Genetics or learned behavior

I’ll admit it I enjoy cruising around to different horsey type blogs from around the world. I get to see lots of nice horses, see different ways to set up barns and learn how other people work with their horse. The one thing that just has a real different feel to me is the way riders dress in particular chaps and gloves. I guess it is the western way but I don’t even own a pair of riding chaps and only wear gloves when my hands are cold or absolutely needed. I will admit to sometimes remembering to wear my farrier chaps when trimming a horse but most of the time I forget. So I suppose spending the money on riding chaps that would just hang on the coat rack would be a waste. Out of the many choices shotgun, batwings, full dress with fringes and sparkles I guess I might be persuaded to wear shotguns in the hopes that it would ease the chaffing on the inside of my legs. The long and short I guess is that it would be one more piece of leather that would need to be cleaned and oiled that frankly I know I wouldn’t do. Besides who wants to show up at a branding with everything looking with a fresh newness that we know are going to be covered in mud and manure within 10 minute of starting.


Almost every coat I have every rig I drive and various other spots have a pair of gloves. At times they are needed but most of the time I won’t wear them unless I have to. It is a matter of feel especially when it comes to handling reigns. When I ride with gloves I feel like I have lost touch with the bit and the horse. Maybe if I had started riding with gloves I wouldn’t feel so out of touch but it is a habit that I probably won’t break. I’ve had a lot of rope burns when dealing with a horse gone unruly but when that happens it really lights a fire that the beasty needs some work.



Just an odd point of view

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Week at a glance

Week at a glance well actually just another list.
   1. The daughter went to remove one of the preifert stalls so we can start building a proper wash bay. She got the 12 ft. long 8 ft. high wall disconnected and realized it was way too heavey for her to move. So she threw a rope over the rafters to hold it up until I could get home. Got home and moved it out of the way. Maybey next time she will remember to remove the 2X6's from the metal frame first. :)

  2. Wifey Maria bought a nice well broke and bred running mare that is due mid April so hopefully we will have 2 babies to play with this spring. Downsizing isn't an option but I do think we have rounded out our wish list so we will see how this plays out.

  3. We have all decided it would be good for me to go and get my equine message certificate this summer. I am constantly petting and rubbing my horses so now I will be able to do it as a professional. ;) With this we will also be getting a thermal ir scanner. Some how I never seem to be able to feel the color red. I claim that it is because I am a guy and color blind.

 4. Tied up the old 30+ Appy to the tie ring in the barn and he proceeded to start chewing on the 2X6 rails. It seems once one horse has put their mark on wood the others are just obliged to put their chew mark on the wood also. So we went and got some 4X8 sheets of osb and put them up. Poor dears all they can seem to muster up now is a scrape which seems not to leave marks. Will be putting some nasty tasty stuff on soon!.

 5. Mud and more mud mixed with daily snow....arg. Went to clean out some runs and there was still an ice layer. The ground was so slippery that I couldn't even walk on it. It will be awhile before I can safely put any horses in those 2 runs now. It is a lousy choice; manure or snotty ground. Some dry weather would be nice.

6. Working on putting together a picture/lineage of our horses to post. Getting decent pictures of the horses seems to be a challenge since we are all shy.

 7. Rode my mare. Saddling isn't a calm time yet but at least it takes me less than an hour to get it done. on the last ride I did a lot of shoulder in and spiral in work at the trot. On the clockwise shoulder in she was feeling stiff then there was this popping sound and the back end dropped. She came right back to a much more supple relaxed trot. Hopefully this was a pop in not out. My legs were exhausted by the end of this ride so she and I got a day off.

Until the next list

    Oh! one thought/picture that keeps going through my mind is from the opening of the Secretariat Movie.
    the images of the horses coming around the turn and the voice overlay

     "Do you give the horse his strength . . . . . . or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
      Do you make him leap like a locust,  striking terror with his proud snorting?
      He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.
      He laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;  he does not shy away from the sword.
      The quiver rattles against his side, along with the flashing spear and lance.
      In frenzied excitement he eats up the ground;
      he cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds." Job 39:19-25

  Some things just touch the heart.

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Hibernation is over

Well at least it feels that way. The snow/ice is almost all gone now and I guess so are my excuses.

 So to catch up a list, I love lists.

 1. I graduate in 16 days. That is what we are calling my retirement from my current day job. It was just getting in the way of my work out at the farm. Sooo one of them just had to go......It was an easy choice.

 2. The daughter and I have been negotiating on what we will do here at the farm. Since she has a degree in athletic training, certified horse and people message, and a love for the horses we will be putting together a horse rehab facility. Should be fun and lots of work to get it ready.

 3. Bought a 2yr old filly out of Texas. just off of pasture but so sweet. She is bred to cut and is already showing signs of being very athletic. Will be starting ground work on her soon. No riding until she grows up some more.

 4. My mare that was doing back flips when I went to saddle her is on the road to being a saddle horse again. It has been slow but we are making good headway.

 5. My 2 horses that had tendon issues are sound and we will be building up their strength this spring.

 6. My lead broodmare is big and prego and should be due in a month and a half so I am already worrying over her.

 7. We are trying to book some clinician for this summer that should fit well with the other clinics that go on around here.

 Well that is all I can think of for now.
 Now this list is done I can start another list :)

 Later
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Sundays

This Sunday I went to Whitehall for a benefit O-MOK-SEE. I got to take my 9 year old mare. She is just learning the games and is showing to be calm and response at any speed. That really makes it fun. It still doesn't offset the 4 horses we have lost this spring. Each to a different issue. My mare is helping me get over this fact. Live in the present not the past. In one of the events Team Arena there is a team made up of 4 people. One horse at a time goes out and runs around the outside of the arena and then passes the batton to another rider. This is an all out top speed event where if the horse has any running ability you can feel them drop down and stretch out for a full ground covering run. My mare started to stretch out then had a little bobble on the front end but went right back to full run. Didn't phase her a bit. Our hand off was clean and she didn't shy away from another horse coming along side her at a full run. At the end of the day both of us were tired and in a good space. RIP Mona, Lacey, Lacey's baby, Magic, Close friends horses buried with ours this spring Farmer, Britchy---- and if you have time watch over the rest of the herd.

They all stood to nicker and watch

Not me though I hid in the barn with my granddaughter as my close friends and vet took my 2 year old filly for her last walk. It has been hard for me to get to this point where I can write about it. It was just a little nick by her ankle. Like most young horses getting them through to maturity without cuts and scrapes is near impossible. It looked like no big deal. We washed her up and put some salve on it and repeat. Two days later her lower leg swolled up like a sausage and very hot.  We picked at it cleaned it and started her on antibiotics. Four days later the leg went down to normal size but not the ankle. Off to the Vet then off to the Horse hospital ninety minutes away. Prognosis the infection had already damaged cartilage and was in the bone. The poor thing even with max pain meds was in pain and couldn't put weight on that leg. The next day the time had come. Our vet that we've known since her Junior High days and when she was in High Shool Rodeo she traveled with us and our daughters was there to perform her duties as our Vet. We had a total of three horses to have done that day. Our friends 2 horses that had been scheduled for that weekend were brought out so that all three could be done at once.  From my occasional peeks from the barn it looked so surreal and sombere all the horses from the 2 pastures and the ones in the paddocks stood there and intensely watched. At one point they all nickered out but then as on que they all turned around and went on with what they were doing before hand. With 14 horses and 2 outside horses being trained I really don't think we will have anymore baby horses in the future.The old man (daughters old barrel horse now 30+) will probably need to be put down this fall but at least I have time to prepare myself for it. It is always tough. I'm tired now of the effort to get a herd of broodmares to help with retirement time. The idealic thought of being retired and working with the baby horses to barrel futurities is just not going to happen. The hours of going over breeding programs and hauling mares just isn't fun if I have to spend waking momemnts worrying about a sudden loss. This filly was the the last of a line since we gelded Mojo now that line is done.Well I guess it is time to start working with the 4 yr old gelding again, his injuries have healed nicely.  Later

Confused....?

Was delighted to go to a Pole Bending clinic this last Sunday. It was a two day clinic but we could only make it one day. Our friend Peggy was riding Shamy who is out of our mare and her parent’s stud. Of all the horses we have foaled she is probably the most athletic and fastest. I have her older full sister that I will be competing on this year. She is a shorter version of Shamy so it should be loads of fun (if I can stay on that is). It may be vain but I was filled with pride when I saw the clinician desire for one of the horses we had a hand in, honestly the stud and our mare had such good gets that it is sad when I think back on our mare and the studs last meeting........poor old boy had a heart attack while trying to get the job done with our mare. He died the next day. There were limited exposures to this stud but all of his gets had a fiery temperament, the will to run and the athletic ability to take their riders as far as they had talent for. The only exception I can think of is Legs my wife’s horse. He ended up being a true baby sitter but guess what he has more than enough speed to be competitive.........I know I found the fast gear riding him so I backed off for it will be there when the wife is ready if the grandkids don't get him first. :)

So back to the clinic..........Confusion abounds. Not because of what the clinician was teaching but that it is totally different than what I have been drilled on for years. For years it has been pick up the inside reign to keep the shoulder up and round the horse with the outside leg. At this clinic I felt more like I was back at English lessons. Hands down....ah 3 inches above the withers give or take a scosh. Use the inside leg to round the horse around your leg and the outside reign to frame the shoulder in. I've ridden both ways over the years so it will be fun to see if I remember some of my old training. The one major thing I picked up at the clinic is that I don't release once I get to my spot. Probably explains why at some point in the run the horse starts getting wound up and stops listening. How many times have I been told pressure release with the emphasis on RELEASE.

The barn is to envy over.... I have been told it is the best (fancy) barn in Montana. I haven't been to very many fancy barns but the attention to details was a real eye opener. Sorry I didn't have my camera with me but I'll include an aerial. Well I have a lot to try. Later

A change in gears

Currently I have 4 tractors and a backhoe. 2 of the the 4 I bought for farming a 2,000 acre wheat farm. In a way I still miss the wheat farm. They are still great tractors but not really set up for haying. So after looking for 2 years I finally found and bought what I think is a nice used tractor that will fit my current needs better. Even at my age I am surprised that I still get excited about buying equipment. To balance out the scales though the other side is we were also looking at getting the wife a nice VW convertible. Now that would be as equally exciting. Sad that we can't get both but I think we will be able to start looking again this fall. My suspicion is that this won't be a 2 year tire kicking adventure. With 50 acres of pasture that are in sore need of repairs and the hay ground that always needs work this little tractor will be very busy this summer. Probably the best thing is that this is a tractor that the wife will be able to use for harrowing and turning the windrows. I have a sneaking hunch that this will be more my wife's tractor than mine. I offered that she could use it to drive to work and it would get great fuel mileage but for some reason it just doesn't compare to a nice little convertible.