Easter Morning

I've had a lot going on and haven't been able to do much of anything with the horses lately, so I wanted to at least walk off the ice cream and cookies we had yesterday and take a horse along.  My husband said he wanted to go for a bike ride, but was going to wait until it got hot enough to make the rattlesnakes sluggish.  I said, "Oh, I'm not worried about that.  I've got my thick, knee high

I Screamed Like a Little Girl

My horse trainer gets so much more work done when I'm not around, so I let her have at it while I headed back to the house to get some other duties and chores underway.  As I was bounding up the walkway and back steps, my eye caught sight of my foot coming down on top of a very large snake.  I jumped backwards and screamed. I must have screamed loud and long, because my vocal chords hurt

Looky What I Made

When my husband and I went trail riding with a local stable, I brought my horn bag so that I could carry my water, snacks and camera, but the guide switched my horn bag out with a couple of denim bags strung together that laid over the horse's withers.

Now that it is heating up, I need to bring a bottle of water or two when I hand-walk the horses in the desert. I don't bring the saddle on those

Lostine Tests Out the New Reins

After returning the way-too-short-for-trail-riding loop rope reins to the feed store, I talked with my horse trainer about her making some in the size I want. She still would have to order the materials, so I would have to wait a few weeks to get them. I decided to try out the Parelli 11-foot finesse rein, because I had confidence that it would reach me first, and then if it was too long or too

Assess What You are Rewarding

I learned a good lesson this evening while doing desensitization exercises with a plastic bag on a stick.  Even though you think you may be teaching the horse one thing, he may be learning something completely different.    Here's what happened.

I first had Bombay follow the plastic bag by leading him with a rope halter and lead rope while walking backwards and holding the bag on the end of the

Caught a Jackalope

...on camera...



It's tough trying to snap the shutter fast enough to catch some of the wildlife around here.  I've seen bigger jackalopes, but this one was kind enough to freeze and pose for me.  One of these hares almost always crosses my path when I walk or ride out in the desert, and I am fascinated by their size.  When I blow up this picture I can see that the rabbit's ears are all chewed

Changing My Mind

One of the many things my horse trainer has taught me is to not be afraid to change my mind.  Having a routine helps nervous horses relax, but at some point you have to switch it up and challenge them.  So, if I am out for a trail ride and I turn the horse to the north, I should be able to say, "Oops, I changed my mind," and turn the horse to the west.  I should be able to change my mind as often

Wind is a Powerful Force...

...so don't break it.  Ha ha.  Sorry.  I just had to try to crack a joke to relieve some tension.

I'm a bit speechless.  I was having a really bad day, getting bombarded with some really hard problems that only I could solve, but didn't know how to solve.  I was on the phone, doing research and writing emails all day.  My horse training session was originally set for 3:00 PM, got changed to 4:00

Oh, Lostine!

That's all I have to say... Oh, Lostine!

No, you know I have to tell a story to go along with it.  This is one story I wish I didn't have to tell.  Some days I feel like my horses are hopeless.  This is one of them.

So, it's been raining since my last horse training session, mostly on Friday, some on Saturday, and this Sunday was just muddy and gross.  Today the sun is out and the ground is

Too Good To Be True?

Years ago I used to be very on top of what was going on in the Arabian horse market.  I could view up and coming colts and make accurate predictions about the next great bloodline to flood the Arabian horse market, but as life got me in its vice grips, I let my subscription to Arabian Horse World lapse and stopped searching horse sale websites for fun.  Recently I got back into the addiction of

My Video Picks of the Day

It's been ridiculously cold, wet and muddy, so I've been entertaining myself by watching Harlem Shake videos on YouTube.  Here are some links to the Harlem Shake horse-style, minus any raunchy behavior.

This one is jaw-dropping:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvFbs9DVZuY

This one is just plain silly:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw_1Va7LltY

This one is creative:  http://www.youtube.com/

The Best Laid Plans are None

The best laid plans are also tarps.  I didn't know what to expect when my trainer arrived today.  Would she be too sore to ride after her wreck?  We had originally planned to take Bombay and Gabbrielle out for a trail ride together, so I saddled them up and tied them each in a stall.  When the trainer arrived she said, "I'll bet you have everything planned out that you want to do today, huh?"

I

Clean Horses

I keep buying carrots and forgetting to give them to the horses, so they get floppy and grow limbs in the refrigerator.  I was feeling a little better today after meeting my new tax accountant.  It turns out that she and I have a lot in common, so she knows just how to handle my taxes.  I only have to get a few more folders of paperwork together for her, and she thinks she can have my entire

Life

I'll tell ya, I sure wish life would stop getting in the way of me living my life.  For several months now, I have been spared having to suffer through anymore of these frantic episodes where I've got way too much to do with all of these unexpected problems and obstacles flying at me from all directions at the same time.  When life gets like that, I feel like a contestant on Wipeout, trying to

A Five Hour Tour

I was finally able to fit in a half-day trail ride through the Goldfield Mountains into my and my husband's schedule, and it happened to fall on one of the nicest, clearest, warmest days of the year.  My farrier used to be a trail boss or guide for this outfit and he recommended it.  I was originally going to sign us up for a half day ride through the Superstition Mountains but found out that it

Eat Your Shorts

I save all the oddities I find bundled up in my hay bales and like to give my hay supplier a hard time about it.  At the last delivery I had a tractor part he had been looking for and a coyote leg bone to show him.  But today's finding in Gabbrielle's feed trough beat all.



My poor horse was chewing on some little boy's underpants.  I'm hoping it was just something someone was using as a work