The Way it Feels

Here are some photos of snow on my horse's back. The snow was beautiful, big, white flakes. It's too bad they're such lousy photos. Did you know Appaloosa horses have raised spots? You can almost see it here on Scout,. The colored spot hair actually stands up more than the white blanket hair. You can really feel their spots!

edited 12-9-08 with new snow photos!

Here's Annie. You can almost see how her coat hairs stand on end and lift completely from her body to keep her warmer.

Notice the funny white bump just off center on the top left in this next photo. That is one of Scout's Appaloosa spots. See how raised up the hair is? Actually, it's fun to compare with the above picture. Try it. Cool, huh?

Here's Nadia. She's plastered with snow! Snow should not melt right away on a horse's back. If it does, it means they are not insulated against the cold. I guess she's warm enough, huh?

The Way it Feels- song: Baby Can Dance, artist: David Bowie, album: Outside

Walk tall, act fine

I'm getting to be such a wimp. If it's windy or rainy I won't ride. I don't ride very often in snow because it's too cold and the footing can be bad. But yesterday was gorgeous, low 50s, no wind, and I've been wanting to ride for days now. In the morning I had errands to run, but I got back to the house by 2:30, so I decided I'd go out for a quickie. As I walked up to my front door, I saw some hoofprints in the dirt/grass. I thought, "Aha, Lisa must be riding!" Sure enough, when I went inside my son told me that she had stopped by and inquired about me. He said, she said, to come on out and get saddled up. So I quickly changed clothes and went to the barn. I grabbed some horse cookies and caught Annie, my Arabian Mama-to-be, right away. I curried and brushed her down, scraping away the rest of the mud clots still clinging to her coat. I checked her feet. Then I saddled her up.

She hasn't been ridden for over a week and I've only ridden her outside of the arena half a dozen times at most, so I debated about lounging her before climbing on. But Lisa rode up, so I slipped on the halfbreed bit for a little added control and mounted up. I figured lounging wasn't going to take the edge off much anyway and with the halfbreed bit I'd be better prepared for anything.

I only ride Annie in snaffle bits and sometimes halters. I really like the halfbreed because it has a ringed snaffle and a rawhide noseband for added control. I wrap the nosepiece with a fleece cover so it's gentler on the nose. I figure if she's going to act up, I want to have more control over the situation, if I need it. My horses are very sensitive with the halfbreed but they also seem to like it. Annie gets to head tossing quite often in the arena with a plain snaffle bit. With the halfbreed sidepull she rarely tosses her head at all. She keeps her neck arched and her head nice and low most of the time. I like to ride with loose reins and as little pull as possible so it works out very well for us as a training bit.

I walked her around some and then trotted and cantered in the field next to the barn while Lisa walked Baby Doll along behind us. Annie was tense and stiff legged when she cantered. I confess, I didn't warm her up as much as I usually do. We worked out for about 5 minutes or so, and then I pulled her down to a walk. She settled right down and walked calmly and peacefully, although at a faster pace than Baby Doll. I often had to stop for Baby Doll to catch up. Surprisingly, Annie was stopping and standing still! Sometimes I'd circle around and she was actually doing very nice pivots on the hindquarters. I was amazed at how calm she was. I havn't ridden Annie out of the arena more than a half dozen rides. I've always believed she was too much horse to ride out alone. So when Lisa bought Baby Doll, I was thrilled. I was finally going to have a riding buddy!!

Annie constantly surprises me at how well she trail rides! She is so alert and responsive. When she comes up to strange things, like the neighbor's Christmas decorations, a life size inflatable Santa for instance, she looks at it but doesn't shy away. Is this the same horse who spooks in the same corner of the arena time after time even though she loves to stand in the exact same corner all day long? She won't exactly run up to scary objects but she will come within a few feet. She is willing to carefully pass by and move on which is the way I have been trying to train my horses. I don't expect them to be fearless but I do require them to be able to move on past. If I don't make a big deal of it and make them touch it, unless they want to, they seem to be okay with going past and not spooking. Anyway, Annie is okay with taking the lead although she has very little trail experience. I also require my horses to be happy in any position, first, middle, or last, although Baby Doll walks slower, so I usually end up in front.

Several times, I had to get off of Annie, once to adjust the saddle, then to adjust the stirrups, and twice to open and close gates. She stood reasonably well for me to get back on. She would walk around me a bit and then stop at which time I mounted her. Considering her lack of experience with being outside of the arena, I was very happy with her.

There was only one time in our ride that I had any problems with Annie. We crossed over the ridge up through the trees and along the rocky road down to another road. There were cows in the field across the road. Annie has never seen cows. She got very bothered and pranced and danced a bit. If the cows had bolted I'm sure we would have as well. But the cows stayed where they were and we walked along with Lisa and Baby Doll for security until we were a "safe" distance and then Annie settled right down again, happily walking with Lisa and BD.
Here's an old photo of Annie and Baby Doll. Sorry, we didn't have a camera yesterday.
Annie seems to really like trail riding. She is very alert all the time and looks at everything, but doesn't spook much. When she does get stressed she kind of bunches up like a coil. Then she'll settle down again and relax. After she has her foal, I think I will really pursue trail riding with her. Even when I took her to the vet this summer, she seemed extraordinarly calm for being in strange surroundings.

We got back to the barn just after the sundown so I said goodbye to my friend and her horse and went into the barn, unsaddled, and groomed Annie. Then I brought the other two horses into the barn, fed them, and went into my house to make some dinner for my son and I.

My blogging paper is finished now with just a few touchups needed- I am never satisfied with my writing. Now to work on my book report (3-5 pages). It is due Wednesday. Then I have a "final" test next Wednesday and I'm finished with my classes until January. Yay!

Walk tall, act fine - song: Golden Years, artist: David Bowie, album: Stationtostation

Peace on Earth

Since it's almost Christmas time, I think we should pour the eggnog and rum, grab a plate of sugar cookies, throw on a yule log, and watch this little gem from years gone by.
This footage for the tv special "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas" was recorded on September 11, 1977. Bing Crosby died October 14, 1977. The tv special aired after his death on November 30, 1977. Here's a little article I found about Bing meeting Bowie and how this song came about.



"It's a pretty thing, isn't it?"-Bing Crosby

And then, as a gift to me, I am posting the other song Bowie sang that night, Heroes. Only watch if you want to, but this is rare footage and there are some nice mime moves.




Peace on Earth - song: Peace on Earth, artist: David Bowie, show: Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas

Freezing your ...

Er no, probably not what you think!

We bought Nadia 11 years ago as an aged (we didn't know exactly how old she was at the time) full blooded Arabian without papers. One day soon after, I was grooming her and I found this mark under her mane. I did some research and I found out that it was a freeze brand. Nowadays, they insert microchips, but, in the 80's, freeze branding was very popular among Arabians. I've read of several instances where stolen or lost horses have been recovered using this identification method.




This is some information about freeze branding from Wikipedia:

In contrast to traditional hot-iron branding, freeze branding uses a branding iron that has been chilled with a coolant such as dry ice or liquid nitrogen. Rather than burning a scar into the animal, a freeze brand damages the pigment-producing hair cells, causing the animal's hair to grow white where the brand has been applied. To apply a freeze brand, the hair coat of the animal is shaved so that the bare skin is exposed, then the frozen iron is applied to the bare area for a period of time that varies with both the species of animal and the color of its hair coat: Shorter times are used on dark-colored animals, simply causing the hair follicles to lose all color and regrow as white hairs. Longer times are needed on animals with white hair coats, as the brand is applied long enough to permanently stop the hair from growing in the branded area and only skin remains.

Freeze brands cause less damage to the animal's hide than hot iron brands, are less painful, and can be more visible. Horses are frequently freeze-branded. At this time, hogs cannot be successfully freeze branded as their hair pigment cells are better protected. Also, freeze branding is slower, more expensive, less predictable (more care is required in application to assure desired results), and in some places does not constitute a legal brand on cattle. When an animal grows a long hair coat, the freeze brand is still visible, but its details are not always clear. Thus, is it sometimes necessary to shave or closely trim the hair so that a sharper image of a freeze brand can be viewed.

A horse (or any animal) that is going to have a freeze brand applied will need to have the hair shaved off of the branding site. Hair is an excellent insulator and needs to be removed so that the extreme cold of the freeze branding iron can be applied directly to the skin. Then the freeze branding iron, made of metal such as brass or copper that retains a cold temperature, is submerged into the coolant. Immediately before the freeze branding iron is ready to be applied the animal's skin is rubbed, squirted, or sprayed with a generous amount of 99% alcohol, then the freeze branding iron is removed from the coolant and held onto the skin with firm pressure for several seconds. The exact amount of time will vary according to the kind of animal, the thickness of its skin, the type of metal the branding iron is made of, the type of coolant being used, and other factors.

Immediately after the freeze branding iron is removed from the skin an indented outline of the brand will be visible. Within seconds, however, the outline will disappear and within several minutes after that the brand outline will reappear as swollen, puffy skin. Once the swelling subsides, for a short time, the brand will be difficult or impossible to see, but in a few days, the branded skin will begin to flake, and within three to four weeks, the brand will begin to take on its permanent appearance.



I even figured out how to decipher it, thanks to the AHA (Arabian Horse Association). It's her registration number, in code. I found out her real name is Nari Asbah. If you say it fast, it kind of sounds like Nadia! Her date of birth is April 28, 1983, and she has had one foal, SV First Edition. I also found out that I'd met her father once...

It was 30 years ago and I was considering breeding my half Arabian mare, Shahreen. I visited an Arabian farm and Rogue Ama was one of their stallions. It turns out that he was Nadia's sire. He was known for his extremely gentle personality, just like my sweet old gal, Nadia.
For the record, I never did breed Shahreen. Around breeding time, she was hurt by a runaway horse and cart as she stood tied to a hitching post. She got a hernia in her side from the accident. After she recovered, I never pursued the breeding. That's one of the reasons why I so desperately wanted to follow through with Annie's breeding in spite of all the problems we faced.


Freezing your ...- song: Sweet Thing, Reprise, artist: David Bowie, album: Diamond Dogs

Looking for a Friend

Me: "Buddha- have you seen Terra?"


Buddha: "I thought she was here a minute ago."

"Mom, I don't know where she is."

Buddha: "So, anyway, don't I look cute?"

Terra: "Show off!!"


Buddha: "What'd I do?"



Looking for a Friend - song: Looking for a Friend, artist: David Bowie, album: Bowie at the Beeb

Outside the pale

This morning I was surprised by the "snow-rain". It was loud like raindrops falling. They're really hard to see in the pictures but they are perfect little balls. Kind of like mini styrofoam balls. Tiny, tiny balls.
I wonder what the Eskimo term for this kind of snow is...







Outside the pale - song: Goodbye Mr. Ed, artist: David Bowie and Tin Machine, album: Tin Machine II

The Fallen Leaves

It's that time of year again, Fall. Is it called Fall because of all the falling leaves? If it isn't, then it should be!

Last weekend, my son and I went to my Mother-in-law's, who lives in town, to pick up leaves. Along with my MIL and my Sister-in-law, the four of us had quite a party. And there's still more leaves on the tree!

The oddest thing about this tree, this year, is that the leaves didn't change color. They just froze and fell off, overnight!

The Fallen Leaves - song: No Control, artist: David Bowie, album: Outside

If you say run

It was far too cold and windy for me to ride today, so I turned the equines out for a run. As you can see, they are caked with mud from the recent snow. The footing in the arena is still not great either. As he was running, Scout slipped and fell. He got up and then stood completely still for a minute. I was really worried that he was hurt but he must have just been dazed because he took off running again, although much slower this time.







Scout looks like Nadia's baby here, doesn't he?








It looks like Annie is winking at me. Baby Doll is so interested and happy just watching those crazy Arabs running around.



If you say run - song: Let's Dance, artist: David Bowie, album: Let's Dance

You're Sleepy Now

and your silhouette is so stationary!

Lazy day, I plan on spending today relaxing just like the rest of the family.

Here's Gunnar and Daisy playing 'Siamese Twins', and Buddha wondering where to go.

Gunnar left and Buddha snuggled in

Daisy and Buddha snoozing

Terra lazing about in a 'catnap'.


You're Sleepy Now - song: Hallo Spaceboy, artist: David Bowie, album: Outside

As the merchandise exchanged and money roared

Anyone go shopping today?


I was walking through the counters of a national concern
And a cash machine was spitting by my shoulder
And I saw the multitude of faces, honest, rich and clean
As the merchandise exchanged and money roared


Every year my husband and I would go at the crack of dawn, sometimes before light, and wait for the stores to open, just to save a few bucks. (There must be something wrong with me because I actually like to hang out in crowds, although I detest lines. Does that make sense)

This year, with no job, and no husband, I decided to pass on the early morning Black Friday Sales. I don't know what I'm going to do about Christmas. I will probably buy some gifts for my family, but I am definitely going to keep the spending down from other years.

What about you?


As the merchandise exchanged and money roared - song: God Knows I'm Good, artist: David Bowie, album: Space Oddity

Like that snow that fell

The nice thing about living in the mountains is the snow in winter. I always enjoy seeing snow on Thanksgiving and Christmas, even if it's only a little bit. This year was no exception. But, soon afterwards, the sky grew foggy.





Like that snow that fell - song: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, artist: David Bowie, album: Young Americans

Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!

Thanksgiving Day is a traditional North American holiday celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members. The earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, but the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.

I will be cooking a 22 pound turkey with all the fixings: mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, cornbread herb stuffing, sweet potatoes with apples and rum, corn, deviled eggs, homemade wheat bread, cranberry jello, and for dessert, pumpkin pie.


For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


I give thanks for everything in my life, and may God bless us, everyone!!


Thanks - song: Joe the Lion, artist: David Bowie, album: "heroes"

More than just a sad song

it's my theme song!

Your Theme Song: "When Doves Cry" - Prince 'What is your theme song?' at QuizGalaxy.com

More than just a sad song - song: Reality, artist: David Bowie, album: Reality

Must have been you

Thanks to my good buddy, Lisa, for this wonderful bouquet! Don't they smell great??

Thanks!!

Must have been you - song: Everything's Allright, artist: David Bowie, album: Pinups

These are floating clouds

Here are some photos of yesterday's sunset.

These are floating clouds - song: The Wedding Song, artist: David Bowie, album: Black Tie White Noise