Fence Posts

Howdy Pardners‘,

This is my blog page and will be updated nearly daily, well…., my intentions were good when I started.  In addition to this page, my entire site will continue to be expanded as time allows.  Check out the “Treat Bucket” drop down menu in the right column for more postings.

Saturday, February 4, 2012:  Many moons have past since I’ve had time to sit at the computer and post something.  During this time away, I have enjoyed many rides, lessons, training and new adventures.  Although I’m only going to take a few minutes now to say “howdy”, I plan on getting back into the computer saddle and get a ton of info and stories posted soon.

Hey, if you haven’t been to Rapid to the Stock Show and Rodeo yet, tomorrow is the last day this year, so plan to attend next year if you haven’t been out there.  Temp was in the upper 50′s in January.  It was a blast!  Bring your wallet and your down home spirit.

Thursday, July 21st:  Today had it’s moments of tears as I mourned the loss of a dear friend that passed away on the 20th.  She was an accomplished equestrian that touched the lives of countless children, men and women.  She is the 5th friend in 6 years to pass away from breast cancer.  She was so full of youth and dedication, that every day seemed like the first day of the rest of her life.  I am astounded at how many women this disease brings home to heaven.  Wonderful women that I will always honor and have fond memories of on a regular basis.

In honor of her death, I needed to bond with my horses this evening and I took Blue out with Honor.  We met up with a friend and rode 5 miles and paid tribute to our horse lover friends that have taken the trail to heaven and the friends that we still share our earthly trails with.  May God keep us all in His care and provide us peace to continue until it is our time to go home.

Wednesday, July 13th:  Great summer with many equine activities.  Last Sunday the SESDHSA Show was packed.  Although it was 95 and humid, the participation was awesome and the show was fun to watch.

Trainer Sandy Hart on Bambi a Four Year Old Morgan Mare

At 5:30 I had a riding lesson on Theena with an instructor from the Twin Cities.  We are behind in our training so it was great to have a riding lesson after a 2 year absence of them.  We worked on leg yields, softening and bending and started to break in the new arena.  Thankfully, the arena is located in a well shaded area surrounded by trees so we weren’t too drenched.

Theena, Seven Years Old on June 22nd

Theena and I have been working on lateral work, bending, softening and collection for the last 3 weeks.  We have also ridden down the road at walk, trot and canter accumulating a decent amount of miles.  This year I am concentrating on her training.

On June 23rd, I rode Honor and ponnied Blue 8 miles at walk and trot.  Blue’s croup is almost as tall as Honor’s and he is only 2.  He’s going to be a fun big boy.

Blue and Honor, Down the Road We Go

Zack’s hoof is growing out nicely and he’ll be ready for a ride in a week or two.  Theeo has energy to burn and I need to get him out on a fast long ride.

Tuesday, June 14th:  Flag Day.  Do you have your flag out?  The last couple days it has been raining which has put a “damper” on my riding and training.  I don’t have an indoor arena, so I’m really at the mercy of mother nature.  Sure am enjoying the cooler weather though.

Today I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  The North Star Morgan Americana is coming up and should be an awesome event.

Zack’s hoof is doing great.  Last Thursday he received a trim that took care of most of the abscess.  I’m thankful that we didn’t have any additional lame days since the onset!  No need for shoes for this guy.  Can’t wait to hit the trails.

Sunday, June 5th:  The temp today was 91, but it was a dry 91 with wind, so the weather was good for another ride.  Theena and I worked on her softening, bending and hind end leads as well as rode 5 miles.  We walked, trotted and cantered, trotted through the water crossings and had a wonderful day!

Riding Down The Road, 6/5/2011

Blue Enjoying A Chew, June 6, 2011

Blue worked on standing tied again and enjoyed chewing his lead rope.  I wonder if he is teething.

Saturday, June 4th:  Yesterday  I rode 8 miles in the forest.  It was a great afternoon/evening.  The weather was nice, the gnats were nasty however, so bring your vanilla if you are heading out.  My student Anna, rode her pony Lucky for the first time galloping on the trails.  She had a blast and advanced in her training 10 fold.  I rode Theena 6 miles and Theeo 2 miles.  Using a closer contact saddle on Theeo made quite a bit of difference in our performance.  We were in sync and floating fast across the ground. Can’t wait for more riding on Sunday.

Theeo and Me, June 3, 2011

Friday, June 3rd:  It’s great to have time to work on my website again!  Today I updated the Horse ‘N Around page, Hoof Prints page and my Home page.  I hope I can get some new photos of me for my Home page.  Anyone want to volunteer to be my photographer?

Wednesday, June 1st:  Although it rained on me for a bit during my ride, I had an awesome evening.  Because this page is getting rather long, I have been trying to create posts and include the links here.  Tonight I wrote about my day and Training My Own Horses.  I hope you will take the time to check out my story and enjoy it.

My Handsome Morgan Honor, 6/1/2011

I updated the Horse Health page and My Herd page.

Zack developed an abscess last Fall.  It will probably be another two months before it grows out.  I hope to ride and train today and take some more photos.

Zack's Abscess, May 30, 2010

Tuesday, May 31st:  After a long working holiday, I am looking forward to riding and training this week.  Today I updated the local activities page:  Horse ‘N Around  There are many events to choose from.  Enjoy!

Thursday, May 26th:  Today I updated the story “Lucky’s Progress”.  Lucky and Anna are just about ready to be on their own.  Three more events to accomplish and they will graduate and move to a new home.

The farm where my horses are and this Spring, has yielded much better riding conditions then last year.  Although I feel like I’m a year or more behind in training and riding, the last couple of weeks I’ve been making some progress.  The week of May 1st, I rode 26 miles and trained a few horses and the pony.  Friday the 6th, I took Theeo, Theena and Zack to Newton Hills and rode all day.

Theeo and I went 6 miles at walk, trot, canter and buck.  Yes, Theeo likes to buck and we rode through it three times.  Theena and I only went a couple of miles, as I was enjoying riding Zack so much.

Zack & Me, 5/6/2011

Zack and I went 8 awesome miles.  A friend was along to help me get him started with his gaits.  With her help, Zack walked, single footed, trotted, paced and cantered.  It was a marvelous day and I could not have been more pleased!

Sunday, May 8th, our local Morgan club, RSMHA, held a trail ride.  My guest Sherry and I took Zack and Honor out for the day.  We rode roughly 4 miles with many different obstacles, changes in terrain, under a conveyor and across Split Rock Creek over culverts.  The ride was very educational and great training for Zack.  There were no incidents and it was a lovely day.

RSMHA Trial Ride 5/8/2011

Thursday, April 14th: Happy Spring!  It was for a few days any way.  This weekend the forecast is for low 20′s with rain/snow mix.  I think our season is a month or more behind the regular seasonal pattern.  Wind with gusts in the upper 30 mph range makes it not so enjoyable but keeps the mosquitos away.  Yes, mosquitos already.  Two weeks ago they were out in droves.  Three times larger then the normal size, they covered my furry friends and as we wiped them off, they left trails of blood on the fur.  Three times the size equals three times the blood and these mosquitos were full of it.  I have not seen the like and can only imagine how much worse they must be in more wet areas.

The pasture is growing along with hooves and it’s time for wormer, trims, shots, spring tune ups and fun!  Our SD Horse Fair was really nice this year.  We had around 21 breeds represented as compared to 5 breeds last year.

Irene Graves of "Reins and Lines" training Anna Harness and Driving at SD Horse Fair reinsndlines.com

I think higher fuel prices have kept the traveling professional equestrians nearer to home as when I visited with our RSMHA booth guests, many were from areas that decided not to travel to the larger metropolises to visit those horse fairs this spring.  We are glad for the support and hope for another successful fair in 2012.

Attached is a link for an article about saddle rigging and fit:  Saddle Rigging    Our horses bodies change during the seasons due to exercise, lack of, age, etc and it’s always a good practice to check your saddle fit to your horse before every ride in case there is a change in your horses shape or need for repair to your saddle or rigging.  This is great accident prevention practice.  How many of you have gone on a bucking ride because the saddle was pinching your horse?  I have three saddles for four horses.  One of my saddles has a flexible panel system which I love, but it is still too narrow for one of my horses.  Not one horse in my herd has the same shape and they change with exercise, age and the season.  I hope you find this information helpful and have a wonderful safe ride!  Got helmet?

Wednesday, March 16th: Okay, more like I’m getting a posting once a month.  Sorry for so much time in between.

Last Friday, the 11th, the snow and ice started to melt and expose some earth.  The snow geese started to pass through on their way up north.  Their dance in the air was beautiful as there were thousands of them, several groups within a 14 mile distance.  Their white bellies and wings tipped with black mirrored the landscape as the snow melted and exposed the soil below.  What a beautiful site.  Interesting too, this was the first day of the Sioux Falls Sportsmen’s Show.  What a great way to start the day and set the mood!  Needless to say, women enjoy this show too.

The trees at the farm were filled with black birds.  When I stepped out of my car, they flew into the pasture and when they landed the pasture became black, there were so many.  Loud too, I must say.  A lone magpie flew along the tree line near the gravel road.  We don’t normally have those in our area so that was a pretty interesting site.  I’d heard it calling from the trees and thought I was hearing things until I saw it fly away.

Hard to believe St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow.  As the snow melted today and the ice is nearly gone, I noticed my rhubarb is starting to peak through the mulch.  Yesterday I saw my first robin(s), two of them in my front yard.

South Dakota Horse Fair is this Friday thru Sunday.  It should be a better fair then last year.  Many more breeds being exhibited and our local Morgan club has two national award winners that will be present.  A Therapy Horse of the Year and an award winning Morgan horse breeder.

I can’t wait to get back in the saddle!  I’ve never been so tired of a winter as I am of this past one.  Raining 2″ a few weeks ago leaving that same amount of solid ice for 3 weeks. Two hundred, yes, 200 pounds of ice melt and manual labor to try to eliminate it and I gave up.  Praise to a good samaritan for coming and using a skid loader to remove the ice from my drive way!  It is on a slope on the north side.  With 2″ of ice at the top and 6″ of ice at the bottom, it was beyond my capabilities to clear.  Blessings to this unidentified person!  Thank you for your help!!

Theena, Before The Thaw

Thursday, February 17th: Time flies when shoveling snow, hauling water, feeding loose hay and work, work, work.  Yes, hauling water.  In below zero temps no less.  Thank goodness for friends!!!

Spring is springing this week and I finally have a couple of days to enjoy it.  Yea!!  The horses have spring fever too, as they are spunky and full of energy.  Yesterday I line drove Theena off the home place.  I wanted to ride her, but sensibility ruled.  She hadn’t been down the road at this place before and was curious of her new surroundings and wanting to move out, up and out (rearing, tossing head…).  Over the winter, she has grown into herself, commanding a presence and has her floating trot back.  Yea!!

“Wait”, what’s that?  It’s amazing how soon we all forget, including the horses.  Wait means “stay”, “stand”, “stop moving”, not quite the same as woah, but what ever works to remind the horse to allow me to be the leader.  To wait for my cues, pay attention to me.  A great spring “brush up” is refreshing with “wait” reminders.  This is a good article to read regarding this:  Train Your Horse To Wait

Thursday, January 6th: Happy New Year!!  2011 is sure to be a better year then 2010.  The weather is already better than it was this time last year.  It almost seems as though spring may come a month earlier because we had January temps in November.  May be wishful thinking, but  there have been two thaws in the last 30 days.  Global warming perhaps?

Horses are doing great.  Can’t wait to ride!  Been training Blue and Lucky and getting Lucky well acquainted with Anna in the saddle.  Thank you Lord for such wonderful experiences!  Today is the last day of Christmas.  Remember the 12 days?  They start on Christmas Eve and go through January 6th.  This is also known as Epiphany.  Christ is born!!

Zack & My Herd

Sunday, December 26th: One advantage to not being able to sleep is being a witness to the splendor that abounds at 3am.  Still is the morning!  No noise, no movement, just peace and awe.  Another one of God’s great gifts, BEAUTY…

3am Sunday, December 26th

Saturday, December 25th: Christ Is Born!  Glorify Him!  Thanking God for all that is great and good and knowing that His mercy endures forever!  He created the horse.  My favorite video: The Loyalty of Arabian Horses (Desert Kings) Thinking about my spirit horse Rowdy, a Polish Arabian, this video reminded me of him.   I hope you enjoy the video.  Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 19th: Snow and Christmas.  Hard to believe!  Seems like only yesterday that I rode Lucky the pony on his first solo ride down the driveway and away from the home place.  That was Friday, December 3rd.  The last day before the snow fell and stayed.

It was a great evening.  In the low 50′s, a bit windy, but beautiful.  Hunters were out shooting their shotguns, so I wore my hunter’s orange.  The evening was perfect for a maiden, solo ride full of de-spooking and establishing leadership and confidence.  The weather was changing.

A front that was bringing cold temps and snow was just a few hours away.  I could see it on the horizon.  We traveled 2.5 miles with at least one mile of trot.  What a go getter.  As we neared home, I could hear pounding hooves, and the herd came galloping over the hill to meet us with Theena in the lead.  Lucky stayed calm and we ended our ride with pride.

Working every day with Blue, I took him for a stroll around the property today and trained some in the round pen.  He’s really latched on to me, and in the pen I don’t need a lead rope to keep him with me like a shadow, even stepping over 15″ logs rather than avoiding them.  Pretty smart boy!  Reminds me of Theeo.  He’s going to keep me on my toes.

Sunday, November 28th: Okay, almost a month went by since my last entry.  My bad!  Work has taken over my life.  Seems like all I do is work, eat and sleep.  Throw in half an hour for chores, ie, sanity and that is my life recently.  Not too bad really.  Giving thanks for a good life!!!  Yes, I worked Thanksgiving, but today was a great day off.  It may be the last “great” day for a while.  Sounds like winter is going to hit hard tomorrow.  That’s okay, I had a great day with the horses.  I rode Lucky 2 miles down the road with 30+ mph winds and new sites.  He’s really fun and I can’t wait to get him into his gaits!  We’ve gaited a few times and I could get used to the ride.  Makes me want to finish training others horses and get back to my own.  Ya right……….

A month ago, I acquired a creme Morgan gelding with glass eyes.  He’s 1.5 yrs old and 14.2 hands.

Blue

Going to be fun.  He’s very intelligent, smooth moving, alert, knows where his feet are and may be gaited.  Halter training him now while I finish up Lucky for his owner.  Blue is his barn name, and he will be a Christmas present for a special girl.  I am so blessed to be able to pass on such a gift.

Zack had an abscess in his right front coronary band about a month ago and it is growing out.

Zacks Abscess After 3 Weeks Growth

Friday, October 29th: 17 days since I last wrote on my blog, wow!  Maybe you guessed it, I’ve been enjoying this glorious Fall weather with my horses!  A huge landmark last Friday, the 22nd, Honor was ready to be back in service.  Having been nearly 3 months of recovery from Equine Potomac Fever for Honor, when I took the bridle out of the trailer, Honor opened his mouth to receive it before I was even ready.  He was eager for a ride.  We ponnied the pony 5 miles at walk, trot and canter.  Honor offered the canter during the 3rd mile and I was thrilled, especially not planning on asking him to do it.

Today was his second day of service, giving him a week off.  We ponnied the pony 6 miles at walk, trot and gallop in Newton Hills State Park.  Lucky couldn’t keep up at the gallop in the switch back, but we did really well.  It is so great to have Honor back to his happy self!

After ponnying Lucky for 6 miles today, I decided that he was ready for a maiden ride on the trail.  We rode 7 miles at walk and mainly trot.  He didn’t have any trouble keeping up with the larger horses and although he spooked a few times, he was happy to go and had tireless energy up and down the wooded trails.  I feel so blessed to know when the time is right to have a safe maiden ride.  He was really fun and gained a large amount of confidence.  I’m looking forward to a couple more weeks of riding him before he graduates from my hands to Anna’s.

Along with some nice rides the last few weeks, Theeo and Zack were lame this past week.  Zack strained a tendon in his left front leg and had an abscess in the front of his coronary band on his right front leg.  He’s pretty talented on two hind feet.  Theeo twisted his right front knee a few days after Zack came up lame, so I assume that they had been playing, tearing up the pasture in the cool fall weather.  The timing was interesting, because no sooner was Honor back into service when they “decided” to come up lame.  Crazy boys……. they all were back to normal tonight.  More than likely, it will take roughly 6 months for the abscess to be eliminated from Zack’s hoof wall.  I don’t expect it to cause any more lameness now.

November 13th, Heartland Ventures is sponsoring what looks like to be a “won’t want to miss” Horse Fair.  You can find a link to their flier in my Horse ‘n Around.

Tuesday, October 12th: Tonight I updated “Lucky’s Progress”.  Now that the horses are moved, settled in and the weather superb, I have had time to RIDE!  It has been a long, wet year with very limited equine activity until now.  The last couple of weeks, I have been able to ride Zack, Theena & Theeo on two trail rides and work with Lucky.  What a blast.  I can hardly believe that it is October 12th.  If this is global warming, I like it!!

Columbus Day Ride 2010, Newton Hills State Park

Tuesday, October 5th: Although it was really windy today, it was just beautiful, especially for October.  Today I worked with Lucky and updated “Lucky’s Progress”.

It’s been one month and 4 days since Honor was diagnosed as having Equine Potomac Fever.  It’s hard to believe that he has had 34 days of recovery already.  This morning I updated his story:  Equine Potomac Fever and Honor

Saturday was a glorious evening.  It was peaceful, not so many bugs and the sky was pink and blue from the sun going down.

Happy, Healthy Horses, 10/2/2010

Theena & Honor In The Foreground, 10/2/2010

Thursday, September 30th: Wow, the last day of September.  I can hardly believe it!  The weather is just BEAUTIFUL!  Maybe our Fall weather will make up for the wet year 2010 has been.

I updated the Horse ‘N Around page today.  If you have an event that you would like posted let me know.

Shawn Flarida, Top Finisher, WEG, USA Team Reining Photo by Shawn Hamilton

Wednesday, September 29th: Really, it’s Thursday already, but I started this story on Wednesday.  My horse move is complete and they are happy in their new home.  The area I moved the horses to is lush, rolling hills, some trees, a creek, stock pond, electric waterer, shelter, paddock, yard light, electric fence, steel building with concrete floor.  What more could I ask for?  Absolutely nothing.  I am so thankful for my friends and this place that I had to finish the story no matter how long it took.  Locating old photos to post, took some time, but it’s done.  My new story is called On The Move, 9/24/2010.  The story is located in the Hoof Prints page.  Hope you enjoy.  Now I’ve got to hit the hay!

Monday, September 27th: As found in USA Today, The US Reining Team won the gold!!  Reining was the first Discipline competed in at the World Equestrian Games Saturday.  The Lexington-Herald Leader Kentucky as the official print media sponsor, has some great coverage of WEG.  Another source for TV coverage of the WEG is FEITV.  While researching other sources for WEG media coverage, I found Horsechannel.com.  They have an informative story about Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain.

Maria Alvarez Ponton Riding Nobby Photo Courtesy of Leslie Potter

She won the individual portion of the WEG Endurance Race.

Today I updated Honor’s story:  Equine Potomac Fever & Honor He isn’t progressing as well as hoped.  I hope he isn’t having residual complications from the disease.

Thursday, September 23rd: Well on our way to 3″ of rain.  Some places have had hail the size of grapefruits that smashed rear windows and windshields out.  Weather Extreme!

Talk about extreme, this weekend is the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Lincoln, NE.  The World Equestrian Games start this weekend too.  They will be broadcast on TV for those of us who can’t go but want to watch.  The broadcast schedule is located at:  EVENTING NATION.  For the first time in history, Morgan horses will be competing at WEG with Driver David Saunders.

Driver David Saunders

Team Morgan Driven By David Saunders

Information about this team can be viewed at:  Blackprong.com Let’s keep our fellow equestrians in our thoughts and prayers during these events.  God Bless America!

Today I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  On October 1 – 3, there will be a good ride that is also a benefit for breast cancer support.

Wednesday, September 22nd: I wrote a story today entitled “What Lies Beneath”.  It’s about my experiences this year with our wet weather and especially my tractor experience today.  Yes, pictures included.  Get ready for a laugh toward the end of the story.

Friday, September 17th: Today I updated Honor’s story, Equine Potomac Fever & Honor.  We received another couple inches of rain this week.  Once Potomac is present in a pasture, it has been observed to occur again in the same pasture.  I’m thankful that none of the other horses contracted it!

Yesterday was full of nature.  As I left my home, there was a White Lined Sphinx Moth caterpillar inching its way on the side walk.

White Lined Sphinx Moth Caterpillar

It was 3″ long and doomed to be stepped on, so I moved it.  Having never seen one before, I was pleasantly surprised.

On my way to chores, I saw a baby snapping turtle crossing the road.  It was about the size of a clementine.  Not having time to take a picture of it, I sped by.

On my way home after chores, there was a salamander on the road.  This is certainly the year for amphibians!  We have frogs galore in addition to salamanders and turtles.

Tuesday, September 14: Honor is on the mend.  I will update his story with new photos when he has visible weight gain.

It’s nice to be able to start putting my energy into another equine and person now, so Sunday I started teaching Anna how to line drive her pony Lucky.  I updated the story “Lucky’s Progress”.

Anna and Lucky

Considering her first time out away from the acreage line driving and Lucky’s time away for a month or more, it went really well.  We line drove a mile as the evening descended.  I miss the longer lit days.

Friday, September 10: Second post for the day.  I updated Honor’s story with current news and photos.  The rest of the herd is happy and healthy.  They received their first apples of the season this evening.

Friday, September 10th: I started this day writing about Honor and how Equine Potomac Fever had ravaged Him.  I have never seen anything deteriorate a horse as quickly as this virus consumed Honor.

Honor After 6 Days of IV Antibiotics

He is surviving and I wrote a story about this experience and disease entitled Equine Potomac Fever & Honor.  It is located under my Horse Health page and will be updated if there are any changes.  It has been an exhausting 10 days physically, emotionally and financially.  It’s really hard to know when to euthanize a loved equine companion!  I hope you find my story helpful.

Wednesday, September 1st: Almost a month since I’ve been here.  Much has happened in that months time.  Two shows, rain and more rain, searching for a new acreage, training, a bit of travel and HEAT with HUMIDITY!

The evening before our show at the fair, I was loading the trailer when this storm descended.

August Storm

I “rode” it out in the parking lot with the horses and was thankful for no hail and that the horses remained calm during the 60 mph wind.

During The Storm

It’s amazing how much nature instills upon us and we certainly could learn a lot from it if we were to pay attention.  I felt like I could touch the clouds it was so low to the ground.

Today I updated the blog and will need to start creating stories for the Hoof Prints page.  My Fence Posts page is so full of info that it’s bogging down the system.

Hope you all have a great Holiday!

Wednesday, August 4th: A team of 4 Morgan horses driven by David E.  Saunders will represent the US at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY next month.  To view a spectacular performance by David and his team click on this YouTube link:  David E. Saunders driving 4 Morgan Horses.  It is truly unbelievable!!!!!  WOW!!  Dressage isn’t just a mounted discipline.  David Drives Dressage 4 up as well.  Look at the legs of the horses, moving in complete time with each other.  I can only imagine what training, patience and talent it takes to create such a great team.

The Sioux Empire Fair is next week which means horse shows abound.  Unfortunately for the horse loving public, South Dakota seems to fall short in the celebration of the horse and their equestrians.  My question is WHY?

There are so many fairs that celebrate the horse, one would think that perhaps South Dakota organizers would figure out what makes or breaks a horse event and implement what MAKES one.  For example, across the globe in Dublin, Ireland, this week begins Failte Ireland Dublin Horse Show.  You have to check this link out.  Now this is a fair with a HORSE SHOW!!!  I just about crapped when I saw that Monty Roberts was one of their clinicians, go figure!  Credit for sharing this Dublin Horse Show information with me goes to my friend Betty.  Although we haven’t been fortunate enough to span the globe and ride together yet, I consider her a riding buddy and added her to that page.

Betty competed in a Team event on Sunday.  They had a double clear round and came in 4th.  Go Betty!!!

Betty on Prince in Ireland

Monday, August 2nd: Water, water, water.  The pastures are GREEN and floating.  I feel bad for the people that have had their homes and personal property destroyed because of flooding.  Thankfully, my home has remained dry, especially considering that I do not have a sump pump.  This morning we received another 2″ of rain.

Saturday was an early day.  Morning came when the alarm sounded at 4:30 am and I was up and out getting Honor ready for his student’s first show.  It was an extremely hot and humid day.  I knew I wasn’t managing the heat very well when I developed goose bumps and the chills three times during the day.  Sunscreen kept me from getting burned but the heat was still HOT.  Yes, I was wearing a large brimmed hat and keeping hydrated.

At the show, Honor and his partner did great!  They performed so well, that the judge didn’t notice that Honor’s equestrian was queueing him to pass the smaller horses in the ring.  They got docked for this, and after the fact, the judge told me that she “wished that I would have told her that I had told my student to pass the slower horses, before hand”.  They would have received a better score……  Hey, they did a Great job regardless!!!  Very proud!

Friday, July 30th: Five more inches of rain last night!  That makes it roughly 10″ of rain in three days.  I’m loosing count!  I may be wading down the gravel road to check on my horses.  Well, I drove through it instead.

This intersection, on the other hand, is probably going to be impassable for a couple of weeks.  I have visited with friends that can’t leave their homes because all the roads to their houses are flooded and washed out.  This is CRAZY!  I think I’ll go on a photo hunt.  At least we have not had hail and tornadoes to boot.  Vivian, SD had hail the size of footballs last week!  A world record, hail stones nearly 2 pounds each.  The hail blasted holes through roofs, windows, walls…… Can you believe??????  No one was injured, yea!

Thursday, July 29th: I have a nice, flooded arena.  Tuesday the arena was dry enough to use so I taught a riding lesson, then MORE RAIN!  Apparently the rain is going to continue to fall.  The acreage had another 3.5″ in the last 48 hours.  Water obstacles are abundant, so may as well take advantage of them.

Yesterday I taught a riding lesson and my student and I rode 4 miles crossing puddles, managing water filled ditches and dodging slithering garter snakes.

Today I taught another riding lesson in the rain.   My student rode 4 miles at Newton Hills with some friends, while I walked behind them, line driving Lucky the pony, through mud that was half way up my calves.  Since Lucky HATES mud and being last in line, this was a perfect day for his training.  After many fits of rearing, stomping, jumping, backing, spinning, and whinnying behavior, he decided that he’d manage those muddy messes at least for the remainder of this particular day.  Thank goodness he didn’t give me a mud bath…..  Soaked to the bone, that, my student and friends were, we were proud that we stuck it out.

Monday, July 26th: Tonight I’m going to start getting ready for a show, so am going to try to turn the round pen into an arena.  Hope it’s finally dry!

Saturday, July 24th: It was a gorgeous day.  Mild temps and the humidity dissipated in the afternoon.  I taught a 3 hour riding lesson and trained Zack.  The sunset cast pink on some storm clouds that were forming in the east, many miles away.   A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Thursday, July 22nd: FEI has an interesting transportation to Singapore web cast.  Notice no shipping boots……. You can check it out at:  Horsesport.org.  The last few nights I’ve been updating the RSMHA (Rushmore State Morgan Horse Assn.) web site too.  Check out the two new newsletters.  Pretty fun stuff.  Thanks to everyone for submitting their photos and stories!

Last night the pasture received 4″ of rain in an hour.  Tonight the gravel road was still flooded with water running over it at 9pm, nearly 24 hours after the rain fell.  One mile of gravel that runs east / west was washed out to the dirt the majority of the distance.  Oh to have been in it……. needless to say, the horses were waiting at the gate for me when I arrived.  Mud, water, insects, an all to familiar situation this year.  Amazing how we can go from a severe drought to severe flooding in one year.  I wonder where the rainbow is?

Today I had a great visit with a friend that is one of two Para Dressage Stewards in the United States.  She is participating as a Steward for the Para Dressage portion of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in September.  I am so excited for her and wish I could have managed to be there too!  Reality bites some times………….

Wednesday, July 21st: It is so rewarding to share the love of horses and equine sports with friends from around the world.  Today I visited with a friend from Ireland and am honored to feature her and her horse in my header.  She competes in hunter jumper, hacks many trails, fox hunts and her love for equine sports and her horse is apparent and a joy to see.These photos were taken at a cross country camp this summer in Ireland.Tuesday, July 20th: It feels like Fall.  Two days of HOT summer this past weekend and now it’s cooler, the pastures are turning brown in areas, cicadas are buzzing and it’s Fair season!  Wow!

I’ve had this blog for a year now, hard to believe.  Makes me realize what I have accomplished and what’s still in the works.  Without indoor facilities, I’m behind where I would like to have been because of the weather.  This year has been a weather extreme.  Talk about extreme, the Extreme Mustang Makeover is in our neck of the woods this September.  I highly recommend going to this event.  Craig Cameron and the EXCA Extreme Cowboy Race is being featured, so it poses to be a great time.  Check out the information on my Horse ‘N Around page.

Honor After His Bath, Already Drying Its Soooooo Hot

Zack After His Cooling Bath

Sunday, July 18th:

Theeo Posing After His Rinse Down

Hot, hot, hot.  Bugs, bugs and more bugs.  Tis the season for baths, fly spray and fly sheets if you are into that type of clothing.  I have to wonder if the fly sheet keeps the mosquitos off and if it traps the heat in.  Anyone know, please inform me.  The horses that I see wearing the sheets always have their heads hung, but they aren’t stomping.  The mosquitos have been fierce, leaving welts all over my equine companions.  Then there is the “horse fly” or that is what some of us are guessing they are.  It is a huge, 2″ long, black, flying insect that sucks the horses blood and is hard to kill.  It is several time larger than a deer fly.  Today I smashed one and stomped on it and it still flew away.  The next time I saw one, I made sure it was dead, ground up in the gravel.  This flying insect is new to my neck of the woods and leaves a terrible welt on the horse.

I’ve been trying to get a group shot and to no avail, this is the best one so far:Tonight I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  It’s really hard to believe that it is nearly fair season.

Friday, June 11th: My days are turning into weeks which are turning into months.  This past week I was at the FCC Willow Creek Rodeo Bible Camp in Sioux Falls.  This event is a fun filled, christian worship, young horse enthusiast, three nights and four days educational experience.  Horse owners and non horse owners can be involved, sharing their horses or their talents with children that want to spend time with horses in a christian environment.

Children learn to care for, tack up and ride horses.  They learn christian fellowship, horsemanship, patterns, roping and bull riding.  For anyone interested in attending next years event, contact Pam at:  605-941-5674, Willow Creek, PO Box 475, Harrisburg, SD 57032.

If your horses are experiencing skin problems, check out my Horse Health page.  Tonight I wrote a segment about a treatment that has worked on my horses to cure “scratches”.  I also included two links to a couple of articles that I found helpful.  Photos will be posted later.

Tuesday, May 18th: YEA!  Wonderful weather, FINALLY!!!  This entire weeks forecast is probably as perfect as it gets in South Dakota.  Mid to upper 70′s, not much wind and DRY!

Sunday, Monday and today, I took advantage of the splendid weather and taught riding lessons and trained Lucky.  This morning the vet came out and administered shots, floated teeth and gave Honor and Theeo a chiropractic adjustment.  A health segement and photos of todays events will be produced soon.

All in a GREAT days “work”…….  when work feels like play, then you know it was a great day and one must be in their element!  THANK YOU Lord for the super memories!!

A perfect end to Tuesday evening!

Thursday, May 13th: Rain, Rain go away!  Tuesday I opened up the “high ground” pasture” as the other two pastures were under water and a muddy mess.  Squish, squish, squish was the sound I made as I walked the fence line before I opened it up and couldn’t believe that there was water standing in some places even in this pasture.  The pasture is like a sponge and is water logged!

Even so, the horses were thrilled to be out of the mud and in an area where they could run and play without taking a mud bath.  You can see from the picture of Theeo today, that mud still abounds but so does the play.

Tonight I wrote a story “Robin Saved From Netting” and posted it along with the other stories in the Hoof Prints page.

Wednesday, May 4th: Okay, a month has passed since I last posted any information.  I have much to post as there has been plenty of activity in my life.  Here’s a link to a new story I just wrote called “Wet Spring On Fire”.  Seems like I could write a dozen more.  Where to find the time?

A couple of weeks ago I spent some time with a friend and enjoyed the outdoors.  The ticks are out!  It was a beautiful spring day and I was able to enjoy hiking and exploring without any thought of WORK!  I even had my first sighting of a leather back turtle.  It was roughly the size of a large round serving tray.

The horses look the best that they have looked in the past three years!  I am very happy because they are happy.  When horses are allowed to be horses with a balance of work and play, forage and rest, what a pay off!  God is GREAT and GOOD and I am so thankful that He is the Master Gardner.

Easter Sunday, April 4th: CHRIST IS RISEN!!!  It’s a pleasant spring day in Sioux Falls, SD.  Current temp is 58 F with a breeze of 10 to 14.  The sun is trying to burn off the hazy sky but with a chance of rain forecast for tonight it may continue to be a hazy lazy day.

Content

More HORSE ‘N AROUND next weekend.  I updated that page to include the link to the Quarter Horse Show that will be here.

Saturday, March 20th: Yea!  It’s Spring!!  Today is the first day of Spring and the first full day of the SD Horse Fair.  It was a great day, as it was sunny and the temps were in the lower 40′s.

I finally published my winter story in the Hoof Prints menu.  It’s called January Thaw 2010.  It sure is a bummer when the auto save isn’t working right and I have to start half over.  The computer and cyber space, a love / hate relationship.  Happy Spring!!

Sunday, March 14th: Okay, so time flys when I’m busy….  I updated the Horse ‘N Around page and finally posted some stories in the Hoof Prints menu that I had written some time ago.  They are also in the “Treat Bucket” listing, but I don’t think they were very accessible there depending upon the type of browser being used.  Let me know if you enjoy my stories.

Spring Pasture

Anyone want to go fishing?  We don’t need a boat or to travel very far.  One of my friends told me today that the Sioux River left roughly a 5 pound walleye in her pasture last night.  Bless her heart for getting it back into the river which had receded 4′ after it deposited the fish.  Don’t worry, it wasn’t dead and it swam away.  She said that she would have had it mounted if she would have been “into” fish.  I would have eaten it!

These pictures were taken in our lower pasture known as the “dry lot”.

Melting Snow

"Dry Ground" Lucky & Honor

Thursday, February 18th: Do you ever wish that time would slow down?  Apparently scientists have proof that as we get older, time is in fact going faster.  It used to be thought that the earth and our universe was going to get sucked into a black hole.  A few years ago though, it was discovered that the earth and universe were speeding away from something instead.  Like being shot out of a cannon and the farther away we are from the “center” the faster the earth and time moves.  Interesting that we are gaining inertia the farther away we go…… antigravity perhaps?

Enough science, tonight I finally finished the RSMHA newsletter, updated the Hoof Prints page, Morgan Horses For Sale post and RSMHA web site.  With two sunny days in a row and very little wind, the snow started to thaw and with it brought spring fever.  The forecast for Monday looks like riding weather even.  Another sign that spring isn’t too far away is that the horses are starting to shed.

I have to admit that I’m a bit leery of the spring thaw, as I’ll probably be able to go fishing in the pasture considering the amount of rain we had in October and the amount of snow we’ve had this winter.  Granted, if I could ride my horses to the Missouri River, hop in a boat and go fishing, I would feel like I was in heaven.  A pasture turning into a pond is a whole different matter.  Where’s Noah’s ark?

Honors Beautiful Lashes

Wednesday, February 3rd: In January, I was nominated and elected as the Secretary/Treasurer for RSMHA.  This title is in addition to me being the Editor for the RSMHA Newsletter and the AMHA Liaison.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t do anything half way.  So, even though I am recovering from bronchitis, tonight I developed a web site for the Rushmore State Morgan Horse Association.  Either I’m crazy or I’m feeling better.  It’s probably both.

Saturday, January 3oth: This month has been a busy one.  Snow, wind, below zero temps, then a nice January thaw.  After the thaw, more snow, wind and below zero temps.  The weather made for some spectacular photos, of which I felt like I couldn’t take enough of to get the full effect of nature’s beauty.  Throw in a mountain range, and I would have thought that I was in Switzerland this month.  Because of the beautiful images the thaw caused, I’ve been working on a winter post.  I hope to have that completed soon.

Tonight I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  There are several events this spring, one happening as I write this, in Rapid City, SD.  It’s amazing to think that the FEI World Equestrian Games are going to be held in the US this year!! Another once in a lifetime event to go visit and put on my “TO DO” list.  I posted the link in my Horse ‘N Around page.

Zack and Theeo

The horses are faring well.  No shivering, fighting or injuries this winter.  It has been a great blessing to be “in control” of the lodging conditions that my horses experience.  What a peaceful experience 2009 has been and I look forward to the same in 2010.

Thursday, January 7th: I can’t believe that nearly two weeks have past since Christmas!  I was hoping that there would be more time for rest and relaxation during the holidays, but it was as busy as ever.  Today was by far the toughest chore day, with extreme cold, wind and drifting.

1st Blizzard In January, 2010

Tonight I updated a sales list under Greener Pastures located in the Treat Bucket.  It’s called Gaited Horses For Sale.

During the Christmas holiday, we received enough snow that it kept myself, Barry and Kerry busy moving snow for several days.  There was some fun during this time with the horses and Lucky gave Anna three bareback riding lessons.  The first one was on Monday, December 28th and I wrote a story about it in the post called Lucky’s Progress located in the Treat Bucket drop down menu Penny For Your Thought.

Yesterday brought more snow and with wind gusts of 45 mph and bitter temps in the negative digits, it’s been a challenge to keep up with snow removal.  Today, the heated electric waterer was frozen over and I expect the same for tomorrow.  It’s a comfort to know that the horses are smart enough to use their hoof to break the ice.  I just hope the dispenser doesn’t start to leak or shatter in the bitter cold.  This winter has truly been more of a challenge then in the past several years.

Tuesday was the calm before the storm.  Even though it was only 6 degrees and falling, the evening was majestic.  It was completely still, spellbinding and quiet like one would expect in the wilderness.

I stood in amazement as the horses fed and the sun was setting, feeling completely at peace and contented in the evening descension.  What a warming memory.

Friday, December 25th, Christmas: It’s winter wonderland in South Dakota and much of the Midwest.  The trees are heavy laden with snow and there are drifts 7′ high is some places.  There’s 100% chance of 3″ of more snow arriving tonight and another 3″ forecast by Sunday.  It sure looks like Christmas here!

Come rain or shine, sleet or snow, the horses always get fed and I get my equine fix for the day.

Christmas Day With The Horses.

With help from Barry, Kerry and Anna, the driveway and parking lot was cleared and another round bale put out.  I find it rewarding to have help from friends and to be able to spend time with the horses, even on a snowing, blowing winter day.

While we were out doing chores, my mother was fixing our Christmas dinner and dad was digging out his car.  It was sure nice to come in from being out in the elements and smell the meal that was being prepared.

Part of Christmas Dinner, YUM!

After dinner, Barry, dad and I cleared the snow around the house and in the approach.  It was a still, mild night with a little moisture in the air.  Very pleasant.

For the final deed of the day, I created my Christmas card and emailed it out.  To see it, you can click on this link or find it under Treat Bucket in the “Horses” drop down Holiday Horse Cards.  Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21st: Tonight I posted a story “Lucky’s Progress” under Treat Bucket in the drop down “Penny For Your Thought”.  The link is inserted above for easy access.

Yesterday I had the afternoon available to work with the horses and the weather was pretty cooperative, especially for this time of year.  Zack has had  a month off, so I line drove him 5 miles while Barry line drove Lucky.

Being 3 years old, he is starting to think for himself and is challenging members of the herd.  Me being one of the herd, he challenged my requests to move past some cattle and tried to go home.  Because I wasn’t going to let him have his way, he reared, stomped and pawed.  The classic temper tantrum.  Not intimidated, I continued requesting that he walk on and with the feeling of defeat he proceeded forward with a prompt kick out with both hind feet, better known as the “finger”.  This is a reason why driving lines are 30 plus feet long.

With Zack’s temper tantrum out of the way, we continued down the road.  A couple of miles into the lesson, I needed to adjust the saddle blanket.  I was really pleased that Zack stood patiently in place while I took off the gear and saddle and adjusted the saddle blanket and then put everything back on.

We trotted, walked, stopped and stood and repeated this several times on our route.  When we were about 1/4 mile away from home, Zack was his quiet responsive self.  Standing and watching as some young steers came bounding toward us, he seemed almost disinterested.  In earshot of Theena and Theeo’s calls, he made no attempt to hurry home.  It’s days like these that make me proud and appreciate my horses.

Wednesday, December 16th: Looking forward to 2010 and spring, I updated the Horse ‘N Around page of events.  There will be much more to come.  Have fun planning your schedule.

Monday, December 14th: With work and winter demanding snow removal and more layers of clothes, I’ve neglected my blog and haven’t been riding.  Tonight I finished my story about the Anne Kursinski clinic.  It is located in the Treat Bucket under Penny For Your Thought and called Auditing Anne Kursinski.  I’ve provided the link for quicker access.  If she conducts another clinic in the area, you can count on seeing me there!  She was fantastic!!

My next story will be about Lucky’s progress.  I hope to post his update later this week.  In the mean time, the horses are happy and look the best that they have in three years!  God has been GREAT!  Keep warm!

Wednesday, November 25th: With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I decided to post some holiday cards that I have created.  They are located under Treat Bucket in the drop down menu “Horses” and the post is called Holiday Horse Cards.

Sunday, November 22nd: WOW!!  The BEST clinic I have ever attended!!!  Even though I really enjoy Clinton Anderson and Stacey Westfall, as great as they are and fun to watch, Anne Kursinski has much to share!!  With a story in progress, including photos from this weekends clinic, I’ll share this YouTube video with you as a headliner.  Can’t wait to work with my horses today, or rather, play with them!!  The Anne Kursinski Story later.

Tuesday, November 17th: Are younger horses more lazy, or just too smart for their age in this confined world?  I’ve noticed that the 2 and 3 year old horses and pony, would prefer to go through the fence to get to their herd mates, rather than going “up and around” through an entrance.  They choose not to go through the fence, perhaps because they can smell or hear the electricity, but I yell their names in a warning tone of voice, just in case.  I yell like a mother would when protecting her child.  Lucky took a few runs at the fence tonight, obviously contemplating going through or jumping over.  Stopping just shy of it at my warning, Lucky seemed to be pausing as if to think.  Of course, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but…, and that is exactly what the youngsters seem to know.  No mishaps today.

Monday, November 16th: Tonight I found Lucky’s bucking buttons.  While training, I always train on the ground first, if for the very reason of preventing getting bucked off.  I believe that if an equine isn’t safe “on the ground”, they aren’t going to be safe when they are being ridden.  The majority of horse people that I have met, have never line driven or driven their equine companion.  Driving, especially a young equine, is a building block in my training program.  The equine may not ever show in driving, but at least, in their growing years, it is a great discipline that can really desensitize them.  An example would be, if you can’t stop or steer on the ground, why would it be any easier to stop or steer from above?

Call me safe rather than wanting to be sorry, but I believe that safety is ALWAYS first.  Even though Lucky is only 12.1 hands, I don’t want to end up on the ground, having him “run through the bit” or create some other potential problem.  It’s easier to train “right” the first time, than to try to correct a mistake from a learned bad reaction.

From the ground, some aids that are used are voice commands, hands and body language.  It is very rewarding, when a horse or pony responds correctly to my vocal cues.  Tonight, Lucky learned that bucking wasn’t going to result in a rest, yet he learned how to reverse or “double” at a trot in both directions and keep trotting when requested, then walk, stop and stand as requested.  I love replacing a bucking game with a training game.  Good job Lucky.

I finished the RSMHA newsletter and added it to the Hoof Prints page and also added a 2009 show to the Horse ‘N Around page.

Thursday, November 12th: This week went by quickly.  When the weather is good, I spend every evening working with the horses and this was one of those weeks.

Lucky found an escape route out of the pasture Sunday and Monday.  Because he was determined to be out, Monday I adjusted the fence in several areas.  Tuesday when I did chores, Lucky was still in the pasture, so I assume that I found the escape route and hope he is content to remain inside the pasture now.  Monday I also repaired the shelter that took a hit from a hoof or two, no injuries and very minor damage.

Last night I had a feeling that the fencer wasn’t working.  Glad my instincts were intact, because when I checked it, the ground was shorting out the fencer.  After dinner, Barry and I took my portable fencer out to use as a tester and it shorted out too.  Getting close to midnight, we called it a day, figuring that the horses would be fine.  With no escapes during the night, thanks go to Kerry for fixing the ground today.

Tonight I wrote a short story called A Girl & Her Pony.  Those of you that know me, know that I could “talk” for hours, so I tried to keep it short and sweet.  If you want to know more, I’m glad to oblige.

Saturday, November 7th: After all the rain, God surprised us with a beautiful Indian Summer day turning into weekend.  Yesterday I took the afternoon with some friends and rode 11 miles at a favorite haunt.

Always Wondered What Goes On Behind Me

It was a perfect day even though the Asian Beetles were out and other insects that I had hoped were dormant arose to enjoy the warmth once more.

With hunting season in full swing, some of our group wore orange and this proved to be a great visual, especially going into the evening hours.  My camera flash lit up my riding buddy’s reflecting tape really well.

Zack had his 4th ride and Theeo was fun and on the go.  With nearly 7 weeks off, our ride went without a hitch.

Wednesday, November 4th: There has been some interest in the saddle fitting information that I posted Monday.  It is located under the Treat Bucket menu Penny For Your Thought and the article is called Horseformation.  Lots of good info and fun website links posted there.

Do you want to register to win a $2800 new dressage saddle?  Click on this link:  http://www.equestriancollections.com/storeitems.asp?

This evening was Lucky’s first maiden line driving experience on the gravel roads.  Being the typical windy fall evening, he found spooks in his shadow, the rustling of the grass, curious cattle, mail boxes, big rocks and rustling flags.  We went 3 miles at a walk and trot and he gained confidence with every new event so he held it together for the most part.    After the driving, I took advantage of him and sat on him bareback.  Lucky was not too interested in moving off so we ended the day on a good note and a tasty apple.

I worked with Theena strengthening her hind end leads.  Much better today.  The chiropractic care has loosened her up a lot and she is floating in her trot again.  Yea!

Monday, November 2nd: After 4 weeks of nearly non stop rain and a second snow fall,

the sun started shining Saturday!!  What a blessed site!  Along with the sun came warmer temps and the normal South Dakota breeze.  All welcome conditions, as this will help dry things out and allow me some play time outdoors.

In between showers, the vet I use, came and provided the fall care of shots, floating, sheath cleaning and chiropractic.  What wonderful service and time saving veterinary care to be able to have a full service traveling vet!

Lucky’s First FLoat

After the vet was done, the sun came out and taking advantage of the nicer weather, Theena takes an afternoon nap while Honor watches over her.  Seen in the background, Theeo’s more interested in eating.  Notice the green pasture.  It’s November and it seems like spring.

It’s hard to believe that Halloween is over and another holiday is just around the corner!  Saturday, my boyfriend and I started winterizing and removed some temporary fencing.  The evenings have been still and quiet with beautiful sunsets now that the rain has quit.  I’ve been able to teach a couple of lessons and train.  This week is looking like a decent dry week to get some much needed riding in.  Happy trails are here again!!

Sunset Corn

Wednesday, October 21st: Another rainy day today, makes for a good opportunity to go through past photos that remind me of nicer days gone by.  A friend of mine must have had the same idea, because she posted photos from the last several months on her FaceBook page and this one of me on Theeo brought back great memories.  This particular day warrants a story on Treat Bucket, so I’ll have to compose it on another rainy day.

Theeo, Me & Cookie

Thankfully, yesterday was dry while the farrier was out and I’m hoping for a dry day tomorrow.  Got to get back in the saddle!!!!  If tomorrow goes as planned, there will be a 4 mile horse training, riding, and riding lesson.  CAN’T WAIT!!!  

Because of my riding buddy, I finally have an image that I think is good enough to use as my gravatar.  Thank you Jill!!

Monday, October 19th: Two snow falls which have melted and with roughly 3 weeks of nearly non stop rain, the pastures are green and the dry lot is a muddy mess!  Not complaining though, as usually the pastures are depleted by now, yet because of the wet fall, there is still a decent amount of growth in the rotation pastures.  Pasture management has been very beneficial!

Because of the rain and working when it’s been “dry”, training has been sparse.  With the cooler than normal temps and damp weather, I’ve been able to do limited ground work and tonight between the end of my work day and sunset I was able to train Theena, Theeo, Zack and Lucky.  I sure hope the weather pattern changes and remains dry for tomorrow, although the forecast is predicting more rain.

Tuesday afternoon the farrier will be out to trim.  Barefoot has really worked out well for the herd this year.  Consistent conditioning and frequent trimming seem to be keys to success.  Sure love not having to need shoes.

Fall tune up on Friday with shots, chiropractic care, teeth, etc.  This is that twice a year expensive week!  The vet I use makes “farm” calls.  Sure is great not to need to haul the horses for such great care!

Hope you all are staying dry and well!

Another Rainy Night

Monday, October 12th: Wow, what an opportunity, 5 time Olympian Jumper, Anne Kursinski, will be conducting a clinic in Elkhorn, Nebraska this November!!!  I added the clinic information in the Horse ‘N Around page.  Sure hope I can go!!!  Along with this information, I added the ARHA Convention information for 2010.

Sunday, October 11th: Snowing right now with a possibility of up to 4″ by Monday afternoon.  Was able to get the yard winterized today before the snow started to fall, but it is really strange, as I stated previously, the foliage is still green.  I hope the ground stays warm for awhile, as I don’t feel like shoveling just yet.

The herd seems ready for winter, as their coats are in full growth and each has a decent layer of insulation on their ribs.  With food, shelter and healthy horses, I couldn’t ask for anything more.  Well…with horses, there’s always use for more $$$.  

Saturday, October 10th: Last night Mr. Winter visited for the first time this fall.  We might not be able to call it fall much longer.  He dropped about an inch of snow and it was a gang busters blizzard for a couple of hours.  The blizzard was rather strange, as the trees and lawns are green and it seemed more like a spring storm.

First Snow 10/09/09

Apparently, the horses must have felt like it was spring too and had a party, as they took out six posts and 64′ of wire.  Insulators were broken, posts torn out of the ground and some bent…Thankfully none of the herd was injured and that the two fence lines were just dividing two separate pastures, so no one escaped.  The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence….Thank goodness for my “honey”, as he helped me repair the damage.  Mr. Winter was replaced with Mother Nature, as the day was calm and cold, not windy and freezing, which made for more pleasant repair conditions.  Most of the snow has melted and I’m counting my blessings!

Thursday, October 8th: This evening I integrated “pony”, now named Lucky, into the herd.  He buddied up with another gelding right away and after only a few screeches from a couple of the mares, it was business as usual.  A student of mine purchased Lucky after a few trial sessions and he will continue training under my instruction for a while.  His new owner is THRILLED and it is a blessing to be able to be part of this experience.  Lucky should be a nice pony companion for this “lucky” girl.

Mr. Winter may be making his presence known Friday night.  Yuck!!!  Because of the weather, I haven’t had much horse fun other than chores, some trainig and the RSMHA meeting.  Looking forward to a free clinic that is this Saturday and hopefully riding soon!!!  Check out the Horse ‘N Around page for updates and the free clinic information.  2010 is just a few months away, did I say a few months away, wow!!  If you have any 2010 info you would like published, please let me know.  How about any Halloween Horse Costume contests????  I’ll check into the Halloween stuff and let you know.  Stay warm and dry!

Thursday, October 1st: Tonight I posted a group shot of my herd.  It’s taken awhile to get us all together and it’s not perfect, but it’s a start.  You can check it out in the My Herd page.

This past Tuesday was a BEAUTIFUL fall day!  A few of us took the day off and rode at Newton Hills State Park.  It was the perfect decision, as the rest of the week has been cold and rainy with snow in the forecast for some of the state.  Yuck!

Having found an owner for “the pony”, now named Lucky, I have been training him and took him out for a 6 mile tether on the trails.  We walked, trotted and cantered, meeting deer, turkey, squirrels and rabbits.  Honor, always a reliable training horse, was true to his form.  Calm, collected and confident.

Prior to ponying the pony, Honor gave a student a riding lesson traveling roughly 8 miles of trail.  His student was thrilled with her first trail experience.

Zack’s Ear, Honor with his Student and my Riding Buddy

During the 8 mile ride, I rode Zack.  This was his third ride and he continued to make me proud.  If you are considering purchasing a Morgan horse, I recommend the Morgans that are bred at Red Rose Farm.  Check out the post, Morgan Horses For Sale, for more information and photos.

Thanks for continuing to visit my blog.  Your comments are always welcome.

Thursday, September 24th: Mother nature came with a fall festival of rain and cooler temps.  Along with her came a visit from some family members to my home.  While entertaining guests, experiencing inclement weather and working, I didn’t have much opportunity for equine activities, hence the week of absence.

Tonight I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  Looks like APHA had a really nice ride at Ft. Robinson a week ago.  The AHA and AMHA also hold trail rides at Ft. Robinson.

Weather permitting, I’m hoping to have a weekend full of horse activities.  While one of my friends is competing in Sport Horse Nationals in KY, this week, I know others of you will be competing in Huron, SD at the Pheasant Open Show.  I wish luck to all of you!!!

Thursday, September 17th: This has been a GREAT horse week!  Mother Nature has blessed us with wonderful weather every day and night!  Warm and sunny during the day and clear, cool and calm during the night.  Fall is starting out on the right foot.

Tonight I rode Theena 6 miles.  She was frisky, assuming it’s from the fall weather and the fact that she has been on a wonderful pasture all summer.  She is the most fit and plump that she has ever been.  Seems to be her filling out year and some upward growth too.  All of the horses look the best that they have in in more than a year.

Honor has been retired most of the summer in order to get his ideal body condition back and he looks like he did 2 to 3 years ago now.  I am so pleased to have my horses in such great shape before the winter months hit.

Tuesday I rode Zack and Theeo 6 miles each at Newton Hills.  It was Zack’s second ride and he was a very willing and happy horse.  There were many large deep watery mud crossings that both horses navigated with confidence.

Theeo 09/16/09

Zack 09/16/09

There is a trail ride Sunday near Yankton that I posted on Horse ‘N Around.

Monday, September 14th: Yesterday was the horse day of the weekend.  Check out my story called Jinx in the Treat Bucket drop down, Penny For Your Thought.  It was Zack’s first trail ride and a very interesting day, so the story was deserving of it’s own post.

Saturday I used Honor to pony the pony 1.5 miles and completed my daily chores.

A busy weekend, Friday was a rainy day, so during the dry time, my boyfriend and I trimmed trees.

My Front Yard

Even though the sun is shining in this photo, there were cloud bursts off and on.  With help from a friend’s husband and the use of his trailer, it took 1.5 days to get the job done.  We ended up with some decent fire wood for next years camp outs. Thursday, September 10th: Tonight Zack had his first maiden line driving voyage.  We went 5 miles at walk, trot, and a little canter.  He was super and I’m ready to ride him on the trail.  Luckily his canter was really slow, as I’m not a runner and would have had some difficulty keeping up.  With all of the exercise that I’m getting, I feel like I should be in better shape!  We went up, down and in the the ditches, traveled on the road, met cattle, automobiles, doves and a neighbor and he even stood still while being surprised by an attack dog, he was perfect.  Thank goodness the dog was afraid of my whip.  You never know what could appear on an outing.

Wednesday, September 9th: This morning I needed to research horse manure collection.  It was rather interesting to see what comedy is involved in this serious endeavor.  For a good laugh, check out my Horse Diapers post under “Penny For Your Thought” in the Treat Bucket drop down menu.

After a rather tough day of work, I needed a relaxing ride.

Pretty At Peace

Tonight, I rode Theena on her first maiden ride in the country.  We traveled 6 miles, trotting roughly 4 of them.  It was a beautiful evening and she traveled well with a couple spooks in the first quarter mile.  After that, she was confident and we took in new scenery and waved at many passerbys.  God is glorious!!!  Every moment with my horses is another gift from God!!  What a great ending to my day!!

Tuesday, September 8th: We’ve had such great weather, so tonight I ponnied the pony after some ground work.  A pretty quick evening, as the daylight hours are getting shorter.  More tomorrow.

Monday, Labor Day, September 7th: It was a great horse holiday.  I worked until the whistle sounded at 6 bells on Friday and then completed my daily chores.  Saturday I taught a riding lesson on Honor and line drove Zack 4 miles, while Barry rode Theena with us.  It was Theena’s first riding experience with someone other than myself and it went very well.  Sunday I rode Honor and Barry rode Theena 2.5 miles.  We conquered a water obstacle and I ponnied a new pony 1.5 miles.

What a cute guy, a 2 year old Haflinger/Hackney cross.  I think he’d make a great pony for riding lessons or pony companion for some special youngster.  (Click on the highlighted words to be directed to the link.)

Theeo Running To Meet Pony

Today I started working with the pony on the ground.  He caught on quickly, was very willing and was pretty confident through it all.  I also had a riding lesson on Honor, “bareback dressage”, and am sure to feel it Tuesday.  No fishing this weekend, but played a round of golf after my equestrian morning.

I added a clinic to the Horse ‘N Around page that is scheduled for October.

Big And Small

Wednesday, September 2nd: Fall is in the air today.  With a forecast of rain, I expect my activities to be mainly indoors.

As mother nature would have it, it didn’t rain today, so Theena had her first bareback ride.  A friend of mine can ride bareback and jump 2′ high jumps.  In admiration of her ability, a goal of mine is to be able to do the same.  If I can accomplish this, I think I’ll feel as though I am a good, balanced rider.

Today I added a dressage show and an organized trail ride being held in October, to the Horse ‘N Around page.

Monday, August 31st: Can you believe tomorrow is September already?  School has started, the days are getting shorter and cooler and like usual, I don’t want to think about winter, but it is on my mind.

We had great weather this weekend and I spent Saturday moving my boyfriends daughter to college.  She is a Freshman and I was very excited for her as I remembered my college experience.  After moving her, Barry and I decided to take a quick trip to the ever beautiful Missouri River.  It was very peaceful Saturday night, because the vacation season is coming to a close for the warmer weather tourists.  Sunday boded as a beautiful day and I didn’t want to leave.  If my horses and I lived by the Missouri River, I would be living in heaven!!

Tonight I updated the Horse ‘N Around page and added the Turner County Fair link for 2010 to the post listed under the Treat Bucket heading, Penny For Your Thought, “More Four Leggeds”.  Now that was a long sentence!

Wednesday, August 26th: Tonight I posted “More Four Leggeds”  in the Treat Bucket drop down under “Penny For Your Thought”.  The goats were so cute and fun to watch…

Today was a perfect day for a ride, so Jill and I rode 12 miles.  Theeo conquered his first water crossing and did the distance at a relaxed 2.5 hours.  The ducks were in the cat tails that were along the roads we traveled, so spooks were in abundance, which was great for confidence building.

We took about a 10 minute break to take pictures and enjoy our surroundings.

Tuesday, August 25th: Got to love it when a horse has such a willing attitude and happy disposition!!!  Today was Zack’s first bareback ride.

Zack’s First Bareback Ride

I introduced him to leg pressure

First Use of Leg Pressure

to move forward, side pass and move his hind end.  Zack did GREAT!!  Two days in a row, wow!  Oh the JOY of horses!!!

Monday, August 24th: After taking the weekend off to camp and fish, today was a great “ground” day with my horses.  Honor and I taught a lesson tonight and gave his student her first canter and low jumping experience and the student had a blast.  After their lesson, I worked with Zack, line driving him for the first time, 4 miles at walk and trot down the gravel roads.  He was great, latching on to the bit and picking up the cues quickly.  We should be driving and riding in no time.  Not being a runner, I received a work out jogging to keep up with his trot, so we all had a GREAT evening.

There is a free clinic this Saturday in Brookings.  I posted the link and some information about the clinic on my Horse ‘N Around page.

Thursday, August 20th: Have you ever been to the Turner County Fair in Parker, SD?  Camels in South Dakota?  Yes, in fact there are and were, at the Turner County Fair!  Having visited the fair this evening, I will be posting a story and photos under the Treat Bucket heading in the drop down menu.  The story will be entitled, “More Four Leggeds”.  I highly recommend this fair for a “down home” community experience.  In this time of political upheaval, this was a great recess!!!  Enjoy!

Remember God’s gift to Noah?  After the fair, we were blessed with a beautiful rainbow.

Zack

I added the Hope Have Trail Ride and link in the Horse ‘N Around page.  A photo toward the bottom of this page wasn’t loading properly, so I “fixed” that too.  Hope you enjoy my site!

Wednesday, August 19th: Last night I finished the Rushmore State Morgan Horse Assn. newsletter.  This organization is in South Dakota and I am the Editor and Publisher of their newsletter.  Today, I posted the RSMHA Newsletter under Hoof Prints.  If you have some Morgan news that you would like to add, you can leave your comment and information on this page.

Monday, August 17th: Isn’t it amazing how every day is a glorious day when spent with horses?  My time with my horses is always GREAT and I am always amazed at the intelligence, personality and love these animals have to give!  No exaggerations here!

Today I rode Honor nearly 12 miles while ponying Zack.  We rode the ditches, roads, went through water crossings, trotted, rode with friends, what more could I want!  It was Zack’s first ponying experience this summer and I can say that we will be riding the trails soon.

Honor & Zack Before The Ride

5 Miles Into Ride

Sunday, August 16th: Wow, where does the time go?  It’s been over a week since I last visited my blog!!!  Crazy Days!!!

Summer was here in full force while I was on hiatus.  No riding, as I was too busy and it was extremely humid and in the 90′s.  We, my boyfriend and I, did go fishing, swimming and camping however, and had a blast.  I will be posting pictures and more recipes under the Treat Bucket heading soon.

This past week was the Sioux Empire Fair Horse Show.  I was busy with photographing the Morgan Show on Thursday and collecting the stats.  I will be posting this information and photos under Hoof Prints soon.

Tonight I updated the Horse ‘N Around page.  There are TONS of horsey events this fall and I am looking forward to enjoying a few.  Check out Horse ‘N Around for a listing of South Dakota’s Horse events.

Friday, August 7th: Yesterday was a rain day, so I updated and edited my blog.  Today I  added the Handi-Riders trail ride dates and link under Horse ‘N Around.  This is probably going to be a fishing/camping weekend, so hopefully I’ll have more photos and food info to post under “Treat Bucket” in the drop down, “Eat Like a Horse” Sunday night.

Wednesday, August 5th: I updated “My Herd” page and added some trail rides and a “Play Day” to the Horse ‘N Around page.  The “Play Day” in Beresford sounds like fun!  Anyone with info that they would like me to post, can let me know by entering comments on the bottom of this page.  For more trail rides, check out the SD Trail Rides.com link under Trail Balzers in the right hand column.

This afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple and their Spanish Arabians.  The mare RV Empress reminded me of what Xenophon’s description of what to look for in a young horse (war mount) was.  Very powerful, classic looking horses.  These horses are for sale and I have placed there information and photos in the drop down menu “Greener Pastures” located in “Treat Bucket” which is in the right hand column.

Tuesday, August 4th: Yesterday was a chores day and I edited a few of my pages.  Today, I added a page called “Horse Health”.  My mare contracted a sarcoid, so I started that page with information about them along with some photos.  Even though it is common thought that Grey’s are more prone to sarcoids, I have also seen them in chestnuts and they are not breed specific.  I hope you find this information helpful.

Sunday, August 2nd: Deciding that I didn’t like the most recent postings to be at the bottom of this page, starting today, they will be posted at the top. This may seem weird, as when you read through this page and reach “Day 1″, that is the first day of this blog and begins the postings for the first two weeks of this page.  Sorry for the confusion, part of my learning curve.

Today was interesting.  Theena and I worked with a trainer on the ground.  The goal was to help her develop muscle strength in the hindquarters so that she could maintain her balance and leads better.  We also wanted to work on her top line and outside muscles and softening.  Using my surcingle, britchen and crupper from my driving harness, I had created what some would call a natural balance system.  Note, that a balance training system may not incorporate a crupper.  However, using a crupper is standard with a driving harness.

This had worked really well with her in the past and I was expecting the same results as before.  If I could have read Theena’s mind tonight, I’m sure it would have been interesting.  As familiar as Theena is with a harness and unlike before, she kicked high to the sky during the canter and not just a few times, but more than I could count.  Submission was not in the cards without a work out.  Call it hormones or a change in the weather, it was a lesson of discipline, reward, her will vs. ours, alpha mare vs. human.  Thank goodness for a willing attitude!!  I guess I’d get bored if everything always went as planned.

Every day that I spend with my horses is a glorious day!!! God has blessed me so much with them and with the people that I have met through them! Yesterday, August 1st, I took a spontaneous trip to a place near Newcastle, Nebraska, Turkey Creek Ranch, for a day of trail riding with friends.   What a BLAST!!!  Being near the Missouri River, the terrain is hilly and beautiful.

Never having been there before, I decided to take Theeo,

Theeo Gazing

as I expected there would be hills and I figured that he wouldn’t have any problem negotiating them.  That was a good decision.  The hills we encountered at Turkey creek Ranch are many in number, steep and long.  Probably three times the elevation than what we are used to.

We were a group of 7, with 3 Morgans, 1 Arabian, 1 Paso Fino, 1 Paint and 1 Quarter Horse.

Friends At The Peak

What A View

It was a lovely day, cool, sunny, a slight breeze and with fairly dry trail conditions.

I estimate that we traveled 17 miles in 5 hours.  Theeo was in the lead most of the time, as his stride was larger than the rest.  Demoting his status as leader at a wooden bridge and a culvert crossing, I know what we need to continue working on.  All in all, we should be proud of what we accomplished.  It was a safe ride and Theeo really learned how to engage his hindquarters and managed the hills like a pro.  Another proud day!!

Missouri River, Nebraska Side

Day 1: You have reached a work in progress that is intended for horse lovers, pet owners, and connoisseurs of good food and libation.  As with most table talk, the topics are endless, but I will focus on publishing certain newsletters and information that I have found useful as well as humorous.  Stay tuned to watch me fumble through the blooming process of educating myself with this “new” tool.  God bless your patience!!

Day 2: I’m getting there.  Added a few Equestrian Organization hyper links and a limited show schedule under the Horse ‘N Around page.

Day 3: What a wonderful day!  Tonight I rode Theeo 11 miles in 2.5 hours.  We aren’t near ready for an endurance race yet, but it’s a start.  We had our first gallop and he was a blast!  We trotted 4 miles and cantered / galloped around 2 miles.  A slow poke at the beginning, his walk was free and fast to finish.

Day 4: Another super day!  God is GREAT!  Sharing my childhood dream of having a horse with other children has been very rewarding.  Today I taught line driving.  I think there is another future trainer in our midst.  Theena had 4 miles of line driving down the gravel road.  Made me realize that I haven’t walked and jogged that much in a while.  Going to sleep good tonight.     Trail Blazers and Horse ‘N Around aren’t linked to their posts correctly.  Spent a couple hours last night trying to figure it out.  Could it be the template?  I’ve tried everything except for the right thing.  Anyone know what I have missed?

Day 5: Been working on downloading photos to my blog.

Day 8: I’m back.  Took a couple of days off to enjoy a lovely weekend.  Today I edited this page and added more photos to the blogs, more links to the Equestrian Organizations and tried to figure out how to link the Hags On Nags page correctly.  Still having a problem with that.

Day 9: I posted over 30 links and created two new pages.  Can’t figure out how to make my “About” page my “Home” page.  Any takers?

Day 10: Tried to figure out how to make my pages link together properly.  Same problems as before.

Day 11: Took yesterday off to ride with friends and train.

Special Friends

It was another GREAT day!!  I only rode 12 miles in 3.5 hours, but we had needed to work on going through deep mud and murky water and the conditions were perfect.  It was a successful day.

Theeo & Me 7/23/09

Theeo was the leader and caretaker of the group and made me proud!

After all but one friend had left for the day, I took Theena out for a quick 4 miles in 40 minutes.

Theena & Me 7/23/09

What a blast!!  God continues to bless me every day through my horses and friends!!!

Day 12: Another nice day.  Training my own horses, I started riding Zack today.

Zack 7/23/09

He did great, totally calm and trusting.  I rode him 15 minutes, walking turning and stopping.  Standing still for mounting and dismounting on both sides (I like 2 sided horses).  Good job Zack!   Theena worked on her balance, trotting and cantering over cavaletties, extension and softening, collection.  It is so rewarding to be a witness to the growth my horses make!

Two weeks: Well it’s already been two weeks since I started my blog.  I’ve learned many aspects of the software program and template that I’m using and continue to tweak and add more information.

I took Sunday off to fish and enjoy the Missouri River near Platte, SD.  It was a beautiful day and we had good fishing, but released them all.  We were blessed with the presence of a local resident, a Bald Eagle.  What an amazing creature, graceful, quiet and yet powerful.

In Flight

Monday, I updated this blog with a yummy fish taco recipe under the “Eat Like A Horse” heading called “Going Green”.  I don’t like the way some of my headings are linking content, so I’ll be changing some of them this week.

Tonight, my friend Jill and I had a great ride.  We went 8 miles, me riding Theena

7/28/09 Theena, 8 miles

and Jill riding Lady.  After our ride, I started a bonfire and it became the “Bug Be Gone Fire”.  The horses were thankful for the bug eliminating smoke and gathered around to rest in it’s fog.

Bugs Be Gone

Theeo taking residence as the king of the hill,

King Of The Hill

led the way.  Not to worry, the horses weren’t in any danger.  Being dark, the photos look rather interesting.

Thursday already.  Wow how time moves quickly.  It rained yesterday, so didn’t ride.  Tonight however, was another great time of riding!  Jill and I went 10 miles.

I rode Theeo 6 and Theena 4 while Jill rode Cat the 6 and Lady 4.

What’s That

I felt bad for Jill on the 6 mile as Theeo was on the go and Cat was trotting a lot to keep up to his walk.

Resting

He reminded me of a race horse heading toward the gate keeping the burst of energy in check until the bell sounds.

Theena and Lady are a compatible pair with Theena

On The Move

trotting behind Lady at a consistent speed and non stop for 1.5 miles.

Pace Setter

Lady ”puts Theena through the paces” and doesn’t tire.

Friday: I added a new post under Greener Pastures which is located in the right hand column under the drop down Treat Bucket.  This is an add for two local Tennessee Walkers for sale.

I also added a photo and changed some copy to my Going Green post located in the Treat Bucket.