A Cowgirl's SUV

Something to make you smile.......it is Monday afterall!

You know you're a horse person when.......
1. You cluck to your car when you go up a hill.
2. Your horse's hair is in better condition than your own.
3. You refer to your car as "my portable tack room."
4. You are excited when your friend tells you that there is a huge sale
at the bridle shop, then you are disappointed when you realize they mean the bridal shop.
5. You have the vet's number but not your kid's pediatrician on your speed dial.
6. Your spouse can track dirt into the house all they want, but God help them if they muddy up the tack room.
7. Your house is a mess, but the barn is as neat as a pin.
8. Your nice clothes are the ones without horsehair all over them.
9. You have to go to your friend's wedding in riding clothes because you took too long at the barn.

Rope Halters

I am so excited. I just found someone who can make rope halters and not charge an exorbitant amount. They are very well priced with quality workmanship.

If anyone is interested in getting a custom rope halter made specifically for your horse, I encourage you to contact Kristin at brycenca@yahoo.com.

A picture of Cody in his new halter coming soon!

Horse Joke

Horse And Chicken
A horse and a chicken are playing in a meadow. The horse falls into a mud hole and is sinking. He calls to the chicken to go and get the farmer to help pull him out to safety. The chicken runs to the farm but the farmer can't be found. So he drives the farmer's Mercedes back to the mud hole and ties some rope around the bumper. He then throws the other end of the rope to his friend, the horse, and drives the car forward saving him from sinking! A few days later, the chicken and horse were playing in the meadow again and the chicken fell into the mud hole. The chicken yelled to the horse to go and get some help from the farmer. The horse said, "I think I can stand over the hole!" So he stretched over the width of the hole and said, "Grab for my 'thingy' and pull yourself up." And the chicken did and pulled himself to safety.

The moral of the story:
If you are hung like a horse, you don't need a Mercedes to pick up chicks.

The return of Abby

Abby is back from boot camp and enjoying every minute of it. During her two week "tune-up", we discovered that her injuries, which stem from her time on the racetrack, have deemed her a permanent walking lawn ornament. All is well...ends well! I think Abby prefers to be Cheyenne's side-kick more than anything at this point anyway. Happy Retirement!!!!

Here is a little "bit" of information

Hope you find this useful:

http://www.completerider.com/horsepowerfeb02.htm


Does your saddle fit?

http://www.horses-and-horse-information.com/articles/0297basic.shtml

http://www.bitsandbridles.com/horse-tack-horse-saddle-fit/saddle_fit.shtml

I came across this site while I was looking for information on how to prepare a young horse for competitve trail riding. The article is about the impacts of doing too much to soon on a young horse and the long term effects it can have on the horse.

http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/TooHardTooYoung.htm

This is a great article from Cherry Hill on "Pre-purchase exams" when buying a horse.

http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_management/vet_exam.htm

Buying a horse?

The following is an article by Deborah Bundy on six things to look for when buying a horse: http://www.completerider.com/horsepowermarch03.htm

The following is an article by the American Vet Association on what you should look for when buying a horse:
http://www.avma.org/communications/brochures/
buying_horse/buying_horse_faq.asp


Good things come to those who wait! Savour the moment.

Virtual Horse Race

Check out this virtual horse race at the following link http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/fun/mongolia_flash.html

It is fun for the whole family!

And the ribbon goes to............................

Major (aka Investors Special Fx). This past weekend Major won the Western Pleasure class. Congrats to Major and his owner Leanne, who is serving oversea at the moment.

Did you know that................

Interesting facts about a horse's body. Enjoy!!!

Horse's hooves grow at a rate of about 1cm per month.
The forelock on a horse's head helps to keep flys out of the eyes.
Horse's legs are built so that they can sleep standing up, but to get a good rest they need to lying down.
Each leg has a small spot that looks like a scar called a 'chestnut'.
Horse's knee caps are not done fusing until they are about 3 1/2 years old. That's why many young racehorses are injured.
Mares come in to heat around age 1, but usually can't be safely bred until 4.
Stallions are mature and can breed around 2 or 3 years of age.
A horse's heart weighs about 10 pounds.
A horse's back cannot bend, it remains stiff when the horse moves. That's why it's hard for horses to get up after rolling or resting.
The teeth take up more room in a horse's head than its brain does.
Horses can see color.
Horses can see in two directions at once.
Horses have two blind spots where they cannot see- directly in front of them, and directly behind them.
Human hair and fingernails are made from the same protein as horse hooves.
Horses have 36-42 teeth, with females usually having 36 and stallions and geldings having 40-42. "Canine teeth", remains of fighting teeth, are present on some horses, usually males, in either 1 or 2 pairs. "Wolf teeth" can be present in males or females, and sometimes have to be pulled because they cause pain.
Most breeds of horses have 18 ribs, 6 lumbar bones, and 18 tail vertebrae. Arabians have 17 ribs, 5 lumbar bones, and 16 tail vertebrae.
A full grown horse that weighs about 1,000 pounds contains approximately 13.2 gallons of blood. Horses have about 175 bones in their body.
Horses make 8 basic sounds- snort, squeal, greeting nicker, courtship nicker, maternal nicker, neigh, roar, blow.
It is almost impossible for a horse to vomit-- if they do, their stomachs usually rupture soon after.
It takes a horse 60 days to double it's birth rate.
A horse focuses its eye by changing the angle of its head, not by changing the shape of the lens of the eye, as humans do.
While horses graze, they keep a look out for predators.
A racehorse averages a weight loss of between 15 and 25 pounds during a race.
Adult electric eels 5 feet to 7 feet long produce enough electricity – 600 volts – to stun a horse.
A horse weighing around 1000 lbs. voids from 1 1/2 to 8 1/2 quarts of urine daily.
A horse's gestation period is 11 months, but can be anywhere from 10-12 months long.

Stallion in training!

This little guy is a little over a year old and his name is Leroy. He is almost as cute as Cody...ok, just as cute as Cody! You never know, some day he may assist in the production of Cody's half brother or sister. Leroy belongs to Jen McBride from Bridewood Farms.



Leroy got a haircut!!!!

Update - Abby's first week of full training

Not too much to report on concerning this home front. Abby survived her first week of training. She is now into her second week of boot camp. Unfortunately, Abby's old racetrack injury may preclude any further riding on her but until we get x-rays done, Jen will continue to work out her "bad" habits. I would hate to further subject this poor animal into unnecessary human torture if her destiny is to remain a beautiful "walking lawn ornament". Only time will tell. Not to worry Abby...........we will never send you to the glue factory!

How to tell if you are a horse-aholic?

I AM a horse-aholic. I would like to welcome all of you to this month's online meeting of Horse-Aholics Anonymous. You may be sitting there thinking that you are OK, and don't really need any help. It is not easy to realize that you are a horse-aholic, and even harder to bring yourself to an HA meeting for help. HA is here to assist you. I have some questions to ask to try to determine if you can be helped.
1. Can you say 'sheath' in public without blushing?
2. Do you know exactly what 'snaffle' means? (No, it is not a drink!)
3. Do you drive a truck with some type of towing package and/or dual rear wheel when everyone else you know drives a real car?
4. Do you have more than one type of trailer because you own horses?
5. Do you spend your holidays going to shows, sales, clinics, and seminars when everyone else goes on cruises?
6. Do you discuss things at the dinner table that would make a doctor leave in disgust?
7. Do you consider formal wear clean jeans and freshly scraped boots?
8. Does the inside of your home look like your interior decorator is State Line Tack'?
9. Do you often have barn boots on your front porch?
10. Is your mail made up primarily of breed magazines and horse catalogs?
11. Do your shirt pockets often contain bits of feed, hay, and empty syringe covers?
12. Do you worry about paying your monthly feed bill before you think of paying your electric bill?
13. When you meet a person, do you ask how many horses they have, and pity them if the answer is none?
14. Do you remember the name of a great-great-great grandsire when you can't remember your own great grandfather's name?
15. Is your primary dream in life to breed the perfect foal?
16. Do you find non-horse people boring?
17. Is 99% of your e-mail about horses?
18. Do you have a collection of bits even larger than your collection of horses?
19. Does you halter collection include more than four halters, all the same size?
20. Do you think nothing of accessorizing your lingerie with rubber muck boots for night-time or early-morning feedings?
21. Do you carry a hoofpick in your purse?
22. Are there more veterinary supplies and carrots in your refrigerator than groceries?
23. Do you take your horse to the vet before you go to the doc for the broken ribs same horse gave you?
24. Could you eat off your barn aisle but haven't seen your kitchen floor in weeks?
25. Do you know more than five people this list fits exactly?

If you answered YES to three of these questions, you are in pretty good shape. You will lead a long, dull life, and never call your mother and tell her "I'm in the hospital, but everything is fine! The horse is OK."
If you answered YES to 10, you are in serious trouble. Give in gracefully, and become a member of Horse-Aholics Anonymous now... You will qualify eventually anyway.
If you answered YES to 15 or more, you are incurable. My advice to those who, like me, are incurable is as follows.....
Sit back, smile, and know that your life will always be
filled with good friends and better horses, and it will NEVER be boring!

A Girl's Best Friend

No words can express the passion a girl can have for her horse. See for yourself. Here are some amazing moments captured between horse (Peyton) and rider (Erika). Thank you, Tim!!!!

Day One of Abby's Training

Considering Jen (horse trainer at Bridewood Farms) had to deal with an ex-race horse with an old stifle injury and bad feet (to name a few!), Abby's first session was great. Results were evident and Abby was a willing participant...once a few minor issues were resolved.

It is funny how you might think that your horse is well disciplined but a professional trainer can sure push the right buttons and show you that in fact your horse is walking all over you. Ground work, ground work, ground work......that is what it is all about.

I was really pleased to see that the work that I have been doing on my main horse, Cheyenne, hasn't gotten too rusty! Alot of what Jen was going to Abby, I was also taught to do on Cheyenne. Although Jen makes it look really easy; whereas, I sometimes don't have the finesse that she demonstrates. Jen makes it all look so simple. Goes to show you what happens when you are born on a saddle with the reins in hand!

Good trainers are hard to find..........my horses have been to 4 different trainers in the past 9 years and I didn't think that I would find someone who had a natural "horsemanship" way like my first horse trainer Ray. However, after watching Jen in action today, I have to say that she is not only a great trainer and coach but she has the heart and patience that most "trainers" lack.

I can't wait to see what she will do with Cody!

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho Off to Boot Camp we go!

Today is the big day. Abby (a former race horse) goes off to "boot camp" at Bridewood Farms. Abby is the sweetess horse. She is gentle (to all humans but can be mean to her offspring) and she has a calm disposition; however, she needs alot of work in the saddle. She is not very confident and can get confused if the signals to her brain are not clear. I am going to miss seeing her every morning!

Most Expensive Horses Ever Sold!

Just a little fact to share.........Here is a list of the top five most expensive horses ever sold.

Fusaichi Pegasus - sold for $60M (US) in 2000
Point Given - sold for 50M (US) in 2001
Smarty Jones - sold for 39M (US) in 2004
Conquistador Cielo - sold for $36.4M (US) in 1982
Halo - sold for $36M (US) in 1984

Thought that you would like to know.

Magnificent - Beautiful!

My two studs!

Alpha and Ian - Tender Moment!!!

Cody being a GOOD Boy

Cody...a.k.a. The Brat!!!

Cody really tested my patience yesterday evening. He was a BAD boy. At only 1 year and 4 months he can sometimes be a handful of energy. Who needs to go to the gym when you have to "man-handle" this 500+ lbs animal. What a workout these yearlings can be! I take my hat off to all those resistance free trainers. At times they must feel underpaid and overworked. I stress resistance free because if you use force it is not called training but abusing.

Strange but true horse laws!!!!!

Strange Horse Laws Just some wacky, odd, strange laws from around the US (and a few from other countries too!).
1- In New York City, it is illegal to open or close an umbrella in the presence of a horse.
2- It is illegal to fish from horseback in Washington D.C, Colorado, and Utah. Tennessee prohibits riders from lassoing fish.
3- A British law states that an Englishman must not sell a horse to a Scotsman.
4- Horses are required to wear hats in hot weather in Rasario, Argentina.
5- In Guernee, Illinois, it is illegal for women weighing more than 200 pounds to ride horses in shorts.
6- In London, England, law required taxi drivers to carry a bale of hay on top of their caps to feed their horses. The law was in force until 1976.
7- In Raton, New Mexico, it is illegal for a woman to ride horseback down a public street with a kimono on.
8- A misworded ordinance in Wolf Point, Montana: "No horse shall be allowed in public without its owner wearing a halter."
9- In South Carolina, no horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants.
10- In Omega, New Mexico, every woman must "be found to be wearing a corset" when riding a horse in public! A doctor is required to inspect each woman to make sure that she is complying with the law.
11- Pennsylvania law states: "Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart, piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes.''
12- In Hartsville, Illinois, you can be arrested for riding an ugly horse.
13- Abilene, Kansas, City Ordinance 349 declares: "Any person who shall in the city of Abilene shoot at a horse with any concealed or unconcealed bean snapper or like article, shall upon conviction, be fined."
14- Marshalltown, Iowa, it is against the law for a horse to eat a fire hydrant.

Horsing Around!

The nice thing once you have established a bond with a horse is that he/she will let you do anything to them.

A test of balance

Riding a horse bareback is like no other experience. It is so care free. You feel every single movement that the horse is making.

Horse Number 7

Here is a picture of Emarkessa. She will be joining our herd in the next couple of weeks. She is a real cutie!!!!

Cassandra's New Friend Andi

Friends forever!!!!

Moment to remember

This is what it is all about. Another tender moment to cherish.