of his neck. And teeth marks. Someone told him to mind his manners and remember his place. Or someone was tired of hearing his "vacation" stories. I am betting it was Star. I can just hear him, "Enough already! I am sick and tired of hearing about Margaret and all the carrots you ate. You think all that brushing made you so pretty. Look at me! They shaved big patches on both sides of my body! I'll show you pretty--here's your own bare patch! Cold, isn't it?! Now shut up!"

So there we are--back to normal. We were hoping for a ride today, but all that wind brought in the rain. I guess we'll get our tack oiled and the tack room organized instead.

Club Med Spa

Monday afternoon, I raced to the vet's office to see my sick boy. He definitely was. I could see him trying to focus on me. Then he would yawn and yawn and his head would hang down real low. I rubbed on him and left him to sleep. Tuesday I called and his temp was down to 98 already. They said the drugs work like a miracle on the tick-bite disease. He was outside in a large stall, counting Fords and Chevys and keeping an eye on the animals who were coming into the vet's office. There were dogs next door and the car wash was busy--he had lots of entertainment.

That night, I walked him into his indoor stall to spend the night. The maid had been there. Fresh sawdust, fresh water, and a pile of hay (is that like a mint on your pillow?). He was like, "See ya mom." The next day I couldn't go in because I work until 6pm. I called to see how he was doing. 

"He doesn't like our hay very much, so I gave him some alfalfa to find in his hay pile. Margaret has been out to brush him and give him some carrots." What?! Alfalfa? I do have to ride him again sometime! OMG! He is being spoiled. A nice warm stall with fresh sawdust (which he loves to roll in), alfalfa and no one to fight over it, carrots, and lots of attention and brushing. He is not going to want to come home. He will lock those front legs and refuse to get in the trailer!

Unfortunately for Jupes, the Spa is not exclusive. They let a goat in. I got there about 4:40 on Thursday. They said, "He has had a tough day. He has seen goats and a big bull, among other things. He does not like goats." Hmm. I don't think he has ever seen a goat. He was already in his stall. I could hear a goat bleating pitifully. I popped up to his stall door (Hilton Hotel room) to see him. His rear was up against the back wall and his whole posture was up--making himself look big. He was staring across the hallway toward the goat's stall.

I went in with apples and a brush. What was there to brush? His dreds in his tail are completely gone. His mane, although wild, was looking perfectly groomed. I think all his winter hair has been smoothed and brushed away. Talk about looking good! He has lost a few pounds and standing there at attention, I do not think he has ever looked more handsome. He does not look like that little horse we brought home. This spa vacation is worth the money! (If Star had only given it a chance!)

As beautiful as he looked, I could not stay in his stall very long. He was definitely agitated over the goat. She was a little, pitiful thing. Nothing a big, powerful horse should be upset over! He circled and circled and could not keep his eyes off the goat's stall. Even after her owners took her home. When the big barn door opened, he craned his head around and leaned against the stall door. He is ready to go--ready to check out of the spa. He is not happy with the clientele at what had been his spa resort. He thought it was an exclusive place for gorgeous Morgans. He did not know they would let in the riff-raff.

I hope he is still ready to go today. Although, as soon as we get home I know he is going to roll in the mud and get oak leaves in his tail. It's going to rain and he is no longer going to look like he stepped out of the beauty parlor. He's going to have to run poor Buster around and remind him that he's last in the pecking order. He's going to have stories to tell to his pals for sure--but they won't take him seriously until he no longer looks like a pretty boy.

A Sick Boy

Sunday morning Lynn found Jupiter alone, above where she was feeding. Everyone else came along quickly, proving they weren't far away. She wondered at the anomaly, but in her mind she thought maybe he had been asleep and everyone else wandered away. It happens. That afternoon I came up to feed with she and Shirley. Jupes did not run and buck nor run up to me for his apple. In fact, as we were unloading the hay and everyone else was skittering around--he was down the hill just standing there watching. I called to him and he walked up to a pile of hay and started eating. He did not look around or move from that pile. I went over to him and rubbed on him and looked him over. Lynn and Shirley came over and felt around him. I listened to his belly. But we left and I guess privately we all were thinking something wasn't right.

Monday morning I paced around and waited for the clock to finally chime 6am. I called Lynn to ask how he was at breakfast. Both us decided that Shirley should check him out in the daylight. When Lynn called her, she had already been to see and made the decision that he was sick. Unfortunately for me, I don't have the kind of job where I can check my cell phone easily and I missed the entire conversation.

At 1:07 pm we had violent earthquake. It shook so hard I almost fell down! My prep period is from 2:00-2:40. I checked my phone when I had finished doing most of my to-do list about 2:20 and saw the text from Lynn asking if we were all okay. I replied that we were--was she? She returned the message quickly, saying she didn't feel it because she was at the vet with Jupe! I immediately scrolled back through my messages and found five from her telling me Jupiter was sick and they would pick me up and we could go to the vet.

Unfortunately, people who work in the real world do not know how the world of school works. So six hours and 80 students later, I got the message. I was deeply upset. It was my fault for not digging in my coat pocket and finding my phone to check for messages--I have approximately 4 minutes between each class. I am supposed to meet all my students at the door and greet them as they arrive. I teach completely different subjects each period and have to prepare so that once they are inside they have something to do while I take roll. I have approximately 20 minutes to go to the bathroom (which I am not able to do for the first four hours) and eat something before I meet, greet , and teach another 28 students. I don't know how I thought Lynn would let me know. I guess part of me didn't think they would do anything about Jupiter so quickly--both times when Star was sick, Shirley waited days to do anything or take him in to be checked out. I know I am much more of a worrywart than either of them, so I try to keep quiet. I know I am quick to take my animals to the vet for the littlest things, thus "babying" them too much. Anyway, enough said.

Jupes had a temp of 103. Horses are supposed to be in the 98-100 range. He was a sick boy and probably didn't care whether I was there or not. He probably had the tick-bite disease that is becoming very common in our area. I got the news he was staying for a week.

Thankfully, I have good friends who can take time off their jobs and out of their lives to take care of my horse. I appreciate it more than I can say. Because of their quick actions, Jupes is going to recover quickly.

Keota's Adventure

Yesterday morning began with a phone call.The caller id showed that it was Lynn. "Good morning!" I happily answered the phone. "No, it's not a good morning," she replied. In that infinitesimal amount of time, many things rushed through my head--none of them good, but none of them even close to the actual unhappy tidings.  "Keota's been stolen."

She ran through the details: really foggy, 4:30 am no Keota, a pacing and agitated Odie, gate closed/fence fine, lots of driving around and no dark horse with a blaze shining in the darkness. Then she went into stories of horse thieves who drove in with a trailer, loaded up horses, took them the auction to be slaughtered, and drove off with money without anyone ever knowing what happened to their equine family member.

It made me think of Izzy--if someone had ever stolen her, or I lost her somehow, when would I stop looking for her? How would I be able to ever get my life back on an even keel? It made me think about the family who lost their son last year. When do you stop looking for them without feeling guilty that you gave up? I drive past their house everyday and feel the waves of grief that emanate from it.

Thankfully, I am woman of faith and have always had that strength and power in my life. I went outside and stood on my deck in the rising light and prayed. In times of trouble, that is how I get through it. What do people do who don't have it? How do they survive in this turbulent world?

The phone rang again at 7:30. Spitting toothpaste out and running for the phone, Lynn's cell phone number was in the window. "She found him! He was at the back of the neighbor's fence, visiting his horses. There's a small space in the fence and he got through it somehow. He's fine."

The power of prayer? Luck? Simply the end to the story? Whatever--it was a happy ending and gave us all new hope for the coming day.

Win, Lose, or Draw

Sunday was a clear, cold day and we got to take the boys out for a short ride up the Hennessey road. It was also Haylee's maiden trek. Haylee is Lynn's newest family member--sister to Alisa's Sammi--they are black Standard Bred Poodles. I have not met Sammi yet, but Haylee is quite the character. She loves life and is always smiling and ready to go. She's very smart and learns quickly. She's also very leery of the horses ever since Buster went after her one day. Thankfully, she escaped unscathed. Now when we are up feeding the horses and they get too crazy, she jumps on the four-wheeler and stays out of the way of their feet.

Haylee wasn't too sure about the whole riding aspect of the horses. She was nervous and Lynn was awfully high up and out of reach! She ran ahead of the horses and waited when Lynn called out to her, which I thought was pretty dang cool for someone so young to understand! Part way, she was pretty tired, so she got her first horse ride! First, Lynn handed her up to Shirley who was on Buster and that went pretty smoothly. Then Lynn climbed aboard Zigs and Haylee was passed over. She did really great and both horses were absolutely fine having her up there. When Lynn put her down for some more running, she tired again and then whined and cried a little--but it was understandable because it was quite the big day for someone so young.

So that was the good part of the experience. My part was not as swell. ): Jupiter needs to be ridden and tired out. He is such a headstrong pistol. I am such an inexperienced rider who just sits there and expects the horse to know how to behave. I have been spoiled by Brady and before him, Kibbles. They were older and knew their job. Jupiter is young and full of himself. He and I are going to have to work hard to get past our current difficulties. Unfortunately, most of the problems are because of me--I have not worked on anything with him. He came so well trained that I have been lazy and now I am going to pay for it.

I know he is too much horse for me as a beginner rider, but I do not want to trade him for someone else. We're family. But I also don't really want to live in a wheel chair or as a vegetable for the rest of my life! So he won on Sunday. I got off and walked instead fighting him and eventually getting bucked off onto the hard road. I know I have to figure this out and I get lots of advice that I need to sort out. "Lace his butt with your reins, " "Use a quirt to sting him," "Kick him really hard in the belly like Alisa did Odie," "Remember cowboy boots are pointed for a reason," "Turn him in circles and keep his feet moving," and "Hitting a horse is really unnecessary if you can get his attention by moving his feet." Ultimately the one thing everyone says, "You have to win. You have to be in charge. He's bigger than you and you have to have his respect." Stuff like that. I need advice for sure, since I am oblivious and ignorant.

But what is going to work with both Jupes' and my personalities? He doesn't care if I yell at him. He got mad and humped up the only time I ever hit him with the reins (but he did stop). He doesn't get his feelings hurt. He throws temper tantrums. He's very expressive and pretty easy to read when he's irritated, so sometimes I have prior warning. He probably knows that sometimes it freaks me out when starts crow hopping and threatening to buck (sometimes I just react and I don't have time to be afraid--it's kind of like dealing with big kids at school!). Bottom line: he doesn't care if he pleases me or not. He's not like Ziggy or Buster who adore Lynn and Shirley. We are in a one-way relationship: I love him and he doesn't really care. Just like a man, dang it! (At least he doesn't tell me I'm fat and ugly!)

So there it is. I had a frustrating, un-fun day and I can't stop thinking about it. I'm bummed. I hate to lose.

On a good note: it's Keota's birthday month! Is he turning six or seven? I hope we get to meet up soon and go riding.

Keeping in touch--

Winter has unleashed her fury. Six wet horses here; Lynn said they barely even acknowledged her at breakfast and just went to eating. Of course receiving grain now makes them less antsy and more likely to focus on finishing theirs before someone else tries to move them out.

Star's hair is growing in; it looks a little funny--the hair is fine and a little thin next to his super long winter hair. At least it's not white--I was teasing Shirley that maybe she'd have a paint horse. Buster's white back feet are now the same color as everyone else--mud. Lynn says Brady is getting shorter by the day, but I think it's because Ziggy is getting taller. Brady is still the most handsome and best boss; he lets anyone eat with him. In fact the other morning, Lynn said that the horses were so wet and miserable, they didn't want to break up out of their huddle for breakfast. Finally they got together in threes: Brady, Star, and Indy at one box and the orange young-in's at the other.

Lee took the four-wheeler up to get some wood and Ziggy came to hang out with him. He found his container of hoof medicine and helped himself to a couple day's worth. Jupiter is fat and sassy. It makes my day when he looks up at my voice or comes to me on his own. Of course it helps that occasionally I have carrots in my pocket for him. Yesterday, he came all the way to the top feeder and put his wet, muddy nose against mine. Lynn thinks he's taller, but I'm thinking he's longer--cadillac back. He should be smooth riding this spring (if I get to stay on that is!). And Indy is Indy. You know I love him.

Red Bluff and the Bull and Gelding Sale is next weekend and I am sad to miss it. Send me a picture of the bucking cowboy from Oregon and a picture of Chubb, the horse that doesn't know he's little. (: Have fun for me, too!

Lynn, instead of a helmet for me: look for a halter for Jupes. Black? Brown? Neon orange? Something no one else has and you think would look good on him. (Do you think we can adjust the neon green one to be large enough? We never take the time to fiddle with our tack and I haven't looked at it in awhile.)