1/31/2011

Time to dance


With the snow gone and the ground getting firmer the DOR says it is getting close to time for us to dance again. I am going to start my strength training to get ready to try carrying a rider once more. I have carried a rider three times since my accident for very short periods of time.
I am hoping to be ready to carry the DOR at the Buck Branaman clinic this year. If I can't that she is going to take Sir Royal Pain and I can't have that now can I?
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/30/2011

PS from the DOR




Friend had a blockage. The vet was sure it was an enterolith given how soon he colicked again. He would have euthed him in the morning, but after seeing him pull through the last time he wanted to give him every chance he could. Friend was heavily medicated to manage his pain. It was pretty obvious from the get go that this time was different. The vet came out in the evening and rechecked him. The only options were surgery or to let him go. In Friend's case surgery really wasn't an option because Friend had a pretty significant heart murmur and they would not be able to operate on him because of his compromised circulatory system.
It turns out there are times in life that doing everything you can is not the right thing to do. So I chose the right thing to do...

I thought that Freedom picked Friend out for me, I now believe that he picked me out for Friend. I have a feeling the old man knew of Friend's condition and he wanted to make sure that Friend was loved and taken care of the way he so deserved to be. I hope I lived up to Freedom's expectations. For what ever reason Freedom picked him I am glad he did.
Friend was a special horse. He did everything I asked of him, was fearless, calm, and loving. He was beautiful inside and out, with a nose that begged for smooches. Given his heart murmur it turns out this horse had more try in him than anyone realized. Friend understood what I said when I talked to him, I could ask for things and he did them...maybe he could just read my mind. Friend was one of those once in a life-time horses-I will never find another one like him.
Friend and I will still travel our trails together.

Rest in Peace Friend (A Lucky Bond)

1/29/2011


Knowing the outcome I would do it all over again
~DOR
The best laid plans of the DOR took a sudden change yesterday. She ended up spending one final day with Friend.
Friend crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday at around 8:00 pm. He was surrounded by people who loved him and his head was cradled in the DOR's lap.
The horse who had moved 9 times in the past 10 years, who only wanted a home and someone to love him found that. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Grumpy Old Horse Ranch News


Good morning from Grumpy Old Horse Ranch.
This week has been filled with mud, fog, mud, wind, mud...did I mention mud. The DOR commented that the ranch is full of muddy horse butts. Well mine isn't to muddy because I am the Teflon horse and nothing sticks to me, well at least not for long. I also take pride in staying as clean as possible.
Shandi is butt high again, she is growing through another growth spurt. The SPS is hoping that she grows quite a bit so he won't look funny on her once she is ready to ride.
Jack has been busy playing kissy face with the mares in the neighboring pastures. He is a big flirt and thinks his is the Romeo of the pasture.
Sir Darby is busy with the older mare next to him. Those two tease each other constantly. To the casual observer it might look like they don't like each other, but they are just playing old horse games.
Friend is quietly living with a couple of geldings. They all try to be the boss, but the silly boys all end up eating at the same hay pile.
The DOR is up spending time working with Mighty Mouse. Maybe he will let her touch him this time. She is also going to ride at a clinic and visit Freedom's Lady. Sounds like she is going to have a fun day today.
The SPS and Mushboy are helping a friend move. Mushboy loves moving.
That is all the news from Grumpy Old Horse Ranch where not all of the horses are old and Sir Darby is the only one who is grumpy.

1/27/2011

Blackmail is not beneath me


The DOR snapped this photo of my dirty rear yesterday evening. She swears I look stunning even when I am all muddy. All I have to say is I am not beneath posting a blackmail photo or two of her. She better be careful of any future pictures she takes of me if she knows what is good for her....
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/25/2011

Less words Wednesday


Mud!!! I am so muddy this is all I want you to see.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/23/2011

Quote for the week



Faith is closing your eyes, opening your heart, expressing your feelings. Then being humble enough to accept the results.

Faith doesn't mean you always get he results you want. Faith doesn't mean that things will be easy. Faith means that you believe that things turn out the way they should once you have put in the effort to make things happen.
In the DOR's case this week her faith has paid of in spades for the good. It was nice for her because there have been times where her faith has been what has seen her through sad times. The thing about faith, and horses understand this so very well, it doesn't mean that you always get what you want. Faith gives you the strength and courage to accept what life gives you and to keep moving forward with a good attitude.
Enjoy your week and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/22/2011

Grumpy Old Horse Ranch News



Hi,
It is me Salty the Wonder Horse. This photo was taken when I first adopted Mushboy, boy has he grown. I am the fonding member of Grumpy Old Horse Ranch...that's right it all began with me.
I am going to do my best to fill Saturdays on the blog. I know that following Freedom is a tough job to do.
So here we go.
This week at the ranch was busy. The weather has been are real pain, along with Coelho the bratty boy. Coelho feels the need to bogart the entire 4 horse shelter. Now there are 3 horses in the pasture and you think he would share, but he won't. Jack and I are thinking of staging a coup...stay tuned for the overthrow of Brat Boy the tyrant.
Friend is still in a pasture on his own. He is now on full hay rations along with is mush. He is well on his way back to being normal, not that he was normal before he got sick. He has always been an unusual horse, it seems that he really understands what the DOR says and talks back to her. I am a bit envious of all the feed he is getting, I am on a diet, thppppp.
Shandi is growing and is now butt high again. She is hanging out with some older mares and a retired show gelding. They all take wonderful care of her.
Jack is hanging out with me. The burly boy is trying to help me with my weight loss program. He wants to run and play. I have to run faster than him because he always calls me a gimp. As I flash by him I launch a well place hoof at his butt. Jack is learning his place. I don't care how pretty he is, he is not my boss.
Sir Darby is still in his own pasture. Snotty horse still can't be nice to another horse sharing his space. He has spent his week nipping at the old mare in the next pasture and pinning his ears at any horse he thinks might be looking at him funny. He is getting ready to be a guest horse at a show...great another reason for his ego to puff up.
Mushboy is feeding another oldster that is staying at the ranch. It gives him a reason to get up early in the morning...I am glad he has this to do.
I hope the frogs and ladybugs that were out at the ranch for a bit survived the cold snap. I am hopeful that spring will be here soon. I looks my finest all shed out and not having a speck of mud on me.
The DOR and I are both doing well with our weight loss. I think I am doing better, but I am not going to rub it in.
That is all the news from Grumpy Old Horse Ranch where not all of the horses are old and Sir Darby is the only one who is grumpy.

1/20/2011

Skywatch Friday, Season 4, Episode 28




The moon setting at the ranch.


Please go visit the other great
Skywatch participants at Skywatch Friday There are wonderful photos from all around the world!
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

Mouse in my pocket?

This is the DOR working with Mighty Mouse for the first time. She is trying to earn his trust. She sings or hums this song to a horse she is gentling or soothing, she thinks it helps. None of us want to let her know we just act like it works to get her to quit caterwauling.

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

1/19/2011

Wordless Wednesday


Well I guess there may be a word or two. Grumpy Old Horse Ranch's miracle horse slurping hay soup.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/18/2011

The importance of belonging


Friend suffered colic and all of the herd was worried about him. Friend looks like he will be just fine. One of the things that helped was the DOR never left his side, she even stayed outside with him. Now you may wonder why that might matter...well let me tell you a bit about Friend so you will understand.
Friend is ten years old. In those ten years he has changed locations nine times, five of those changes happened in the past year. Now these changes were not his fault. Some of the changes were for training and not a change in owners. But what all of these changes created was a horse who felt like he had no home, that he didn't really matter to people, he felt he couldn't count on people. This made him a bit standoffish, distrustful, and prone to protect himself. Friend felt like he didn't belong anywhere. Now Freedom saw through all of that and made sure the DOR did too.
While Friend was struggling to survive the DOR knew it was important that he understood that she was there, that she would not leave, she was not giving up and she expected the same of him. She wanted him to know he was home and where he belonged. She promised he would never leave the ranch unless she was with him, that they will be together as a team. The miracle that occurred at the ranch happened for many reasons, but we horses know that a horse who finds the unconditional love and dedication from a human will rise to meet that human's expectations. The relationship between Friend and the DOR is forever changed by their night under the stars, there is a oneness that can not be put into words.
I encourage any human who has an animal friend who is struggling for their lives to not leave their side, do not let them be alone. Your presence can make a big difference and if it can't they have the comfort of you being there as they cross over.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/17/2011

Hell of a week


Hello, this s the DOR speaking today. This past week has been horrible to say the least.
I have not been able to process Freedom's passing, I am not sure I will ever get over his loss. I can't put into words what this horse meant to me or express the gifts he so freely gave to all of us.
One of his final gifts to me was selecting Friend to be my new horse. Friday I arrived at the ranch at 3:20 to find Friend down and in terrible pain, he was colicing. I called the vet, called a friend, and did my best to keep him up. Help arrived and we spent the next hour doing everything we could to keep Friend comfortable and moving, I even resorted to spanking him hard. We srynged salt water into him, we gave him large doses of dynapro, and we kept him moving.
The vet arrived and treated him for a severe case of colic and said he might have an enterolith. I moved him to the arena and began the waiting process. With all of the meds he was given he should have shown improvement in an hour or so...he just continued to worsen.
I was helpless, couldn't ease his pain and couldn't make him better all I could do was stay with him. Stay I did...I spent the night with him outside in the arena, I talked to him, I soothed him the best I could, I cried, I cursed, and I did my best to will him to live. He went into shock, his gums turned white, and the odds were not good at all. The Horse Guardian used accupressure and a red torch to help him. We sprayed release in his mouth, we kept massaging his ears.He spent the night thrashing, the vet said to not try and stop him from doing that (so against everything I learned) that fatigue could cause him to die if we fought to keep him up...I followed the vets directions. It was the most horrible thing I have ever watched, but I promised Friend I would not leave him.
At 3:00 in the morning I went to the car for the first time to warm up my feet, I fell asleep around 4:00 and woke up at 5:00 to see Friend standing with the Horse Guardian. Friend stayed on his feet Saturday. In the evening he got hay soup. He has been on hay soup for two days and will gradually switch to a solid diet. It is looking like he will make a full recovery, but we still have to watch him. At this point Friend has survied the worst case of colic that anyone involved with him has seen a horse survive.
So why did he colic? One of the main factors was the drastic weather change. Moving from 16 degrees to 60 degrees in one day was too much for him to acclimate too, he didn't drink enough and that contributed to the situation. Colic is a insidious beast that has no clear cause, there is just no rhyme or reason. There are things you can do to help prevent it though: access to salt, plenty of water, keeping alfalfa down to 50% or less of their diet, lowering the ph of the horses intestines by adding 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to their daily diet. Even when all of those things are done colic can still rare its ugly head.
Friend being here with me today is a miracle. He knocked at Death's door, laughed in his face, and is returning to normal.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your horses!

1/10/2011

DOR's funny typo


The DOR posted this picture to Facebook the other day. She wanted to share how much weight she has lost since she started her diet. She went to type the message "same shirt, different pants", but ended up typing "same shit, different pants". It was a hilarious typo and had us all laughing our hooves off. She has decided this might be her new motto for a bit.
What you can't see in this particular photo is that in the one on the left the shirt isn't buttoned, because she couldn't button it. One the right the shirt is not only buttoned, but it is not being used to hide her rear anymore. She used to try to cleverly disguise her rear hanging over the back of the saddle by using her shirt to cover up the whole ugly site.
She also experienced being saddle sore for the first time yesterday. She had an hour long lesson on Saturday and found that the difference in her weight also changes how she rides. No more wedging herself into the saddle, she now has to balance herself and use her leg muscles to stay put. She is happy about all of the changes and what it means for her and us horses.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/09/2011

Quote for the week


Your horse is noodley, he needs to build up some muscle, he is a bit lazy and you need to ride him with spurs or inspire him to get up and move with a swat
~DOR's trainer
This quote had me laughing my hooves off. Poor Friend needs to muscle up, he is a noodle, he is lazy, he would prefer to stand in one spot, and he has to wear shoes. I am have muscles on my muscles, I am a straight arrow, full of energy, want to move, and I don't need shoes. For cousins we are polar opposites.
The DOR says that with me it is all about me and with Friend it is all about the person he is with. Is there a problem with that?
The equine therapist was out yesterday and gave Friend, Coelho, and I the once over. My report was very good. She was very pleased with the progress I have made. She commented that I seem to be be thinking better and my personality is back to what it was before my incident. The DOR was very happy to hear I am making good progress, this has been a long hard journey on both of us. We have both learned patience, that there are things that just take the time they take and there is nothing you can do about it.
The therapist did a couple of adjustments on Coelho and Friend. She had good things to say about Friend's demeanour and structure. We all got adjustments made in our supplement regime. We get evaluated for supplement needs several times a year so that we are getting what we need. The DOR wishes that just once we would need the same things-7 horses, 7 different supplement needs. Oh well it gives her something to do.
The DOR took an hour long lesson on Friend yesterday. I really enjoyed it because I got my feet done and the SCC scritched me until the lesson was over. Friend then got his feet done and I got my adjustments. It was a good day.
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/06/2011

I be famous!!!


Look I am in the paper again! I am muddy, ungroomed, and munching away and still the photographer thinks I am news worthy.
Yep, take that Mighty Mouse...you haven't be featured in a newspaper. All the card carrying members of the He Man Gelding Club have been in the paper this year. Now while you may still be a stud for a bit longer, even when you are a gelding until you make the paper you are not a member of our elite club....
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/05/2011

Kisses?


The DOR went to visit her Icelandic horse who is still in Ellensburg. He is a three year old stud and can not come home until he is a three year old gelding. I hope he doesn't plan on joining the Bulry He Man Gelding Club...
His name is Mächtige Mus, English translation of his name is Mighty Mouse. Mushboy calls him Mickey Mouse, that is probably more fitting as far as I am concerned. I know is he is a little shrimp who has no spots.
He can't be smooched either, won't even let people touch him yet. The closest the DOR can come to giving him a smooch is photo shopping a picture. Well that is fine with all of us because we love real smooches.
He most likely won't be here until the end of February which means he won't be getting any special Valentines Day treat here...oh well more for us.
The DOR says I need to have a nicer attitude about the entire thing. Maybe I do, but I am having to share my pasture with Friend-how much does this poor appy have to take?
Enjoy your day and don't forget to hug your DOR!

1/02/2011

Quote for the week



“You can move through life seeing nothing as a miracle, or seeing everything as a miracle.” -Albert Einstein



This is one of the DOR's favorite photos of me. It is her favorite because it is the first time she caught me running after my injury. My recovery has been a miracle, one we are both so grateful for.
Life with horses is a life filled with miracles, especially at Grumpy Old Horse Ranch. Here are a few:
  1. A horse helping a young man learn to talk to other humans.
  2. A horse helping a vet learn that there is value to all animals.
  3. A horse giving a veteran a sense of purpose.
  4. Horses going from being unwanted to their new forever homes.
  5. Horses picking out the perfect horse for a human.
  6. Horses teaching humans that loving something sometimes means letting it go.
  7. Horses teaching humans persistance, courage, dignity, and pride.
  8. A horse teaching forgiveness, trust, and how to love unconditionally.

These are just a few of the daily miracles that we surround the DOR with, isnt' she lucky?

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

1/01/2011

Happy New Year!

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