A Rider's Prayer
Dearest Lord my Creator in Heaven, Give me the strength to guide my horse
Make my hands soft and my head clear, Let my horse understand me and I him. My heart you have blessed with a special love of these animals.
Let me never lose sight of it.
My soul you have gifted with a deep need for them, Let that need never lessen.
Always let my breath catch as the sun gleams on an elegant head. Always may my throat tighten at the sound of a gentle nicker. Let the scent of fresh hay and a new bag of grain be sweet to me. Let the touch of a warm nose on my hand always bring a smile. I adore the joy of a warm day on the farm, the grace and splendor of a running horse. The thunder of its hooves makes my eyes burn and my heart soar. Let it always be so.
Dearest Lord my Creator grant me patience for horses are harnessed wind, and wind can be flighty. Let me not frighten or harm them.Instead show me ways to understand them. Above all, dear Lord , fill my life with them. When I pass from this world, send my soul to no heaven without them. For this love you have given me graces my existence, and I shall cherish it and Praise You for it for all time.
-Author unknown

Today I rode Brava again; Zoe is fighting a deep thrush infection and wasn't feeling 100%. Rebel colicked earlier this morning, so obviously he couldn't be ridden (he's not my favorite, anyway). Shiah's been sold and Shayna's retired, so Brava was my mount by default. But I don't mind; I love riding Brava.

It's been a long time since I last blogged, I hardly know where to start...Shayna, my usual ride, is more or less retired now. First, she developed an abscess in her off-hind, so I rode Shiah and Brava. Just as that was healing, her off-fore cracked in half. This had happened before, Katelyn said, but she'd been spared being put down and ended up back in work and condition. Guess Katelyn's going to try again, but Shayna's getting to be in her mid-twenties...she'd be at least 24 if she came back at all.

I just registered for a benifit trail ride/mounted scavenger hunt to be held May 16th in Lorton, VA!  What better reason to saddle up and hit the trails than to help benifit the children who are treated at St. Jude?

I'm spreading  the information everywhere, both to beg for donations to help me reach my goal of $400 and to encourage others within reasonable travel distance of Pohick Bay Regional Park to participate as well!  There is a requested minimum donation of $25, and everyone recieves a participation ribbon, but come on now, two parks worth of trails, helping the kids and meeting other awesome equestrians is reason enough! 
www.mystjudesaddleup.org/eqimagined

If that link doesn't work let me know! 

Well I have spent the last 6 weeks bandaging my daughter's horse Felix.  In all the mud that we have had he managed to do a pretty good number on his pastern.  He cut it almost from fetlock to coronet and laid it open for about 1/4 of the total area of his pastern.  Of course we did not see it until it had been done for a day and with all the mud my trailer was stuck. 

As economic globalization increases, disease can speedily spread among continents. One disease that severely affects breeding businesses domestically and internationally is contagious equine metritis (CEM).

So I was going to take Winnie for a spin today since it's so pretty except for the wind (which is drying things up so I don't mind it and neither does she), then when it came time for her to walk up to the barn for breakfast I noticed she was very owwy on her right fore. 
FML - I think to myself. f m l.  Check her all over for swelling, cuts etc.  No swelling, some heat in hoof which she is very unpleased to let me mess with but does anyway because she's my good girl.  There's a stone bruise. 
(Rain+softening sole)TB/(barefootXstones)=abscess. 
She is unpleased about being confined to stall, but will have to cope. Or else. Foot soakings and poultice wrap here we come! 
To kill time until there was a vehicle I could take to the store to buy the supplies I don't have on hand (shame on me! I should know better!)  I rode Laddie.  He looked so cute in his black polo wraps with his western saddle and breast collar and new headstall since he broke the one that used to be Luna's.  I spent some time searching the gaggle of bridles in the tackroom and found one finally that should fit all four horses!  Much easier than cleaning a ton of bridles that have been sitting for years is cleaning just one!  (I know I should clean the rest but I'm lazy!)  Its black, and has the brow band with a roll of white behind it, matching noseband with flash option....now I just need to find the flash band and I may have Scout and Laddie's chewing problem resolved temporarily...  He looked very handsome. 
With his total disrespect of the full cheek snaffle last time I rode him, we stepped up in bit level.  He was NOT happy with me, but listened muuuuch better (will drop back down to full cheek to see if he appreciates it more, hopefully I haven't ruined it completely and don't have to keep using the more severe bit I HATE them!) 
Did not want to stand for mounting. BOO. mini training session.  A-
Walked off before asked to.  FAIL. had to stand in one place while I smoked one whole cigarette. B+
Steering: Shows improvement C
Speed control: from none to there in ten minutes A
Getting a tude and trying to scrape me off on fence: F
Getting over tude and resuming good behavior in record time: A+
Extra Credit: Can now fairly efficiently maneuver a gate obstacle without freaking out.  A++++++++++++

The problem I'm having with Laddie is he's been allowed to develope so many bad habits its hard to target one and correct it because another one will rear its ugly head that takes precedence.  He's still improving, but gawd there are days he makes me feel like a failure. 

                                                         




Well here is a Update on our Rescued a Blue Heeler We Named her Sydney .
Sydney is doing better she loves our home she is guarding our place already we had some deer in our back yard she barked to tell us they don't belong there it was cute to see her, she looked up at me like did I do ok and wiggled and gave me a big kiss
Oh We think Sydney is going to have puppies

We found her From the Abusive Farmer man's Sister-in-law she told us that her mother and her couldn't keep her because they worked to much and couldn't take care of her,So she asked us to take her , well now she e-mailed us and asked how she was doing we e-mailed and told her and even asked her if she was bred she replied back that she had pups and the only male around her was a pom. her mom says if she is by chance she wants a puppy
I thought why would you want a puppy when you couldn't keep mother  I don't think so do they think I have stupid written on my forehead . oh well there loss our gain