Checking In

Hey people!

I really don't have time this morning to be blogging, but..... I feel like checking in and really wanted to read what you all have been up to. I see it is quiet in blog land, I guess I am not the only one who is crazy busy.

This week was/is a round of doctor's appts for the boys so they can attend school which starts August 12th. Thank God!! I also did some canning and putting up the garden goodies which are coming in quicker than I can deal with them.

I am taking care of Susan's farm while she takes a mini vacation to the mountains.
Frankie is so freakin fat on all the clover in his field, I am thinking of moving him to a smaller paddock today. However, it is right next to Jane and her buddy Payback. I am not sure if this will re instate the negative clingy behaviour he had previously. I tell ya though the slobbers from the clover are enough to drive me crazy, I need rain gear just to be around him lately.

Tomorrow I have the job interview at the horse park and am hoping I get it.
It would enable me to put the smallest spawn of mine in pre school and thus give me some time to ride Frankie without worrying where little people are and what they are up to.

Well, I know it is short but thought I would fill you in on my so called life.
Anyone need any pickles??

Don't spank Frank!

This little thought came about the other night after Frankie gave me another round of #ss padding. You see I was riding him at the farm and working on little things like moving our hip over at the walk and trot, transitions and just stuff in general.
Frank got to gazing around and generally just tuning me out. I usually wear a small spur when I ride him because he is the original iron sides, I mean you could literally bang on him with no reaction whatsoever. Well, I had forgot my spurs and he was being really lazy and as I said distracted by the horses in the adjacent field. I asked him to lope off on the right lead and he missed it, we continued he missed it again then he just would not lope at all. I lost patience, oh I know bad mommy! and decided to encourage him with a rein end. MY MISTAKE! He did not appreciate it and was startled I think, he took off bucking and doing his signature half rear lunge thing for a few moments. Luckily, he does not last long in that behaviour and it was over quickly.

This got me to thinking about the last time he padded my backside and that was back at Tiffany's house when he was having a fit about Jane and I shoulder spurred him to get his attention. I don't think it is retaliatory , I seriously think it is just a being startled reaction for him. Kinda like the other day when the stick poked him in the woods and he went off bucking.

Moral of the story: Don't spank Frank!

How I spent my 4th of July

Hi all,

Hoping you are having a great 4th of July weekend and I hope that part of this fun weekend was spent thanking the people before us that made our country such a great place to live and have our freedom.

I had a very enjoyable 4th! I spent the early part of the morning tending my garden.
Have a look see.







The garden is loving all this rain we are having and upon closer inspection, look at what I found:







Oh YEAH kids that is the first tomato of the season! I can almost taste that yummy BLT sandwich now......

I think this week my green beans and a round of cucumbers will also be ready. Which means get out the canner and prepare for some canning. The weather is supposed to turn hot again, always a joy when you are canning. We have been enjoying some nice days in the 70's this past week.

At nine I headed over to the barn to load up Frankie and Susan's other mare Butter.
We decided to celebrate our Independence and go riding! Frankie had never been riding with Butter but they trailered well on the short trip to the reservoir. We met another friend Becky there with her Welsh stallion Wayne. It was cloudy and overcast with rain moving in for the afternoon but we were sure we could get a ride in first. I was pleasantly surprised to find Frankie was relaxed and stood tied like a gentleman to the trailer even when Susan tied Butter to the opposite side.
We rode the same loop that we did last time we rode there. Becky was having some issues with Wayne and his stud like behaviour, he hadn't been out in awhile. Frankie did well with the exception of one incident. I was bringing up the rear of the pack and coming out of the woods into an open area, Butter got out of his eyesight and he starting rushing through a narrow part of the trail. I am not really sure what happened but my best guess is that he got poked in the side by a stick and combined with his nervousness of not seeing the other horses he went into a bucking frenzy.
I was slightly concerned because we came out on the side of a hill and there was an old fence of barbed wire that he was heading for. I did manage to get him stopped and under control before we reached the fence line. Sigh.... young horses.....

Still I am very pleased at his progress and the rest of the day was uneventful for us at least. You may have noticed the new header picture. It is one from yesterday at a small creek we crossed. Frankie was shaking off when Susan snapped it, looks like he is smiling doesn't it??

Here is a shot of Susan and Butter at that creek crossing.







And here is Becky waiting her turn to cross










We made it back to the trailers in about an hour and a half. Becky decided she had enough riding for the day and chose to head home. Susan and I grabbed a quick little snack and mounted back up. We decided to try the other side of the road trails. It was more hilly and the horses were a little winded being that neither of them were all that fit just yet. We did see lots of these.








No, not the cedar trees although there were plenty of them. Look to the right of that cedar can you see the deer? She was pretty far away but the only one that would stand still long enough to let me snap a picture.

We rode for another hour and then the weather started to move in. One good thing about it was that I got to put my slicker on while mounted on Frankie. A first for him and as usual he was non plussed about it. Baby steps each ride and soon he is gonna be as Susan put it "old reliable". Kind of a nice thought!






Happy trails!