Things I've Learned About Horses

I didn't come up with these myself, in fact I stole them off a horsey forum that I frequent but I do agree with most of them.

1. People who don't take care of their own horses will be the first ones to tell you how to care for yours.

2. You should never buy a cheap girth!

3. A handsome horse who's badly behaved will become a lot less attractive in about 15 minutes.

4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding hit the ground the hardest.

5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical dispositions.

6. The richest horse people most often look the poorest.

7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the world.

8. A solitary ride through the woods is more beneficial then six months with the best psychiatrist.

9. The worse a person rides the more likely they are to blame it on the horse.

10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the morning is that horses don't care how you look.

11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he's asking, he's usually worth half that much.

12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on their horse, but it can also be a quick way to get hurt.

13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city, state, county or country I visit.

14. You can never have too many hoof picks.

15. It is not wise to argue with something that outweighs you by 1,000 pounds

16. I'd rather have a horse with a perfect mind than a horse with a perfect head.

17. If you think you have left the water on in the barn, you have; if you think you have closed the pasture gate, you haven't.

18. When someone asks you if you like their horse, always say 'yes'.

19. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats or at least one deranged goat.

20. If you're looking for the perfect horse, you will never own one.

21. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.

22. I'd rather lose my lipstick than lose my curb chain.

23. You shouldn't talk about your first place ribbon to someone that came in second.

24. If someone says that horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.

25. If we need rain, schedule a show.

26. I've never warmed up to someone who didn't want to walk down to the stables to meet my horses.

27. A clean stable and a sparkling horse are among life's great pleasures.

28. Free horses can be FAR too expensive.

29. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives you a second chance.

30. A more expensive horse doesn't make a better one.

31. I will never ever have an empty stable and I have accepted that fact.

32. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it. If you can't imagine life without a horse... DON'T!

Pretty quiet

Sorry I haven't posted lately but not much is going on.  My daughter and I got our flu shots yesterday and that has been about the extent of our excitement around here.  

I guess I have sort of started  a new project.  I have been trying lately to really pay attention to coupons and sales so that we can save money on our grocery bill.  We usually average about $150 a week on groceries for our little family of three.  To me it seemed like we should be able to do better than that.  I picked up a subscription to the Denver Post Sunday paper for the coupons and really started to study the sale ad for our local grocery store.  Also, I go online and look for downloadable coupons.  So far, since I have started this approximately two weeks ago I have saved over $90!  For me that is really good!  Usually I save like between five and ten dollars because I shop so randomly and without a plan.

One thing that is currently giving me knots in my stomach is Christmas shopping.  I was hoping to have it ALL done before Thanksgiving but there is no way that is going to happen.  I have my daughter pretty much finished, just need to pick up a few stocking stuffers, but really, what is easier than shopping for an almost three year old?  I have like one thing each for my mom and Dad, a couple of things for my husband and that is pretty much it.  I guess everyone else will be getting gift certificates.  sigh.  That isn't my favorite way to do things, but it seems to be the easiest.   Any help in this department would be appreciated. 

Good day

I managed to make it out to the barn today to see my horse.  It was a gorgeous Colorado late fall day, sunshine and perfect temps, not hot and not cold.  The past two days had been a glimpse of the upcoming winter with high winds and a dusting of snow.  This weekend and the upcoming week are supposed to beautiful though.  This is a picture that I coerced my husband into taking on our way to the feed store.  The mountains are so much prettier in real life, I can never seem to capture how beautiful they are on my camera.  Oh well, I guess I will just have to keep trying!  One can never have too many pictures!

Back to the horse.  I haven't been able to do much with my little Rosie since she arrived here in late September.  She was only here a week when we took off for Maine for ten days, then there was of course the requisite vacation hangover.  Mostly though, it stems from not having any child care during the week.  Then the weekend comes and my husband and I both have things that we want to do so sometimes it works out that I can get out to see her and sometimes it doesn't.  Today it worked out.  This morning I was able to get to the feed store to get her a halter and then after lunch I headed over to the barn.  

When I arrived at the barn she was in her stall thankfully.  She has kind of been a pill to catch out in the large pasture with all her friends.  One of her "friends" in particular has been giving me a headache by ducking under the wire for the pasture fence after I take Rosie out and then coming down the alley behind me.  I think that he thinks I am taking Rosie to the barn to feed her and he isn't about to be left out.  The fence is electrified but I don't think there is enough juice running through it to bother good ole Thunder.  I have told the barn manager about it so hopefully the situation will be fixed soon.  

Today we just did mostly a review of what Rosie already knew to make sure she still remembered it.  After brushing her and picking her feet out we worked on turns on the forehand to the right and the left then turns on the hind end also to the right and left.  She tried to get a little pushy while working on the forehand.  We hadn't been working on that as long in Texas and she had some trouble at the beginning trying to figure out what I was asking her for.  After reminding her that she COULD NOT put her head on top mine and push me out of the way she figured out to cross her front legs one over the other and then I would leave her alone.  I really don't ask for much, just do it right a couple of times and I will leave you alone!  We also worked on giving to pressure on her poll and bending her neck around to both sides to create a soft neck.  We had worked on giving to pressure on her poll before but I realized I had only been doing it from her left side so surprise, surprise when I tried it from her right side today she did do it but not as well as her left side.  That will give us something to work on in the future.  She did really well with the soft neck exercise which we had never done before.  I had wanted to lunge her but all the arenas were in use and I didn't feel like hanging around to see when they would clear out.  On a side note, the indoor arena that is being built where I board is coming along nicely!  Nearly everything on the outside is finished so I guess they will be moving inside to put in the sand, sprinklers, and lights pretty soon.  The estimated completion date is December 1st and it looks like they will probably make it.    

All in all Rosie did really well for all the commotion that was going on.  If nothing else boarding her will give her exposure to lots of different things.  Today for instance, where I had her tied, there were kids getting horses ready for lessons, a cherry picker was working on the indoor arena which was about 150 to 200 feet away and the barn manager had a new green horse in the round pen that he was trying to work about thirty feet away.  The mare had decided that sniffing and squealing with the horses pastured on the other side of the round pen seemed like a productive thing to do.  She's getting an education just by being tied outside!  Lucky for Rosie when we got back the hay fairy had shown up and left her dinner in her stall!

This picture, which is also my profile picture was taken a few weeks ago when I actually did get to lunge her. We had finished up at this point and Rosie was about to get a cookie.  By the way, I hate the pants I am wearing in this picture.  I bought them after my daughter was born because my pre-pregnancy jeans didn't fit and I wasn't about to wear maternity jeans three months after I had given birth.  So I bought these at Old Navy and while they are jeans they have a lot of that stretch material in them and they have stretched in weird ways.  I am just hoping to destroy them so I can get rid of them.  Why don't you just throw them away you say?  Well, did you notice the last part of the title of this blog?  The part that says Yankee?  Well, the word Yankee is code for can't throw anything away, ever, if it can still be used.  That would be a waste and we yankees just don't waste things! 

One of my new favorite blogs to read, Chronicles of a Country Girl, recently posted a photography meme and tagged everyone who reads her blog. Since one of my interests is photography I feel obliged to participate. The rules are go to the 4th photo file and pick out the 4th photo inside of it and post it here. Since I have never posted a picture on blogger this should be interesting.

This is a picture from our vacation to Colorado last year.  We were living in Texas at the time so we came to Colorado to visit family and friends.  I was walking around the old section of Glenwood Springs with a friend when I spied this very colorful house and decided to snap a picture of it.  I think the pink looks nice next to the Blue Spruce's.  

She's awake!

As I start my foray into the blogging world, I hear a little voice from the front part of my house. The sounds of nap time being over for today.  Dang it, I spent too much time folding laundry! Wretched towels anyways.  And really, who needs clean underwear every day?  Can you tell housework is not my life's ambition?  Well, I better get in there, I can hear here giving one of her stuffed animals the business, "Stop!  I told you!"  Wonder where she has heard that before?