Road to Zen

The DOR had a busy first day of "back to school" By the end of the day she was tired and looking for some peace.

She loves pulling into the ranch driveway. She calls it the road to Zen, in this place she can always find her center.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

A little slide

So the DOR rode Sir Royal Pain this weekend and found out something interesting. With her recent, slight, weight loss there is a little wiggle room in her saddle. SRP was glad to be packing a bit less weight too. They trotted, they loped, and they did some silly dressage stuff.

The DOR sure looked happy. Next spring that will be me packing her around.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Freedom speaks Saturday

What does an old toothless horse give to the DOR for her birthday? This picture says it all...I didn't have near the struggle standing to get my hooves done today as I have been. I even ran the pasture like a youngster when my "wife" Rainie went out to get her feet done without me. I settled down once I joined her in the cue. I needed a bit of support, but not too much.
I was thrilled to see Mushboy back, he has been visiting the Wrestler for the past week. I got a double dose of scritches with the rake....oh man I love that!

Mushboy thinks if I had a large covered arena, a quarter of an acre in size, planted with grass and kept 70 degrees at all times I could live forever. Well that is something to think about isn't it?

Life is soooo good!

Just a horse

Hi,

This is the DOR. I want to share this video because it sums up so well what I and so many of us feel about our horses.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your equine family!

Less words Wednesday

Harley, "Go ahead and eat it Jack...I am sure it is good for you"

Harley, "Quit gripping I said it was good for you not that it would taste good...geeze!"

Harley liked nothing better than playing a good prank on me. Sir Royal Pain isn't near as much fun.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

A new horse...

Oh my goodness! How many horses does the DOR need? The SCC bought the DOR a new horse to celebrate their anniversary. He got her a war pony and she was thrilled. I was not happy to hear this until I saw.....

I was greatly relieved to see that her new pony was a piece of art work created by a local Yakama Native artist. Now the DOR says I am a piece of work too. I am pleased that I am still her only war pony.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Happy anniversary

Today is the anniversary of the SCC and the DOR. The DOR thinks she is the luckiest woman in the world to be married to the SCC, I have to agree. The SCC is kind, gentle, loving, and one of the best guys out there. He supports the DOR in all of her endeavours and encourages her to follow her dreams. She thinks she doesn't have the words to say how much he means to her. I have the words for her...she loves him from here to the moon and back, she loves him so much it can make her cry. I am pretty sure she loves him more than me and that is as it should be.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Quote for the week

You should eat like a horse

~The DOR's doctor

A year ago the DOR's doctor told her she should eat like a horse. Now we all know that the DOR is a slow learner and she didn't follow his directions. Well now she is eating like a horse, small meals often, so she can ride me when I am ready. She is also eating mor veggies.

I think more humans should eat like a horse. I will get a bit worried if she starts sharing the pasture with her herd...

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Freedom speaks Saturday-a beautiful gift

Hi, I have been spending the last few days just hanging out in my shelter daydreaming. I have been remembering all the great adventures and people I have had in my life. At my age that is a full-time activity! This photo is of my last trail ride in October of 2007. I showed all of the youngsters how things were done. Now I enjoy lazy days and lots of spoiling...I am winding down and that is how it should be.


anml_lvr at Life of a High Schooler gave us a wonderful gift! She wrote us a poem and posted it on her blog. Please go visit her site, it is truly delightful.
Here is a copy of the post:

This is a small writing piece for the DOR and her human friends and for Cactus Jack Splash and his horsy friends. In loving memory of...Ginger.

I can feel the sun on my back, the rays warming me.
I can feel the soft green grass, the luscious temperatures cooling my hooves.
I can feel the embrace of my loved ones, who are still way down there.
I can feel the new energy, because it’s coursing through me as I run.


I can hear the ground pounding beneath me, are those really my hooves?
I can hear my new horsy friends whinnying joyously; spring makes them feel young again.
I can hear the hummingbirds flitting about, aren’t the wings so pretty?
I can hear the streams flowing in the distance; the sound is relaxing and peaceful.


I can see my family below me, carrying on but still remembering.
I can see little creeks flowing lazily over the rocks.
I can see all around me, knowing that I will never leave this beautiful place.
I can see myself being happy for the rest of my time here.

Oh Life is so good!

Last ride?

This photo was of one of the last rides the DOR took on me before my accident. We had two more rides: one trail ride and the final ride was a lesson where she finally got the courage to lope me again after I had launched her. I had my accident two days after our final ride, but what a ride it was.

I am almost a full year out from my accident and the DOR now knows that I will never carry her again. I will be able to carry a lighter rider, in fact I have twice for a short period of time. So what does that mean? The DOR has decided that if I can't carry her then she is going to have to become a New DOR. How will she do this? Well over the past year she has lost 30 pounds and now she is going to take more serious steps to loose another 100 pounds... Yep you read it here, she is going to loose enough weight so that she will be light enough to ride me again once I am finished healing. She is dedicated to our partnership and will do what she needs to do to keep our partnership as whole as possible. Until then we are playing ground games and working at liberty.

I am excited about the DOR making this effort. It will make her healthier and she will be able to finally do that endurance ride she has always dreamed of. She is hoping to be ready by next summer.

So the New DOR and I will be riding together again one day.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Wordless Wednesday

This is the DOR's English Bulldog, Nero Wolfe aka Bumble. She thinks he is as cute as a button...alrighty then. He snores and drools, yep that is pretty cute.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

She is growing up

This is my Shandi Doll playing soccer the other night. Seems like just yesterday she was a yearling needing her Uncle Jack to protect her. Now she has moved in with the big girls and is in puberty. She was so busy flirting with a young gelding in the arena that she only had eyes for him. The DOR was working with the young gelding and no matter where they stood Shandi just stared. I am working on an application to be filled out by any interested geldings. The fist question is "What part of your body would you least like to have my big ol' appy hoof applied to?" I am going to be very picky about who keeps company with my little dolly.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Quote for the week

"Life is so good!"
~Freedom Dancer

Freedom is such a delightful old fart. At 47 years old he still loves to go to the arena on occasion to play. Last night was his first foray into the game of horse soccer, he has fun. I think part of the reason he has lived so long is that Mushboy makes sure Freedom gets out and does things. Freedom isn't allowed to get bored or depressed. He enjoys life and that is the key to his health.
What do you do to keep enjoying life?
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Skywatch Friday-Season 4 Episode 5

A lovely dusk veiw of the DOR's favorite mountain
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Please go visit the other great Skywatch participants at Skywatch Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world!

Edited to add:
The color was not altered on this photo...it is the result of the smoke in the air from the forest fires nearby.

Real geldings wear pink

Real geldings wear pink, yes they do. It takes a tough gelding to wear pink, one who is a card carrying member of the He-man Gelding Club. Sir Royal Pain couldn't wear pink without looking like a sissy-me I look like I could chase down a 2,000 pound bull.
Just so you know this is not my flysheet, it belongs to my Shandi Doll. I am just wearing it to prove I am a hardcore, tough to the bone gelding...so there, that's my story and I am sticking to it.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Less word Wednesday

Freedom's Lady looking as cute as can be on the DOR's visit yesterday. It was windy and rainy, but she had a grand time visiting all of her Ellensburg horses.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Trotting

Here I am on my best behavior while Sir Royal Pain acts like he is all that and a bag of chips while he ponies me around the arena. Notice my trot...looking good.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Old friends

Old friends are wonderful.
Yesterday the SCC rode his old friend Coelho, they had a good time. The DOR rode Sir Royal Pain, things went really well for both of them.
I got to go to the arena and work on my trotting. I also played with a ball. Then the DOR had me carry Mushboy for three circles around the arena. It is the first time Mushboy has ever ridden me and also the first time I have carried a rider farther that a few steps since my accident. I was very careful with Mushboy and worked very hard to travel straight.
I got a big surprise, my original (and only other owner) paid me a visit. I was very happy to see him and gave him lots of smooches. I was born at my original owners house and he owned me until I came to live with the DOR.
I think I get to go to the arena and get ponied again tonight.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Quote for the week

"If you don't pony a horse before you die you might regret it."
~My Farrier

My farrier had been teasing the DOR about never having ponied a horse and said she was getting older and shouldn't waist any time putting it off because she might regret it. She told him "I am sure that I am going to lay dying and think- Damn I should have ponied a horse"
Well she decided that maybe she should pony a horse and I volunteered to be ponied. Things went really well, even if I made a few faces at Sir Royal Pain. He didn't try to kick or bite me, not even when I stuck my nose on his butt or tried to nuzzle his neck. The DOR did get after me for pestering him, I was just trying to make sure she learned to pony really well by providing different situations for her to deal with. We made sure she had a good experience and felt really successful. See you can teach an old DOR new tricks!
I guess the farrier was right....the DOR won't have to regret never having ponied a horse now. In fact she plans on the three of us doing more of this, so she can enjoy both her horses at the same time. Maybe if we get really good at it we will go out on trails together, that would be fun.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Freedom speaks Saturday

I am enjoying the summer warmth. It feels so good on my old bones. I got up enough spunk to steal a mare from Coelho, he was stupefied. I also enjoy going into my shelter to stand in the shade. Long drinks of cold water and a bit of a nibble is fine dining. These are the days when an old horse enjoys life's simple pleasures because they are the best.
Life is soooo good!

Rereading

Five years ago the DOR read this book. At the time she wasn't focusing on horse behavior, she was reading to understand how her son saw his animal friends. It was a big help to her, however she had forgotten much of what the book said about the animals themselves. Well the DOR is getting older and sometimes she can't even remember why she went to the kitchen, so forgetting information in a book is understandable.
The DOR has been a bit puzzled about some of the behaviors she has seen in me and Sir Royal Pain. There are some behaviors that she feels just make no sense...well maybe not to her, but they make perfect sense to us. So she has returned to this book, reading it in an attempt to see our side of things. It only took her two chapters to realize that she had been frustrated by some of our behaviors for no other reason than they made no sense to her from her perspective of the world-but they made perfect sense from our perspective of the world. She will be changing some of the things she is doing so that we can communicate better.
I guess you can teach an old DOR new tricks.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Wordless Wednesday

This is Sir Royal Pain munching the chicory in his pasture. The flowers of this plant are lovely in the mornings.
I don't eat chicory, it is bitter. It does has some medical properties, one of those being inulin, the fiber in the leaves has some applications for diabetes-maybe the DOR needs to eat some of the leaves in her salads.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Thank you Marge!

This is Mushboy modeling the new shirt that Marge of Space Coast Beach Buzz sent to him. It arrived the day he had his wisdom teeth taken out and he had to put it on immediately. He was still a bit woosey from his surgery. It cheered him up and he really loves the shirt. It has a cool picture on the front and a listing of all of the shuttle missions on the back. I think it is pretty special. It is really special because a picture of the DOR and I will be going up in the shuttles last launch. Yep I am going to be an astroappy!
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Allergies

This is my poor Shandi Doll. Don't worry the pictures are from a week ago and she is back to normal. She has a horrible allergic reaction to something. She was fine at 8:30 pm and looked like this at 8:00 am the next day. The vet came out and gave her two shots to help. The vet says we were lucky her windpipe did not swell shut and that she was smart enough not to try and eat which might have caused her to choke. We are not sure what caused the reaction and the vet speculates that it may not happen again.
Even with her hives I think she is lovely, after all I am Uncle Jack.
I am posting this to remind humans that we horses have allergies also and can have horrible reactions that are dangerous for us.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Quote for the week

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
~Winston Churchill

The DOR thinks that this statement pretty much sums up horses. I have to say I agree with her....

Freedom, seems to me that we horses are the symbol of freedom. People see us and imagine being able to run and cavort like we do.

Justice, horses have a strong sense of justice. In fact that is how a lot of humans get themselves a bit sideways with their horse. We often react badly if our sense of justice and fairness is violated.

Honor is how we live our lives. We have a herd hierarchy, which sometimes gets restructured, relies on honor. We also never lie, which is another honorable trait.

Duty, we have been right alongside of humans throughout their history. It is our duty to take care of them. When push comes to shove I have protected the DOR before looking out for myself.

Mercy, good thing we have this. Horses are some of the most forgiving creatures you will ever meet.

Hope, we always believe the best. It takes a lot for us to give up hope.

The DOR says that when she is with the herd it reminds her of what life is really about.

Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!