A sticky situation?

My horse is a mess. Okay, not a mess- but he is looking a little rough around the edges right now, but I *think* I know why.

Zippy came home from training in March, after having been double blanketed, in a barn and under lights to maintain his show coat. I brought him home to where I board (I board at the Serenity Equine Rescue ranch, I've been there since before they were a rescue) and had him under a heavy blanket and stalled every night.

He started growing some more fur right away, but I didn't worry- I figured he'd grow a little (he was mighty slick when he came home). But he grew more and more, suddenly when the warm weather hit the poor fellow started sweating like a pig. But not shedding.

Being a worrywart horse mommy I began to rinse him off the days I was out there, and brush him vigorously but alas- no shed. I waited- no shed. The last straw was when I went to clip his whiskers and bridle path and his nose was furry. ARGH! The next day I noticed he began losing patches of fur by his eyes, we have very few flies but every single one seems to set him off.

Where is my slick healthy pony, and who is this fuzzy sweaty monster. My poor, horse!

I thought maybe I would blanket him in the evening to keep him warm 24/7 in hopes he'd blow his coat... but as I read and talked to friends and learned and asked questions I discovered it was lights, not heat that were the issue. He's used to lights and at my barn the horses go in at 5 or so, so he's getting a lot more 'dark' time than usual. Our barn is airy and open ended, but that isn't enough direct light to convince his confused body that we aren't just in a warm spell during winter.

He needed more time in the light, so I moved him out to a paddock with stalls so the only dark he gets is from sunset (about 9 pm) to sunrise (6 or so). I am really hoping this will work.

His new pasture mate Lovey is a rescue, such a sweet girl. Zippy gets along with everyone so he lets her be boss and he loves the gravel area in the paddock where the rocks get warm and he can sun himself and roll.

He's still a bit confused when everyone is led in at night, but as soon as he gets his hay and grain out in/near his outdoor barn, he is happy as a clam. I hope this helps his body re-learn what season it is, because he has been way too miserable with that coat. If he doesn't start shedding soon I may have to body clip him to keep him comfortable. He soaks himself in sweat on hot days.

For now, he's got loads of fresh water, plenty of salt and shade to get into when he wants and a new schedule - let's hope he begins to shed soon!

Extreme Mustangs, Extreme Cowgirls....

A good friend of mine is off and running. Okay, not running- she's driving. Juliane is headed to Sacramento, CA to compete with her assigned mustang mare, Sangria. With her is Jenny, who is training mustang MissFire. What an adventure!

The Extreme Mustang Makeover allows trainers of all levels to take in a wild mustang off the range and compete in a variety of classes designed to test the skills, trust and training of these mustangs. All Mustangs competing in the Extreme Mustang Makeover events will be available for adoption through competitive bidding at the end. (Buyers must complete a Bureau of Land Management adoption application and be approved before bidding, to ensure good homes). It's a pretty amazing concept and there are some amazing and brave trainers out there.

In April, Juliane had a serious accident while riding Sangria and suffered injuries bad enough to land her at Harborview (our local high risk trauma medical center). Eye orbitals and facial bones fractured, her lip and mouth split open to her nose, more than 10 teeth broken off or cracked beyond repair, along with a broken nose and septum - this was a sore cowgirl. We were all worried about her and watched as she recovered and healed, never once blaming her mustang but looking inward to ask herself how she could have better managed the accident. (She writes about her accident here).

Thanks to friends, family members and loads of donors we were able to raise funds to cover her dental costs and most medical expenses. My dentist, Dr. Ron Sherman (superdentist- love him!) matched donations to help Juliane get all the veneers and crowns required to fix her teeth. He said he had never in 21 years of dentistry seen so much support for a person injured.

Dr. Sherman deserves a huge thank you for his generosity but even more so for his amazing cosmetic work- he is one dentist who uses state of the art dentistry for the health of the tooth combined with unparalleled cosmetic technique for natural looking beautiful work. His site is here: Dr. Ron Sherman, First Impressions Dental Care. You can tell him Cowgirly sent ya!

Back to Juliane, with two black eyes and a face covered in bruises, swelling and stitches she went back to work. She returned to groundwork with Sangria and once cleared by the doctors returned to the saddle. Sangria and she both benefited, and the results are obvious- there is a bond and trust between horse and rider.

She has not had as much time to blog as she wanted, but her entries are introspective and interesting as she teaches Sangria and shares what she's learned about mustangs and training in general- her blog is here: Juliane and her's a link to trainer Jenny. Here they are competing in a drill event last month on their mustangs.






When not making over mustangs, both train rescue horses for the unique Cowgirl Spirit Rescue Drill Team (who will be featured on King 5 Evening Magazine this Friday at 7 pst with a new interview with Juliane about her experience). Cowgirl Spirit is preparing for a big drill competition, so both trainers return sans mustangs but with many rescues and a team ready to compete all summer.


Well, I just had to share this story, it's been amazing to watch my friend learn and grow alongside her mustang companion and I wish her all the luck in the world. Her fantabulous boyfriend JC is flying down to support her, and all of us back here in Washington know that she and Sangria have had an experience that changed both of their loves.

Ride on, Cowgirls, Ride on!

Fun N Gamers

Yesterday I went out to watch a gaming show at South Seattle Saddle Club in Maple Valley. When I got there they were running poles and then pole relays, then rescue race and so on.

I've been mostly showing, drill, and clompin' around trails so I haven't really hit the arena for speed in a long time. But my Zippy is pretty arena sour, he wants some FUN so I thought I'd check out a gaming show. I was too busy to bring him, so I grabbed my camera and went to watch.

Some events offer a relay division where 2- 4 rider take turns and hand off a baton- you wouldn't believe how fast they are going:

This pony has taught dozens of young riders how to game (this was my favorite pic of the day- he was last in a relay, that’s a soft relay baton he’s holding).

Newbies were totally welcome- riders who chose to trot or lope slowly were cheered on as enthusiastically as gals like these, who were impressive (there were plenty of guys riding as well, I just somehow failed to get decent pics of them!)

The Rescue Race was amazing to watch, riders gallop down and pick up a second rider then speed across the finish line.

And after hard work, most riders returned to the ring for some well-earned rolling.

It was terrific seeing parents patiently coaching kids (this little gal was FAST!) and families spending time together with their horses.

The next show at SSSC is June 27-28 and I just may take Zippy and just jog/lope a couple events for fun. It’s SO fun to watch, even if you don’t ride and everyone is super helpful and friendly. And the horses LOVE what they do- you can see it on their faces, which is really neat. That’s what it’s all about- fun for all!

Here are links if you want more info:

Patterned Speed Horse Association the group that games- a wonderful group of folks who manages the rules, governs the events and keeps gaming alive in our area

South Seattle Saddle Club a family oriented club who owns the grounds where many events are held but also focuses on family fun, horsemanship, trail rides and other get togethers and friendships

Green River Saddle Club has a very active youth as well as adult group, and a terrific facility

Snoqualmie Valley Riding Club is another great local family friendly org and they offer offers shows, games, trail rides, parades, lessons, and clinics through out the season

...more time with the horse for this lotto winner

From the Argus Leader newspaper, "The nation’s newest mega-millionaire was identified today as a rancher from a remote part of the wind-swept western South Dakota plains.

Neal Wanless, 23, who lives outside the small town of Mission won a $232.1 million Powerball jackpot - the ninth-largest Powerball jackpot in the history of the multi-state game, according to a statement this afternoon from the South Dakota Lottery.

Wearing a cowboy hat, jeans and a western shirt, Wanless was introduced to the rest of the world at a ceremony today in Pierre.

“Winning the Powerball is something I’ve always dreamt about but didn’t think would happen,” Wanless said during brief comments about his big win. “I want to thank the Lord for this opportunity and blessing me with this fortune.”

The ticket was sold at an Ampride store in Winner - about 35 miles from Wanless’ home - late last month. Wanless and his family typically stop at the store when they come into Winner to buy feed for the ranch.

The ticket matched all five white balls and the Powerball with Wanless’ incredibly lucky combination of 5-16-6-21-12 and the 7 Powerball. The numbers represent the day and month of family members’ birthdays, state lottery officials said.

Wanless decided to take the jackpot as a one-time cash prize of $118,005,530, according to a statement from South Dakota lottery officials. After federal tax withholding, he will receive a prize payment $88,504,147, not including another $100 he won on the same ticket, the statement said.

In the days since the drawing, there’s been rampant speculation about who may have won the ticket. During his brief remarks at this afternoon’s news conference, Wanless thanked South Dakotans “for your patience in waiting for me to come forward for this award.”

He declined to answer questions from reporters later. It was the second time this year that someone from the Mission area won a huge jackpot."

According to Associated Press, Wanless has some plans for the cash:

He said he recently told his horse, Eleanor, that "It'd be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."

Wanless wants to keep ranching. "I just want to go home and ranch and ride horse and check cows," he said.

This story made me really smile, I think if I won the lotto I'd have a similar wish....after I bought a great big truck!

When life hands you dandelions...

It's that time of year- Dandelion Season... and this year I am without my beloved yard rabbits to keep them at bay. Our yard rabbits (Zoe and Friendy) both passed away last year and we decided not to get any more for a while. These sweet critters had eaten all the dandelions and roamed our yard freely (we have a huge fenced yard) and we adored them.

In their honor, I am posting a recipe for Dandelion Jelly which I plan to make this year- a friend gave me some and it is really quite tasty- a lot like honey actually and dandelion has potassium and is supposed to be good for you. Either way, the more of the little yellow heads you get out of your lawn, the fewer will come back.

Dandelion Jelly
Makes four or five half-pint jars

Ingredients:
2 heaping cups of fresh dandelion petals (you'll need to gather about 4 cups whole flowers to get 2 cups flowers)
2 C boiling water
1/4 C well-strained, clear lemon juice
4 C sugar
3 oz liquid pectin (Certo)
Food coloring (optional but makes it much prettier)

Directions:
1. Collect dandelions- remember: for fully opened flowers, the bigger the better, for ease of preparation. Of course do NOT use any dandelions that have been sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides!

2. Cut the petals off. We'll want just the dandelion petals for this - not the whole flower head. (the green is bitter, you’ll get some green but try to minimize the amount of "green" and have mainly yellow petals for your infusion. It works best if you hold the flower by the end near the stem, and trim the petals into a bowl or cup, with sharp kitchen scissors).

3. Pour boiling water over petals and let steep from 30 minutes to 24 hours. I infused mine for about 2 hours - until the liquid was almost room temperature. Strain through a fine sieve, reserving the infusion. If not using immediately, refrigerate up to 24 hours.

4. Place jars and lids on rack in pan or stockpot deep enough to cover them with about two inches of water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, keeping the jars hot until ready to fill.

5. To make the jelly, stir lemon juice (lime works quite nicely as well) and sugar into reserved infusion in a two-quart nonreactive or stainless steel pan. Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add the liquid pectin and continue to boil two minutes, skimming any foam that may rise to the surface. Add about 20 drops of yellow food coloring to make it a pretty color (otherwise it may not bee too attractive).

6. Ladle quickly into jars to within about 1/8 inch from the top; clean each rim and threads of the jar as it's filled, and place flat lid and ring on each before filling the next. Screw band on tightly and invert jar on tea towel for about five to 10 minutes. Jars should seal and lids should pop shut within 10 minutes as they cool. If they do not seal, you can place them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes or place in the refrigerator.

7. Sealed jars will last up to one year in a cool, dark place. Put any unsealed jelly in the refrigerator, unsealed or opened jars should keep about three weeks.

If you try this out, be sure to post a comment... and remember, if life hands you dandelions - make yummy jelly!!

In Which I Return from a Schooling Show and Find Myself Compiling a List of Suggestions for Riders and Show Hosts

I love Schooling Shows. They are low key, people are friendly. I find that even the 'fanciest' folks are willing to chat at a schooling show, and I have learned a lot there. You can dress all up if you want, or show in your yellow puffy dirty bag lady jacket and still win high point (one of my BFF's did once)!



However, I dare say that a few sets of truly unprepared riders on unruly/unprepared horses and a fun day turns into a frustrating and potentially dangerous one. It sucks the fun right out of a low key show.



So I offer the following blog as a friendly help to those considering their first schooling show, or those who feel like they 'don't understand the rules'.

Before go to any show- schooling, 4-H, Open, or Gaming ask yourself if you have these basics down:

• Can you stop your horse? Simple rule- No whoa, no go. This does not mean you finally get him to stop once he's crashed into someone or when he gets tired enough to slow to a trot :)


• Does your horse kick, lash out, or excessively spook? Maybe a little more homework is in order before trailering to a public venue. (Hint: if people in the arena with you look scared, you're not ready!)


• Do you know basic ring etiquette? If not, it's your lucky day... (read on for some tips)
  

...but wait, Cowgirly- it's a schooling show. Don't you go to learn to show?

"No, my friend, I think you want a clinic. Big difference.


Think of it this way- is the judge at a schooling show teaching or instructing you on how to improve? Nope. He/She is judging you and handing out ribbons for whoever does best.

If you want a public venue with multiple horses to work among and learn, I highly recommend a clinic. If you want or need individual training and focus on a regular basis, find a trainer. Some even let you split lessons with another rider or do groups.


How about books? Your local library probably has dozens- mine even has DVDs of some very popular trainers if you want to follow a certain philosophy. Online forums are excellent as well. Don't forget to ask others. I have several friends who help me a ton when it comes to working my horse.

Then you go to a schooling show to put what you have learned into practice, to evaluate what you're learning, to gain show experience, see how training is going. And you have FUN!

The opinion that a schooling show is a clinic with ribbons is exactly why there are horses and riders getting kicked (or worse) at schooling shows, or people getting cut off, run over, insulted, and/or having a bad experience. And I think many folks just don't realize that, I don't think they set out to ruin someone else's day. Green /Novice classes at a schooling show should not look like a sheep riding event at the local rodeo (wooly critters running amok while frightened riders cling for their lives and others try to get out of the way before being destroyed).

Anyhow, regardless of who you are or how you prepare, I wanted to share some lessons I've learned over the years on ways we can all make any show a great experience for everyone who is there to compete, watch, judge, or host.

Cowgirly's Top 10 Rules of Show Etiquette

1. No whoa, no go (don't bring a horse you cannot control).
   
2. If your horse is a kicker, put a red ribbon in his/her tail to warn others. Even a small one will help others steer clear.
   
3. Enter what you're ready for- there's no shame in doing walk only or walk/jog only.
   
4. Do not block arena gates (this includes the warm up arena) and don't take up arena space to sit and talk. This includes those who come to watch you- help keep them out of the way so other riders can prepare for their class.
   
5. Ride the same direction as the others when warming up whenever possible. Pass left to left (just like driving) and call out when you are passing (a simple call out of "Passing on the inside. Thank you" will do. If you need to ride the reverse, remember you're the odd man out and stay out of other's way :)
   
6. Leave as much space as possible on the rail between you and the horse in front of you- at least one horse (10 feet) minimum. (you can see the dirt behind the back feet of the horse in front of you when you're this far back).
   
7. If your horse gets out of control, get out of the ring (and let others know if they are in the path of destruction so they can move).
   
8. Don't rush to transition between gaits- take your time so you don't affect those riding behind you.
   
9. Manners: be polite, help when you can, if you have an issue handle it like an adult (no yelling, swearing, etc). If you cannot handle it, ask the ring steward or office for help.
   
10. Share the show: if something you're doing is scaring other horses (loud equipment, yelling at your own horse, etc) or making others uncomfortable (loud friends, unsupervised kids) fix it or stop.

If you're putting on (hosting) a schooling show, please consider:

Post rules near the arena so people know what is expected. They'll appreciate it!

• Offer red ribbons and rubber bands in the show office for potential kickers.
• Don' t allow unsupervised kids to run all over- it's not just annoying, it's dangerous and a huge liability for the facility and you!

I hope this has maybe helped someone out there, and I surely hope it was taken as it was intended to be- a little humorous but a lot insightful. Don't forget to make it a pleasant day for your horse as well- a few extra treats, a planned break between classes to eat, drink and potty will help keep him at ease (and likely behave better).

I've been to quite a few shows, and when basic ring etiquette is practiced everyone has fun. When children run around like monkeys, riders insult each other, horses run up on other horses (with frantic passengers on them about to cry) and kicks are exchanged - everyone loses. When we all remember to consider others (and our horse) we win!

If you have show etiquette tips, a wish list for those who host shows or a story from a show, post it in comments!

Itty Bitty Zippy

It's no secret that I adore, adore, adore my horse Zippy. I heard about CyndyHorses, a positively amazing equine artist, I had to send her a note and ask her about custom work. I wanted one of her necklaces but I was dreaming of getting one that looked like Zippy.

Cyndy was wonderful, I sent her pictures and she whipped up a little Zippy on a beautiful necklace that is so cute, pictures cannot do it justice. Anyhow, I had to share and post a link to her Etsy Store: www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6688394

and her website: www.cyndyhorses.com/

because she's an independent artist who does beautiful work and really puts her heart into each unique piece. She is fast, too- she got right to work on Zippy- I haven't been so excited to get something in the mail since I ordered Sea Monkeys when I was 5!

I cannot wait to head off to work tomorrow wearing my 'little Zippy' around my neck. I suggest you treat yourself to one as well.

Many thanks, Cyndy, for capturing my big boy in a little necklace!