Arizona – Day 325

As of August 31st Arizona is 325 days pregnant and holding fast to her Foalie. We are so happy that she’s gone beyond her safe date and have been keeping an extra diligent eye out. And seeing as how we are on the verge of September, which is her 11th month, I’m going to begin documenting her daily and nightly status and progress, all the way through and even after delivery.

Her journey to motherhood began last October, when a neighbor of mine gave us free use of his young stud. Really it began before that, years before that, when I knew I would need a legacy foal from my best girl. Fast forward to last October when the deal was made and my neighbor’s good boy came down to our pasture to hang out with my girl for the weekend. Kaitlynn and another friend and I were lucky enough to witness probably the only cover that happened, because the rest of the weekend they seemed equally uninterested in one another.

After that I let go and let God, and tried not to think too hard about whether or not it took. I had her next estimated heat cycle marked on the calendar and that time came and went without notice. Could she be pregnant?

About 5 months later, I gave Zoni a bath and took a picture of her standing there looking like a shiny new penny. When I went the photo off to Kaitlynn she immediately fired back with, “She’s so fat! I think she’s pregnant.” I was pulled back into the frame of mind that well yes, that is possible isn’t it, and she’s right about her belly! That day I called our vet and scheduled an appointment for the next day.

The vet hauled her into the clinic to be palpated and I’ll never forget when the vet said, “That’s the fetus right there. Yep, she’s pregnant!” Looking like a damn fool I’m sure, I cried right then and there. I looked at the ultrasound screen but really couldn’t make it out and I wish I’d asked to see again, and I really wish I’d gotten a print out of it. Sigh… oh well.

Between then and now Zoni had a huge colic episode, after gorging on a moldy round bale. It ended up that we had to call out the emergency vet and have her tubed and stalled and I barely slept for days. That whole ordeal was a huge mess and I’ll spare the laborious details of it, but I’m so glad she pulled through just fine!

Here we are now, on the night of August 31st and I’m getting ready for another night of alarms and Zoni checks. I’ve been taking daily – sometimes twice daily – photos of her udder and vulva and belly progression. I’ve also been testing her milk 1-2 times a day, careful only to take a couple drops. She’s been leaving hefty amounts of poop in her pen overnight so she’s doing lots of clearing out. I believe I’ve even seen some contractions, or extreme foal movements going on within the belly.

Tonight she is in her brand new birthing pen we built for her and I’ve been lucky enough to borrow a labor monitor from my friend Melissa, (whom btw bred Penny and Dove!) and she’s all hooked up. I have the security camera pointed at her though the view isn’t the best, I have a flashlight that I shine out my bathroom window as well. I even sleep in socks and leggings so I can run out fast without having to stop and get dressed first, because the bugs out there prevent me from flip flops and shorts. Lol.

Summer and I have been watching all the birth videos we can find, and I’m still reading through my books. It’s so easy for me to feel worry over all of this but somebody recently compared it to my own pregnancy, and how scared I was. It’s true, I was scared, but mostly of the pain because that was so unknown to me. I wasn’t afraid of anything bad happening because I already trusted my own body. With this, it’s obviously not me, and I can’t tell what’s going on inside her. If something goes wrong I am her first line of defense, or assistance, before the vet arrives. I have to keep my head and rely on nature and God to get us through it. And I’ve been praying an extra lot lately to keep my girl and her baby safe and healthy through the entire thing and beyond. I have done my best, and I love her no matter what. And I thank God for this amazing opportunity of life!

That’s enough for now. I’ll just leave you with today’s progression photos.

Big ole belly, definitely dropped. 325 Days – AM

By far the most relaxed and long I’ve seen her vulva yet. Her surrounding muscle is also pretty jelly like to the touch, but her tail still has resistance. Not quite there. 325 Day – AM

Udder still filling with milk. Milk currently testing at 7.2 ph. No wax. 325 Days – AM

Introducing: Painted Irish Penny

Many changes have happened since I was regularly posting. Merlin and Galleria are both at new homes, and we’ve moved away from the big city. We are now out in the windy country on a small acreage of our own – YES. When we bought our house it had come with a paint gelding but he has also made a trip to a new family. So, as far as horses go, we are down to two, soon to be three. (More on that later!) For now, let’s get to know miss Penelope.

Penny, as she is most often called, is from a local miniature breeder, and the same in fact, that Merlin was from. It’s my hope to train her to pull a cart and eventually my children or I will show her. We brought her home at six months old and she’s been the most willing learner I’ve ever worked with. She just turned the big ONE year old on April 16th and we’re excited to see what she’s able to do in the future!

Arizona treats her like family, which is saying a LOT, as it’s an interesting contrast to how she felt about Merlin back in the day. I think the long term solitude at our previous two barns changed her mindset, or perhaps it’s her old age. lol.

When we first got her we built a small fenced enclosure in the corner of the pasture we called The Penny Pen. We would set up on a stool with a handful of feed underneath it, and a bucket of grooming tools. When she got curious enough to come a sniffin we would gently brush our hands or shoulders or knees against her as she investigated. One thing I had to remind my kids about was to not REACH even though one might want to. Reaching would cause her to turn or walk off, and we of course don’t want her learning to retreat but to come. It was very quick work. After just two 15-20 sessions in The Penny Pen we could consistently brush her, handfeed her, halter her and pick up her feet. I’m telling ya, she’s quick.

We are still working on yielding the right direction away from pressure and having good stand still and feeding time behavior. I’m looking to get in contact with a trainer who specializes in driving to learn when to get started on that. Hopefully we have a good head start on some ground driving by the time fall hits, and our time gets massively monopolized…

Anyway, that’s our sweet little girl! 🙂 Stay tuned.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Cupids Eternal Sun

I’m so very sad to be writing this. What a beautiful, sweet old boy he was. Only a couple years younger than me and already gone. It breaks my heart. I wish I’d been able to know him longer and to see him again before he went, but I was there when he came home as a fresh and rowdy ass yearling. His tail was short and precious and his head was perfect and shapely. His ears were always up, eyes always alert. He wasn’t fun to ride in those early years but I can only imagine how he smoothed out as he matured. At the same time he was learning to become a good horse I was learning to become a good rider. He went out to a trainer and that’s when I began my first official riding lessons. I used to risk my life to sneak under the hotwire and try to pet him while he was still unappreciative of young visitors in his space, but I had to love him. I shared many a sugar cube with him and took naps in his hay bales next to his stall.

Joe, Rudy’s forever owner, was kind enough to send me a lock of his tail to keep as a memento. When the time is right I’m going to have it fashioned into a bracelet. It’s not the same as being able to hug him again, and as much as I kick myself missing my chance, I’m so grateful to have some small part of him.

Rest In Peace, my dear old friend, Rudy. I’ll see you around the barn again, someday.

1991 – 2020

• 

  Rudy – 29 years young.

---

On Heavenly waves you run, until clouds burn like sun, until at last we see, how God hath taken care of thee.

---

New Pony Gets Groundworked – Training Day 1

We have a new girl at the barn! I’m calling today (12.17.2015) Day One of training Miss Pony (that is her literary filler name, until we decide on what shall stick and I can do her introduction post) even though I worked with her yesterday too.

While she is a bomb-proof [former] pony ride pony there are some holes in her groundwork. As a result I’m training her through Clinton Anderson’s big green book that I’ve mentioned before, Clinton Anderson’s DownUnder Horsemanship – Establishing Respect and Control for English and Western Riders. As I go through it from the beginning I will mark the exercises I do and relay the notes taken on how she did with it that day. I gotta say this little pistol is way more than just a cute painted pony 😉

Here is the training breakdown of her official Day One in training:

1. The Hula Hoop (pg.49)
   She had absolutely no issues with this. she stands still and doesn’t care about coming into my bubble. I could touch her nose with the stick at first so I simply backed her up a bit. It was also easy to keep her eyes. Perfection.
2. Desensitizing to the Rope (pg.51)
   No issues here either. I slung it around every part of her body from both sides. She moved her back legs only slightly once or twice at first but she made no attempt to kick or move. It did not last long and her face/ears were calm the whole time.
3. Desensitizing to the Stick & String (pg.55)
   Again, no issues. She’d already been familiar with the lunge whip apparently. The stick is used to give praise more often than spank anyway, and she’s rubbed down with it often to keep it positive. No issues with the string. I did not slap the ground.
4. Disengage the Hindquarters (pg.60)
   Will need more work but she did it from both sides at the end. I’ll need to count my cues with rhythm as recommended and remember the proper order for asking through demanding. She does tend to back up so I’ll need to stay with her behind the driveline. I also need to be sure I’m not settling for the wrong feet movement. She needs to cross over correctly.
5. Backing Up (pg.66)
   Backs up really well with a rope wiggle now. I did reinforce with gentle taps to her chest or marching to get more steps after consistent single steps.
6. Yielding the Forequarters (pg.77)
   NEEDS MAJOR WORK. When pressure is applied to her fore-end she comes into my space and shoves her shoulder at me. I need a shorter, firmer crop to use in this exercise so she can’t close the distance before I get a good spank in. If she does not shove into me, and sometimes even after she does, she’ll move to go around me. I did back her up back into place when she did that but perhaps not the recommended 20 steps. I’ll pay more attention to that next time, adding more enthusiasm. The “Common horse problems” solution in the book does not work if I can’t get a good smack in. She pushes against anything, even air taps. She is also not in any position to back up as she’s already made contact with me. More help is definitely needed to master this exercise.

We shall see how our review of these go tomorrow, and I hope to have an introductory post with lots of adorable pictures made out for her very soon! 🙂

Arizona Gets Back In The Saddle

Sunday marked a momentous occasion for myself but mostly for Arizona, as she made an amazing return to the working world after an extensive eight-month long break. Because of seasonal illnesses, the flooding, a bad case of thrush, family obligations, and in general – life – Arizona had not been ridden since January. This weekend I was presented with the opportunity to ride with my barn owner and friend, Alberto, and quickly became excited knowing this was to be our comeback!

After such a long break I was worried of course for my own safety and anxious to see how she would handle herself. She has never been a BAD horse, no obstructive habits, no crazy bolting episodes, but she does spook sometimes. Some rides there are no scares and some rides there may be 1-2. When I first bought her last year she hadn’t been seriously ridden in about four years. Once in a while someone would hop on or even take her out but nothing serious or consistent. That first ride on her the steering was a bit rough and she didn’t enjoy being worked at all. She also had a huge spook right out of the gate. We kept at it and she got better and better.

This past weekend was flawless! We rode for about an hour 1/2 in the fields on a route we haven’t even gone through before. There were no surprises however we did ride with one of her barn mates that is fresh out of 30 days of training. Even she was wonderful. The unused fields were serene with a decent breeze. It was still pretty hot for 8:30 in the morning but at least there were no mosquitoes!

I’m beyond proud of my girl. I think she may have even enjoyed herself this time, being happy to get out and explore a new place with her horsey pal Luna. (Beautiful buckskin mare pictured below, ridden by Alberto.) Either way she sure takes care of me and I couldn’t love her more ❤

Introducing: Merlin The Miniature Gelding

Please put your hands and hooves together for the newest member of our family – Color Me Dust Coal. He is a registered American Miniature Horse yearling with the gentlest disposition. Merlin, as we’ve affectionately named him, came to us Easter weekend from a lovely miniature horse show-breeder in Beeville, Texas. My kids and I drove the hour up to meet him on Friday and by Saturday he was at home in the barn with his new stablemates.

Since then we have done a few introductory exercises for him and Arizona but in the end I’m not sure she is up for having a little brother. She’s become the barn alpha and while Merlin is nowhere near challenging I think she just plain dislikes him. I’ve found her to act possessive, almost like a dog or even a human would, over my attention. If I dare (I say ‘dare’ humorously of course) to scratch another horse out of her stall window she finds herself over by the window too, standing just so she may casually obstruct my reach. Zoni is a funny one with a mind all her own, she knows what she does and does not like and she will tell you. You have only to listen. She may or may not ever come around to sharing her space and time with him but regardless I heart them both.

My immeasurably amazing and beautiful daughter Summer has finally found herself a perfect position at the barn since his arrival. She enjoys working with Merlin, helping him to better learn to lead, tie, and stand still. He’s so good natured and sweet that I can tell he will not be difficult to train and in doing so I’ll more easily and safely get to teach Summer how to do a lot too. She has gotten accustomed to feeding him and cleaning out his stall, as well as other things. Since Merlin has been home he’s already picked up on a couple key things himself, such as the fact that we love to groom and pet around here! We get in his stall and love all over him as frequently as possible and he’s adjusted to all the attention considerably. In fact I believe he looks forward to it now.

It’s been a great couple weeks now and I still only have good things to say. At one point my friend Sabrina and I gave him a bath and that didn’t go as well as I would have thought but it was the perfect launch pad for further training with him. It was valuable insight about him and his reaction level and ultimately how he should be handled.

And I don’t think I’ve mentioned just how incredibly, heart-stoppingly, adorable he is! He is the type of mini you put tiny shoes on and take him with you everywhere; into department stores and to the dentist. Just kidding, but not about the cuteness part!

Hi, mom! What are you doing?

More on the little man later as it’s time to fire up the story side of my brain and work on my newest novella series. Until then, here’s one last picture!

Arizona Gets Mud Fever

It’s a sad time out at the barn for my Zoni Poni as she begins a four-limbed battle with bacterial fungus of the pasterns, aka, mud fever. Each leg is affected and the back two particularly are in some discomfort as they are slightly inflamed. The mud in the pasture has reached an all time high this spring and it’s just beginning to –slowly– dry up. I’m not sure how much good it’ll do us though since we’re expecting three days of stormy rain weather again this week. It’s getting to be pretty miserable out there for our horses and I hope none of the others are affected as we truck through it.

This was when I discovered it. Monday morning I hand washed the mud off her legs and there it was.

And this was from earlier today. All dried up and being treated with Banixx spray.

And so my poor miserable horse is confined to her stall until it clears up, which could take weeks up to the entire month. I’ll be going out to hand walk her for a little bit each day and hopefully getting some grass will help cheer her up. She was visibly depressed today when I went out there, as last night was the first night she was refused turn-out. If today is any indication of her spirits it’s going to be a rough few weeks for her, but as her human I will be doing my best!

After our little walk/graze I sat in her stall for a while, just dozing off and enjoying the breeze and her company.

Her favorite itchy spot!

Remembering Michel Otten

I’m not even sure what the right thing to say is, but all I can think is that the world lost an amazing person today.

At 12:20am a special friend of mine was taken by cancer.

Michel entered my life when I was no more than eight years old. She was my mom’s boss and friend and then became my riding instructor. I used to call her, “my riding lesson teacher.” She was one hell of an accomplished horsewoman and always tried to teach me how to best my fears. If I was too scared to lope on my own she would wait for me to make my come around then hit Tara on the but for proper encouragement. Tara was a very special horse to me. I lovingly refer to her as my first horse even though she was only mine every Wednesday during the summers, for my lessons. She had a fearlessness worthy of channeling if there was something I felt I couldn’t do. When I doubted myself she knew better and she forced me to prove it to myself.

And she knew how to give a kid a good time, those riding lessons were amazing. My favorite day of the week has always been Wednesday because of the joy it used to bring. We’d travel all over her vast acreage on horseback… The little lake, up and down hills, on the streets, and of course in the arena. I learned so much from posture to hopping over poles. For our last lesson day of the summer we all hung around and gave our horses/ponies (actually I was the only one not on a pony!) a nice bath and I gave Tara her favorite treat – sugar cubes. We followed it up with games including bob for apples and snacks. My brother and sister and I would waste hours playing the original Oregon Trail game on her computer, or playing hide and seek all over the house. And I remember just before we moved is when she first brought home her prized buckskin, Slick. He’s an old timer now but just as beautiful as I remember him. I’ll never forget those days.

I also spent a lot of time at the flower shop when my mom went to work. I made best friends with the shop animals and used to request to clean the litter boxes! I guess I liked to be helpful; I even had a few floral customers of my own. Michel would let me craft my own arrangements and even let people buy them – which they did! It was an exciting and fun thing for me. I even got to know the attic ghost! When I was brave enough to go all the way up there I could swear I saw him too. Sometimes I’d go with her on deliveries which I always liked because the van was so big, it was fun to ride in. That little shop on Elm Street was like a second home to me.

From Michel’s Facebook Page

Since leaving Missouri I’ve been back to visit only once and it was emotional and very draining for me for so many reasons, but luckily I did get to go to Washington to visit the shop. And Michel. I asked her about Tara and looked all around the place, remembering every little nook and hideaway I used to play in. All the incredible crafts and floral designs everywhere, and the overwhelmingly nostalgic and comforting smell of the basket room… I was 17 then and I’m 25 now. That was the last time I got to see her in person. Last year for my wedding she was sweet enough to send us wedding party flowers as a gift. I wish I could have hugged her for it. Today the bouquets and corsages are still all over my house as decorations.

I could go on, like about how I had my very first kiss in her kitchen or about the time her shirt flew open at a barrel race and we couldn’t stop laughing… But I won’t. I can’t.

This afternoon I took Arizona out for a ride in Michel’s honor as I will do again this weekend, since I cannot attend her memorial. I hope she felt the wind in my hair from heaven!

Michel was an integral part of my childhood and I’m so very sad she’s gone. I can’t say she lost her life to cancer, because she very much lived in spite of it. So many loved her and called her friend and family and I weep with them all today. I pray that this Saturday, her celebration of life is everything she would want. I hope there are more smiles than tears. I wish I could be there but I’ll be thinking about you. And I’ll think of you anytime I see a pretty bouquet or a bulldog. Say hi to my sweet Tara for me.

From Michel’s Facebook Page

Arizona’s Two Hour Walk And My Near-Fall

I’m sorry blog for I have neglected. It’s been two months since my last entry. I’m back and ready to write about my latest adventure with my Zoni Poni.

Yesterday, neighboring barn buddy Erika and I took Arizona and Whiskey out for a ride around the county roads. We met up at the field short cut between our barns and then continued down a ways, finally stopping at an off-road made of dirt that intersected the two roads. The ditch between us and the road was full of water and instead of going around it I coaxed Arizona through it. The silly horse will plunge into the ocean as far as I’ll let her but balk at a small pool of water on the ground. It was no matter in the end though as she tromped through it like a champ. Whiskey girl didn’t like it at first either but then she too was through it.

We had our share of dogs that day and I myself noticed more than the usual handful. I know which houses has them but some don’t always come out, and I guess I didn’t know just how many each one has. Seriously, each property has at least 3-6 dogs and there are at least 10 houses I consistently pass by. Only 1 or 2 of those properties have their dogs contained in some way so they always come up barking their best at Arizona who usually just flicks an ear and walks on by. Sometimes though if they come up too fast from the side she’ll spook but that didn’t really happen this time.

A while back I wrote an entry about a particular ride during which Arizona spooked pretty bad at the very end, at the property next to ours, when their dog – whom Arizona knows very well – ran up at us from the side. The dog was running fast and took me by surprise too so I don’t blame her but anyway, I digress. This time Arizona spooked in darn near the same spot only there was nothing to spook at! I am not even sure what to call it. I think she skirted to the side and then hopped, because all I can really remember is flying up from my seat, gripping with my legs and losing the reins. I felt myself fall a little to the left and up I went, and it’s funny my thought process had already worked through me landing on the ground and I’d accepted my fate, but it didn’t happen. I didn’t grab the horn but I reached for her mane/neck instead for bracing I guess and on I stayed. It’s the closest I’ve ever come to falling off since I dropped off that bucking pony when I was 8ish… I feel like I don’t know how I stayed on but then again I do think I’m not giving myself enough credit. I’ve always been good about sitting spooks – *knock on wood* – and I think this was just another reflection of decent balance. (Thanks, mom!)

What’s funny is I did just take my feet out of the stirrups and let my legs hang because they were seriously cramped by then, just a few strides before she did that. So not only did I drop the reins by accident I had zero support from my stirrups. It’s not like she ever spooks at stray/dangling tack in saddle or on the ground so I’d be hard-pressed to believe that’s what did ALL THAT. They weren’t even flopping around her sides at the slow walk she was doing. It just makes me laugh (I’m glad I can laugh about it) that the moment I try to relax a bit on the final few yards home all that happens.

Just past the mailboxes there on the right is where it happened both times. To further desensitize her to that area I will probably hand-lead her up and down the road a few times and then ride up and down the road a few more.

All in all it was a great ride. Two hours from mount to dismount and I’m beyond saddle sore today but it always makes me proud. I get to take my horse out and enjoy a breezy Sunday almost every week and she always takes care of me. I’ll take the sore!

Arizona Goes to the Beach!

I’m ashamed to say this is another delayed post, but better late than never. A couple weekends ago on Sunday October 12th my friend Krista and I finally made it out to the beach with our horses after numerous failed attempts. The weather was against us and it would seem even so that day…

The road to the beach was not an easy one. The morning was a complete mess and all us brave souls on the freeway were going at a crawl because we could not see ten feet in front of us. A search of the rain radar said that our area of Padre Island happened to be cleared up, and sure enough when we got far enough to see through a bit of the darkness we spotted some blue! And brightness! There was sky to be seen after all! When we got there we found ourselves a nice spot on the side of the beach the city doesn’t care about (so we didn’t have to worry about leaving poops behind 😉 ) and retrieved the horses.

I took my boots and socks off and stashed those babies away and the sand was cool and squishy between my toes. I remember noting the horses weren’t as wet as I figured they would be given what we’d just driven through. Arizona was a little antsy about the experience initially after unload, looking up and down the beach with curious eyes. Zoni moved around as much as she could after I tied her up and began grooming her off but it didn’t take long to do since she wasn’t that dirty to begin with.

Just as we were about to pull the saddles from the trailer those black clouds we THOUGHT were behind us crept up and released rain upon us. Again we were getting soaked by the second. A certified downpour threatened to ruin our ride once again even though we’d already “won” by reaching the beach. We talked a bit about leaving but neither of us wanted to forfeit like that – again! We stood huddled next to the trailer, freezing, blinded by the run-off from our eyelashes and just waited. I don’t know how long we gave it but eventually Krista said “Well we’re already all wet, can’t get any worse, let’s just do this. Let’s watch for lightning and ride.”

If you click this picture open you should be able to clearly see the giant raindrops as they fell on us. We could barely keep our eyes open against them!

So there I went, hopping around for body heat and in spirited rejuvenation. We saddled on up and even though there were a few prominent thunder crashes we didn’t see much of the lightning. When it came time to get on I found that with the sinking sensation of the sand and the lack of my inches given from my boots I couldn’t get on her the old fashioned way. Krista had to get down and help me mount up using the trailer tire hub — and then shorten my stirrups! #ShortGirlProblems

And then off we went!!!

The first and second time the waves touched her feet Arizona made little jumps back. After that she was in LOVE! She would veer to toward the water constantly asking if we could go back in. Krista and I rode for a good while up and down the beach, trotting and loping some, going into the water and back out of it and Krista was able to get a lot of neat pictures for me. Shout out to my Lifeproof case for iPhone for providing us with photos even during a storm!

Eventually the rain stopped completely and the sky was as vibrant and friendly as ever. The last time I took Arizona into the water during the ride I let her lead the way. She went in so deep my feet were starting to disappear. The water felt amazing to me even as little as I felt it, I can only imagine how it felt to her. When I finally took her back out again Krista and I explored a little bit of the sand dunes before heading back to the trailer. It was a lot of fun letting her take care of me. It was liberating to only have to hold on and trust my horse. She’s a great mare. “They know their feet better than we do,” Krista summed it up nicely. “Trust them to take care of you.” Next time I definitely want to ride up and down those some more. On that final stretch back to the truck I dropped my reins, threw my arms up to the sky and closed my eyes and just felt. “This feels so amazing!” was my personal understatement of the day.

After tacking down we let Arizona and Betty have a good roll.

The second Arizona was up after she’d gotten two solid rolls in she was headed straight back to the water. I cheerfully plugged along side her, recording the experience and feeling happy to share it with her. It’s so fulfilling to see such a happy animal!

This day was one of my greatest experiences in horse ownership yet. The fresh air blew any negative thought I could’ve possibly been having away and the waves took it out to sea for me. It was a very much needed bonding experience for Arizona and I, and a healthy, exciting break from the day to day back at the barn. I know I am truly blessed.

Thank you Krista for not only your kind offer to go riding but your generosity in taking me and my girl with you. You’ve been a great horsey friend and it has been my pleasure getting to know you better! You rock, girl!