Spurrin' Life in the Belly (From "A WalkThrough Grief")

Melange of boots and spurs - from the Loveland, Colorado
Cowboy Collectibles Show & Auction, June, 1998

Whoa there pardner! What the heck kinda title is that for a post on a blog about walking through grief of the death of your mother?

I think it is a pretty good one. When you lose a loved one, your own mortality stares you in the face. You sift through things that you thought were valuable both in the physical and the unseen realm. I have been doing that sifting.

Time is short. It's almost half over for me, so I figure I can decide to keep living the way I have or I can choose to kick it up a notch and really live.

I have a horse who is lazy. He needs a little spurring now and then or else he chooses to just meander through life and let it all happen around him. I guess that's an ok way to be... laid back and lazy. But I want more. So, since this is the beginning of a new year I am going to set out a few goals, starting with spurrin' my life in the belly.

I want to figure out how to deal a final blow to my tendency to enable. I also want to finish the book "What's so Amazing about Grace". I need to learn to accept more of God's grace.

Strength and mercy. Judgment and Grace. I want to develop a soft hand and a firm heel this year.

Gonna do the same with my horses too. I have a pair of real life spurs that I will be wearing more often. Motivation. I also have a new set of nice long reins I bought from that Amish guy last summer. Loose reins and soft hands for my horses. Grace.

So if you see me in the grocery store looking out of place wearing my spurs, cheer me on.

Candy Canes and a Christmas Tree

Every year we give our Christmas tree to the horses. They seem to really enjoy playing with it, tearing it up and eating it! Isn't this a great way to recycle trees?

It was a grey, gloomy, windy, muddy, miserable day. I am so sick of the mud! We had a record amount of snowfall over Christmas and then it warmed up to 40. UGH! When we buy our own place I have a plan all ready for managing *mud* for my horses...

Ted was the horse who loved the tree the best. He always would trot right up to it and munch on it and drag it away like a dog with a giant bone. We don't have him anymore and this was Foxy's first year to get a tree and since she was chicken, everyone else was chicken too... The Blazers didn't get a Christmas tree last year either, it was their first experience with this treat too.

Here she is telling everyone they had better run away. Spinner is waaay ahead of her!

We tried bribery. Most horses love peppermint. Especially Tawshi horses...



Isn't Star getting big??

Foxy is still worried about the green monster:


Speedy didn't go for the peppermint trick so we tried the 'ol "scritches in the right spot" trick.


It worked.

Tom and his girl Foxy (and Tawshi looking for another candy cane):



Foxy and Star:


Cherish and her boy Spinner:

Cute Overload

I just love the internet!

My Drug of Choice

I went for a trail ride today along the canal road. The snow was about 5-6" deep. I have ridden a horse in the snow before, but this was my first time riding Delight. She was pretty fresh, but once I let her out a little she settled and we had a great ride. I rode in a bareback pad and a plain grazing bit.

I had a friend along who was riding a green horse who was also pretty fresh... I won't say toooo much in case Lyn is reading this post. He did a great job, though and once he got his mare settled and we had fun plowing new trails.

Every time I ride my horse I feel like I have just taken the most wonderful drug. I come back relaxed and happy. All is right with the world.

Something a little different....

... than pictures of a red horse. even if she is the most wonderful horse in the world!

This is one of my favorite horse videos. Lorenzo the Flying Frenchman. Enjoy!

"Called "The Flying Frenchman," Lorenzo perfects his routines on the beach near his home town of Saintes Maries de la Mer in southern France. His popularity has led this equestrian prodigy to perform at many prestigious venues, including the World Jumping Championships in Calgary."



Want more??

http://www.lorenzo.fr/page2/page2.html

On the trail... well sorta

Fun

So I had a bit of fun this afternoon with my Delight. First, I brushed her down and picked out her feet. I noticed that she was getting a bit of a mohawk , so I decided to trim her bridlepath. She doesn't tolerate clippers on top of her head, so I was trimming it with scissors. My friend who was watching me said, "Why don't you just use the clippers, they are laying right there?"

"Well, she has never let me use them on her head before... " I said, as I reached for the clippers.

I reached up and I'll be darned if she didn't let me trim her bridlepath, the long hairs coming out of her ears and her whiskers! It was the first time ever! I hope she remembers the next time I need to trim her for a show! You think she will??


I couldn't find anyone to hit the trails with me so i just plunked around Lyn's place.





I was pretty proud of myself... I rode Delight all alone on the backside of Lyn's hill. We couldn't see the barn or the pastures. I guess it was only a 20 minute ride but it is the longest/farthest I have ridden her out alone. She didn't get too antsy and I stayed relaxed and we had fun!