Moonshadows in January

On Friday, the wolf moon was so huge and bright! I tried to capture it with my kodak camera....

..........only to have the resulting photo look more like a UFO that a big ole gleaming moonpie! Well, I hope you all got to see it because it was spectacular and made wonderful moonshadows on the snow.

We have been lucky enough to have another coldsnap. Sub-zero temps, furious windchills and even a few white-out conditions. One day I looked out the window at work and saw nothing but WHITE. I immediately thought of Lilly and hoped she was in her shelter. A few hours later, Bill read my mind and emailed me this picture:


Does my brumby look like she is in a shelter? No she does not! I'll tell you why: this horse is 100% unfazed by these low temps and windchill. She could not be bothered to move into her shelter. Her wooly coat, her internal furnace and big pile of hay is all she needs.

..
Yesterday was too cold to go riding. I TOTALLY wimped out. I called Christine and told her it was too cold, even for me. I guess I was feeling delicate. But today is Sunday and I have just returned from a ride with Christine. We bundled up and entered the cruel temps! The trail was icy and so we had to walk part of the way. I knew it was going to be so dreadful out that I did not even take my camera. When I got to the pasture and grabbed Lilly, she was as warm as toast. So I plastered my face to her neck. OOOOOh did she ever feel warm.


Here is a picture Bill took from a few days ago. Brrrrrrrrrrr.

And if this picture of Bill does not make you laugh and shiver at the same time, you are kwaaazee! I love this picture. It is totally Bill. The key to winter is the dress correctly. Today for example, here is what I had on: long underwear and fleece pants and then my puffy snow pants. I also had thick hiking socks with toewarmers in my Mountain Horse winter boots. Then I had on a long underwear shirt, a turtleneck, a layer of Underarmour and two fleece pullovers (one was pink). All of that was under my winter riding jacket. On my head I had a balaclava, my helmet, and over my helmet: my new fleece helmet cozy that Karen P sent me! And I was VERY WARM INDEED. I had not a single complaint about the weather...although I was about as flexible as a two by four with all those layers on. I wish I had a video of me demonstrating how ridiculous I look trying to get my foot in the stirrup with all these layers on. Can you say oafish and lumbering? Again, I am thanking my lucky stars for a horse that oh so patiently waits for me to climb into the saddle, probably mauling her ribs and neck in the process.


These are the gloves I was wearing today:

Aren't they grrreat? These are from Karen P as well, and they are the Best. With handwarmers in them, my hands were actually hot. Don't you love the little separate pinky slot? Genuis! I applaud the person who invented these! And thank you, KP, for sending them my way!

Two more weeks to the Olympics! Can't wait to watch the skijoring!!

Sweet Sunday

Christine and I hit the trails again today and had a lovely ride. It is just warm enough that I can ride for a little bit with no gloves on. That is not to say it is warm, just that it is warmer. Over most of the trail the snow is packed enough that Lilly and QTee did not sink into it much. In other parts of the trail it is not so dense and the horses and the dogs sink into it.


We are supposed to get a lot of rain tonight which will make everything icy and slippery. I'd rather have snow! I am very glad Lilly is wearing her borium shoes.

This was a carrot-nibbling point on the trail. Do you see how QTee's ears are up and forward and Lilly's look like an old mule's? That is pretty much how it is throughout the whole ride. But sometimes Lilly had her ears back because I am talking to her, and she is listening to me. Her ears are so flexible! I love how she does not mind when I mangle them putting her bridle on. Every once in a while you hear about a horse who does not like her ears handled. Thank goodness I do not have one of those brumbies!

This road does not look icy at all. But there are some icy patches mixed in with the dirt. Last year I remember getting off the horses and walking them down some of the road because it was so slippery. It can feel very tense when I think Lilly's feet are going to slide out from under her. Another good reason for the trusty borium slippers.

What a gorgeous neck! You can see in this picture a little mesh bag of booties for Getty hanging from the pommel. Her back feet are still sore from the dew claw removal, and her front feet get sore because little iceballs form on her furry feet. That's all four feet sore and uncomfortable. The booties are in the bag because Getty hates them. She prances around like a very concerned dressage horse with them on. After how sore her feet were today after our trail ride though, I see I am going to have a better effort to get her used to them. Does anyone have any other doggie feet suggestions?

What a cute mouth!

Wonderful Weekend!

All last year I had a four day work week. But now I'm back to the usual five. That makes the weekend that much more wonderful! I can gladly say that today was sunny and bright, and after all the work at home was done, I charged over to see Lilly, Gettysburg in tow!

This is all Lilly wanted to do when I saw her. I can tell she's thirsty because when I go over toward the little hydrant thingy in the barn, she makes every attempt to follow me, sticking her big ole head over by the pipe. Then when I am actually filling the bucket, she tries to nudge me out of the way. Which is very bossy and not allowed. When Lilly wants water, she is not so good at being ground tied. (Like today.)

View from on top again! Here she is taking an opportunity to snatch some hay set out by the Big Pasture. I was fixing my glove and unable to stop her for a split second. And that's the split second she made her move. Very clever brumby. Does she have eyes in the back of her head?

Here's that deep and drifty field again. Christine and I cut across it to get back to the woods. When Bill has a lot of horses, he uses this as another pasture. Looking at this picture makes me really long for sprintime. But that is a long way off.

Can you see Christine and QTee up ahead in this picture? They look hidden in the photo, but at the real moment in time, the light in the woods was so incredibly soft and blue, and Christine and QTee looked so timeless I had to stop for a snapshot. When I did this both of my gloves slid down into the snow. Darn that gravity!

Waaaaait a minute! That doesn't look like a paint brumby! Don't be fooled! That's a picture Bill sent me from one of his mid-week rides on Cody.

Oh now that's a nice trio of equines. Especially that porky looking brumby.

Oh dear, another busy day for a little dog! As soon as we got home, Getty ran first to her giant puff in the living room and collasped on it. Then she moved to the futon in the guest room. Where she curled up into an exhausted little ball!

I would like to close my post tonight with a poem by Robert Frost entitled Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know

His house in in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer

To top without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

H gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

A Little Snow and a Welcome Surprise

When I went to see my brumby today, there was not a single thing wrong with her! Here I had been fretting all night about femoral nerves, ruptured tendons, X-rays and bone scans, and when I arrived at the barn today, my brumby was as fit as a fiddle. Not a single gimp or shuffle! Walk left side safe, walk right side safe--it is like Mr Miyagi himself has been prowling around the pasture! In fact, she seemed ready for a ride! But I didn't bring the right gear, assuming she was lame.
Hmmm, now who is really lame?
I think yesterday that Lilly had just taken a kick from one of the other horses. Maybe I arrived right after it happened and she was still sore from the impact. Whatever it was, I am thanking my lucky stars (or the Miyagi force) that it appears to be resolved.

The snow last night was really gorgeous today. It was the heavy white kind that gets caught in the trees and hangs there in big clumps. And then falls down on you as you walk under the trees. If we had gone out on the trail, it is possible that all the heavy snow sliding off the trees would have made for a spooky brumby.

When I went to Lilly in the pasture, I climbed up on a giant manure pile for a birds eye view. Of all the times for my brumby to actually feel the need to approach instead of ignore me, today turned out to be that time.

She really wanted to get up on that manure pile with me! I kept saying NO BRUMBY! like she was a little dog. Speaking of dogs, Getty did run up the maure pile to me where she promply began unearthing and eating some manure! Blleeeccchhh! That is so vile. I like the view of brumby from up here. Her back sure looks comfy!

Hah! This almost makes it look like a very tiny Getty is standing on Lilly's back!

Up in the barn, the snow falling from the trees and plopping on the metal roof made horribly scary noises. But Lilly found this new broom the most frightful.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and well wishes for my favorite brumby!

Back In Action...sort of

My day of rest yesterday panned out. Today I felt much better and headed to the barn to get on Lilly. CC was to be there showing Elvis to some people who might want to to buy him, and Christine was there too. We thought the Elvis Party might head out on the trail but instead they were in the ring. So Christine and I thought we'd head out as a twosome.



Which we never ended up doing! My brumby was walking verrry funny! Christine said she was walking like a toddler walks when he has a big load of poop in his diaper! Oooh dear. She did not appear lame [in her feet] at all, but something was amiss. At first I thought her bum area was just irritated and sore from some diarrhea. So I cleaned her up and applied some Desitin.



The plot thickens. She was actually walking stiffly. And when I turned her in a tight circle, she did not look right at all! Instead of an easy crossover, all she did was some pathetic shuffling. She also avoided putting weight on her left rear foot! Or it looked that way. Was it just coincidence? I got so nervous that I kept saying reft lear instead of left rear! We prodded all around her hip and stifle area but she made no protests. What could be wrong with the best brumby in the whole world?

I am sorry to say that we did not figure it out. This horse mystifies me with episodes of lameness. All the other times she rights herself. I hope this time will be the same. Here are some diagnostic ideas:

1. Lilly slipped and fell on the ice and bruised herself.

2. Another horse clocked her and bruised her.

3. Lilly fell on the ice and then another horse clocked her....

4. Something fell on her, or she bumped herself on the hay crib.

5. She is having an issue, for whatever reason, with a nerve. Maybe the femoral nerve, or some other equally dreadful thing.

For tonight I will play the wait and see game. I left a message for Bill, asking him to give her some bute when he gets home. Then tomorrow I will check on her. I'll see what Bill thinks. I'll see if overnight she gets better or worse or stays the same. I may even decide to call Dr. Schmidt and have him come and check her out. The mere idea of sending for the vet scares me. Because calling the vet means Big Trouble for Little Brumby.

Luckily, it was just this week I renewed my horse insurance.

I hate seeing my brumby this way!

Bookworming It

It is rotten that I have a terrible headcold on The Most Tropical and Glorious Day of the Winter. Can you believe my luck? The weather has not been so welcoming and friendly in months! So here I am with a cold?! Now that is infuriating. My strategy is to stay home today, tenderly taking care of myself, so that tomorrow and Monday I will be cured, and can head out to the pasture. In any case, that means I will be reading all day and this is a perfect opportunity to delve into some of the horse books in my library.

This book I just got for Christmas from Brandon. It is a true story about a horse named Dan Patch. The book's cover says Dan Patch is the most famous horse in America, only I have never heard of him. Maybe Dan Patch is the Barbaro of yesteryear. In any case, I cannot wait to start reading this book.

This is a book Karen P just gave me last weekend during her visit. Karen P admires Mark Rashid very much. When I first bought Lilly from Bill, he gave me a Mark Rashid book to read. This guy is a great storyteller and a great horseman. I am half way through this book. It is engaging and easy to read, and full of good bits of wisdom from a guy who has been there and done that a zillion times over. (Plus, I love a hardcover!)

Here's a coffeetable book I got for Christmas.

This is one of the pictures it has in it for Paint Horses. According to this book, no one is truly sure why Paint horses emerged. Some say the pinto color pattern evolved as natural camouflage, while others say that the markings were a fluke in the evolution of the horse. (Those are the book's words). I guess if I heard there was a symposium being held around here on horse evolution, I would try to attend. I could probably learn more about the emrgence of the Paint that way.

Here's a book I was reading when I was taking lessons at Biscuit Hill. I've always had this tendency to want to understand riding intellectually, as well as through the actual experience of riding. Now I know that the books don't teach you much until you just climb on and feel your way. Having a good mentor is better than any book, in my opinion. But I'm a bookworm, so I will never discourage the reading of anything!

This book Bill gave me. Lilly can have hoof trouble more than other horses, so this is an extraordinary resource. But the pictures inside are not for the faint of heart!

More excellent horse lessons by way of great anecdotal experience by Mark Rashid. I believe even a non horse person would find this book compelling.

This book I learned about while reading Honeysuckle Faire's blog. Juliette, who writes Honeysuckle Faire, wrote in one blog entry that this book is beautiful and meaningful to her. Well, I am a big fan of Honeysuckle Faire so the same day she mentioned it, I ordered it on eBay. The problem is, everytime I start reading it, I get emotional and start crying! So I haven't even read the damn thing! It is a very emotional book in my opinion.

(Hmm, I am full of opinions today!)

Here's a book I might pull off the shelf and read if I feel I am in a pickle or had a bad training moment with Lilly. Or if she won't canter on the right lead. Or if she won't canter at all. It's not that I think Heather Smith Thomas is all that. I've never really heard of her. All I look for when I open a book like this is one jewel of a comment that will help me see more clearly. Like a little pair of equine glasses. And then I just ask Bill for help.

This book my husband picked up for me for $5 at the Ashfield Fall Festival. This shows that my husband is always thinking of me! He doesn't even like horses!!

This book may be the piece de resistance of my equine library! Christine gave it to me as a present early on after I met her. It details everything you would ever want to know about a horse. It is very textbook-like.

For example, here is a random look inside. The writers of this book are not fooling around. If you want to get serious about learning the ins and outs of your horse's body, this is the book for you.

And here is a book that is nothing if not about the sheer joys of being lucky enough to be on the back of a horse at all!!!! It reminds me a bit of Centered Riding by Sally Swift in its spirit and illustrations. It may be simple, but sometimes simple is all you need.

OK, I am off to bed and some good DVDs.

I hope tomorrow I will be back at the farm!

Karen P is Back In Town!!

Last summer Karen P drove out to Bear River Horse Farm and we had a terrific ride. Well yesterday, she came back for another ride and though it was somewhat wretched in terms of cold weather, Karen, Christine and I saddled up and had a wintery ride out in the woods. Seeing Karen P was great. Next time, since she lives 2 hours away, we decided she must stay for the weekend. That way we could get two rides in and make the journey worth her while.

Here we are in the barn getting ready. Karen P rode Cody, Bill's most trusted steed. Both Karen P and I were wearing very puffy riding pants. We kept trying to say to each other: No, your pants are not puffy at all, but mine make me look like a fatty!

Bill captured this photo of Karen taking a picture with her totally fabulous and professional looking camera. I remember last summer on our ride, Karen managed to get good shots with a huge lens while riding. That takes talent. This weekend I did not get very many shots out riding because it is simply too cold to take my hands out of my gloves.

Bill came out to send us off. He knew Cody would take good care of Karen on trail. He reminded us that Cody likes to step out and would probably do best at the head of the line. Of course we told Bill that if he could handle all the estrogen, he was welcome to come with us. Hah! But he had other things to do. Or maybe the estrogen cloud frightened him! We were expecting CC to join us but she got tied up (with her new boyfriend perhaps).

This is what happens when I try to take a picture while trotting, of someone behind me, with my gloves on. Ummmmm, this is not a great picture! But what I like about it is that you can see Karen smiling! Because riding in any weather is AWSUM.

Karen with her rockstar glasses on Cody. He sure looks nice in that purple saddle pad!

Karen and Christine on the road where the wind was blowing icily. Here is where we turned around and just headed right back into the woods where it felt warmer.

Karen and Christine took off across the field and it was so gorgeous I stopped to get a picture. The snow is deep and drifty here. After I put the camera away, Lilly wanted to hurry and catch up with Cody and QTee. Always nice to fit a canter in! (Although just looking at this picture makes me feel cold)

Back in the woods we had to take Bill's advice and let Karen and Cody move to the front of the line because Cody decided he was too frustrated to be in back for one more minute and made this evident by some fancy dancy crowhopping.

When we returned from the trail, Bill had the woodstove hot and his wife had made us cocoa!! Good ride, good company and chocolate? Superb Saturday!

Sunday Christine and I decided to brave the cold again and head out on the trail. I didn't even bother taking the camera because I knew it would be too ridiculously cold and awkward to get any good pictures.

Before we headed out though I did get a few pictures. Here is Christine giving QTee a spa treatment after cleaning all the frozen diarrhea off of her bum and tail while Lilly looks on with mild interest. Poor QTee!!! Yes, that is Christine blow drying QTee's tail dry! Only the best for QTee! Why is QTee having mudbutt? We do not know. But Bill we be watching her, do not fret. After cleaning her tail up, Christine wrapped it up with a nice green wrap. Much better!

Lilly winter ear. How can she even hear anything with all that fur in there?

My parting shot......

....is of Getty with her bandages on after her dangly dew claw removal. Oh little dog!