If you've been reading this at all you are all aware that Sun is always getting himself into a spot or putting someone else in one. Last night I went out to feed only to find that Sun had given himself a pretty good shiner:
He is okay, really... but man... did he whack himself a good one. Sigh... never a dull moment around here, nope. We flushed and cleaned the eye last night but by this morning he looked like a horror show. To complicate matters it is winter so I can't exactly do cold water soaks on the old guy. We gave him some bute, waited until the day got warmer and rinsed him again and ran some cold water on him. Still, I wasn't happy and really wanted to be able to ice him. After I finished some office work I called to check on Wildflower and talk to Ali. During our conversation I mentioned Sun's dilemma and Ali quickly piped up, 'Oh! Don't you use your old bras for that?' What?? Say again?
And quicker than one could even get the vision straight in your head, Ali told me how to use on of my old bra cups and a fly mask to make an eye patch for my horse. And not only an eye patch... but a way to give my old man some icy comfort on that swollen eye. First an old bra must be sacrificed. I have news for you... I hate to leave my little ranch and I hate to shop even more so ALL my bras are old. Still, one must do what one must do. The cups were detached from one contraption and fastened to another.
Wallah! Now to crush some ice and put it in a leak proof bag...
And now we have an eye-patch/ice-patch!
Now we need a patient:
Who immediately puts the blame for his predicament on the closest possible victim.
Whatever am I to do with this boy??? Thanks Auntie Ali!!! We love you!
Well now... I know the day is over and hopefully every single person that I love has had a wonderful day filled with love and family and more calories than necessary. It was quiet at the ranch today. Just the animals, Geo and I. Last night we helped out a friend with some hungry horses and it was good to have a friend come by the place and visit with us for a bit. And Quentin, if you read this... way to step up and help your Mom. It's nice to know you.
Tomorrow the kids come by and we'll have our family celebration southwest style... Chili made with steak and several types of beans served over a hearty bowl of steamed rice and topped off with some cheddar cheese sprinkled generously with green onions and served with a big hunk of warm cornbread. Yummy.
Today though... today I got lots of nice emails and text messages from the people in my life that I hold pretty dear to my heart. I'm awful thankful to have them around. Sun and I got in a little work out in the round pen and then it was on to Huckleberry Pie. Guess that makes it Geezer exercise day around here =) I got to do a little video of The Pie:
What a great horse this is! I sure will hate to see this guy go but I think he will make someone a wonderful horse. Maybe someone that is as old as I am and that still wants to get out there and hit the trails. This horse is AWESOME on trails. He is long winded and will go wherever you point his head. He is as close to unflappable as anything I've ever ridden and I trust him totally. Sigh. I bet I cry when I find his forever home.
After working with The Pie, Cayenne and I had some time working together. This mare sure does get to me. We have been playing the circling game. When we began she would snort and dig in, buck, panic and get way under herself and move out too fast. I simply waited. I keep the line loose like I've learned to do and work with her to get her to slow down by bringing down my energy and letting her stop when she slows herself. Yesterday we did okay and I was looking forward to today. I had no idea that today would be so good.
She comes to me when I enter her stall. It never fails to make me smile when her head pops up and she walks to the gate when she sees the halter in my hand. I open the gate and go to stand next to her shoulder. She drops her nose into the rope halter when I hold it out to her. We walk quietly to the turn out and when I hold out my left arm to send her she walks right out. At first she gives me a fast trot and when she slows down I ask her to stop. She is quiet and licks her lips and studies me with those dark eyes. I am mesmerized by her. She watches me to see what is next. We work on the circling game until she is soft and compliant and finally, finally simply w-a-l-k-s.
And then something really amazing happened.... I don't want to bore this bright girl with repetitive circles and the saddle blanket I've recently used is hanging on the rail. I show it to her. Her head goes high and her nostrils quiver as she begins to back away but before I allow her to avoid this strange new thing I begin to back myself. Curious as she always is she follows sniffing tentatively at the blanket as I retreat. We play with the blanket. I retreat and allow her to follow. Then I turn my back to her and swing the blanket this way and that as I walk, allowing her to have more lead when she needs more room. And finally I am facing her swinging the blanket, allowing her to smell it and sooner than I would have thought I could have done it.... that blanket is on Cayenne's back.
And we walked around the turn out with it up there.
How is that for a Happy Thanksgiving for you? It sure was a stellar one for me =)
Oh my... do we look like a couple of goof-balls or what??? Yep, that is Smrp on her beautiful Morgan mare, Mariah and me on my brand-spankin' new Morgan/Quarter mare, Mae. We look ridiculously happy, don't we? We had just finished a little trail ride at Smrp's place. This was pre-DVR mind you, but it was beautiful just the same. What a great time we had! Smrpie and I were already good friends but this photo was taken on our road to becoming best friends, forming the Huppie Syndicate and changing lives. Matter of fact, Smrp didn't even own Mariah in this photo... Mariah owned Smrp's heart but Smrpie didn't own her at this point. What an adventure we've had! I suppose along with changing the lives of the critters we've encountered we've changed each others lives as well. The thought of that makes my heart warm up a bit and the corners of my mouth turn upward. A few years later and here we are at DVR hopefully looking a little less goofy.
It is beyond my wildest imagination that Currie Joe and Libby Payne would lead me here. The paths we choose are amazing. Life is such an incredible journey. Oh Currie Joe... thank you sweet boy. I carry you in my heart always and miss you so much still that your name never fails to bring tears to my eyes and that bittersweet pang in my heart. Libby! I know you are smiling and you are more a part of who I am today than you will ever know. It is all so well worth the journey. Do you believe what Smrpie and I have been up to? I miss your words, your encouragement and your laughter! I also wonder what your own blog might have been like and I smile imagining it.
Oh... feeling sappy and loved and blessed tonight...
Isn't she adorable? She is the new companion of my dear friends, Robbie and Ellen. They are Amigo's Mom and Dad. (Amigo is Sunny's best friend in the entire world.) I just think Nani Lynn is beautiful and she has the sweetest little face...
Nani Lynn was adopted from the animal shelter. Her new dad just fell in love with her. It isn't hard to see why one would be attracted to her... I mean really... look at those eyes! So she went home with her new Mom and Dad and all seemed well initially. Nani suffers from separation anxiety. Off she went to the vet for some help and a new crate was in order. Still, Nani struggled with being all alone. Although I had talked to Ellen on the phone about her and gotten her photo in my electronic mail it was just yesterday that I was able to finally meet her.
It seemed that Nani had a little 'rumble' with a friend's dog that came over for a visit. Her parents were upset that the other dog had been hurt and frightened by Nani. To make matters worse, Nani became uncontrollable when seeing other dogs at the park. Her new parents became very worried and called me. I met a very sweet dog that seems to have difficulty controlling herself when she becomes overly stimulated. After doing some evaluating at home and talking to my friends about response substitution, clicker training and anxiety management we decided to get a first hand view of Nani at the dog park.
Robbie took Nani out of the car and walked her in the empty parking area next to the large dog run at the park. A big Rottie mix bounced along the fence line telling Nani that he had the entire large dog run to himself and Nani began bouncing up and down on the end of the lead telling him that she could certainly come in there and run a few pounds off him in short order. Robbie tightened up on her leash and tried to pull her in a different direction... easy...easy... don't tighten the leash, keep your energy moving away from the stimulus and in a positive direction... when she begins to calm approach again... yes... just like that... approach and retreat. Robbie gave it a whirl. After a few moments I got to try and Nani and I played the game of approach and retreat. When she was calm we got closer to the dogs, when she had trouble controlling herself we walked away keeping her focused and giving her bits of hot dog. In the end I see a wonderful little girl that has not had the proper direction and does not have the tools to calm herself down. When given the opportunity and the right direction she begins to calm... it does not take long but it will take time.
We are working on a plan to modify Nani's behavior. As her Auntie I will give her all the support I can because I know that her new parents want to give her the best chance at a happily ever after. When Albee is recovered well enough we will arrange play dates so Nani has an opportunity to learn to play with other dogs like she really wants to and her parents have the confidence and trust to allow her to do so. After all... we are in the happy endings business around here =)
doesn't she? She was supposed to be the subject of today's post however, today's post was hijacked by computer malfunction so she will be the subject of tomorrow's post instead =)
Because once the computer was finally up and running properly again this PonyWhisperess became the GrandbabyWhisperess or similar. Mostly I popped in videos, fed snacks and looked perfectly goofy playing with children that are three and one years old respectively (and sometimes disrespectfully!) There is no real pony time today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.....
That's my boy, our blue merle Australian Shepherd. JCB's Time On Target. We call him Albert. This Arizona born boy has been everywhere with me... Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Montana, Utah, Wyoming.... road trips, camping trips and four-wheel drive excursions... he is a Canine Good Citizen, a certified Therapy Dog and a Certified Service Dog. There for awhile we were going to become an agility dog because he was so darned focused and fast but then I got sick and well... that is when our other activities stopped and he became my service dog. We have spent so much time together... there was a time when I could not even step up onto a curb without Albert to help me balance. He knew where I left my wallet, my keys... and he was right there when I dropped something... even something as small as a dime. He would always pick it up, sit, and wait patiently for me to hold my hand out so he could drop the item there.
So I'm pretty sure you will understand how stunned I was to find out last Saturday about the massive abdominal tumor he had. What? What? I stared blankly at the radiograms on the illuminated screen. What? It was huge. But he has been fine! Well, fine until a few days ago when he didn't want his breakfast. When he only picked at his dinner I began to watch him more closely. That is when I noticed that he was panting inappropriately which I read as pain/discomfort. I dialed the vet right away and made an appointment for him that afternoon.
Her diagnosis was pretty grim: probable hemangiosarcoma. Did someone just kick me in the gut? I keep looking at my dog in disbelief. Less than a year to live?? He just turned nine! That is not old for an Aussie! Both my head and heart began to spin as the vet continued on the grim journey of a what a diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma implied. It was hard to hear anything but the rushing of my heart. Although she asked that we leave Albert at the hospital that night so surgery could be performed on him the next morning, I clearly remember muttering something about taking my dog home for the night. If he could die from bleeding out than he would die in our arms not in some hospital kennel.
So Saturday night we gathered 'round this beloved family dog and some came to say goodbye. Sunday morning we went off to have surgery done. In a two hour surgery the tumor that had attached itself to the abdominal wall was removed and our dog's internal organs were inspected for any signs that the cancer had spread. According to his surgeon he looked great internally. The spleen was removed and sent off for a biopsy. Last night our dog came home and today... well today I am keeping a close eye on him and thankful that he is here with us. I'm willing him to be stronger with each day that passes. In the meantime, my other chores will get a little less attention...
And I'll keep my fingers crossed that the biopsy comes back negative. We're hoping you'll do the same...
Sometimes people say really nice things about what The Huppie Syndicate does. We appreciate that, we do, even if it makes us look down at our boots and blush. The truth is though, that we could not do everything we do without some mighty special folks. And when it comes to special folks, well, we'd have to put our farrier right up there at the top of the list. Aside from the magic he works with the feet we present him with, he sure has a big ole' kind heart. There have been times we have challenged him... but no matter what we throw at him, he is there for us. Here is some of his magic...
First trim on the Huppie... It took three of us to restrain her...
and then there was Princess Buttercup.... believe it or not... she was being ridden on the pavement with her feet in this condition:
Beautiful, stoic girl! Our vet thought we might need to do radio-graphs of all four feet to get her trimmed properly. We consulted Rodney first and he began to work his magic:
and when he was done...
Hard to believe those could be the same feet, isn't it? It did take a few trimmings and shoeings before she was normal again but she got there because of the care, effort and expertise of our farrier. I remember those first days after we secured her freedom and how she never ran in the turn-out. A few days after we trimmed her she ran for the first time. I cried.
He has worked so hard with every horse we have presented him with. He has made special trips, postponed plans and rearranged schedules to accommodate us. He has been sad with us, worried with us and for goodness sake, even met us at the vet when we had trouble. I suppose one of the things that touches us the most is that when we get horses in that are terrified he does his best to make friends with them and to make them well. Even the ones that are sometimes ungrateful, like Little Bear. Little Bear clipped Rodney with his hind foot and I'm still not sure if his wrist is back to normal. And even after being treated so poorly by our Mustang he worked his magic on LB as well.
And of course, if you read this blog you have seen Wildflower's feet. All in all I would say that we are blessed to have such a wonderful farrier, friend, teacher and partner in rescue. We appreciate him more than he will ever know. And every time someone compliments us on what we do... well ... we think of how fortunate we are to have the people in our life that help us make the lives of these horses better. Thanks Rodney... you are appreciated more than you know.
George got the lights up in the aisle way of the barn. What do you think??? It's after seven p.m. in this photo. Those are the boys after finishing their dinner.... What I love about the lights is that I am not in a rush to get chores done before it gets dark. I can still do anything and everything I need because I can see the stalls and the horses clearly. I can also check on them easily at night. Oh bliss!
So... tonight after chores were done and Geo had gone in the house to work on the diabolical mechanical plans for this next motorized monster... I stayed out at the barn, poking about and checking on everyone. I took out the Zoom Groom and gave everyone a good rub. It is nice to have this quiet time with each horse and I love the opportunity this gives me to find the 'magic little spot' for each and every horse. It is different for everyone. Sun, of course, has magic spots on his entire body and it was funny to see him sway back and forth as I worked on his back. He arched his neck and collected himself as I worked towards his poll and I was reminded again how beautiful he is.
Cayenne loves her shoulder and chest rubbed and she made googly lips and leaned into me. She leaned in so I could rub her more. For a long time I stood there with my head on her shoulder and rubbed.... and she stayed right there with me tethered only by her own desire for closeness and by her trust in me. I breathed deep of the moment and know how fortunate I really am. Huppie... well... Hup loves to be scratched everywhere and it is funny to watch her concentrate on what you are doing....inevitably, out comes the tongue to be flapped about on everything. I've named Huppie's tongue Earl. I see her tongue so much it seemed only fitting to give it a name. Max loves his neck and sizable crest rubbed. The Pie... well... he is a neck and withers kind of guy. Mae?? Mae loves her butt rubbed. As soon as she knows there is rubbing going on... she will back right up to you. Well, there you have it. That is the rubbing rundown at the Rolling I =)
Sorry about not posting yesterday but... Yesterday was Veteran's Day and I have some Vets to honor around here... In other news... WILDFLOWER LOOKS WONDERFUL!! I got to see her today and I've no idea why I didn't photograph her so you could all see her but I got distracted by Miss Keno. And you can rest assured that by the end of the weekend there will be photos of our beautiful Wildflower and Miss Keno too! Miss Keno is Wildflower's foster sister and is one of the most adorable Miniature Horses ever. She pulls a cart. Don't get any ideas though... Miss Keno already has a Mom that adores her and will keep her forever. Still... we can look, right?? Ali has promised to take me for a ride in the cart with Miss Keno. I simply can't wait!
And lastly... the gray Arabian that I posted about has found a home. This makes us so very happy! We have been trying to help and support the lady that has him so she could afford to give him the time he needed to find a good home and not just 'get sold'. This wonderful cowgirl decided to give The Huppie Syndicate the first right of refusal on him so we will always know that he is safe and loved. It was a very gracious thing for her to do and we are happy to act as his guardians. Be well Sweet Boy... May your journey lead only to the high road from this day forward. Very special thanks to our talented and compassionate dressage rider Cecily for willingly donating her time and talents to show this boy to his best advantage. You are so very appreciated!
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