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Suffering from SAD 12/31/07
I have been suffering from the worst case of writers block which I can only
attribute to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is due to lack of saddle
time, which is where I get my inspiration and as a result, Stable Talk hasn’t
been updated. (Big sigh!).
Winter came so fast this year. Seemed like one weekend we are camping and the
next we are scooping snow. Finally decided the only way to fight winter is to
get out and ride. Here are a few tips I'll share for winter riding.
1) Don’t plan around what the weatherman says. If you cancel plans because a
storm is coming, it won’t come. If you make plans because it is suppose to be
sunny and nice, the winds will be 50 mph.
2) Buy Under Armour cold weather gear. I swear it is 10 times warmer than long
underwear. Of course it is tighter than a girdle and I truly believe most people
who aren’t a size 2 would look better naked than with UA compression gear! Just
put on a pair of pants or sweatshirt over it before anyone has a chance to see
you “compressed!” Of course nothing good is cheap, so you'll probably have to
forfeit your Christmas and birthday present for this bit of equine lingerie.
3) Fleece bomber hats with ear flaps (now we are talking -- just $6.99 from TSC)
works great under a riding helmet. I scared the hell out of our new puppy when I
came out with my hot pink model, but once again, cover it quickly and no one
will know. (See picture insert of sacking out the pup.)
4) Old sock filled with rice makes the bit nice. Right before I head out, I nuke
the sock/rice combo till it’s nice & toasty. When I get to the tack room, I wrap
it around my horse’s bit while I saddle. A warm bit seems a little kinder on
these cold days.
5) Make the ride more festive by adding jingle bells to your tack. Word to the
wise, make sure horse thinks this is a good idea BEFORE you get on or you may be
doing more than dashing through the snow!
6) Do not ride shod horse on slick driveway. Enough said.
7) Don’t forget all the other seasonal things like warm gloves and socks, maybe
foot and finger warmers. A balaclava adds additional warmth (and I don’t mean a
Greek pastry). When I pay off the Under Armour, I might be able to afford
Mountain Horse winter boots.
8) If roads are too slick for the big trailer, pull a smaller one. (Or stay home
and suffer from another bout of SAD).
It truly takes more effort to get ready to go ride than it does to actually
ride. But so far, riding has been the only thing to ease the ill affects of SAD.
My family, of course, thinks I am MAD to be riding when its so cold.
This past year was a challenge for riders: rains, heat, early snow, and high
fuel prices. But any day on a horse is a good day. I hope you have many good
days to come!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Tammy
Friends & Mentors (Archived 12/24/07)
Today we were chatting on Horsetales about fear. For those who have been riding
all their lives, they may not have ever experienced this with regards to horses.
When I was a child, I don’t recall being afraid to ride; really don’t recall
being afraid to do anything. Ah, the gift of youth! But when I started riding
horses as an adult, I became frightened. I want to say it was “unreasonable
fear” – at that particular point I had not been hurt on a horse. Didn’t have one
buck, bolt or rear on me yet. But a little switch went off in my head that told
me they could buck, bolt or rear and the fear set in.
Looking back, I would have done a lot of things different. Like maybe plan for a
horse? In my marriage, we both are a little spontaneous. I woke up that morning
in the summer of 2000, read the Sunday classifieds, saw a pony in the paper and
thought, “why not?” I was surprised that John didn’t try to talk me out of it.
We came home that day with a 3 year old quarter horse mare and a Belgian
weanling. (We weren’t quite sure at that point what a Belgian was. Now we know.
She’s big.) No pony.
Had I planned this, it may have never come to fruition. I would have concluded
lessons were too time-consuming and too expensive. Or I may have started the
boys in lessons and bowed out of it myself. Then if they lost interest, we’d be
on to something else. But nooooo, we jump in this with all 4 feet (between us).
In our discussions about fear today, I mentioned at that time I met a new “horse
friend” who unknowingly became my mentor. (Once you get horses, you have to
distinguish between “horse friend” and “other friend” as they usually don’t
intermingle). She wasn’t a trainer per se and didn’t provide lessons. She just
rode. And whether we were eating lunch or riding horses, I listened and learned.
I don’t think she ever had a fear of horses and if she was a little
apprehensive, she put her husband on the horse first! She introduced me to trail
riding when I thought all we did with horses were to ride up the road and in an
occasional parade. She taught me about horse camping and it became my passion.
And she told me the “good pedigrees” verses those horses to stay away from. And
she introduced me to horse sales. I’d pick out what I thought was the best horse
at the sale and without a doubt, she would say “I’ve never seen a (fill in the
blank) bred horse that didn’t buck!”
And she never questioned what I was afraid of
really; we didn’t really even talk about my fear. We just rode. And without a
doubt, her horse was always better than my horse. I swear my most seasoned horse
would and still does have to put on more of a show than what ever colt she may
be riding today! Probably had something to do with the rider. And I thank her
today for what she taught me and for continuing to share the trail with me!
I also found the right horse. (At least in my mind he was the superstar). The
girl selling him told me that if I had any problems with him, it was ME, not
him. Well, well, well. This horse MUST be the magic pill for me. And he was.
Luckily for me, he didn’t have the bucking pedigree (but wasn’t without an
occasional crow hop). By this time, I was starting to overcome my fears but they
had overflowed to my kids. But we all felt safe on Blue. He carried one of them
behind me the first year or so and then when the boys were brave enough to ride
on their own, they both spent many hours in the saddle on Blue.
Horses were the biggest challenge (besides raising children) that I have taken
on in my adult life. And second most expensive to raising children, too! Unlike
when I first started riding again, I now wear a helmet as much as an example to
my kids as protecting my brain. I’ve had broken bones and broken hearts along
the way. I’ve had horses I loved and horses I feared. And a special horse that
died too soon. But I’d do it all again. Do I still have fears? Yep! But most are
reasonable fears not paralyzing fears. And I’m finally taking the time for
lessons and learning what little I really know! And Blue gets to benefit from
those lessons! And it’s all good.
So to the person who wants a horse or has a horse and also has fear issues,
don’t waste another day. Take lessons to get yourself back in the saddle. If
it’s your horse you are afraid of, there are lesson horses that you can start
on. Find a mentor; talk with a “horse friend.” Don’t let fear end what you
wanted to do with your horse. If you waited as long as I did, don’t miss the
ride now!
Turkey Creek (Archived 10/12/07)
In August, I thought I was going to melt, didn’t you? The humidity had been so
bad that the last thing I have wanted to do was ride my horse – even though it
was the only thing I wanted to do! But by the time I’d make it home from work,
that west sun would be hitting our pastures and the horses would look at me with
that “you got to be kidding” look. So in late August, when the weatherman
predicted low 80’s for a weekend, I called Turkey Creek and made camping
reservations! Finally, a weekend of decent weather and the opportunity to try
out a new place!
We loaded up the horses shortly after we got home from work and headed out
toward Newcastle, Nebraska in Dixon County. Located about 2 hours north of our
home in Saunders County, my goal was to get there by dark. We made it! But it
was close. The speed limit going through Newcastle is 30 MPH and they mean it!
Luckily for me the sheriff was in a good mood that night!
We pulled into Turkey Creek at dusk. Unloaded the horses and quickly set up our
portable corral. Our friends, Rich & Kathy Newberg, had already arrived & set up
camp. Have I mentioned yet how beautiful this area is?
John and Brenda Wortmann have really gone out of the way to make Turkey Creek
equine friendly. The camp ground has picnic tables, a fire ring, running water
and two very nice (primitive) outhouses. And get this, they have POWER! Yes! You
can plug in your trailer and run electricity! Now how often do you get that in
Nebraska?
Shortly after breakfast the next morning, we hit the trails. We crossed a small
creek, over a wood plank bridge, through the trees… the trails just go on and
on. We climbed up a steep bluff to see the views of the Missouri River and South
Dakota. Back down the hill and followed a trail which literally goes through the
center of a cornfield. Around a dam, into more fields, and through more trees to
find newly cut trails. John and Brenda have done a remarkable job of marking the
trails and keeping them mowed. And if you want to go off the beaten path and
bushwhack, there is plenty of that kind of riding, too. Brenda joined us for a
ride later in the day and provided a lot of history of the place. It was a treat
to have her ride with us and hope she will again.
The weatherman, who I “kindly” refer to as the BIG FAT LYING weatherman failed
to tell us that even though the temps may be in the 80’s, there would be no
relief in the humidity! However, at Turkey Creek the riding was very comfortable
in the trees and sleeping was great because we could run our air conditioner in
the trailer. Best of all, it was good to be out.
The Platte River Riders North have enjoyed a couple Wednesday rides at Turkey
Creek. If you would like information on this great equestrian camp & trails or
on renting their gorgeous cabin, check out their website:
www.turkeycreekne.com . Tell
them you saw it on Horsetrailriders.com!
For Labor Day weekend, we made it down to Indian Cave in Nemaha County near
Shubert, Nebraska. The trails were great and enjoyed camping with friends. The
BIG FAT LYING weatherman was a little closer to getting the temperature right
and we got about 10 hours of riding in. However, we all came back with chigger
bites, including our young gelding. His were so severe we had to have the vet
out. So if you head down to Indian Cave, make sure to spray the campsite good,
keep bug spray on yourself and also keep the horses sprayed even when not
riding.
My annual outing with the girls, Cowgirl Weekend, is just a few weeks away! I
think September riding will be great. Making up for lost time! Hope you are
enjoying it as well.
~Tammy
Horsetrailriders.com goes National! (Archived
9/12/07)
A few months ago, Horse & Rider magazine contacted me regarding an upcoming
article on saddle clubs. They found Horsetrailriders.com on the net and wanted
more information on the “virtual saddle club” and how to “be a member.” I was
thrilled to find Horsetrailriders.com, Horsetales and the Platte River Riders as
one of the featured clubs in their article "Riding Clubs that Rock", August 2007
issue.
As you know, Horsetrailriders.com is a source for trail riding and events in our
state. What has grown from Horsetrailriders.com is two saddle clubs – one of the
“virtual” kind -- the other real.
When Horsetrailriders.com was launched back in 2004, I started receiving a lot
of email from people who liked the site and just wanted to “talk horse”. That
was easy for me to do, but I wanted viewers to share their passion with each
other. “Horsetales”, a Yahoo group (list serve, chat group) was created for
communication between readers and today there are 175 members who sign on to
talk about horses.
Horsetales took on a life of its own. To keep spammers at bay, Horsetales is not
a public group but open to adults interested in horses – owners or those who
just dream of having an equine friend. The group is primarily women (about ½
dozen men) located in Nebraska and surrounding states. Although primary
communication is via email or “the list”, many true friendships have formed as a
result of Horsetales. One husband recently chided his wife with having
“imaginary friends” on the computer. Not true! Members ride together and lunch
together. Others have hosted holiday parties and clinics. The world of horses
and horse people opened up to many readers through the Horsetales group.
Another saddle club affiliated with Horsetrailriders.com is the Platte River
Riders, also known as the Wednesday Night Ride. Readers are invited to load up
their horse and come ride with other adult riders every Wednesday night at a
pre-designated trail head. Ride schedules are posted weekly on
Horsetrailriders.com. No membership or dues are necessary. Just show up and
ride. Initially these rides were in the Omaha/Lincoln area. Due to the
popularity of the rides, the second year, a ride was scheduled at both
locations. And just this year, new rides are scheduled in central and northern
Nebraska.
I am proud to have Horsetrailriders.com featured in this popular magazine and
thank all of you for tuning in! If you are visiting for the first time or a
return visitor, be sure and sign my guest book!
~Tammy
Trail Riders Lost a Friend (archived 8/8/07)
Last month, horse trail riders lost a friend and an advocate to horse trails.
Frank Jackson of Omaha passed away after a long illness. You may have known
Frank personally or you may have seen him on the trails or at the big rides on
one of his beloved Tennessee Walking horses.
I had the privilege of meeting Frank about four years ago on the Stanton ride.
Laying on the ground after a 1,200 pound thoroughbred flipped over on me, Frank
was the first person “on the scene”. He offered me water, found an ice bottle
and located some Advil which he was sure I would need (and he was right). Later
that afternoon he rode several miles with me. We talked about my horses, his
horses…..riding. The injury that lead him to Tennessee Walkers. I was worried
about my kids who, although on steady horses, were riding by themselves as I
couldn't keep up. He assured me with trail riders, they would be taken care of.
I’d see him occasionally throughout the years. His voice was heard in a local
news sound bite representing horse trail riders in the battle to save the horse
trails at Cunningham Lake. He provided assistance to those petitioning for
expanded trails at Walnut Creek and was instrumental in helping local
Springfield resident, Vickie Fraser, get approval for a horse trail along the
MoPac in that area. When you ride these trails, remember Frank.
Mike Anderson of the Nebraska Horse Trails Committee remembers a trails meeting
Frank attended where talk was of the Cowboy Trail and its completion would
provide the longest such trail in the nation. By the end of the meeting, Frank
was ready to not only ride that trail, but ride it NOW and had several recruits!
Frank didn’t have the Internet but once told Vickie that he loved discovering
all the rides that were available to him when he found a core group of riders,
including the Platte River Riders. He said, “I’ve never found anyone that ever
wanted to do anything; you guys go out and do it”. And so did Frank.
Following the June 27th Platte River Riders ride at Ponca Stables, surrounded by
our resting horses, friends gathered to remember Frank. His friend, Dennis
Nichols, shared stories of his friendship with Frank, others shared memories,
and we all shared a toast. I celebrate the privilege of knowing Frank Jackson.
Happy Trails, my friend.
Change of Plans (archived 7/7/7)
All winter long I have been planning our dream vacation to Wyoming. Looking
forward to riding in the Big Horn Mountains – experiencing things we don’t have
here in Nebraska. We are six weeks away from departing… and it starts to
unravel.
First, comes the email from one of the organizers asking if the price of gas was
going to scare any of us off. Nope! I’m not letting the greedy, blood sucking
oil barons spoil my vacation! Fill ‘er up & head ‘em out. We are going. But as
the emails go back and forth, someone mentions they put 2100 miles on going
there last summer…. Hmm. I had mapquested about 1400 miles round trip. Do I
really want to put that much more into the greedy blood sucking oil barons
pockets? Cha-ching. Vacation fuel budget needs to increase.
Now heading out of state will require health & coggins papers on the horses.
That’s a given. Heading to the mountains will also require shoes on our normally
barefoot horses. Shoes on 4 horses are in the budget. However, in talking to Big
Horn veterans, mention was made about how hard the terrain was on the horses;
sprained ankles, stone bruises…. Okay, so now I’m thinking shoes are no longer
enough… add pads. Not in the shoe budget. Cha-ching!
Then as we ride up to the top of a Nebraska hill last weekend, wet from the
rain, my horse gets a good dose of buddy-sourness & decides to avoid the
switchback & head straight down. Now yes, I am a bit fearful of heights, but I
had thought I could get by without looking down when we are in the mountains.
But when my horses head is heading DOWN, where else do you look! And frankly, I
am not up to doing battle with my usually mild mannered horse at 6,000 feet. So
if I can't handle a sandhill in Nebraska, how in the heck am I going to ride in
the mountains?
So now my dream trip is grossly over budget & I’m needing pads on my cold feet!
I ask the kids if they would be disappointed if we changed vacation plans. They
whine. (I throw out the mother of all bribes, Disney World in exchange for the
Big Horn Mountains and I hear John whine now). Well, after much negotiation, we
voted ourselves off the mountain. My skin has cleared up; my drinking problem is
under control. What a relief!
Seriously, I would love to ride in the Big Horn Mountains. But at the cost of
our entire summer riding budget and the risk of lame horses not to mention my
mental health after being in the truck with my fighting boys for how many
hours??? I think we are making a wise choice.
When I grow up, I want to travel the country; riding places I have never seen
before. My horses will be strong with good feet, mindful of me. My kids will be
confident riders and and never fight. And I'll have no fears. We'll be the Brady
Bunch on horseback. But for the here and now, I’ll just keep living my dream. It
ain’t so bad! ~Tammy
Springtime! Archived 6/6/07
When I see motorcycles going by on the highway or others pulling boats or RV’s,
I can’t help but think they are a lot like horse trail riders; yearning for
spring to get out and “do something”. As I dodge bicycles on Lincoln city
streets, although annoyed because they are in my lane, I feel a kinship with
those people because they, like us, finally are able to get out and ride! I
wonder if they spend as much time spit shining the bikes as we do currying the
horses to get rid of the winter grunge.
It’s not unusual to go an entire winter and not see some of our horse friends.
Horse people are funny in the winter time. I count the months until spring and
then hope we can get everything fixed that we let go in the summer time because
we were riding. It’s darn near impossible to remodel the entire house in three
months, but if you concede to making it a five year project, its doable! I also
tend to eat a lot in the winter… thus the reason my horses carries a few more
pounds above the saddle each spring. We visit non-horse friends and when we make
mention of the shortage of good brome hay, it just confirms we still have
nothing in common with them anymore! And why can’t more people get married in
the winter! We are usually free most Saturday nights when it is 2 above zero!
The hours in the saddle are starting to accumulate. It’s been good to see our
trail riding buddies who, like us, have been hibernating in their homes packing
a year’s worth of projects into 3 months. A friend recently mentioned that her
jeans shrunk over the winter! What a coincidence -- that’s happened here, too!
Our horses are starting to look away when we come to the corral because their
days of winter leisure have come to an end. I think they know that look – the
“I’m going to get your bridle and we are going to ride for 10 miles” look from
the “oh, if only winter will be over” (hug the neck) look. I’m starting to pay
attention to the price of diesel fuel and cuss the powers that be that make it
darn near unaffordable for the average trail rider and consider trying to run my
truck on cooking oil as others have started to do. I can only imagine what that
would do to the price of French fries!
So the laundry is starting to pile up and dust you see on my coffee table now
will still be there in October. My dishes won’t be done until after dark … or
tomorrow. My car will be a mess, but my horse trailer clean. Catch ‘em, load ‘em
up & hit the trail! It’s riding time!
Tammy 05/08/07
Beef, Its What's for Dinner Archived 05/08/07
How many of you out there are having foals this spring? When we had foals, the
hardest part was knowing we would eventually be selling them. Windy, the mare I
am currently riding was foaled at our place. It broke my heart to let her go, so
I bought her back a couple years ago. Our last baby, GinnyBelle, never left our
place.
Who remembers camping with us at Rock Creek three years ago? Okay, probably not.
But do you remember camping with a family who brought along a bottle calf? Ah,
that you remember. Okay, well, that was us. (You must be a redneck if you go
camping with your bottle calf!) Fast-forward to this spring and said bottle calf
is now a heifer expecting her first calf. Oh, and we have two heifers because
John didn’t think we should have just one. (Never mind that I think we should
have none!)
Well, cows aren’t the smartest animal in the feedlot. The fact that they are in
the feedlot proves that, doesn’t it? The first calf was born last week during
the April cold spell. And both cows kind of claimed the calf. So when the second
calf was born yesterday, neither of the cows knew what to do with it, so they
did nothing! Discovered shortly before the kids have to go to school; John is
out of town... Yep, it’s a dirty job and I have to do it. Its up to me to bond
this calf with its mom.
Okay, easier said than done. Especially when one of the cows turns into a Mad
Cow. After watching the cow head-butt the calf, I realize this is now a rescue.
Its time to get the calf out of the pen. Too heavy to lift. Tried loading it in
wheelbarrow & that didn’t work either. So I finally push it out of the pen by
its tail.
I called John, but a bad cell phone connection lead me to believe I was on my
own on this one. And just one time I think my boss would like to get a normal
phone call from me stating I have a headache or the flu & can’t come in. But
every time I have to call in to work, it is never a simple excuse. Once the
horses were on the highway; another time I broke my ankle while we were riding
the day before. And yesterday I couldn’t come in because of an orphan calf!?
After consulting with my good friend and animal science major, Sam, I headed to
town to get milk supplement, colostrum supplement and a bottle. Seventy three
dollars and 42 cents later (which would of gone a long way at a tack store or
bought me a half a tank of diesel fuel), I am back home trying to feed this
thing.
Now had this been a foal, I would have been sitting in the manure laden barn
with its head on my lap with a team of vets on standby! But this animal is a
different story. I have its head pinned between my knees forcing the little
beast’s mouth open; but it would not take the bottle. (Did you know calves have
teeth?)
About 2 hours into the process, John came home. Hallelujah! His cow, his calf.
I’m off duty now. I showered for the second time that day and went to work.
Twenty-four hours later, the cow is starting to take the calf, provided her head
is tied to the post in the barn. Like I said, not the smartest animal on the
ark.
This April there is no resemblance of spring. My lilac buds are frozen; the
small green leaves starting to appear on our trees are now brown again. The
horses haven’t shed and are quite unhappy they have to stand in the rain while
the calves get their stalls. There is not a foal in sight.
“Beef, it’s what’s for dinner.”
~Tammy 04/11/07
How Hard Can This Be? Archived 4/11/07
Last November, I parked the trailer over by the barn for the winter. It was
convenient to have something to tie to when riding at home; good place to store
my grain. It also served as a nice windbreak from the north wind. It was
unhooked from the truck for the season.
Finally, after the warm days this past week, it dried up enough to move it from
its winter spot. Time to start getting ready for the Wednesday rides. John
wasn’t home, but I have hooked up the gooseneck before. How hard can this be?
Here is how my venture went:
1. Open tailgate of truck. Of course that is NOT an easy job since John forgot
to lower it once and hit it with the gooseneck (something he always reminded me
not to do!) After massaging it for a few minutes, click… I finally get it.
2. Back up truck near trailer. Climb into back of truck bed to lift up the ball
hitch. Hmmm. It’s always been up before. How hard can THIS be? Dig in tool box
to find screwdriver ….. No go. Wrench… no go. Some unidentified tool…. No go. It
wouldn’t budge.
3. Climb out of pickup bed and find WD40 in the tack room. Climb back into
pickup bed and spray hitch area. Hitch opens. So far so good. Climb out of truck
bed and return WD40 to tack room.
4. Pull lever to retract hitch leg. Pull harder. How hard can THIS be? Sit on
ground with foot on hitch & pull harder. Okay, read directions. Ahhh, turn the
lever first! Okay, try that. No go. It will not budge. Back to tack room & get
WD40. Spray. Lever turns, hitch leg retracts. I start to raise the gooseneck.
Ah, looks perfect. Put WD40 back in tack room & get in truck...
5. Back truck to line up ball & hitch. Get out and check. Almost perfect. Just
need the gooseneck up a little higher. There, that should do it. Crawl into
truck bed to open the hitch. The little &*%^&()#$% will not move. Crawl out of
truck bed and retrieve the can of WD frickin' 40 from the tack room. Crawl back
into truck bed (my knees are killing me now!) and spray the heck out of the
hitch thing-a-majiggy. It opens. Leave WD40 in truck bed, crawl out & return to
truck.
6. Back up in a perfect straight line. Just as I think I have accomplished the
perfect line up, the ball grazes the hitch slightly and the little !#$%^&*
closes. How hard can THIS be to get it back open? Climb back into pickup bed.
Try to open it. It will not budge. Kick it, hit it, sit and push it with my
foot. It will not budge. One-half a can of WD40 later & no go. To heck with it!
I moved it before like this. Heck, I drove all the way to Valparaiso fully
loaded with the hitch like this (I didn’t know any better and that’s my story
and I’m stickin to it!) Attach the chains and hope the hitch will balance on top
of the little ball!
7. Climb out of trailer and remove block from between left tires. Get in truck
and start to pull. Hmm. Not moving. Glance in right rear view mirror and see
block between right tires. Get out of truck, remove block. Get back in truck &
give ‘er hell. Pull trailer successfully from winter spot.
8. Get to area of the yard where I planned to park. Get out of truck and move
John’s other truck to make room. Notice the tailgate is still down and awfully
close to the spare tire. Knowing I needed to do some tight backing, and as much
as I hated to close a tailgate that can be a challenge to open, I did. It opened
before. How hard can THAT be to open it again? Got back into truck and
maneuvered trailer successfully into new spot. (Only took one adjustment!) Need
to unhook before John sees I drove it without being properly hitched.
9. Get out of truck and position blocks for tires and hitch. Lower the leg and
crank it down. Attempt to open the tailgate to crawl inside to unhitch the
chains. The &*^)#$!$% tailgate will not open
10. Holler for child #1 to get out here and help me. After his lame #$&^ try, no
success. Holler at child #2 to come help. Again, no success. (Muttered something
about “worthless” under my breath!) Told him to jump into the back of the truck
and unhook the chains. Save my knees!
11. Truck sits with trailer unhooked, gooseneck slightly above the ball but
totally held hostage by the frozen tailgate. Even WD frickin’ 40 would not free
that tailgate.
Lessons learned.
Do NOT attempt to hook up trailer after sitting for the winter without power
tools, kneepads and WD40. A sledge hammer would be nice, too. (To beat the heck
out of something.)
Never close a disabled tailgate once it is open. Rip it off if necessary, or let
it tear the heck out of our spare tire. But never, ever close it!! (May want to
try that sledge hammer!)
Never attempt to hook up the trailer following the winter with a plan to trailer
your horse on the same day. It won’t happen. Always have a spare trailer and
another vehicle with a hitch on standby just in case you have totally screwed up
the hitching job.
Start pricing electric jacks.
If watching from his barn, I'm sure our neighbor enjoyed yet another show!
~Tammy - 3/16/07
The Shroud (archived 3/16/07)
The wheat fields are greening up. Horse Expo is almost here. Someone said they
spotted a robin, although it could just be wishful thinking. And daylight saving
time starts early. All reminders riding season is just around the corner.
My gooseneck trailer has been unhooked and parked since I bought a 2-horse
trailer in late November. Usually after expo, I’ll head out and start its
spring-cleaning. Never mind that the house doesn’t get the same treatment!
I lost the air conditioner cover from the top of my trailer on one of my last
rides this past fall. Thinking it blew off between home and Two Rivers, I was
sure I would find it on the return trip and surprised that I didn’t. Well now I
know why. It is one hot commodity. To those of you who have an air conditioner
on your trailer, take note: These covers are called a “shroud” and they are not
cheap. Would you believe $150.00? No wonder I couldn’t find it! I’m sure some
retiree in an oversized Winnebago saw my shroud along Hwy. 92, yelled “Bingo” as
he jumped out of his moving vehicle, dashed across traffic to retrieve it. So
the Titan has been sitting with redneck repairs consisting of a garbage bag &
duct tape as “the shroud”, waiting for me to cough up this incredibly high price
for what appears to be an insignificant piece of plastic.
So this past weekend, my friend, Sandy and I are driving down I-80 West. It had
been raining most of the morning. Just as we go under the overpass near Hampton,
“Bingo!” Off to the right between the on-ramp and the interstate is a shroud!!
Now I could have been the cause of a 10-car pile-up by hitting the brakes at the
moment I laid eyes on that piece of “gold” (aka plastic), but I was pulling my
horse, so I kept my cool. I was nervous about leaving it as I drove to the next
exit; sure that some other motor home folk would find the treasure before I made
it back. But good things come to those who wait… I drove another 5 miles, exited
westbound, re-entered eastbound & back to recover “the shroud”.
We park on the on-ramp; carefully put on our flashers; grateful I put on my
waterproof boots that morning. Sandy wasn’t as fortunate. But she was a good
sport as we ran across that acre of swamp land between the on-ramp and the
interstate, dodging garbage including a pair of whitey tighties (what is up with
that?). We retrieved the shroud. (And you thought the garbage bag and duct tape
was redneck!)
Some may have said it was beyond repair. Perhaps John will agree (I haven’t
shown it to him yet). But to me it was redemption!! Like finding lost money. And
it puts a big “you owe me one” in Sandy’s book of friendship!
If you are ever driving down the road and see a shroud, STOP THE CAR! Run quick.
Grab it. Treasure it. You never know when you may look up one day to find yours
gone. (And if the last time you saw your shroud was driving down I-80 West,
well…. finder’s keepers!)
~Tammy 02/26/07
Dashing through the Snow (archived 2/26/07)
The recent snow was just too tempting. Talked John away from the football game
to ride a bit through the snowy fields. Case was tempted to ride with us, but
was on the fence. I discouraged him riding because it was pretty cold and he was
already wet from sledding. But mostly because I wanted to ride his horse.
Those of you who ride with us know Butterscotch. Those who rode with her former
owner, Duane, also know Butterscotch. A pretty little red dun mare standing a
perfect quarter pony size of 14.2 hh.
Case first rode Butterscotch almost 3 years ago at Rock Creek. Duane had brought
her along and we had brought along an extra child. Seeing we had a kid without a
horse, Case rode Duane’s Butterscotch and my niece rode Case’s Daisy. Case had a
few horse fears at the time, but he really got along good with Butter. He kept
chiding Duane to sell Butter to him. Every time Butter made a “perceived”
mistake, Case took another $100 off the asking price. I think by the end of the
ride, he told Duane he pretty much had to give her away.
After a season of riding, we realized Daisy – who was close to 25 years old at
the time – was a good confidence builder, but was too old to do the miles that
we were doing. It was time to start thinking about another horse. That winter,
Duane mentioned he would be selling Butterscotch and asked if we were
interested.
Butter came home to our place the spring of 2005. She and Case had their ups and
downs that first year, but he persevered. She picked up some bad habits that
horses sometimes do when kids are riding them; she tends to want to kick if
other horses are on her rear end or passing her. An adult would feel it and pull
her in; Case doesn’t always react quickly enough. So I thought it would be
helpful if I would ride her occasionally. Take that kick out of her!
So one Wednesday, I took Butter on the Platte River Ride. After riding a fairly
young horse the last couple years, I found Butter an easy ride. A trot to die
for. Yeah, a little mare-ish at times. But she didn’t kick my friends! One ride
lead to another ride and at the end of the year, I had quite a few Trail Time
hours on Butter as well as my own horse.
I’ve been trying to ride bareback more often. May help my balance, but also is a
lot quicker when there is not much time to ride. My horse, Windy, is not the
most comfortable bareback ride. Blue, my gelding (stolen by my oldest son),
tends to spook at the occasional displaced rock long after we have passed it and
my seat isn’t good enough yet to stay on that unplanned sidepass at top speed!
Occasionally I’ll ride John’s mare bareback, but she can be a pill to catch. So
I’ll choose Butterscotch.
Okay, so I am 5’9” tall. I weigh more than I should and my legs hang below
Butter’s waistline. But does it get any better than riding a kid’s horse? Easy,
smooth, responsive… not far from the ground if there were to be any unplanned
dismounts.
I sometimes find myself thinking that maybe Case is ready to move up to Windy or
Black & I can ride Butter! But then I see the two of them together and know what
a good team they are. In the mean time, if I want an easy ride, I’ll sneak out
and ride Butterscotch. If I want a riding partner, I’ll saddle up one of the
others and let Case enjoy his horse. Don’t tell anyone, but I’m getting pretty
fond of that little mare!
~Tammy
Remembering Barbaro
“So they finally gave up on that lame race horse,” someone at my office said
when they heard the news of Barbaro’s passing. To a non-horse person, I’m sure
many thought it frivolous to keep him alive this long. Heck, some horse people
thought the same thing. Early on, I wondered, too, if he had suffered enough.
And then he’d rally; kept beating the odds! I joined his cheering section;
became more of a fan than I was after the Kentucky Derby. I would occasionally
Google for progress reports. Every time he would have a set back, I’d hold my
breath. Then he would overcome the latest challenge and seem to be flying down
the track to recovery once again.
Barbaro lost the race yesterday and I mourned as if I lost one of my own horses.
We’ll never know what he could have been. To me, I’ll remember his grace,
beauty… his run for the roses. His perseverance. And I’ll remember the day we
had to let him go. As a tribute, he’ll remain on my screen saver for a time and
I’ll remember him my heart, always. Godspeed, Barbaro.
~Tammy 01-30-07
   
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