Horse-Eating Hole

Matty and I were out for a Sunday morning leg stretcher when we came upon a puddle. There was scrub on both sides of the gravel and dirt road, so we went in. Immediately we were in SWIM! mode. Matt stayed calm. He found footing with his back legs and got us up the side. What a guy. He saved me. I love him.

June 6 - Pics - 3 of 3

This is me on Matt ("Matty").

Barrels and Poles Pics 3 of 3

Me on Matt (age 23 gelding) and my daughter on Queenie (age 7 mare).

More Pics

Me on Matt (age 23 gelding) and my daughter on Queenie (age 7 mare).

Pics!

Me on Matt (age 23 gelding) and my daughter on Queenie (age 7 mare).






I finally got our recent pics scanned in. More are on the way as I have a new computer and scanner.

Mugwumps Picked my Story for Wordy Wednesday!

http://mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/04/redsmom-wordy-wednesday.html

I'm so excited and honored that one of my favorite bloggers and storytellers, Mugwump, picked a little email story I sent her to publish for "Wordy Wednesday." Its all about Matty and the first time I showed him and our first time in reining.

Whoot! Another show coming Saturday.

Retirement

Just to put some closure on this ordeal, I will explain what has led to my decision to give up on Dude's training. Some time in November, we went on a nice trail ride with some friends who have Tennessee Walkers. I replaced the bolts in the divider and put it in again. Dude had busted it out again by the time we got to the B&B where the ride took place. I got us there early so I would have time to deal with his saddling issues. Dude wouldn't take the bit and was excited to go smell mares's butts. So, while I only had the halter around his neck, he took off. I held onto the rope a long time, running beside him. he glanced back, saw me and leaped to get away. I really thought my finger was broken, but a later x-ray showed it wasn't. it still hurts. He stopped running when he got to a mare's butt. I got him saddled, finally. The wrangler at the B&B had been watching me and he wouldn't come tighten my girth after I got mounted because he was scared of Dude. LOL. I waited till we were on the trail and got off and tightened it later. In the morning, we were with a large group and it was kind of boring and frustrating for E who wanted to run on the trail called "Loping Lane." But, we had a nice enough time. Went back to the trailer for lunch and such and then took off with just our 2 friends after lunch. their Walker went lame and they turned back, so it was just my daughter and me after that. Dude was good and we loped on loping lane, loped on a bunch of trails, jumped some sticks, went all over the trails and had a great time. He didn't balk or buck. Dude loves exploring new trails and not being in an arena. It was a beautiful day, sunny and cool. The trails were idyllic and mowed. We ended on an extremely good note.

A few days later, my daughter went to camp, taking Matt for 3 days. The came home the Wednesday night before thanksgiving. On T-giving a.m., Matt collicked and we spent a lovely morning at the university vet school. Thank goodness, Matt turned out to just be impacted and some oiling got him straightened out enough to pick him up the next day. Boy, did he load easy to come home.

So, decision time to be had all around. Matt is too old and fragile (turning 23 come Jan.) to take all the activities that E wants to do with him. My original plan to get Dude ready to trade with my daughter is not going to work. I'll never be able to trust him with her.

The farrier thinks, and I agree, that training would be a waste for Dude as he will be good for Ms. Dee and then come home and go right back to his old ways. I am 47 years old and the wage earner; i.e., too old to risk getting seriously hurt. So, its time to start looking for a new horse for my daughter and for me to ride Matt and to retire Dude. I toyed around with getting him pasture board somewhere and still am looking into that. But, I'd have to go make sure he's trimmed, groomed, wormed, hayed and all so it would be easier to keep him at home.

On the first trip out horse shopping (although, to my credit, not the first horse I looked at) Ms. Dee went with us and we bought the mare. She's a sorrel mare between 14 and 15 hands, skinny and rain-rot infested, but has racing blood top and bottom. She's got TB on her papers and is reg. AQHA. Ms. Dee said she would have bought her if we hadn't. So, we got Queenie for Christmas, I'm riding Matt and Dude is standing around looking pretty. Pulled Dude's shoes when Bill came to trim the new mare's black, iron, huge hooves. Squeeeee. Bill is keeping an eye out for someone who wants a companion horse who will take good care of Dude.

When I mentioned to Bill that the new mare had rain rot and was too skinny, he commented that she is in the right place, now. that made me feel good. The farrier knows who takes good care of their horses, so he will find a good home for dude when the time is right.

We Made It (Hurricane Gustav)

Photos: Doh! I put "chocks" behind the trailer wheels, but guess what? Wrong direction. The hurricane winds pushed it about 8 feet into the front of my little truck. Luckily the hitch went sort of under the front bumper, but stopped short of doing any damage to the hitch or visible damage to the little truck. I ran all around on the day before the storm trying to figure out exactly where to put the cars and trailers, guessing the wind would come from the South, but it came from the east. Funny, but I put the chocks on the little trailer going the other way. I must have been a little off my nut that day. The pics of the house show one tree in my yard that uprooted, but caught on another tree instead of falling on the fence. I think it would have missed the house even if it had fallen. It pulled the meter box almost off the house, but, we found out today, the meter is still functional! Tin got bent up on the horses's run-in shed. In the pic of the horses you can see the tree that uprooted and fell on the neighbor's trailer. Luckily, they were okay.

The day of the storm itself was pretty scary. We got 120 mph wind gusts and they got twisty at one point. That's when the trees started coming down. The neighborhood had lots of downed trees The trees missed the house and the horses. We were out of electricity for 7 days. I never did get a generator, although lots of the neighbors had them. The heat wasn't too bad for the first few days as the skies remained overcast. I took advantage of the full dark nights to "shower" outdoors with the hose and use the horse trailer for a towel rack. I spent the evenings sitting on my front porch listening to the radio. It was kind of fun like camping.

After a day of looking around like disaster victims and picking up fallen limbs, we got back to riding. When I let Matt and Dude out of the back for the first time, they ran to the front fence as if to say, "Let's go somewhere!" We rode every other day during our "Hurricane Holiday" as work and school were cancelled. Our regular trail behind the house was filled with new and interesting obstacles (fallen trees), but was passable for a decent distance. We finally reached a huge tree blocking the entire path to E.D. Road. The 4 wheeler riders will probably cut it before long. When Matty took off cantering, Dude did it too and he has the smoothest rocky horse canter. Dude and I worked a lot on his slow jog, which he does nicely. He only cantered the one time, though and he can move out at a trot that keeps up with Matt at a canter! Coming back from the trail, we saw that the power line workers were here with bucket trucks. Dude got almost underneath it before he saw it and startled a little.

One morning I was saddling both horses and decided to put my western saddle on Matt (since Miss Sunshine was snoozing while I was sweating). She woke up in time to come out and watch me ride Matt, practicing my cantering. I worked on sidepassing and shoulder-in with Matt. He's so lovely. When I get on Matt, I feel so secure and comfortable. Matt really likes to GO, too. He wanted to canter a lot, but is very controllable. I had saddled Dude and left him tied to his tree while I worked Matt. Dude stood nicely and waited his turn. I saddled Dude tied to the tree all 4 times. He still moves his feet around and acts afraid, but tolerates it. Bitting was excellent every time! He now stands pretty well after I mount, although he lets me know he is ready to go out the gate and hit the trail! I tried out my new felt pad with my western saddle on Dude (it came in the mail the day before the Hurricane hit). Dude seemed to like it, although it needs to be broken in better. It kicks up in the back. Oh, I'd love to try a rear cinch on Dude (not).

Two shows were canceled because of the Hurricane so the next one is not until September 20. We got a lot of good, muscle building and aerobic work done this past week though, so if we keep it up we'll be in good shape for the next show!

My new truck was hit at the feed store and was very useful for transporting limbs and sticks to the burn pile. My little truck would have gotten stuck back there!

Loving Matty

Every morning and every night, unless given an occasional respite by my daughter, I take Matt (age 22) out of the pen so he can eat undisturbed. In September last year he came, with Dude, to live at our house. My daughter would love and hug on him and go on about he sweet he is and I would think she was deluded. At first he seemed cold and stand-offish and he still has his grumpy old man moments, but I tell you that lately, I've begun to love Matty. He used to be kind of checked out and tuned out -- after being a lesson horse for 10 or 12 years, people meant "work." But, a few months ago, I started to just be easier with him. Instead of trying to make him do things, I kind of give him a minute to think about it. Now, he goes to his pen when he's finished eating, except sometimes, like last night, he decides to mess with me and play chase. Not fast, just enough to make me laugh and come after him. And now, he stops and puts his head on my shoulder to "hug" me goodnight before he goes back into the pen. It makes my heart melt. He's learning to be a pet. He knows he's loved.

Dude was all sweet last night, too. I wanted to pick his hooves and he wanted to act like he's never had his back hooves touched before in his life. But, he would stand and let me pet him and love on him and try to talk him into giving me his back hooves for the longest time. I had to get firm with him because he stepped towards me when I went for his right rear. I repeatedly made him step over the other way at the hip and at the shoulder until he got my point. Never did get that hoof. Tomorrow will be another day when he will stand like a gentleman and I will wonder where the scaredy boy went. What a nutter.