Thankful

The best life lesson I have learned is to be thankful. I am thankful that Diesel lunged perfectly yesterday. I am thankful Miss Priss is comfortable and happy and is still with me. I am thankful for such a kind, loving horse I have in Becca. I am thankful for a peaceful home with dogs and cats to keep me company. My life has always focused around my pets.

This holiday I am thankful for the people in my life. You are not forgotten. I don't say it very often...or at all. My people are really the most important. And Miss Priss :)-

Baby Steps

My fear has been simmering for several years now...5, actually. I love riding but have lost my nerve. This is not good with one rideable horse who has very little training. So far I haven't messed him up too much. I really do need to send him and myself off for training this spring.

In the meantime, I am working on my own chunky monkey-ness. I am officially down 30 pounds this morning. It is fun and exciting and I hope that I am strong enough to maintain the loss. I do feel much better now that I'm eating healthy. This is alot of incentive. And my saddles are much more comfy! Clothes shopping was actually fun last week. I am not completely done losing so I only bought one pair of jeans and one shirt. I will stop losing when I am happy with my shape. I think that will be about 15 pounds more. If only the good parts didn't shrink along with the rest of me :) Oh well.



I've reevaluated my personal relationships recently. Not that there was anything serious. But I am streamlining the not serious ones. With it comes a sense of loss and accomplishment. I'm proud of myself. I only miss the man I wished he was. Again, I hope I am strong enough to maintain. I feel very good about it.

So, yesterday after some strong words were said out loud I rode Diesel. With the frustration I pushed my limits. I rode him out in the big pasture again...all the way around. He was good. He picked his head up and listened for anything to send him into a frenzy...but he didn't. I need this horse to get my exercise. I need this horse for my sanity. Riding out is a big deal for me. It shouldn't be but it is. My life is blessed.

Live to Ride

Tuesday was a good day. I rode Diesel for an hour and a half. Mostly walk, a decent amount of trot, and a smidgeon of canter. Canter did not go so well. However, he was sound!


Shoes and time off have helped. Now I must ride through the laziness. He did a few mean crow hops. I rode it but am not happy about it. I need to beat his butt instead of giving in. I did make him continue for a bit before asking for the stop. But we both know he needed a whoopin. Not good.

On the up side, I have lost 22 pounds and my lard butt fits in the western saddle much better. Still need to lose quite a bit. I didn't pinch the nerve in my hip/thigh until an hour into the ride. Usually it is instantaneous. This means my issues are weight related. Keep on pluggin.

Regardless, riding felt good. The sun was shining and the temps were perfect. My life is blessed.

Murder

The last week we've had at least 18.5 inches of rain. One morning the guage was full so it really was more than that. As a result we have had two mosquito outbreaks. We had 3 days of rest after the really hard downpour while they had to start over. My life has been revolving around murder.

My strategy: malathion twice a day around barn, deet-based aerosol spray for bodies with a gentle repellent for faces. The horses get sprayed down as often as I can. They tell me in no uncertain terms when they need it. Seems to be 2 am when they have a meltdown. They are miserable.

This weekend I am having a mosquito spray system installed. We can't wait. In the meantime, they use a mudbath for relief. And that causes their hair to fall off when it dries. Always something.

My life is blessed.

Same Grind

We are still not ready to ride. It makes me sad that I only have one horse to discuss. I hope it stays that way. The girls are comfortable. There is no riding in the future. I feel like I lost my friends. Our relationship is special but different now that we can't move together. That's what riding is. We move as one. Non-horse people couldn't possibly understand. Horses have always given me the satisfaction that I could never find with another human. And that is as personal and deep as I care to get. This is not me. I deal in facts.

We are soaked after Tropical Storm Hermine dumped a ton of rain. I can prove 7 1/4 inches of rain today but the gauge was full and I suspect that is a very low estimate. The horses are living in slop. Even the stall in the barn is flooded. I pray that Diesel stays sound through the muck. I am ready to get back in the saddle.

I feel good on my diet. I have energy and determination. Losing 12 pounds so far is inspirational. I have a long way to go. Why did I let myself go like this? I can't wait to be thin(ish). I already feel better. It is hard work carrying this weight around. People change when they have to. I reached that point. But I'd kill for a piece of bread....with butter and roasted garlic. And a cheeseburger. Lord, give me strength. My life is blessed.

Relief

It hasn't taken long to feel comfortable again. After 1 week on Medifast I have lost 8 pounds. My clothes have stopped hurting me. How did I get so big?

I am now at my early summer weight. Oh goody. Now it really begins.

I am excited about losing weight. It is not as hard as I thought to stay on track. I'm learning to love veggies...very slowly. My weight loss is slowing down. This is normal and the safe way to do it.

I can't wait for Christmas. I'll be sporting a hot, new look. I can do this.

Will it ever be NOchunkymonkies?

We have been 2chunkymonkies for quite some time. It's down to Becca and me. Bec has an excuse- Equine Metabolic Syndrome. She spends 24 hours in a small pen (~100 x 200ft). There is minimal grass and she eats hay and a low starch pellet specially designed for this disease. She is much more comfortable and the risk of founder is much decreased. As a result, she has lost a few pounds but is still much too heavy. Her shoulder and back injury from her accident is managed but prevents much exercise. We'll stick with this plan as long as she is comfortable.

That leaves me. I love food. And I love cooking. I love a good drink in the evening. All this adds up to an extremely high calorie diet, often more than 3500 calories a day. All these good times have packed on lots of pounds. For a long time my opinion was that good living was worth it. And thankfully, I carry my weight well. But, I went overboard. I started cutting back when it was convenient. I have NO willpower. It didn't work. I love food. I keep saying that. I love it. This past summer I started using restraunts as my social time. Almost every day I ate out with a friend. Good times. And now my clothes don't fit. I'm uncomfortable in my skin. I just don't fit. It's time to make a change.

I have a friend who is on a "health plan" that is very successful. She looks great. I'm finally at the point where I have to really put effort into doing something. So, last week I began Medifast. I feel very bad about tempting this friend with food all last summer. I do not have to give up meals with everyone. I do have to order a healthy salad. There will be no more cheeseburgers and chicken fried steak without guilt. It helps that half of my food buddies are now on this diet. I'm sorry, "health plan". Yeah right. It's a diet and the meals are snacks.

The plan calls for a meal every 3 hours with 5 of those being prepackaged powdered "meals". They are suprisingly very good and filling. Once a day you get a Lean and Green meal of fresh food- a good portion of lean meat with 3 portions of lean veggies. Since you eat every 3 hours and drink large amounts of water you do not ever get really hungry. My stomach tells me when 3 hours is up but I can say I'm no more hungry than before. The big difference is calorie intake. I'm down to 800-900 calories a day with limited carbs. I feel good. I'm 5'7" tall and 187lbs. This is the worst I have ever been. I weigh in every Tuesday. I'm not supposed to weigh myself constantly. I have not cheated with food but I have cheated on the scale. I started this diet 5 days ago. I've lost 6 pounds. The weight loss will slow down very soon. The program claims 2-5 pounds lost the first week with 1-2 pounds loss every week after that. I can do this. I hope to lose enough that my butt fits into my western saddle again. I like that saddle. Instead of replacing it with an enormous saddle I am going to spend the money and get me healthy.

My life is blessed.

Luck Turn

With horses it is always something. It doesn't matter how many you have, there will always be times when there is not one that is rideable. Priss is doing very well. She is pasture sound and happily cranky. Becca is improving but I really think she fractured her spine in that fall way back. I fear she is a beautiful pasture ornament along with Prissy.

This week the farrier put front shoes on Diesel. He thinks our lameness is leg related. He said there are mild navicular changes on the outside and that this is fairly normal in a very large horse. This is not really good news. We are not dealing with just tenderfootedness. To add insult to injury, we get to add an injury this evening. Diesel's hind legs are stocked up quite severely. There is not external sign of trauma. His legs are hot. So tonight he got the works- lengthy hydro-ing, bute, and a DMSO sweat. We'll see how it looks tomorrow. I think this will pass quickly. And I think he will still be lame on his front end. I'm ready for my luck to turn.

Regardless, my life is blessed.

Long Time...

This summer I have made major progress. I got tons of fencework done. I have 4 pastures with lovely horse safe fence. I have plans to do more. Of course! I plan to run water lines and add a wash rack later this year. And I plan to finish the last 1700 feet of fencing.

Riding has been sporadic. I have come to terms with the loss of riding Prissy. I have come to terms with the loss of riding Becca. That was hard to say. I've lost my two favorite mounts. Priss is very comfortably pasture sound. She only requires restriction when it is muddy. Becca's metabolic syndrome is managed by keeping her in a dry lot with only hay and starch controlled feed. She is much more comfortable. There is no turnout in her future. Her shoulder injury is tempermental but managed. Stretching for a trim is tough but otherwise she, too, is pasture sound.

Diesel lives alone in the main pasture. He is lonely. He grooms Bec over the fence in the mornings. They love each other. Priss loves him, too but she doesn't have the patience to stand there for lovin. She's not the sentimental sort. I've ridden Diesel several times lately. He is confused and lazy with a little pain thrown in for fun. His cut on the heel of his right foreleg is still not healed completely. And he's sore on his left foreleg from the mystery injury. And he's tenderfooted. I've given him time off and he gets shoes on the front this week. I hope this gives him some relief. I am itching to ride, baby ride.

And the biggest news...instead of buying a bigger western saddle I plan to shrink my butt. My diet starts next Tuesday or Wednesday. I signed up for Medifast. I've never dieted before but I've got the support of great friends and a tough coach. I want to feel pretty. I'm ready for this. Wish me luck, say a prayer!

My life is blessed.

Goals...

I did not meet my goal of opening up Bubba by the end of June. The weather has not cooperated. However, I did something I never thought I would be ready for. I rode him bareback this evening and watched the sun go down. He is such a sweetheart. He was clearly confused but played along well. This is only the second time we've gone bareback. I miss those frequent bareback rides on Miss Priss. I miss Priss. Hah! He's a long way from filling her shoes but with time it will happen!

My life is blessed.

Good Times

I rode Diesel late this evening. It is still hot, hot, hot. He was a bit lazy but not as bad as normal after so much time off. And he was cranky on his left lead. Lots of head tossing and stiff movement. OK to the right. We laid off of it and had a very slow, easy ride. He's an amazing beast. My life is blessed.

Frustration

Tonight Becca did not come up for dinner. No biggie, not unusual. She gets almost no cardboard-tasting-diet pony food and there is lots of grass out there. But, she acted interested. Uh oh. Now I see the characteristic hop of lameness.

I fear tendon involvement. It is on her right foreleg near the pastern. I have her hydro-ed and wrapped. She is now in the stall. You know she is hurt when she relaxes in isolation. I am praying for lots of dry weather. This mud is deadly.

I really wish I had more facilities. I really need to get a horse barn built...and paddocks.

Worn out

I'm recovering from absolute exhaustion. It started with emotional exhaustion, then physical, back to emotional. I finally have permanent fences up. After the construction, Hurricane Alex drowned us. There was no violent weather, just 11 inches of rain. The rain gave me time to rest which is a blessing. However, I need to move electric fences and begin planning for the last stage of fencework. All that remains is a straight stretch along the road. I will have to pay for the entire project this time. My family cannot handle the strain. This last project has left me wiped out. I have not ridden Diesel in months. My goals are shot. I have been spending lots of time with Priss. She is my lifesaver.

What it means...

What does it mean to be a horse owner? It means endless hours of joy, excessive sweat and hard work that doesn't seem like work. It means juggling a job, land maintenance, and basic care with a few rides thrown in for fun. It means dealing with the old retiree who still takes your breath away despite crooked legs and scarred tendons. It means mystery lameness that disappears as fast as it showed up. It means tender feet and a sore leg. It means ending your day with grit on your face and a perfume of fly spray. And, you can't forget the shirts that are splatter painted with the mysterious brown flecks and brushed with green slobber.

For me, lately, it means endless hours stripping cedar bark off of fenceposts in preparation for a beautiful no climb horse fence. It takes 100 cedar posts, 32 corner posts, 6 gates, 35 rough cut planks, and 10 rolls of wire. And this is how we feel about all of this:

(The lovely view from the kitchen sink on Saturday)

A day in the life...

I have a fairly nice sized place. It is 25 acres of beautifully cleared pasture. Right now it has very little grass because the native blue stem that grows here is just beginning to come out. But, it is sprinkled with wildflowers. It is a rider's heaven. I had no problems riding the fenceline on Prissy. I had no problems taking her anywhere. She is safe. She is, of course, unsound and retired.

I had taken Diesel out only twice before. Today after a nice, short ride in the new heat of the year I decided to take the big Bub out. He was hesitant headed away and I cut across the pasture toward his buddy as soon as he began to relax. He settled into a nice, lazy walk on the buckle. We passed Bec and kept going. I followed the fence and felt comfortable continueing on. The next thing I know we are almost to the back of the pasture and I hear Bec screaming. I expected her to come full out towards us. Bub turned to look at her but kept pace. I ended up going all of the way around the place. It was perfect. I meant to go to the corner and back but instead whooped my goals completely. What a nice ride.

Upon returning, I hosed him down to wash off the dirt and sweat. He immediately dropped. So....I cleaned his sheath for the first time myself. Doc always does it when he does his teeth. It was really bad but he allowed me to dig and poke and prod without so much as moving a leg. I'm glad I did it because he had a good sized bean in there plus lots of flakes. Yuck.

The next big deal was the spook...or lack of one! The neighbors pulled in fast with a noisy trailer. Becca took off in fear but Diesel just raised his head and turned to see what was going on. All of this while tied. We finished up with a shampoo and condition. He's a pretty boy.

Not wanting him to roll immediately and mess up his hair, I decided to push him even further. He is anxious in new places and is not entirely perfect being led while upset. He is strong and stubborn with far less give to pressure than I'd like. Still, he deserved a treat. We walked around to the road to eat rye grass out of the ditch. He was a gentleman. And so funny! He could see the neighbor working in her yard through a few trees. He was mesmerized. Such a nosy fellow.

I am so pleased to be riding regularly again. I'm riding 3 times a week now, mostly on Bubba. I'm finding him a pleasant ride compared to Becca. Go figure. I like that he bounces me up at a trot and I'm getting much better at a sitting trot. Becca is so inconsistent these days- my fault for not riding much.

Diesel will be my next Prissy. I am sure of it. He is gorgeous and smart and has a fantastic personality. I'm getting very comfortable with him and he can tell. Not that I wasn't before but time is making us close. He is enjoying our outings, too. No matter where he is he will come to me when I call. He knows we are going to go out and work but he heads in anyway. He's a willing partner. I am so lucky to have found him. My life is blessed.

Keep it up

I've ridden Diesel three more times. It has been great. Every ride he gets even better. We've worked on his laziness and balance and transitions. I'm riding with spurs but don't have to use them but once. He gets it. Smart boy.

I've taken him out in the pasture to cool off twice. This is my problem. I have fear issues. The first day I took him halfway to the big culvert and turned back before I lost my nerve. Yesterday I took him to the first corner. This is about 1000 feet...not bad. My goal was to ride to the culvert and we went twice as far. He looked around but did not spook or rush. I feel safe on him.

I have a goal. I want to open him up by the end of June. This horse has power. I have never felt all of it. We have to get both of us in shape. He makes me look good.

Becca, on the other hand, makes me look awful. I rode her today for the second time this year. It was ugly. She remembers how to slide to a stop and that's about it. We weaved and rushed and her head was up and down and bent and it was not fun. She was worried...about everything. This is normal but the inconsistency is not. Gonna have to try this again.

I've ridden 3 out of the last 4 days. I hope to keep it up. It feels good. My life is blessed.

Perfection

Sometimes everything comes together and works. IT WORKS. I rode my lovely Diesel yesterday in raging winds. I found the time and the energy, quite rare for me. I am still high on that hour long ride. He was amazing. There might have been some shameless dancing involved last night...with the dog and cat...but we won't talk about that!

Diesel was solid and responsive and forward and it felt great. He didn't shy or spook or get lazy. I'm not saying he doesn't have lots of room for improvement, just that it was a vast improvement over our last few rides. I really enjoyed myself. I didn't want to end the ride.

Afterwards, he got a haircut and lots of hugs. He loves the attention. I am so proud of my little boy. His brain does not act like a 9 year old on the ground but he was all about business during the ride. Maybe someday he can be my Prissy. Gotta hit the trails if I want to get him there.

Priss is doing relatively well. She cannot go without her legs wrapped and is unstable but she is improving. She loves to go out to eat in the back yard where there is a bit more grass. Yesterday she trotted in. I hope she is not paying for it today. My life is blessed...by many.

Find Some Down Time

We are all busy. For me, it means no spare time as long as the sun shines. If I do manage to sneak a little me time in I like to fill it with a good book. This is my newly discovered treat:




Laura Crum has outdone herself again with her latest book, "Going, Gone". In this eleventh book of the Gail McCarthy Mystery series, Gail continues to grow with her family and explore even more creature relationships. This is a story everyone can relate to. Crum is inspired by real animals and portrays their personalities and quirks so well you think you know the animals yourself.

The mystery the Gail finds herself involved in is exciting and fresh with old characters involved anew. While vacationing with her family, Gail finds her friend and former boyfriend, Lonny Peterson, accused of a double homicide. Her childhood friend, Bret Boncantini, is caught up in the middle of this baffling mystery. Unable to resist, Gail follow the leads in the Sierra Nevada Foothills to her own Monterey Bay. As usual, there is excitement and insight along the way.

This is a series every animal lover should follow from the beginning. I became a fan just last year after discovering Laura Crum on the popular blog, "Equestrian Ink". I have read all of her books several times since. The release of this book is a much awaited treat for me. If you love a good mystery this is the author for you.

When Did That Happen?

I became the owner of an elderly horse recently.

Don't worry. I didn't get a new horse. Priss just seemed to get old overnight. She's cute as a doll and has that great personality but she is old, way too old for a 23 year old.

She's feeling this nasty weather. However, she has alot of good days and it is getting easier for her. It's slow but she's accepting her disability. She tried to canter in for dinner yesterday. She's paying for it today.

The more time she spends out grazing the better she does. Can't wait for it to get dry. I'm thankful for every day I get to spend with her. My life is blessed.

TB Friends

Today's TB Friends post was very moving. Tomorrow it will be replaced with another. If you don't read http://www.tbfriends.com/ already, you should check it out. I have never been to California and I don't know Joe but I read this every day. Enjoy this one here forever.


Wednesday, March 24th... The Look. For years now, horses have found new homes because of The Look.I think it was 2004 when all this started. A hot summer day, and in our yard a young girl gave The Look to a small chestnut gelding. A hundred or so horses on our ranch, but it was only the small chestnut gelding who received The Look. You can easily imagine. Love at first sight. Never saw it coming. Like getting bonked in the back of your head by a barn door. You must have an agreeable parent. Which the young girl had. We made all the arrangements. Gave the parent and young girl dozens of options, including bringing the gelding back if there were problems. Soon the chestnut gelding belonged to the young girl. She still sends us pictures. And later this fall, when the girl moves away to college, her horse is going with her.Perhaps 30 times since, because of The Look, a horse from our ranch has found a loving home. Two have been returned, both because of money problems.The oldest person 65. The youngest 9. I remember The Look from each. It is impossible to witness The Look and not react. You see The Look, you must do something about it. On my website I have not once written about The Look adoptions. Until now. No way to write about this without sounding like we are above everyone else. Plus, for us anyway, The Look adoptions are private. We only charge a dollar for the horse. And we make the person come back at least 5 times before it becomes official. The person spends time with the horse in our yard. Always their love grows stronger. Always there is The Look.Okay, after all of the above, I can get to the point. Earlier this year, in rain and wind, a girl gave The Look to a mare on our ranch. The girl was only here to bring us grain from Costco. The girl saw the mare, and there was The Look. I said take the mare for a walk, and she did. Both the mare and girl soaked from sideways rain. I said you can go into the mare motel and groom her. The girl did. The mare had just arrived from a race track, and was on her toes. High strung with me, but quiet and sensible with the girl. It was easy to see the connection between the two. The mare stood quietly while the girl introduced her to a blanket. I found out later, this was the first time the mare had worn a blanket.We made all the arrangements. A nice place in Davis. Financial concerns taken care of by the owners of the nice place. The girl is a student with money woes. The owners of the nice place were happy to help.The mare was transported to the nice place. And less than a week later, she was crippled.The rain went away, the sun came, and horses were turned out to play. The mare took a bad step, and broke both her ankle and sesamoid. A vet at UC Davis told the girl, you have to put your mare to sleep. The girl decided to seek a second opinion. And so the mare was taken to a vet hospital in another town. The girl told the doctor, she has little money. But if something can be done for her mare, she promises to pay for the rest of her life.Well the doctor had done the same kind of surgery many times before. It involves screws. The horse has no chance of passing through airport security. The doctor performed the surgery, and only charged the girl for meds. Unbelievable. She only had to pay for the medicine. There is rehab, which includes hand walking everyday for the next 4 months. The mare should be fine.I phoned the doctor, and told him what a wonderful person he is. To do this for the girl and her mare. And this is what he said: How could I turn the girl down? You should see the way she looks at her horse.
Joe