Creepy crawlers

(NOTE: I did not take either of these pics. The first one I would have shit my pants and killed the mr.legs before getting close enough to take a pic and the second one well, I tend to get bit by fox snakes when I attempt at catching them. Or just disturbing their home without intentionally knowing. They are both off of a stock photo site ww.sxc.hu)

Been real busy. I can't wait until I get to go on vacation in August. I need one so bad.

Anyway lately theres been a lot of creepy crawlies around here. Not that I don't like spiders or any of that. I don't mind them but theres one species that absolutely gives me the shivers.

Mr.Legs. You know, the tan with black stripes and 6328748032704832 legs. Better known as centipedes. uugghhh... I hate them.

One of the water taps broke at work. I had to go into the pump house and shut the main water off. I open the door and turn on the light. There sitting on the tap is THE BIGGEST MR.LEGS I HAVE EVER SEEN! I shreiked and shuddered. Now if you know me I am not the girly, screaming, "omg get the bug off me or I am going to explode" type. I tend to smush stuff and go about my day. Not with Mr.Legs. They give me the shivers every time. Just looking at that picture makes me shudder. Anyway back to Mr.Legs, or Mammoth Mr.Legs as I called it. SIX FRIGGN INCHES LONG!! I just about had a heart attack. Before I could kill it he legged away in a second.

The next day I came back. Armed with a can of raid and a bucket brush I opened the pump house. There was Mammoth Mr.Legs waving his 6382947903278 legs at me. With him was a family of significantly smaller legs Jr. Mammoth legs met my bucket brush, legs Jr. met mr.raid.

End of story. I HAAAATTTTEEE those things.

Today I was baling straw. I got there a bit late because I was working. I was hopping over windrows of straw when I step square on A BIG FOX SNAKE! A good 3 inches around and I am not afraid of snakes. I even used to play with them as a child. Fox snakes are not poisonous but they are mean. They also immitate rattlers which has make them endangered. When people began killing rattlers they got the blame. Poor fox snakes. Anyway I stepped on him, he lunged out, catching me by suprise. I leapt right over the whole windrow and he darted into it. My dad was driving the tractor. He is sitting there going "what the heck is her problem" as I just about jump out of my skin. I've been bit before by a fox snake. Good thing real rattlers are scarce around here and we don't have many more.

Not much else going on around here unless you want to hear about my 16 page research paper I have to write.
Oh I got my camera back oh how I missed thee.

Macro Monday

Macro Monday

(click image for full view)

This happens to be an old image. Why you ask? Well a wile back my Aunt and professional photographer had a flood in her basement because the neighbor knocked off her eves trough spout. A lot of her art and all of her (appraised for over 2 grand) photography equipment, including several cameras, lenses, various other attachments etc got completely ruined. She was very upset. There was a lot of stuff that was irreplaceable down there.

I got my D60. It had been a wile since she got a new camera. She used mine, the only person I trust to use my camera. She pressed down the shutter, gasped and said to me "uuhh, Syd. It just took four pictures, is that normal?" I laughed and explained how many images per second it took.

She fell in love instantly. Since her insurance on all her damaged stuff came in she decided she also wants a new Nikon. She is scooping up a D90 though (I bet you can feel the jealously from here) She also has the rule like I do, NO ONE TOUCHES MY CAMERA BUT ME! But I begged and pleaded and shes gonna let me take some pictures with it when she gets it. Just me. I feel honoured.
So my whole thing with this deal was about my Cousin Ken's wedding. My cousin Ken and I have always been very close. He got married and was having a reception and party the only thing is his wifes parents were paying for the whole thing. They got to say who came and who didn't. Ken wanted me there so bad. I wanted to go so bad. I felt terrible. He teared up when I was on the phone with him when he said her parents said no cousins. So my aunt was going. I gave her my camera to take pictures since she is without a camera and I couldn't go. She has had it since Saturday morning. I AM GOING INTO FRIGGN WITHDRAWLS!!! UGHHH!! It's not like I can just hop over there and get it back because she lives in the city. The city is 45 minutes, about 55 to her house. I might go a little stir crazy. I just might.

Sunday stills:toys

"Throw the toy! C'mon throw it. Throw it!! Plleeaasse just throw it!"

This is Bo. Bo is a white shepherd owned by my friend Pam. Him and Savanah play when we have time to get together.

Bo is more obsessed with playing fetch than any dog I have ever met.

(Don't forget about my contest going on. I know most of you have horses, even if you don't you still can participate in this one I extended the date due to me not having time to finalize it and a few later entries win a nurtural bridle and some other things

Thursday...

Already!?!? Geebus.

So as you might have noticed I have been running in circles this week. My family friends granddaughter Faith is here and is constantly following me everywhere so I always let her ride and drive Indigo. She is like my little shadow and was extremely disappointed she missed me the other day.

I've had the time to get a bunch of pictures but I have over 500 to go through.

I want to post stuff about the clinic I went to on the weekend, which was amazing and the guy who was running it and giving lessons is really cute ;)
He had me cantering figure eights with Indigo, in the carriage. Normally when I am driving her cantering comes with consequences. Seeing as she always wants to canter home as soon as she would break gait I would immediately start making her do serpentines. Made it hard to canter well and she gave up trying to break gait, not until after I drove her into a few bushes though to really make my point sink in that no means NO! She had a hard time figuring I wanted her to canter. I had to do a lot of kissing and tapping every few feet with my whip to get the idea. She quite enjoyed herself.

Speaking of bushes. The day before the clinic I was driving Indigo and had faith with me in the stud cart (big wooden cart with huge wooden spoked wheels, I love it). Faith wanted to pick berries. I showed her where the mulberries were. Indigo stopped and we had a compromise. She stood still and I let her eat some tall grasses wile faith and I picked and put the berries in a container. Then we went another 1/2 mile down the lane but I had to let faith right out of the carriage. Indigo was standing pretty good. Or was until the mosquitoes started to attack her. She got really frustrated. My whip was in the holder and because going forward wasn't allowed she backed up, very rapidly. About this time I am hollering at her, faith dives out of the way to avoid being backed over and indigo promptly backs me into a bunch of bushes, scraping my arms as I gave her a good ol smack on the butt to get her motivated. Oh you goofy neigh, you are lucky I love you!

So yeah tonight I have a 4-H meeting for my horse club at my place, tomorrow I gotta give carriage rides, saturday I have to go out for breakfast, do 14 stalls, go to a tack shop sale, do a wedding then go out with friends I don't doubt it will be Sunday before I appear around here again. Have a good rest of the week.

Sunday stills: aww nuts

So I've been busy. Buuussyyyy buuuusssyyy!
I went to a driving, all day clinic yesterday and it was heaps of fun. Not to mention I gorged myself at the pot luck afterwards. Nothing like being with a bunch of horses and horsey friends on a gorgeous summer day. More of that sometime in the upcoming week.

Now for Sunday stills. Gee aren't I creative? *sarcasm*

These are the only in tact nuts around here. My dog is gone for the week so the squirrels have nothing to antagonize. Them be the nuts, unless you consider myself. I may be a little.

wordle...wheaty wednesday

Looks like it's just about time to be harvesting this stuff.

Indigo did the cutest thing last night. After I had driven her (and popped both tires on the old jogging cart going over a ditch the neighbor dug back the field I couldn't see) I put her halter back on and let her wander out the door by herself to eat some grass. I never have to worry about her, she never goes far. So I am getting all the horses grain ready and I can just see her butt outside the door. I see her at a brisk walk make her way almost all the way to the freshly cut alfalfa field. The hay was lying in windrows and I knew she was gonna make a nab for some. Just as she lifted her head about to go the next few feet it would take to put her in hay heaven I walked out the door with the grain buckets. Her head shot up as I said her name, I could practically see her eyes sparkle. She seen the usual red grain buckets and my watering can for her hay. I turned around, thinking I was going to put the watering can down and come back for it, Indigo trots up to me. I decided to see how this would work and turned around and walked strait back into the barn. It's the isle I've walked her so many times. I didn't even touch her leadrope that was still draped over her back. She followed right at my shoulder doing a few cute puffy nose nickers along the way. I stopped at the back door, she stopped three feet behind me, grabbed a mouthful of hay out of the wheelbarrow and waited until I unlatched and opened the big door, she stepped out and turned around, waiting for me to take her halter off. Oh your such a good girl Indigo. I didn't even touch her that whole time. She stopped without running into me and waited until I had the door open to go out. I feel safe in saying she totally respects me and my space. It's a good, fuzzy, warm nickery feeling.

Oh no I got caught!

Red bucketed!

Charming ain't I? Rubber boots, no socks, some capri pants, hay in my hair. I used to wear those really comfy but hideous shoes called crocs. Well I learned my lesson when I went to feed the horses one night, walked out into the barnyard where I thought was dirt covered cement and stepped shin deep in a stinking pee hole. EWWGH!

Moral of this story: there is a reason I have barn shoes, or rubber boots in this case.

Sunday stills: texture

Spotty horse fur


The barn


The big wheat field out behind the horses paddocks. I suspect we will be harvesting this week.


Whiskers, oh and a soft muzzle. Texture, if only you all could feel how soft it is.


After that for some reason I kept getting "grainy" pictures. See what I mean?


Hahaha. Sunday stills is a great way for anyone with any type of camera to

Scritchy Saturday.

Nothing feels quite as good as a roll in the indoor arena's sand. I ride down the lane (I guess you could call it trail riding but I do it every day!) so being in an indoor arena is a great thing. I can work on me rather than Indigo and when we are done I strip all her tack off before bringing her back out of the arena. She promptly wanders over to the deepest sand and rolls several times on both sides, getting up, flipping right over, scratching her head, legs, belly and back. Once satisfied she shakes off and wanders over to me as if to say "Ok, we can go home now". I am lucky to have an indoor arena when I want to trailer to it. Indigo is lucky to have a mom who lets her indulge in rolling around in the sand once shes done her job.

Contest: If you could change one thing...

Ok so I have been mentioning a contest, I have finally got around to posting it. It's 1am lol!
So I have been thinking about this for a long time. If I could change one thing about the horse world what would I change?

I really did not have to think hard about this one.
Being a student of equine science in University I have learnt a great deal about the anatomy, nutrition, genetics, behavioral, growth and many other topics on the horse. It's brought me a great insight on things that us horse people do that may seem kind, but are actually harmful to the horse. Not necessarily physically harmful but denying the horses right to be a horse. See the 5 freedoms. We often stall a horse for periods of time and sometimes its necessary. Most of the time it's a convenience for us. We like to know our horses are safe and not getting nicked up, keeping clean or escaping in the night.
It's proven that horses in training, regardless of age exhibit less behavioral problems when they are out 24/7 with other horses than when they are stalled, even for a few hours. I would believe it, that is why horses I train are out 24/7 when they are with me. I like a horse to be a horse. They are gonna get kicked and cut and scraped but thats ok.
My instructor said to me the other day "Horses have evolved to heal, if only allowed natural circumstances. One year of turn-out cures most lamenesses fully and inexpensively. Two years cures anything, they say. This most successful of all treatments is called "giving the horse the gate" Pasture rest cures horses. Stall rest is often counterproductive, not to mention beahviourally inappropriate." -Dr.Sid Gustafson. Took the words right out of the horses mouth.

Basically what I am getting at is there has been a lot of big changes in horsemanship, especially in the last 5-10 years. People are reading up and studying equine behaviour instead of just "getting on them and riding the bucks out". People let their horses be horses. They strive to understand them, give them as natural care as possible. It's wonderful. My horses are outside 24/7. People comment all the time on how unflappable and mostly calm they are on trails or at events. I do not put so much on my training abilities so much as letting them be horses and getting lots of the 5 freedoms. I am pointing out specifically #3 in this case. This is what I would change.

"Freedom from pain, injury and disease- By rapid diagnosis, prevention or treatment. "

My horses are bitless as you might have noticed because the URL and name of my blog says so. Why did I go bitless? Well although my horses were wonderfully responsive to bits and never had problems going around in a flexible rubber Mullen mouth snaffle, possibly one of the "kindest" bit's, I wanted something more for them. I wanted to upgrade my equitation and my horses training and prove to myself and them that pain did not have to be part of our relationship.
I went bitless. At first it was a little bumpy. I got criticized constantly, you need a bit in that horses mouth, he is gonna run away with you, wait until you gallop, something spooks your horse she is gonna be unstoppable, your crazy, the horse only listens because hes a good horse, he only listens because you had him since a baby, it's never gonna work, bit, bit, bit, bit, bigger bit, more bit, BITS! I hated them at that point. Why should I stick a piece of non flexible steel in a sensitive part of my horses body that has more nerve endings and soft, malleable (not to mention damageable) tissue than any other part of his or her body? I shouldn't. My professors backed my research on bits and the harmful effects of them 100%. They were surprised themselves and even took the leap to bitless.
Of course this is my dream. I've trained more quiet horses without the bit than with. Some were green as green, others old timers with some supposedly "ingrained" bad and dangerous habits that were fixed within the first dozen rides being bitless. Others were like my poor old mare Naigen that had a medical problem that was not recognized until a bit was placed in her mouth. I try not to imagine the pain she was in just trying to breathe and hold a bit at the same time.

So what would I change about the horse world. Just one thing. Well I would make it so bits were not allowed. Make it so those so stuck on the bit had to do training to achieve the control they have with pain and a bit. I hope in my lifetime bits will become a thing of the past. After all bits were created and refined when Ghengas Kan was a ruler and the world was believed to be flat.
Today it's round and today I am bitless. My horses are happy. I do not need a bit to control any horse I ride or train. Today is my day because if I can make a difference in just one horses relationship with humans without a bit to do it. I have climbed another mountain. Maybe one day I'll be on the Mt.Everest of bitless. I can only hope some bitless horse is there to guide me along the way.

So that is what I would change.

This contest I want to know what you would change, if you could change just one thing about the horse world.
Maybe you would make it illegal to run a stable without taking a training course.
No slaughter all together.
No shoes.
No harmful things such as soaring

If you don't have a horse or are not connected to the horse population what would you change about the world in general.

Please post here, or if your post is too long to put as a comment post it on your blog and link me.
Oh, btw you don't have to have a blog to participate in this one. E-mail is fine.
Leave me a way to contact you in your comment. I'll be using a random generator to pick the winner.

Of course a contest would not be complete without prizes:
A nylon nurtural bridle(minus reins), your choice of size in either black or brown (see site link below for pictures of brown nylon)
(Images property of nurtural horse)

Another prize is a hand made dream catcher, made by me. What will I be making this dream catcher of? Well out of an old horse shoe of course! They are wonderful. I've been putting dream catchers in the fair for 15 years now and not even once has mine had a second place ribbon. This one pictured was a christmas present for a friend of her passed pony. I found his mane hair on the paddock fence. She bawled when I gave it to her. I am glad I could preserve her lovely companion. I have a lot of Canadian goose feathers I have painted various subjects on. They will be part of it and if you have a horse and want your horses hair attached to it like in the one pictured (but not the one you are getting, sorry D: ) I can definately do that if you can send me the hair.
Oh someone in my pay it forward has one of these babies going in the mail ASAP. Look for it ;)

Who doesn't like free stuff?

So leave a comment, blog about it, tell some friends, get back to me. What would you change about the horse world, or just the world? Feel free to open discussion, this contest officially ends the 29th of July at 12 midnight, Eastern time.

Scrapped again!?

Yeah, so I've got this award twice. The first time from the wife The second from one red horseI guess it would be a little rude of me to decline so I'll do 10 more, this is the last time people! lol I appreciate it though. Lets hope I don't overlap the last one
The rules, you gotta tell 10 things to your readers that they don't know.

1. I'm graduating from the University of Guelphs Equine Science program in August! I will be in the first class. Woopee!

2. I have never smoked, I have never done drugs, I rarely drink. Horses are my drug (or anti? I think it's an addiction). I don't ever plan giving myself to addiction like a lot of my family has and now overcome. It's a hereditary condition you know.

3. My one girly habit...I love, love, love nailpolish. I have too many bottles of it. I always have my nails painted or at least clear coated.

4. I can't wear makeup often. I have eczema pretty bad. I got it on my arm in a huge patch and the doctor thought it was ringworm, then it spread to both my eyelids. It was extremely painful. I can remember sitting in class with a water bottle and dribbling water onto my lids because it hurt so much. It's gone away mostly now to tiny patches smaller than a cm in my eyebrows. If I wear makeup I have to be really careful and wash my face within a few hours. Plus who want's to wear makeup? It doesn't go with barn dirt.
Oh I also get my eyebrows threaded regularly. Having a strong ukranian anscestry they would be thick and black within two weeks. If you haven't had your eyebrows threaded look it up, it's more irritating than painful and doesn't hurt like waxing or plucking and lasts just as long.

5. I think every horse should have a job. A horse with a job is a well minded horse. If they can make you money at their job that's great. Each one of my horses has either paid for themselves every month or paid for their vet bills for a year, sometimes more. People are so suprised when my horses are so quiet and tolerate a lot of crazy, scary things. They ask me my secret, I just tell em: wet saddle pads and many miles.

6. I've been single for over a year. Yeah, it feels real good.
My ex was a lazy welfare case. I don't know why I ever went out with him for as long as I did. Now that I see the crap he's doing I think was he just not doing that crap because he knew I would rip up one side of him and down another? Sheesh. Talk about complete opposites. I am such an outgoing, hard worker and he is such a lazy slacker. Complete opposites.

7. I've met some nice guys between then and now, mostly just friend material. None were worth my time. I'll be waiting for my cowboy ;). Hey a girl can dream, right?

8. I hope I am going to go to st.clair college this winter for vet tech. So long as I can get my stuff together and get motivated.

9. I brought home my newest toy today. Now I just gotta wait 6 or more months for snow to use it. Guess what it is? It has two runners and shaves and has a dodgy red paint job, which will be re-done. Yup I got a real old sleigh. Useable but old. At least 100 years. I'm gonna find out just how old it is next week.

10. I still have and sleep(kind of) with my stuffed animals. I have Mr.Bear, a teddy bear my aunt gave me days after I was born. When my mom used to wash him and dry him I would bawl my eyes out and pound the washer and dryer screaming "YOUR KILLING HIM!!". My mom found it ammusing, now that I think about it I was a little traumatized over it. Hahaha.

There ya go, I tagged a few people before so here are 5 people that I will tag. I may get to posting this on your blog later but if you read it, you've been scrapped. I would really love to see your scrapped post, please link me back. I love reading all your blogs, even if they are not horse related.

1. Jo at my own breed of random (you all should really read her blog, especially the footer picture in her blog. What a trooper, I would have died if I had to clean that up)

2. Andrea at swamp suburbia

3. Lisa at laughing Orcha Ranch

4. Fantastyk Voyager at Fantastyk Voyage

5. Jessie Baker at rose valley ranch

All are great blogs, check them out. Oh and if you have already got this award/tag/meme please tell me and if you don't want to do it I can tag someone else. Easy peasy.

Full moon Monday

yup people are crazy today.

Sunday stills: wildflowers

I did this last minute. Running around the county taking pictures and wasting my gas. Oh well.

The Sikh wedding went really good. Not many horses could have done that. There were 200 people following us singing and dancing and a guy not 5 feet in front of us waling away on a really loud drum. We walked very slowly around this building and it took 20 minutes. It was quite interesting, not to mention about 75$ in tips extra that the family and friends threw in our path. At first I thought it was the big wad of money the groom had that was on Indigo, then he said it was for me because I was the owner of the horse. Pretty cool. More on that plus pictures later.

Anyway on to what this post is about.

These were all on the side of the road in a ditch. Technically anything is a weed. A weed is any plant that isn't in the place you intended it to be. No one planted these, they are all weeds.

Well...

I bet you can guess when I have been.
Off in busy, busy land. I haven't picked up my camera once this week.
Ok I lied, I moved it from my shelf to my computer desk, but that's it I swear.

I have a Sikh wedding tomorrow with Indigo. It involves a white(gray right, pffft non horse people) arabian mare with a red blanket or saddle pad lead by a woman dressed in red. No black, no white, red. Oh and the groom rides the horse. Fun, fun. They also wanted a carriage so we had to borrow the white vie sa ve from a fellow carriage driver friend of ours. It worked out in all our favor but mine...I have to wear all red. Red looks terrible on me.

So I go to the local value village (thrift chain store) and buy the most hideous pair of red pants I could find. Why them, well they were the only ones that vaguely fit. Let's just say they could be a tamed down version of McHammer's parachute pants. Just a bit. I hate them but hey, it's a business *note to self burn pants and start the hopeless search for a pair of red pants that kind of fit better*

Luckily I have a red blaizer for show that fits. I still hate those pants. Know why I still hate them? Well rule no 1 of washing red stuff is never wash it with white stuff, especially 90% of the socks you own.
I hate pink. I now have pink socks. Not even nice pink socks, splotchy, pinky ugly socks.
Oh pink socks how I hate thee.

Anyway how I mentioned about a contest, I've been trying to find the time to put it up here. It's coming. It'll be great. I am getting the prizes ready as well as some pay it forward stuff. Great fun =D Stay tuned.