Abby Texts Again

Remember when Abby had Pam text me about getting more carrots during my visit?

Well, that sassy girl (er, Abby, not Pam) is at it again. She texted my friend, Tricia, a teacher I work with at Hershey this afternoon.

"Dear Tricia, Thank you for the yummy apple core!! You are my new best friend. Love, Abby"

(Tricia was eating an apple at lunch and let me take the core home to my pony.)

Frosted Sugarplum

Abby is growing her winter coat in preparation for the cold days that are coming. Like Amy's did, Abby's coat pattern changes as she sheds and grows new hair.

 Look at that white patch behind her left eye and on her jowl!

 Her neck is more white than red.

 Her body is so frosted, it's hard to see her Appaloosa spots.

 Even her nose looks softer and velvety with the white hairs that are growing in - no cold nose for this girl! (This was an accidental picture - I was snapping her picture and she began nosing for carrots!)

 More white is above her eye and splashed down her face.

Abby's frosted winter coat makes me think of sugarplums.

I guess it's that time of year!

The Herd Comes Up

With Diablo in the lead, Trouble, next, and Mason bringing up the rear, the herd comes up for a visit.

They're in the northwest pasture right now, so I have to walk out to them if I want to say hello. But they saved me some walking by heading up when they saw me arrive.

 Trouble basks in the fading October sun in small paddock by the old barn.

After a visit with me, the herd then heads back out to graze. Except for Hokey.

He has to investigate a broken board in the paddock fence and see if there is any choice grass left on the other side.

Such a lovely fall day, and lucky me to get to spend part of it with the horses!

Paddock Boots!

I may have bought them way back in May, but it wasn't until today that I put my paddock boots on and actually used them when I did my daily carrot run.

I haven't worn a pair of riding boots in probably 25 years - not since I got pregnant with Cole and decided that I just could not give Indy the time he needed while being the mom I wanted to be to my six children. So, I sold Indy and put my boots away. 

 For good, I thought.

But I was wrong; horses did come back into my life nearly a quarter of a century later when Abby stole my heart, and now, I have riding boots!

Next on the docket? Actually swinging back up into the saddle and going for a ride. 

More "It's Not Just Me!"

Karen O'Connor is probably the horseperson I would most like to meet. She's my age and has ridden on every US Olympic team since 1986. She values honesty, humility, and integrity, and she takes good care of her horses. Knows her stuff.

The Chronicle of the Horse did an interview with her in the October 8, 2012 issue. This part made me smile:

When I was eleven years old, I bugged my parents for a horse.... (For my birthday) my mom and dad bought a horse for me. I watched a couple of horse things on TV, and decided I wanted to learn to jump. When my mom was out getting groceries or getting her hair done, I'd bring out the tables and chairs and prop mops across them, and I taught myself to jump. When my mom came back early one day, (Sound familiar? Does to me!) she never got mad at me, but she said, "Let's put the furniture back and figure out where we can get you some lessons to learn to jump."

I never took furniture out of the house, but I did set up some ground poles on empty coffee cans and tried jumping in the front pasture. And Leslie and I put our own red and green ribbons in the horses' manes for Christmas rides. We raided the fridge for carrots and apples. And so on.

I wonder how many other horsey girls from my generation, like Karen, like me, all were doing the same crazy things in their pursuit of love for horses?

Autumn Evidence

Windy fall day today! It may be unseasonably warm (77 degrees) but it's evident that it is autumn.

Hokey found these sycamore leaves delicious. Seeing them piled against the gate was a real harbinger of the cold weather that is coming our way.

The trees at our home are beautiful. And, they're getting big!

 Mindful of the romantic old tale of an elderly couple deeply in love all their lives, who walked to the end of their lane together every evening, and then died together there and turned into trees with their branches interlaced (::sniff::sniff::) the one on the left I have always called Craig and the one on the right, Lynn. The tree to the west of the driveway, which has always been smaller than the other two, is Zeus. After all, Zeus moved in here with us so he was part of the family, too!

This is Lynn. Isn't she pretty this fall?? (Hah!!) She has had two robins' nests the past two years, too.

Ooo! Look Inside!

When I arrived at the barn tonight, Tim had the sales trailer open and I got a peek inside. He's heading up to Canada where he will meet his brother in Alberta and leave the trailer with him. Everything is going to a sale up there next spring, and Tim is planning on taking another trailer load up then.

The trailer was chock full of neat stuff like this:

 An old Cigar Store Indian!

 Sulkies and a big black buggy!

A brand new carriage that was a beautiful cranberry color.  Sure wish I could buy it and have Abby take me for a spin!

The burning question for me was if Tim was going to sell the sleigh. To my surprise, he told me he actually had two sleighs - the one in the barn and another at his home.  What a relief to hear he was going to keep one - I am really hoping for snow over the holidays so I can take my family sleighing in a REAL one horse open sleigh!