New Farrier - Never Assume

Like me, Tim had back surgery last summer. He was recovering well until last fall when he tried to trim the horses' hooves, a task he always does. It became very clear to him that he was done trimming feet for some time, if not permanently.

That meant he (and I) had to find a new farrier. Tim got a flier from one in Illinois trying to establish himself over here, checked him out, and scheduled him to come yesterday. I am in Colorado visiting family and was a little concerned that I could not be there, but Tim being Tim, took care of that for me.

And, when she was done, Tim texted me to let me know it had gone well.

Curious as to his thoughts about the new farrier, I texted back and asked what Tim thought of him. His response made me smile.

Looks like we have found our new farrier, and SHE does a good job! 

(You'd think since I have a daughter named Jess/Jessica I might have figured it out beforehand.)

Horseyreader's Room

I'm in Colorado visiting family, and my granddaughter, Trinity, is a horsey girl like me. Her social media name is "Horseyreader" reflecting her two loves. She let me take some pictures of her bedroom decor.

 She has a mix of Breyers, Hagen Renakers, Shleich, and knock-off brands.

 Deb Carlson sold her the buckskin lying foal when Trinity attended a live show in Iowa with me.

 I gave her this framed portrait of a horse last summer. (I love that she has a picture of the Denver temple on her wall, too.)

 Oops! I missed this Breyer Black Beauty that was on another shelf in her room.

This isn't horsey, but it does reflect another aspect of Horseyreader - her love of music. She is ready for a pedal harp, but used ones run from $9,000 to $30,000. (You can't rent one, at least in the Denver area.)

Horseyreader is hoping to begin riding lessons soon.

More Fun at the Spa

Late in the afternoon today I cut up some carrots and an apple and headed out to the barn for a visit with my girl. 

The herd was lined up at the main gate, but as I counted noses, one horse was missing - Trouble.

 I'd seen Tim's car parked in front of the new barn, so I assumed Trouble was with him.

I was right - Tim had saddled up his favorite boy and had headed out on the trails. I got a quick snap of them on the far edge of the hay field just before they disappeared into the woods.

Hokey, Trouble's best buddy, was missing his friend.

He visited with me a short while, and then walked away and called to Trouble a few times.

Abby had been giving herself spa treatments in the squishy spring mud.

 She rolls daily year-round, but seems to especially relish the mud.

I'd thought I might brush her down, but she was absolutely encrusted. Plus, I knew she'd simply go roll again as soon as I finished, so I let it be.

She enjoyed her carrots and apples, hung out with me for a while, and then it was time for me to leave. I may not ride any more, but you don't have to ride to enjoy horses. I find them wonderful companion animals and so barn visits, with or without mud, are highlights for me. 

Telling the Younglings Apart

Sultanna and Snickerdoodle are full siblings and nearly identical. Sultanna has a a right hind sock and is just a bit bigger, but I still have a difficult time figuring out who is who at times.

For example, Sultanna is on the left in this photo. She's the bigger and older of the two, but she's standing on an incline and looks smaller.

It was while I was taking their picture Sunday that I realized there was another difference between them that would help me identify them.

 Snickerdoodle still has some of his baby fuzz in his forelock.

While Sultanna's mane is adult smooth.

She's also green broke, so when Tim is working her, I know which is which!

A Relaxing Weekend

I had 100% attendance at parent/teacher conferences this past week, always a good thing. But... I met before and after school all week long, and by Friday afternoon, I was exhausted.

Aside from doing some laundry and going to church, I decided to have a quiet weekend at home.

I puttered with my collection, putting away the pieces I had taken to GLC last weekend, and worked on my current project, documenting every piece in a spreadsheet.

 I got a MUCH needed pedicure - it had been since November since I last got my toesies done!

And, I spent time with my favorite horse Sunday afternoon. There's nothing like being surrounded by a bunch of horses who want nothing more than to just hang out with you.

I think I am ready to head back to work tomorrow, especially since Spring Break starts Friday at 3:30! Five more days!!

Mud Bath

Um, mom? I, er, need to tell you something.

 I decided to have a little fun today.

 It was a sunny day and the pasture was drying out.

I just couldn't resist that last mud puddle. You'll brush it out of my coat, right?

GLC March 11, 2017

After two weeks of planning and packing, I left Hershey after school on Friday and headed up to Chicago (Huntley, actually) for a model horse show - Great Lakes Congress.

I qualified two pieces for the national show in the first three classes.

You must win a first or a second in a recognized show to do so.

There were about thirty showers, three judges, and then the GLC staff in attendance.

I forgot the stands I use to keep my tippy pieces upright, so I ended up laying many of the breakables down to protect them.

I set out all the documentation for classes after unpacking and got ready for the show to begin.

Up on the stage were several vendors. I went and took a look and came home with a Black Horse Ranch Knabstrupper resin. It is gorgeous!

I also brought some things to sell. I ended up donating my Gifted Hanoverian (mint in box) to GLC for future fundraising.

Four rings were running concurrently and I had pieces in three of the four. Needless to say, I missed a couple of classes.

Part of the reason was that my tablemate was an old friend of 25+ years, Kay Schlumpf.

My portrait resin of my real horse, Cee Hunt, also qualified for the national show.

I sold the china bison that sat in Countryside Antiques for almost three years. I rescued it, hoping that some collector would give it a good home. Lindsey Diamond bought it for her husband.

At the end of the day, Winding Stables had five horses with cards for the national show. That was exciting, but best of all was just enjoying a day immersed in my hobby.

When the Herd Alpha is your BFF

Life is pretty good when your best friend just happens to be the herd alpha.

 You can get the best spot at the hayrack, in the barn, and pretty much do what you want.

You can even pin your ears and chase off the lesser herd members. At least, you can as long as your BFF is with you.

Diablo, despite the meaning behind her name, is a sweet mare of small stature but make no mistake - she is the pasture queen.

Even Trouble, a massive gelding who bulls his way into just about anything, gives way to her.

 If Abby didn't have Diablo's friendship, she would be much lower in the herd pecking order. But she does, and so life is extra good.

Pointing the "Hoof of Blame"

During my visit with Abby this afternoon, I noticed this:

 Someone took a gate down between the pastures.

 It happens occasionally - the horses will want access to the "grass is greener over there" pasture and worry the gate until they finally knock it over somehow.

 I've watched Trouble take one down in no time flat...

... and Hokey, too.

So, when I saw the gate was down, I took a few pictures of it and sent them to Tim so he would know that  a repair was needed.

Trouble often lives up to his name, so I couldn't resist and told Tim that I'd seen a big sorrel horse standing by the downed gate. Not true, but Trouble WAS a reasonable suspect, and Tim knew it.

So, he texted back a tongue in cheek response. "Interesting...because I just talked to Trouble and he pointed a hoof at Abby. She did not want to talk about it..."

We'll never know which one took the gate down!

Hmmm,

Interesting

Because i just talked to Trouble and he pointed a hoof at Abby.

.... she did not want to talk abt it.

Hmmm,

Interesting

Because i just talked to Trouble and he pointed a hoof at Abby.

.... she did not want to talk abt it.

Hmmm,

Interesting

Because i just talked to Trouble and he pointed a hoof at Abby.

.... she did not want to talk abt it.

YWCA Salute to Women Banquet

Such a lovely and memorable evening! I had to be there at 5:00 Wednesday to meet my sponsor (State Farm Insurance), get my corsage, eat appetizers, and mingle with the other honorees.

At 5:45 we had a group shot, and to my surprise, Vanessa was the photographer! The one they'd hired had backed out the previous evening, and so they called on Vanessa to do the job!

And then they opened the doors to the banquet finally, and people poured in - 250 were in attendance!

There was a nice program looping on screens placed around the hall - our interviews from WLFI Channel 18 were replayed over and over.

Dinner was delicious and there was an orchid on every plate. I'll admit that I wondered if it was edible and if I was supposed to eat it. (I didn't.)

My cheering squad included Curt, Vanessa, Linda Fields, Kathy Nimmer, Lisa Connolly, Lisa, Craig...

 ... and surprise guests Leslie, Rick, and Jenny!

After we ate, the ceremony began. The first up was The Woman of Innovation, a Latina who runs the only Latina Girl Scout troop in the area.

Her troop was invited to come onstage and present the award to her!

Several more women went and then it was my turn. 

This is me with my State Farm sponsor. She was really nice.

 I had no prepared remarks, but I spoke of the butterfly effect and how the women in the room, current honorees as well as past, were making differences big and small in their own spheres of influence.

To my surprise, State Representative Sheila Klinker had a beautiful signed and framed recognition plaque from The Indiana General Assembly for me!

The whole evening was lovely from start to finish. Four days later, I am still walking on cloud nine.

Even more, it is an honor to win the same award that my mother won. I think she may have been watching from heaven.