lazy, lazy, lazy bones

Yesterday evening Hubby and I were headed out to look at a place that just came on the market. (more on that later). He told me he had just gotten off the phone with his grandma who is so graciously watching out for Pinecone. He told me he had a funny story about Piney. I asked “what did he do?!?” and he said “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” I then asked then why is that a funny story? He rarely does anything! Apparently hubby’s cousin and his girlfriend went out to ride that day we left. They tacked up piney and he was great but when his girlfriend got on, he wouldn’t move. At all. Piney just stood there. They tried everything to get him going, hubby’s cousin even hopped on and couldn’t get him moving. They tried for about half an hour before they eventually gave up. That’s my boy, the world’s laziest thoroughbred!


I think it’s hilarious actually. A lot of people are scared of riding Thoroughbreds. They have the reputation of being hot, taking off at high rates of speeds and being difficult to ride. Then there is Pine Bend. He is only hot when the weather is hot out and that is temperature wise, not temperament wise. The only time I’ve seen him take off at a high rate of speed was when he was being particularly full of himself one spring and started walking off as I mounted and his foot got trapped in the mounting stool which scared the crap out of him. He took off at a gallop which lasted about 2 strides then he halted, at “X”. It was the first and last time he has ever walked off as I mounted. How he made it as a race horse for 4 years…I will never know. I will, however, be the first to admit he is difficult to ride. The first time I rode him was amazing and easy. The second time I rode him I was in tears because he wouldn’t move. It was then that I was introduced to riding with a dressage whip. I’ve since learned how to push his buttons and get him moving. Maybe he is just a one person horse. He was being used for lessons by beginners but it was when he was being ridden or worked 6 days a week. Little kids ride him but its only when I’m leading him, or he is following me. But Piney not moving is the kind of difficult thoroughbred I’d like to own. I’d rather have one that stands still than one that can’t stand still!!

We are headed up north to see the Coneman on Friday afternoon. Well actually we are headed up north to spend the long weekend with hubby’s family. But seeing Piney is an added bonus! I’m excited to get some riding in. Hopefully I can get on that lazy horse of mine and get him moving. Hubby’s little 4 year old cousin also has a new helmet and is excited for some more "riding lessons" from me.

Since the house buying trama we have started looking at other properties a bit more seriously. One came on the market this last week and we went and checked out the property a little bit. It is 2 miles from my old barn! I’d driven past the place hundreds of times and was always curious about it. it’s got a real long tree lined driveway but the property is pretty wooded. We’d have to do a lot of clearing to get some pastures/paddocks put up. My main concern is the overland flooding that occours in the area every year. If memory serves me correct the entire property is usually underwater in the spring. But then again I could be wrong. The house looks like it is built up a bit. Who knows we will probably look at it a bit closer in the near future. It would be great location for piney because if the girls from the barn were headed to a show we could just hop on in with them and catch a ride! Plus if I had any concerns about any bumps or scrapes my monster go I could call the owner of the barn/my riding instructor and have her stop out and check for me before I freaked out and called the vet.

The other property we have been looking at is still not on the market but expected to be listed next week. We drove out there and they have majorly cleaned it up. All the garbage has been hauled out of there and the house cleaned up a bit. I think the property is adorable. And I think that the house could be really cute with some TLC and some money. But hubby doesn’t think that the house is worth saving. We will just have to wait and see. But it doesn’t look like the horses are coming home any time in the near future. Sad. But absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in time we will have our little homestead set up!

I NEED one of these!!

Thought i posted this yesterday some how it was saved as a draft instead

I stumbled upon an amazing little website today called OTTB Designs. They sell saddle pads with an adorable little OTTB design on it.
Their motto is:

"Promoting Ex-Racers as Sport and Pleasure Horses"

(Love it!)

"Take pride in your horse's past, while training for his future"

(ABSOLUTELY love it)

$5 from the sale of each pad is donated to which ever thoroughbred charity you choose. How great is that??

 I want need one of these pads!!!

I'll take one in each color please!

I am in love with these! They would look so fancy on my boy! PLUS I'd be advertising to the world that he is an OTTB!

I might die if I don't get one of these...lol

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this design!!

Yuck yuck yuck...

I may or may not have thrown up all over my keyboard when reading this article...Who comes up with this?? I'm still sick at the thought...

*Barf*

WTF?!?…Seriously WTF?!?

WTF is wrong with people in this world? I was reading an article that i had found on a link on CNN.com about a bear attacking a horse, which was a really scary thought, when I saw a link on the side of it to this Another horse sexually abused in Suffolk. My first thought was ANOTHER horse? Apparently someone is going around raping horses with blunt objects. It made me sick to my stomach. Here is the link to the origional report Suffolk investigators searching for suspects that sexually abused a horse but seriously WTF is wrong with people that would make them do that?

Parti Pooper

Introducing Parti Pooper

Pooper, as she is affectionately called, is a 4 year old parti colored American cocker spaniel. She is smaller than breed standards but I think she is perfect sized! Her markings are absolutely fabulous and was exactly what I was looking for when I got her. One of my favorite things about her is her “eyebrows”. I also love how she has this dopey little run. When she runs she has her mouth open, head down low and her ears flopping. It is adorable. My brother once compared her to a shark. Sharks have to keep swimming or they will die, Pooper needs to wag her tail or she will die. It is constantly moving. The darling dog does have a “licker” problem. She can’t control it. If you hold her away from you she will lick the air around your face. And if she can she will lick any exposed skin you may have. She is a very happy dog and looking at her you can’t help but laugh.

Pooper was originally named “Piper” but that name just wouldn’t stick. I couldn’t call her that she was in fact a little pooper! I once called a new groomer to get an appointment for her and I said her name the groomer asked “is that with a ‘C’ or a ‘K’?” When I said P she burst out laughing and told me that it made her day to have a dog named Pooper coming in. I’d be lying if I said she was a good puppy. She was as my mom called her “the dog from hell”. She ate shoes, and cords, and furniture, and fingers, and hair, and pillows. Once I caught her with a $20 bill in her mouth. I have no idea where she got it, or how, but when I went to retrieve it she bit me. I’d let her sleep in bed with me (awful I know) but I had to hide my head under the covers until she fell asleep or she would chew my hair and lick my face off.

"Oh Hello there!"

"I'm wagging my tail!"

She’s gotten better as she got older though! I was nervous for a while! When hubby is away I let the dogs sleep in bed with me. Pooper has to sleep touching me. she also likes to sleep up on the pillows. Usually when I wake up I have a “Pooper” hat and she is curled around my head with her chin on my forehead. Pooper is Tuckers best friend. They play all the time. It’s good for him to get some of that terror energy out and it’s good for Pooper to have someone to play with. AND is great for Diesel to be left alone. (He doesn’t like dogs). I think Pooper is a great dog, I think all my dogs are great. I know everyone may not think they are great but I do. Pooper needs her person to reassure her that everything will be ok. She can get a bit nervous, and whiney sometimes but that’s one of the things I love about her.

A 3 week old Pooper (picture from her breeders)

"Exploring the farm is fun!"

"Me and my funny looking brother, are going to the lakes!"

Turbo Diesel Dually

Since I introduced Tucker yesterday I thought I would introduce the next two in my little domestic wolf pack over the next two days.

Introducing Turbo Diesel Dually!

Hi! I'm Diesel! But my mom calls me "Punx" or "D-Bear" or "Baby Bear"

I love all seasons! especially winter!

Diesel is a five year old American Cocker Spaniel. I just think Cockers are the cutest dogs ever! When they look up at you with their big brown eyes you want to give them all the milk bones you have as well as all the steaks and meat in the fridge. They are fun little dogs too. They aren’t too big and they aren’t too small where you feel like you are going to crush them if you play a little rough. Being the smallest of the hunting breed they are dogs that LOVE being out in the great wide open. He really comes alive when he’s allowed to stretch his legs and hunt down some new smells. Once when we lived on the farm he tracked down half of a rabbit carcuss and was very dissapointed that I wouldn't let him in the house with it. I'd also find him daily sitting under a telephone wire barking at a bird perched on it.

Diesel is the only dog I have ever met that cannot swim. It’s not that he doesn’t like to swim or hates water…he just cannot swim. We’ve rescued him numerous times when he’s gotten too deep and risked drowning which is tough to do because you are laughing so hard at his pathetic attempt at swimming. When my mom was watching him one weekend last summer, she had to go up to her neck fully clothed because Diesel decided to go for a 7 am swim. We have to keep an eye on him because he just loves to be in the water. We bought him a life jacket so that he can swim and not risk drowning.

"I can't swim, but I sure love the water!"

Diesel also loves cats. He thinks they are the greatest things ever. One of his earliest playmates was a cat that thought he was in fact a dog. (Or maybe Diesel thinks he is a cat…hmmm) They would play all day. He now thinks that whenever he sees a cat they will play with him like his buddy did. Poor little fellow has had his nose scratched once or twice and he’s been hissed at more times than I can count. Diesel also loves his "fishies". I have an aquarium and he will sit there for hours watching them, licking the glass, panting heavily on the glass, banging his paws on the glass, or just sitting on the couch near them guarding them. He has a love hate with his "sucky" fish that cleans the tank. when it's on the sides of the tank he'll lick the glass. it's very weird to see.

"Listen here YOU!"

"YIKES!!! I'm sorry!"

Diesel is a really good boy. He also knows alot of tricks. His best trick is his sad cocker spaniel face. that gets him hugs and treats galore. I love him to bits and peices and can't wait until he has his own farm to run around again. I can tell he misses his farm dog lifestyle and we are working on getting it for him!

Baby Turbo Diesel Dually

Me and my best boy Diesel

"I'm happiest on a farm, where I can play all day!"

Boston Terror

For those of you who haven’t met Tucker, here he is.

Tucker is an 11 month old Boston terrier puppy, or as I call him a Boston “Terror”. Having grown up with a cocker spaniel, and then going on to own two cocker spaniels in my adult hood, I have very little experience with any breed of terrier. I knew that Bostons were a high energy breeds but little did I know how much energy they have. The only time Tucker is not a handful is when it’s time for bed and time for him to go into his kennel. He becomes dead weight and is a total snuggle bear, making you feel extremely guilty for putting him in his bed. Boston’s aren’t for everyone. They can be smelly, and their farts can clear the room. I only acquired this knowledge as we were driving home from the breeders with our new Boston terrier puppy when he let one rip. But he is a pretty funny little dog with tons of personality. If he does something bad, it is usually immediately followed by something hilarious, which makes you forget what he did. When he was younger I’d often find him standing on the coffee table staring at me like I was the one doing something wrong.




 

"Tucker! Just let me take your picture!"



"Tucker! No sleeping on the couch at Grandma's!"



There is nothing that scares him. He boldly defends his family from the vacuum cleaner , and tries to scare off the weed whacker by darting 6 feet in front of it then running as fast as he can back and forth past it. He also makes sure that all the stuffed, foxes, ducks, rabbits, and teddy bears in the house have their stuffing removed so that they don’t come alive and attack our family. We’ve only met one thing that has ever scared the living daylights out of him, and rightfully so. Last weekend when we were at the farm Tucker being his brave trail blazing self was going to lead us through the smaller of the two paddocks out to the horses. He is quite the trail blazer, he likes to make sure it is safe for his family to continue. Plus he wants to mark his territory to let others know, he owns that farm. The little trailblazer was marching happily on his way as hubby and I were negotiating our way through ankle deep mud and muck when we heard a loud “YELP” followed by some little yelps and a Boston terrier who no longer wanted to head onwards. His little ears were pinned back and he was positive certain death was ahead. It seems little Tucker pants landed on top of a strand of electric fence. His little life most certainly flashing before his eyes as he fried the bejeepers out of himself. Thankfully he seems completely un harmed but a little humbled by his experience.

This is sort of what Tucker looked like after he got zapped, but he had a more worried look in his eye

We put him on his leash and tried to get him to go further but he was done. He wanted nothing to do with horses, or mud or zappy fences. He wanted to go home and go into his nice safe bed….after he found a big mud puddle to play in of course. He learned the hard way that electric fences are nothing to mess with.

He may be a handful, and he may be awful at times but I do love the little fella. He does have a big heart in that little body of his and can be awfuly cute most of the times. Tucker Pants is just trying to be a good boy.

Weekend review and pictures!

I am home and still aching all over. I feel like I was dropped off a building. it's amazing how sore you can get from riding when you take a break. I have been going to zumba and recover from that quicker than I have from riding!
I am still super happy that the weekend turned out the way it did. Friday was just a bad day and the more I think about it, I got overly emotional. Hubby brought up a good point that maybe Piney thought when I dropped him off a few months ago he thought I was leaving him and never coming back for him. After I re bonded with him on Saturday he was back to his old clingy self, following me around the pasture, and watching my every move. He may have been going through a bit of a depression since I left him. Kind of makes sense really. There were just alot of factors into Friday being a bad day.

At first this was as close as he'd let me...and this was with my big zoom lens

Getting warmer...

Back to the cold shoulder or butt...

Last weekend we only took Tucker with us. My mom graciously invited Diesel and Pooper to go and stay at "camp grandma" for the weekend. She would have taken Tucker but he is a bit of a handful for most people. Actually he is a handful for all people. That Boston Terror energy that you gotta love! He had a blast with us. He was exhausted on the ride home though judging by the following pictures you can maybe see why. These were taken before he had a life changing moment where he learned what an electric fence was. He kept away from it the rest of the weekend. We also went on a nice long walk down the road. I love counrty roads!

FLYING!

TAKE OFF!

This was mostly the view I caught of him all weekend.



Rare picture of Tucker-pants standing still. He's build like a halter quarter horse!

 Sadly I didn't get any pictures of me riding. We did alot of it though! Two rides Saturday and then one Sunday morning before we headed to the lake. That pony of mine is sure a good boy. I swear he was an old ranch horse or trail horse and not a race horse. He took to riding the country roads like he'd done it his whole life. And the fact we put a 4 year old up on him amazed hubby's whole family. His grandma said a few times what a good horse he was and that he'd be a great childrens horse. Hubby's aunt even said that she might want to give him a try sometime (she's had some bad horse riding experiences and swore she'd never ride again). I just couldn't be prouder of my monster. Hubby's cousin even hopped on bareback and said he liked him, he has plans of bringing his girlfriend out to ride and letting her take Piney. I of course laid down the law and some rules about him though. Everyone was impressed that Piney just stood there ground tied when I was tacking up. Who ever taught him that...thank you! hahaha He makes me look like a really good trainer. The more I thought about it this weekend, if Piney had been for sale, instead of me lucking out and finding him, and getting him for FREE, I probably wouldn't be able to afford him. I know, I know the horse market sucks right now and horses are going for a song. But for a horse with his temperment I know I wouldn't have been able to afford him. He's exactly what I need in terms of temperment and ability. When it comes time to learn things, we learn them together. He's a very understanding horse. I just love him

"HI MOM! I thought you'd NEVER come back!"



a little bit country a little bit english. I love my blingy
browband!

But basically it was a great weekend. I'm glad I got to ride. and I'm glad we are going back in two weeks to do more riding. Piney is a bit ribby, and he's lost alot of his muscle tone. But what the heck can you expect? He is still at the bottom of the pecking order, and shows no signs of a hostile take over. I'm no too worried about him.Everyone has noticed that he doesn't interact much with the other horses. When the horses were all in the barn he would be standing outside by himself. He keeps a pretty far distance between himself and the others. What i've also noticed about him is that he doesn't get buddy sour but he does get barn sour. it's isn't really bad but I did notice it. He is just a guy that likes his person and doesn't really get attached to horses! I've always kind of noticed that about him. I wish everyone could have seen how he went on our rides. He acted like he'd been doing it his whole life. the other horses we went with were pretty good too. They don't get ridden much. Hubbys horse did great for only being ridden once in the last year. He did cop a bit of an attitude on Sunday morning but it was because he wanted to be with his buddies and not Piney. When we FINALLY get our own place I'm sure he will get ridden much more. This weekend made me super excited to get our place so we can ride more often. I worried that Piney wouldn't be much of a trail horse but he confirmed that he's an all around guy that will do it!

Redemption

Okay yesterday was totally redeemed today. The boys brought the horses up to the barn. I was nervous but told myself it would be ok. Piney was a bit nervous, but it was because I was.
He was a hag and covered in mud and bird poop. So I brushed as much as I could and tacked him up. He is taller than I remembered and I had trouble hopping up. But I made it. Once I was up there I remembered that he was the same horse he always was. He was awesome! It was his first long ride in a long time. We went through tall grass, water and battled mosquitos. We mostly stayed on the road though and stayed in the back of the group. He was great.
We rode for about 45 minutes, then came back and had lunch.
I put piney in the little pen beside the barn and After lunch and a little rest I came back and rode him bareback around the pen he was in. Then Hubby's four year old cousin came up and I helped her feed him treats. She started out behind the fence. Then she got braver and came inside the fence. We then convinced her to get up on Piney bareback. Hubby went to the barn and came back with a little pony saddle that actually we got to fit coneman. We then lead her around and she loved it. I think everyone was very impressed with how great he was with her. He is a good boy.
After awhile longer we tacked up and went for another little ride. He went well for a bit, but then decided he was done. I was done too so we called it a day.
I'm really glad that today went as well as it did. He is a good boy and I need to remember that. Yesterday  was just an all around bad day. When I get to a computer i'll post some pictures and a less cell phoney entry. I'm glad today went the way it did

Not the reunion I imagined

Well yesterday didn't go as planned. I went out to see my boy and...he wouldn't come near me. I tried to approach him and he kept moving away from me. I couldn't even touch him. Hubby thinks that it was a lot of things. The fact it was raining. The fact that he brought our Boston terrier with us. And the "boss" horse kept trying to kill our Boston to protect his herd. So all in all it was a bad day. I started crying on the walk home. I have no idea what riding today is going to be like, if we can even bring them up from pasture. It's pretty muddy.Urgh looks like its back to square one :-(

Today is the day!!

SOOOOOO EXCITED! Today after work we are headed up north to see Piney!!! It’s only been about 3 months, not like I’ve been missing him or anything. I think tonight is going to consist of a lot of grooming and treat giving. Hopefully he hasn’t totally forgotten me! I’m sure he looks like a hag. They’ve had a wet spring up north and apparently his winter coat isn’t shedding out as well as the others. I can’t wait to see my big red buddy!


This weekend will be a test for both him and I. We do not have the option of riding in an arena so it’s going to be all riding out in the open. I’m bringing my western saddle but part of me wants to bring my dressage saddle with my full seated breaches since they tend to work together as a glue and lock me in my saddle. I am just so darn excited! I can barely even think straight! I am going to bring my lunge line with just in case someone decided that he’s a wild horse now that he’s been living the good life of leisure. I hope he’s still the same sweet pony that I remember. When I first got him he was living as a wild man and he was the calmest horse I’d ever seen. Fingers crossed he’s still the same.

I hope everything goes well this weekend. Ever since Piney smashed me into the trailer last spring. (Totally a freak accident that was the result of many wrong place wrong time events!) Hubby hasn’t really trusted him. He thinks that Piney is a brainless and crazy monster. I really hope that we can show him that he is the same sweet boy that he’s always been. Piney and I really have come a long way in our partnership. I know he’s a good boy and that he is a very smart boy. He’s had a different life than ALL of the horses he’s been around since he’s moved here. So I am able to forgive him if he slips sometimes. I understand that sometimes he can get excited and nervous in new places, he was after all, a race horse. I understand that the concept of trail riding is going to be completely foreign to him. But its going to be part of his new life and I just know he’s going to adapt nicely, as he’s adapted to just about everything else I’ve introduced to him. To be honest I’m glad that he spent a few years on the track because he’s been around big scary tractors, and loud noises and they don’t seem to scare him. If he does “spook” it’s mostly a quick dance in place with a loud snort or a full body shudder, a snort then he continues on with his life. We were riding outside last year right next to a combine and grain truck harvesting a field about 100 feet away. He didn’t even notice or care about it. But this weekend will definitely be a test for the both of us. I need to remember to breath, and relax. I know this horse better than anyone. Hopefully I can get someone to snap some pictures of us. I don’t have many pictures of me riding. I’m always the one behind the camera!

But that is all for now. I will try to post pictures from my phone this weekend. But cell phone coverage is iffy up at the farm. Full updates when I get back though!

I can not WAIT to kiss this nose!!

Observations of the Dead Horse Guy

Mountain Horse had a link to this article on facebook. It's definately worth a read. It was eye opening and it really caught my attention. I would never be able to do that guys job...

bad dreams, and rainbows

I had a dream the other night that someone accidentally sold Piney, and when I found out who bought him they wouldn’t sell him back. I woke up super sad. My day was shot after that! I was moving stuff around in the garage earlier this week and when I moved his winter blanket I caught a huge whiff of Pinecone. I held that disgusting thing in my arms and just breathed in the smell of him. I’m sure many people would be grossed out by that, but I just miss him so darn much! My pickup sometimes smells like him too because I have all my tack loaded up and ready to go from when we were supposed to go see him, but got sandbagging instead. THIS weekend we are going to go visit him! The weather better be good!! I don’t even care if I don’t ride. I just want to spend some time with my boy. Apparently he is in real need of some grooming. His winter coat hasn’t shedded out like the rest of the horses. Piney has the worst winter coat and doesn’t shed out like a normal horse. I remember when I first got him he was so disgusting. He hadn’t been groomed in over two years so his coat was long and it took a long time to get rid of his winter coat. But the silky coat that was hidden underneath was totally worth it! I’ve never felt a coat like his before.


Last night after work, hubby and I drove around and looked at some of the flood houses that are for sale. I think currently, there are 5 that we know of that are loaded up and ready to be moved. They are strored a few different places. I had talked to the owner of the building moving company who bought the houses and is selling them. When I was talking to him they were just setting down a house at its temporary location. So that was the first one we went out to look at. I didn’t go in there but I peeked in and it had a BEAUTIFUL updated kitchen! And it smelled new so it was probably recently updated before it was bought out.

House up on blocks on old sugarbeet piling sight.

 The next house was at the same location. The house was adorable. It was small but absolutely adorable. It was three bedroom one bath. Not recently updated at all and it smelled like overpowering air freshener, or carpet cleaner or something. I LOVED the oven! And I loved that it had cute green shutters and fluffy white valances in the windows that completed the cutsie look to it. However cute isn’t going to cut it as a place I want to live for a while.

LOVED this oven. It was the
centerpeice of the whole kitchen!



This house was adorable. Absolutely adorable!



Is this our new home???



We saw a HUGE double rainbow
driving around the country.
I wish I was able to capture the whole
rainbow.It was brighter than I've ever seen a rainbow.

ANOTHER amazing oven!!!

We then drove over to where the rest of the houses were located. There were three there and I’d seen the pictures of the interiors of them online. And the owner of them told me that they wanted to get them moved so we should take a look and make him an offer, if we find one we are interested in. I wasn’t impressed with the first two, but the third one was amazing! It was 60’s/70’s design and had very little updates. I fell in love with the tacky light fixtures, and the 60’s bathrooms. It had an almost matching oven like the one at the cutsie house. It was 3 bed two bath. And Amazing! It was the cheapest one, but it was going to need to be gutted. All of the outlets were 2 prongs instead of 3 prongs, the carpet was hideous, and the border in the kitchen was a bit much. Plus there was a fireplace in the living room that didn’t make it. So it was a big gaping hole that had been covered up for transport. The bricks from the front of the house didn’t make it either. So I guess I don’t know. What we are going to do.



We drove out and looked at the property that we are going to try and buy. I like it more each time we go out there. Of course when I look at it I see how much work it’s going to be to get it to not look like a jungle. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high either. By the sounds of things we won’t be getting the horses back here until August or September. Hubby thinks that if this property doesn’t work out we might just wait until next spring to buy a place. He said that we might just have to bring piney back for the winter and board him some place so that I can ride. AND so I don’t go crazy not having him around. It’s already starting to get to me. It’s not like I had much time to ride when he was here because it seems that I was too busy taking care of 18 other horses, but I did get to interact with him on an almost daily basis. And those times when I did have time to ride were awesome. Even if I just climbed up on his back and sat there while he fell asleep, was all I needed to make me feel better.









urgh...

Well it looks like we may be taking a different route for our new home. Sounds like the deal is falling through on the one we have been waiting several months on. It’s a bit heartbreaking really. It still might go through but it’s not looking likely. We do have a few back up plans though. One of which is actually the property that got this whole buying a home ball rolling. This is the property I thought was a complete eyesore last winter when we went out to take a look at it. I mean it resembles a meth house or a hillbilly house or something equally as disgusting. The house was built in 1890 and is pretty run down. It’s sad really, as I LOVE old farm houses! I took a peek in the kitchen windows and the kitchen was pretty gross, looked like the previous owners threw one heck of a party before they left. The house was a foreclosure and is now owned by the government. It’s a prelisting and not yet on the market but the agent who is selling it told me to keep my eyes open for when it does come on the market as it will be drastically cheaper than it was last winter. If this is the route we end up taking, we plan on tearing down the house and garage/shop thing and having a house moved on to the property. I just don’t think saving the house is going to be worth it. The rooms look tiny and it’s in awful shape. However there are plenty of houses that are for sale to be moved thanks to our mighty red river! The city has been buying out homes that are in the flood zone and then selling them for cheap! I think the plan is to put a permanent dike where the houses were originally. To save hundreds of homes they have to lose a few!


But the chance to buy a home and have it moved onto a property is probably an opportunity we will not be faced with again. This is our chance to get the place we want and have it set up the way we want it!

As for the horses, well the pastures as they sit are a lot smaller than the other house. There are a lot of trees that will need to be cleared in order for the pastures to expand. But the entire property is surrounded by trees which I love. There is even a cute little red barn on the property! It has a lean to addition that has 4 huge stalls in it, as well as a hydrant for water. There are two stalls on each side with the hydrant in the middle. The previous owners opened up the stalls and doors and just let the horses come and go as they pleased, but there was a new 100 gallon water tank in one of the stalls. They also had big box fans hanging up in the corners as well as fly traps. We weren’t able to get into the little red barn part as it was locked up but it looked like it had a hay loft up top and a tack/storage room down below. The front of the pasture was a wooden fence that with some paint could really look nice! The rest of the fence is electric wire (there was a 5 mile charger in the barn. A lot of it is down but I think it’s all there. There isn’t any room the way it is set up now for an outdoor riding arena but there is a wooden round pen that is right near the barn. It is better than nothing I suppose!

I really think that this place could be fantastic once it receives some major landscaping and a new house. I love that it’s got a really long driveway and it’s not on a busy highway like the other one is. That makes me feel more comfortable with the dogs being outside and me not having to worry about them playing on the highway. They are going to have to learn about horses though…Diesel nearly lost his life when he was just a baby because he was chasing Yellow. Idiot!

But I am hoping that this ends up working. I want my horse home already! AND I want to start moving before the snow flies again! I don’t like moving when it’s freezing outside!

Racehorse

I'm not sure if I've ever posted Piney's race pictures so here they are. I was able to get my paws on two of his win pics from one of his trainers. She was super nice and was so happy that Piney had a great retirement home.

It is so funny seeing him out there running his little heart out. I've watched some of his races too and it just blows my mind that my sweet lazy boy was actually a race horse and he actually won money. His racing stats are here if anyone is interested. He didn't win much money but it still says he is a winner! But he decided that once he was retired he was retired from running! it's very rare he will canter on his own, and getting him to canter under saddle takes some work!

But I just love those pictures though! Especially the second one where he is all streched out and looks like a fine tuned, supersonic speed machine! I just can't believe he is mine. He looks so young and fresh. My little racehorse! Below I posted some pics of him last fall. He looks ribby....but he only does that for pictures so people think I am not feeding him enough treats!



"Retirement is great! I NEVER have to run!"




Leisure boy!



Horsey garage sale deals

This weekend hubby and I went out to visit my mom at our summer cottage. It’s a 45 minute drive from house. I’d seen on craigslist that there was a garage sale with lots of horse items that wasn’t too far from our cottage. I wanted to go check it out so we did. I’m glad we did! We got all kinds of great deals! Here’s a run down




Western saddle Pad - $1



Two Nylon tie downs -$1 each

Western headstall with crosses - $10

Western headstall, bit and reins - $2

surcingle - $1 

Draw reins - $1

english breastcollar - $1

Total - $18!!

Everything with an exception of the western cross headstall needed a good scrubbing. The draw reins, western head stall, and breastcollar needed oil and conditioning badly. I’m pumped that I got the training surcingle for $1. I’m not sure if they knew what it was because I asked the price and the guy asked one of the girls “how much for the English girth?” A few weeks ago at the horse fair I almost bought one for $40, and then earlier Saturday I saw one for $20 at Fleet Farm that I was going to go back and buy. But I lucked out and gone one for a buck! Sweet! The draw reins were sort of an impulse buy as was mostly everything else! I have never used draw reins in fact I’m not 100% sure they are draw reins but that’s what I’m calling them. And for $1, oh well if I never use them! I am gonna show them to my old riding instructor and ask if that’s what they are. I won’t use them until I know how to and need to.

Hubby had mentioned that he needed a new tie down for his horse a few weeks ago. So he decided to get one for a buck. They had a red, white and blue one that matched my breastcollar that I used for parades with Yellow that I decided to buy for the heck of it. The western pad was hard to refuse for $1. It’s one of those sticky, non-slip pad with breathable holes in it. I used to have one similar to it that had cost me a lot of money but a family of mice destroyed. I oiled and cleaned some of the tack on Sunday morning. The western headstall, reins and bit was bought by hubby as a back up to have in case something happened to his normal bridle. Upon closer inspection the reins were Circle Y and in pretty good shape. The headstall was vintage and had a real silver piece on the browband that was kind of pretty. The cross headstall was something I probably wouldn’t buy if I saw it at a tack shop, but it was really well made and in good shape for $10. I’m not sure of the brand but it had the initials “SB” stamped on the inside. It needed the least amount of work of all the leather products I bought.



They had a few saddles for sale too. There were two old no name English saddles that were going for $50 each. I thought they were too small and narrow looking to fit me or my monster. They also had some nice “expensive” western saddles for that were $300-$900 each. There was one saddle we were seriously thinking about and it was $100. It was a 14 ½ inch Crates saddle. It was a heck of a good deal but I ride in a 15 ½ inch and hubby rides in a 16. We don’t really have any immediate need for a 14 ½ inch saddle. Bummer. It had awesome stirrups too!

Thinking back there were a few more things I maybe should have bought at the rummage sale. There were some quilted leg wraps for two bucks, some gaming reins and a few fly masks, all stuff that is handy to have around. I maybe could have made an offer on the whole remaining lot as it was nearing the end of their sale and they wanted everything gone. Oh well!