Puppy Pics

I still haven't had time to set up my photography studio, but I did manage to get a few pictures of Stewie holding still last night.  This one was funny, because Midge jumped up on the rocker recliner and a pillow on the back of it fell on top of her.  Then Stewie jumped up and laid down on top of the pillow.  He's so lightweight that I suspect she didn't even know he was there.

Just Crazy

Beginning this past weekend, I've noticed something in the air -- just a lot of craziness, people driving crazy on the roads, people out in droves enjoying the fine weather, lots of strangers loitering around the neighborhood, etc.  It seems the population exploded overnight, and I suspect it is because tourists and snowbirds are coming into town for a handful of annual special events.  Next

A Fun Photo Opp

Cut-N-Jump's arena driving trials came into town this weekend, and was happy to get out and take some pictures of her club in action.  Cut-N-Jump (CNJ) got caught up on each other's happenings, and then we had lunch with fellow bloggers Cindy D. and Brown Eyed Cowgirl (BEC), which was my first time meeting them both in person.  Here are some of my favorite shots from the arena driving trials...

Clicker Training the Dogs

I've been doing some experimental clicker training with the dogs.  I've used clicker training with the horses in the past, but didn't get much further than having them touch their noses to a tennis ball on a stick before I got fed up with being mugged every time I walked into the paddock.  The dogs respond at lightning quick speed to clicker training, but I have to be careful to keep what I

The New Helmet Search

(Note:  I wrote this post a while ago and need to publish it before I forget about it.)

I've spent the past 10 years riding in a skateboard helmet with no visor and a high or tall profile equestrian helmet that makes me look like I'm wearing a giant green olive on my head.  There is even this little ball on top like a pom pom on top of a beanie.  The equestrian helmet was fitted to me by a

Flabbergasted

Everyone who has been reading my blog a while knows that a big part of my move to my new home was motivated by the need for privacy, as well as places to ride my horses.  So, when I moved into my new home and immediately started getting hit up by salespeople and religious groups, I had to put a stop to it.  My dogs were nervous wrecks with the constant knocking on our door, and I couldn't get

Random Ruesday

We are thinking we are going to name the puppy Stewie after the baby in Family Guy, and we can call him Stewart or Stuart when he does something bad, like the character from MadTV.  "Look what I can do!"

The puppy has already managed to destroy his brand new harness by eating the plastic attachment.  The collar that was on him when we found him was already chewed to bits.  I searched the

I Figured It Out

I finally figured out the cause of Rock's jumps and spins.  As soon as it hit me, I felt sick to my stomach, and disappointed in myself for not catching it sooner.

My husband rode Rock in the arena for the first time since his accident, and I stayed on the ground to help with whatever issues came up.  At first I was mainly just paying attention to him and the way he was riding, and then I

Been Babysitting

A while back my husband brought home this unexpected guest...





He found this stray/lost/abandoned/whatever Chihuahua (and MinPin, we think) mix puppy.  We took care of him while searching for his owner, but it seemed the owner didn't want to be found.  My husband took the puppy in to a vet to check for a microchip and assess his health.  No microchip, and we found out that the puppy is almost

Horse Happenings

I've been busy babysitting all week, which is another story in itself, so I haven't had any horse time until today when my husband was able to take over the babysitting side of things.  All the horses were exercised, and because it was cold, overcast and windy, the Arabs were wild.  Both Bombay and Lostine were racing in circles out of control, getting their ya-yas out.

I did some groundwork

Thoughts on Making a Plan

Part of the reason why I am so baffled over Rock's sudden change in behavior is probably because I don't understand his breed.  Having three Arabian horses, I see plenty of similarities in the way they think and act.  I can almost predict what they are going to do and how they will think in various situations.  Rock is almost a completely different animal.  He's like an elephant:  Slow moving and

Intermission

It's been a tough week.  My husband hurt his lower back when he fell off Rock last Monday, and then I started getting sick on Tuesday.  By Friday and most of Saturday, I was immobilized and experiencing pain that rivaled childbirth, so my husband had to take over doing the chores and running errands with his bad back.  Of course, of course, of course... both of our dogs had to get sick at the

Blossoms and Babies

January feels like spring for us in Arizona, because we start seeing some blossoms and babies.  The blossoms are beautiful, but often cause headaches and sinus drainage.  I'm on another NyQuil binge.  So, far I've seen child coyotes, child rabbits, baby ground squirrels, baby quail, and a new abundance of lizards.



For those of you in the colder states, this should give you hope that your

Need a Plan

It's time to address the elephant in the room.  Now that Rock has successfully dumped two people in his spooks, I need a plan to correct the problem.  First, I'll describe what is going on.  Up until my accident, Rock never spooked under saddle.  Sometimes he'd jump if I brought my hand up to his face too quickly back when he didn't know me from Adam, which made me think he had been hit in the

With a Knick-Knack Paddy Whack

This morning I discovered a dog bone in my horses' paddock.  You know, like a soup bone that someone would throw to a dog.  We don't give our dogs bones, so we knew it had to come from next door, but how did it get into my horse paddock?

My guess was that the raven couple carried it over.  These two ravens have been spending a lot of time around my horses.  I think they've adopted my herd.  If

Did I Say It Is a Holiday?

I am always hesitant to ride on holidays because of all the bored people off from work wandering around looking for something to do, but too many days have passed since I last rode, so I took my chances. My husband asked if he could ride with me. Rock was being a butt by chewing on Bombay's lead rope while they both were tied to the trailer, eating every bush in sight, walking off from the

Another Holiday Weekend

On Saturday I took Lostine for a walk, and she was staying in stride beside me without pulling on the lead rope, which I always appreciate.  The thing with Lostine is that you can't praise her, because as soon as you turn your attention toward her and speak, she pins her ears back, almost as if saying, "Here I was enjoying myself and then you had to go and ruin it by opening your big mouth and

Taking Bets

Okay, not literally, because that would be illegal.  Let's just say I'm taking votes.

True story:  Last night just beyond dusk our doorbell rang.  This was extremely odd, because all the delivery men know not to ring the doorbell because the dogs go nuts, and I have a sign on the door asking people not to knock or ring the doorbell.  I suggest that they call on the phone.  I love this tactic,

One Wet Kiss

Long time readers may recall that my horse Gabbrielle used to kiss me all the time when she was a filly and young mare.  Each time I walked into the paddock, she would stop whatever she was doing and walk up to me stretching her neck and sticking her muzzle toward my face.  Then she'd press her lips to my lips or cheek or forehead.  Well, she outgrew that, and it seemed that my requests for

More Unintended Exposure Experience

What are the horses alerting on?






Why is Gabbrielle running in horror?



Because of this...



Just when the weather started warming up and I discovered the joy of sitting on my porch reading a book when the neighborhood is quiet during the work week, my next door neighbors hired a tree trimming outfit to clean up their yards.  They've been out there with chainsaws and a wood chipper for

A Funny Read or Two

My daughter lent this book to me:  Let's Pretend This Never Happened, (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess.  My daughter said she read it in one sitting and laughed out loud all the way through it.  I took considerably longer, as it's usually impossible for me to read more than two sentences before someone interrupts or all hell breaks loose around me, but I did laugh out loud

Moseying Along

I took a trail ride with P.S. this morning.  It started out cold, but warmed up quickly.









There's nothing to report when the horses are so well behaved and relaxed.  We didn't see another soul on the trail, which always helps.  My only snag was that I forgot to readjust the stirrup length after my husband rode, so I mounted and had to take the bend completely out of my knee to reach the

My Butt Really Isn't That Big

Ha ha ha!  My shadow makes me look like a woman with an abnormally large butt, hands fiddling with curlers in her hair.  I actually had a sweatshirt tied around my waist and was fiddling with the camera on my helmet.  Can you guess what my husband and I did today based on this picture?

Yes, we did go hiking in the desert, but we also did two other things.  Here's another hint...



Still don't

Mixing It Up a Bit

Who's this?



That's my husband riding Rock out on the trails for the first time.  He finally had a weekend where he didn't have to work, his back wasn't in too much pain, and he didn't have other responsibilities to take care of.  Bombay and Rock have never been out on the trails together, so I wasn't sure how they would interact.  Rock is a bit intimidated by Gabbrielle, so he behaves himself

Rock Has Found His Inner Child

The day following my fall off Rock, I was sore like I had a good workout at the gym.  The second day after my fall, I could tell that I pulled a muscle in my back behind my shoulder and my oblique muscle on the right side of my waist.  The third day after my fall, I was feeling pretty good, but noticed the large purple bruise on my butt cheek where I hit the ground.  So, today I rode Rock for the

A Change of Pace

I've been doing a good job getting caught up on my To Do List, which has allowed me to look around and think about what else needs to be done that I've been neglecting, and I noticed that the round pen was overgrown with weeds.  I can't remember the last time I used it.  The mares needed some exercise, but I was getting a headache and my nose wouldn't stop running.  Then it hit me that the reason

First Wreck Since 2002

I saddled up Rock for a trail ride and began leading him up the drive to tighten up his cinch a little at a time before mounting when I spotted a familiar car in my neighbor's driveway:  The Jehovah's Witnesses.  Not in any mood to have my ride detained and disrupted, I quickly spun around and led my horse behind my house where they couldn't see me from the street.  Unfortunately, my neighbor's

Litter Lament

One of the downsides of living in the desert is that some people seem to think it is a public dump.  One day my husband and I were driving home, waiting for an oncoming car to pass so that we could turn left onto our street, and some woman in the passenger seat of the other car rolled down her window and threw a loaded drink out the window onto the side of the road, it's contents splattering

Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden Visit

One of the best parts of our trip was visiting the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, not far from Hilo.  Here you can wander pathways surrounded by lush jungle and waterfalls all the way down to the ocean.  The flowers and plants were imported from all over the world and thrive in Hawaii's tropical climate.  It's a photographer's delight.

Rock's Stellar Progress

Quite frankly, I've been riding Bombay lately more than Rock because I wanted to be on a horse that could move out when I asked him to.  The only problem with Bombay is that when he gets excited, nervous or scared he can't stop moving out or simply slow down.  So, I decided to work on Rock's issues today.  It's nice and a privilege to be able to switch between two completely opposite geldings.  

Test Drive After the Fireworks

I took Bombay out for a trail ride this afternoon to test out his frame of mind after several days and nights of banging and booming and explosions of color in the sky.  I figured either he'd be spooking at everything left and right, expecting something to explode, or he'd be so desensitized to it all and so tired from not being able to sleep that he'd just plod down the trail.

He started out a