COVID 19- 2 weeks in

This will probably go down in text books that kids will learn about in a hundred years. The world has it formerly existed shut down.

• There is no going to school {there is homeschool but we will get into that later} 😳
• There are no stores {besides grocery stores and feed and supply stores}
• There are no public gatherings. No funerals, no weddings, no conferences, no nothing 
• All parks and recreation facilities shut down
• No church
• No 4-H 
• No sports

It’s officially been 2 weeks. (Maybe just over for a few things). There has been a lot of adjusting in our home- as with everyone’s.

My girls were so disappointed about missing out on 4-H regional communications {for reals}. They both thought they had an excellent shot at winning. This week brought further 4-H disappointments when the exhibition cancelled the show and sale in June.

There have been lots of amazing things to be grateful for.

Spring is coming. The kids have all been enjoying the warmer weather, planting seeds, and playing with the animals. 

Home centered- School Supported education has been.... interesting 🧐 

The older girls are organized and seem to be handling the online assignments and instructions well!

Penny wishes that she only had to do her teacher assigned tasks BUT I bought a few books and some flash cards and have really upped the anti around here!

Andy is having a blast  and he is ruling the roost!

He gets at least 1 hour every day with one of his sisters to build all the awesomeness! 

Here’s to another week of living the dream 🍻 

Doors

There's an old adage that is like when one door closes another opens...

Well, when we had to euthanize Holly, dusty and I knew it was going to be a big blow but over the last 6 weeks we really felt the effects. She was a family horse. She quiet and kind enough for Ellie to ride. Dusty loved riding her because he says she made him look good with out being too smart for him and I appreciated that she allowed me to ride when I wanted to.

We have looked at quite a few horses and while we didn't find a horse that filled her shoes, we did find two horses that will push both Dusty and I. 

This is Bailey. She's a registered QH. She is super sweet but she got a bit wrecked on the track ponying the racehorses. She's not bad but she thinks leg on means run like the dickens and she needs some soft quiet work. Dusty loves her. She looks like the horses his grandparents had while he was growing up. He's excited to bring her along and try to get her so she can be as good as she once was. 

We have ridden her at home and she was so quiet for me but the other day we took her to the indoor..... Hahaha she wasn't so quiet then. I thought it was just dusty so I kicked him off and rode her.... It wasn't him. Finally after our neighbour hopped on she started getting a little quieter. Then dusty took the girls out for a ride in the field.....

Picturesque as they were leaving. A really enjoyable ride.... Until they went to come home! I am glad it was him and not me! He was channeling as much patience as he could muster and trying to pull out his inner Clinton Anderson! Haha they made it home on his terms. She is going to make a really great horse and he is happy to have a horse of his own again. She is perfect for him and he got a steal of a deal on her which makes him love her even more!

And me..... I got darn near perfection....

This is Cooper. Ever since having kids I get a self-preservation pit in my stomach while I ride. The first ride I never got that. I also realized in that first ride that it's been a LONG time since I had to really ride. This horse was way more trained than I was used to!!! The owner coached me through where some of his buttons were. We decided to go back up for a second ride. The second ride I think I rode for almost an hour and a half. I never got the pit. It was the most fun I have had riding in years. 

The hour and half might of over done it for me! There were muscles I hadn't used in a decade! I am just starting to be able move without feeling my age (mostly my out of shapeness).

Cooper is coming from a lady who is an exceptional rider and she has raised him. She is a Reiner and so that's Coopers foundation. I was blown away at his softness and the bend he has in his body. 

I  super excited to be able to ride all together and to have a safe horse that will push me back into the level of riding that I want to be at.

Horses and Hockey

That title might be my version of heaven (along with chocolate cake... But that's for another post).

Our fall has been consumed with both these two things. We have had clinics and rodeos and shows and then lessons and recreational riding. Plus we have been at the rink at least 3 times a week. Penny usually has her hockey stuff on with her cowboy boots headed to the rink! It's a zoo!

On Halloween the girls got to get all decked out with the horses. They had a great time and are already scheming up new costumes for next year! 

And as November rolled in- Penny actually got to play in her first game!

Life has been very hectic but it's been filled with some of the things our family loves a lot. I actually can't wait for more!

Long Hours

I have logged some pretty long and tedious hours the last few weeks.

The horse show is just days away and I have been stuck on my computer making the final preparations to the lists.

Tonight a friend texted me to go out and look at the meteor showers

I needed a break

I love the summer air

I love how it is warm and cold all at the same time

I could hear the hum of harvest all around me

and I smelled the dusty dirt earth smell that just hangs in the air

I looked up waiting for meteors 

I saw planes.

I love flying at night- I wondered where they were off too. Was it the first time away from home-going off on an adventure? Or was there someone coming home?

and the stars.

Stars and night make me feel small. 1 tiny creature in something so vast that it is incomprehensible. breathless almost. It fills me with awe and amazement.

As I stared up, I wondered and am still left wondering,

that maybe if more people saw stars instead of screens, 

there would be a return to awe and amazement,

 a return to a belief in something bigger than ourselves and our little lives,

a return to God

 and play 

and dreams?

I just really needed to write that before I returned to my screen.

Summer Games

Summer Games 

The girls were so very excited to compete- they could barely sleep!

We headed up Tuesday night

and our horse trailer wasn't too bad to sleep in.

All three girls slept in the back on cots and 

Dusty and I and Andy slept in the gooseneck.

I banded and braided for a good long while into the night 

and

when I got back Dusty said the girls FINALLY

fell asleep about midnight.

HAHA

They did very well on the English day.

(or their ponies did very well on the english day...)

 English Pleasure

 Gold for Ellie and Midnight

 Bronze for Lucy and Rocky

 Ellie and Midnight riding a dressage test.

(midnight jumped that lovely white fence-going off course and DQing)

They let her ride again just for a score.

 Rocky and Lucy in their dressage test!

They did great!

 Could we go to anything and have just pretty pictures?!?

To wrap up English day-

Ellie won

Gold- English Pleasure

Silver- English Equitation

Lucy Won

Bronze- English Pleasure

Bronze- Dressage

 Western day

Ellie and Midnight being Judged in showmanship

 Lucy and Rocky about to start in showmanship

 Ellie and Midnight in Western pleasure

 Lucy and Rocky in Western Pleasure

 Lucy and Rocky opening the gate in the trail course

Ellie getting some feedback after the reining class

The run down of western day

Ellie won

Silver- showmanship

Silver in Western Equitation 

Silver in Polebending

Gold in Keyhole

The day ended with gymcanna.

Lucy scratched. She was pooped and wanted to watch and eat chips and drink pop.

but

we saw Ellie shine.

She started to breathe.

Her pony did great- there were some really great barrel horses there 

so we prepped her that her little pony 

just doesn't have the stride

BUT

that little pony was smart.

She made every turn.

She watched where her feet landed.

and

Ellie was over the moon.

Great experiences

but

now the girls are ready to get to the lake!

That feeling

Last week we went to look at a horse.

We have been trying to downsize a bit but a trade was in the works.

The woman trading us warned of this horses really poor physical condition and before we arrived both Dusty and I were pretty skeptical. Neither of us wanted to trade a healthy horse for one that was going to kick the bucket.

We pulled in and both he and I did a once over- not good. But we drive all that way so we took him over to the arena. 

The ladies daughter jumped on and he did everything she asked.

Ellie got on and he slowed down even more and got softer- he did everything she asked. Lucy got on (which doesn't happen) and again he was a real gem.

Penny at this point was dying. She wanted on. I threw her up and she rode that guy all over the pen. When she slide down she asked if she could hold her horse. She sat and scratched and pet him and he fell asleep in her little arms. When it was time to go she walked him back to the pen and he obediently followed behind her. She was so sad we had to leave him there. My kids love horses and they love getting a new horse- it's exciting. This was different. 

Meet Douglas.

He is in pretty rough shape but we are all hoping with a bit of time and love this guy will be back to himself. Penny was so happy to have him here so she can take care of him. In a previous life he was loved and it took a bad owner to almost destroy him. The people we got him from have been doing a good job trying to bring him back and hopefully we can take him the rest of the way.

Waiting

If you look closely there is hay smashed in with the nose crusties. 

We HAD to move horses this morning

(Truly there was no other option)

It is windy and cold

By the last three horses we were in full blown melt down.

It is a good thing the horse I had did not care about the flapping crying writhing little boy in my arms.

By the time we hit the barn I put him in his "barnyard babysitter" and he screamed in there while we sorted. 

Occasionally one of the old mares would go stick her nose in to see what the commotion was all about.

Finally- face down in the hay he fell asleep.

(Of course 2 minutes from when I could of taken him in the house)

Now he sleeps in my arms out of the wind but I am too scared to wake him to wipe his hay nose !

Birthday Gift

We have had so much to do this January.

The start was a bit chilly and snowy

but

this week we've entered a 

heat wave!!

It's been so nice to watch the ice melt

and 

its been nice to actually get outside to do things!

I bought low bogs and that was a 

BIG

mistake. 

I have never had a problems with them in the

4 

years I have owned them

but

tonight doing chores the muck in the corrals is up over top of them.

YUCK!

Dusty and I were able to haul our horses in to the arena.

It was fun to take them and get to take a test run on my 

BIRTHDAY GIFT!!

 

The horse is old.

The saddle is new.

Lincoln was in need of some new duds.

I had to sell my old saddle

(which I loved)

but

Lincoln loves all the bling!

(and so do I)

Penny rode with us on Midnight

and

she (the horse) did awesome like always!

We were at a horse jumping show helping out

our local pony club.

The girls had fun running around the barns and arena

(mostly supervised by the spectators)

It's been a long time since I've run a concession out of a tack room!

It took me back to my 4-H days.

This week coming up is going to be fun.

I have been helping set up a goat tying clinic

(embracing my inner cowboy- haha yah right!!)

and then Ellie has a riding clinic.

 

First Horse Show!!

So the beginning part of our summer has been super busy!

Super busy because

we decided to be apart of a horseshow!

The girls practiced and practiced....

and it totally paid off!

The girls all LOVED it 

and

Dusty is totally a "show" dad!

 

Ellie-

English Pleasure- 4th

English Equitation- 4th

Hunter Hack- 2nd

Command- 4th

Handy Horse- 1st

Walk/Jog western- 4th

Western Pleasure-  2nd

Western Equitation- 2nd

Reining- 2nd

Command- 2nd

Barrel racing- 2nd

Trail- 2nd

 

Lucy

English in Hand- 1st

Walk/trot- 2nd

English Equitation- 1st

Command- 2nd

Showmanship- 3rd

Walk/jog- 3rd

Western Equitation- 3rd

Command- 4th

Barrel Racing- 3rd

 

Penny

Lead line English- Red Ribbon!

Lead Line Western- Red Ribbon!!!

Fair Weathered Activities

Every once in a while

The wind stops blowing

And it gets warm

Then our fair weathered cowboy

Will go and bring up our horses

And go for a ride.

Ellie and her dad went out

He decided to take out Zola

She had been out in the pasture for a coupe months

So he thought he should probably leave his partner in crime (aka penny) at home.

Zola was awesome.

So partner in crime 

Got to go for a ride after.

horse parts and paranoia

Today I was rubbing lotion into Penny's feet

she has really dry skin

but that is beside the point.

I am rubbing the bottom of her foot

and she looks at me

like only a 3 year old can

and asks,

"why is my frog so ticklish?"

I cried.

This may be a sign that we might spend too much time

with our furry friends in the barn 

and not enough time

with the human variety.

(a frog is a part of the bottom of a horse hoof)

Lately we have spend more than are usual

time out with the horses.

We have been moving pens and changing up

who is where 

so

we spend more time checking on them making sure they are okay.

Yesterday was no exception

so Penny and I go out and check everyone.

When we got up to the top of the hill

(which takes a while between her short legs and my lack of being able to breathe)

we noticed Biscuits

(my old mare)

wouldn't use one of her legs....

I couldn't find anything wrong with it.

but

with the way our week has been going

(Dusty's horse broke it's leg... and not in a normal horse break it's leg sorta way)

(and two horses pushed through fences)

panic and paranoia set in.

Anyways

she is going to be fine

my very handy and helpful neighbour came down

he figured out what was going on

and today she is back to her

regular hay-burnin' self.

I am very much looking forward to sharing the load

and perhaps with all my "free" time I might actually

teach Penny

the parts of a HUMAN foot!

fancy feet

this is Dusty's horse.

He's had it a while.

like since he was

14

and trust me

that was a while ago.

She hurt herself

pretty bad.

her heel is gone.

she has been lame for the last 4 years

and

FINALLY

her

hoof is growing.

and now he can ride her.

and that makes him

happy.

Going Going.....

We are selling Jessie.

This is the first horse that we are selling

that has tugged at my heart-strings.

I feel bad for the lass.

Under all that hair is really sweet loving mare.

Why, you ask, are we selling her?

I ask myself that.

Except we have too many.

Not enough time.

and although

she is by far one of the better ones

she NEEDS someone.

I think maybe only animal people get this.

Sometimes you have an animal

any animal

who can love and trust anyone.

AKA Belle our annoying but sweet dog...

Jessie doesn't love and trust everyone

you have to earn it.

It is not difficult.

You have to be nice

and gentle

and love her.

I think this is why my heart-strings are pulled.

She loves me.

I have brushed her.

and talked gently to her

and got her to trust me

and

now 

i am 

selling her.

We could use her for the kids.

she really is that quiet

but 

the kids don't trust her.

And in the horse world

trust is a 

BIG

deal.

I am sounding a bit 

"hippy"

but

I am not a cowboy.

Never.

So I am allowed to be a bit 

"hippy"

when it comes to horses.

Anyways

the damage is done.

I posted her tonight.

Now I just cross my fingers

and say my prayers

that someone

AMAZING

scoops her up

takes her home

and rides off into their sunset.