Clean Color~

After her bath!

Today, was one of those changeable days that usually belong to spring.  Instead - again, I look at the calendar & it says February.  I went out & raked leaves, cut back tree branches & enjoyed just being outside.  Then I decided to give Farah a bath - with winter coats shedding, warm baths seem to hasten the process & at the same time, give that new coat growing in a clean start.  We give her Flax year around, for the omega's & the shiny coat.

The color of the oak leaves I've yet to pick up~

Since she's our one & only - she gets pampered & she knows it :-)  She does love her baths, kicking back & relaxing while & scrub away.  I've kept a light weight rain sheet on her most of the winter & she's done fine with it.  Mostly just to keep her clean enough to reduce grooming time when I saddle up.

Enjoying the front lawn~

Soon, we'll be starting our fifth season together - how those years have flown by!  Every time I ride this mare, I think about how lucky I was to find her.  I'm thankful that I have the years behind me of horse ownership, learning what it takes to keep a healthy, happy horse & putting that knowledge to work.  The hope is to keep her going down the trail for as long as I want to go down a trail.  As the decades pass, I find my self a bit more reflective as I grow older.  Pat & I were talking about the great horses that we've both known & having one now - at this time in my life is a great gift.

When the Sun Shines~

First snow of the season~

We wake to a world of white, blazing blue skies & brilliant sunshine!  Cold too, with temps in the 20's.  Just the kind of snow that packs into the horses feet & makes those icy, hard balls - especially when combined with Farah's brand new, last shoes of the year!

The Cottage

As badly as I'd like to ride, it's icy, frosty & slippery...  I'm Hopeful that the sunshine & 40's forecast for next week - will pan out!  In the meantime, we're going tree cutting & pulling the boxes of decorations out of the barn loft.  Every year I say I'm not going to do as much - & every year I still do it all...

Dogwood Gulch

This year we'll celebrate our 25th Christmas on The Homestead!  Unreal how fast those years have flown by!  Time to do my annual Christmas letter & have finally ordered the cards.  I was going through the notebook where I've kept them all - since our first.

Here's one of my favorites - from 1994!  Back when Khaz was finally old enough for Butch to ride, when Jas was good for Jentry & before I sold Alexi & Jas became mine.  (Alexi & Khaz were full brother/sister.)  Abby - our first Beagle & the most defiant, was the only one who would pose for photos!

Horse of a different color~

Khari & Connie at Blanchard

How quickly things change - or at least it seems quick in retrospect...  Last year at this time I was riding a lot, only it wasn't Farah - it was Khari.  I'd decided to get her sold & the best way to do it was to continue to put on the miles & get her as fit as I knew how - ready to move up to the 100-mile rides that I had no ambition to do.  It wasn't until she was sold in June that I had the time to really concentrate on Farah.  I'm always impressed & amazed by people who have several horses & find time to work them all! 

After our lesson today with Sandra, I think both Farah & I had brain fade!  :-)  Finding out that it's not just one cue that alerts your mount to your wishes - it is - I'm learning, a combination of cues that tells Farah what it is that I'm asking her to do.   At least, when I manage to cue correctly & avoid the bad habits that I am working very hard at unlearning!  Farah is willing, tries very hard & does her best.  Her best is much better when it's Sandra doing the riding!  When I'm on-board - we have moments of feeling everything right & that's motivational - at least for me.

Jentry brought the girls up to meet me & Skyla wanted to ride.  Without much adieu I lifted her up & Jentry spotted from the off-side.  Farah - more than happy to be done with her lesson - walked off with her swinging "I'm going somewhere" gait & Skyla was on her way!  She glanced back once at her mother - a HUGE smile on her face!   Not one to give up easily - I'm still hopeful that at least one granddaughter will want to do some riding as she gets a little older! :-)

As a side note - after years of riding grays - I'm SO Happy to have COLOR!  :-)

Farah gets her teeth done~

Sarah Owens with Farah

After taking a peek in Farah's mouth late last year, we knew that she needed a lot of work.  It took a few months, but finally after meeting Sarah of Owens Equine & riding that last loop with her at Milwaukee, I made the appointment.  My first time looking at a young horses mouth in a few years.  There was plenty of work to do;  low crowns, several transverse ridges & two high crowns on each side.  The left side had a more severe table angle but Sarah easily reduced it.  Farah tends to get caudal lower and rostral upper hooks, which had caused calluses on her cheeks by the caudal molars.  After the work was done, Dr. Owens checked that Farah had good molar occlusion.  (A nice even bite.)   Good news in that there was no deformity or unusual shape to the jaw etc.

 I've been very nervous about having dental work done, since the year that Jas came awake before the equipment was off her head - started tossing it violently & cracked a molar.  It caused us grief for the rest of her life.  (As a heads-up - one of the first signs that something was wrong was excessive slobbering.)   I made Dr. Owens aware of my concerns & was very relieved when it was over!  I asked if I could reach in there to feel the work & Dr. Owens was happy to oblige.  I've been taught that you can feel more than what your eyes can see & how true it is.  All the teeth were smooth against her cheeks, her jaw was freed up & she seemed very happy when she went back to grazing.  Now, we'll check her the first of the year & see how her wear pattern has hopefully improved!

Of Days & Horses~

View from my Kitchen Window~

Yesterday was a special day - special you ask?  Why?  Because I knew, both from the feel of the day & the weather report, it would be the last of the amazingly gorgeous sunshine days we have enjoyed so far this month!  Perfection from the brisk, crisp start - to the warm glowing afternoon, then the frosting on the cake... picture perfect moonrise.

Good news for me, when I unwrapped Farah's leg, the swelling was gone!  Once at Dean's, after two trot-outs on the hill with Manuel, my favorite horse handler on the lead - it was obvious not only was she sound, but she is amazingly light on her feet for a mare of her size.  I've always admired horses who are light moving but hadn't owned one until now.  Time will tell if it makes a difference with her long-term soundness.  

When I reiterated how much in enjoy riding this mare, Dean went into gales of laughter!  He reminded me the reason humankind worked to produce so many varied breeds of horses - was to suit the horse to the task.  
To be competitive at Endurance, we need those tough, high strung, fly along types that are usually found in Arabians.  But, when it comes to other work, we ask horses to do for us, we can find a breed suited for the work at hand.  Good at that task, suited for it, but not necessarily what we consider an "all-round" animal.  

After coffee, I went out to the stable to collect Farah.  Manuel was with her, (Top groom award at the track last season.) on his knees, at her rear legs, rubbing a salve into her scratches.  He had removed all the scuff, washed her scabs with Castile soap & rubbed in a salve used at the track.  All of this while whispering sweet nothings to her - no fuss, no muss & Ms. Farah standing through it all like an angel!   I think the "blond" girl has a new convert :-)

At this point in my life, trying to let the competitive spirit bank down a little, I've managed to find a mare that is smart, quick, swift, willing & Fun! 

Great Day for a Ride!

View to the Northwest

After the layer of marine cloud cover burned off, we enjoyed a gorgeous day!   I'm finally done with my week of  restriction, after eye surgery last Tue.   When the email came in from Charlotte saying that she planned to ride late afternoon,  I started trying to figure out a way to go!  I'd planned a bath for Khari, who - being a gray - will find any mud she can & roll in it daily!  She was also scheduled for shoes mid-afternoon.  Art had left a message saying that he might be early, so I called & asked "how early"?   He came in time to get shoes replaced & I had her in the trailer a few minutes after!  In spite of the wet conditions this year, her feet looked good. I was happy to get the pads off from Renegade.

Charlotte & Aliento

We were warned in the parking area that the trails were muddy, actually it's surprising to us both that the tree farm has let the trails open, considering how wet it's been.  It was slippery, but we took it easy on the trails & shared with several bicyclists.  The tiny black biting fly's were thick, so it took some spray!  I didn't have the setting correct on my GPS today, so no Google image. 

Anatomy of a Spook~

GPS Image

Here's how my GPS recorded Khari's "little" spook!@   You can see the red stick pin - that marks the spot!  I don't know where all the wild marks came from, since I still had her reins & she didn't go anywhere.  Some of it I'm sure is from after I got up & was walking around to see if I could :-)  On a scale of 1 (can't ride) to 10 (can ride) I'm at about a five today.  Realistically thinking that I will not be up for a 50 by Sat.  

Along the River & Through the Woods ~

Khari's ears & the Stillaquamish River

It wasn't "quite" sun...  but it wasn't RAIN!  Cold, a bit dreary, but had a really good ride with a old friend, Patty - but was the first time we've ridden together.  We covered just over 15-miles, both urban & woods.  Trails were the wettest ever.  Even on trails that are mostly sand - there was standing water.  The snow level has dropped in the mountains after last nights storm.  We listened to the thunder & watched the lightening for over two hours.

Leather Tack~

Windmill Headstall & leather split reins

In the past few months, I've been asked twice, why I use leather tack.  Of course these questions have come from Beta or Biothane "Crazed" endurance riders!  :-)
Leather to me is the smell I associate most with horses, riding & the western way.  The first piece of gear I bought as a kid of eleven, braided roping reins.  I'd been working for my Grandpa cleaning the barn ( It was a Big barn!) & my reward was to buy what I wanted at the sale barn tack shop.  Of course Grandma was very unhappy when she saw that they were closed reins & asked Grandpa why he let me buy them?  His reply;  "She wanted them!"  :-)

Wall of "stuff"

Since my time as an adult with horses, I've run the gauntlet of trendy tack.  When my husband was asked what I do for fun besides ride, he responded;  "Buy's tack!"  Does he know me or what?!   Thankfully, I've gravitated back to the roots of the American West & leather.  Yes, it's work to keep clean & conditioned, but that's part of the fun.  Conditioning tack is something I enjoy.

There are some good reasons to use leather.  Here are a few;  It's form fitting -- conforms to the shape of the horse over time.  It Breaks!  This is my usual answer when asked about using it.  If for whatever reason my mare should find herself tacked up & alone in the wilderness, I would hope that if she got tangled or in trouble, that the tack would break & set her free.  If for whatever other reason I might get entangled on her, again -- I would hope that the tack would break before I do! 

Dean Essex, DVM started me with the 1", six or seven foot leather split reins.  I LOVE them!  The weight is perfect in your hands, signals are clear, reins stay steady on the neck, when I dismount I have plenty of rein to guide my horse, hold my horse, or do whatever I want with her.  Being split, I should never get tangled in them.  Also, on the one or two occasions where we've split company unexpectedly, I still had a rein in my hand when got up!

I do own Beta reins too, custom made to the size mentioned above, they work great in the rain & aren't slippery as leather can be when wet.  I have Beta headstalls too & use them occasionally.  Beta is such a huge improvement over Biothane in my opinion.  It seems softer & looks more natural.