smellshorsey

The Working Student

At 13, Lily's too young to get a summer job, other than babysitting. There are no babies that need sitting in our neighborhood. But something even better has come through -- a neighbor and friend who does competitive driving and dressage needed a working student. So, Lily has a job, a place to go in the morning and she's learning a lot. Right in the neighborhood.

I just hope it's paying off for her employer/teacher. (Lily gets lessons, formal and informal, in exchange for riding horses, doing light chores and having fun at the neighbor's barn. Too good to be true!)

They usually quit around lunch time, which is a good thing because it's 100 degrees today. Lily rode three horses (including Buddy). She looks worn out but happy.

I was so afraid she'd spend the summer in front of the TV, and while she's getting her TV hours in (and has been reading a lot), she's gainfully employed in the morning.

Summer -- I love you!

Fun with Extra Friendly Horses

I'm in love with Albert, son of Gilbert. Best of all, Albert's in love with me. I'll explain in a minute.

Jane's farm is so much fun. Here's a photo of Buddy with Jane's six-month-old colt, Albert, from our November visit.

We went out there Saturday to look at a horse that Lily's friend may lease for the summer (and keep here so they can ride together). All of Jane's horses were excessively friendly -- except, of course the one Lily's friend may lease. I would love to show you a good photo of Albert, who's now a yearling, but he was far too friendly to photograph. Or rather, you couldn't get far enough away from him to take his picture. He was like a cat when you're trying to read the newspaper. Wherever you are, that's where he had to be. You want to look at the miniature donkeys? Too bad. Albert's going to stand between you and them. You want to walk across the pasture? You're not going by yourself, not as long as Albert's on the job.

I wanted to bring him home. He didn't allow you to pay attention to anyone but him. Wherever we went, he went, too. We stayed there and scratched and massaged him for about an hour. In return, he offered us lots of love. He was still sorry to see us go. If I ever need to feel loved, I know where to go. Click on the photos to enlarge (except the one of me, which I only include because that is just the funniest horse face -- the one with the blaze). Please notice both the people's and Albert's expressions, especially his eyes and lower lip in the last photo of him.

And then, there was the friendly mini-jackass who stole my camera case. (He was formerly named "Bill" and his mate was named "Hillary," but Jane changed their names when she got them.)

To Breed or Not to Breed

Lucy's a smart girl. Here she is hoping for something. Food. An adventure. Maybe a boyfriend?

True, she's got Buddy to boss around. But perhaps she'd like somebody more studly. Like a real stud.

Lily has been dying to breed Lucy for several years. And now I wish we'd done it last year. At some point, Lily is going to want something fancier than Buddy. That could be Lucy, since Lucy is a lovely mover (though not fancy fancy). And she is as athletic as a cat, and way too smart. Lucy is 9, I think, and Buddy is 10. Or maybe they're both a year older. Lily is 13.

I don't know if I can or should convince Paul, but I'm looking into some of the studs in our area. Right now the leading contender is a lovely Hanoverian. Lucy is a nicely bred TB mare. I think this would make me a backyard breeder and on Fugly's bad list. Though breeding a registered, nice TB to an approved Hanoverian probably would keep me out of that category, though it still wouldn't mean I know what I'm doing. (I need to quit reading MiKael's blog or looking at all my neighbor's foals.)

My father, who would legitimately be on Fugly's bad side for all the mixed up horses he bred (and took care of and thought they were beautiful and useful, to his credit), said that having foals was one of the most fun things he remembers doing and what's wrong with us for not already having done it?

Paul ain't into extra horses. Vet bills. Random events, like taking a gamble on the gene pool and the birth process. He's also not into paying $$$ for a nice horse after Buddy has taken Lily as far as Buddy can go. So maybe there's hope for talking him into it.

It would be fun to raise a baby. I used to help my father. One of them was a cross between a Tennessee Walking Horse and a five-gaited mare. That horse was like a ten-speed. He could do any gait, though sometimes he got his feet tangled up. I made him walk, trot and canter (only) and taught him to jump. To my eyes he was a handsome thing. Here is one of the only photos I've got. Click to enlarge, if you wish. His name was Snuffy and he was a good sport. Because he was a mixed breed and wasn't at all delicate, he once stepped on a giant nail that went all the way up through his frog and the point stuck out above his pastern. He wasn't even lame. But back to the issue of breeding Lucy.

Lily has been forced to save money in a savings account since third grade that she can one day spend on something she really wants. She says this is what she really wants. I'm afraid the foal won't mature fast enough for her ambitions for it. And what if it's born with three legs? Fugly? Etc.?

I guess that would be a good life lesson.

And if we don't talk Paul into it? Well, there's always trickery. We simply don't know HOW Lucy got pregnant. Somebody must have hopped over the fence.

I would never do that. I don't think.

Horses Give Freedom to All Kinds of Riders

I ride horses because of the freedom they give me. The physical freedom of their power and ability - -and the mental freedom of entering their world. For some people, horses bring even more freedom than I can possibly appreciate.

Many of you already know about DreamRiders and other organizations that offer horses as therapy for people with disabilities. My only experience was watching a girl whose unregulated growth (I'm sorry I don't remember the name for this) was causing her hips and other joints to lose function. She had developed a limp by the time I met her, and though she wasn't in a therapeutic setting, her mother had learned that horseback riding might help.

Robin (the girl) came out several times a week to ride a big draft-cross bareback. The warmth of his body helped loosen her up. Her mother told me that the walking motion of a horse exercises many of the same muscles that walking on your own does, so Robin's back and legs became stronger as she rode. Her mother was persistent, and they kept coming. Sometimes it hurt as Robin stretched her legs around the horse's giant barrel, but her mother kept insisting. It was a demonstration of love, hope and persistence. Robin may have felt like giving up, but her mother believed success was possible. While she pushed Robin, it was never without understanding and kindness. And because there was a horse involved, Robin didn't give up. Robin loved the horse and loved to be able to regain her independence. Slowly, her joint angles began to increase and she began to regain what her abnormal growth was losing her. It was a very touching and exciting journey.

Today's newspaper has a good story about the DreamRiders group in the next county. You'll enjoy reading it here. Here's an excerpt:

Cerebral palsy barred Paula Keen from engaging in many childhood activities.

She could never ride a bike, for example.

But she can ride a horse.

Keen, 40, is one of about 70 riders who participate in Dream Riders, a nonprofit organization that provides horseback riding for those who have physical or mental challenges.

“She loves it,” says Ursula Keen, Paula’s mother. “Paula could never ride a bike.... She could never do a lot of things other children do. This makes her feel good that she can do something.”

Kyrstin Kneece, a 13-year-old at Swansea High, has Angelman Syndrome, which induces speech impairment, movement or balance disorder and a short attention span. But she doesn’t lose interest in the horses and rides beautifully.

“She is in control of something in her life,” says Brenda Jeffcoat, Kneece’s grandmother. “She is able to have that sense when she is on that horse. She’s in control.”  To read more, go here.

Do Horses Increase or Decrease Your Stress Level?

I love this cat photo. I love cats. Big cat, little cats. Aloof cats, bossy cats. Cats that are superior but still deign to let me clean out their cat boxes.

I've never seen a survey, but most horse owners I know also have cats. (Or dogs.) And now there's a study that's found that having a cat lowers your risk of having a fatal heart attack by 40 percent! Here's an excerpt from the BBC story :

Cat owners appear to have a much lower risk of dying from a heart attack than their feline-spurning counterparts, a study suggests.

Researchers looked at nearly 4,500 adults and found that cat ownership was related to a 40% lower risk of suffering a fatal heart attack.

The team speculated that having a cat may reduce stress and anxiety, and so protect against cardiovascular disease.

Then it goes on to say that maybe it's not the cat, it's being the kind of person who likes a cat. Yada yada yada. I guess that means that if you don't have a cat and don't want one, you need to reinvent yourself as a cat lover and get one. But, wouldn't that ultimately create more stress since you're really not a cat lover yet there's one in your house telling you what to do?

Enough about that. So, what does owning a horse do for your health? I've not seen a study so far. While I'm sure riding a horse reduces stress and anxiety (though it depends on who you're riding), owning might increase stress and anxiety, depending on how suicidal your horse is and whether or not you can find and afford hay.

Just watching my horses graze improves my mood. When driving, we stop on the side of the road when we pass pastures with moms and foals. Horses are like magnets -- the pull is strong.

I'm certain that if I knew less (I know enough to be dangerous, so I worry too much) and they cost less to keep, that owning a horse would be a boost to health. And that's not counting the ways they make you come outdoors, play, sweat, work and disconnect from the stresses of life.

In fact, when I was in college my father let me bring Spot to school, provided I could find a cheap place. I found a beautiful big pasture with other horses where I could board her for $50/month but I had to feed her. So every day I drove out into the country to feed Spot. Yes, she only got fed once a day but she did fine on that, fortunately. I carried the grain in the trunk of my car (my car smelled great!) and I fed her in a bucket while I watched her eat before turning her back out. Some days I didn't have time to feed her, let alone ride, but she had to be fed so I drove out there anyway -- 20 minutes both ways plus however long it took her to eat. I got a 3.9 that semester -- the highest average I ever had. I believe it's because I spent time every day with my horse. I came back refreshed and ready to learn.

Horses are more than fun. They're good therapy on so many levels, from what we do in our backyard to therapeutic horseback riding that helps people with a range of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social special needs. But chances are you know more about this than I do.

Some days they cause me so much stress I think ownership is overwhelming. And other days I don't think I could live without them.

I know someone who suddenly quit riding, sold her horses, and said she's never had so much time and money. And I know somebody else who's working two jobs to keep her horses.

Horses: stress relief or causes of stress? Are they beneficial to your health? What do you think?

Golden Acres

The dear,older neighbors who live behind us are having some scary times. The husband, who is a French history professor, author and former army ranger, has been in the hospital first with heart problems and now with pneumonia. He's been in the hospital for at least six weeks.

I've always said I wanted to come back as one of their horses. They have four elderly horses and jokingly call their house "Golden Acres." One of their horses has heaves so he spends the summer in an air-conditioned stall. I know that the wife is spending all her time at the hospital, so we've been going over and playing with the horses we're calling the Old Gentlemen. They stand in line for the shedding blade. The one who needs it the most has Cushings, so his fur isn't letting go. I wish my clippers were industrial strength so I could help him out, though maybe like many old people this horse is cold and still needs his sweater for the chilly nights and morning.

Sometimes we do it while they're loose in the pasture. Lily and I take turns being each other's "butt guards" because these horses believe in mutual grooming while you're shedding them, and I'm not comfortable having a strange nose and teeth doing little circles on my butt cheek because I know what could happen next. Their fur is so thick there are parts that I just pull out with my hands in big clumps. The new hair underneath looks so fresh. I think it must feel really good. They all say, "Do me next!" Or, more likely, "Forget him! Do me NOW!" These are some sweet, pushy, pet horses.

One of them is a TB, the others are QHs. Even at his advanced age, the TB still does slightly kooky things. The professor had a grad student out working on the fences. The student was afraid of horses. Eventually, he was concentrating on his work on the fence and forgot about the horses. The TB had never seen a guy wearing earrings before, so he crept up behind the student and played with the earrings with his lips. It was great fun for all the spectators but not the student, who is still trying to catch his breath.

Here are three of the Old Gentlemen in their stalls. The other photo is the dark bay and palomino fur (this is not horse hair -- this is heavy felt-like fur). They're very sweet but they make me sad -- they're old. Their dear owners are in a scary, bad place as regards their own health. But all the horses know is that we show up and it feels good, so they enjoy the moment and the sunshine. It's something I should learn from them.

Horse People Are Just So Nice!

Last week I bemoaned the fact that I had to pay $11.99 for hay. Today, I'm very happy to report that an unknown source (at his request as he is having to turn down customers delivered 50 bales of Coastal Bermuda at $7.00 per bale. I hope that will get us through to first cutting because this is all he can give me.

This doesn't look like much, but here's my new 50 bales stashed away behind the hot-wired gate. Yahoo! (Click on all photos to enlarge, though I can't imagine why you'd want to.)

Horse people are so nice. Many thanks to you who offered to help me find hay and those who offered moral support, Mrs. Mom, Mikael, jdp who's paying $16!!!, and photogchic, to name a few.

And, because Lucy is in rehab, my hay supplier also offered me a gelding or six to ride in the meantime. I can keep one (or six) here or I can go to his place, (and bring Lily and her horse, Buddy), and we can trail ride there on Sunday afternoons. Horse people are so very nice.

For the folks Googling for photos of Coastal Bermuda hay (again, click to enlarge), I tried to take a close up for you. It would have been prettier in September but here's what it looks like in March.

My hay man and friend warned me that even with rain things aren't going to be great when buying hay in the summer because he's been told fertilizer prices may double. He thought he might try chicken manure instead, but there's a risk to the horses of getting salmonella with that. So it's back to fertilizer. (My father sometimes uses chicken manure for his garden. Once it came with a half-living chicken in it. And it smells so very, very bad.)

For any Googlers looking for photos of Timothy-grass-mix hay, here's one. Pretty -- but not sure it's $11.99 a bale pretty.  I don't know squat about hay. Coastal Bermuda is what grows best here so that's what I buy. One year I had to buy Orchard grass from  Michigan or somewhere and that stuff was gorgeous (and costly). The horses didn't like the expensive Timothy at first but  got over that in less than 120 seconds.

Because Her Dad Pulled Her to Horse Shows

Today was riding lesson day. It was also the day the National Guard was flying. A pair of F-16s kept roaring over. It's hard to find them in the sky because the sound is one place and the jets are in another. I tried to take a picture with my cell phone. They were too fast and my phone was too slow. It was a strange but beautiful mix of worlds -- girls riding horses on the ground and jets that stop me in my tracks every time I see them streaking up above, which is often.

I trailered Lily and Buddy to a nearby farm for their lesson, and then got to talking to a father of a teenage girl who lives and breathes horses who was there getting ready for a show this weekend.

The conversation started because I wanted to know how he liked his truck because there's a new truck in our future. And he began to tell me about how he wished that his daughter didn't like horses because of all the reasons we know why it's not the easiest or cheapest sport. And the more he talked, the more the truth came out.

First, there were all the reasons that were so well put by a mother in this post. And then he came to something that was pretty special for a father.

Because he pulled her and her horse to horse shows and Pony Club, they got to spend a lot of time together. Because he gave up his weekends and Saturdays so that she could have experiences and memories, those memories will include being with her dad (and mom). And one day, she'll even realize how much trouble it was for them.

Because he was with his daughter at horse shows in nice places, he sometimes got to sneak off and play some golf at courses away from home, so this wasn't all about self-sacrifice. He showed her how he could have fun and still make sure she was doing what she lived to do.

And most of all, because he spent all this time with her doing something as mundane as driving a truck and moving heavy objects and standing by the ring watching things he sometimes didn't even understand, they've grown closer.

They've got a good relationship. And when she goes off to college and beyond, they'll still have a special connection. In telling me all this, he suddenly didn't feel like he'd driven all that many miles. Instead of going far, he had drawn closer to home.

Horses bring us many blessings. Sometimes we just have to know where to look.

Pony Club

Lily was a member of the United States Pony Club for a couple of years when she was younger. I was also a member when I was a young teenager, though they weren't nearly as organized or picky then. I've written a little about them before here. Pony Club is why we have so many blue buckets.

Lily's 13th birthday is coming up and what she wants most of all is to re-join Pony Club. So I said yes and began the process.

I remember the people from before. They are horse moms who volunteer their time to help kids learn how to ride well and safely. They're concerned about the animal's welfare and teach the children and teenagers how to take the best care of their horses. It really is a wonderful organization filled with nice people and great kids.

But it's a little rigid. I couldn't find out if there was anyway to get Lily's application in fast enough for them to allow her to attend this coming weekend's meeting on horseback. Finally it became clear that I was the only one with a sense of urgency, which is fine because they are volunteers who have a life, too. It's not their fault that we didn't know we were going to re-join Pony Club until last week. Disappointing, though. I would have been glad to pay for FedEx or do whatever, if only somebody would answer my questions and say they'd help.

And though it's been more than two years since Lily was rated, which determines what a child can do at a meeting -- whether she's trotting over a pole over the ground or cantering a 3-foot course -- she'd have to ride with the group that has that low rating. I know, I know. They have their rules and there's a good reason for them. Lily is not too interested in riding at the level she was two years ago, and I'm not too interested in hauling her an hour-and-a-half one-way to a meeting to ride at that level, either.

And, since she's not been an active member, she can't go to the rallies.

Sigh. I can see when I'm whipped. And Lily's quite disappointed.

Maybe she can join next year and get re-rated. Trouble is, the next rating requires an extensive record-keeping history of the horse's condition, care and the money required to support this hobby. Lily's all set to do it and has started. I wonder if it will count since she's keeping the records while not a member?

I'm afraid I know the answer. They don't make it easy to meet the requirements or get the answers, which is a shame.

It's one thing to make the horses jump over fences. It's another to make the moms and kids jump through hoops.

I hope we can work it out in the future. I hate for her to miss out almost as much as I hate beating my head against a wall.

I'm Still Riding, Even if I'm Not on a Horse

When you've spent a lot of time on horseback, you view the world differently, even when you're riding in a car. There are things that linger....

Ever since I learned to jump (that would be quite a while ago), I cannot help but jump fences in my mind as I view them from the road. I'm not talking regular horse-jumps. I'm talking highway barriers, fences in people's yards, pasture fences. Fallen trees and piles of rubble. Can't you see they are really jumps? (Though the asphalt landing is a bit disturbing, even when riding only in my head.)

Open grassy fields -- what rider doesn't gallop through those from his/her car and long to go get their horse and come back?

I didn't tell Lily about this. But one day while I was driving her through the countryside she said, "Mom, did you know I'm jumping all those fences in my head?"

Yes, darling. I do know.

How about you?