Boots

Tag from ponygirl

My blundstones. I wouldn't trade them for any boots in the world and I wouldn't hesitate buying another pair since these ones have lasted me 8 years and now I got a new pair.
I think you can tell the second you put on a pair of shoes if they are gonna be good. Some shoes you may not like but they eventually wear in and become the pair you should, but don't wanna trash.

Every time we go on a long shopping trip I wear my blunnies. Everyone else complains of back pain but not me.
The other day my friend Michelle came with me along my farm chores. I gave her the old pair of blundstones to wear. She exclaims "wow these are comfy no wonder why you like them so much!" I rest my case. Try on a pair of blundstones and you'll never go back. English, western, everyplace in between they are just right.

Here are the new ones, or one rather since I was sitting on the gate. Indigo approves of them but they still don't smell like the old boots she says. Oh the farms and miles those boots have traveled. I bet they smell real good. I have to keep them on the dryer or else my dog tries to claim them and would probably eat them if she had the choice. My mom tried to take them from her one day and she snarled real nasty like as if to say "those are MY smelly things!"
Mom has even had to throw them into the patio a time or two. Yeah those boots have been through a lot of shit and so have I. I wouldn't trade them or the shit though, it's part of who I am and who I will be.

"Horsaii"

Inspired by mugwump chronicles

There are some of us that are born with a desire to break the bank, spend endless hours in the worst weather conditions, forget sleep and most of all ourselves for a chance to be with horses. There are those that grow out of it and those that never think of anything else but horses.

I recall the first time I saw a real horse that I can remember. I am sure there were times before this but none as vivid as this one.
I seem to have the ability to remember things from when I was young in shocking clarity. I was barely two years old when my one grandmother died. She was schizophrenic and had cancer. I remember her coffin, a delicate pastel purple with dark lilacs painted on the corners.
Another memory from when I was two was picking out my first dog, Baby, our yellow Labrador. Baby was a faithful companion but that is not what I remembered the day by.
We went to a local farm where they sold antiques out of their cute little rustic barn. I don't remember the four puppies there because something else like magic had captured my full attention.
My parents talked business with the lady and I watched from between two fence boards, eyes glued to the vision in front of me.
A man on a chestnut horse running faster than anything my little eyes had ever fell upon. They were galloping down a fence row, the man's hat had blown off but held on by stampede strings around his neck. He leaned into the horses mane; brown hair whipping his face as the hooves that carried them both hovered just above the grassy earth with every stride. I could hear each beat with the loud thump of my heart. They seemed to run forever before turning around and galloping back down the fence. I was captivated.
I probably stood there for a few minutes but they seemed like hours. Etching the image into my mind and soul.

I went home that day and designated an old steam trunk we kept on the porch the stable. This is where I kept all my "horses" There was a chestnut like I had seen, a grey, a white and my favorite, the long limbed, powerful black stallion. I would open the trunk and take off at a gallop and leap as far as my young legs would let me onto the lawn. It was my imagination, it stretched and still does. The back yard was a huge meadow that went for miles and miles. We hid in the evergreens as our forest and stood by the pond that was the ocean.
I played horses at school, found friends that played with me. We would run around nickering and winning until the teacher would call and we would gallop to the line up to see who won the race.

In reality when I go past that same cute little farm where we got my dog, the fence they raced is only 120 feet and the man that flew on that horses back is now old and crippled. The horse is still there but something tells me he doesn't get ridden much anymore. I stopped one night when no one was around and patted that old gelding over the fence, silently thanking him for awakening my dreams and creating memories.

If only.

My mother has always loved horses so I can say it probably is hereditary. Her best friend was a farrier and wild cowgirl in heart and soul. The thing that sticks is the grandmother I mentioned. My mother used to tell me stories, I know they hurt her at one point. Now she makes sense of it all that she was witnessed and experienced the bond and calm that one finds when spending time around horses.
When my grandmother had one of her "episodes" she would get her basket and take a walk across a couple fields to visit the local equids. Along the way she would gather grasses and weeds to feed them. My mother reported that when she returned she seemed to be in her right mind. No doctor or medicine in the world was or is capable of doing that for her condition.

So I invite any of you (I know there isn't many but spread the word please!) who reads this to blog, in your own blog and write about the first memory of a horse. You don't have to be horsaii but everyone goes through a stage in life where we are captured in the hypnotizing hoof beats of equus.

Those moments

I had one of those days, they are very rare.
Everything just went like I wanted it to. Pretty much.
I worked and everything seemed easy. I got done work and went to see Indigo. The sun was shining and it was warm. It felt so good. The horses were just dozing in the warmth.

I told myself I was only going to just hop over the fence and see her. Well you all know how that goes. I went into the barn and got a hoof pick and two brushes and hopped over the gate to groom her.
Indigo thrives on human contact. She loves to be brushed, pampered, petted and most of all fed the little sweet morsels I keep in my trunk. That horse can hear the rustle of a plastic wrapper or a ziploc bag from miles away I swear. She is sneaky too. I hear the other horses walk up but Indigo creeps up and then BAM you have horse licking the back of your head and shes standing there demanding your attention weather you want it or not.

So I groomed her and she stood stock still only turning around to lick at my already slobbered jacket from the day before. She is falling asleep in the sunlight and grooming just totally chilled out about being a horse and being fuzzy and there being warm sun.

Remember how I mentioned that there are rare moments I can hug her and she will just stand well today was one of those days. I thinkt he warm sun had her so at ease I buried my face in her warm sunny mane and inhaled her sweet horse scent (she smells different than any horse) then I just rested my head on her warm back and slowly scratched her furry belly. She just stood there totally chilled, eyes blinking sleepily, ears lopped off happily and my grooming tools and gloves at her front hooves. I rest my head there for the longest time just listening to the gurgle of her belly and silence of the winter air (with no wind, finally!).

I love her coat in the winter. Well I love it all the time. She gets this gleam to her hair no other horse has. When I had my head on her side I could see thousands of little rainbows in her white hairs. For a white, speckled horse she sure has a lot of colours. I admired the tiny prisms in her hair for the longest time. She stood content in my company and I in hers and her horsey scent. Well until I reached into my pocket and put a candy cane in my mouth. She craned her neck around, snuffed at me and then started licking my shoulder in affection to the belly scritches she was getting. There was probably some subliminal "feed me" messages in there that got to me.

See I hand feed her. Her and Naigen are the only two of my horses that ever got/get hand fed. Naigen was just a sweety and was gentle and patient about everything. Indigo, well she wouldn't get any if I had to stick stuff in buckets. The others would gobble it up first or she would have to share. Shes pretty good about sharing when I walk up to a pasture buddy and offer. However if that pasture buddy comes up to us all bets are off and the ears are laid back. No one touches me. No one touches her when I am there. I don't want to be trampled because another horse is chasing her. They damnwell know they wait until I approach and there will be no attacking when I am with or handling another horse. There is consequences for this like being chased and segrigated from the herd and attention until they change their tudes and come back without the angry teeth and hooves.

Anyway, hand feeding. Hand feeding DOES NOT create nippy horses if you do it right. This means the horse only gets treats when you offer the hand and when they grab at your hand there is consequences. For Indigo all I had to do was maul her muzzle in rubs. She hates her nose being touched. Indigo knows a few tricks. Well mostly she has to do something and I open my hand and offer the food to her, not her lipping/biting my hand. She is not allowed.

She knows how to smile and boy does she. Before I even ask her to do a trick she goes through a whole routine to see which one I just might open the vending machine on. First she smiles. Then she smiles again. Then she turns her head away and then comes back to smile again. This is about the time I usually ask her to smile and she graciously does so again for a mint, candy cane, horse cookie, apple, carrot or whatever else I happen to have that then becomes horse food.

She has never been nippy. Not offered once to bite. She knows shes gotta do something before I open the hand. She just tries to figure out what that is and respects that invading my space or hand is not the way she gets the goods.
Tricks are a good way to feed your horse treats and make him do something for them. They learn quite quicky you are a vending machine that takes behaviours instead of quarters.

Take my pony for example. Keebler does target training. Since he has bit before (unintentionally, he tried to take something from someones hand and took more than the treat not realizing it ended and skin began) he gets his treats dropped in a pail but to the same effect.

He knows I give treats but hes gotta do something first. Keebler does target training. He touches various objects. It's quite fun and especially if you have a horse that has a very high play drive (can you say geldings!?) I don't think he could ever get bored of it.

Another example was my friends gelding. He hated his mane being pulled so I sat there once and every time she pulled hair out he would get a horse cookie. He now loves his mane being pulled and doesn't fidget at all. The food renforced the positive things about standing still, took his mind off his aggrivation and made it a pleasant experience.

So I am going to give anyone who reads this a challenge. Teach your horse something new and do it with a food reward. If you are worried about nippy or beggars use a bucket designated only for this training.

Some motivation try:

Picking up feet (each time the horse picks up his foot give him a treat or have a helper give a treat)

Streching. This is something I reccomend doing with long carrots or licorice. Make your horse streach all the way around and touch their hip on each side and if your horse can get further than their hip kudos to them! It may take a few tries for their muscles to enable them to reach there and sometimes various sessions but it is a very positive treat giving session for their body. Then make them reach between their front legs as far as they can. Some horses even "bow" and then stand on a stool and as high up above their heads as they can reach.

Fear of plastic bags: I used this one on Keebler. He was terrified of bags. I put a carrot inside and got deeper and deeper bags every time. Now he stuffs his head inside and doesn't fret about flapping plastic that he was terrified of for 5 out of his now 8 year old self.

Trailer loading. Now I am not talking about putting a flake of hay inside the trailer and trying to convince the horse that it's not scary. You wouldn't jump off the grand canyon for 1 million dollars would you? Thats how a horse feels about using food for trailering. I am talking about making a horse less anxious about trailers. Try a treat for each food. In a relatively short period of time you will find your horse is putting feet on and hopping on the trailer just to get that morsel.

etc...what does everyone come up with?

After work I went out to see Indigo. She was excited as always to see me. This pic is a good example of how her mane grows whiter. On the top it starts about October and grows white. The white hair grows strait up and falls over about the beginning of may. It looks like shes got a fat cresty neck in the winter.

So as I was putting on her halter I was thinking about riding and how much fun it is in the snow so I clipped the lead rope on the side of her halter and tied a knot in the other side and hopped on. She was not at all enthused. There is a HUGE drift right off of the old silo foundation thats a good 3 feet tall. I made her walk through it and she was not amused. I wish I had my camera. The drift was so big her belly made a drag mark in it and it was so damn cute. Fat woolly neighs.

Riding a horse bareback through snow drifts when they are lifting their legs all high and funny has to be the weirdest sensation. I almost tumbled off her butt when she skittered up onto the old silo foundation then back down. Sheba noticed me riding her and got all interested and started following us around, which made Indigo MAD. She was like "QUIT FOLLOWING ME!" It's funny because when Sheba comes close to Indigo and ticks her off she bites her own side. I often find slobber marks on her barrel near her hip and I know Sheba was near her and making her angry.

Maybe I'll actually go out and ride her in the fields sometime. Time, yeah thats a good one. Anyone got some spare time they want to sell me?

Probability

"A mare homozygous at the bay loci, EEAA, is crossed to a stallion who is heterozygous at the bay loci, EeAa. What is the probability that their offspring will be bay?"

What I have been looking at all week. It's tiring on top of taking on a new barn and horses to take care of. I've seen Indigo twice this week. I am sure she misses the cookies.

Anyone know how to do probability? Want to help me? It's confusing as all hell.

In the mean time here is a cute effin pic of a friends old horse lazing in the sun last summerr. I want the snow to melt.

Animation!

waaaah my browser spontaneously died so I lost my whole post >:C


Anyway. It snowed a lot. Probably the most in a few years anyway a foot and a half. SLEIGH TIME!! But I hate the cold. I am going to go "neighbogaining" when you ride a horse and pull someone on a sleigh. Great fun.

Anyway. I made an animation. The first one since high school. Unfortunately my main computer then had an epic meltdown and it ATE my hard drive. Like little bits inside that make it spin were ate, just...gone. So yeah. I made this animation and yeah its got a kind of watermark on it because of art theifs. Damn them. They are the lowest of all lowly scum. But still a step ahead of ex boyfriends.

Wait for it to load. May take a few seconds theres 15 frames or so.
Guh, blogger won't let me upload flash files. Poo on it. It sucks. Yeah so eventually it will have colour.

Did I mention I do web development and graphic design. Anyone need banners or web layouts or Blog layouts? I do comissions. I am also doing comissions on the horse hair jewlery. I got a couple orders that need to go back to their owners on Monday. A hat band and two bracelets. the hat band was fun to do. If you are interested post here. Check out my deviant art gallery bloodstainedsilk.deviantart.com

yup so that pretty much sums up today. Cold, snowy and such.

The horse knows best

He knows when you're happy
He knows when you're comfortable
He knows when you're confident
And he always knows when you have carrots.

Time heals all wounds

It's been a month and one day since Naigen was laid to rest. It feels like only yesterday.

I was doing stalls this morning and I opened the back door and had to do a double take then peel back inside the barn to shake my head and take yet another look. Pistachio, the little white pony who is now Shorti's pasture mate was standing just in the shed where Naigen always did. She turned her head to look at me and the only thing that was missing was the whicker to acknowledge my presence. I swear I had seen Naigen standing there.

Audry took her death a lot harder than I did. I have two other horses to call my own and many more to console with. She has no horse now. Jane says that she is still hurting over the loss and her eyes tear up every time she talks about the old girl.

It's a sore subject and kind of a love hate relationship. We love to talk about memories we have made with her. We hate to bring them up because it opens old wounds we are trying to heal.

I miss the way she would neigh to me every day when she seen me. The way she would sigh when she was in the cross ties or with you and content; no other horse sighs quite like she did. She would kind of inhale three times real quick then exhale in one big breath and everything about her would be at ease. She did it every time she was rubbed, or being groomed or just standing quietly next to you. She let all your problems melt off and onto her.

Sure I could do the same thing with Indigo but theres only the rare moments where we are both still, my arms around her and then they only last a few seconds. She'll be back to tryin to lick my coat or nuzzle me all over. Still those seconds seem like hours to me when I am sad or alone, my face buried in her wooly neck and long soft mane.

Love and kindness know no boundaries, no limits no ends.
Time heals all wounds but a friend helps time along.

The pecking order

So I decided to write on something out of boredom and suddenly thinking of the topic. Pecking order with horses.



I'll give you an example herd.

6 horses. They live outside 24/7 and are never separated in exception to being worked. None are herd bound. They have been together for the past 3 years (minus the filly who was born last year)

1. 8 year old mare. 16.2hh
2. 16 year old mare 14.2 hh
3. 7 year old gelding 14 hh
4. 17 year old mare. 15.1hh
5. 9 month old filly. She is the daughter of #2 mare.

#1 mare is the herd boss. Everyone respects her.

#2 was former herd boss before #1 came along. She is a good mother and walks confidently until #1 comes along then she scoots as fast as she can to get out of her way. She allows #3 and #5 to be near her and groom her. She also grooms them in return.

#3 gets pushed around by everyone including the 9 month old filly.

#4 gets pushed around by everyone. She never lets anyone get close to her but #1 mare. When #1 mare gets close she pins her ears and bites her side, even offering every once and a wile the swing of her hip. This behaviour is displayed especially when her human is around. Surprisingly, #1 never corrects her. She never lets any other horse but #1 and #5 get close to her.

#4 and #2 are violent towards each other if they are within range.

#5 is going through the pushy weanling state. She has a false sense of dominance over #3. She doesn't back down to #3 and bites and kicks him all the time. Even though she is almost a year old she is still attached to her mother but is weaned.

NOTE: False sense of dominance. This happens a lot with youngsters and their older herd mates. They are at a stage where they are getting bigger and wanting to explore their dominance and older horses that are not their mothers are not wanting to injure them but are inexperienced at discipline. Happens a lot with geldings it seems. To compare to humans it would be like going over to a friends house who has a young kid and the young kid crawling all over you and kicking you and throwing things at you. You do not want to discipline in fear of upsetting the child or even his/her parents. Some people are an exception and never let this happen, just like you never/rarely see this happen with an old brood mare and another mares foal. The brood mare just doesn't tolerate it.

#1 eats with #4. Anyone else runs from #1 when she comes to eat their food.

#2, #3 and #5 eat together.

And so in explaining this pecking orders are NOT linear. This concludes why #1 and #4 eat together even though they are at completely different areas of the pecking order.

08 survey

Because all my good writing went to other places. A new post soon.

1) Where did you begin 2008?
At my ex'es house.

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
In a relationship, unfortunately

3) Were you in school (any time in 2008)?
University

4) How did you earn your money?
Shoveling shit, training horses, writing etc.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope, wow hope this year is the same.

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Not that they were interested in me.

7) Where did you go on holiday?
Wawa, in September

8) What did you purchase that was over £500?
A new saddle.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
Yeah a few.

10) Did you know anybody who passed away?
Unfortunately.

11) Have you run into anybody you left high school with?
Yeah lol a few I haven't seen in like 5 years or more too!

12) Did you move anywhere?
nope

13) What sporting events did you go to?
nephews hockey game

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
Horse shows

15) Are you registered to vote?
Yeah but I didn't this year because I knew nothing about the people running in this asscrack of a town.

16) Who did you want to win Big Brother?
???err

17) Where do you live now?
Home

18) Describe your birthday.
Don't remember. Wasn't terribly exciting I guess.

19) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008?
Get my license XD haha

20) What has been your favourite moment?
Having my best bud come home for two weeks on holidays then drive around doing crazy shit. Like running from rushing pee water in the bathroom XD lol!

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
That my words hurt more than physical violence. I am a mean bitch and the asshole who got what he deserved, deserved it.

22) Any new additions to your family?
hm no.

23) What was your best month?
Prolly August.

24) What music will you remember 2008 by?
My horse dieing and people dieing and my life taking a drastic new direction.

25) Who has been your best drinking buddy?
Dunno...all my friends. Dave is usually there drinking though.

26) Made new friends?
men can't remember, prolly more like knew the people and just friended them.

27) Best new friend(s)?


28) Favourite Night out?
Going to the loop with Lisa and Dave.

29) Any regrets?
That I didn't break up with my ex sooner.

30) Worst month?
December, of my life.

Five Lows of 2008: Not in any order
1. Naigen dieing.
2. Indigo injuring herself a billion times.
3. Being lonely
4. Everyone moving away
5. People dieing.

Five Highs of 2008
1. Finally getting keebler trained
2. Showing Indigo for the first time
3. Showing keebler at his first show and winning.
4. Lisa coming home and hanging out with her practically every day.
5. Seeing Kassidy and Livvie ride Naigen every week with enthusiasm.

I tag, whoever wants to do it. It's a bit blah but gotta put a new post someplace.

Scrapped

Crazy M ranch

Tell ten things about yourself

Lets see...where to start. I gotta rack my brain for ten things interesting enough about me. One is hard enough but ten!?

Ok so here goes.

1. Since everyone has one on fighting heres mine: A kid in highschool picked a fight with me. He was at least two times my size and everyone respected him (the wanker). He came up behind me, punched me in the back of the head and I turned around and beat the living snot out of him. Didn't hold back an inch. It was in a stairwell at Amherst highschool, he fell down it. His friends all split and he took off shortly after. The 5'8, probably 100 pound soaking wet girl. He never messed with me again. He got suspended I got a detention.
I also punched a guy in a bar. He thought I was his friend and did the crotch grab at me and my first instinch was to whallop him one in the side of the head. It knocked him down. He looked up and said "Woah, you got my respect but I thought you were someone else!" Moral of the story, don't mess with this country chick.

2. When the hay is being baled I am the first one to be called. I'll be there on time, in the right clothes and ready to work. Then they call the guys. Funny eh?

Darn it this is hard.

3. I never got rid of my horse toys/barbies (I only kept the ones with the bendable legs because they could ride XD) My moms best friend Souix told me when I was young a horse girl never gets rid of her horse toys because some day they can be passed on and many more memories can be created. I have over 50.

4. I love art, braiding, painting, drawing, CREATION!!! Writing is art.
Recently I have taught myself (yes!) how to braid horse hair. Nope not on the horses. I have been doing that for years but rather making bracelets, hat bands, necklaces and earrings. Check them out my gallery You can check my other art and photography there too. I do commissions. Want a bracelet from your horses hair? I can do that.

5. I have a weakness for cute puffy nose nickers my horses do. You know the ones you can barely hear but their nostrils are all a flutter when they see you. I just melt. Indigo does it every time and Naigen used to do it but louder when she seen me. I just want to grab their cute noses and squeeze them. I love them.

6. My horses have to know some sort of trick. Indigo can bow, smile and turn her head left and right on command. Keebler does target training and will touch any object I point to in the arena. Naigen, well she just touched so many hearts she didn't need a trick. Her trick was to put her head in your hands and let all your worries fall off you and onto her. I miss her so much.

7. I like shiny things. No I am serious. If people have earrings and they are talking to me I find myself looking at them. I honestly can't help myself XD. My descision to buy things is often swayed by their shinyness

8. I have a woopee cushion. I laugh every time someone farts it. I also laugh at real farts. Yeah I am like that. I can hang with the best of them and laugh with the worst.

9. Guys make better friends. You can be yourself and do crazy things but no one can replace the girls best friend. I am glad mine came home for the holidays.

10. So I am running out of ideas. Oh, I know. I am not normally a shy person, except when I know someone likes me, like you know boys. Yeah. I become a total avoider and try and avoid that person which sometimes drives them away. Dammit!

So I tag all of you who read this, which probably isnt many but thats ok. Happy new year!