trinitydressage.com Blog

Ok – so October was cold, wet, icky, cloudy, messy at least 75% of the time. November has psyched us up with 60 degree days and SUNSHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Behold! The Orb in the Sky!!

Seriously, my admiration for residents of Washington & Oregon. How DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT?

The horses got to the paddocks on Saturday a.m. after 3 days of being inside. To say they were jazzed is an understatement. The roll in the dirt factor was also amazing.

On Saturday I retrieved the BLM mustang that has come into my herd – and who has been at boot camp for the last couple of weeks. In that time he has conquered chickens, goats, trailers with ramps, cattle and cattle penning and automatic cattle shoots. Oh yeah – and don’t forget gate opening & closing exercises. Thank you thank you to Leslie & Ray Belt for all their help.

RJ (named such because you simply could not believe the name he had – and that I could NOT have in any animal on my farm) – has settled in to his new quarters and has even ventured into the indoor arena to stare at himself in the mirrors. Next mission – make a dressage horse out of him. Hey – it can happen.

Flashdance gave birth to a colt by Udance (Stanley). As required by the Dutch – this is an ‘E’ year, so he will carry the registered name of Eiresdance. However, since he loves to zoom around and zoom around, he has the nomiker of Eddie….that’s Fast Eddie. He’s healthy but has already managed to need a vet call due to poking himself in the eye with a piece of hay. What can I say. He’s cute but a klutz???? Must take after his sire as his mother is PERFECT.

Another Sunday in Paradise. The farm is always interesting, but on Sundays it’s like a full moon every week. Today we managed to get the atv stuck in mud – and had to resort to using the tractor to pull it out of the muck. That, of course, was after much ado and much muck down my boot. No, I did not put the thing in the mud. That honor goes to someone else. However, after dragging it out of the muck, I found that it does not work as it is chain driven and it appears the chain either snapped or is off. Of course the machine is also sitting outside and it is now storming and raining in copious amounts. Gawd Jose is going to be soooooooooooooooooooo bummed tomorrow a.m. Not that I was too thrilled by having to drag hay around tonight to the horses with my little green wagon. I do so love my little green wagon

Show season continues and so do the clinics, the expos and the vast array of learning experiences. Of course so do the ongoing items of keeping a farm running. The cleaning, the improvements and the continual maintenance. It truly is always something.

Many thanks to several people who worked on the clinic at Trinity last week. The gals from Nebraska were fun and enjoyable to be with. Andrea was great. The horses learned tons and so did the riders. I think that makes it a success.

Now……I’ve got to look online for how I’m going to get that stinkin’ JD Gator fixed tomorrow……….yikes.

After last weekend’s crazy snow/ice/sleet storm, I think I’ve decided to look into webcams – so that people in all parts of the U.S. can actually see some of the silliness that occurs at a horse barn/farm.

i.e. Being stuck in the mud up to my ankles, whilst 4 three year olds circle me like vultures (the grain bucket) trying to kick and slide into me, all the while the 5 of us are being pelted with sleet. I’m waving a crop around doing a Catherine Zeta-Jones interpretation of Zorro and have to admit under the best of circumstances, she is sooooo much better looking than I am. On Saturday I had mud, muck and whatever covering most of me and what isn’t brown is now white with ice. And I’m trying to figure out – Can I pull my right leg out of the mud without damaging the new knee? Remember it’s only been 3 – count them 3 – months since I went bionic and have a totally new knee installed in the right leg. I’m thinking as I’m dodging the filly’s – what will happen with this new knee – can it come apart? – will I be dragging my leg behind me? Will anyone actually be coming to the barn later to find my remains? It’s amazing what can flash thru the brain while brandishing a short crop.

Now really – wouldn’t that be entertaining to watch, while you’re happily munching a snack and drinking your beverage of choice?

Or how about watching horse antics? Like pond swimming, or large 1400lb animals standing on a dock in a pond? Then there are the moments of total stupidity when everyone on the property is convinced that a Canadian goose is the devil himself.

Well it’s a project to undertake as soon as the bulk of ‘TAX SEASON’ is completed. Just think – I’ll actually get to ride a horse then. Ahhhhhhh the joys.

And you people out there think I get all my joys from operating a boarding/training barn. You silly things.

Despite many heroic efforts, Brownie was unable to recover from his rather sudden illness. He was euthanized on Wednesday night and surrounded with friends and his faithful owner. A character all the way around, almost everyone who ever dealt with the Brown-man, had to chase him around the property……….thankfully he normally had kick-chains on so even the slowest of us could outrun him. Brown had come to us from a tie-stall inner-city life in New York City. His peculiar habits were many and almost always entertaining. His in your face behavior and sneaky little passive aggressiveness gained him my nickname of ‘Robert DeNero’. He will be missed .

Now, if you’re wondering why there is a picture of a dog with a cast – that was the handiwork of Brownie when he first became ill about one week ago. My young german shepherd was following wayyyyyyyyyyyy to close and Mr. Brown stepped flat on his paw. Multiple broken bones in the long bones of the foot. Don’t know much except that means 4 long weeks with that splint/cast. Yippee. Not.

You know those superstitions about full moons – and the wild, wacky things that go on during those full moons? They are all true. Yep, every one of them.

Today has been a lonnnnnng day – tax season for me, which means lots and lots of computer time. But today I also got to run around and meet a vet to sign breeding documents. Nothing weird about that, unless you consider this vet also WAS the breeder and a registered vet KNOWS they have to validate any AI administration, etc. Ah well.

By afternoon my lovely pack of dogs were over my long work hours. So Trey (long-haired German Shepherd) nailed the Wheaton Terrier – alas…..blood stikes again.

By early evening it was apparent that Brownie – our Senior Citizen, was not a well boy – and his owner had asked us to keep an eye on him. By 7 it was obvious to the proverbial blind man that Brownie needed a vet. 30 minutes to wait on the vet, an hour to do diagnosis and preliminary work on El Brown-o and now it’s determined the animal needs to go to the vet clinic. No problem. Young Stephanie hooks up her truck to a trailer and we load the Brownman. Except now Stephs truck won’t work. So off I go to get my truck – we unhook and rehook.

Oh – and have I mentioned that while we are hand-walking Brownie waiting for the vet and the owner – Brownie kicks/steps on my OTHER German Shepherd (Lincoln) who is now screaming and non-weight bearing on the front left leg. I limp him to my car and stuff him in there to wait until the equine emergency is handled. Only one emergency at a time, regardless of species.

So off like a herd of turtles, goes Steph, Julia, Brownie, etc.
Now, I shut down the barn (it is now 10pm) go to the house and attempt to get Lincoln OUT of the car. He’s either a total weiner or he got a good squash because he’s non weight bearing and screaming like a baby. He makes it 5 foot in the door – I stuff a pain pill down his throat (reminding him HE is NOT in my budget for this month) and I say ‘lets call it good’.

DEFINITELY A FULL MOON

On a positive note, Brownie is spending the night at the vets, everyone is back at their respective houses and Lincoln is sequestered in the laundry room for the night and is definitely still in pain. Have to deal with THAT in the a.m. after my tax appointments.

Sooooooo, with an eye on the clock telling me that 5 hours sleep sounds horrid, I’m still grateful that it appears all the ill and injured should recover well.

One of the Irish Cob babies from this years’ crop, has sold and is shipping out to his new home in Maryland – tonight. This is one of Tracy’s babies and although she is more used to this than I am, it is still sad to say farewell to one of the kids. Granted, my breeding experience has been limited to two foals so far, but it is a great deal like having children. The first time the try to walk outside, the first time they run, the first time they feel icky, the first time ANYTHING….it’s cause for great concern.

Now, if you were wondering where the name Bucket came from, this little colt did not want to drink from MOM when he was first born. He preferred to have his milk served from a bucket. Jeez. Boys.