Lots of horsey activity in the last week! Thursday night I rode Willow for about a 1/2 hour. She did well. We worked on stopping and turning. I also worked on riding up and down the fence line and turning with her hind end. It was interesting as she was not impressed with the fence line work. I have really been trying to feel more (I don't know if that makes sense) but be more tuned to her movement. I have not done this in the past as I was just a rider - riding my horse. I have been reading the Mugwump Chronicles blog and really like how she talks about tuning into your horse.

Then Sunday we went on the Sheriff Posse's ride at Farragut. Sam and Katie went with me. Katie rode Autumn and Sam rode Ken's horse (a friend of hers). We had a good time. Willow did great. She only got nervous when some people on gaited horses came up behind us and would not back off. Crowding up behind her even when she was noticeably uncomfortable, so we let them pass. She also did not like the big mud puddle. Of course Sam had to turn around and watch (waiting for me to bite it or for Willow to leap for China) we got her front feet in the middle of the puddle and the back on the edge (went through it sideways) we will have to work on water :). All in all a great ride and I am excited to go there more. The trails are nice they all circle back into each other and mostly flat. Not alot of hill climbing for my out of shape horses! Although I know they were tired when we got back.

Pictures from MDH Easter Ride 04-09

Not working - I will try later.

Kylie and I had such a good time at the momsdaughtersandhorses.com's Easter egg ride. Kylie rode Stubby for the last time, as he goes to his new home at the end of the month. I really debated on keeping him for this year and letting her transition into Autumn, but I or Sam found him a good home. The decision would be to keep him and hope to find him a good home later or let him go with his little buddy Simba where he will have company and a couple four year olds to love on him. At my house he is always in a pen by himself and where he is going he will be pasture buddy with Simba. They get along great, you should have seen Simba throw a fit when I put Stubby in the trailer. Kylie will be getting a new saddle as her pony saddle will go with Stubby. I really think she is ready to move up. On to a new adventure with Kylie and Autumn. I am still nervous and might see if I can get Andrea to come out and give her some lessons on Autumn. Andrea really helped her with Stubby and I think it would be great for her to have someone not hovering and letting her go. I did let Kylie ride Autumn in the arena after our ride and she did really good.
At the beginning before our ride we were all riding in the arena to get the horses warmed up and ready to go. I was ponying (spelling?) Stubby off of Autumn and she decided to be a butt so I let Stubby go, Kylie rode off like a pro. She did very well keeping Stubby in check around the other horses and paying attention to what she was doing. I was very proud of her. I did have Sam pony her on the trail ride, but I think she would have done just fine, for her first ride out like that I figured better safe then sorry. Sam rode Ben and he was a trooper. We were only out about an hour and a half but it was all of the horses first ride out and I didn't want to overwork them. Anyway I look forward to more rides in the future!

I can't believe it has been over a month since I have been on here. Where does time go? Work has been crazy busy, which is good. Last month we killed the previous years total in sales. The girls have started their spring sports - Kylie is in Soccer and Haley is doing track. We do have a Momsdaughtersandhorses.com ride coming up this weekend. I am very excited and hope that the weather cooperates. I am going to take Autumn and Kylie will be riding Stubby. I was going to just ride Ben but he is more of a follower and I will need to be in the lead with Kylie riding Stubby. Ben is wierd about being in front sometimes and it is Kylie's first trail ride with other people. Sam might ride Ben if she is not working. The horses are still all spread out. We did talk to one neighbor and we can hook into their fence. It does need repaired before we can do it, but they said they would help and split any costs to fix it up. The other neighbor we talked to their son and he said he didn't see why not - the neighbors on the other side is hooked into their fence, but to ask his dad. Which we have not done, but that would mean we only need to fence the back and front (and fix the other neighbors fence). That would be a tremendous savings. The neighbors who's fence needs work is all for putting a gate and running our horses together (I think not, too much liability) but they seem really nice. So if I can get Dwane to get busy the girls will be home soon. I have a feeling he doesn't think it is a big priority but I do. The pasture where the girls are - they have a dog and she is heeling the horses and making them really not like dogs. Dwane hasn't personally seen it so does not believe me, but I have seen her do it and I don't like it. But they are helping us out so hopefully they will just be home soon! Happy spring riding to everyone.

I have been a bad mom to the horses lately and not seen much of them. Hopefully the weather warms up and the snow melts, then we can get the horses home and I will be back in the game.
As for life in general it is fine. My dad is still here until Monday. I found a Schnauzer dog for him on craigslist (he has wanted another one for a long time) and we went and picked her up yesterday. It is nice to see the light in his eyes again. She is 7 and a little timid but her owner (this ladies great great g-ma) passed away. So she was taken out of her forever home - her companion dog given away - and put in a household with alot of other dogs and a 4 year old little girl. I think she is starving for the quiet and attention she is missing. I am hoping she attaches to dad quickly.
On another note I was reading on a website about people shooting their horses because they were losing their homes and felt they had no other alternative. I have to say something on this as we are in the middle of a forclosure - but I knew it was coming - you have to know it is coming if you are not making your payments. I planned a way to make sure my horses are okay, yes it helps that I was able to buy 10 ton of hay last winter, but I can gaurantee that they would not go hungry. Even if I had to swallow my pride and ask someone for help they would not go hungry. There are resources out there you just have to look. So the excuse that I just didn't have the money to me is wrong. I made sure my animals were taken care of first, well second after my kids, but they are like kids to me. I took the time to find a place that they would be safe and a place to live where I could have them with me asap. Anyway just had to put in my two cents as I just wonder what people are thinking sometimes. There is no way I could sit there and watch my horse starve to death. When their ribs are sticking out and you can see there back bone there is a problem. I won't even start about the people who plain just don't feed them enough and think it is okay or use the reason that they are just old. Look at Stubby, he was very thin when I got him - took him to the vet had his teeth fixed and found a feed that he could thrive on. I have also had horses that are hard to keep weight on and it makes it more difficult - sometimes they looked thin but no bones sticking out - there are situations where you can't do anything for them - that is when you have to think about putting them down rather then letting them starve to death. Ok now I am really done!

It has been an incredibly long week and a half. Thursday February 26 my dad called me and told me my sister Sondra passed away. He was very distraught and I thought there was no way I would be able to go back and help him. Unfortunately I never got to know my sister very well - she is from my dad's first marriage - there are 3 brothers and were 2 sisters. I do know my brother Bob very well, but the rest I have never really kept in contact with. Friday at work I was racking my brain trying to think of how I could go to the funeral and started checking on flights. Dwane encouraged me to go and his mom was gracious enough to lend me the money for a plane ticket. My dad also helped by telling me that he would drive me home, so all I needed was a flight down to Nebraska. My work was really good about letting me have the entire week off and I have enough vacation and bereavement time to cover it. So Sunday morning at 6 am I flew out of Spokane headed to Omaha, NE. The flight was uneventful and by Sunday at 12:45 I was heading off the plane meeting my dad. He was very happy to see me. I got to stay until Thursday when my dad and I started driving back (it was alot easier to fly). I got to see all of my aunts and uncles that I never see. The only part I really had a hard time with was the viewing (I have never been to one of those), think those should be prohibited. I know I have alot more ideas of how I want my funeral to be. My mom had us throw a kegger (I know wierd but that is what she wanted). Anyway, so I am now back and getting into the groove. My dad will be here for a couple weeks.

So Much for Time Off

Work schedule changed again :) Now we will be working shorter days 5 days a week, but that means I get off at 3 on a couple days a week, so that will be nice.
Every person at my house is sick - except me. Did I ever say I am not good with sick people. I briefly (I mean like 4 hours) worked at a nursing home, I couldn't do it. I really respect people who work in nursing homes, daycares, hospitals, etc. I could not do it. I don't deal with blood well or when people get sick. When I was growing up if you were sick you stayed in your room and slept it off that was just how it went. Dwane thinks you need to be up and around when you are sick and I couldn't disagree more. Anyway Haley has Laringitis, Kylie has a high fever, and Dwane is coughing and upset stomach - so I am staying away as much as possible :).
We have our house on the market. I am repainting some of the walls back to white this week. I taped off 2 rooms last night and will do more tonight (good way to stay away from all the sick people). Hopefully I will paint Friday and be done before the weekend so that I can unpack at the new house. I haven't touched a box in the garage for about a week now. We were supposed to go to my mother in laws so I could paint but since the rest of my family is sick and she cannot be around any type of sickness we will be staying home.
All of the horses are good. Strange not having them right there. Stubby loves his new pasture mate Simba, they won't even eat unless they can see each other. Ben likes his new shelter and is living the high life with Sam. The mares took a full day to find the feeder - actually Dwane had to go catch them and lead them back over to it and then they didn't lift their heads out of the hay for a day and a half. Prince is looking great at Cheryl's house, him and the gelding he is with are buddies. SO all is good in my horse land!