HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR HORSE LATELY?

TAKE MY PICTURE

The wind was blowing out of the North with really heavy gusts. When I went up to do the nooners (special feed and medicine handouts) I took the camera. All the mares and geldings in their pens were tails to the wind. I got out the camera and took a picture with the intent of posting it to answer the question people continue to ask about the horses keeping warm in the cold weather. Answer to wind – turn your tail and wait it out.

As soon as I shut the camera off and put the lens cap on Patches came running out of the hay pen looking around as if she were upset. She headed for the space along the fence between Mattie and Golly, found her spot, and stopped. I got the message “Okay, I’m ready, take the picture”. So, I took another one. If you look closely, you will see Patches in the upper left of the top picture and in the middle along the fence in the bottom.

The two pictures were taken within a minute of each other.           

CHRISTMAS PAST

          

  This photo was taken at a Christmas Barn party several years ago and there is a story to this picture. It is of my husband, Ray, who was the Christmas Grinch.

   He would always refer to the helmets as ‘chicken hats’ and, of course, being the old cowboy (real deal believe me) he wouldn’t be caught in one of them.

  One of my students got the idea that we needed to make Ray his very own ‘chicken hat’ so we did. Spray painted a broken helmet bright pink and pasted pictures of chickens on it.

  This was wrapped very carefully and, when we had a lot of bystanders, it was presented to him.

  The old cowboy was a good sport about it and we all had a really good laugh.

OCTOBER WAS PEANUT FESTIVAL 2014

Once again we furnished our pony rides for the annual Peanut Festival. This year we were inside the event center and in an area that afforded a resting place for the ponies away from the main crowd. It had rained early that morning so we arrived with wet ones. They did dry out before we needed to saddle up. All of them did their jobs of giving the little ones rides very well. 

FRIENDS ENJOYING ....

Friends Butch and Augie enjoying a warm winter day.

I GOT LUCKY WITH THIS SHOT

Sometimes I just get lucky when I point and shoot. This makes me think of literally walking into the sunset or on to infinity.

The Shoe

Recently a friend told me that she and her husband were purchasing a cabin and she thought a horse shoe from my place would be a good addition. She follows the school page on Facebook and told me she likes the stories - so she now becomes one of them.

I found a shoe – used – that came off a very special horse. Her name was Ms. CC Fork – a Pitchfork mare - that was my show horse for several years. Later in her life, at about age 18 she became the ‘founding horse’ for Abrazos Adventure.

Not only did she have a successful show career she was a fun horse to pleasure ride or take to parades. When grandkids came along she carried them to horse show wins just as she did me.

Over the years she was in the school, I don’t know how many people rode her and fell in love with her although she had an edge and attitude and kept us all on our toes.

After age 20 she developed Cushing’s disease and chronic lameness. During the course of treatment she was in special shoes to help with recovery. It was one of those shoes that I was able to send to my friend who is pictured here hanging it over their cabin door. It gave me a good feeling not to send just any old shoe but one full of sweet memories to help someone on their way to their own special times and memories.

And, to the unasked question – no, CC is not still with us. I had to have her put to sleep several years ago.