My Letter to my First Grandson

Caden Thomas

Caden Thomas was born Friday, December 26, 2008 at 9:28 pm. 7 pounds, 9 ounces, 19 3/4” long. Chin dimple like his daddy. Eyes like his mommy. Perfect fingers and toes. And some hair. I think you look like your daddy. I can’t wait to get your baby pictures out and compare you to your Daddy’s baby book pictures.

Grandma and “Pop”, as your Grandpa wants to be called, got “the call” at about 10 am Friday morning. We had spent Christmas in Colorado with your Aunt Sara, Uncle Jake, and 2 week old cousin, Makenzie. Your Uncle Micah was also out with us. Your mommy had to have a planned C-section since you were butt down! We left Aunt Sara’s about 8 am that morning. I kept checking my watch until your Daddy called us with the news! He said all was well, your mommy was doing good, and that your daddy even cut the cord! We knew you were going to be a boy. Your name was going to be a surprise for the day you were born. Your mommy has always liked the name, Caden, since she started working at Preschools the year she graduated from high school. Your middle name, Thomas, is your Daddy‘s middle name. Your daddy was named after his daddy, your grandpa Tom, “Pop“. You are also named after your Mommy, as that is her maiden name, Amber Thomas. That is unique!
We drove north 30 minutes to I-80, then the highway all the way home from Pine Bluff, WY to Lincoln, NE. About 11am, we stopped at Cabelas at Sidney, NE. Pop likes to look at what guns are there and if there are any specials. I always like to see what winter clothing sales they have. I didn’t find much, but Pop bought 2 scopes.

From Sidney, it is 5 hours to Lincoln. We arrived about 4:30 at the hospital. The maternity ward was on the 6th floor. Your room was right next to the nurse’s station. When we walked in, you were resting comfortably in your Mommy’s arms. Your mommy and daddy were resting, as they had had visitors earlier in the day. We held you and you slept soundly. Your daddy changed your diapers that day, as your mommy couldn’t get out of bed yet.

You were only 7 hours old when I saw you for the first time, nestled in your mommy’s arms. Oh, you were so little. You had a perfectly round face, pretty eyes, a chin dimple, and a little hair! And your little fingers. Nice and long. Piano fingers. When I held you, your finger held my finger. You weren’t awake too much that evening while we were there, as you had a big day! We didn’t stay long as it was already evening and your mommy was tired.

The next day, Pop and I visited. Pop went with your Daddy to exchange the battery for the SUV. While they were gone, you slept the whole time! While you slept for about 2 hours, I held you close. You slept so deeply and quietly that afternoon. So content. Your mommy and I visited quietly, waiting for Pop and Daddy to come back. Even though that was when we should have laid you down, I loved holding you then. I held you close and watched your face. What a pretty baby! I want to share my love for horses with my first grandson, and with all my grandchildren. Pop didn’t get to hold you much that day. When he and your Daddy got back to the room, you woke up and started to fuss. You wanted your mommy!

Pop and I visited with your Mommy and Daddy a little each day that you were in the hospital. Friday late afternoon, Saturday early afternoon, and Sunday evening. I loved holding and cuddling with you. Pop didn’t get to hold you too much those first 3 times we visited, but I made sure that we got pictures of you and him. You are Pop’s first grandson!

Today is Monday, only 3 days since you were born. Your mommy and Daddy are bringing you home from the hospital. We will have our Christmas with you and your mommy and Daddy on Thursday, New Years Day. Pop had a surprise for all of you. Your Pop had bought you, and your little cousin, a little red Santa outfit! Pop also bought you some stocking stuffers and hung a horsey stocking, just for you! Pop also wrote you a letter, and gave you 3 small gifts. A small toy horse, a small John Deere tractor, and a small pony. A small horse because I will teach you how to ride. A small tractor since your Pop will teach you how to drive. And a small pony because we want to buy you and your little cousin a pony!

I’ll need to shop at the baby consignment store. I’ll need to find some cowboy outfits! The best outfits are made of blue jean material . I’ll know I’ll be able to buy blue jean and bib overalls! I’ll have to find some baby clothes with horses on them!

When you have a doctor appointment, I’ll pray all is well and that you are growing fine. We pray that you will be a healthy baby, sleep well, and be content.

I will be able to see you as you grow from a newborn to a toddler. I will be able to hold you and cuddle with you. I won’t be able to do that with your cousin all the time, and that makes me sad. I’ll have to cuddle you twice as much to make up for that! I decided to write this letter to you. I feel better now, knowing that I will get to see you often.
I will call your mommy every now and then and check on you. I hope I can visit you often, see you at ball games, and have you come for picnics and float in our pool. Pop and I can show you the horses, dogs, cats, and any kittens and puppies that we may have.

I love you so much, Grandma

Winter Chores

I got in about 6 from doing chores. Without the wind tonight, I actually was too warm, dressed in a hoody, insulated coveralls, thermal gloves, and insulated boots. I put that "big hat" thing on that goes down over your face, forgot the name. I had to pull the hood away from my face. I changed my gloves for cotton ones.

But...I was dragging hoses, blanketed an older horse that I am boarding, threw hay to the steer and to my stud, Duke, and I carried a bale of alfalfa to the 3 weanlings and my older horse, Red. I figured they deserved extra nutrition! I grained the big lot with 2 big buckets of grain. I was huffing. There isn't much snow, but a crunchy layer to walk through! Then I drained the 2 water hoses and carried them back up to the top barn. Who needs a gym when you have this type of workout? I didn’t mind chores tonight, except that with dark coming so fast in the evenings, I finished chores in the dark. Only 1 more day until the official start of winter, then daylight will start to go the other way! Even though we have the winter months of January and February to go through, the days will get longer! More daylight means more time for chores, and, just maybe, horsey time!

I never blanket my outside horses. They develop thick coats. If they get a layer of snow on them, the snow actually acts like a blanket and insulates them, keeping their body heat between them and the layer of snow. I rarely see any of my horses shaking. About the only time I see them shake is if it is a cold rain. My horses are on round bales, though, and always seem to be eating! Eating hay is what keeps them warm.

The next few days and nights are going to be downright fright! Forecast is very cold! Tonight, Saturday, is to be -6, with 15-20 mph winds out of the northwest, even reaching up to around 30 mph. That makes our wind chill tonight at a - 22 to -32 below zero. Brrr.

Sunday is even colder than today! Hard to believe! High of 2°, with 15 to 25 mph wind, wind chill about the same as during the night, but at least there may be sun! Sunday night is forecasted at -10°. Wind is to almost stop during the night! Monday’s high is slightly higher at 13°! Sun coming out in the morning. Monday night is quite a bit warmer at 9! Then a reprieve on Tuesday at 26! Heat wave!

I'm glad I had meatballs in spaghetti sauce in a crock pot, because a meatball sub was great after I came in! I was hungry! Now, I’m going to take a hot shower, and make myself cozy on the couch. I’m going to snuggle under a fleecy blanket, drinking another mug of Irish Crème instant cappuccino, and read a book! Wrapping Christmas gifts can wait until tomorrow!

Thinking ahead of what topics to discuss...

I've been thinking tonight about what topics to talk about after the holidays. Winter is just starting, and harsh cold air will be here for awhile. With ice, sleet, and snow coming tonight, spring seems a long time away. But spring will be here before we know it and I want to plan for spring time.

I want to set goals. I want to share my training methods. I want to condition my CTR horse. I have 2 young horses to continue with, a coming 5 and a coming 6 year old. One is green broke, one is only halter broke. Both are quiet geldings, tie well, been haltered and handled for years. Now, it is time to be serious about getting them trained. They are well bred horses with good conformation. Even though the market is down, I was not going to give up on these two. They deserve my time and attention. They deserve to be trained with good solid basics.

As I work with the horses, I will blog about my training techniques. I will share how I work with each horse each day. I will blog the ups and downs, achievements and disappointments. I will share how I am doing things and what I will need to do different. Each horse is different each day, and each horse is different from day to day. I will discuss what is working and what is not. I will discuss how the horse responds and grows in the training program.

What other topics would you like me to discuss? Since I’m going back to the beginning of basics, I’ll start there. For me, the first day a horse comes in for training, he adjusts to my place. Some arena turnout to see the place on his time frame. He is in his stall to get used to the horses around him. He has hay in front of him at all time. He may stand tied for an hour to begin his patience training.

Day 2 is lunging. Free lunging. I work with the horse to bond with me. Some bond within minutes, some don’t bond fully, even after an hour of me establishing that I am leader. Lunging teaches manners, teaches a horse to change directions. Lunging shows me how the horse moves, how easy he turns, and most importantly, his attitude! That will be a day discussion in itself!

Any specific topic that you want to know about?

Come along on the ride with me!

Decorating for Christmas

What is it with all of us this year? I haven't done any decorating either, and I'm blah... Why don't we want to decorate? Here it is, a week before Christmas! I should have lights up, wreaths and garland up and around the windows. I usually don’t do the tree until the weekend before Christmas, but this year, it will only be up 5 days before Christmas. We are leaving late on the 22nd to see our daughter, Sara, and son-in-law, Jake, and new granddaughter, Makenzie in Colorado! So now I’ll only get to see the tree for 3 days before Christmas!

And baking? I would have cookie ingredients bought by now! I don’t even have the urge to bake! Why bake pies when you can buy 3 for $10 from the freezer section of the grocery store? And they do taste good! If I baked, everyone is usually too full for dessert, than I get to look at it for days! And I usually eat 2 pieces of pie a day until it’s gone! I know, I could freeze leftovers, but I have to blame the added pounds on something!

It's too cold and too dark to do much with horses except to feed them! Maybe that is it! We aren't out and moving around, which is exercising, especially when you feed and groom, so our energy level is blah! That's my story anyways!I know if the tree goes up and I would play Christmas music, I would get in the mood. I do have 2 small trees at the store though. I have no excuse not to do the Christmas houses...they are in the bottom shelves of the entertainment center. I just need to set them out! I think if we did some decorating we would all feel better. I know I'll feel better next Wed when I get to see my granddaughter!

I have bought gifts. I delivered some when we saw our daughter last week, just in case we don’t get out there if the weather turns nasty! But it will have to be a blizzard before I don’t go to see my new granddaughter for her first Christmas! I bought gifts for those that needed to be sent. I have most things for my husband, 2 sons, 1 daughter-in-law, and friends. I still need the “BIG” gifts for my husband and sons! Sara and Amber are getting baby swings for the babies. Actually, the babies are getting them, but that is what the moms wanted! Geez, have you seen what baby things cost today? Ok, on to big items. Ideas for sons are taken care of and hubby is “suppose” to be getting those presents this week. He better have it done by the weekend! Now, ALL I have to do is think of something for hubby. What do you get someone that doesn’t need, want, wear out anything! I am sooo easy to buy for, and my husband isn’t! He has it made, shopping for me, but every year he has to ask me what I want and he says he can’t find anything! Men. Get me something horsey, some nice jewelry, or go to Christopher Banks. I just love that store!

I have wrapped some gifts. I sent some today from the post office. It didn’t matter that I just carried the gifts in and asked for boxes that they would fit into. I did address the boxes right there. But I didn’t stand there and fill boxes and write out addresses when there was a line of people behind me waiting! I did step aside and let people behind me mail their packages. Ok, 2 packages sent, 1 to go. That box is heavy. I need to go to UPS.

I think I’ll do Christmas houses tonight, and get out the Christmas music CD’s. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll make Pecan Tarts this weekend. And Peanut Butter cookies with both chocolate kisses and with peanut butter cups. Love those! Ok, time to start humming Christmas songs.

Winter is Here!

Zero Tonight!

Yesterday was a sunny, warm, 50 degree day. Sweatshirt weather! Today, the winter overalls came out. The morning started in the high teens. The temp dropped throughout the day. The day became more overcast. Since it started getting dusk at 3:30, I decided to do chores early. Today is Sunday, and I can take advantage of doing chores earlier and getting back into the warmth before dark.

I just came in from chores. The temp is now 6 degrees at 5 pm! With overalls, insulated boots, headband, and insulated gloves, I thought I would be warm enough. And for the most part, I was. But there was enough north wind to chill the face. IT won’t be long before I’ll be wearing a scarf and covering my face and mouth during chore time.

I knew tomorrow was to be even colder. Zero tonight, 10 for the high tomorrow. I filled water tanks for all the horses. I made sure that all the water tank heaters were plugged in. Fresh round bales were put into the feeders yesterday. I grained and checked gates, making sure that all gates were secure. I didn’t want any horses getting out in this weather! I fed the older horse, Duke, and the steer their hay, giving them extra so they will stay warm.

I shut the large doors on the arena barn. This will keep the cold wind out of the arena and stall area. I check the heaters in the bathroom and lounge, and turned the heaters up to handle the colder nights.

The dogs and cats are in the mare barn. I made sure that the large door was latched on both sides. Since there is a gap at the bottom of that door, I block the bottom with folded up grain bags to keep as much of the breeze out as I can. The dogs had plenty of straw to bury down into a deep bed. The cats keep warm by finding an opening in the stack of hay and curling up.

I’m curled up on the couch, watching a Christmas movie. I just had a hot supper of beef, potatoes and carrot stew. I love the taste of carrots cooked in beef broth. More vegetables were added to the leftover broth and meat. Beans, peas, carrots, corn, and potatoes. There will be a crock pot full of vegetable soup waiting for Tom and I for supper tomorrow night after chores!

My Letter to my First Granddaughter

Makenzie Ruth

Makenzie Ruth was born Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 6:55 pm. 6 pounds, 13 ounces, 20 ¼” long. Chin dimple like her mommy. Eyes like her daddy. Long fingers, to play piano like her mommy, and long toes. And lots of hair. Where did she get all that hair?

Grandpa “Pop” think she looks like Sara when she was a baby. Grandma saw Sara in her when we laid her down on the floor when she was 2 days old and looked at her sideways. Oh, that was Sara when she was a baby.
Grandma and Pop got “the call” at about 3:30 am Wednesday morning. I went back to bed for a few hours, but Pop went to lay on the couch. I rested until 6:30, but Pop said he couldn’t sleep and packed a few things into the truck. I think he was more nervous than all of us!

We were on the road by 10 or so, much later than I wanted to be. We brought out the truck and horse trailer since your mommy needed some hay for her horses. (Hay isn’t as expenses in Nebraska, but when gas prices were at a high close to $4.00 or over, I wondered!) The trip is 7 ½-8 hours long, depending on how many stops we need, for gas and the restroom! We arrived at Nunn, CO about 4:30, 5:30 our time.
We grabbed the camera and headed to the Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, arriving about 5:15. We found the maternity floor. We stopped by the nurse’s desk, but they said your mommy’s room was closed and visitors weren’t allowed. Due to privacy laws, the nurse couldn’t tell us anything, but she could tell them that we were there. I told her to tell your mommy and daddy that her Mom and Dad were there. We went to the waiting area and the nurse came out within 5 minutes. She told us that she was allowed to say that your mommy was pushing. We only waited about 45 minutes and your Daddy was there! He said he has a little girl that is about 10 minutes old! Your Daddy was so happy! He called your other Grandma to tell her! Pop and I had to wait about ½ hour before we could come see you.

You were less than an hour old when I saw you for the first time, nestled in your mommy’s arms. Oh, you were so little. You had a perfect face, gorgeous eyes, a chin dimple, and hair! And your little fingers. Nice and long. Piano fingers. Your Mommy played the piano, and the flute. When I held you, you wrapped your fingers around my finger. I held your fingers up to your mouth and you sucked on them. When you were awake, your eyes were so big and so open. You love being held close. When you were restless, you moved your tiny arms around. You wanted your hands near your face. A nurse told me that babies comfort themselves when their hands are up to their face. But when you were waking up or fussy, your arms would move and your hands would sometimes scratch your cheeks.

When you were content, your slept. You slept so deeply and quietly. Even though that was when we should have laid you down, I loved holding you then. I held you close and watched your face. I talked to you, quietly, inside my head. I want us to have a special bond. Before you were born, I knew you would be a girl. I had hoped so, anyways. I want to share my love for horses with my first granddaughter, and with all my grandchildren.

Pop and I stayed and visiting with your Mommy and Daddy until Friday. They brought you home from the hospital and carried you into your home. Pop had a surprise for all of you. Your first Christmas tree was standing in front of the large west windows. Still undecorated since your Mommy had to go to the hospital before the decorations could get onto the tree. Your Pop had bought you, and your little cousin who would be born 2 weeks after you, a little red Santa outfit! Pop hung it on the tree for all to see when they walked in from the garage!

And hanging on the fireplace was your Mommy and Daddy’s stockings. Pop hung a horsey stocking, just for you! Pop also wrote you a letter, and gave you 3 small gifts. A small toy horse, a small John Deere tractor, and a small pony. A small horse because your mommy would teach you how to ride. A small tractor since your Daddy will teach you how to drive. And a small pony because I want to buy you a pony!

It was time to leave. I held and cuddled with you. Grandpa took a picture of us since I was laying on the couch with you. I told him that you were so relaxed, that I could have fallen asleep, holding you.

Today is only 4 days since you were born, 2 days since I left you to come home. Yesterday, after working the store, I went shopping at the baby consignment store. I bought 5 bags of baby clothes!!! I did buy some pink, even though I’m not a “pink” person. I was able to find purple and yellow outfits. The best outfits are made of blue jean material! Jumpers, bib overalls, and jackets. I can dress you like a little cowgirl!

I was feeling sad because I am not there with you and I wanted to write this letter. I feel better now since I feel closer to you. I think I am going to call your mommy and check on you.

I love you so much, Grandma

Beagle Puppies!

2005 litter

Our third child, the 2nd son, Micah, wanted a puppy. He talked about all kinds of Breeds. He decided to raise Beagles. Micah was about 14 at the time. In 2000, I went with him to pick out his first female, a tri-color, 13” Beagle puppy. AJ came home with us. AJ Shortstuff, “AJ”. They sure are cute puppies!

Micah breed AJ when she was 2 to a blond and white Beagle male. He kept a tri-color female from that litter. AJ’s Blue Daisy, “Daisy”. She is a pretty female, a little less blocky than her mother.

Jake’s Little Warrier, “Ace“, was a male puppy that he bought from a different litter. When Ace turned 2, he sired 1 or 2 litters every year. The average puppy litter size was 5-6 puppies, even though some litters did only have 4 pups.

The dogs adore Micah. When they hear his voice, they start looking for him. His 3 adult Beagles go straight to him, even if there are other people around. They love his attention. Micah spent a lot of time with the dogs when they were puppies, and it shows by how much the love people! His dogs love the attention, and rubs, and snacks! Beagles are notorious for following their noses, and not coming when called. But when his dogs are outside, and Micah calls, they come to home. Sometimes, the 2 older dogs want to run or chase the cats, but eventually they will come when Micah calls them.

Tom always feed them 1 or 2 small bone snacks after he plays with them! The dogs know it too. They will go get their rubs from him, then they wait for their bones.

We just had another litter of the cutest puppies! Daisy is a proud mom. She is such a good mom. She doesn’t mind us picking up her pups or moving them around. Last night, I wanted to make sure that each pup was nursing well. I’m moving each pup and getting each one to take a nipple. Daisy lays back as if to nap. But then, I’m sure she was tired after just giving birth to 6 healthy, hungry babies!

Brain Dead!

My brain hurts! My eyes hurt! My whole head hurts! I could just lay down and sleep the rest of the day away! I would love to snuggle under a fleece blanket on the couch and sleep the afternoon away! But I'm not at home, there is no couch. My head is still brain dead! Where is the caffeine? What, no coffee left in the coffee pot? That is a crime. I'll need to make another pot. (No, I'm not addicted to caffeine. I just need my coffee. AND...I drink 1/2 and 1/2. 1/2 caffeine, 1/2 decaf. AND I drink it weak so I can drink more of it. Did I say that I love to drink coffee on cold days, and when I am tired, and after a good meal, and....

Why does my brain hurt? I am trying to figure out a shopping cart for my store website. It is so confusing. I am confused! I have pushed so many buttons today that it is making my head swirl watching my keyboard. My eyes are about ready to bug out! I get so far on the design, then something seems wrong, and I delete everything that I have worked on for the previous hour. What I design does not look like the pictures of what the pages are suppose to look like! grrrrr.

Maybe this is why people pay other people to have this headache! On the bright side, I have a little more knowledge about websites, shopping carts, Buy Now tabs, and Checkout. That is what I would like to do...check out for awhile! Wrapped in a fleece blanket! Ahhhh. Maybe my thoughts are on sleep since it seems like I was awake every hour last night! (I hate these middle age hormones, but that is another subject for a really bad day!) On the bright side of that, I don't think I'll be cold this winter!

You may think that I don't have a clue about websites, but I do. I know what I like when I see it! I know what websites I like the designs of. I figure this is saving me money, but it's definitely not saving me time.

The wind is blowing and it is cold out. The day started at 17 degrees. Brrr!! It has warmed up. Even though it is 33 out, there is also a 20-30 per hour wind. What would that make the wind chill? I want to be on the couch, curled up with Laura Crum's book "Cutter" that just came. I want to curl my hands around a cup of instant Irish Creme cappucino.

Where's the coffee? I think I'll go through a drive-thru coffee hut after work and get a TALL Irish Creme latte! For now, I better go start that 2nd pot of coffee. I still have over 2 hours of work.

I better warm up before I get home. I have to stop and pick up 2 tank water heaters. The ice was so thick this morning, that I could hardly chop through it! I am NOT going to break ice another morning!

Cold Mornings!

The mornings are getting colder. I always seem to delay getting the winter heaters into the water tanks until after I have to break ice a few mornings. This year, I have been breaking ice for more than a few mornings. Some mornings, there is just a thin layer of ice. Some mornings, there is a heavy layer of ice. Some mornings, I can’t break the ice with the grain bucket, and I need to use a T- post to break the ice.

We have had lots of horses who think it's neat to play with the water heater and get it outside the water tank, pull them apart, and tramp on it! Those early years, I have found bits and pieces all over the lot. What do they do? Run with the pieces or fling them around? I always wonder if they get their mouths burned on the element when it first comes out of the water. The element does automatically turn off when it is out of water, but the heater is hot to the touch when it first comes out of the water. I suppose the wire cage around the element protects them while they trample it!

I have learned to put the extension cord of the water heaters through PVC pipe so that the horses can’t chew on the cord. To keep the water heaters IN the tanks, we wire the PVC pipe to the fence posts. It is wired right below the electric fence, and when they touch the fence a time or two to try to play with the pipe, they eventually get shocked. They have learned to leave the tank heater alone!

I finally got the water heaters into the tanks over this past weekend. I plugged in 2 water heaters and the electric fencer to 1 outlet. The heaters were only plugged in for 1 night before I blew a fuse! No extra fuses in the barn! Where are the fuses, and how do you open this darn fuse box? My hubby told me that he hid the fuses…why??? I’m back to breaking ice until I get my husband to show me where the special fuses are!

I’m back to breaking ice this morning. I find one extension cord in the steer lot! How did it get there? Luckily, the cord wasn’t frozen into the mud and I pulled it out of the lot. It seemed a lot longer now! I stretched it out toward the barn where I have TWO separate outlets. My extension cords were long enough to get TWO extension cords from 2 water tank heaters into the barn and plugged into 2 different outlets. Yeah, I have electric to 2 tank heaters. Now I hope that those 2 outlets are on 2 different circuits! I’ll find out tonight at chore time whether I have ice or water.

Now, I just need to get the fencer back on and electric to 2 more tanks. I need to find more extension cords to run to 2 more lots! I’m back to breaking ice until then. Do I have enough water heaters for 2 more tanks? I think I’m missing one. I need to replace the one that I picked out of the pen in bits and pieces last winter. Time to run to the farm store.

Thankful for Horses

Brenda, Tom, Sara, Jacob & Micah

Fall, 1995

Thanksgiving is over. We are thankful for many things, and one of those is horses.

Why do I love horses so much? I love horses because they are honest and sincere and truthful with their actions. They are a good friend! Horses let you know exactly how they feel. I love their horsey smell, the musty smell as they are shedding their winter coat or the sweaty smell after a hard workout. I love how a mare nickers to her young foal and I love that similar sound when they nicker for their hay. I love riding a collected lope. I love sitting down deep and feeling the horse stop. I love loping in the fields and watching the horse perk his/her ears, anticipating a run. I love the feel of the muscles as they stretch. I love it when my horse walks up to me and wants me to rub its head, right between the eyes. I am thankful that they want me in their life as much as I want them to be in my life.

I asked a question. Why do you love horses? Why are you thankful? You told me how much horses mean to you. You told me how horses have offered you a peaceful solution when life gets hard. You told me that you can’t imagine horses not a part of your life. Some of the answers that I received have given me more time to reflect on why I am thankful for horses.



My friend, Gretchen, has just moved away. She is an equestrian coordinator for a youth camp, and she just loves it. It is so obvious that she loves her job, loves her work, loves working with kids, and loves her horses! Did I say that she loves her horses? This love just oozes out of her. Gretchen is a neat person and I am so lucky to have her as a friend and confidant. We talk to each other, talk things out, and find solutions. We both try to figure out the horse. All of this because of a friendship that developed from Gretchen having the desire to ride better. She knows and understands horses, and she rides with a renewed confidence. She is truly a good friend to her horses! I think the horses she own and the horses she care for are thankful that she is in their life!

Gretchen loves horses so much that what she wrote, what could have been, and should be, a poem. I put it into a poem for her. Here is my version of Gretchen’s poem. Enjoy it as much as I have!

“I Love Horses Because…”
Horses teach me so much!
I never stop learning from them.
Horses make me laugh, and they make me cry.
On my worst days, my horses know it.
They come over and drop their heads in my lap to offer comfort.
On my best days, my horses take me for the ride of my life.
There is nothing better in life than a gallop across the bean field or a lope around the arena.
There is nothing better in life than the sound of a herd of happy horses eating.
There is nothing better in life than the smell of horses in the barn.
They are such incredible works of God's creation.
They are a mystery and a surprise.
They trust and forgive.

Gretchen thought that she could go on and on, but she thought that was enough. I could have read more! Thanks, Gretchen! Horses are indeed one of God's wonderful creations! This is good enough to be a poem, and now it is! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me! You are thankful for horses and I am thankful for you. You give many older horses a fantastic retirement. You give many children a wonderful summer vacation. You give your friends a sense of the peace that horses need to feel. You give your horses a wonderful, peaceful life.

A few people have talked about how horses have saved them. I quote: “They are the sanity at the beginning and end of a very long day“. Horses offer a calmness after a long day at work. Whenever there is something upsetting in life, you can always go to the barn or to the pasture to find the horse you love with all of your life. Horses offer a calmness to one’s life, but you need to sit back and enjoy some quiet time with them. No structure, no purpose, just to be there. An existence unhampered by demands.

When tragedy strikes, in the form of a family member leaving home or in a death of a loved one, families became closer due to horses. Sometimes, sacrifices are made so that horses can remain part of the family. Horses understand love, and hurt, and let you be quiet, without questions. Families deal with loss by hugging a pet or smelling a horse’s neck, by walking or talking with their four legged friend, having a companion, and finding a soul mate. Horses remain quiet when you are quiet. They search you out to give you what you need. They remain close as you rub on them. They remain near until your anxieties and pain are less intense, then they move off quietly to graze.

Yes, I believe horses are great therapy! They listen without complaining. I think it is so peaceful to walk among them when you are bothered or upset about something. The horses seem to know when you are there, not to catch them, but to visit and wander. They come to you and let you pet them, and I find where they are almost too much in my face. They must sense when we need to be comforted. They blow their scent over you, covering you with a blanket of their smell, protecting you with their invisible layer of love and warmth.

With the love for a horse comes a connection. A special feeling that you belong with them. One friend wrote: “horses are my teachers, my therapist, and the mirror into my soul. It's hard to describe the hole that would be left if I couldn't spend time with horses - they're a part of me!” With a horse, you become more than what you are. Horses make the impossible possible. Horses make you a better person. Horses make you try to live your life to the fullest. You can achieve what you strive to achieve, and horses can help.

Oh, I love that. "Horses are the mirror into my soul!" Lovely! We see ourselves when we truly understand the horse, when we see him for what he is. If we search the horse’s soul, we would begin to understand them and see them as an individual horse instead of one of many. I wonder if the opposite is true? Does my horse see inside me as I try to see inside her? Does my horse understand what makes me tick and why I am the way that I am? Does my horse help me to make me a better horsewoman and rider? Does my horse help me to understand him or her better? I will slow down and watch for this as I continue my paths with my horses. How are my horses helping me?

Yes, I can’t imagine the emptiness that would follow without horses in my life. There was a time, after marriage, and when the babies came, that I didn’t have horses. But I knew that I would once again have horses, but the timing was not right at that moment. This is different than knowing that you could not have horses. I would be in agony. I need to know they are there when I need them. It doesn’t matter that I haven’t done anything with them in the last 2 weeks except feed them. They are still there and they are mine.

Even if I could never own horses again, horses would remain a part of my life. I would have to volunteer at a barn. I would have to drive by someone’s pasture every day. I would need to see them. That wouldn’t be good enough. I would need to touch them. I would need to smell them. I would have to wrap my life around them.

I love horses because horses have made me some wonderful horsey friends! Horses are my life because I love my horses! Thanks for coming along on this ride with me! Brenda

We Love Our Horses because...

Starlet and Duster, May 2008

There are many reasons that I love horses. I have a lot of memories. Life was slower and simplier when we were kids, so I think we had more time to play then kids today. I think my first memories were of my brother, sister, and friends riding our ponies. I remember racing my brother to a tree out in the field, around the tree, and then back to the barn. We did fine racing to the tree, around the tree, and back to the barn, UNTIL the ponies didn't stop. They made a sharp L turn on the gravel driveway, and headed to the barn. I fell off onto the gravel. Ouch! I rode my pony to ball practice. I rode my horse to deliver newspapers! My pony had a foal and I raised my first baby. I loved sitting in the manger and watching my pony eat. I loved riding my pony, and later, my first horse, to the trails. I remember riding by myself all the time, through the hills and trees. Today, I prefer riding in a hilly, forest area. I taught my 3 children and husband to ride. My children grew up with the responsibility of caring for their horses and riding and practicing for events. Now they are responsible adults because of horses in their lives.

Why do I love horses? I love horses because they are honest and they let you know exactly how they feel. I love their smell. I love how a mare nickers to her young foal. I love riding a collected lope. I love loping in the fields and watching the horse perk his/her ears, anticipating a run. I love it when the horse walks up to you and wants you to rub its head. And most important, I love horses since, because of horses, I have wonderful friends!

Riding with friends at Ft. Rob, NE June 2008

Why do you love horses?

Come along on this memory ride with me! Brenda

Saddle Pad Experiment

I had an interesting day yesterday. I helped one of my teenage riders with her science fair project. Her experiment involved comparing which saddle pad type would keep the horse’s back cool. She compared wool saddle pads to fleece saddle pads.


We started at 12:30. Katie and her mom unloaded saddle pads and a scale to weigh saddles and pads. We brought 7 horses into the stalls and feed their grain and hay to keep them content for the afternoon. Katie’s job was to brush all the horses while her mom helps me put 2 round bales into the big lot. (I tried to put out round bales by myself earlier in the week. I grain the horses, open the gate, drove the tractor with round bale through the gate, close the gate, and then I couldn’t lift those darn heavy round bale feeders up onto their side! I could lift them up just a few years ago, and now I couldn’t. I’m thinking because the rounded bottom part of the legs had worn off over the years, and I didn’t have that extra 8” of leverage. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! I can NOT be that I’m older! Oh well…) After we finished putting out round bales, we helped Katie finish brushing the horses.

(Temperature probe in wool pad)

Katie’s project involved working each horse on a lunge line for 15 minutes, using each type of saddle pad on each horse, and recording the horse’s back temperature, rectal temp, and saddle pad temp before and after each lunge time. She weighed each saddle that would be used. She also weighed the saddle pads before and after the exercise to determine if they were heavier due to sweat.


We worked 7 horses for her project. We started with a group of 3 horses. Katie had temperature strips to record the horse’s back temp before saddling, a rectal thermometer to record the horse’s internal temp, and a probe thermometer to take the saddle pad temp. She recorded temps on each horse, then we saddled, using the wool pads. We walked to the outside arena, and Katie, her mom, and I walked the 3 horses for 5 minutes, trotted the horses for 5 minutes, then walked them again for 5 minutes on a lunge line. We walked back to the barn, and unsaddled and recorded all 3 temps again. We saddled the same horses again, using the fleece pads. We lunged the horses for the same times, and she recorded the same temps. We repeated the process with the other horses.


We did notice that we started the day at 50 degrees at 1, and by 3, the temp started dropping. By 5, when Katie and her mom finished lunging the last group for the 2nd time, the outside temp was only in the 30’s. Even though the horses didn’t sweat, their backs still had an increase in body temp and so did the saddle pads. The internal temp did increase slightly. One type of saddle pad did increase in temp over the other type of pad. I’m anxious to see her results and I will record them here as soon as she has her report written.


After seeing the results today, I could see where she could have done this experiment in warmer weather. If the horses had sweated some, we would have seen a higher difference in all the temps, plus had some weight gain in the saddle pads. It would have been interesting to see what pads would have kept the back cooler in hotter weather, and whether or not the increase weight in saddle pads due to sweat would have had an effect on a cooler back or not. Katie said she would try the same experiment next summer on a hot day.


I would like to try this experiment on Finny next summer, in the middle of summer, and see what saddle pad DOES keep a back cooler in 90 degree weather! I will use the cell foam pad to this experiment, as this is the type of pad that I ride at CTRs. I will also test a synthetic wool fiber as I practice in this type of pad, that has a neoprene center.

I can’t wait to see what pad keeps a horse’s back the coolest. I will definitely take the results of this experiment into consideration when I ride next summer.

Come along for the ride! Brenda

What I have learned from CTR this year

The rides have been fun and a great experience! I thought I was a good rider. The rides are making me a better rider. I coach and train others. I teach them how to ride. I get into the minds of horses. What I didn’t realize would happen when I started CTR is how much CTR would get into my mind and make me a thinking rider! I have ridden enough to ride naturally, without thinking about it. Now, I am more conscience of each and every move that I make in the saddle. I am aware of each move that my horse makes with his legs and body. I am more aware of what it takes to get his mind in the mornings so he remains relaxed for those first few miles. Because, more than likely, there is a judge 2 miles out on Saturday morning, just waiting for you to stop your horse and make him wait for 5-10 seconds. That time is an eternity!

I have learned that you have to read a map, while moving! And be able to read the little symbols. I have learned to pack my glasses in my pommel bag. Next year, I will be wearing prescription sunglasses, with antiglare, and hopefully, with non-breakable frames. Also, take into consideration the times! If you are going 4.3 mph, how long should it take to get from point 5 to point 6? Now remember to calculate in obstacles, time waiting for obstacles, remembering to tell the judge your wait time, and, if there is a P&R in that time frame, add in that 15 minutes. Now remember, that is without potty breaks, so if you get off your horse, count that time as your time! Now, get on and move out, because you’re already 10 minutes behind! I’ve learned to be on my horse at least 15 minutes to ½ hour before I ride out, and trot him around in his little pleasure trot. This puts him into a riding frame that I like to ride in. While he gives to the bit, it is a reminder to not pull on that bit during the ride. This warm-up takes the edge off of him, relaxes him, but most importantly, warms him up enough that we can begin trotting after we leave camp, to get 10 minutes ahead of our time! Then, maybe if we meet the judges a few minutes out of camp, my horse will settle and stand without jigging.

During my first ride, I could barely hang on to the map, let alone attach it, somewhere. Oh, my horse isn’t going to like this flapping around. He learned to care less! And I learned some of the tricks of the trade! You attach EVERYTHING to your breast collar or saddle! Next year, I’m going to take pictures of everything I see attached and flopping all around the horse! Maps, sponges, fans, water bottle holders. I loved the step someone made so they could get back onto their horse! I learned to tie everything on tightly, so there is no movement which could potentially cause back soreness.

Oh, and did someone tell me to take notes the night before each ride? That one is an important piece of advice. Was I suppose to turn at this red ribbon, or this red ribbon over here? Why are there 2 red ribbons on different trails? Oh, there is a yellow ribbon in the middle of those 2 red ribbons. What does that mean? What was I suppose to do when I saw the big tree? Where is the cabin where I turn? And where am I on the map? Where is the next P&R? Where could the judges be? Hmmm…

I have learned to look at the map and keep trotting. My horse doesn’t care what that crinkling noise is anymore. I have learned to see how fast I’m moving at the trot with my GPS. But if you look down too much, you better learn to duck fast when you look up and there is a tree branch! Oh, and did I say how much I can eat while riding? You better be able to take your coat off and tie it onto the cantle while riding.

I am learning what the judges are looking for: heavy in the cantle, upper body sway, centered riding, resistance in the horse. Yes, I said body sway. That movement that come naturally after riding for many years. The movement you get when you relax and move with the horse, especially when you ride a “trotter“ and not a “gaited” horse. Well, you don’t move with the horse that way on CTR’s. Oh, you can move your hips independently. Yeah, right! You “try” to keep that upper body from moving side to side going down hill, yet staying light in the cantle, with legs beneath you! Riders on Foxtrotters have it made! They don’t sway side to side because their natural movement is forward and backward. I don’t think that is fair! I have practiced and practiced the last 2 months on that upper body sway. I understand it better, but my upper body doesn’t! I’m practicing and something must be working, because something is starting to feel different going down the field terraces (where do you practice hills in eastern Nebraska unless you trailer an hour away?) Oh, I got it - no upper body movement! Then, in front of the judges, the body doesn’t cooperate with the brain and the horse’s movement. Trying to maneuver the obstacle within a short period of time, legs beneath you guiding your horse, maintaining contact on the reins, now control that upper body sway! We’ll work on that some more! That one is not coming natural. I am planning on participating in a Centered Riding Clinic in the spring. I will conquer that sway!

I am learning what to expect at P&R’s, how to cool off my horse, how to keep him quiet, how to keep him quiet when the horse beside him isn‘t quiet, or to keep him quiet when he sees riders off in the distance, and becomes instantly alert. When that happens, I can just see his heart rate go back up! I just stand in front of him, blocking his view or by distracting him by moving 1 front leg back and forth 1 step. I have watched while riders strip off their saddles, spray down their horse’s necks, pour water into their horse’s mouths from the “horse” water bottle. I have looked at how other riders have connected their sponges, fans, water bottles, and packs to their saddles and breast collars. I am learning what to do that will be an effective style for me and my horse. P&R’s are good for another reason …. knees! Oh, that last ride was cold, I was cold by 10 in the morning, and at that first P&R, I didn’t think my knees would unbend. I have never had that problem when I rode previous winters at my barn. But I probably was on and off my horse more often. I look forward to P&R’s now.

We are having better P&R's. I'm really happy about his conditioning. I'm sure that if the weather was hotter, his P&R‘s may not have been so good. (My rides were September through November). The previous ride was a little warmer, and he did have higher P&R's after rest time, even though they were still below the maximum numbers without losing points. I know we will have to step up his conditioning routine. I am used to conditioning speed event horses and reining horses. I will probably take a different approach than a lot of CTR riders, until I learn what has worked best for those who have done open for many years. I have had horses with strong legs that withstand the torque on the joints on turns. I will have to learn to condition a horse that will maintain soundness on steep hills or on various terrain over 40 miles. I read that it takes 3 months of slow work before adding speed, distance, and hills. Add one at a time. I better have a plan if I want to ride a March or April CTR.

Some of the trails have been sanded, some have been rocky. Most of the trails have been carefully negotiable. There were a few places where you were going up and down a trail that was solid stone with few areas to step in between stone. This ride taught both me and my horse to work on individual foot placing! We had some boggy areas - I like those the least as it could put a lot of strain on the horse's legs. Into muddy/boggy area, then back up (that was not fun - Finny backed up, 1 step and that leg sinks in, next step the other leg sinks in, and when he tried to lift his leg, he almost sat down. These wet areas make you look ahead and plan your path of minimal deep mud. We had a lot of log obstacles, standing over big logs (glad Finny has long legs). This has taught Finny to pick up those legs and quit dragging your toes! I loved trotting through the trees, easily trotting over whatever branch or log is on the path. I have learned to do this on a looser rein, with contact just a ½” away, and let Finny rate his speed for foot placing. Finny has always walked down steep inclines carefully and slowly, but he has had to learn to not rush the hills just because another horse is ahead of him.

Finny has started staying quieter on the ride, without jigging. He is staying quieter riding behind a rider when he can’t see the other horse. He still chomps the bit at obstacles. I'm working on slowing his mind down so he doesn't have to anticipate anything. I don’t feel like I tighten up as I approach the obstacles, yet I try to keep my legs on my horse without holding too tight. Finny is sensitive and he can feel those muscles tighten. He knows something is going to happen. I intentionally make him go slower behind the rider in front of us and keep him at the walk longer. When the horse in front of him starts trotting, I make him wait for me to begin his trot. I have lead more, which was a little challenge because my horse is a chicken! I learned to lead at the trot, and Finny learned to enjoy this as he perked his ears and trotted out. It is amazing to feel that long trot beneath you, and when you check your GPS, your up to an 8 or 9 mph.

I am a competitor and I have been pleased with what I have been able to accomplish with Finny this first year. My goal for next year is to condition a little harder and continue working to have better P&R's. We'll work a little harder on maneuvers over the winter, and I will literally throw things at him to develop a more broke horse. He does not need to move because the slicker hit him on the rump. Some of the simple things, like trailer loading that we do all the time, should be a simple send and go in, now, no hesitation. My ultimate goal with my horse is to make him want to do these maneuvers, and to stand quiet while he waits, without nervous anticipation.
I think a lot of the scoring is how well you and your horse perform the obstacles together. Riders need to ride centered and be up and off the horse‘s back. The horse needs to perform trail obstacles quietly and slowly. A horse can be conditioned and lose points on nervous behavior at obstacles or not performing the obstacle correctly. Your horse can be conditioned, perform obstacles, and if you don’t ride centered, you lose points. I love the partnership that comes between the horse and rider. I love that we are always thinking about the horse and thinking about how to do things better. I love that the care and welfare of our horses come first. And I love that we get to ride at fabulous parks with friends!

I have my plan and I’m ready to go to work. I'm just as excited to continue as I was to start! Thanks for sharing the trail with me and showing me this sport. Come along for the ride! Brenda

Last CTR of the Year

Terrain at Kanopolis CTR, Kansas

Kanopolis CTR was 2 weeks ago. The Last CTR for the 2008 year was the Hill & Dale CTR at Hillsdale, Kansas was the last CTR for the year. We rode this past weekend and we were cold, at least most of Saturday morning! We even had a little ice in the buckets on Sunday morning. The sun didn't show at all on Saturday, and it was brisk. We rode near the lake, and the breeze off the lake was cold! We did have sun on Sunday morning! By the time we got back to the trailers at 1, we could take off coats. But when we left to come home about 3, truck temp only showed 42, but it felt like a heat wave when you weren't in the wind!

Everyone did well. Shari got 2nd in CP and 6th in horse. Taylor, Shari's daughter, did well in the youth division. Robin got 2, 3 or 4 (I can't remember exact placings for her and her horse, but I think they both placed), and I'm not sure if David placed. I got 1st and Finny got 3rd in Novice Lightweight. Virginia, who I ride with, got 2nd and her horse got 3rd in Novice Heavyweight. Shari is bringing our cards home for us since we had to leave early and couldn't stay for awards.

Shari at Kanopolis, KS CTR

The ride was fun! We did have some rocky trails, and most were negotiable, but there were a few places where you were going up and down a trail that was solid stone and few areas to step. This ride taught both me and my horse to work on individual foot placing! We had some boggy areas - I like those the least as it could put a lot of strain on the horse's legs. The obstacles were fun, except Robin did NOT have one fun obstacle and she can share that. We had a lot of log obstacles, standing over big logs (glad Finny has long legs), walking down a steep incline into a muddy/boggy area, then back up (that was not fun - Finny backed up, 1 step and that leg sinks in, next step the other leg sinks in, and when he tried to lift his leg, he almost sat down. Luckily, the judges said that was good enough, and to walk forward, which was easier than backing up!) Finny stayed quiet, but he still chomps the bit at obstacles. I'm working on slowing his mind down so he doesn't have to anticipate anything. He stayed really quiet for the ride, and had great P&R's, so I'm really happy about his conditioning. I'm sure that if it was a hot weekend, that would be different. The previous ride 2 weeks ago was good, but he did have higher P&R's after rest time, even though they were still below the maximum numbers without losing points. My goal for next year is to condition a little harder and continue working to have good P&R's. We'll work a little harder on maneuvers over the winter, as I think a lot of the scoring is how well you, and your horse, perform the obstacles. Riders need to ride centered and up off the horse, and the horse needs to perform trail obstacles quietly and slow. Lots to work on and I'm just as excited to continue as I was to start!

Finny has learned to stay very quiet at the hitching posts. I definitely prefer hitching posts to tying at the trailers. The hitching posts are permanent and well built. The horses are tied long so they can lay down and rest. The posts are high enough that the horse won’t try to jump over it. There is a higher line above the hitching post to tie hang bags from. I have learned to strap, and tape, the water bucket to the upright post. No banging at night. On the trailer, the horse, hay and water buckets are tied to the trailer! Finny lets me know when he runs out of hay during the night. He has a full bag late at night, but he is resting. It appears that he gets his second wind after we go to bed and eats his hay. Then he must get his third wind at 2:30, AM! Very early morning! He has learned to bang his water bucket. I can’t sleep. The neighbors told me that they heard him too! So, I’m up feeding my horse at 3 AM! I have learned to hang 2 hay bags if he is on the trailer at night!

Now, it's time for more coffee. My face was red last night, like I was sun burned, but I know it's wind burned! I am starting to feel really tired! I am going to do a little paperwork today and maybe work on my store website! I need to get my specials on it!!! Have a great day, and drink some coffee - it's Monday! :-)))

I’m taking a week off before the next ride! Come along on the ride with me!
Brenda

Where do you start? Help those who want your help!

I have had some friends start writing their blog. I have started reading Pioneer Woman and mugwump recently. Maybe that is what started me on this soul searching. Their writings gave me the desire to start writing, and to put my thoughts and feelings down on paper. Pioneer Woman makes me want to be a nicer person. I love her love of life and for her husband and family. Her picture stories are fabulous! I love her humor, and her recipes, even though it has been ages since I have had the time to cook. But putting some meat in a crock pot to cook is cooking, right? Oh, the writings of mugwump have me laughing. I have had so many of the same thoughts as mugwump. She understands her horse so well! I love reading how she deals with her mare, lol! Yes, the best way is to start by what you know, to do a clinic, and who comes, comes! Maybe it isn't the number of people that you help, but just helping those that want the help. Maybe that will be my next blog! And it has!

I’m at a different place in my life, being an empty nester, getting older, with a husband who is terribly busy at work, and I’m not wanting to, or willing to, work in 0 degree and 100 degree weather full time. I’ll soon be a grandmother to 2 babies! (Not twins, but 2 of our children are each expecting their first baby this December). Where do I want to be in life? Should I continue with the tack store, should I continue with giving riding lessons, or should I build my training business back up? All at once, it seems like there are many middle age woman who are having, or making, the time for horses, who want to start riding lessons, and/or are wanting training put on their horse. I could help them. Would they want my help?

Burn out came a few years ago! I know now that was what it was. I was getting discouraged. I wasn’t excited about what I was doing. I didn’t even want to do what I was doing. And the worst was that I didn’t even want to ride. Riding was work and I was tired of working all the time. Working from 7 in the morning to 9 at night. Morning chores, hay, grain and water 8-10 horses and cleaning stalls. Feeding outside horses. Grooming 8-10 horses then cleaning those 8-10 stalls again. Filling waters again, saddling and training on 8-10 horses, and cleaning those 8-10 stalls again. Evening chores. Feeding outside horses again, feeding training horses again, cleaning those 8-10 stalls again. Then maybe 3-4 lessons. And finally, cleaning those 8-10 stalls again before going in to the house for what is left of the evening. Can you tell that I never like to have a dirty stall? Weekends had horse shows, helping my own kids show and coaching other kids. Every now and then, we were home to go to church Sunday mornings. It seems like those 3 or 4 months in the spring when I was the busiest felt like it would never get to be summer. Summer time brought less training horses, but then I started and rode my young horses when it was 90 degrees out! How tiring is that? And still coached youth at evening lessons and at shows, when it was 100 degree days! I wanted to quit. One morning, I woke up, dreading going to the show to coach that day. I didn’t want to go to the show. I didn‘t want to help people anymore.
Then recently I had a group of little kids. They brought me flowers, and cookies, and smiles, and hugs. Lessons went by fast. Kids loved their riding time! And I loved helping them. When I was selling my son’s youth horses, these little kids looked up at me, and, with big open eyes, they asked who they would ride when Misty and Chick were sold? They didn’t realize that there would be less lessons if I sold these horses. They just assumed that there would be another horse. I realized that I couldn’t stop helping them. How could I not help someone who had a love for horses so great that they wanted to come for lessons, no matter what the weather was like or what horse they rode? As long as there were horses, even to brush, they would come! They wanted my help and I wanted to help them. They were good for my soul. They made me realize why I started doing what I did, lessons, training, helping others learn how to ride and about horses!

Now, a few years later, I’m at another turning point. I want some free time. I don’t want to be on everyone else’s schedule any more. I started trail riding more. I started doing some Competitive Trail rides. After 15 years, I just told my 4-H group that I am done coaching 4-H! I had made that decision a few years ago, but it didn’t feel right then. I couldn’t leave a few great kids hanging. Today, it feels right, and I am content with that decision. My families that mean so much to me are so supportive and they have helped to make that decision easier. I will still do spring and summer lessons.

I wasn’t doing enough with my own horses. They weren’t being ridden. In today’s market, they were worth pennies on the dollar! So I did less with them, they stood in the horse lot, eating hay. I started downsizing a few years ago. Selling a few at an auction, selling a few privately for, what I thought then was ½ their value. Now, 3 or 4 years later, I wished I had sold more at that previous auction. Now these horses, broke but who need an experienced rider, are only bring about 30% of what they did a few years ago. I took what money I got because I’m feeding less horses, therefore my winter hay bill is down. I know that next spring I wouldn’t get any more money for my horses if they had another season of rides on them. The market is down! Who knows if it will ever go up since they took away the kill plants. But that is another issue. I need to ride the horses that I have, make them better horses for all levels of riders, and then they will sell at a fair price. I need to have the time for me, my goals, and for my own horses.
Getting back to why this blog originated…it’s not the number of people that you help, but help those who want your help. Someone once told me that you can only help the people who want your help. I started out wanting to help everyone. Some people just don’t appreciate what is handed to them, imagine that! When the kids do, their parents don’t. When the parents do, the kids don’t. Not everyone, just a few, but what do they say about a bad apple in a bushel of apples? I learned over the years to keep my mouth shut, and, for those who know me, imagine that! Ha!

Now, I see the wisdom in only helping the people who come to me. I will keep the people away who pull me down. If I concentrate on a few, the few will excel and will learn as much as I am capable of teaching them. Don’t we all want that? To teach someone something so well that they go on and achieve more than they thought they could? Others will see their achievements and ask about what was different. My actions will speak for themselves, and through the actions of others. But…you can’t make them want “it” as much as you want “it”. You can’t make them strive to learn more, to get “it”, if they don‘t want to. It has to come from within them. I had to learn to only give them as much as they wanted or could comprehend. I had to learn not to give them all that I could if that is not what they wanted. A hard lesson for me to swallow, and to learn how to do. I now have fun watching people have fun while they learn. I have more energy, I enjoy these lesson times, and I have a rewarding feeling.

But it is also about limiting the number of people that you help so you have time for what matters most to you. It's amazing when you see clinicians doing something that you do, and making money, you wonder why you don't do the same things? But, by doing more, you develop a bigger business, then you start doing even more work, ride more horses, do more lessons, and be even busier. Well, maybe I’ll stay at this point in my life because I can’t imagine being busier! Something would have to give, and it would probably be my wits! Why on earth would someone want to be any busier? I have no time to breathe right now. I want to find something that gives me some time to do the things that I want to do, find some time to relax at the end of each day and drink a cup of coffee or glass of ice tea, plant some flowers and a vegetable garden, and maybe cook a meal or 2 a week. I want to wake up some morning and wonder what I will do to keep me busy that day. That is not even an option today! I don’t even have time to clean my toilets! I could make the time, but I can’t be doing something every minute of the day. I need some down time in the evenings. I manage to keep the house picked up. Clutter is in organized piles, and the office door stays shut. Meals are cooked in the crock pot. Sometimes, the dishes are washed in the dishwasher, then remain there until they are used, or I get tired of the dirty dishes in the sink so I empty the half-emptied dishwasher. Clothes are washed, then hung to dry so there is no ironing. I try to keep the mail caught up. And my toilets get cleaned when I have company.

Now I have more time for more rides on my young horses. More trail rides. More CTR rides. I’m exciting to see what next year brings. I’ll have 2 grandbabies to cuddle. I have 2 young horses to make better. I have 3 coming yearlings to teach ground manners and learn how to round pen. I have Finny to continue working on maneuvers and logs together. And I have a husband to share my love of horses with. I need to plan a trail ride with him!

Time to reflect, restructure life, regroup, relax, and enjoy these horses! Come along on my next ride with me. Brenda

Starlet let's everyone know that she is still boss!

Last weekend was weaning day, and I put the broodmares in the outside arena. The 3 babies stayed in the smaller lot. Duke, the stud, is in the round pen next to them, yet separated by another fence, and Red, the older, babysitter gelding, is on their other side. This morning, the mares were out of hay, and it was a cold, 40 degree rainy morning. The mares were even shaking, and their leg muscles were quivering. Poor girls, they needed to be eating lots of hay to keep warm. I did not want to put out a round bale in the rain, and by myself. I could have, but what a mess in the rain! And it’s time to get all the horses together anyways, before we had more freezing weather. I had already went around 2 mornings, breaking ice, and this was at least one less tank to break the ice in if it freezes before I get the heaters located, installed, and plugged in! I had to get water heaters into tanks. If they got into the tanks, then eventually they would get plugged in!

Instead of fighting the mud and rain and the tractor with a round bale, I lead all 3 mares, all at one time, to the bottom lot! Goldie on my right, Starlet on my left, and Chick followed behind. I knew Chick would respect the lead rope and not try to pull it out of my hand or try to get antsy and start bucking, or trying something stupid. With me caught in the middle of 3 lead ropes, I needed the mares to cooperate! They walked beside me and didn’t get stupid. Good girls!

I didn’t want the horses whinnying, so I gave the babies, Red, and the other horses their grain first. The mares lead down easily, just alert! I had wondered when I turned them loose in the lot why Starlet and Chick put back their ears at all the horses. And then I remembered...they hadn't been with these horses for about 6 months! But they had shared a fence, so everyone should be friends! Right? Wrong! No wonder Starlet was going around telling everyone she was still boss! LOL The babies whinnied some, and so the broodmares answered. The mares couldn’t figure out if they needed to be smelling the other horse’s noses, kicking out at the other horses, or going to the gate, whinnying and trying to see the babies. It has been 10 days since weaning, but the babies still whinnied. I’m thinking it is only because they are seeing more horses, since they aren’t going ballistic. Yet!

The mares were hungry and they were distracted by the other horses. The mares saw the round bale! Hay sounded better than talking to their, now forgotten, youngsters. But then they has to chase the younger horses and the new horse, Regal. They ignored their buddy, Bubba. Poor Bubba. He used to be in the midst of who was on top of the dominance ranking in the lot. Now, he was just being ignored! Finny was left alone, and that was good. I didn’t want to see kick or bite marks on him. Buster, the quiet one, wanted to be everyone’s buddy. He wasn’t smart enough to pay attention to the laid back ears, and Starlet’s kick almost connected with him! He better move faster next time. Shaggy wanted to follow them, and was being annoying, and Chick left him know it with flatten ears and bared teeth. Chick is mostly all bark and no bite, but the other horse better move or she will nail them! The new horse on the place, Regal, had all of Starlet’s attention, and Starlet chased her away from the round bale! The 2 boarding horses were left alone, which I thought was strange. One is an older show gelding and the other is an old mare. Maybe both of them threw off the “I’m not a threat” vibes. But they were ignored and that was good for them. I don’t need them chased or have bite marks before winter sets. Then Starlet decided she wanted the other round bale under her control too, and chased everyone from that bale! She is an dominant boss with the horses, but she is an awesome lesson horses for beginners and kids! I’ll keep her, just so I can watch her antics and laugh at her ways!

The weanlings are staying quiet. I didn't expect that. I figured that they would be whinnying and would be acting up. I expecting some running around and frantic whinnies. They stood quietly eating their hay, every now and then watching the other horses. But they couldn’t see much. I did feed Red his hay on the ground, directly outside their pen and in their line of vision to the other horses. Good plan!

I hope all is fine when I get home tonight! Electric is on so the bottom horses should respect the fence! I hope the mares are really hungry and stick their heads into the round bale all morning, sleep the afternoon away, and wake up hungry and stick their heads back inside the round bale.

Today was my late day at the store. Why didn’t I wean on a Saturday afternoon and then have 2 days to watch horses? Why did I leave for the whole day and not stick around to watch my babies, with Starlet being the biggest baby and herd troublemaker? But luck was on my side. I got home, and in the dark, put on my headlamp and walked to the baby lot. Is no whinnying a good sign or a bad sign? I figured if horses were out, there would be some running around. But all the horses were at the round bales, and Red and the babies were standing quietly, waiting for their grain.

Weaning crisis is over. No one cares where their mom is. Chex is still angry though, and lays his ears back at the other babies, just like his mom does at the other horses. Oh, that boy is going to find himself in with other horses sooner than later. He is not going to rule the roost! He has an attitude adjustment coming, and probably within the next 2 weeks! Honey and Duster, (yes, I finally settled on a name for Starlet’s baby! Dukes Starduster!) don’t care when Chex puts back his ears, they just push against him and push in for their grain. Oh, I see some certain personalities showing, and not all pleasant ones! The babies will live with Red and Bob, the older show gelding, for the winter. Red and Bob won’t kick them but they will teach them horse manners! I can’t wait to watch that!

I finished night chores with no incidences of whinnies, kick sounds, or horses being chased away. Weaning is over for another year. Mares have settled down.

Now it’s time to start riding Starlet and Chick. They are out of shape! I wonder how Goldie would like a saddle now? She was started as a 2 year old, rode lightly during her 3rd and the start of her 4th year. She wasn’t going to make the cut for a great pleasure horse, and she still had some buck in her, so what do we do? We either ride her and sell her or we quit riding her and breed her! She has great bloodlines and has thrown some awesome babies. Maybe now is it’s time to be more than a broodmare and get back to riding! Hmmm, maybe I’ll get my one son to get on her for her first ride!

Come along for the ride!
Brenda