Producing Disposable Horses

I suppose this is as good a time as ever to talk about at least part of the role that some trainers can play contributing to the problem of unwanted horses. In BECC's comment she made mention of thirty day wonders as the goal of many trainers nowadays. Any true horseman knows you can't put a time frame on a horse for training purposes. It's about the process for each individual that determines how things turn out.

Many horses do not adapt well to the expectation they will "get it" in a required time frame. Such horses are damaged by such a process. The extent of the damage can result in anything from lameness to bad attitudes and all manner of things in between. Trust can be destroyed to such an extent it can take years to heal such a horse. Some of those horses never heal. Others are too broken physically to ever be of use.

Such horses are easily discarded by unscrupulous ignorant trainers and sometimes owners who make the issue the horse's fault. Not wanting to take responsibility for their own failures because of the training process they use, it's just so much easier to make it the horse's fault. Unfortunately this situation is all too common in the horse industry. Many a good horse has been ruined in the horse industry by this type of training.

Unfortunately owners in their quest for ribbons will overlook the horses laid waste by such practices. They buy the justifications of the trainer and fall into the trap it really can be "the horse's fault. I know owners who say they don't condone abuse who live with it all around them. They're so brainwashed by the manipulations of their trainers they don't see what's right in front of them.

It's not always winning trainers that are involved in such practices. Many a young trainer trying to climb up the ladder of success has pushed too hard, asking for too much, way too soon. Wanting so badly to make it to the top, they too blame it on the horses, not searching for their contribution to the problem.

Over my years in the horse industry, I've seen more than my share of horses pay for the mistakes of people. So far none of the individuals I've known personally have been discarded to slaughter or abandoned somewhere but that doesn't mean they haven't displaced a horse whose taken their place in that demise.

Even the smallest stone causes a ripple on the waters. The practice of cranking trained horses out in record times is not a small stone. It's a huge expectation in today's horse industry and its ramifications on the horse industry is equally as enormous. Its effects on the population of unwanted horses may not have been measured but you can bet the ripple of this practice builds waves taller than buildings.

Mostly, no one wants to deal with the ill mannered horse. People who rescue such animals to fix them see far more pass by than they have time to save. When times get tough the horses with issues are the first to go.

Most of those ill mannered horses have humans in their past responsible for the behavior of such horses. If discarded horses could actually tell us their stories, we'd be appalled. You can bet the stories are far worse than the imaginations of those watching the plight of such horses. Just thinking about the bad experiences of a couple of horses I have bred makes me cringe at the thought of what others might endure. I can't even imagine, nor do I want to, my heart breaks so at the storied I do know.

Disposable Horses

There were many important comments on on Shocking Everyone has feelings on such a heart breaking subject. There are so many things to be said about it, it doesn't seem like one post is nearly enough.

I must admit that Brown Eyed Cowgirls made some great points in her comment I am just as frustrated by the circumstances of her points as she is and ever so tired of being blamed for issues in the horse industry that I have not caused nor do I condone.

I., too, think that responsbility is a big part of the issue. It's easy to point to the economy, to slaughter houses closing and to breeders in general when it really comes down to the personal ethics of the individuals invovled. People tend to look for scapegoats for problems instead of being willing to get in and learn what really is at issue.

Certainly the closing of the slaughterhouses has made all the more obvious issues within the industry but closing the slaughter houses didn't create the problems. There have long been issues in the horse industry caused by unscupulous breeders, sellers and buyers as well as those issues caused by outright ignorance.

As long as the slaughterhouses were open, we weren't having to see up close and personal, the number of horses that were being discarded each year. Horses that were bred in huge numbers to find one super star with the rest being discarded. Horses sold to people who were not qualified to deal with the animal. Horses purchased by people who were not serious about their commitment to take on such responsibility. The only ones who really noticed the discards from these practices were those going to the auction houses frequented by the kill buyers.

Those auction houses sold far more horses to the killers than were ever saved by those with breaking heart strings at their auctions. Kill buyers have made a lucrative living at it, that's why there are so many of them. Most everyone I know whose gone to such auctions has all kinds of sad stories to tell. Most I know have quit going because they can't stand the nightmares caused because they couldn't save them all.

Living here close to Canada, we have killers still buying at auction housesbecause they can still profitably transport horses to slaughter houses across the border.The circumstances at Joint Base Lewis-McCord have probably been directly affected by the closing of the local auction house in Yelm. That auction house closed down because Wal-Mart bought the property, not because of the laws forbidding the slaughter of horses in the US.

Anyone who could justify dropping a horse off at one of those auctions could easily make the jump to justifying dumping their horses on the fort or any kind of forest land. My guess those around here would go for the fort over hauling the additional distance to an auction house in Enumclaw or Centralia simply because of time and cost.

People who can dispose of animals in irresponsible ways are "victims." All you have to do is ask them and they'll tell you how life has screwed them. To their way of thinking, it's just not their fault that things have turned out the way they have. They've had no choice. They take no personal responsbility for their decision. That's how they live with themselves.......pointing the finger elsewhere allows them to sleep at night.

Society as a whole tends to enable such behavior. Instead of holding irresponsible people accountable, we feel sorry for them. Blame is pointed at the slaughter houses, the recession and breeders for there being too many horses.

BECC is right that the consumers have had a big hand in this. Money has fueled many of the abuses in the horse industry and society's view of the things we purchase being disposable plays a part in this as well.

If the irresponsible breeders didn't have an easy way to dump all of their culls, they'd have to think twice about producing so many of them. If irresponsible sellers had to be accountable for placing a horse in a situation that would never work, they'd be less likely to sell a horse that way. If buyers had to be accountable for the animal they take home instead of seeing it as disposable, fewer people would buy horses before they are truly ready to do so.

These are all complicated problems and I didn't even get into the part that trainers play in this nightmare. BECC mentioned trainers too but she didn't really touch the issues trainers contribute to this "disiposal horse syndrome." A post for another day, maybe. What do you think............about disposable horses? ...............and who contributes to the phenomenon?

Shocking...........

Yesterday I went to the open house of a small Arabian horse breeder around the corner from me. I like to go to these things because I think we small breeders need to support one another. It's tough enough in this industry without those of us trying to preserve the quality of the breed not sticking together.

It's also at the open houses of the smaller breeders that I tend to meet people I haven't met before. It seems like the open houses of the really big barns will draw the regular show folks that I've seen for years. For some reason the smaller breeders seem to draw a different sort of crowd, more local and more grass roots I'd guess I'd call it.

That's what it was like at yesterday's event. There were faces there I had never seen before and others that looked familiar but I had not names to put with those face. Then there were some friends of mine.

It was in the group of new faces that word of something very shocking. Rumors have been circulating throughout the horse industry of horses being turned loose out at combined base, Fort Lewis - McCord. One of the women sitting beside me had connections to those involved in the round up of horses the fort must do because of these abandoned horses.

When one of the other women heard of the connection, she began to ask much more direct questions. The resulting information makes me physically sick. I had no idea so many people could be so callous to their supposedly equine friends.

It seems the "normal" number of horses abandoned each year is somewhere around one hundred. The fort does two round ups per year. The people who help with the round up can pick horses to keep if they chose. The rest are sent to slaughter in Canada.

Since the decline in the economy the number of horses abandoned has risen just as the rumor mill said. The last four years the total number of horses dumped off at the fort has been nearly one thousand.

The first round up of this year totaled two hundred eighty head. If the rest of the year stays about the same, it will mean over five hundred head of horses abandoned in just one year.

I can't even imagine what these people must be thinking turning horses loose like that. If they think they are taking care of them better than they can, they couldn't be more wrong. The horses are pretty much guaranteed to be sent off to slaughter and before that time they must survive in a war zone.

That fort is a training facility. We hear the blasts of training clear over where I live. When troops are on maneuvers they are utilizing everything in their bag of tricks for practice. That means razor wire, trenches, bomb blasts, mortars etc. Who would turn a horse loose under those kinds of conditions? Who would abandoned a horse, period??

The Summer Show.............A Little After Class Adventure

Part 1

I must admit it wasn't until after my class that I realized how really HOT outside it was. My show shirt was stuck to me about every place there was for it to stick. It clung like a wet T and on this sixty-three year old body it was NOT a pretty sight. I couldn't wait to get back to the stalls to shed the sticky thing.

Surprising my horse was not all that hot. He had the beginnings of sweat rising on his neck, nothing that a nice shower wouldn't fix. I think we both hung our heads from the sheer heat as we made our way back down that asphalt path to the back side of the barn.

I didn't even tie Legs in his stall once I got him in there. There was still so much of his breakfast scattered about I knew he would go right to eating. My show saddle and pad wouldn't be in any danger of taking a roll as long as the hunger pangs were Legs' driving force.

We were using the closed in stairwell up into the hay lofts for our own personal little dressing room. There was no light just a fake skylight from the overhead loft but it worked fine in the daylight.

I checked for occupancy. Then made a beeline to get my sad show shirt off my body. It didn't even want to let go of my sticky skin as I pulled it off. Then it seemed to stick to itself like it was coated with adhesive. I haven't thought about how you clean a shirt with all of that lambskin and studs but I can assure you I'll be doing it know. Even the thought of putting that thing up against my bare skin for the morrow made my skin crawl.

I don't know how those in hotter climates survive. The mid to high 90s was killing me. The heat rising off the asphalt probably bumped it into the 100s but my body is not meant for such heat.

If it were I might just be living in eastern Washington. The hay's a lot cheaper and easier to get. The open spaces a lot more open but HOT over here leads to even hotter over there so there's no way I would survive.

Once I got out of my hot sticky clothes, I went back to tend to my horse. Legs did not disappoint with the trust I'd entitled him with. The horse was busily munching his hay totally unaffected by the fact he was still wearing my custom Sky Horse show saddle and a very sticky red, black and off white show pad.

I just left Legs loose while I stripped the horse of his show gear. He breathed a funny little sigh as the saddle slid off of his back. Then he went to nosing his hay around looking for the sweetest piece.

With the show gear all stowed, I retrieved my horse and took him for that nice luke warm shower I'd promised. As the comforting water hit the horse's neck he stretched it out and his eye softened. The expression on his face clearly said the shower felt "SOOOOoooooooooo GOOOooooooood!"

As I took my time hosing my horse down, two teenage girls approached with a mare moving right into our space. I warned them I was working with a stallion but they didn't seem to get the picture. I knew that Legs would behave but you just never know about strange mares. Mine mares know better than to flirt in the shower but that didn't mean this one did.

One girl spoke with an accent. I don't know if she was British or from down under since I'm not an aficionado on dialects. Wherever she was from her horse skills were limited and so were her friend's. They wanted to use my hose, which was ok with me, as long as they could keep a reasonable distance. I did not want to end up in the center of something dangerous because these girls had little control over their horse.

I reminded them again that Legs was a stallion and that they needed to be keeping a safe distance since they didn't know Legs or how their mare would react to this kind of proximity to him. It all fell on deaf ears as the mare moved closer and closer to Legs.

The next thing you know the mare was swinging her hind end right toward Legs' nose. He tried to get a quick sniff but responded immediately to my admonishment and turned his face away. That was the only thing the stallion turned. He didn't move a foot so there was no swinging of his hind end towards hers, thankfully.

I side passed Legs over to a safer distance only to have the mare follow. She did not lock into a breeding stance but her behavior clearly indicated the mare was at least coming into heat. I couldn't get my boy out of there fast enough.

I quickly finished up rinsing off the horse's face. Both girls were more intrigued by the fact that Legs drops his head to get his face watched than they'd ever paid attention to the behavior of their mare.

At least by the time we got out of there, I'd managed to get enough spray on me to cool myself off as well. Making our way back into the barn I think both of us felt refreshed and I was definitely thinking we'd dodged a bullet with our wash rack time with that big pretty pinto mare. I'm thinking had the circumstances been different, as in maybe at home on his breeding grounds different, Legs would have loved to talk to her. As it was he never made a sound nor did he expose anything he shouldn't have. I have to admit his manners never cease to amaze me.

To be continued.....................

Legs isn't really using his shoulder well in this picture and it's an old one to boot but it's what I've got from a previous show. No one but the pro taking pics of Legs and me at this show.

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The Summer Show............Pilot Error.............

Part 1

By the time the paddock announcer called our class to the arena, Legs and I still hadn't really gotten things worked out. My horse was trying but there just wasn't the space to do the exercises that would get me what I wanted.

The situation of heading into the arena with a horse that is less than what I'd hoped is a familiar one to me. I headed my horse to the ramp as soon as the announcer called us to line up. There was no point in trying to get something that was more than I had time to accomplish. Legs was trying and that's what counts most to me.

I moved into a front position in the line up before I really thought about the red stallion coming from behind. When I realized my mistake I pulled out of the line just to see where he might be. As long as he was not the horse directly following me I figured I could make any needed adjustments inside the ring.

The rider of the red horse was going for the last position on the ramp. That gave me plenty of time to figure out strategy before the gate would be closed so I moved my horse back into his position in the line.

This time heading into the arena I made sure to give myself plenty of room in between the first horse and myself. For the first class I'd followed the horse in front of me way too close. It was a very slowly jogging gelding and I'd have to move off to the side to go around the horse or I'd have cut off her pass right in front of the judge.

The only bad part of that is I ended up without really presenting my horse to the judge on our entrance into the arena. It's the one time a rider really has to be sure the judge gets a good look at her horse and I'd ruined mine by not allowing enough distance between me and the slower moving horse. I was not going to make that same mistake again.

Another thing I try to do in the line-up going into the arena, is I try to follow behind a poor moving horse if I can. There's nothing that makes the good movement of a horse stand out more prominently than following behind a poor mover. Sometimes in smaller classes it's not possible to make such a decision but it's something I'm always watching for.

Legs entered the arena smoother than he had in the previous class. Still he was not as slow as usual and he wanted to stall out at every opportunity. My legs felt like rubber before I even made it down the first rail.

This judge seemed to take forever to move through the gaits. It's not that I'm in a big hurry to get my class over but by the time we were on our second complete lap at the jog I was wishing we were on to something else. My now mushy legs were just not getting the kind of response I needed from my horse. I sure hoped that it didn't take as much work to keep my horse loping.

Legs' transition into the lope was pretty nice considering the current condition of my horse. The first few strides were pretty good too. Our once most difficult gait had now turned into our easiest one. Just goes to show you never really know what's coming next.

I didn't have to work nearly as hard to keep Legs round at the lope. While the horse wasn't as round as I'd like him to be, he was definitely rounder than he'd been at the jog. Pushing with my seat was more effective at the lope too.

The only real problem was keeping the horse moving. Any little jiggle of the reins or shift of weight and the horse wanted to break. We managed to get through the whole first way without a break but we had several very close calls.

The transition down was not nearly as good as the one up. Despite my efforts to round my horse up before asking for the transition Legs still managed to land pretty heavy on the forehand. It's funny how something like a change of bit can cause things to disintegrate so profoundly.

The walk wasn't good either. Legs was hesitant and the gait came across in that halting effect that happens to horses intimidated by the bridle. At least he looked like most other horses in the class except for the one that didn't want to walk.

Going the second way of the ring my horse was not any better, as a matter of fact he was actually worse. The jog got rougher and a little faster. Legs was bulging his shoulder to the outside.

Even at the lope the horse just wasn't square beneath me. I ended up shortening my inside rein to get his nose turned to the inside. With that adjustment, he was better but still nowhere near how he'd been in the snaffle or even how he'd been at the Daffodil Spring Show.

This class was the 40 & over western pleasure and one of the largest of the show. I think there were eleven horses in the class. It felt more like twenty when we loped that second way. It seemed like lots of the horses were fast and the judge had us loping forever.

It felt like there was a lot of confusion in that class. I didn't really see anything particularly naughty going on but something felt off. I thought maybe we might squeak in on the tail end of the ribbons until my horse broke at the lope the second way.

In all honesty it was totally my fault. I was watching for that red horse and had made a change in my position on the rail. I was paying such close attention to the red horse, I over looked the fact I was riding Legs right into a dead end.

There were two horses, side by side on the rail coming out of the corner. Both were loping much slower than Legs and there was no place for him to go. I had to break him down to the jog to give the others room. Once we had room ourselves, Legs would not go back into the lope. We were halfway down the rail before we got back into the correct gait.

It's not often I make that kind of pilot error. But when I do, I do it up good. Of course, Legs added to the problem by not wanting to go back into the lope but considering his reluctance to go anywhere in this bit it was not surprising. There was no ribbon for Legs in this class.

To be continued....................

A Little After Class Adventure

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The Summer Show..............the Challenge.........

Part 1

Luckily my next class on Legs was early in the afternoon session. The temperatures were rising rapidly and I couldn't even imagine how hot it was going to be later in the session. I was grateful we were only about the fifth class in because we'd be missing the hotest part of the day.

There were other classes I could enter. I was already paying post entry fees. Since they were only an additional $5 per class, they weren't enough to deter me from entering classes late. The weather, however, was enough to set me on my ear. The heat was going to be what dictated the classes I rode, not my checkbook.

I don't think the hot weather particularly bothers Legs. Unlike some horses that get pretty droopy, my horse seems to relish the hot weather. Maybe it's those Arabic roots going back to the desert. Yet the rest of the horses in our aisle seemed to be wilting.

I think the only thing bothering Legs was he still hadn't managed to finish his breakfast. Between the morning schooling session, our class and schooling at the lunch break, Legs still have at least half of his hay in a tidy pile in the corner of his stall.

The compact pile was enough to tell the horse had been allowed little time to eat. Given the opportunity Legs would have strung that hay all over the stall as he searched for the tastiest morsels. I was feeling a bit like a villian when I saw that hay, poor Legs and the price of being a show horse.

The first classes seemed to be moving pretty quickly. I didn't really spend much time sitting around in my show clothes. I still hadn't even put on my show shirt when I saw the red stallion coming down the aisle. I'd already figured she'd be riding in this class too. As she rode her horse out the door, I headed for the dressing room and my shirt.

There was a little breeze as we made our way up to the arena so I wasn't baked by the time I hit the warm-up. This time the red stallion was working on the rail. That made getting into the arena much easier. I set about getting my horse limbered up and figuring out what I wanted to work on most before we entered the arena.

I think the most impact Legs' hesitation has caused has been on the jog. It was much faster than normal and rough. I worked at flexing the horse in on the circle and pushing him laterally away from it trying to get the horse to step deeper underneath himself.

I spend a lot of time working on this exercise at home. We half pass all the way across the arena, switching directions at the other end and working our way back. Usually when we've done this a few times my horse is stepping deep underneath himself where he belongs.

Warm-up arenas are not really conducive to such an exercise. This narrow warm-up makes it particularly difficult to improvise anything as well. There just is not much room for several horses to work just going down the rail without someone like me trying to work on lateral movements. Still Legs hung in there and tried to give me the two or three steps I could ask. I was making headway but it just was not enough.

By the time I'd reached the point I had to stop asking for lateral movement, I still didn't have a correct step from my horse. Legs seemed to sense the release was more about our confined space than getting 'it' right. I began to sense some frustration from my horse who is always trying to give me what I'm asking even if he doesn't undestand it. The horse simply hates not getting 'it' right.

I can only imagine what goes through his mind as he struggles with the barrier in his mouth and my requests to step deep underneath himself. Somehow in there I know that message is mixed up and I sure wish I could figure out a way to simplify it for him.

To be continued......................

Pilot Error


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The Daffodil Show.................a Reality Check.........

Part 1

The day was getting hotter but I still found time to school my horse again at the break. I just didn't want to leave things as there were if I could get some improvement from my horse by doing some additional schooling. When they called for the break I had my horse saddled and ready to go hoping I could get just a little bit of time to work some more at the gallop.

There was another reason for me pushing like this. I was finding it hard to escape my feelings over the loss of Solidare. It seemed like everywhere I looked I ran into another person who had known and admired this mare. The reminders of her were constant and my heart was and is still breaking.

Not long after Legs' first class, I'd run into a woman who attends my annual open house each year. When she'd asked me how I was doing, I'd disclosed about the loss of my beloved Solidare.

I could tell immediately from her face that she not only recognized my loss but she had her own to tell. I was shocked to hear that her stallion, Dreamfinder, I've know for years had lost his life just weeks before. Not only that but my friend had lost both a mare and a foal.

Dreamfinder was only twelve years old. The horse had done lots of time in the halter arena and did quite well. He'd even been in training with Eric Krichten during the time I'd worked for Eric so he was a horse I knew up close and personal.

If a horse could be a character out of a Victorian novel, Dreamfinder would have been the equine version of Heathcliff. He had a very masculine brooding kind of look about him. His dark color and huge eyes only added to his mystery.

Rolled over in the bridle the horse could be breath taking. I know he got the attention of more than one clinician at the annual Daffodil clinics. He was a horse to be reconned with. I was always relieved that he was shown in the age division under mine.

It was hard for me to grasp that this hosre was gone at such a young age. Legs is two years older than that and I think Legs is still young. I just can't imagine losing a horse a such a young age even though I have experienced it. I knew it must have been even harder for my friend. I felt as bad for her and her losses as I felt for me and mine. There seemed to be no place to go to avoid those thoughts so I saddled up my horse and headed out to ride.

Riding is about the only thing that gets my mind going all in one direction. It's not often when I'm on the back of a horse that I am distracted. This problem with Legs and the bridle was probably a good thing for me even if it was distressing for poor Legs.

We didn't get much time around the arena before other horses began to file in. I did manage to get in a couple of laps in each direction at a pretty good clip. Still coming down to the jog I had a bumpy horse that just was not what I'd remembered in months.

I did, however, had another clean ride. There were no spooks or even half way spooks anywhere throughout this ride. It was ride number four and I was beginning to think maybe, just maybe, we were on a roll.

To be continued.................

The Challenge

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The Summer Show............the Open Class.........

Part 1

When the horses in the ring had lined up the paddock announcer called my class to the runway. Usually people lag behind with no one wanting to be first. On this day it seemed to be just the opposite as everyone headed to the gate together.

The first horse in line turned out to be the red stallion. Behind him were at least two other horses before there was any room for me to even think about getting Legs into line. Three or four other horses were all vying for the same position as I tried to figure out what would be the best placement for Legs behind that red horse.

I think we ended up somewhere in the middle. Mostly I kept watching that red horse to see where he was in the ring. I knew I didn't want him behind me but I also had to remember he had managed to run into Legs from somewhere in front. I was going to have to keep an eye on this horse for any signs that he was thinking about resisting his rider and coming after Legs.

The horse doesn't jog as slow as the other horses do but then with Legs and his new lack of impulsion, my horse wasn't going that slow either. I found myself paying more attention to my position behind the red horse than to my ride. My horse felt rough and I was having problems getting that roughness to smooth out.

Legs had experienced so many issues in this arena, I had planned to stay away from that far end of the arena as much as possible. Most every time he'd spooked had been associated with that end. Now wanting to stay behind that red stallion seemed to force me deep into corners my horse didn't really like.

While Legs tensed as I pushed him into that first corner, the horse didn't fight me and he didn't spook. He moved all the way down the rail right up snug next to that scary wall just like a pro. Other than that first hesitant step there were no signs the horse was out of his comfort zone.

Then moving into the scary exposed corner, the horse even sighed. Legs moved on down the long rail like he had no problems in this ring. I was still watching for the red horse but I couldn't help but notice that Legs was not picking up any tension at all in this arena or at the proximity of that horse. We may not have been having the best ride as far as collection but we were certainly doing better in this arena than we'd done the whole last year.

When they asked us to lope, Legs' transition into the gait was one of the best he's ever done in the show ring. The lope was a bit fast and he didn't stay together as well as he'd been doing at home but considering the issues with the bit I was pleased with what I had.

The call for the hand gallop came with some resistance from my horse. Legs just did not want to move out. I suspect that was because it has been years since he has hand galloped in a class. I think the horse was not quite convinced it was really OK to move out at that gait. By the time I finally got him into it, the announcer called for us to come back to the lope.

As I moved my hand down the horse's neck, Legs immediately responded with a slow in pace. From there his transition down to the walk was better that I'd hoped although it was a little on his forehand but so much better than I'd expected with his lack of impulsion induced by this bridle.

It was at the walk I really noticed the horse's lack of forward movement. Normally the horse walks out in such a pretty walk. Now I found myself with one of those mincey little walks that comes from horses being intimidated by the bridle. My legs were beginning to feel like rubber just trying to get my horse to walk.

I spied the red stallion in front of us and he seemed to be doing something funky. With Legs not wanting to move I wasn't sure really what to do. It was about then, the announcer called for a change of direction so I watched for the red horse to reverse so I could figure out which line I should take.

Normally I like to turn Legs into the wall on the reverse. That barrier helps remind my horse to compress his frame. Now with the red horse coming straight at us, I chose to head off across the open arena before I changed directions.

For some reason the turn caused Legs to pick up his step a bit. I was worried we wouldn't get commited to the turn before being asked to lope but we actually made it nearly to the wall before they called for that gait.

Our transition into the lope was decent this way as well. Our transition into the hand gallop was pretty good too. Going down the rail I adjusted my seat and Legs broke immediately down into the jog. It was a great transition but not what we were supposed to be doing. It took a couple of strides before my horse was back up where he belonged but all in all it was a reasonable class for where my horse was on that day.

As they called for the line up I watched for the red horse. I knew from past experience we needed to line up at the opposite end from him. It took his rider forever to pick a spot but once she did I moved Legs up near the gazebo bringing him into line.

We may have had a break in gait but Legs had gone the whole class without a single spook. If memory serves me right, I have not had a first class at any show since the first day Legs was scared that has turned out like this. It really didn't matter what kind of ribbon I got. We were on the right track.

I think when all was said and done Legs ended up 5th out of 6. The sixth horse was the red stallion who is not committed to the bridle. Legs was definitely more steady than him even if he's not using himself correctly at this time. It was certainly obvious to me we have a lot of work to do in the bridle.

To be continued....................


A Reality Check


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The Summer Show............Warming Up.........

Part 1
There was another rider from my division stabled in our group. Her trainer was riding the horse in the open so that gave me a barometer of how the schedule was advancing. Sometimes the amateurs get on later than I need, while others get on earlier. At least with it being the open division, I knew there would be no switch of riders and no premature schooling by an amateur doubting her own skills.

There really were no many cancellations. For a horse show with just around 100 horses that was amazing in itself. It seemed those horses were well spread out across the spectrum of possibilities afforded by the show's schedule. I was relieved to see that since there's nothing that can throw off one's maneuvering through the complexities of schedule timing like a bunch of cancellations. I have when that 19th class turns out to be something more like the 10th.

Finally the time came to put on my show shirt and grab my hat. I bridled up my horse and began the walk up to the arena. From the moment I stepped out into the sun all I could think of was where I might find some shade as I made my way to the arena.

In the morning hours there was a little shade on the east side of the arena but as the sun climbed the shade shrank. The bit of shade that was there was little respite from the burning sun. I could see the waves of heat rising off the asphalt. I was grateful the warm-up we were heading to was covered.

Legs seemed to be unphased by the heat. The horse was taking his sweet time walking while I wanted to be moving out to head from shade. It was a reluctant walk triggered by that darn bridle. If I'd bridled him up at the arena, he'd have been walking along at his normal pace. I had to bump him in the flank to let him know I was serious that his snail pace really wasn't what I wanted.

There are just so many ways that fear of the bridle has affected my horse. I wonder sometimes if it's ever going to go completely away. Now, out in the searing heat, I was wishing I done more work in the bridle before I attempted to show. The sweat was running down the curve in my back and I wasn't even riding yet.

Once in the covered warm-up, I realized our old friend, the chestnut stallion
was also in this class. I hadn't had to think much about this horse since the Region 4 Championships last year Now with my horse having so much fear of the bridle I was wondering how the presence of this advisory was going to affect Legs.

The warm-up area at the Puyallup Fairgrounds is a pain. Its probably long enough but the thing is just not wide enough to make it very useful. There's really no place to go if there's a wreck and it's next to impossible for people to work horses both ways of the arena at the same time. Staying away from the red horse was going to take some thought.

We stood out in the sun waiting for the red stallion to move to the far end of the arena. Of course, Murphy jumped in and the rider decided to stop and have a chat. Sitting there on her horse there was literally no place for Legs and I to go without passing close to this other horse.

I try not to communicate my anxiety about situations to my horse and I do pretty well with that most of the time. This situation with the red stallion has unnerved me, however, and Legs showed that when I squeezed him with my legs to move on into the arena.

Legs immediately raised up out of the bridle and looked around. Clearly he was thinking he really shouldn't be entering the arena but he rolled over and did what I asked even though I, too, felt hesitant.

I kept my eye on the red horse watching for any sign that he was aware of Legs approaching. The horse's ears flicked our direction but he didn't move. We managed to get by him and head down the rail without incident.

About the time we got past, the woman decided to end her conversation. That meant she was moving right in behind Legs and me as we headed down the rail. I looked for an opportunity to cut across the arena to put some distance between us. Then I proceeded to warm-up exercises for my horse.

The whole time I kept my eye on that red stallion. I didn't want him anywhere near Legs. Remembering Jay Goss's words that stallions with a grudge never forget, I knew I had to remain alert. I didn't want anymore confrontations between this horse and mine.

Legs seemed not to be aware of the specific danger. As long as I remained calm and quiet, Legs was just fine. He showed no signs of turning into that nervous horse he'd been in the presence of this red horse in Region 4 last year. That was a good thing. The only thing Legs seemed to be concerned about was the thing in this mouth.

To be continued...................

The Open Class

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The Summer Show............Getting Ready in the Heat

Part 1

Record temperatures were posted for the weekend. Since I don't get along with the heat, I had even considered not going to the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Summer Show. Looking at the schedule I thought I could avoid showing the hottest part of the day by picking and choosing my classes carefully. I think that's one of the reasons I'd even picked that open class to show.

Now that the temperatures were beginning to rise and the morning session hadn't even begun I was beginning to doubt the wisdom of that choice. Just the walk to the show office had sweat running down my face.

I needed to do something to Legs' gross back feet because even a good scrub and steel wool had not lifted the debris. Normally I don't do much in the way of sanding or ever extra rasping on my horses hooves. I don't even apply polish except for regional or national classes but normally my horse's hooves don't Legs' did on this day.
The very thought of climbing around on the floor scrubbing on feet made the sweat pour.

It's times like these I that make me feel old. Most of the time I can avoid the reality of my age but the heat and the physicality of horses quickly reminds me I am no spring chicken. I was really wishing I was home sitting in my air conditioned house instead of wiping body fluids off my brow and contemplating what I was going to do to clean up those back hooves belonging to Legs.

As much as I love white markings, it didn't take long into my show career to realize that hind white hooves are the pits. Because the hinds are responsible for the horse's impulsion, they take the brunt of the work making them the most beat up. Trying to make them look like finely manicured nails is an art............one that must start with clean hooves.

I had asked my farrier, who just happened to be part of our group, if there was any chance he could clean up Legs' hooves with his rasp. His response had been "if he had time." About now I was thinking if he didn't find time, I'd be showing the dirtiest hooves I'd ever seen. Luckily for me, the farrier came through and he did the sweating instead of me.

After he was done I really should have buffed out the scratches with some fine sand paper. Instead I applied a thin coat of wax polish and called it good. Even with that little effort I had sweat running from my armpits clear down to my waste. I was really wishing I hadn't entered an afternoon class if the morning was already this warm.

The next step in getting my horse ready to show involved saddling him up. When I came through the doorway with the show pads poor Legs let out a groan and I must admit I sympathized with him. I was thinking coming to this show had been a big mistake but I'd paid my money, I was going to show.

Once the horse was saddled, I went to getting myself ready to show. I changed from my heavy jeans into the lighter stretchy pants I've been riding in the last couple of years. While I've not appreciated their lightness before now, there was an obvious advantage to that in this heat. Even with my chaps over the top, I had less fabric on than with my jeans alone. At least that part was good.

I waited until the last minute to put my show shirt on. That thing out weighs my tank top by about 5 times, I swear. I knew that thing would be hot and I didn't want to deal with it until I had to. Instead I sat in front of Legs' stall listening to the class calls.

My silly horse was nuzzling my hair through the stall bars as we waited. I couldn't help but laugh although I probably should have been thinking about what the horse's show makeup was doing to my hair. It wasn't until later when I stuck my hand into a glob of goo that I realized letting Legs mess with my hair wasn't wise.

As I sat there in front of my horse's stall, I could see the heat rising off the asphalt outside. The temperature seemed to be rising much faster than time was travelling. I was going to be fried before I ever made it to the ring.

To be continued.....................

Warming Up


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The Summer Show............Early Morning Schooling

A

Part 1
As Legs and I neared the arena, I couldn't tell if anyone was in there schooling. The morning sun shining directly into my eyes made it impossible to see anything right in front of me, let alone anything off inside the dark arena. All I saw was the dark contrast between inside and out.

I did see someone off to my left approaching with a horse and lunging equipment. Despite my issues with grooms lunging horses at the Daffodil All Arabian Horse Spring Show I hadn't even considered the possibility that might be an issue now. I was beginning to think this morning schooling session just wasn't meant to be.

Still I moved Legs out of the bright sunlight into the dark hole of the covered arena. As our eyes adjusted to the change in light, I could only see on rider off at the far end of the arena. It was a country horse and there was a trainer giving lessons to its rider. I hoped by the time I had my horse warmed up enough to gallop there wouldn't be any added occupants to this now quiet arena.

I began with the usual flexing and bending. Legs and I moved down the rail working in a zig zag pattern as he moved off my legs. Usually I would do this working in the snaffle but I knew I didn't have the time to do a thorough work out in the snaffle before I moved on into the bridle. If I wanted any time to gallop the horse in the bridle I was going to have to cut out that usual step in our process.

While I would prefer to warm my horse up using the snaffle, I have learned from past sessions that flexing and bending Legs while he's wearing the curb seems to calm some of his fear of that bit. The horse starts out a bit bracey but the comfortableness of the well known routine quickly takes over. Before long the horse is doing the exercises just as well as he ever does them in the snaffle.

This morning was not much different. I applied my inside leg and I picked up the inside rein. My horse's head shoot straight up into the air. I just kept squeezing with my legs and petting the horse on the neck. I figured if I pushed long enough he'd get the picture. Finally as I applied more pressure with my inside leg and blocked his escape to the outside using my outside leg, my horse rolled over into the bridle dropping his head to the inside.

Once I felt that inside hind leg step deep up underneath where it belonged, I changed the aids to the opposite side. After two or three repetitions of this I felt Legs take that deep breath that is followed by a deep deep sigh. Legs was relaxing despite his concern about the curb.

Normally I like to use a long trot in my warm-ups too. However, that is one thing I never do with my horse when he's wearing a curb bit. I know lots of trainers who think that teaches a horse to go through the bit instead of maintaining it as a barrier. Although I'm not sure that is really true, I guess I've never been willing to find out. I've had enough difficulties with this horse and the curb, I sure don't want to get something started that could cause problems down the road.

My normal progression for a warm-up is walk, trot, then canter. Because I didn't have that longer trot to use, I spent far more time working at the walk. I really hate moving my horse off into that slow collected jog without lots of warm-up time.

After plenty of time walking and moving laterally off my legs, I decided I'd take my horse straight into a canter. I didn't want a slow western lope either without more warm-up so I moved the reins up my horse's neck and kissed for him to move out. By moving my hand farther up the horse's neck and repeatedly kissing to him, I was giving my horse permission to stretch out at the canter.

By this time there was only one more horse in the arena. Both horses were spaced far enough apart that I felt comfortable letting Legs gallop if I could get him warmed up enough to make that a reasonable request. Still the horse's fear of the curb prevented Legs from stretching out into a relaxed canter. What I had for the first couple of laps was a horse bracing at the poll and reaching only about half way up underneath himself.

Once the horse was finally warmed up enough to gallop, I moved him on into the faster gait. You would think I had broadcast some kind of invitation for people to join me because as soon as we moved into the gallop horses seemed to flock to the arena.

The most galloping we got in was about two laps each way of going. I did get a pretty good gallop considering the circumstances but I knew it wasn't enough to get my horse up underneath himself where I wanted. Still it was better than nothing.

I spent a little bit of time working on the more customary hand gallop that is used in the show ring. Even at that I did not get the rate that I really want to show my horse, still I did get a distinct change from the lope to the hand gallop. We also worked just a little on the transition back into the lope.

The first couple of times Legs ignored the change in my hand position and just kept right on going at the same rate. I pushed harder with my seat telling the horse "easy" and only resorted to applying pressure to the bit as a last resort. By the third time I asked the horse came down in about three strides and I didn't have to talk to him or use bit pressure at all.

I figured that was the best I could expect considering where the horse was on this day so we called it good and headed back to the barn. The horse got the chance to eat some of his breakfast while I headed back to the show office to retrieve my number. The next time the horse came out of his stall it would be to go show in our first open class in many years.

To be continued..................

Getting Ready in the Heat

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The Daffodil All Arabian Summer Show 2010.....Getting Started

Part 1

Once I finished my late night post and played a little Spider Solitaire to unwind, I went back to my bedroom because I was cold. Looking at the clock it was only about twenty minutes until time to rise but I still climbed back into bed to warm up my toes.

I really should have known better. I've plenty of experience with late night sleepless sessions followed by morning sleep when I need to be up. Twenty minutes was more than enough time for me to nod off and ignore my alarm. Luckily for me I was not the only one with an early morning alarm, the sound of a closing door awoke me only about 15 minutes than I'd planned to rise.

Still the fog in my brain slowed me down so I was late heading out the door. By the time I arrived at the fairgrounds it was nearly 7. Because I was supposed to be the first to arrive, I was the designated "feeder" of breakfast for our group of horses. Luckily for me, Vanessa had arrived when I was supposed to and she'd feed everyone so I could get straight to the tasks I needed to accomplish if I was to make the morning session.

With classes beginning at 8, I'd wanted to be close to done riding near 7 because I figured that's about when the show office would open. With the prize list reading that post entries must be completed a session before, I knew I was pushing it.

With the show beginning that day, I thought I had a little leeway but I didn't want to push it beyond reasonable. Bringing in entries just before 8 would not be a reasonable request. Before I even began saddling my horse, I ran to the show office only to find it wasn't open yet, but then it wasn't quite 7. I was sure 7 would be the official hour.

I ran back to the stalls to saddle my horse. Once that was completed I headed back to the office hoping I'd be the first in line. The office was open by then but I was not the only person wanting to enter for a morning class. There was someone in front of me asking the very same question.

As the woman received a positive response, I reached around her and handed my fistful of papers and open check to another person at the counter. I told her I also had a class in the morning session and could I leave my entry and come back in a bit to pick up my number. With a nod of the head from the receiving party, I was out the door and headed back to school my horse.

There's nothing like leaving things to the last minute to get one's blood pumping. I had sweat running down my face by the time I arrived at the stalls to retrieve my horse. Then Legs and I were headed off to the arena hoping it would be vacant enough for us to work on the hand gallop.

Sometimes schooling time in the arena can be pretty crazy. When horses are going two directions, someone is schooling a reiner and maybe a trainer giving a lesson or two it can be too congested for any kind of gallop. I knew my already hesitant horse would not move out if there was any kind of traffic. I really didn't want to attempt to hand gallop in a class if we didn't have a chance to work on it ahead of time. The last thing I wanted was to get my horse moving forward without having the opportunity to practice coming back from it in a manner suitable for a class. I sure didn't need Legs confused by anything having to do with the bridle at this point.

To be continued..................

Early Morning Schooling

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Life's Moving Along...............

If you've noticed the time of this post, you know I'm up in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. Not that it's ever a good thing to not be able to sleep, but it's even worse when I'm supposed to rise at 5:30 so I can head to the Daffodil All Arabian Summer Horse Show.

I didn't get home from the fairgrounds until somewhere around 10 and I only stayed up long enough to unwind from the drive home. Something woke me around 2:30 and my brain hasn't stopped sense. Issues from the darn lawsuit are rolling around in my head in between those thoughts about my dear sweet Solidare.

It's easiest if I just don't go to the barn. If I don't have to see she's not there, my denial can kick in and it's just another day as usual. Funny how Mother Nature protects us in that way. Right now, I'm really glad I have some form of denial. I can get buried in the legal work and forget.

I can tell I'm off my game. I'm moved in at the horse show and supposed to show in the early morning session. My horse did get bathed but the only thing clipped is his ears. He did get schooled......but only briefly. Considering he hasn't been schooled this whole week, Legs was awesome. Considering we're supposed to show in the morning...........not so much.

Last week I began riding Legs in the bridle again. Have been schooling only in the snaffle most times. As usual when I put the bridle on the horse ran into a wall. It gets better each time but still even yesterday every little excuse to stop and the horse does. I hate how insecure he gets in that bridle.

Just goes to show how much damage one trainer can do in a very short time. It was eight years ago that trainer had Legs and he only rode him in the bridle for about three weeks and we're still dealing with it.

I didn't make it to the office before it close. That means my horse isn't even entered yet. Hopefully the office staff will be understanding about my late entry.

I'm stabled with a whole group of my friends. One of them got really bad news about their horse this week and is facing the same kind of decision I had to make with Solidare. Another lost her very special mare just a few months ago. There's some comfort in that as we tip toe around together trying to act normal when normal is the last thing we feel.

It's a good group. Most have similar values about how to treat horses and how to train them. I'm really glad I have them to hang with. I think it will be a good distraction.

I'm going to show Legs in the open western.........well, that is, if the office will accept my last minute entry. It's class number 19. I'm planning on being at the fairgrounds at 6 so I can school Legs since we didn't work on the hand gallop yesterday.

We did lots of galloping at the C-Fair Charity Horse Show trying to work through those issues in the bridle. Legs loves to gallop so that always helps build his confidence once I can convince him it's ok to even move through the bridle. But when I say "gallop" that's exactly what I mean. We GALLOPED! no silly little hand gallop. Legs will need the opportunity to know I'm now asking for the scaled down version for his class. It's a good thing he's such a bright horse. I sure do test him sometimes.

Wish us luck!

Getting Started

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Update on Solidare's Foal

Knowing that the day Solidare might be leaving us, I had decided to turn Dare out with Solidare and her foal. Over the weeks a relationship has developed between the colt and his sister that I hoped would be comforting to him if the day did arise he lost his mother.

Many times I've seen the colt off out of Solidare's reach up to mischief. Solidare would call out to him to return to her side, or cease whatever trouble he was doing, and often times the colt would ignore that request.

Whenever that happened, Dare would take over the role of mother and go to retrieve the disobedient colt. All the way back to Solidare's side Dare would scold the bratty colt making sure he understood ignoring his mother is not allowed.

The bond that has developed between the two through these interactions is now getting the colt through this tough time. Dare lives in the stall right next to where this colt was born and still inhabits. Dare's stall opens right into a small paddock that borders that stall so she can visit the colt whenever he needs comfort.

Most of the time we go to check on him, Dare can be seen right there hanging her head over the stall wall. Right next to her on the other side of the wall is the colt now sticking as close to Dare as he can get.

The only time she leaves the colt's side is to eat. He cries as she goes but as soon as he gets his own food he goes right to work on his meal and is good. With this arrangement there has been very little crying on his part. I wish I could say the same for me but I know that's unreasonable. Still I'm happy to see that we've managed to keep the stress level down for the colt.

I haven't tried turning him out yet because I don't want to take the chance he might be silly and try taking a fence trying to track down his absent mother. That's usually been the case when any of Solidare's foals have been weaned and while I know these circumstances are different, I just don't want to take the risk.

I suspect when I so turn the two out together the colt will probably try to nurse. I wouldn't be surprised for Dare to allow that, Solidare always did. It was so funny to see the looks from foals when there was no milk. I'll keep you apprised of how this develops.

I tried to take pictures of him nuzzling on Dare. As soon as I entered the stall with the camera, the little varmint came over to investigate and I couldn't get the light right or anything but the very end of his muzzle. Will have to try again when I can get some help.

Thanks so much everyone for your kind thoughts, they have really helped in this tough time.

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Heartbreak in the Road

There are not enough words to express what I feel in my heart. I must do the telling the only way it will come out. I cannot see through the tears to write unless I become the reporter instead of the grieving owner............even then there just are not words to honor this mare..............

The exquisite Arabian mare, Solidare, breathed her last breath as she was humanely euthanized this afternoon. I knew this day was coming but I was not prepared for it. At twenty years of age it was reasonable to expect that there was more life left ahead for Solidare. It just turned out not to be the case. There just is no way to prepare for such loss.

As my heart breaks for her I know I did the right thing by breeding the mare last year. Her last days on this earth were filled with joy as she doted over her foal. Despite being extremely crippled with arthritis complicated by a torn tendon in her left hock, the new life of the foal brought happiness to Solidare and filled her up. The mare was in heaven being a mother again. Her eyes twinkled and her heart danced. There was no doubt about that. Anyone who saw the crippled mare saw the joy she carried in her heart as she tended to her foal.

Sometimes it even looked like Solidare might rally and maybe make it through another winter. I wanted to give her that time if it was good for her. Those moments were only fleeting, however. It became more and more obvious each day that Solidare was never going to admit she'd had enough. The mare had such great heart she was never going to give up on life no matter what it threw her way. She wanted to live even if she would never be whole again.

New challenges presented themselves and it was clear that I must make the decision. There was not going to be "that look" in her eye that said Solidare was ready to quit. Even with a rub developing on her right side from her struggles to rise, Solidare was undaunted. She snaked her neck at me and shook her head because I was fussing over the wound when she wanted to be out grazing with her son.

The final straw, a dislocated left fetlock that the mare still walked on without wincing.............anything to keep up with the colt she adored. She tried to out race me to the gate with the colt at her side so she could escape into the yard to teach him how to eat my pansies. The mare just would not give up no matter what.

There was no difference in her stride even with the dislocated fetlock. We suspect the bone missing from that spot actually relieved some of the pressure in the joint making it a little more comfortable, a little less painful. Still, the injury made getting up and down all the more difficult but Solidare was not complaining. All she wanted was another day to spend with her baby.

I gave her all I could but today, it was time. The colt may not be the normal age I like to wean but he is old enough to survive safely. It would be such a shame to lose him too. The mare was willing to make the sacrifice for him. I had to give her that despite my breaking heart watching her decline.

I will never forget her calls of distress as we separated from her foal this afternoon. Nor her calls at the vet because the colt was not there. It is the only complaint I have ever heard from this mare when I have dared to separate her from her foals for any reason. The mare would do anything for her babies and to be with them. They were her life. My heart ached for her that she must feel that heartbreak even for those few minutes. I wish I could have spared her that discomfort. Oh, how I wish I had the power to save her. I would gladly have given my life for hers.

I cannot help but think about how Solidare came to be mine. I went to check out the mares of another breeder here looking for a replacement for Scandalous within my herd. There were twenty something mares in that 40 acre field, all running together, bossing and shoving and putting on a show. Solidare was there flagging her tail and showing off before she came up close to check me out.

Solidare chose me that first day I met her. I don't know why she came to that decision, just that she did. The mare stole my heart as she ran off any mare who tried to get anywhere near me. I will always remember the swell of pride that welled up in my heart as I realized this beautiful Arabian mare wanted me to be her special person. I have always felt humbled by that gift and her presence in my life.

I cannot imagine a day without Solidare. My heart breaks that same nagging way it did when Scandalous died and my dear sweet Image. I have never recovered from the losses of either horse............and I will never recover from the loss of Solidare. These are the very special horses from which dreams are made.

Solidare carried my dream broadly, squarely and poetically. Her foals are magnificent Arabian horses, each special and unique and exquisite like their mother. They have their mother's sweet disposition and fierce abiding love for their people, not to mention that great magnificent heart. This mare deserves all the tears I have to shed for her and so much more. I will never forget Solidare. Her image is forever etched in my mind.

Goodbye.........Sweet Mare.....................Goodbye.................

Finally Home..........and a bit of Recuperating......

It was a long week at the C-Fair Charity Horse Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The horse show is over and we survived without having record setting temperatures. That part's great but it still seemed to be one long, even sometimes odd from the perspective of a show manager, horse show.

For some reason I ended up plagued by blisters on my right foot. Even though I'd taken along the very same assortment of foot wear I'd taken to the last three horse shows I managed, things just didn't work out as they had in the past.

While my feet usually get very tired, I have not had any problem with blisters before now. All attempts to stave off the problem were fruitless including using New Skin for additional protection. I ended up with open bleeding sores that are quite painful.

For the next few days I will be sitting with my feet up and babying that right foot as much as possible. You can bet I won't be wearing any kind of shoes until I absolutely have to. It's slippers only for me until the wounds heal enough to not cause pain when I try to walk in shoes.

I seem to be in one of those fogs that's typical for me when I'm over tired. I'll be posting specifics on the show once my brain has had time to clear. It's nothing like it was when I got back from nationals but a fog nonetheless.

Legs, however, seems to be none the worse for wear. When the chiropractor came today to fix the rotation in his lumbar region, the horse was far more interested in keeping track of mares than he was in standing still for the poor chiropractor.

We did get the job done even though Legs was not particularly cooperative so I'm thinking if my foot is healed I might try to show him at the Daffodil All Arabian Summer Show this coming weekend. Since I didn't do either regional show this year, it would be nice to get at least one more chance in the show ring before the summer is over.

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The Mule Skinner........but HOW Personal..........

Part 1

Legs is a good boy...........but he is a stallion, a stallion with a pretty darn strong libido. Breeding is his favorite activity. While his manners are pretty darn good, I couldn't risk him getting up close and personal with this molly.

I moved my hand up to block Legs from reaching back towards the mule. The look in his eye had changed ever so slightly and he was considering there might just be new possibilities in the day's activities. When the horse saw me hand, Legs immediately knew he'd been wrong about that thought. The stallion instantly backed away from the approaching molly.

The mule didn't like my hand coming up that close to her face. Her eye changed to from that look of "Hey! Baby, Baby!" as my friend, Bev, would say to one of "I'm getting the h*ll outta here!" The mule whirled around again and fled.

The mule skinner was still walking slowly in our direction. His body language didn't say anything about trying to control the mule's movements or line of travel. Still just his presence there turned this mule one more time. Then she stopped and looked at Legs and me for just a bit.

I could see her vacillating between coming to Legs again and fleeing to preserve her freedom. I think she knew if she approached Legs again her freedom would probably be lost. As the mule skinner finally got somewhere close, the mule whirled around again and raced off down the hill.

I heard the mule skinner say, "That's it............be a good girl.........go jump in your trailer......" I can't even tell you how disgusted I was at his naivete. This mule had nearly ended up on the killingest highway in the state and he was talking baby talk and expecting a response.

I'd seen this kind of mannerisms once before and I can tell you that person had no control over his horses. I suspected I was looking at the very same situation with this man. As I watched the mule run past her stock trailer on down into the back recesses of the park, all I could think was at least there wasn't a way out back there.

The mule skinner turned to follow her mumbling something about the latch on the gate at the far end of the small arena being broken. Before he went down the hill after the molly, he talked to some men now by the maintenance shop asking them if they worked there. Then he told them about his mules getting loose because of that gate before he went on down to catch the jenny.

As the mule skinner departed he waved his hand in the air my direction saying "oh ya.............thanks for your time........"

I remember thinking, "TIME, you're thanking me for my time....... fella, I just saved you ass...................." It looked to me like he had no idea what he'd been saved from. I felt sorry for those mules.

The mule skinner followed that jenny down into the back part of the park. By now there was no sight of her from my position. I went back to the arena to finish schooling my horse. I could see the other mule was now tied to the stock trailer. Before I got done schooling Legs the mule skinner was back in the small arena trying to drive mules and having them get loose and the maintenance guys were working on the gate.

This was an adventure I was glad to see over. I'm really glad that no one got hurt and I'm really proud of my horse. Legs did absolutely everything I asked of him and probably more. We were a great team and I still can't believe I asked him to herd mules..........of all things. I'm really glad neither of them brayed at him. Can you imagine what might have happened then.................

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The Mule Skinner.............Up Close and Personal.....

Part 1


The mule's ears darted back and forth between Legs and me as I ever so carefully reached my hand towards the loop on that halter. It was clear it didn't really know what to think. Who was the bigger threat.........or maybe who was more interesting........who knows for sure.

My mind raced with what I would do "if." What if I grabbed that loop and the mule tried to race off before I got the rein snapped to it? What if I did catch the mule and it just stood there? Would I try and lead it back to its trailer or would I stand there waiting for some kind of help? What if.................

As I got within a literal inch of the lope, the mule answered my many questions. It wheeled around and took off kicking out with both hind feet. I guess that attitude makes sense if you're an equine bent on having things your way. For me it just meant this wasn't over and what was coming next.

Well, as it went, the mule skinner was next on the agenda. As the mule raced away from me, the man materialized at the brink of the hill. The mule put on her brakes (Yes, by now I could tell I was dealing with a jenny) and turned back my direction.

I've never been one to get on a horse quickly or gracefully for that matter. Jumping on my horse to herd this mule was out of the question at this point. Instead I tried to herd her on the ground with Legs in tow.

Now this isn't something I would recommend. Trying to herd one horse while you're on foot leading another can really complicate things. As it was, Legs was paying such close attention to me that, most of the time, it was like he wasn't even there. He mirrored my actions and stayed pretty much out of my way. Not once did the horse stall or get ahead of me.

With the jenny now heading back our direction, I raised my hands up to form a barrier. As I raised my hands Legs moved off away from me side passing to the right, making the barrier even wider.

The mule looked at us and then looked around her for a means of escape. There were several cars parked off to our right and there were gaps between them wide enough to be a good escape route. The jenny turned to split between a couple of cars as I ducked around the front of the cars to cut her off.

Legs backed away from me never putting the slightest amount of pressure on the rein. The horse just moved enough out of my path to give me room to get where I needed. As I reached the midpoint of the first car, I threw my hand out towards the front of it. The movement was enough to cause a visual barrier for the mule and she turned back heading towards the asphalt roadway.

By now the mule skinner was talking to the jenny. "Hey! baby, go back to the trailer." is what I heard. I remember thinking we were in big trouble if he thought that was going to capture this mule. She didn't want anything to do with cooperation or getting caught.

Again the mule turned his direction. Just the sound of his voice was enough to turn her back mine. The mule was intently looking at Legs. I began to suspect that maybe, just maybe, this jenny was in heat.

If that was the case, Legs showed no signs of it. The stallion was clearly rolling my lead at each step. He was not thinking about breeding. He was thinking about this fun new game mom was playing.

The jenny actually took a few steps my direction. Then she took a couple me. Then she got close enough she tried to reach out and smell Legs.

To be continued............

But HOW Personal

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The Mule Skinner.......an Intervention.............

Part 1

As we headed around the arena I looked to see where the mules were. They were now on the hill but travelling at a medium trot. Legs and I travelling at a gallop were definitely out distancing them.

Just at the top of the hill, the roadway turns from gravel into asphalt. I worried about Legs sliding on that slick surface so I slowed him up before we actually hit the asphalt surface. The distance from that point to an interception of the mules was no more than a couple of horse lengths. Bringing Legs down to a trot would give us ample time to cut the two mules off.

It wasn't until this moment I wondered what my horse might think of the mules. To my knowledge the horse has never seen a mule before and I didn't know what he'd think of them running straight at him. Even as these thoughts ran through my head I moved Legs on up into the position to block the mules escape. Legs didn't falter. The horse did exactly as I asked.

The lead mule immediately put on the brakes when it saw Legs. The mule bringing up the rear turned around and headed back the direction it had come. The front mule just stood there looking for a moment. The mule's nostrils were flaring in the same manner I see stallions, and sometimes even mares check, out new arrivals. This mule was trying to determine if Legs was friend or foe.

My horse didn't seem to be rattled by any of this. Galloping out of the arena and through the parking lot is not something we've ever even come close to doing, let alone trying to herd any kind of animals. Legs did exactly as I asked and seemed to be paying particular attention to my requests. Not trusting him never crossed my mind. I figured I could do what ever I needed to get this situation under control.

There was still no sign of the mule skinner. Glancing around this area of the park, looking for someone who might be able to help. I didn't see anyone at all. I looked down a little farther to the park maintenance shop and there was no one there either. Legs and I were the only things in between Meridian with its horrendous traffic and this mule.

With the mule just standing there looking at us, I decided I would try to approach on foot. I figured if I tried to get closer with me in the saddle, I would probably drive the mule away. Legs and I would be "smaller" and less threatening with me on the ground. I wanted to get close enough to grab the end of the rope halter I could see exposed from underneath the bridle. I figured if I could do that, I would be home free.

Slowly I dismounted from Legs keeping my eyes on the mule the whole time. The mule just stood there watching intently. I could see tension in its body but that tension seemed to be stabilized. I continued watching to see if my actions were upping the pressure in any way.

The mule paid close attention to my actions but didn't move a hoof. Once off Legs I unsnapped the rein from the offside of his bridle. I figured if I could catch the mule, I could use the rein as a lead. That was the plan anyway.

I slowly edged forward towards the mule. I could see the mule's tension mounting but not enough for it to move. I watched closely to be sure I wasn't adding so much pressure the mule would spin around to leave. Legs followed my lead each step of the way.

I was really aware this mule was paying as much attention to Legs as it was to me. I figured that was probably a good sign. If the mule's attention was split between the two of us I might have a better chance of getting close enough to actually catch it.

The whole time I was approaching the mule I was trying to monitor what was going on behind it as well. I didn't want someone to walk onto this scene and affect what I was trying to accomplish.

Legs and I got to within an arm's length of the mule when I decided I should stop. Walking up any closer with a stallion in my other hand didn't seem like the right thing to do. Any further movement was going to have to be just from me. I reached out slowly with my left hand trying to get that lope on the rope halter.

To be continued...................

Up Close and Personal

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More Characters at the Park.........The Mule Skinner.....the Escape

Part 1

I learned a long time ago I really need to pay attention to that voice that tells me something is going to happen. Not often do I come out the other side to find that voice was wrong.

On this particular day, the voice was NOT wrong. Something startled me out of deep concentration. I don't know if it was a sound, some kind of motion or what. All I know is I looked up to see the two mules running free outside the little arena. They were on the far side making a beeline past the barns moving up the hill headed straight for the entrance to the park............and Meridian.

Last time I saw an official report Meridian was considered to be the most dangerous highway in the state, followed by the mountain highway, which just happens to be in my neighborhood too. It was getting close to noon time and traffic on the road is always heavy at that time of day.

I live right off of Meridian and have nightmares about the thought of a horse getting loose on that road. It happens sometimes and it rarely turns out well. Looking at these two mules heading in that direction made my heart race and my brain buzz. Those mules needed to be stopped before they got to the road.

The thought of these two mules running straight out of the park and into the busy Meridian traffic was appalling. I looked behind them for the mule skinner and saw no signs of him. Then I looked towards the road to see if there was anyone in the path of these mules that might be able to stop them. Unfortunately there was no one anywhere in that area.

Even if there had been people, the odds there might have been someone who understood the importance of stopping the mules, let alone having the skill to stop them, wasn't really good. At this point in time there was nothing or no one to prevent the mules from running out into the heavy traffic of Meridian.

I didn't even think twice about what I was going to do. I just went into a "fix it" mode and jumped into action with little thought about what I might be getting myself or my horse into.

I immediately turned my horse around and galloped him off towards the closest arena gate. Luckily the gate was open wide enough Legs and I could fit through easily without having to stop or slow down. Then I galloped Legs around the end of the arena and on up the hill towards the path the mules were travelling.

To be continued.......................

An Intervention

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More Characters at the Park.........The Mule Skinner

I never know what kind of equines I'm going to encounter at the park. Some days I get in and out of there seeing nary a soul. Other days it's a zoo with all shapes, sizes and colors of horses and riders. Some times there are already people working when I arrive and other times I start off by myself only to end up with a dozen horses still working when I leave.

One morning shortly after my backyard guests had moved in, I arrived at the park to see a lone truck parked in my usual spot right up close to the smaller warm-up pen. The trailer was an older stock type trailer and I could see critters inside. The truck's driver was still sitting behind the wheel so I didn't really now whether he was coming or going.

Still I went around and parked my rig on the opposite side of the parking lot. I wanted to utilize the perimeter fence as a barrier behind my horse since I couldn't park by the warm-up. It's not that Legs does anything naughty while tied to the horse trailer. It's just that I think making it a habit to use barriers is good since I mostly school young inexperienced horses.

I got out of my truck and the driver in the other rig was still just sitting there. I wondered what might be the reason but still kept myself on task. I unlocked my tack room, hung a bungee tie for Legs and put on my riding boots before getting Legs from the trailer.

By the time I was finished and led my horse out from behind the horse trailer, I could see two large mules tied to the stock trailer. They were already tacked up with some kind of pack rig, I believe. The man with them was doing something with one of the mules still tied to his trailer.

As I got closer to the arena with Legs, the man untied one of the mules heading for the smaller arena. I was curious about the type of rigging the mule was wearing but didn't really get close enough to even describe it other than it was on the body of the mule and looked like it went clear around it's backside. I did see the mule was wearing a bridle over a rope halter and it looked like the man had driving lines.

I took Legs over to our usual "mounting rock." I lined the horse up with the huge boulder before I stepped onto it. Then just as I went to step in place, Legs decided to turn to get a better look at that mule. A little swift discipline and Legs assumed the correct position and I climbed on board. We headed for the far end of the arena to go to work.

Throughout our warm-up I caught glimpses of the mule and the man working in the smaller arena. More than once I saw a mule running loose dragging those lines behind but I didn't really pay enough attention to be able to tell you what he was trying to accomplish with those mules nor do I know how they were managing to get loose.

I did see enough to think this was a wreck just waiting to happen. I wasn't sure what kind of a wreck but it did seem to me that this man didn't know all that much about what he was trying to do. As much as I tried to keep my focus on schooling my horse in the back of my mind was this nagging thought I needed to be on alert.

To be continued................

The Escape

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A Little on Weather, Horse Shows and What's Next

I can't believe it is August already but it is. It seems like only a couple of weeks ago that the summer weather arrived. Even at that it has been touch and go with the temperatures. While we haven't seen rain in a while, the cool marine air brings fog overnight. The sun seems to take most of the day to burn it off. The end result is temperatures closer to those we'd expect in May instead of early August.

I'm not going to complain about this weather. It actually makes the temperatures more tolerable for me. I do not do heat well so temps in the high 60s to low 70s are perfect for me and working horses. Too bad I'm not working horses except for Legs. This kind of summer I should be getting lots of riding time in. Instead I have been stuck at the computer working on lawsuit junk.

I am going to get a break from that this week, however. That break includes more appreciation for the current weather. I leave tomorrow for the C-Fair Charity Horse Show at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe.

I can't see if I actually posted about last year's show, we had record breaking temperatures most of that week and it was a show manager's nightmare. I played with the schedule moving the first two sessions to earlier and made the night session later so that we didn't have horses showing in the hottest part of the day.

Everything worked out ok and we didn't have anyone collapse in the heat and no horses coliced. I'm glad of that but just thinking about this year's show makes me tense. It was a lot to worry about.

I've learned as a horse show manager that ever show has its issue. That's just the way it is. You never know ahead of time what it might be but there will most certainly be one.

This year stabling has been a nightmare. I've made more changes in the last two days to my stall assignments than I made for all three other shows I've managed for this Morgan club combined. I'm hoping that stabling is my issue for this show and that it'll be over with by the time the actual show begins.

I'll be leaving here at 8 in the morning tomorrow. I've scheduled a series of blog posts for while I'm gone that will reflect some other characters I've met while schooling at the park so my readers shouldn't miss out while I'm gone. It'll be interesting to see what you all think about the mule skinner.

Wish me luck....................and I'll see you sometime next weekend with a new story to tell. Hopefully there will be no kids climbing on manure piles hunting for lost thongs..........or weird boyfriends of vendors stalking horses................


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