Apr 17, 2006
Apr 16, 2006
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch
What a beautiful day it turned out to be. Didn't get out to the barn until 1:45-- my longtime friend pat picks me up as my car has been in the shop for over a month--stop at his place, go to the atm, drive through Cashman's for my bi-weekly bedding supply, then to the barn, finally. Unload the gear. Horses out, no one is at the barn yet. Kim's vet, the one that treated my dog is due out to follow up on her preparation to perform chiropractic medicine on dogs--she has to to do a stint with horses as part of certification. As I wrote though, no one out yet so pat leaves to go up the road to the nature preserve to take photos. I putter around, clean my stalls, Gwen arrives. She gets busy doing some stuff, then gets Treasure from the pasture. Eventually I get Wyatt from same, bring him in and curry off the gobs and gobs of hair. This is April, the moon when the ponies shed. For Wyatt, my shaggy ole appy, it will be July before he looses it all.
Eventually we're saddled up and ready to ride. No one else has arrived yet so we go out to ride along the fence line (basically a square around the 8 acre pasture). We'd only started down one side when Gwen sees the vet pull up and here comes Kim in her truck. "I think we can get all the way around if we hurry Gwen" I encourage. Gwen doesn't like the idea of hurrying. Treasure may stumble and hurt herself, or worse. I don't know what could be worse though.My take, at least the vet there! She wants to turn back in case she'll miss something important, like the cutomary jabbering before anything really starts. Oh well, ok, I give in. We head on into the paddock. Gwen starts untacking. I just loosen wyatt's girth a bit and remove his bridle and leave his rope halter on so he can graze over by the indoor arena. I planned more riding while everyone was busy but got interested in observing Dr. Feula and her brother in law (who is certified) check out Binafa, a 20 yr old arab mare.
They do Treasure, Magic, then look for another candidate. I had removed wyatt's saddle earlierwhile they were still working with the other horses. He also had creeped rather nonschalantly ever close to the "horse party" to keep an eye on things--he does that a lot--first he's in one spot busy grazing, then you look again and he's right behind you. Its as if he sprouted wings or like a childs toy horse or chess piece, he gets picked up and put down somewhere else by some unseen hand. Other times he just disappears into thin air. There is no end to his talents. Anyway "ok, you can try Wyatt here. He's not all that exciting but you can do him." They agree, since he's right there handy. Dr feula had been by a few weeks ago and had noticed his atlas bone seemed severely out of alignment. They looked at his teeth, showed me how his bite was a little askew. Brother in Law--really nice guy--does his probing and adjustments as Wyatt's lower lip just hangs limp. He closes his eyes while he gets all his hot spots worked on. They are treating for TMJ. When done, we look at his teeth again and I'm just amazed. His bite is as straight and perfect as can be.
After everyone except kim had left, (pat had returned as well and looked on from a lawn chair) pat and kim end up out front by the jeep. They talk while I resaddle wyatt to get our ride in. I mount up and we come out front by the jeep to chat a little first. Wyatt and I start off, going along slowly across the front of the drive and out of nowhere he gets all spunky and starts cantering as soon as we hit the grass and even goes over the old silo foundations.--which are the only two hills on the property unless you count the old manure pile, and where he often slips and takes rather carefully most times. Wow Wow, he's frisky and happy. We have a nice lope going down the long side of the fence & he doesn't want to stop as we turn the corner. I ease him into a trot reminding him this is the side that's way too bumpy. We make our way around, trotting then back to the gravel drive. Stop to chat again, then go back across the silo pads. He's trotting smoothly this time. We walk a little down the long side again. I turn him around, let him nibble, then head back. I encourage him into a lope again; he really wants to go faster but I know his trick of cutting around the corner fence post where he knows someday I will wack my leg, but so far his aim hasn't been that good. I still don't know if thats on purporse. That's his fun game, his little joke, a reminder that he could be one up on me if he really wanted to We end up loping all the way past the jeep. Were on the gravel drive now and I'm warning him "easy now, you know how you slip here" he ignores me, full of his new found confidence. We wiz by kim and pat I wave both hi and goodbye. By now I'm chuckling over the "wild ride" and Wyatt seems to be pleased with himself. We slow down by the side of the barn which is a favorite place to graze. I dismount, still chuckling and give him a gentle pat and scratch behind his ears. I bring him around to the front drive and untack, ask pat to keep an eye out while he grazes near the shrubbery which blocks the main road from view and I put the saddle in our locker.
Kim eventually leaves, I take Wyatt back out to the pasture. He waits patiently while I struggle with unwrapping the customary peppermint He takes it politely from my hand and saunters back to the herd. While pat goes to get gas I grain, throw hay, and water for the night so whoever was supposed to do it only has to bring the horses in. Since it was going on 8pm i kinda wondered why no one had been to the barn to feed. They may end up staying out all night, who knows. I cannot wait to tell the doc though about wyatt's rediscovered exhuberance. Amazing in that they made a fairly simple minor adjustment which made wyatt feel apparently free of much pain. He can be very reluctant to lope when he hurts, and loping is his favorite gait. I like to think Wyatt had a really good day too, feeling young and coltish and satisfied with life for the moment. It's days like these that make it really hard to leave the barn and spend the rest of the evening in the dull routine of the suburbs.
Eventually we're saddled up and ready to ride. No one else has arrived yet so we go out to ride along the fence line (basically a square around the 8 acre pasture). We'd only started down one side when Gwen sees the vet pull up and here comes Kim in her truck. "I think we can get all the way around if we hurry Gwen" I encourage. Gwen doesn't like the idea of hurrying. Treasure may stumble and hurt herself, or worse. I don't know what could be worse though.My take, at least the vet there! She wants to turn back in case she'll miss something important, like the cutomary jabbering before anything really starts. Oh well, ok, I give in. We head on into the paddock. Gwen starts untacking. I just loosen wyatt's girth a bit and remove his bridle and leave his rope halter on so he can graze over by the indoor arena. I planned more riding while everyone was busy but got interested in observing Dr. Feula and her brother in law (who is certified) check out Binafa, a 20 yr old arab mare.
They do Treasure, Magic, then look for another candidate. I had removed wyatt's saddle earlierwhile they were still working with the other horses. He also had creeped rather nonschalantly ever close to the "horse party" to keep an eye on things--he does that a lot--first he's in one spot busy grazing, then you look again and he's right behind you. Its as if he sprouted wings or like a childs toy horse or chess piece, he gets picked up and put down somewhere else by some unseen hand. Other times he just disappears into thin air. There is no end to his talents. Anyway "ok, you can try Wyatt here. He's not all that exciting but you can do him." They agree, since he's right there handy. Dr feula had been by a few weeks ago and had noticed his atlas bone seemed severely out of alignment. They looked at his teeth, showed me how his bite was a little askew. Brother in Law--really nice guy--does his probing and adjustments as Wyatt's lower lip just hangs limp. He closes his eyes while he gets all his hot spots worked on. They are treating for TMJ. When done, we look at his teeth again and I'm just amazed. His bite is as straight and perfect as can be.
After everyone except kim had left, (pat had returned as well and looked on from a lawn chair) pat and kim end up out front by the jeep. They talk while I resaddle wyatt to get our ride in. I mount up and we come out front by the jeep to chat a little first. Wyatt and I start off, going along slowly across the front of the drive and out of nowhere he gets all spunky and starts cantering as soon as we hit the grass and even goes over the old silo foundations.--which are the only two hills on the property unless you count the old manure pile, and where he often slips and takes rather carefully most times. Wow Wow, he's frisky and happy. We have a nice lope going down the long side of the fence & he doesn't want to stop as we turn the corner. I ease him into a trot reminding him this is the side that's way too bumpy. We make our way around, trotting then back to the gravel drive. Stop to chat again, then go back across the silo pads. He's trotting smoothly this time. We walk a little down the long side again. I turn him around, let him nibble, then head back. I encourage him into a lope again; he really wants to go faster but I know his trick of cutting around the corner fence post where he knows someday I will wack my leg, but so far his aim hasn't been that good. I still don't know if thats on purporse. That's his fun game, his little joke, a reminder that he could be one up on me if he really wanted to We end up loping all the way past the jeep. Were on the gravel drive now and I'm warning him "easy now, you know how you slip here" he ignores me, full of his new found confidence. We wiz by kim and pat I wave both hi and goodbye. By now I'm chuckling over the "wild ride" and Wyatt seems to be pleased with himself. We slow down by the side of the barn which is a favorite place to graze. I dismount, still chuckling and give him a gentle pat and scratch behind his ears. I bring him around to the front drive and untack, ask pat to keep an eye out while he grazes near the shrubbery which blocks the main road from view and I put the saddle in our locker.
Kim eventually leaves, I take Wyatt back out to the pasture. He waits patiently while I struggle with unwrapping the customary peppermint He takes it politely from my hand and saunters back to the herd. While pat goes to get gas I grain, throw hay, and water for the night so whoever was supposed to do it only has to bring the horses in. Since it was going on 8pm i kinda wondered why no one had been to the barn to feed. They may end up staying out all night, who knows. I cannot wait to tell the doc though about wyatt's rediscovered exhuberance. Amazing in that they made a fairly simple minor adjustment which made wyatt feel apparently free of much pain. He can be very reluctant to lope when he hurts, and loping is his favorite gait. I like to think Wyatt had a really good day too, feeling young and coltish and satisfied with life for the moment. It's days like these that make it really hard to leave the barn and spend the rest of the evening in the dull routine of the suburbs.
Apr 8, 2006
The Last Week or So
Still on the job search so I can get out of the call center environment. Some prospects but life in limbo is the pits. Missing Amy lots. She's been my loyal companion especially in her last days, and there are those empty moments--like coming home from work and she's not there to greet me, or I pass her dog dish where I catch myself and pause, because I almost reached for her biscuts to toss in there and then remember, "oh, yeah...
My friends and I have been meeting at the barn on Sundays or Thursdays--my days off. We've actually had a few less frigid rides. Last Sunday when it was mostly sunny and not quite so windy, Gwen and I rode across the only field left that hasn't been plowed or sown yet and explored the County Home property across the way. We rode all around the main house and outbuildings. Rode around a little marsh pond where we scared up some ducks. Wyatt was a little edgy about this but not too bad. I let him sample anything he wanted, so he could compare and contrast with what is in his own overgrazed pasture. This made the ride worth his while in his opinion. From the property we can still see the barn and all the other horses grazing in the pasture so we didn't have to worry too much that Wyatt, and Gwen's horse Treasure, would be to jiggy for us to have a nice ride. We couldn't spend too much time as Gwen had to get back to take her daughter to walmart and dinner--The payback for a few hours spent with her horse. It would have been nice if we could have dismounted, let the horses graze while we had a snack and then maybe ride even further up to route 42 where Wyatt used to live.
My friends and I have been meeting at the barn on Sundays or Thursdays--my days off. We've actually had a few less frigid rides. Last Sunday when it was mostly sunny and not quite so windy, Gwen and I rode across the only field left that hasn't been plowed or sown yet and explored the County Home property across the way. We rode all around the main house and outbuildings. Rode around a little marsh pond where we scared up some ducks. Wyatt was a little edgy about this but not too bad. I let him sample anything he wanted, so he could compare and contrast with what is in his own overgrazed pasture. This made the ride worth his while in his opinion. From the property we can still see the barn and all the other horses grazing in the pasture so we didn't have to worry too much that Wyatt, and Gwen's horse Treasure, would be to jiggy for us to have a nice ride. We couldn't spend too much time as Gwen had to get back to take her daughter to walmart and dinner--The payback for a few hours spent with her horse. It would have been nice if we could have dismounted, let the horses graze while we had a snack and then maybe ride even further up to route 42 where Wyatt used to live.
Apr 1, 2006
Goodbye
Amy, my loyal companion, soul mate, barn dog extrodinaire left this world today, March 31, 2006.
You fought hard to stay alive, my friend.
In the end, though, you couldn't conquer death.
But neither did death conquer you.
Death cures all disease, mends all broken bones,
breaks all chains
And made you free at last.
--from Good-bye My Friend
Mary and Herb Montgomery
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