Horsewomen "of a Certain Age"

Let me make it crystal clear that I am NOT yet at that "certain age." At least, I hope not. I certainly don't consider myself an old lady!

Having said that, I do like this poem that has made the rounds among horsewomen before and apparently is going around again. My friend, Colette Asay, recently posted it on my Facebook page.

 I do feel a kinship to the woman of which it speaks. (Although I'll be drinking hot chocolate instead of white wine!)

When I am an Old Horsewoman
	When I am an old horsewoman I shall wear turquoise and diamonds, And a straw hat that doesn’t suit me And I shall spend my social security on white wine and carrots, And sit in my alleyway of my barn And listen to my horses breathe. I will sneak out in the middle of a summer night And ride the old bay gelding, Across the moonstruck meadow If my old bones will allow And when people come to call, I will smile and nod As I walk past the gardens to the barn and show instead the flowers growing inside stalls fresh-lined with straw. I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel And I will be an embarrassment to all Who will not yet have found the peace in being free to have a horse as a best friend A friend who waits at midnight hour With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes For the kind of woman I will be When I am old. -By Patty Barnhart Originally published in The Arabian Horse World magazine in l992

Where are the Horses??

A sunny day yesterday, with temperatures in the mid 60s. That meant that I could get out to the barn for a visit. (Today? Back to winter. 3.5 inches of blowing and drifting snow over a layer of sleet and freezing rain. Snow day for me. Again.)

But when I pulled up to the old barn, there were no whickers of greeting nor any horses to be seen. I checked the west pasture, but the herd was not there, either.

So, I got in my car and drove to the south side of the property and the new barn/indoor arena. Those pastures were empty, too. Had Tim put everyone inside the new barn for some reason? I went inside and checked the arena, but still no sign of the horses.

But, I could now hear them, that sound of snorting, munching, and interacting that horses do with each other.

Tim had put them in the little-used paddock behind the new barn. I called Abby's name, and she (along with Diablo, Hokey, Dolly, and Trouble) came ambling around the barn. (Abby broke into a trot when she saw me.)

May I please have a candy cane or some carrots?

(I think she looks like a teddy bear in this picture, she' so soft and fluffy looking!)

My day always seems better after an Abby-visit!

Ahhh! That Horsey Smell!

Winter's grip on us on us has been broken, and we had sun and 60 degrees today. There was no way I was NOT going to visit Abby after school. I anticipated my visit all day, and as I rolled up to the old barn and opened my car door, that lovely horsey smell wafted into the car.

Heavenly!!

Hay, fresh air, horsey bodies, and even manure, the smell is one of my favorites and makes me happy.

Abby came right over to say hello, followed closely by her BFF, Diablo.

 Candy canes make them happy!

 Abby had an itchy nose and used the gate post as a scratching post.

I laughed at how it smushed up her nose, but it sure seemed to feel good to her.

 Persuasion was hanging out with Hokey at the second hayrack.

Hokey loves treats, and so he waited by the other gate, hoping I would notice. (I did, and he got a candy cane.)

I drove home with a smile on my face and a feeling that all is right in the world.

A Heaping Helping of Horses

Mary Poppins sang that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. I'd argue that a heaping helping of horses is even better!

Yesterday, I was tired and had worked late - a consequence of being gone all last week and visiting grandbabies. While my subs were top notch, there was still a lot of grading for me to do and then planning for this week, plus changing some bulletin boards. An order of supplies had come in, and other loose ends needed my attention... By late afternoon, I was dragging.

I debated going to the barn; all I really wanted to do was grab some dinner and fall into bed.  But, since I still had the tack I'd borrowed from Tim, and the snow had melted enough that I felt I could get up the lane to the new barn and tack room, I decided I'd better make a quick trip.

I am so glad I did.

Abby was glad to see me, and I, her. It was nippy and I was still in my school clothes, so I only stayed long enough to give her a couple of candy canes and a few pats.

Yet that was enough. That happy glow horse lovers feel whenever they've hung out with a horse came over me, and as I drove home, I smiled and realized that a heaping helping of horses had been just what I needed.

Abbyland!

I saw this while on my way home from The Grammy Tour - Part One at a rest stop near Lebanon, Indiana. It's even got the orange thing going (all of Abby's things are orange, from her halter to her brushes.)

Hmmm, I wonder if I could get Tim to rename his property Abbyland??

Winter Drags On

This winter has dragged on - recent measurements by WLFI say we've had nearly five feet of snow! As I write, we have had snowfall every weekend since the Saturday after Christmas. While "walking in a winter wonderland" is fun for a while, it does get old.

The horses are faring well. Tim keeps a good eye on them and has kept them well fed, increasing their hay ration whenever the temperatures have dropped below zero (which has been many times.) The herd has two different run-ins in the old barn, so they can come and go as they wish, and about eight acres to roam. Truly, Abby could not be in a better spot.

Unfortunately, the bad weather has kept me from seeing my girl as much as I'd like. While I am definitely the most mobile I've been in the three years since I had my knees replaced, the depth of the snow has been a concern for a different reason - I haven't wanted to get my car stuck in the deep snow!

This week we've had some melting and the lanes to the horses are more accessible. But I am traveling and meeting new grandbabies Julie and Cambria (Whitney, I'll see you in a few weeks, sweetie!) so I haven't been able to get to the barn. Lisa did, though, and was thoughtful enough to send her horse-starved mama some pictures.

 Abby and Diablo, together as always. Love the hay in Diablo's forelock!

While this is a typical pose of Abby (frisking you for carrots and candy canes), Lisa took it to show me that Abby's forelock is growing out. Someone in the herd seems to enjoy nibbling it off, so it is nice to see it coming back!

Diablo stares forlornly at the bag of horse cookies. Lisa had set it down on the ground and turned to give some attention to one of the other horses when she heard a crackling sound. Diablo had grabbed the bag and was trying to eat out of it! So, Lisa placed it out of reach.

Winter is certainly dragging on, but I see some bare ground in three of the pictures. Surely spring is on its way.

The Silver Barrette

In 1970 I placed an ad in Horse and Rider magazine's pen pal section, and thus began a lifelong friendship with Sue Seese, a girl who responded to my request for a pen pal.

I'll write more about her in another post, but this morning I was reminded of our enduring, forty-four year friendship when I was getting ready for church.

I pulled this out to put in my hair.  And smiled.

In 1974, after four years of near-weekly correspondence, I had flown out to California to meet Sue. What a time we had together! We rode horses (how many people can say they've ridden a horse that was owned by Gilligan of the TV show, Gilligan's Island? I can, thanks to Sue!), went to the beach, and showed Sue's horse, Storm, at a local horse show. (I still have the ribbon I won up in my office.)

A highlight of the trip was visiting Sue's silversmith, the man who created beautiful pieces of silver for saddles and bridles. I remember walking around the silversmith's workroom, amazed at the gleaming, handcrafted sterling silver pieces that were offered for sale. I couldn't afford any of them, but I sure could appreciate their beauty and craftsmanship!

After Sue finished paying for the silver she'd had put on Storm's bridle, the silversmith walked over to me and held something out. "Here's a souvenir of California," he said with a smile. And in his hand was the sterling silver barrette.

A gift for me. And one I have come to cherish as time has passed.

I keep the barrette polished and wear it fairly often. It was such a thoughtful gift and remains a souvenir of the friendship Sue and I still share all these years later.

A friendship forged through a mutual love of horses.