On Wednesday evening, my little barn was graced with a celebrity. Well, a celebrity to us horse people-- Chelan Kozak, world-class 3-day event rider. I had met her briefly while working at Pacific, but it was something entirely different to have her in MY barn, looking at MY horses, and giving Jessy a lesson on miss Moira. The goal is for both Jessy and I to take lessons from her... eventually...
Chelan feels that Moira's "pissiness" is due to soreness somewhere. Not the leg or hoof, as she's completely sound, but the back, neck, or hindquarter area. Ulcers was another suggestion she made.
I have an appointment with a bodyworker that Chelan suggested. She'll be here tomorrow morning and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she has to say. She came highly recommended, and I'm very interested to see what she finds.
I also ordered some ulcer medication from my wonderful local feed store. Upon reflection, I realized that Gia has some pretty classic symptoms of ulcers as well-- girthiness, poor appetite, general anxiety, wood chewing, digging... so they are both going on the ulcer supplement, and we'll see what happens.
In a way I feel like I should be disappointed or discouraged, but I'm not. I'm actually excited, like this is just the first step toward having happy horses, and hopefully a successful show career because of it. It was very nice to have another pair of eyes on my girls, especially such an experienced set of eyes!
We will get Moira sorted out, Gia is looking much more sound already, so hopefully within a few weeks we can have Chelan back out. We are very lucky as she normally doesn't travel to give lessons, but we live right on the way between her house and her barn, so she is making an exception for us. It makes me feel like squealing with excitement. (Sometimes I actually do... but I try to restrain myself.)
Wish us luck, and of course I'll keep you updated!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Kennewick
I promised pics in my last post, so here they are. Sort of an expanded version of my Lunch Break Adventures :) Kennewick is what I consider to be my home town, and it's totally different from BC. And not just the cherry blossoms!
This is an unused railway grain tower right in the middle of town, fairly iconic. I've meant to take a picture of this for literally years, but of course it took me until now to actually do it.
We went down through Badger Canyon where I used to live. It made me so nostalgic! The whole area is agricultural-- vineyards, orchards, asparagus and hay fields. It's so beautiful. These are vineyards with poplar trees planted as windbreaks (have I mentioned that the Columbia Basin gets HUGE winds? The day these were taken we were actually in the midst of a dust storm!)
This is a great overview of what the area is like. No mountains, just rolling hills that are so sandblasted they look soft like pillows.
And there is an area called LaPierre Canyon at one end of Badger Canyon. My ex-stepmother lives up there, right near the corner of LaPierre Canyon Road and Rachel Road.
As a new LaPierre, I find it kind of neat :)
At any rate I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the Tri-Cities. Maybe someday I'll get around to taking more pics... I always plan to, but never seem to get around to it. To much shopping to do while I'm down there!
This is an unused railway grain tower right in the middle of town, fairly iconic. I've meant to take a picture of this for literally years, but of course it took me until now to actually do it.
We went down through Badger Canyon where I used to live. It made me so nostalgic! The whole area is agricultural-- vineyards, orchards, asparagus and hay fields. It's so beautiful. These are vineyards with poplar trees planted as windbreaks (have I mentioned that the Columbia Basin gets HUGE winds? The day these were taken we were actually in the midst of a dust storm!)
This is a great overview of what the area is like. No mountains, just rolling hills that are so sandblasted they look soft like pillows.
And there is an area called LaPierre Canyon at one end of Badger Canyon. My ex-stepmother lives up there, right near the corner of LaPierre Canyon Road and Rachel Road.
As a new LaPierre, I find it kind of neat :)
At any rate I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the Tri-Cities. Maybe someday I'll get around to taking more pics... I always plan to, but never seem to get around to it. To much shopping to do while I'm down there!
Easter vacation
So I went back home on my Easter long weekend. I worked a half day on Thursday and me, gramma and the kids headed down to Kennewick. I had a fantastic time, did lots of shopping, visited family and friends and got lots of pictures which I will post once I get them off the TWO cameras I brought :) But I just wanted to share something that had been bugging me...
Everyone loves spring, when the cherry trees bloom. BC has many of them, especially the area of White Rock where I work. But I guess I am used to a different kind of cherry tree-- and I didn't know there was more than one type. This is the type of cherry blossom you see in BC:
Beautiful, yes, but more "petal" than actual "blossom".
I kept looking for the cherry blossoms I am used to... these beautiful full, lush blossoms that come in several different shades of pink, from almost-white to bright pink. And I realized that they are all over the place in Kennewick. It made me a little bit sad... I miss them!
Isn't that a goofy thing to be sad about? But by the time I got back to BC, the wind and rain had pretty much taken all the petals off the trees. The blossoms are much hardier so stick around longer.
Oh well. Maybe one day I'll figure out which type of tree that is and plant one myself :)
More pics later!
Everyone loves spring, when the cherry trees bloom. BC has many of them, especially the area of White Rock where I work. But I guess I am used to a different kind of cherry tree-- and I didn't know there was more than one type. This is the type of cherry blossom you see in BC:
Beautiful, yes, but more "petal" than actual "blossom".
I kept looking for the cherry blossoms I am used to... these beautiful full, lush blossoms that come in several different shades of pink, from almost-white to bright pink. And I realized that they are all over the place in Kennewick. It made me a little bit sad... I miss them!
Isn't that a goofy thing to be sad about? But by the time I got back to BC, the wind and rain had pretty much taken all the petals off the trees. The blossoms are much hardier so stick around longer.
Oh well. Maybe one day I'll figure out which type of tree that is and plant one myself :)
More pics later!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Update on miss Moira
Just a quickie update on the SuperPony. She's doing great! Here are some pics of her with Jessy, her new buddy. Aren't they cute!!
She's finally getting ridden consistently, she's not sure she's happy about it but I am!
I'm so excited to see what the SuperPony can accomplish this year! And hopefully it will motivate me to get as far as I can with the Supermodel too. Unfortunately, she's popped a splint (a calcification in the bone of the lower leg caused by stress to the leg, which makes her very sore) so will be out of commission for a bit while I watch how it heals. But no worries, soon enough we'll be back on track.
Thanks to Jessy for letting me share her pictures!
UPDATE: Check out the adorable video too!
She's finally getting ridden consistently, she's not sure she's happy about it but I am!
I'm so excited to see what the SuperPony can accomplish this year! And hopefully it will motivate me to get as far as I can with the Supermodel too. Unfortunately, she's popped a splint (a calcification in the bone of the lower leg caused by stress to the leg, which makes her very sore) so will be out of commission for a bit while I watch how it heals. But no worries, soon enough we'll be back on track.
Thanks to Jessy for letting me share her pictures!
UPDATE: Check out the adorable video too!
Friday, April 15, 2011
My latest project
I am super bored at work right now (don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to be bored, I'm running the office by myself and it's really really hard when it's busy) so I've decided to post some of my work from my graphic art store. I'm very proud of what I've done, especially teaching myself to use Photoshop which has turned out to be a lot more complicated than I expected!
Anyway here's a sampling of what I've done:
If you want to see more, visit my Etsy store. But be aware-- the products that say "mature" contain nude art.
I'll be working on more graphic stuff on my laptop today while waiting for the phone here at work to ring... or something :)
Anyway here's a sampling of what I've done:
If you want to see more, visit my Etsy store. But be aware-- the products that say "mature" contain nude art.
I'll be working on more graphic stuff on my laptop today while waiting for the phone here at work to ring... or something :)
Thursday, April 14, 2011
I love my horse, but...
... what a pea-brain!!
The SuperPony has been here just over a week now and the Supermodel is already ridiculously, stupidly, insanely obsessed with her. To the point that she flips out and works herself into a lather if you take the SuperPony out of her stall to groom her. Never mind that the grooming area is RIGHT NEXT to Gia's stall... if she can't see Moira, the world is obviously going to end.
Yesterday, Jessy (the girl who is going to be riding Moira for me) and I were riding together. Gia has never been ridden with another horse in the arena. It was apparently too much for her fragile little mind. It reminds you that these enormous 1,000 lb animals are ruled by brains the size of walnuts.
She jigged and whinnied and generally made an a** of herself for about half an hour until I finally got her to focus and work, while Jessy was working Moira. We got a good 20 minutes of real work in, and then I made her stand and watch while Jessy and Moira did their own thing. She stood well as long as she could see her "girlfriend", so after about 10 minutes I called it a victory and took her back inside. Where she promptly freaked out because Moira was still outside.
I hate herd-bound horses. This is going to be a challenge. I hope... I pray, lol... that as Gia realizes that Moira isn't going anywhere, this will get better. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it won't.
The SuperPony has been here just over a week now and the Supermodel is already ridiculously, stupidly, insanely obsessed with her. To the point that she flips out and works herself into a lather if you take the SuperPony out of her stall to groom her. Never mind that the grooming area is RIGHT NEXT to Gia's stall... if she can't see Moira, the world is obviously going to end.
Yesterday, Jessy (the girl who is going to be riding Moira for me) and I were riding together. Gia has never been ridden with another horse in the arena. It was apparently too much for her fragile little mind. It reminds you that these enormous 1,000 lb animals are ruled by brains the size of walnuts.
She jigged and whinnied and generally made an a** of herself for about half an hour until I finally got her to focus and work, while Jessy was working Moira. We got a good 20 minutes of real work in, and then I made her stand and watch while Jessy and Moira did their own thing. She stood well as long as she could see her "girlfriend", so after about 10 minutes I called it a victory and took her back inside. Where she promptly freaked out because Moira was still outside.
I hate herd-bound horses. This is going to be a challenge. I hope... I pray, lol... that as Gia realizes that Moira isn't going anywhere, this will get better. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it won't.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Mambo No. 5
Soooo.... I promised on Facebook that I'd post about this ages ago. Aaannnddd... yeah, well, I have no excuse for the delay. But here it is, finally!
Well, I mean-- here SHE is!
This is Moira. AKA Mambo No. 5. AKA the SuperPony. And she is the cutest thing EVER... just about as cute as the Supermodel is gorgeous.
(Okay yes, she looks like a cross between a wooly mammoth and wild mustang here, but I promise she's super cute.)
I met miss Moira last fall, I was riding for a big-name horse trainer who had literally about 30 horses, many of whom were worth six figures. Moira was not. Moira was worth about 0 figures. Moira was just a baby-making machine, until I met her. I fell in love, being the sucker that I am for Arabian horses. I started working with her and we got along like a house on fire, until the big-name trainer lost the lease on the farm she was renting and suddenly had to find a new home for 30+ fancy horses. The less-fancy horses began to disappear, and Moira was one of them.
I was upset... this particular horse trainer was very nice in person but I knew she had a bit of a sketchy past. I was honestly concerned that she'd dumped poor Moira at the auction or sent her to slaughter for the few bucks she'd get. For a year, I kept my eyes open for her but I didn't figure I'd ever see her again. And then, one day I opened post on a horse-for-sale site that I normally would never have looked at, and there she was.
I emailed her owner obsessively (seriously, I probably annoyed the crap out of this poor lady) until she called me. I told her I would take Moira no questions asked, and told her the story. The new owner had indeed gotten her from big-name trainer and luckily had treated her very well in the meantime... except that once again, she had been left in a field to just kind of hang out. (WHY do people get horses they aren't going to do anything with??)
Moira was delivered to my place the following week, and these pics are from that day. Needless to say, she's since been cleaned up and had her horsey makeover. And I have found a teenage girl who is going to come out here to ride her and adore her just like she deserves. I am beyond happy.
I love seeing these two faces when I walk into the barn in the morning!
Well, I mean-- here SHE is!
This is Moira. AKA Mambo No. 5. AKA the SuperPony. And she is the cutest thing EVER... just about as cute as the Supermodel is gorgeous.
(Okay yes, she looks like a cross between a wooly mammoth and wild mustang here, but I promise she's super cute.)
I met miss Moira last fall, I was riding for a big-name horse trainer who had literally about 30 horses, many of whom were worth six figures. Moira was not. Moira was worth about 0 figures. Moira was just a baby-making machine, until I met her. I fell in love, being the sucker that I am for Arabian horses. I started working with her and we got along like a house on fire, until the big-name trainer lost the lease on the farm she was renting and suddenly had to find a new home for 30+ fancy horses. The less-fancy horses began to disappear, and Moira was one of them.
I was upset... this particular horse trainer was very nice in person but I knew she had a bit of a sketchy past. I was honestly concerned that she'd dumped poor Moira at the auction or sent her to slaughter for the few bucks she'd get. For a year, I kept my eyes open for her but I didn't figure I'd ever see her again. And then, one day I opened post on a horse-for-sale site that I normally would never have looked at, and there she was.
I emailed her owner obsessively (seriously, I probably annoyed the crap out of this poor lady) until she called me. I told her I would take Moira no questions asked, and told her the story. The new owner had indeed gotten her from big-name trainer and luckily had treated her very well in the meantime... except that once again, she had been left in a field to just kind of hang out. (WHY do people get horses they aren't going to do anything with??)
Moira was delivered to my place the following week, and these pics are from that day. Needless to say, she's since been cleaned up and had her horsey makeover. And I have found a teenage girl who is going to come out here to ride her and adore her just like she deserves. I am beyond happy.
I love seeing these two faces when I walk into the barn in the morning!
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