Here I am!

I truly have not been hibernating. I have been freezing my butt off (ok, not really - I just looked behind me and it's still there. Sigh. Kinda wish it would really work.) We had ANOTHER snow storm. What's another 20 inches when you already have snow up to your knees.

Broke out the snow shoes again.

Forget your tread mill and exercising in your fancy leotards at the gym. Want a real work out? Put on 3 layers of clothes. Then your jacket, snow pants, hat, mittens and snow shoes. Then haul 3 bales of hay out into the field of almost butt deep snow. And throw the individual flakes around so the horses don't attack each other when they eat.

That's enough exercise to take care of even the most hardened gym buff. But don't stop there! Go back in the barn and pick up the 15 gallon ice pops in the buckets. Take them outside and use the side of the hammer (thank you) and smack the ice out of the buckets. Bonus if you don't smash your fingers while you do it. It really doesn't hurt until you get inside, though, and thaw out.

If you still need more, go back in the barn and bring your poop sled with you. No, not the ones the kids will ride down the hill, but the one you bought to replace the wheelbarrow that doesn't work so well in the snow. Go into the stall with your warm mittens on and try to pick up frozen poops off the floor. No, no, silly. NOT with your mittens. With the poop fork. Ok, that doesn't work, so you put on the gloves with the little grippers on the palms so you can hold the fork handle, but now your hands are getting cold. Here's your dilemma.. hands warm, can't hold fork... hands cold, get stalls cleaned faster. Nope. No happy medium on this one. The poop balls sound like billiard balls crashing around in the sled.

After getting on and off your snowshoes four or five times - that's how many trips you have to make in and out of the barn dragging the sled to the manure pile outside - you can stop counting the calories you have burned.

By this time, my glasses are usually so fogged up so I take them off. Can't do that no more. I can't ever remember where I put them and I can't see them without finding my glasses to find them.

Wrestle around big, bulky bags of shavings. Dump them in to the stalls and spread them around a little bit.

By then my nose is as red as Rudolphs, running to beat the band, and I'm so cold that I don't think I'll even thaw by the wood stove.

But we haven't even got finished with the chores yet. That's just the morning routine. I'm headed to the barn to do night chores now. We'll talk about that tomorrow!

:)

I'm still around....

Things have been crazy lately. Crazier than usual, if that is possible. We are still in the process at work of finding me a new boss. I have been bird/cat/fish sitting for a good friend of mine. Elias is still getting meds twice a day. The wood stove still needs feeding on a regular basis. I'm coming down with some sort of cold. I worked 23 hours this week. Boo, hoo. Blah, blah, blah. Sigh.

Winter, winter everywhere. The weather is cold, which, as many of you know, only increases the amount of work you have to do in the barn each day. Frozen buckets of ice to be smashed out every night. Wading through snow to put out hay. Fingers stiff and cold under three layers of gloves/mittens on make the barn chores that much more challenging.

So, not much new news. Sigh. Winter is still here. The snow is still coming. Frozen buckets and fingers.

One thing I do love about this time of year is going in the barn after the horses have been in there for a while. It's cozy enough to take your gloves off for a little while. I sometimes go back out at night to sit and listen to the horses munch and settle in for the night. The noises they make. They sound so content and at peace. It truly is one of the main reasons why I have horses. What makes it all worthwhile. I can't imagine why anyone would take these loving, gentle creatures and treat them badly with no regard for their basic necessities. All the work, all the cold, all the struggle. For my boys. Totally worth it. Priceless.

So, remembering the last time when I said things were getting quiet and smooth, I'm not complaining. Or wondering what is going to happen next. I'm still dealing with the after effects of last time. Elias has now shed most of the hair from his leg. Being a gray horse, he's almost black on his skin. But it's doing much better. Still on antibiotics. But doing better. Almost (fingers crossed) have the vet bill paid off. Buddy's feet are doing much better. His frogs are starting to grow back wonderfully. Since he doesn't have shoes on and there is snow in the fields, he's slowly growing back what he lost.

Roger did wonderful at the versatility competion. Don't quite understand how they score them, as he didn't place than 13th in all the classes, but finished 14th overall. Out of a field of 33. Not bad for the first try. He was proud of what his horse did. Congratulations!

So, I'm off to bring Emma to her indoor soccer practice. Yep. Soccer all year round. Some day you might just see her in the Olympics! A mother can dream, can't she? Then off to feed the menagerie at my friends house and home to finish the chores I didn't get done this morning. It's cold out. Only 18 degrees at 4:30 pm

Can't wait for spring. Can't wait for a new boss so I can take my trip down south. Can't wait for warmer weather so the snow banks start to disappear.

:) Think warm.

Just A Dog (Horse)

Just a Dog (Horse)

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up, it's just a dog (horse)," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog (horse)." They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog (horse)."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog (horse)." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog (horse)," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog (horse)," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog (horse)" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog (horse)," then you will probably understand phases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise." "Just a dog (horse)" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. "Just a dog (horse)" brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of "just a dog (horse)" I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog (horse)" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog (horse)" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog (horse)" but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog (horse)." just smile, because they "just don't understand."



Authored by Richard A. Biby
(horse) added by Lynn

To Have A Horse In Your Life

To have a horse in your life is a gift. In the matter of a few short years, a horse can teach a young girl courage, if she chooses to grab mane and hang on for dear life. Even the smallest of ponies is mightier than the tallest of girls. To conquer the fear of falling off, having one's toes crushed, or being publicly humiliated at a horse show is an admirable feat for any child. For that, we can be grateful.

Horses teach us responsibility. Unlike a bicycle or a computer, a horse needs regular care and most of it requires that you get dirty and smelly and up off the couch. Choosing to leave your cozy kitchen to break the crust of ice off the water buckets is to choose responsibility. When our horses dip their noses and drink heartily; we know we've made the right choice.

Learning to care for a horse is both an art and a science. Some are easy keepers, requiring little more than regular turn-out, a flake of hay, and a trough of clean water. Others will test you - you'll struggle to keep them from being too fat or too thin. You'll have their feet shod regularly only to find shoes gone missing. Some are so accident-prone you'll swear they're intentionally finding new ways to injure themselves.

If you weren't raised with horses, you can't know that they have unique personalities. You'd expect this from dogs, but horses? Indeed, there are clever horses, grumpy horses, and even horses with a sense of humor. Those prone to humor will test you by finding new ways to escape from the barn when you least expect it.

Horses can be timid or brave, lazy or athletic, obstinate or willing. You will hit it off with some horses and others will elude you altogether. There are as many "types" of horses as there are people - which makes the whole partnership thing all the more interesting.

If you've never ridden a horse, you probably assume it's a simple thing you can learn in a weekend. You can, in fact, learn the basics on a Sunday, but to truly ride well takes a lifetime. Working with a living being is far more complex than turning a key in the ignition and putting the car or tractor in "drive."

In addition to listening to your instructor, your horse will have a few things to say to you as well. On a good day, he'll be happy to go along with the program and tolerate your mistakes; on a bad day, you'll swear he's trying to kill you. Perhaps he's naughty or perhaps he's fed up with how slowly you're learning his language.

Regardless, the horse will have an opinion. He may choose to challenge you (which can ultimately make you a better rider) or he may carefully carry you over fences - if it suits him. It all depends on the partnership - and partnership is what it's all about.

If you face your fears, swallow your pride, and are willing to work at it, you'll learn lessons in courage, commitment, and compassion in addition to basic survival skills. You'll discover just how hard you're willing to work toward a goal, how little you know, and how much you have to learn.

And, while some people think the horse "does all the work", you'll be challenged physically as well as mentally. Your horse may humble you completely. Or, you may find that sitting on his back is the closest you'll get to heaven.

You can choose to intimidate your horse, but do you really want to? The results may come more quickly, but will your work ever be as graceful as that gained through trust? The best partners choose to listen, as well as to tell. When it works, we experience a sweet sense of accomplishment brought about by smarts, hard work, and mutual understanding between horse and rider. These are the days when you know with absolute certainty that your horse is enjoying his work.

If we make it to adulthood with horses still in our lives, most of us have to squeeze riding into our over saturated schedules; balancing our need for things equine with those of our households and employers. There is never enough time to ride, or to ride as well as we'd like. Hours in the barn are stolen pleasures.

If it is in your blood to love horses, you share your life with them. Our horses know our secrets; we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes into their ears. A barn is a sanctuary in an unsettled world, a sheltered place where life's true priorities are clear: a warm place to sleep, someone who loves us, and the luxury of regular meals. Some of us need these reminders. When you step back, it's not just about horses - it's about love, life, and learning. On any given day, a friend is celebrating the birth of a foal, a blue ribbon, or recovery from an illness. That same day, there is also loss: a broken limb, a case of colic, a decision to sustain a life or end it gently. As horse people, we share the accelerated life cycle of horses: the hurried rush of life, love, loss, and death that caring for these animals brings us. When our partners pass, it is more than a moment of sorrow.

We mark our loss with words of gratitude for the ways our lives have been blessed. Our memories are of joy, awe, and wonder. Absolute union. We honor our horses for their brave hearts, courage, and willingness to give.

To those outside our circle, it must seem strange. To see us in our muddy boots, who would guess such poetry lives in our hearts? We celebrate our companions with praise worthy of heroes. Indeed, horses have the hearts of warriors and often carry us into and out of fields of battle.

Listen to stories of that once-in-a-lifetime horse; of journeys made and challenges met. The best of horses rise to the challenges we set before them, asking little in return.

Those who know them understand how fully a horse can hold a human heart. Together, we share the pain of sudden loss and the lingering taste of long-term illness. We shoulder the burden of deciding when or whether to end the life of a true companion.

In the end, we're not certain if God entrusts us to our horses--or our horses to us. Does it matter?

We're grateful God loaned us the horse in the first place.

Author Unknown


Forwarded to me by Joyce King - West Virignia horsewoman

I HATE WINTER!

Well, nothing like waking up to MORE SNOW to make you want to go back to bed for the day. Or the remainder of the winter. SIGH. I hate WINTER. I HATE Winter! I hate snow. I hate cold. I hate winter. Blech! Blech! Sigh.

SO, wading through the snow (kinda sounds like a song, doesn't it???) to the barn to feed the mush monsters. I won't let them out until the snow lets up. Even if it doesn't stop today, I will let them out for a couple of hours to run around while I clean stalls. Elias needs to stretch his leg and get some exercise. And, since he is the last one out the door in the morning, I guess that means that everyone else needs to go out, too.

Have I told you how much I hate winter?

Oh, yeah - and when I went downstairs to breast feed the wood stove in the basement, guess what I found? Or DIDN'T find? Wood. Great. Another cord of wood is in the front yard, outside the door. Under MORE snow. Oh, goody. We get to haul wood in the snow today, also. The fun never ends.

So, on go the layers and layers. Had to buy new boots because my old boots were all torn out and leaking. (Cheapo me, I went to wally-world and paid $30 for a pair of boots that will last me for about 9 months. Bought my horse a pair of boots that he wore 4 times - cost me $155.00)

Sigh. Winter is never going to end. It's going to be cold and snowy forever. Bleck. Blah. Sigh.

Some good news, however. Went to check on Ashes, and (groan) he wasn't there. Spoke with the lady I gave him to and they gave him to another family a couple of roads down. My mind is not going to good places. Then, just happened to run into her friend (my friend of a friend person) who told me they found a wonderful placement for him with a slightly disabled teen who was told that if they couldn't keep him they had to return him to the person they got him from or me. Whew. He lucked out good! He has a wonderful life and is safe and they had no problems letting me know where he was and that he was healthy and wanted and loved. I'm so glad when things work out for the best of the horse.

The snow piles are getting deeper and deeper. My toes are getting colder and colder. Did I tell you I live in an old farm house that has no insulation in the walls? We have insulated the majority of the walls upstairs, but haven't finished up there yet. Refuse to have both the upstairs and downstairs in a state of destruction/construction at the same time. So, if I turn to type at the computer, my toes get cold. I turn around to warm them at the stove in the living room, I can't type. Sigh. Boo-hoo me. Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to put my boots back on and who cares if I track through the house.

Stay warm. I've posted a pretty picture of all the snow so everyone can ooohhh and aaaahhhh over them. Mostly people who don't have to walk through the stuff.

Sigh... off to the wood stacked in the front yard.

:( Winter. Bleck! Double bleck!

Is it Spring Yet?

You know when it's cold outside when...

...your nose freezes when you walk outside.
...tears freeze on your cheeks.
...there is frost on the horses.

16 degrees F. at 1 pm. Supposively the warmest part of the day. Sigh. I don't even want to look at the calendar to see how many more days until spring. I'm sure the ground hog is going to see his shadow. That's the only news I won't be surprised by. Sigh.

The horses like running around and soaking up the weak sunlight. At least the exercise is good for Elias' leg. I need to check the AQHA site to see if Roger won. Wouldn't that be great!

So, off to work. At least interviews the last two nights have revealed some great results. Can't say anything right now, but it is promising :)

Trying to keep the stock tank water liquid. Buckets in the stalls are big popsicles. Sigh. I hate cold and winter.

Who's in the Inn

Aspey



Buddy


Lacey


Elias


Smokey


Abner (the newest addition :)