Bringing Home Baby !!!!

Is that the cutest little SSH or what????? Well she is mine - all mine. I purchased her about 3 months ago and she has been at the owners until I was ready to bring her home. I kept putting it off....."We have trail rides and I don't want to leave her by herself"....."It is going to snow."...etc

Well my friend JM (where she is at)....is loaning me her little friend here....we call her Brown Baby.....Bear is not too happy, but oh well.....

This my friends is: "Pusher's Hot Chick" or Chick for her barn name. Her sire is Push It to the Limit out of Pusher's GC....and her dam is Caper's Hot Tail. She is a tri-colored SSH (Spotted Saddle Horse - which is just a gaited horse that is spotted - like a paint) She is 8 months old and the new love of my life. I am sooooooooooooo excited - she is coming home this weekend....not sure if Sat or Sun, but I will be doing a picture diary I am sure.

She is the sweetest little filly.....and soo gorgeous. She has a heart right on her forehead and cute little white lips lined with black. She is going to be one good looking girl.

When I first decided to purchase her....she was so standoffish, you could not put your hands on her.....JM worked with her some and I started trying to go over every weekend. 2 weekends ago I went out to the pasture and she was lying down......I was ready for her to jump to her feet, but she just laid there - let me sit beside her and pet her until I was ready to quit. I am so tickled to get her home and really start working with her. Bear has already trimmed her (or at least just played with her feet), but I am ready to really be able to play with her everyday.

Brown Baby is an "in your pocket" filly.....so she has really helped Chick get over her titty babyness, so I am sure she will continue to help.

And OMG - wait til Chance sees her.....he loves the babies.

Here are some pictures I took a couple of months ago.....she now looks like a buffalo with her thick coat....

Look for the pictures on Monday of her homecoming.......

Clearing my Head

After re-reading my post from yesterday....just wanted to clear things up....
1st of all.....my point is just to be committed....friend was just wishy-washy....one day she wanted to go barefoot.....next week - they looked horrible and she was thinking about putting shoes back on.....From just what I have read you will go from bad to even worse before it gets better. Just wanted to make the point of being committed....and that is with anything.
2nd of all.....I love my friend, and would never in a million years say anything bad about her. So if it seemed like I did....I am truly sorry that I had to use her as an example.

Will be posting later today....I have been so excited about this weekend - I am about to wet my pants.....and all of you who know me...knows that is not so far-fetched....LOL.....I do it frequently when I fall off my horse....and of course I did that frequently......I mean I did win the "Brown Saddle Award" for our riding club.....www.outbacktrailriders.com
But the exciting news will be coming later today......
Hint....hint......she is tri-colored, 8 months old and coming home....
Ok - that was a huge hint.....
Later
J

Wishy washy people !!!!

OK - Going to talk about this and will probably get bashed......please don't......I am really going to try to explain the best I can....but feel free to correct me....just don't hit me over the head with a tire iron....LOL

As everyone knows Bear is a farrier....well IMO the "best" farrier in the world....well okay he probably is not the best in the world.....just maybe Alabama.....or Central Alabama...Okay .... maybe Clanton.....
Anyway....we have clients now and then who want to try the "barefoot" thing.....well first of all - Bear loves barefoot horses.....he thinks that if they can go barefoot then wonderful. He even talks people out of shoeing horses sometimes that he thinks can go barefoot.....even talks people into pulling back shoes.....to test the waters - so to say.

Well here is my gripe about the entire thing......if you want to try it.....be prepared to make a commitment and stick to it.....it is not an overnight fix.....I actually just read a post from http://ohhorsefeathers.blogspot.com/ (hope you don't mind)......
Here is some of the post:
The next issue, obviously, is shoeing. If you have a barefoot horse, there won’t be shoe application involved. The entire to shoe or not to shoe debate is long, involved, and best saved for another day. That is an entire column unto itself, and will be examined here in the near future. While I personally am NOT going to tell you some of the things the ah, more "rabid" barefooters will- such as Shoes Are The Root Of All Evil- I WILL stand up and say that shoes have their place. (OOOO I see a spanking coming from the barefoot community! Bring it on…) Have I found that place yet? With one horse out of the thousands Dear Husband and I have seen over the years. One. There’s something to ponder for a moment.
When you are thinking about "trying" this "barefoot stuff" for your horse, you need to be aware of a few other things as well. If you have a horse who has been shod and stall kept for the vast majority of its life, switching to a barefoot trim style will require adjustments on YOUR part as well. If for whatever reason you are not willing to make significant lifestyle changes for your horse, and plan on leaving them still in the stall for the hours a day, with little turn out and restricted access to hay, then you need to leave the horse as he is. In this instance a barefoot trim will not help.This brings about a point I feel the need to make here as well. Anyone who tells you that Their Barefoot Trim Style is the end all be all cure all for EVERY situation is probably a nut job you might be better off shying well away from. While their intentions are good, we have seen too many horses lamed for no reason other than poor application of a fairly decent THEORY. Remember- the road to Hell is paved with "Good Intentions."

Point here being.....be ready for a lifestyle change....it might be you have to purchase boots in order to ride....it might be you have to really clean and paint the hooves daily instead of weekly....but just be prepared for a lifestyle change......she talks about stalling and blanketing also in her post....but something in here just hit home for me.
I have a friend / client who is a wonderful person - really really wonderful. And she loves her horses and wants to do what is best for them.....she reads a lot....all kinds of horse magazines constantly....so she is constantly second guessing herself.....should I blanket.....should I pull their shoes.....etc......so anyway she decided about 12 weeks ago that she would pull her horses shoes and try the barefoot thing.....even sent a magazine with Bear for him to read about barefoot trimming.....what she neglected to see was beside the before and after pictures were timelines - ranging from 7 months to 1 year.....now.....I never saw anything wrong with her horses feet to begin with except the fact that we are in a drout and all the horses have had flaky, dry feet and some have cracks, etc.....but I commended her for trying it.....I do believe that they are probably better off without shoes.....however....I also know that with the type of trailriding we do......I either need shoes...or will have to be committed with the boots. I know this.....
Well I am not sure if she just did not trust Bear or what - I guess because he is just a farrier and not a "certified" barefoot trimmer......she met a guy at our tack trade day and talked to him and set up a time for him to come out and do her horses.....now don't get me wrong - I am not frustrated at her for not using us.....however, I am frustrated that #1. I felt she did not trust Bear.....#2. She has not even given them enough time for the nail holes to grow out.......In other words she is not making the committment - which is what I believe ohhorsefeathers is saying.....no matter what the circumstance - be prepared to make a lifestyle change.

Does all of this make sense? or do I sound like a goober?
Just trying to say that when making decisions in life - don't be wishy-washy.....make the decision - stick to your guns - get through the tough stuff with your head up and make it work.
Now with all that said......Bear says he is ordering some barefoot trimming DVD's......I think his feelings are hurt.....I tell him never to take business personally.....but.....he is just like that.....he takes pride in what he does.

OK - my vent is over......thanks ohhorsefeathers for the use of the exerpt from your post and you are in my prayers with your problem over there with the filly.
Happy "Barefoot" Trails
Jamie

Horsey Husbands ??? !!!!!

I am on a forum where people discuss stuff, sell stuff, encourage each other....basically just a bunch of friends from all over talk everyday......(I know I should be working...LOL). But over the weekend one of the members posted "Horsey Husbands???" It really got me thinking how lucky I am....I mean I am really lucky. I have several friends who's husbands can't stand the horses.....literally wish they were gone.....I have several friends who really don't care one way or the other.....but when you have a man/spouse/significant other, who shares your passion, it is just the best feeling in the world. So I am just sharing my post from the board.....

Bear and I married 10 years ago, after very ugly divorces with us both. Bear was a huge hunter and either hunted or fished every weekend. Now as a girl, I grew up with my dad breaking/training horses, and both my cousins were Racking Horse show-ers....I grew up and quit riding, got married and had kids. With Bear being gone alot hunting, I decided I needed a hobby, so he bought me a horse for Christmas. Now Bear has been riding a good part of his life, he and his wife lived in Opp, Alabama, and her cousin had a cattle farm, so he rode with them working cattle alot. I started going on trail rides with friends, and after a while he would come hang out at the barn I boarded at and just watch everyone, work on fences, etc (Bear is very handy). He also bought a horse and started riding with me instead of fishing. About 5 years ago, Bear lost his job, now he did not get fired, his job just re-located to Colorado Springs, and since we had 2 girls in high school, we could not move. He brooded and brooded about what he was going to do, and one day he said to me "Jamie, I am going to farrier school !" I almost died. I knew he loved the horses, but I just could not imagine. So off he went for 16 weeks - living part time in Georgia. I, at that time, was running a boarding barn, so my time went by quickly. I have never in my life been more proud of someone. He took it so seriously and actually graduated there with high points and some really good referral letters from the instructors.
Well here we are now and I never imagined that I would have a very nice LQ trailer, I would have a house where I could keep my horses and not have to board and we would go on week long trail camping trips. He loves the horses as much as I do. Now I give him grief and he gives it to me about getting more horses, and really has kept me grounded, when I could have gone way overboard.
Bear hunted twice this year, which is just incredible to me, knowing how much he loves to hunt, but he told me not too long ago when we were talking about it. He still loves to hunt, but loves being with me on the trail with our boys....(horses). I have several friends who do not have horsey husbands, and I am just so proud that I do.
Oh man....just being able to put it into words makes me love him even more....tell him if you see him....LOL

Thanks guys for letting me share too.
Hugs J.

Monday after the Snow......

Oh why - oh why could it have not waited until Monday to snow? It was gorgeous though. Thought we might get to ride the horses in the snow, but it was just tooooo darn cold. OK I know some of you might be in the 30 belows, but in the south we just don't see it. So when it is 30 degrees here....it is darn cold....burrrrrr !!!!

We had a BIG tack sale scheduled for Saturday with our riding club, and thought it might be cancelled, but NO....we had it anyway - I am sure more people would have come, but we did sell 200 hamburgers...soooooo.

I bought a Tucker breastcollar (for my horse - LOL) that matches my saddle. A new purple saddle pad, a new winter blanket for Jag (and he was soooo happy when I got home and put it on him for the 18 degree night Sat night), a handmade saddle stand that Bear is going to stain for me for the living room (yes, I have a saddle stand and saddle in my living room, actually two), some bits for making stuff with horseshoes and Bear got a new Tucker saddle.....it is much nicer than mine....boohoo !!

When we got home there was much more snow than when we left.....it was sooooo pretty and was still there Sunday morning. It actually was still in the bed of my truck this morning. But we are supposed to get back up to 50 today (heat wave....), so I am sure it will all be gone when I get home from work. Although I will be happy since I spend 45 minutes hauling hot water to the horse troughs this morning trying to melt the 2 inch thick ice......

We are going to the Alabama Horse Council Horse Fair this weekend so should be fun.

www.alabamahorsecouncil.org I have several friends competing in the Ultimate Trail Challenge. Wish I had the balls to do it......(I really do not wish I had balls....LOL)

Also bringing Chick home the next weekend, so hope to have more pictures of her.....I can't wait to get her home and start playing with her more. Also bringing home another baby for her to play with - I am not purchasing her, just borrowing....so says Bear.....LOL

Here is a picture of the snow, horses and Sugar (the boxer).....

TTFN - Hugs and Kisses til next time. J

Happy New Year

Happy 2008 everyone !!!!

Hope you all had a great holiday....

Had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.

Had a client/friend Christmas party at Sunnybrook Farms which is owned and ran by some friends of ours - they had a larger place to hold it....then enjoyed Christmas with family.

Had my entire family over and my little cousin got to ride Jag for a little bit - even in the misty rain. Bear's dad made is a grandfather clock and when I say made - I mean made - by hand - every last bit of it except for the inside workings. Here is a picture: It is absolutely gorgeous.....

It even has a "D" carved in the bottom !!!

We left on December 26th and went to Circle E Guest Ranch in Winchester, Tennesse

http://www.circleeguestranch.com/ and had a great time - we stayed until January 1st. Rode for 5 days. Went to Shelbyville and shopped at Bedford Tack and the Winner's Circle Tack Shop. I got a new pair of chaps and I am soooooooo in love with.

Here is a picture of Jag and me on the trail (day before I bought my chaps)

Cutie - patootie !!!! (the horse !!)

Had great great fun with great great friends......

Now I am home - back to work.....back to work....back to work.....blahhhhhhhh !!

Bear has gone hunting until Sunday and I am stuck to work on the books for the farrier business - no fun for me.....boo-hoo !!!! I am sooooo deprived.....(hint...just got back from a 6 day riding trip - really deprived - huh?)

Until next time.....happy trails.....

Love and Kisses

J