Witherun Farm in Pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76077084@N02/sets/72157629577715013/

Spook, Buck, Bolt, Crash! NOT This Time!

The weenie rider is slowly growing into her big girl panties!  The woman who was afraid to canter a year ago sat through one of Rico's classic *spook*buck*bolt* episodes without losing her seat, courage, or balance. Then put him right back to work.   I don't know who was more shocked that it didn't work for him this time, me or him! 

Those brutally challenging Thursday morning lessons are getting the job done.  Thank you Catherine for knowing exactly when and how to push me out of my comfort zone.

A Program Worth Supporting

http://worktoride.net/

This is something I've always dreamed of doing.  Using the power of horses to change young lives!  Thank you Lezlie Hiner for your hard work and dedication!

And yes, I did put my money where my mouth is in the name of the horseman who generously gave me my start at the age of 11.

Am I Torturing My Horse?

Inky left for equine boot camp on Saturday.  The plan is to let our trainers have a go at him for a month, two if necessary.   We discussed various alternatives for Rico, but in the end, our only option was to leave him at home alone.  We were hoping our trainer would send us one of her inactive horses, but that did not happen.  I've been unable to find a suitable temporary boarding situation for him.  I can call around and 'borrow' a horse to keep him company, but this would probably just result in a rough transition for both Rico and the borrowed horse, who would possibly have to be returned almost as soon as it settles into a new environment and routine. 

Most of my readers are horse people, so you know that 'alone' is not a happy thing for a horse.  I tell myself its only a month, and so far, he seems to be doing OK, although he is displaying signs of loneliness.  At least he's in a familiar place where he feels safe and knows the routine.  We'll know in a few weeks if Inky needs to stay longer, and if so, I'll start calling around to see if I can borrow a companion for him for the next 6 weeks.  But I feel horribly guilty.   Should I try harder to either find him a temporary boarding spot where he'll have equine companions, or borrow a horse now? 

Please weigh in, gentle readers.   Am I torturing him needlessly? 

Chardon - I Didn't Want to Think About it, But I Must

I posted this on a thread on COTH today.  I did not want to think about this, as its become such a horrifying trend, but I guess it bears repeating simply because the subject is so serious.  So please forgive me for being redundant, and also for preaching, but this is something that bears thought by everyone old enough to read and think about it.

"The truth of the matter is that teens emotions are deeper and more extreme than many people are willing to accept, and the vicious partisianship, rhetoric, and rancour being set today in public life by our politicians, pubic figures, and press are contributing to the emotional upheaval that is pushing them to turn on each other, and even themselves, in unspeakably vicious and violent ways.

Today's teens are surrounded by viciousness and violence. From video games to political elections, they are bombarded constantly with the concept that he who can intimidate his foe, get the last word, the last shot, or the last dime, is the winner.

If public figures and parents can't show self restraint and respect for others themselves, how can we expect these overly emotional, vulnerable kids, to not give in to that combination of an overwhelming sense of anger and helplessness that leads them to take desperate actions. Every kid in that school now has to live with the loss of someone they knew, the realization that it can happen to anyone, anytime, and the nagging question of 'did I somehow contribute to this problem?'.

When in reality, its not the kids who caused this problem, its the example the adults have set for them."

I Want to be a Barn Biddie!

For some reason,  this thread is first trainwreck that I actually took an active part in contributing to the pile on.   I don't really know why this got me so riled up.  I'm really not a person who cares what other people think.  (To a fault.)   Maybe the fact that I'm a middle aged woman who dotes on her horse but has no serious riding goals is the reason I was annoyed at having the whole demographic dismissed as a subject of ridicule.  Not because the shoe fits, but because it is so easy to create the stereotype that all middle aged women with the means and time to hang out together and dote on their horses without having serious goals are troublemaking biddies.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=343649

So I've decided that I aspire to be a barn biddie.  I can think of nothing more blissful than the idea that I would actually have enough time to hang out at the barn with my friends or spend so much time riding with them that I could actually be in someone else's way!   Please God, will you someday give me the time to be a barn biddie?  I promise to be the biddiest of them all if you grant me this wish.

Why Am I Stressing? He's NOT My Horse!

Inky officially belongs to my daughter.  Tomorrow will be the first time in 3 years that he will be separated from Rico for more than a few hours.  He is going to the equine equivialent of boot camp, our trainer's very busy hunter jumper barn.  For a month, maybe two.

Why am I totally stressing out.    He will be in good hands, our trainer is the most knowledgable horsewomen I've ever known.  Her horses are all sane, fat, and shiny, even the ones that come to her skinny, dirty and neglected.   Its only  a month and he's NOT my horse!  

Its the overprotective tigress mom thing all over again.  Does anyone else have this problem?

Am I Actually a Mare Person

I'm beginning to wonder.  I love geldings.  I have geldings.  I love their goofy personalities.  But I am always put on the mares at my trainers barn and I seem to do really well on them.  Much better than I do on my own geldings.  Is it just that they're school horses, or am I actually a 'mare person' without realizing it.  It just seem that I have always ridden better on mares.

Are mares really a 'different' ride than geldings?