Ode to Joy

Joy, If I get you a plane ticket back here for 3x a week will you come ride Scout for me? I thought I'd ask. 3 kittens still available....possibly 2. Katie and Justin took Bear home last night. I cried. But now I'm fine (sniff). It's very hard to give away something you spend so much time trying to keep alive by waking up 48 times a night and feeding with a bottle. I'm going to miss all of them. Which reminds me, I have to run home and feed the babies now.

Horse update: Lilly is doing great. Just to make Martha mad...a little horse show talk. "She can really knock it down in the field." Cole is still pretty much himself. Scout is tearing my stall down. Joy, 1 last thing, I applied for racking papers for both Cole and Lilly. They should be here soon. Thought you should know.

Famous Last Words: "I know it's 30,000 volts, but I'm wearing rubber soles."

The Lineup

BEARSPIDER

STAR

HAZEL P.

LOTTIE

You'll have to excuse Lottie's apperance. She had just eaten supper. Martha took these photos last night so they are up to date. They all are very chubby kittens...even little Lottie. Star will be good for a fast paced family. She loves to play and spaz out. Hazel P. will be a good lap kitten (just don't tick her off). She has a growl and swat that would take down a rhino. Lottie had a tough start so she's a little behind the others but she is extremely sweet and will probably always be small. Spider and Bear have homes. They are the perfect brothers.

Because they were all bottle raised they are very much people kittens. Pick your kitty and come visit. Carroll already has!!

UPDATE***** ALL KITTENS ARE WEANED AND LITTER TRAINED. When I say litter trained I mean litter and newspaper trained. If you read the newspaper don't leave it on the floor or it might turn into a litter box. I don't have updated photos of clean baby kittens but ya'll have seen them. They are in the "play" stage so if you plan on getting one definitely stock up on toys. I am feeding them a combo of kitten milk and wet food to get them interested. They are also drinking water. They have sharp little teeths so hard food shouldn't be a problem.

Quote of the Day: "E. coli Happens."

Sleepless

Martha: Does this look like a rack to you?

I've made my decision...I think. I'm riding Cole this afternoon and I'm going to try to make him rack. If anyone knows the web site for the United Racking Horse Owners & Exhibitors Assoc. PLEASE let me know. Lilly and Cole are about to get some new registration papers.

Kitty update: They are still at my house being weaned. I heart them but I'm ready for them to go.The orange one has blue eyes. Carroll, your gray kitten is massive. The calico will need an "understanding" home. She swats when she's mad. The black/white kitty can see and has a huge milk tummy. The little black female is greasy looking because she hasn't learned to clean herself. I'll try to get an updated photo up soon so ya'll can pick which one you want. Martha just called and told me she saw a free kittens sign. I think she should run over the sign so I can have a corner on the market.

Heeere Kitty

So, who wants the calico. Or maybe the little black one. The black and white one can finally see. And, she drinks from a bottle. I don't quite know why all the males have been taken and all the females can't find homes. Perhaps it's the legend of Wommy the barn cat. They are all very cute...smelly but cute. In a few weeks they should be able to go to their new homes. I'm so tired of 3 am feedings.

In case you don't know, the momma cat was ferril and she died. We found them in a abandoned house almost dead. Now I can't shut them up and they escape from their cat box and roam around my room.


Rachael's Quote of the Day: "Everyone should have kids. They are the greatest joy in the world. But they are also terrorists. You'll realize this as soon as they are born, and they start using sleep deprivation to break you."
-Ray Romano

Never Give Up....Never Surrender!

Yes, I went to the horse show. No, the judge didn't like me. So, what do you do if the judge doesn't place your horse? Ride in the next class. Then, ride in the next class. And so forth. Guaranteed by the end of the championship class he will be so worn down that he'll give you a ribbon hoping you will just go away. Thank goodness Cole knows how to canter or we would still be flat walk/running walking around that arena. He actually liked our canter. We ended up with 5th out of 10. A pink ribbon. Oh well. Better than nothing. Cole is now happily in his pasture with his wife Lilly.

Now for some medical news. I really did break my ear. I go Friday to meet my surgeon. I know he'll laugh at me like the other doctor did. Who cares as long as he can fix it. I have kitties left to give away. The gray one is off the market (going to live at Carroll's new house). There is still an orange/white (boy), calico (girl), black/white (girl), black (girl...so cute I might keep her myself). Put in your orders now. They will be vetted at no charge to you and ready for their new homes in a few weeks. I'm so tired of feeding them every 3 hours I might bring them to you now with a bottle and instructions.

Quote of the Day: "Eagles may soar in the heavens but weasles don't get sucked into jet engins."

Scout Trail Rides

Lilly took Scout on his first trail ride on the farm. And, he acted better than she did. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? Lilly freaked out at a little girl and her dog. Scout never even saw the girl. Lilly balked at the stream (which was dried up) and Scout shoved her over. I guess that's the born difference between a show horse and a trail horse. This week will be a mad rush to get things ready for the show. I have to excercise Cole, clean tack, pack tack, get my monkey suites together...not to mention clean and clip Cole (always a good time). I have my ear appointment on Thursday afternoon and then have to bolt back home to have Cole loaded and picking up another horse before we head to the show grounds. I'm remaining calm.

Dr. Phil is on. Gotta go.

Rach.

I Broke My Ear

My doctor actually laughed at me when I told him how I hurt myself. Then we did a hearing test (25% hearing loss in my left ear). He said it my be the joints around the bones so inflamed that it won't let sound pass through or I have broken...or moved a bone. Bone issues require surgery. NOT TODAY! Since my ear drum is so badly bruised I am on Prednizone to make the swelling go down. Now I hear a buzzing sound every time somebody talks. Maybe that's a good sign.

I'm going to try to get back on Scout today. All you PETA people don't go crawlin' up on my back. He hasn't been in a stall for 2 weeks. He's out in the pasture with Lilly...especially since someone sent her busting through the fence. The picture is Scout eating his Easter morning breakfast. It was m...m...good.

Quote of the Day: "I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." -Oscar Wilde

Soul Noah

Scout will be ridden for the first time it 2 weeks tomorrow. He's liked his vacation. I can't make him stop following me around. He really likes attention. I'm probably not giving him back to John. Lilly ran through the fence 2 nights ago....the barbed wire part. I found her in a section of the pasture with no water and she was pretty cut up. Not sure if deer or Cole did it to her. Just in case Cole is in a stall and she is locked up in the lower section of the pasture at night. Pattie and Grace rode her for her lesson yesterday. The horse was perfect. I'm so proud of all of them.

I had to liberate a baby oppossum from the cat food bin this morning. Apparantly he went diving for scraps and couldn't get out. He's so cute. He hissed and spat at all my cats and waddled off.

My mom is making me another doctor appointment with a specialist. I'm tired of not being able to hear.

THE END.

Words Of Wisdom: "Never let your saddle outrun your rear."

Mooooonnnn Chiiiiillllllldddddd

Lilly finally has a new name. In the place of Honky Tonk Badonkadonk is now "Image of Battlecry." She looks so much like her grandaddy I couldn't help myself. I haven't ridden her or Scout all week because I inherited the plague from Martha and Noah. Right as it was going away I damaged my eardrum and now I can't hear out of my left ear. I'm pretty sure by next week I'll have rabies. Instead of riding I've been doing Clinton Anderson ground work with the babies and Cole. We now are no longer afraid of Wal*Mart plastic bags. I won't tell John I haven't ridden until after he gets on Scout on Saturday. Let the rodeo begin.

Scout's Quote of the Day: "Evil will always triumph over good because good is dumb." -Dark Helmet, Space Balls

Discovery Channel

I've been watching the show "Deadliest Catch" about the snow crab fishermen. It remined me of this picture. I think the biggest thing Tommy and Jimmy caught was a tiny shark. I guess you could consider that deadly. Moving on...I put a call in to the vet today. Cole may have to go in for some testing. He's been acting very nasty lately. He may have a chemical imbalance happening. If so he may have to undergo another gelding (if it was done improperly the first time).

I have the scunge. It's the virus going around the group. My mom took over the office today so I could come home and try to sleep it off. I woke up just in time to watch "Downunder Horsemanship" by Clinton Anderson on RFDTV (which is my new favorite channel). Guess what his topic was...gaited horses. He was working with one who was extremely hyper (Cole) and one who was very lazy (Lilly). I watched for about an hour and went out and tried what his tactics. Lo and behold it worked. After I've recovered from this cold I'll try it again. But, not today.


Quote of the Day: "Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world."

....And we're walking....

Scout was good 2 whole days in a row. And you know what they say...if they do it twice it's a habit (actually nobody says that). Wow, what hard work to retrain a horse to not be afraid of it's rider. Still not sure what the deal was with the run forward and then throw it in reverse. So, were either out of the woods with the attitude problem or I'll get thrown hard and sustain severe bodily damage. At least he's stopped kicking. And yes, he's grown and calmed down. I'm working with Lilly on the whole walking in a straight line thing. It's very interesting to me that out of every horse I've had they all wander around the road instead of just move forward. Maybe I ride crooked. Who knows...who cares. At least they're rideable. All but Spice anyway.

I've recently noticed that my entire blog has been taken over by training horses. If you have a horse you need trained, please don't call me. If you have ever entertained the thought that horse ownership would be fun, email me with your address and which tree in your yard I can tie one to. I'll be right over... hooking up the horse trailer as we speak.

Famous Last Words: "Well, we've made it this far."

Without A Hitch

Scout surrendered. He was perfect yesterday. He was so good in fact that I took him out of the ring and rode him around the yard. No attempted buck, backing up, or just downright nastiness.
p.s.: John, call me. I found out something that will crack you up.

The ladies reatreat was fantastic. There is nothing better in the world than being 5,000 miles from civilization to re-boot your spiritual life. I ended up staying all weekend. I really enjoyed it and already am looking forward to next year. Next year, however, someone else can put out the bonfire with the stinky pond water in the middle of the night with massive bull frogs trying to pull them under the water.

Rachael's Quote of the Day: "I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers."

I Heart My Horse

My blacksmith showed up. I know, you don't believe me. But, it actually happened. Cole has a shiny new pair of shoes...and a much smaller foot. He's so happy and so is his momma. To clarify comments made on a previous post (after John called me in a panic that his horse was mentally disturbed) Scout and I finally came to and understanding yesterday. Instead of getting off of him when he started acting up I decided the best way to handle the problem was to stay on him and ride him through it. He acted worse than usual for a longer period of time. I could see is little mind working, "If back up really fast she'll get off." Not so fast. My dad was there with a handy dressage whip. When he backed up he got tagged. After awhile he began to learn and quit acting up. I guess that makes me the best horse trainer ever (until next time I get on). I can get him to follow me around the ring and back up with just hand movements. He'll be fine.


Famous Last Words: "Why is the rest of the Star Trek landing party wearing a different color?"

It's Rodeo Time

I fell off Scout. Yes, you heard it right. It wasn't so much a dump as "I lost my balance and hit the ground." He was acting nasty and I swung my leg over to get off. He knew he was in trouble and took off running. That's when it happened. The first time in years a horse has gotten the better of me. We had a discussion about why hurting people is bad and I got back on. We rode for awhile in the ring with no problems at all. I got off, pulled the saddle and bridle off, and walked away. As I was leaving he got the last word...he thought. He reached his neck out and snapped my arm. Suddenly, the saddle flung itself from my hands and into him. I'm not sure how it happened. But he won't bite me again.

I hurt and I need a nap.

Work Days Ahead

Scout kicked at me yesterday. He is now buried behind the pond. If he kicks at me again I'll dig him up and kill him again. This weekend I'll introduce him to Major...the pasture sensi. If that doesn't teach him maners he'll meet the pasture thug Noel.

On a lighter note, the upcomming horse show will be a great time to relieve some stress. A nice calm weekend to unwind and enjoy some quiet time with Cole. Who am I kidding? I can't even get my farrier out to re-shoe him; the stress began last week. But, it is the first show of the year (a 2 day-er). It's supposed to be this way.


Rachael's Quote of the Day: "The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action."

Why I love Easter

10 Things I've Learned

about training 2 year olds:

10. Always wear a helmet, even if you look like a bobble-head.

9. If you are assigned the "make sure the horse doesn't lie down on me" position while your friend works on a horses shoe, the horse will lie down on your friend the second you look away.

8. One swift Karate kick to the base of a horse's foot will dislodge any shoe...even one nail gunned on (yes Joy, I got the other one off).

7. If you successfully pull any 2 shoes off of a horse you are immediately awarded the title "King of the World." Your also are intitled to scream it out at passing cars.

6. If your horse does a roll-back, throws his head up and groans...GET OFF!

5. Getting off too quickly can cause a string of catastrophic events.

4. Make sure your health insurance is paid up.

3. Baby horses have no brains. Don't expect them too.

2. When a person tells you he has "trained" your horse, it's just a figure of speech.

1. Training 2 year olds is a God given passion. If you don't have it...break the wrist and walk away!

Glamorous

Joy came over this weekend to help me around the farm. Lilly had her glamor shots by Martha on Saturday. That was just before we rode her (she was perfect) and Scout (he tried to dump me). Scout and I came to and understanding and finished the ride on a great note. He actually is smoother than Lilly. We also turned him out a few hours and let him get the "boy" out of him. Then, dun dun duuuunnnnnnn, we tried once again to pull Lilly's shoes off. After struggling with her for about an hour and having her lie down on Joy we surrendered and went to Taco Bell. We ended the day with a night trail (which was awesome) thanks to Cole and Noel. Tonight as I was feeding the 10 million horses I noticed that Lilly had pulled one of the shoes off all by herself. Stinkin' horse. Maybe that should be her show name.

Church today was very good. I'm enjoying more and more helping out with the kids upstairs in the morning. I can't wait until 5 day club cranks back up. Hopefully this year it won't be 100 degrees every day.

Famous Last Words: "Did you hear thunder ? Oh well hurry up and putt."

Scout Is In Exile

Scout has decided that he would rather beat Cole up than be friends with him. By the time I got in the pasture Monday night he almost had Cole pinned to the ground. I ran screaming into the pasture until he let him up. Scout took the long walk to the stall. When he decides to be a gentleman, he can come back. So far, it ain't happnin'. Note the new shelter in the background (yes, it has been finished) : Cole and Lilly are afraid of it. This morning I found them standing in the pouring rain at the gait refusing to go anywhere near it. After 12 fights and baiting them with grain I finally got them to stand there (shaking with fear) under the shelter. Whether they'll stay in there or not is anybody's guess. They are Tennessee Walking Horses. I shouldn't expect too much too soon.


1 LAST THING: I need a new name for Lilly. Her show name is "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Yes, you heard it right. I am trying to rename her. Her dad's name is "Vanilla Sky", mom "Jennifer's Miss Priss", grandfather "Bridge's Battlecry", grandmother "Mackett's Pride." Whoever comes up with the best name wins.

Quote of the Day: "Someone must have the courage to lead the freak parade." -Don Imus

Babies Everywhere

They're finally home!! Scout and Lilly are now official members of the farm. We started by putting them in the same pasture and ended with Scout in the stall for "time out" and Lilly in with Cole. I'm not sure who's dominant. They switch food and run each other around the pasture. Scout will continue his training while John is out of state and Lilly will be taking a break to grow into those long legs. As hard as they are to feed I love having them on the farm. I'm actually excited about getting up early to check on them.

Come see them and look for Lilly in the show ring in the next few months as "Model Horse Champion of the World." Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on her...