Ridin' Remi

After loosing day after day last week with weather and Chad not being able to keep Kage for me, I found time to saddle up on Sunday!  I decided to take pictures as I rode...from start to finish!

Oh, joy....huh?  (0:

Remi ignoring me while waiting to get a drink. 

Now that Tari is with Mindy, Horse Girl is kinda the leader.  It's funny though, as she really doesn't want to be the leader...but no one else will do it.  So she does her best, as the least passive of the passives!

When I go out to catch my horse, I take the halter and lead rope.  And nothing else.  I HATE a horse that requires you to sneak up on it or bribe it with goodies.  I want them to know I'm there for them...  Occasionally one will run from me, but for they most part I have no problems.

Remi came to me hard to catch, and has gotten a lot better.  Except for Sunday.  When she decided that she wanted nothing to do with me.

She tried hiding behind trees.  Maybe she should get a lesson from the Hee-Haws on how to REALLY blend in so I will walk by and keep looking!

Fiona attacked me while I was walking after Remi.  Fiona will grab a hold of anything that dangles...  She is such a busy body...

  I never run after Remi and try to cut her off.  I just walk and talk.  Since she has been thumped on and miss treated in the past, I try to use little or no aggression in anything we do.  Being walked after is pretty annoying I figure.  And I really don't give her a chance to take a break....I just keep walking and talking until she stops and allows herself to be caught.

Sunday it took a while....like 20 minutes... 

She even got Fi to lope once or twice, but Fi always lopes to me and stops...

I am sure Remi sees this as less than helpful and less that encouraging.

Notice the height difference between these mares.  Fi is on a slight hill...but it's not that much of an incline.  Fi is sooo much taller than Remi....

After several laps around the place, she stopped faced up and was ready to be caught.

Note the flared nostrils....running is hard... And slightly annoying when you're trying to go for a ride.

In this "tacked up" head shot (below) you'll see our tie down...

Sigh.  It's just too big...and too white, and too black.  I really don't love it.  It works and she respects it, but I am going to start shopping for something a bit more subtle.  She is a small horse and needs tack that isn't built for a beast like say... Fiona!  (0:  I am quite sure on Fi this would look just fine and dandy.  But on Remi, I think its a bit much.

Some of my pictures are weird, but I blame it on the camera.  Its old...like 10 years old.  But under the right conditions it does a decent job.  And it's the only one Chad allows (just kidding there...but he'd probably pass out if I rode with my "good camera" but he wouldn't stop me...) me to ride with.  (0:

Up the drive way.  Dogs leading the way.

Down Rourke Road heading towards the trail that leads to the highway.

Trail that leads to Highway 41.  That tree directly in front you...as you look at the picture is where we stop.  I get off the horse and catch Seven.

This is where we cross the highway.  I HATE crossing the highway, but it's the only way to get the the trails. I carry some hay string in my back pocket and use it to lead Seven across the highway.  Abbi knows to heal up, Seven forgets.  

Once the coast is clear, we all walk across.

This is the spot where I let the dog go, check my saddle, boots, and other gear before riding off.

Remi waiting for me to do something interesting...actually the camera beeps constantly when you're using it.  So she kept listening, just in case it was some sort of cue.

Dogs watering hole a.k.a. the once large mud puddle...after the long trotting.

Turned around and heading home.  Unfortunately I have not found a single trail that makes a loop.  (So there is nothing really to show on the way back...it looks exactly the same as the way out.)  They ALL end in No Trespassing Signs or my favorite Keep Out!! 

This trail ride I went on Sunday was a 3 mile ride per my iPhone app.

I noticed this on the way back...who knows what I was doing when I passed these the first time Remi kept walking off every time I tried to take a picture of these.  (Guess she hates flowers like her Other Mother Mindy!)...but it's a lovely bouquet made out of wild flower/weeds and road tape.  It's (road tape) all over out here left over from when they logged last year.  I also think someone has some hunting/game trails marked.  

Grabbing a bite to eat at the top of the driveway.  I loosen her saddle, remove her boots, and take her bridle off and let her graze as we return to the horse trailer.

There we are back from our ride.

All though Remi was fine on the ride.  She wasn't good or bad, she just rode...  She wasn't chargey, didn't get behind the bit, and didn't really ask to run.  I guess you'd say she was compliant.  I really didn't think anything of it, just figured she got her extra energy out evading me in the pasture.  And really had a nice little ride.

After we got back home, I untacked her, groomed her, and turned her back out with her buddies...about an  hour later I fed and watered. 

Everything seemed fine.

Chad rolled in about 5:30 pm.  I walked out to talk to him as he messed around in the garage, and saw Remi laying down in a place that isn't really a normal spot for the horses to lay down.  So I asked Chad if she looked like she was asleep when he pulled up.  Of course he saw nothing...

Then she started to roll.  So off I went to get out the Banamine and halter.  She was up and swatting flies when I got to her.  She had a wee bit of sweat on her chest and was breathing a little bit heavy with some tail wringing...  Not too terrible, but she is a stoic little horse, so I decided not to trust that she wasn't writhing in pain.

I took her out of the pasture and administered the Banamine.  Then we started marching up and down the driveway.  We walked for about 20 minutes and she stopped and pooped.

We walked for another 10 minutes and then she passed some gas.  She still didn't look happy, but her breathing had started to return to normal.  

I had tried to listen to gut sounds, and they sounded OK much like the other horses.  I listened to everyone just to see what I could hear, for a base line...but I need work on this.  I also took her heart rate, and it really wasn't up as far as what is considered normal...just a little, but I need to do a new base line on the girls as I cannot find my old list and Remi wouldn't be on it anyways...  So thought about taking her temp, but my thermometer died last spring.  Guess its time to get a new one, huh?

Any whooo, she had stopped wringing her tail by this time as well and I didn't see any new sweat spots.  

I decided to return her to her pasture and just watch her...if she started rolling, out of the pasture she'd come and on the phone with the vet I'd be.

Once turned loose, she walked over and talked to Horse Girl and Fiona and then laid down.  She laid there in the upright resting position on her sternum itching her nose on her leg and looking around...

Then she laid flat out, groaned, got back up on her sternum and passed more gas...

Then she got up and walked around, found a better spot to lay down and went down again.

More gas...then up again.  Then down again, this time flat out.  A couple of groans, more gas, back on her sternum.  More gas...

At 7:30 pm I went in the house.  She was up and standing by Fiona.

7:45 pm, she was standing by the Hee-Haws.

8:00 pm, she was standing by herself.

8:45pm, she was eating.

9:30 pm, she was blinking madly at the flashlight wondering why I was blinding her while idling chewing her hay.

4:45 am, she was dozing under the tree standing over Horse Girl and Fiona.

5:30 am, she was resting by the other girls as the Hee-Haws stood watch.

Gas colic...ugh.  

Maybe she was hard to catch because she hadn't felt good all day.  Maybe next time it takes so long to catch her, I'll get her and toss her in a stall and ride Fiona.

Just in case!

Happy Memorial Day!

God Bless Our Troops.

Let us never forget those who have fallen, those who stand today, and those who will stand tomorrow for our freedoms and way of life.

Stay safe everyone and have a great weekend!

Changing My Way Of Thinking...

When it comes to riding.  And let me tell you, it's a battle!  (0:

It is so hard for me to  load up my horses and haul them 45 minutes away just to ride, alone, in circles for about 45 per horse.  (0:

Fiona came home on the first of May and I have been trying to ride her 3 days a week.  I am also trying to ride Remi 3 days a week.  Horse Girl of course is not sound enough to ride but that leaves Tari to ride and only 7 days in a week!  I work Monday thru Saturday, 6:30 am to 3 or 3:30 pm.  Scratching out time for everything isn't easy... 

Enter Mindy!  Mindy now has Chix up for sale and at the BRC's for a tune up and exhibition/promoting.  She also has Sally at the BRC's.  Sally went from being there just for a solid start on the pattern to getting ready for fall futurities.  Sally is a natural athlete and the BRC says this horse is going to go far.  So very excited for my sister and Sally...

So with Sally and Chix at the BRC's, that leaves Mindy with Breeze Bomb and Speedy...  Breeze being the only one she can ride made room at Mindy's place for Tari!

So Tari is now at Mindy's for the summer.  This is a win-win for all of us!  (0:

Mindy has another horse to ride this summer...and to train on, which no matter what she says, she seems to enjoy!  I don't have to try and eek another ride on a horse or feel guilty if someone gets skipped/sets for too long. (The BRC is full up right now so she couldn't take Tari until later...)

My sweet Tari, apparently doesn't like being at her Aunt Mindy/Other Mothers.  She is not turned out with other horses, so she has NO ONE to boss around...Mindy's fence is always on, so she can't put her head through anything without getting whacked...  And Mindy took her out of the Little S hackamore and put her back into a Snaffle bit.  Poor Ol' Tari!

Tari has also had a few more pop out moments where she can't keep herself in a straight line and a few temper tantrums...just like her sad little crow hops she had with me when I wanted her to long trot rather than lope...same thing with Mindy.  Loping is so much easier than trotting...duh!  LOL!!

So while Tari is getting re-acquainted with working, I am learning how to ride Fiona!  Riding a baby is hard!! I know Fi is five this year, but she is green and inexperienced.  She is willing and happy to go though.  We just have our moments when I have to get all of my aides in order to get the job done.

Up until last week we had mostly ridden on the trails by my house.  Riding a greenie on the trails alone is a lot like riding a drunk.  She has no one to gauge her speed off of, except the dogs.  That doesn't work well.  She also has nothing to really keep her in a straight line, except me....so if I start slacking even in the least, off we go in some sort of funny side windie type of path.

I always wanted a tall horse...and now that I've got one, and I'm a wee bit fluffy...I'm not so sure I need a tall horse!  (0:  I am now looking for a stick, to stick her and see what her true height is, but I'm telling you that she has to be 16hh or better!  (0:  It's a stretch to get my butt into the saddle.

Her trainer has called twice to check on her and see if I am having any problems.  He told me not to hesitate to call him if anything should arise.  I promised I would call if I needed anything.  I think he loved my horse! LOL!!  He told my sister that she was a joy to have around and the most personable horse he's ever met.  (0:  That made me smile...a lot!!

Riding Remi is easy...well most times.  She has started to argue a bit over speed.  I almost always let my horses breeze when out on the trail.  I like to run...and if my horse wants to run, then I think we should run!  With the exception of Fiona, if she could figure out how to run with me on her back, I don't know if we could maintain any sort of line while running that would keep us on the road...then there is stopping...  Yeah, not Fiona...but definitely Remi and Tari when she was in a different shape than round!  (0:  So I usually try and long trot for 15 minutes or so, then some walking, then some loping and before we head home one good sprint.

  Remi likes to get high headed and sort of jack hammer her front end into the ground in protest if she doesn't want to slow down or hold rate.  She did with me last year at a barrel race and the BRC's dad suggested that I put her in a tie down.  She had been in one before we got her and I had always thought of it as an option, so after a few more episodes I went a head and got one.  I have had it on her for a week now and not once has she hit the end of it.  She knows what it is and what it does...and she stays well within it's bounds.  

So problem solved.  Nope.  Now she has decided to get behind the bit when I want her to slow down or hold rate.  Lovely.  Probably something the BRC and I will cover once I get out there for a lesson...But none the less, I LOVE riding Remi!  (0:

So last Sunday I decided to load up the girls and haul to the Dalton Arena.  It's a local arena that anyone can use.  Finding a time it's not being used isn't always easy, but it is nice to have around when you need/want it.  (It's 45 minutes for the time I close the door on the trailer until I park.)  It's big, open, and pea gravel so the footing is always OK.  Never muddy, never deep, never shallow, just OK.

I hauled Horse Girl just to not leave her.  She hauls good and as long as she is not alone and there is no drama around her, stands tied quietly.  I figured that with her being along I didn't have to worry about what she was or wasn't doing while being left home alone.

Remi started out my two horse day.  And she rode like a dream!  We long trotted and loped the perimeter of the arena no problems.  Transitioning up or down did not get a duck of the bit or a toss of the head, just compliance.  We loped big circles, we loped smaller circles, and we loped figure eights.  Just like I knew what I was doing!  It was great!!  I'm pretty sure we both enjoyed it!  (0:

I kept an eye on Fiona the entire time I rode, and she rested a foot and just hung out.  She could have cared less.  I secretly thought she would be a dink when it was her turn, just because she had been so good standing tied.

That was not the case at all!  With the fence to guide us we had no trouble holding a line while going straight.  We did have small speed fluctuations, but nothing too terrible.  She was a bit stiffer going to the right than to the left, but she was great!  We loped and trotted big circles, and trotted some smaller ones and trotted a few figure eights.  We also worked on moving over each part of her body...shoulder, rib cage, and hip.  

I like my horses to slow their roll when I ask them to ease up.  On the trail I say it over and over again without  a real consistent response from her...  But if you are loping circles in the arena and ask her to ease up...well she drops her butt and stops.  And she actually stops really hard.  It was shocking, so shocking in fact that she unseated me and I thought to myself what a spazz I must look like from the road.  Just to see if it was a fluke, I loped the other way and asked her to ease up...same results!  Now I do want her to differentiate between whoa and ease up, but boy was that fun!  LOL!!

All told, I really did have a good time...and after it was all said and done the hour and a half round trip wasn't too bad.  I got to work on some things with the girls and feel Fiona work in the arena.  I also got to feel her S.T.O.P.   She is no cutting horse and she definitely is not a reining horse, but her stop is fun!!  (0:

When I Am An Old Horsewoman

When I Am An Old Horsewoman:

I shall wear turquoise and diamonds,
And a straw hat that doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my social security on white wine
and carrots,
And sit in my alley-way of my barn
And listen to my horses breathe.

I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night
And ride the old bay gelding,
Across the moonstruck meadow
If my old bones will allow.

And when people come to call, I will smile and nod
As I walk past the gardens to the barn
and show instead the flowers growing
inside stalls fresh-lined with straw.
I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair
as if it were a jewel.

And I will be an embarrassment to all,
Who will not yet have found the peace in being free
to have a horse as a best friend,
A friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes
For the kind of woman I will be
When I am old.

~Unknown


Got this off of FB, so sorry to anyone who has to read it twice!  (0:  I know for a fact this will be me with the exception of the gender of the bay...  Girl power baby!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Lost My Asses

Today I roll into the driveway to find the girls standing at the fence knocking around one of the water tanks.  It's empty and their favorite one to drink out of, so they want to make sure I KNOW it needs to be cleaned and refilled.  (The other two had plenty of water in them.)  As I back the car into the garage and mutter to myself about being a mere slave to these equines, I realize I don't see the Hee-Haws anywhere.  Odd, but sometimes the come out of the trees when they hear the car doors shut.

Riley and Jack-Jack.  Riley wants to be a cowboy someday, and is fairly timid.  So he is starting with Jack-Jack.  He won't ride him, but will lead him as long and the Hee-Haw doesn't do anything scary.  (0:

The dogs and I get out, close the garage door, and nothing.  So I call them.  Nothing.  I go to the barn and put up the doors and drag out the hose.  Still no long ears to be seen.  I fill the tank half way and get on the Danger.  Kage rides shotgun and Abbi and Seven lead the way.  Up the fence line I go.  Checking for signs that the little brats have found a spot to shimmy under/through.  I stop and call as I leave the property.  Nothing.  I don't see a single hoof print or Hee-Haw apple.  Odd I think, but they could have went straight into the trees, thus leaving nothing on the path.

My niece Olivia and Patron.  She's not afraid to ride a Hee-Haw, but found that they don't always go too well.  It took a minute for him to decide that maybe he could cut the girl a break and pack her around for a few minutes.

The dogs and I go all the way down to the next road.  Then back again.  Then past our property the other way until we can go no farther.  Still not a single trace of the Hee-Haws.  I tell my co-pilot that there is NO WAY anyone would steal the little dorks with the horses standing right there with them.  The horses would be way more worthwhile to steal...  So we head back home.  Calling them as we go.  Not a single whistle or bray from them.  And Jack-Jack is always good to answer when called, especially at feeding time.  So now I am convinced I am in big trouble.  

Wyatt leading his older cousin in the little ass parade down the drive way.  Oh, how he loves the Hee-Haws!

What do you do when your in trouble (and your dad is too far away to come and save you)?  You, if you are me, call your husband.  The conversation went something like, me asking Chad who to call because the Hee-Haws were missing.  Him saying, besides me?  Me telling him yeah, in addition to calling you.  Him saying I'll text you the county sheriffs department.

My mind raced a little bit as I tried to think of something "smart" to say when trying to explain that I have lost my Hee-Haws...  Because I am semi scared and even though I do enjoy calling them Asses, I really do want to be taken seriously.  So I ask the nice lady if I could speak to someone about loosing my donkeys in Spirit Lake.  She giggles and says she will connect me to dispatch.  

I have a friend who is a dispatch in Las Vegas and some of her stories are so funny...  I think to myself that after I find those rotten Hee-Haws, I will have to text Julie and let her know what I had to tell a poor dispatcher here in Idaho!  (0:

The phone rings on the dispatchers end, I hear a snap.  The horses heads whip around.  The phone rings again and I see the long ears of Jack-Jack coming out of the trees...the trees that are in the fence line.  A voice on the other end of the line says, "Kootenai County dispatch, this is Derick how can I help you?"

In my best grown up voice I tell Derick that I am sorry I have wasted his time as I was calling to report my donkeys missing.  But I have just found them.

I start laughing and so does he.  He tells me I didn't waste his time.  I in fact made his day.

I'm glad I made his day...and seeing those mouse gray little brats totally made mine.  This is a first time experience for me with them...and I hope they don't repeat it.  I called Chad back and told him what happened.  He just laughed and reminded me that we ONLY have them for entertainment purposes.  Good or bad, they do entertain!

I did text Julie about my grand experience.  She said that she laughed out loud and guarantees that it's a story that they will talk about for the rest of the day.  I told her it's not as crazy here as it is there and she said exactly...  (0:

And that's what happened to me today!  (0:

How was your Monday???

I'm Not Crazy...

Or at least I don't think I am!  But...

I was reading a thread on BHW and they were discussing animal communicators.  There were opinions of all types, and different people sharing their experiences with them.  Some good, some bad, and some fairly bland. There was one poster who said she was practicing to be a communicator and that it's a matter of honing your skills.  She also offered to "read" anyone's horses that wanted a free reading.
I was raised Baptist.  I was raised to believe in God and the Devil, angels and demons.  I still have those beliefs, but I have to admit, that I don't think that everything is always black and white.  I think that there are some things, connections if you will that aren't really easy to explain.  The simplest way I can toss this together I  think is to liken it to gut feelings about places, people, and circumstances.
Anyhooo, I read the tread for it's entirety and decided I'd send the lady who was "honing her skills" an e-mail.  My thoughts were, what the heck could it hurt and it could be fun.  It wasn't as easy to think of questions as I thought it would be.  So here is my e-mail request to her:

Hello, I don't know if you are still offering free readings, but if you are, I'd like one.  (0: I have four horses, but don't have real specific for all of them.  Two of them I do have though.  I did included photos of all of them just in case they had something to say. These horses are all in Spirit Lake Idaho... Not sure what else you need to get started, if you need any other info, I'd be glad to give it up!  (0: The first horse is Remi.  I want to know if she is happy here?  Does her saddle and or pad work for her?  Does she really like my dog, or tolerate her?  Is there anything she needs or wants to change? Second horse is Horse Girl.  I want to know where exactly she hurts?  Did the Legends shots help her?  Is she recovered from loosing her twins a three years ago?  Mentally.  Does she want to be a mom again? Third horse is Tari.  I've got nothing specific for her, but if she wants to tell something I want to hear it. Fourth horse is Fiona.  I've got nothing specific for her, but again if she wants to tell me something I want to hear it.    Thank you for your time,  NIKKI I also included a picture of each horse.   This is the reply that I got from the BHW Communicator: I'll try it without ages. Remi couldn't be more happier Saddle works, pad could be better Don't like dog, but knows you do More time with you She's very happy & chatty. LOL Horse girl Right back ankle & inside hoof wall, not real painful tho Legends helped Misses them & is ready to try again I got cold chills while asking this one. Tari Loves you & thanks for everything Happy with feed/hay Little achey in back from hocks down Fiona Laid back/don't care attitude Everything just ok Very slowwww talker, lol This is the e-mail I sent back to her along with her final response: Thanks a million!  That was fun. I'm sorry I left out the ages... Remi is a rescue that was a h.s. and college rodeo horse dropped a the kill pen for coming up in the box and busting her riders nose.  Girl and b.f. had thumped on her pretty bad.  Once my sisters friend found out they had dropped her off she went and bought the mare before the auction for $50.  It has taken me a year to get her relaxed, hoping to get some game shows and small 4D stuff done with her this year.  She has some BIG white marks behind her withers from ill fitting saddle/pad, so I'm VERY concerned about pad...  I will get to shopping for something better for her!  One of our dogs loves this horse and she allows Seven to lick her face, legs, and clean up her dropped grain. Horse Girl is always moving sore.  She fractured her left rear ankle about 10 years ago and seems sore on all her legs... I will get her back on the Legends this spring.  She did loose "them" her last foaling.  It was a accidental breeding to the Land Lords stallion.  She foaled a wonderfully marked bay overo filly with two blue eyes that was the size of a border collie that we had to put down, and a still born under developed colt. The vet said to give her a few hours and then take the filly from her...she stood over that baby for 5 hours then when I took it, it was horrible...  We saved her colostrum and dropped it a the vets office...every time I milked her she nickered...poor ol' Girl. Tari is the happiest horse I've met.  I don't think she has ever had a bad day.  On a side note, she came from BB Lovetorope or Luv2rope...or something similar to that as I can't remember her screen name at the moment.  (0: Fiona does everything at her own pace.  She is at the trainers right now and I am hoping she has some gears... Thank you Horse girl left felt a little funny, she must be over compensating on that right. Was nt severe poisson just an ache.  I am  happy at what I got.  I didn't ask anything hard, and apparently I forgot to give her the ages of my girls.  She still gave it a whirl!   As Remi has adjusted to her life with me, although still not a fan of being loved on, she greats me, ears up and happy to be near me.  She also nickers every time she sees me, even if she walks away after saying howdy.  As for the saddle, it seems to fit well, but I am having a devil of a time getting her "sweat marks" to look right.  She doesn't act like her backs sore or being pinched, but her whithers are staying dry.  I have tried 4 different pads and three different saddles.  I have researched and now have a new saddle pad on order for her, hoping that this will do the trick.  Seven of course loves her, and I admit I was hoping for her to "say" she loved Seven too.  But tolerating the dog, is very nice of her!! (0: We have been battling Horse Girls soundness for what seems like forever.  We have since changed the way we are shoeing her on the front and she got a Legends shot along with her spring tune up at the vets office.  She is moving overall better and seems to act like going somewhere isn't such a burden.  I don't recall if I'd blogged about her loosing a set of twins, and I am too lazy to go back and look.  But if I didn't, the landlord had a colt he just couldn't bring himself to geld.  He had friends over, they left a COUPLE of gates open and "Studly" ended up with the mare and mules...Chad found him with a broken leg that same day...No one suspected Horse Girl had been bred until she bagged up.  She delivered a live very wildly colored overo filly.  The filly was very small and I knew we had trouble when I saw her struggling to breath.  I then found the second foal in the afterbirth and was convinced nothing good would come from any of it.  The filly was euthanized and Horse Girl seemed down and unhealthy for what seemed like the entire summer.  I really thought she may just lay down and die from a broken heart...   After Speedy was born Chad said to me how much he'd like to have a foal from Horse Girl to keep...but I didn't know if she would "want" another baby....  So I just had to ask.... God Bless Tari and her happiness.  She really is just the best!! Fiona, what can I say.  I thought she'd be chatty and annoying.  But She seemed not too interested in communicating.  It's all good though!  I know Fiona is special! I would also like to add that I think that there is validity in homeopathic readings.  And have tossed around the idea of having my horses read to see what minerals their body thinks that it needs.  But I'll save that for another time....  (0:   Am I crazy??  I don't know...but I really do plan on recontacting this lady at the end of the year and see what the girls have to say later on.  (0: