Peripheral Vision

Thursday, the day before Stampede started, I found myself in a bit of a surreal situation. There I was, in the early morning air, listening to someone read off a list of horse and rider combinations for the upcoming week. It would have been close to a year ago to the day that I would have been the one reading horse and rider combinations to eager counsellors at orientation for the ranch.

Stampede was a wonderful distraction for me, it's hard to think about the past when adrenaline is coursing through your veins as you blast out of a centre aisle to "THIS IS CALGARY, AND THIS IS THE CALGARY STAMPEDE".

However, every once and awhile I would feel that old shadow of a friend creep up behind me and nag at me, don't you remember me? Of course I do, how can you forget something that was so ingrained in your life for so many years.

It was around that same time that a friend of mine randomly brought up the ranch. He said that he was surprised how much he missed it, how every once and awhile he would get this feeling like he should be there, how sometimes it felt like he was there. He put it in the most poignantly, perfect way that I could even grasp. That it felt like it was crowding his peripherals, if he were to close his eyes randomly during the day, he would feel so linearly drawn to it that for a moment he could almost taste the very air that inhabited the space, and then, for that split second, he would be afraid to open his eyes for disappointment.

When the ranch went up for sale, I would get washed away out to sea by the enormity of losing the place that meant so much to me. I would have dark moments on the floor, just sobbing. It's not just losing a place, it was losing a life, and so many dreams. However, now, it is in the little mundane moments that pass so fleetingly. Those peripheral moments that you can't quite grasp and then they're gone.

For me, I had the habit of closing my eyes on long trail rides and letting the sun dance across my eyelids. I used to reach out my hand and brush the poplar tree's leave as we rode by. I find myself replicating that behavior almost on habit, the other day I let my hand out and brushed the cold concrete of an underpass, it wasn't the same. It isn't just being in the city that gets under my skin, even when i'm out at the barn, or in the country, something is just... missing. During Stampede I went out to see Jingle, it was dusk and I buried my face in his mane, in that moment, it was almost like I was there. After he had come home from his disappearance act in the hills I spent many nights as the sun slowly set grooming him and talking to him, just happy to be in his presence. However, just like my friend had said, I opened my eyes to disappointment. I wasn't in the round pen, I was in the breezeway. The "shed", the large pole barn that housed the dude string, wasn't looming behind me, a sentinel amongst the trees. Instead, just our front yard, my truck in the parking lot...

It's easy to duplicate feelings, emotions and patterns when you did the exact same thing, every week, for six weeks, every summer, for five summers. It's easy to feel empty and alone when your Monday wake up call means a shower, and a trip to the office, whereas, for five summers, a Monday wake up call meant the first day of rides for a brand new group of campers. Just beyond my peripheral vision I can see all those horses lined up in rows, softly munching on their hay, nickering to each other. However, here I am, at my office, and all I can hear is key strokes.

It is a strange thing, knowing you can go back to a place, but knowing you can never go home.

10 Days In July - Stampede 101

Remember that time I used to blog all the time, and now I just lurk your blogs and think to myself "maybe I should blog..." and then don't. Yeah, that's right now. But! I do have a pretty exciting and cool reason I haven't been blogging....

Stampede 101 with the Ranch Girls!

Yep, after trying out in April and shockingly getting in, it was finally time for me to strut my stuff and carry some flags in front of thousands, upon thousands, of people.. 

I'm pretty sure that's Tuf Cooper by the chute gate... casual, youngest millionaire in rodeo...

Stampede was INSANE. The first few days my nerves got the total best of me. I think it kind of shocked my body into some weird state because I am never really "nervous". Sure, I get butterflies and a tossy stomach every once in awhile, but this was a whole new level of nerves for me. Like, feeling like I was going to puke and pee my pants as the gate opened for grand entry. After three days of feeling like I was seriously going to die, my body finally calmed down, and I started having fun. 

Here we are! Find me... i'm the blonde.. (haha), we got to use Stampede horses, all sorrels, all with socks and blazes.

For the most part, between our rides we sat on the fence of the chutes and got to watch the rodeo up close and personal, it was so cool. I don't barrel race, and although i've attended plenty of rodeos in my life.. I don't "rodeo", and so I don't really know much about that world. This was like a crash course in rodeo behind the scenes... and high caliber rodeo while we're at it.

There I am, carrying the Plains Midstream flag during one of our Sponsor laps.

Sparkly shirts and lots of blondes!

Duke!

Duke and I, unimpressed because it was POURING rain that day and we were suppose to get on and head out there. Whyyyyyy.

My Horses name was Duke, he was wonderful. A bit of a firecracker and really fast, a little too fast at times. Once I finally calmed down and started actually riding him and stopped caring what I looked like, we figured each other out and i'm sure I started looking better. Throughout the year they use him as a heeling horse and a pickup horse, he's a pretty solid boy. My favourite quirk of his was how much he LOVED rodeo. The minute the announcer would pick up, and we'd get ready to enter the infield, he would stand straight up, ears forward and his heart would pound so hard in his chest I could feel it in my legs. Pretty cool feeling, but in the beginning it felt like I was riding a powder keg. It took a bit of getting used too.

Rainy day at the rodeo.

The Stampede provided us with awesome long slicker style rainjackets, perfect for rainy days.

The very flooded saddledome in the sunset... my poor city.

Each day we had a companion pass, so our companions could basically go anywhere we went, infield, around the chutes, the grounds for free... it was awesome. My mom, and my friends Sarah and Jess took advantage of them, and it was really wonderful of the Stampede and the Rodeo to allow us them.

We got to watch the Cowboy Challenge Finals, Jim Anderson won, he's the three time world champion or something crazy like that. I wish I had gotten more photos, one of the obstacles was a huge three-step bridge, and another was a sprinkler box, the horses were calm, cool and collected. That level of training is just ridiculous, one day Jingle and I will get there.

My mom and I have been going to the Stampede every year since I was 2, so this was year 19. It is one of our most favourite, and memorable traditions, and this year was a lot of fun to experience all the behind the scene stuff with her.

Because I'm always out of town, and the chucks are quite expensive, I've never seen them in person, this year I went twice, once for the finals! So awesome. I want to outride one day, bucket list item for sure.

Mom and I watched the fireworks from the track this year, so we got to see where they were actually releasing the fireworks. It was SO COOL. I love this photo of mama, she looks like a little kid watching them.

For two days I was also on stage presentations, which meant that we carried flags onto the stage when the winners of the days events got presented with their bronzes. Pretty cool area to watch the barrel racing from!

Quite a few friends came by to see me, wave to me and cheer me on - I loved it! This is Whitney and Amery who worked with me at the ranch, how cute are their little cowgirl outfits?! Love them.

A couple shots of the whole 19 of us!

Jason Glass, winning the Stampede Rangeland Derby Finals.

I carried the City of Calgary flag for grand entry!

Duke... Levitating as per usual.

So there's my update on my ten days, I'm sure there is more I could talk about and looking back now I wish I had blogged each day. Perhaps as memories come back to me I'll blog a bit more about it. However, I will say that it was an absolutely amazing experience and I can't thank the Stampede, Rodeo Committee and our coordinators and organizers enough for letting me be part of this group of girls. I'm still in shock that I was one of the Calgary Stampede Ranch Girls, it was one of those dream come true experiences. Plus, if any of you need tips on how to keep your hat on while flying around a huge arena... i'm your girl.

What Makes a Quiet, Safe, Bombproof & Broke Horse?

Awhile ago a girl at my barn had a bad fall from a horse. The horse in question is one that i've known since he was 4, and rode extensively when he was younger. The girl is in her teens, a good rider who has been taking lessons for awhile, She has also ridden him pretty regularly since September - at least a few times a month. Falls from horses happen all the time, a thing that the EMS repeated to her when they came to take her to the hospital. Which, in itself, is a good lesson and reminder. She is fine, although she has a broken collar bone (at the beginning of summer too - poor kid), and i'm sure is pretty shaken up.

Is Fergus any of the below qualities? I would say most old school-master lesson ponies are, but then learn quickly how to forget they are... sneaky sneaky..

However, her fall got me thinking about the nature of horses. There are 4 qualities people often look for in a horse, especially for inexperienced, or younger riders.
The first is Quiet, a horse that you can fail, flop, yell, and mess-up around, all the while the horse remains calm and steady.

The second is Safe, a horse that you can get in tricky situations with and the horse maintains it's composure, a horse that you can be a total beginner on, and it wont take advantage of you. A safe horse is one that is safe to be around - whether it's on the ground, riding, or in it's presence.

The third is that word that is so often thrown around, especially when it comes to a kids horse, Bombproof. The essence of the word is that a bomb could go off infront of the horse and it wouldn't even flinch. The prime example of bombproof horses are police horses used in riot situations. However, when we see the word most is when we are explaining children's horses, "Old Bobby Sue was so bombproof I could put my toddler on her without a helmet and get her to gallop around brideless and the mare could care less," however.. so often these types of horses have caveats, "except she hated mud, she'd rear at the sight of it, so we just avoided riding in the rainy season." Not quite sure that behaviour consistutes as "bombproof." Although safe and quiet are often assumed when it comes to bombproof horses, I seperate this category because they are almost always "a kids horse".

Finally, we have the second horse-specific term, "Broke". What does broke even mean? For some people Broke means a horse that knows it's leads, flying lead changes, spins, stops, sidepasses, etc. These are your seasoned show horses, your dependable ranch geldings, your beenthere-donethat-gotthetshirt steady-eddys. Sometimes these horses can be used by every level of experience, and age, these are the horses that teach you how to become truly good riders. Other times, your "brokest" horse in the bunch may not be the one you reach for when your "never been on a horse" neice comes to visit. Perhaps your "brokest" is a little hot, a little snorty, can be impatient, etc.

When that neice comes to visit, often you reach for your quietest.. and there is a huge difference. This is the idea that spurred this entire post.

I have an interesting insight on the above categories because I worked at a dude ranch, specifically a kids camp. A camp where 8 year olds could come, absolutely terrified of horses, and we'd throw them on elderly mares and geldings who would plod along behind us for 5 days. Sure, sometimes kids slipped off, or we hit wasp nests which caused the horses to get a little frisky, but for the most part the old beginner string were horses I trusted completely. They were quiet, and they were safe. We had photos done every week for the kids and their horses, the photographer used all manner of aparatus to get the horses to look alive and prick up their ears. From tarps blowing in the wind to literally attempting to scare them... I would consistute that as showing how bombproof they were. But, were they broke? Hell no. If they even knew what a sidepass was, they placed it in a tiny room in their brain called "things humans made me do when I was little". They ambled behind the horse infront of them, playing every bit the bombproof horse, but certainly not a horse you would want to be on if.... ya know.. you wanted to actually do something. Which raises an interesting point, how safe can a horse be if you can't do anything on it? Well, for a kid in a trail riding situation like that... I would say pretty safe. For me, if I was out bringing in brood mares and got into a sticky spot, not that safe. So, in the end, safe becomes a measure on a sliding scale.

In the end, all these categories are really about perspective, what is safe to one person, isn't always safe to another. Going back to the horse that was originally brought up, I would say he's pretty safe and he's pretty quiet - however, he is not broke and he is not bombproof. He has his moments, and he has an underlying current of nervousness. The girl that hurt herself is not his owner, his owner is new to horses and took lessons for a bit before buying him in September. He seemed so quiet, and so safe, that everyone thought it would be a perfect match. Well, she can be a nervous rider, and he can be a nervous horse, and unfortunately, generally you need calm + nervous = happy combo. So, he is up for sale, and the owner has now found another horse - an "old trusty, been there, done that" kind of horse who has been in parades, roped off of, done some reining and team penning, he's 14, he's unphased. She already loves him, and feels comfortable enough to jump on him without the trainer around and post-trot away. Something she probably would not have done with the other horse. To me, right there, that is what makes me happy. People feeling completely comfortable on the horses they are riding when they are starting out.

This leads me to my last opinion of the day. I firmly believe that it is better to be under-horsed when your learning, than to be over-horsed. Exclaimer: I mean like, green as grass learning, I mean like, barely ever ridden/been around horses in your life learning. Some people will definitely disagree with me on this one. Yes, I've heard the stories how you wrangled a wild mustang as a child, threw a saddle on and learned to ride out the bucks while you ambled along in fields of daisies. I, myself, learned how to ride on many over-horsed horsies, but some pretty "perfect 4" horses too. As I learned on the Quiet, Safe, Bombproof and Broke horses, I was then given horses that were a "challenge", not only to me, but to people around them. I learned a lot, but I didn't learn a lot of technique because I had to compensate my learning for often, heck, my survival. Some people rise to the challenge of being over-horsed, it takes a special and often, confident, person to look a challenging horse in the eye and say "I'm going to learn how to ride you." When I first started riding Jingle I was over-horsed to the max, but I didn't know any better, and we were in such a calm and confident environment that we figured eachother out pretty quick. It worked in our favour, but it was a special circumstance. I think it's part of our duties as horse owners, and lovers, to guide people who are new to the horse community to picking the right horse for them. If your friend has just decided to learn how to ride and comes to you for advice, tell them the honest truth. As much as I love to tell the story of Jingle and I, basically a "rescue" case that was semi-dangerous but whom I fell in love with, I always caution against it... there's been a lot of success and triumph with us, but there's also been a lot of scary moments, and a lot of sad ones too. I can't imagine if he was the first horse I ever came to know, I honestly don't know if I would still be riding today.

So, that was my little ramble for the day. Do you agree with me, disagree with me, are you somewhere in the middle? Let me know! Hope you are all having a wonderful time riding - whether it be on a 1. Quiet 2. Safe 3. Bombproof or 4. Broke horse, or perhaps... like myself and my horse that needs ALL the work... none of the above.

What?! I didn't realize that bucking wasn't an appropriate response just because YOU'RE "learning"

Liebster Award

I got my first blog award, what whaaaaaaaaat, thanks so much to both Carly at Poor Woman Showing and NBChoice at Saddle Seat: An AOTR's Inside Perspective. Both of their blogs are wicked - check 'em out!

So apparently the Liebster Blog Award comes with some caveats...

How to Accept the Award: The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued. Here are the rules for accepting the award:

• Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.
• List 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions given to you.
• Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
• Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
• Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

I'll play along.

11 Random Facts About Myself...

1. I have never been outside of North America
2. I would really, really love to take Dressage lessons someday 
3. I have a sick addiction to cowboy boots - I currently have over 7 pairs, I only wear two regularly
4. I also love bling and turquoise, pretty stereotypically western over here ya'll
5. I've always been a writer, my friends always talk about how when we were in elementary I was constantly filling up journals full of stories. In Grade 6 I wrote over 500 pages on a "novel I was working on", and never finished it.
6. I'm currently babysitting 5 kids at the Office I work at because the schools shut down after the flooding... I now remember why I switched from being a counsellor to a riding leader. Horses are way cooler than kids.
7. My favourite movie is Legends of the Fall
8. I have a cat named Bob, you don't hear much about Bob, because I am not really a cat person. Poor Bob. To make matters worse, he is THE neediest cat in the entire world. He wakes up meowing, and doesn't stop until he falls asleep. He also plays a super fun game where he wraps himself around your legs while you walk and yowls at you. He also loves to kneed my face when I'm sleeping. It's outlandish.
9. One of my jobs is being a server.. sometimes it's a wonderful job, other times it makes me want to curl up and die/cut my feet off.
10. Jingle was the first Paint I liked, I was famous for saying I "hated" Paints and found them ugly. I still like/prefer how Jingle has a solid-coloured face, but now I have come to really love Paints. I have a dream of taking a Paint Cutting Horse to Fort Worth for the futurity.
11. I refused to swear as a child, it was a "thing" for my friends to try to make me swear. Now, I mayyyyyy have a penchant for swearing quit a bit, it's a nasty habit that is often accentuated when I'm with a certain friend group.

Questions from Carly...

1. If you could assume the identity of any person for one day, who would it be?

  - Good question, and a hard one to answer. Uhm. Honestly, probably a super rich, super vain person - someone absolutely crazy like Rhianna, or Britney Spears in her prime haha. It would be an interesting insight into the lives they live, and then at the end of the day, you would be done.

2. What unique horsemanship skill do you possess?

- Honestly, I don't really know. I think I was a pretty good guide and a hand when it came to trail. I have a keen sense of direction, so I used to like to get myself lost, to see where i'd end up. I always liked riding babies on the trail at the Ranch. You never know what they'll do, or when they'll do it, so you have to be pretty confident and calm.

3. English or Western?

- Western

4. Would your horse have an accent? If so, what would it be?

- Jingle might not have an accent but he definitely has a voice, everyone that knows me knows Jingle's voice. It's a bit of a mix between dopey "Maaaahm", and annoyed/haughty "WHY would you tie me here?!"

5. Have you ever met any of your fellow bloggers?

- No, I would love to put a true face to some of the names though!

6. What is your favorite vacation spot?

- I love Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, it's such a beautiful area, and so foreign to my prairie-born bones. 

7. Do you have any other pets besides your trusty steed?

- As mentioned above I have the neediest cat ever, Bob. I also have a big, 'ol goofy dog named Moose, he's a hungarian komondor - so a dog with dread locks! :)

8. Have you ever ridden bareback?

- Yep, lots. At my Ranch we used to always ride bareback on the last day of the week with kids - total gong show. I also broke my wrist really bad a couple years back getting bucked off a horse when I attempted to jump on him bareback. Now I have a bit of the "mentalness" when it comes to riding bareback, but i've been on Jingle a couple times. I think I posted about it once, but I really do prefer to ride in a saddle - you get more done and I feel as if my slipping and sliding around on his back is really not comfortable.

9. Who is your favorite clinician?

- I don't really have one, I went to a Buck Brannaman clinic and really enjoyed him, I would also have to say George Morris is by far the funniest clinician I have ever got the experience of watching. I was in stitches over the things he was saying to those poor riders.

10. Urban, Suburban, or Rural Living?

- Rural, that's all I want in life is a little property in the middle of nowhere.

11. What is your favourite food?

- mmmm... vietnamese soup and noodle bowls, and I would never pass up a good Steak.

Questions from NBChoice...

1. If you could have any job in the world and money wasn't an option, what would you do?

- Chase this cutting dream, and be a professional rider. I would also love to write for western/horse related magazines.

2. What are you most thankful for?

- My mother, she is wonderful.

3. Do you like scary movies? If so, what is your favorite?

- Not really, I honestly find them all pretty predictable, and not really scary. Although I will say the corniest of them all, Paranormal Activity, really scared the shi-at out of me when it was in theatres.

4. What was your very first job?

- Working at McDonalds! haha, it was greasy, but three of my best friends worked there, and we had so much fun. We got up to a lot of trouble, and I ended up staying there for three years. I used to love working the really early morning shifts with all the little old ladies.

5. What is the longest road trip you have taken?

I drove from Ontario to Alberta as a kid with my Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt. It was awesome.

6. Would you rather mow the lawn or vacuum the house?

Mow the lawn.. always outside, never inside.

7. How old were you when you first learned to drive?

I was pretty young, my dad used to let me steer on his lap, or shift gears in his cars. I also had a 80 cc dirt bike as a kid that i'd bomb around on. However, I officially learnt to really drive at 14 with my learners permit, and a very scared mother.

8. Do you wish you could have a specific talent?

I often wish I could sing, because I really, truly, am awful.

9. Do you have any siblings?

Nope, only child syndrome for life.

10. Favourite Song?

Hard one... 50 years ago by Ian Tyson or Angie by the Rolling Stones

11. Would you rather an old laptop, or old phone?

Definitely old phone, I loveeee my macbook pro.

11 Random Questions from Me!

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. Have you ever had a 'heart horse', if so - tell me about him/her!
3. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
4. What is one of the best lessons that horses have taught you?
5. What is your career?
6. How many horses do you own?
7. What is your a) favourite and b) least favourite thing about the place you board at? (if you board at home, answer it anyway! haha)
8. What is one food you absolutely hate?
9. Do you cook - if you do, what's your favourite recipe/dish to make?
10. What is your weakness?
11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

So, finally... to nominate some bloggers.... well, I've been going through my blogroll and it looks to me that you've all been nominated by someone! Guys, apparently all of our blogs our beautiful, great sign! I also realize that I follow a very limited number of blogs.

So this is MY challenge to whoever is reading this, even if you have been nominated - Please do my questions, I'd love to hear your answers. If you've never been nominated - take this as my nomination to you. But, what I'd really love is for you guys to comment a few of your favourite blogs that I may have never read in my comments - that way, I can start to "meet" some new bloggers.

Thanks!

Come Hell, or High Water...

Jingle has now survived two massive floods...

The first occurred when he was a yearling at the Ranch he was born and raised at in 2005...

This lodge, and this river, was turned into this...

This is the right side of the lodge, a dorm called the "Burrow"

The damage was insane... The Flood completely changed the landscape, including creating still-existent riverways that had never been there before.

It turned the Wagon Cube, our area where we did our dances...

(Sidenote: I chose this photo because it's hilarious. Lisa was comforting a very homesick camper, who told her that he really missed his dog. She then told him that she would be his dog at the dance. So weird. So strange. The kid loved it.)

to an absolute mud pit.

I think this photo really gives you an idea of how dirty and damaging floods can be. 

I was pretty young then, and remember crying in my mom's arms as she received the email with attached photos of the damage, saying that the first week of camp was cancelled. For the owners, it was a huge blow, bridges were swept away, tack was ruined, houses were damaged, and the river changed the landscape. Finally, horses were hurt, changed and lost. My favourite story of all time that came out of the flood was that of Tad. Tad was the Rancher's horse for awhile, then he came down the string and ended up being the most responsible and trusting of horses. I've witnessed 3 year olds go on trail rides aboard Tad. He's a wonderful old man. Anyways, after the flood had hit they began to restore what was left, and try to relocate the horses. They were standing in the barn yard, formulating a plan, when Tad ran in whinnying, he then proceeded to run out, and then come back, and then leave again. Finally, they decided to follow him... sure enough, he led them to a mare bogged down. They had to pull her out, and if Tad hadn't brought them to her, she would have definitely died there. He's a hero horse, and a grand old man.

Tad, who spent the summer wandering the lawn and watching over our 5 yearlings. (Seriously, he never let them leave his sight)

A dapper old man

I have a hard time picturing a yearling Jingle in a flood situation. Knowing how my horse can be (haha) I just imagine him running around like an absolute wing-bat, and somehow he survived. Jingle, it seems, is a survivor at the best of times, and at the worst of times.

& in that thought, yesterday I got the go-ahead to start riding my boy again, after three and a half weeks of him being off! The vet came out and did multiple flexion tests, we hand-trotted, we lunged, he even had me get on and ride him. Which was surreal after not riding for over three weeks, and then annoying when Jingle decided that he did NOT want to lope his right lead and spent a little bit of time burying his head and humping around. Nice behaviour infront of our new vet, Jingle. Anyway, the vet concluded that Jingle maybe strained his fetlock, because that was the only test that he showed any signs of being off with. Jingle looked, and felt, great yesterday, but still seemed to be carrying himself slightly off. The vet said that he was traveling "uniquely" in his front, but that it didn't appear to be lameness because it wasn't agitated by any of the stress and flexion tests. He did say that perhaps when he actually was lame, it became accentuated, and more apparent to me because I was looking for something.

The Vet concluded that I should start riding (sidenote: we don't have arenas right now due to flooding and the mosquitos are overwhelming.. ugh) he said that I should start basic and build him back up, but that, for now, Jingle is sound. He also said that if there is a lameness, unfortunately riding will cause it to come back, and once he's back to being off, that is when they can best do more testing. So, a little nerve-wracking to start riding him again, incase it does re-appear, but for now, I'm very happy that I got the go-ahead to ride my boy again. Even if he's decided that loping is just not for him. Sigh... with almost two months off I fear we may be back to square one.

So... come hell, or high water... or bucking fits... we're going to start riding again! yippee.

& for my bates-ers that read this blog, remember these familiar faces? Sigh.. How time flies.

Gotta give a major shout-out to Garry for the photos, love ya buddy and appreciate it!

The "Great Flood" - Alberta Flooding 2013

As many of you know a majority of Alberta was absolutely rocked by flood waters over the past few days. As the water begins to recede, mud and debris is left to deal with. Thousands are still displaced as evacuation orders are slowly being lifted and power is turned back on. Many lost their homes, their animals, and some paid the price of their lives. It is an absolutely devastating tragedy and my heart breaks for my province, and my community.

Images have been pouring out of Calgary, and communities throughout southern alberta of the absolute devastation that the flood waters have caused...

A shot showing the amount of water that raged through the downtown core from Thursday through until now...

High River, a town just 30 minutes south of Calgary was absolutely destroyed. This shows their mainstreet, fans of the show "Heartland" will recognize Maggie's Diner on the right hand side. High River is still now allowing people to return to their homes due to the structural danger that the water has created.

Calgary (and Alberta), in true Calgarian fashion is rallying together to help those affected by the flood. Volunteers are pouring out of the woodwork to help, and people canada-wide are donating and coming to alberta to help in this situation. Today Alison Redford commented that it may take up to 10 years, and over a billion dollars for the province to recover. It is absolute insanity. 

Tragedy is tragedy anywhere it is, it's breaking my heart that so many people, places and animals that I know and love are being displaced and watching their homes be ruined by this flood. It doesn't matter who you are and where you live, loosing a home is still a heart-wrenching and debilitating experience. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone in Alberta at this time, although I know we are a fortunate and lucky province, it doesn't make this devastation any easier to take.

I posted this as my Facebook status on Friday, and it still sums up much of what I am feeling.

Personally, I was very lucky and unaffected by the flood. My house, and community, in southeast Calgary was un-touched. However, Thursday was a tense day for us as we watched videos like this...

This is probably less 5 km away from my barn, in the Hamlet of Bragg Creek. The amount of nights we've spent in Bragg after long rides are countless, and it is shocking to see such devastation in an area you know some intimately. I can't even begin to fathom how those that live in these towns are feeling. Thankfully, my barn, which has a small creek running through it but isn't close to some of the major river systems, remained out of the evacuation order. Both of our arenas, and the front lawn of our barn were very flooded, the buildings remain structurally sound and none of the horses were at all effected by the flood. Still, even in an area barely effected you can see the signs of flooding... dirt and gravel from our parking lot is now eerily moved closer to the barn, a large pool of stagnant water sits in the centre of our indoor arena, the trailer area is now a lake, the ditches along the road we used to ride in are completely full and moving fast, and sometimes pooling over onto the road.. it is surreal.

I know that many horses, and people and barns in the horse community, were not as lucky as we were. In speaking with a vet today, he said that he thinks it'll still be a few days before they begin getting calls of horses hurt in the flood. Many people were forced to let their horses free and cut down their fences as they fleed their own homes, hoping the horses would survive. Many of those people have still not been allowed home, and so their horses still have yet to be located.

Finally, as it always is in Calgary, the Calgary Stampede is a hot topic on everyone's minds...

This was the state of affairs at the infield...

The Saddledome has reports of being 14 rows under water, meaning that all the Calgary Flames dressing rooms were completely submerged, as well as storage areas, hallways filled with priceless memorabilia, and the Jumbotron control room, which has millions worth of of technology in it.

The Calgary Stampede released this ad... which I think is brilliant and terrific...

The Stampede has pledged that it will go on, despite the huge damage to the grounds, buildings, barns, etc. Everyone I talked to seems split down the middle about whether or not this is a good thing. However, I think that not only will the Stampede stand as a symbol of Calgary being able to rally against insurmountable odds, it will also be a good thing for the economy. Downtown is still, for the most part, shut down. Also canceling the Stampede would be an absolute blow to the Calgary economy, which thrives on the Stampede for ten days. I got wind today that we (Ranch Girls) will not be performing at a rodeo that was scheduled on the grounds this upcoming Friday, and that the rodeo area is being inspected now to see what has to be done.

If I have truly learned one thing through all of this, is how devastating water truly is. The mud, debris, and mould left behind is unbelievable, and the structural integrity of so many buildings is now questionable. It seems at times that Mother nature is man's most formidable opponent. However, the good that is shining through all of this is how truly amazing and kind the people of Alberta are, and how, together, we'll be able to patch up our city and go forth as planned. The Calgary police service, the city, fire and EMS have shown how strong and united they can be in grave situations. Our Mayor, Naheed Nenshi, literally stayed awake for days on end as he reported the situation to the world. How wonderful to see when other Mayors in Canada are stepping down due to drug scandals and fraud claims. People are moving rapidly to donate and help their friends, families, neighbors, and people they've never before met. It's a beautiful thing to watch a City rise up from and against the mud and debris left by this terrible catastrophe.

Lameness & Dandelions

This was Jingle about 3 weeks ago, all saddled up after a good ride.

Now, after a little over two weeks, my horse is still lame. How exceptionally frustrating. Even more annoying is Jingle is only very slightly off on his front left. Some days he's maybe functioning at 95% of his capacity, whereas at his worst he was still functioning at around 85%.

A lame Jingle means a lot of driving to the barn to sit and watch and worry about my pony...

my oversized co-pilot generally tags along for these adventures.

What a believe started this whole lameness issue was me putting Jingle out to pasture. All winter he was out with mares during the day, and then stalled during the evening. Well, it turns out that when mares go into heat my very mild-mannered, polite gelding turns into a bit of a wannabe stallion. Uh-oh. So, he was banished to a tiny paddock during the day and hand-walked in at night. I had always planned to put Jingle outside for Spring and Summer, so the timing worked out well. Jingle went out with Brigitte's gelding, Mac, and all seemed well. The boys were getting along, the sun was shining, life was good... then, rain, a few weeks of it..

"I will roll in this puddle mahm, I will."

Well I suspect that all their super-funzies gallivanting created a situation where my horses leg slipped one way and his body slipped the other. Wahbam. Lame horse.

I put Jingle on a three day round of bute, it didn't seem to help. In the process he was an absolute ass-face when it came to tube-bute, but I happily discovered my horse could care less about added powder in his grain.

"What iz this? It smells like rockets and drugs"

"Meh, I'll eat it"

"Mac is so jealous of me and how pretty and special I am, laaadeedaa"

If there was any inflammation from a pulled muscle, bute didn't seem to help, nor did it even mask any of Jingle's offness. My farrier came out, found a slight pulse and some hoof tenderness, so we chased an abscess. Oh man, did I ever want it to be an abscess... easypeasylemonsqueezy.

I also discovered during this time that Walmart now has a large variety of fun coloured duct-tape. So Jingle got really fun bright turquoise vet-wrap and party cheetah duct-tape - hurray for my pony princess!

It wasn't an abscess, a week later my horse is no worse and no better than he was a week previous. The only thing that came from our jaunt down poultice-lane was me, a blubbering mess, getting my farrier to educate me on all the different hoof-related diseases and ailments after a boarder (stupidly) asked me "Are you sure it's an abscess, or has he foundered?" Cue smug "I know everything" look from her, cue Louisa calling her farrier in a total strung-out mess "OMG IS HIS COFFIN BONE ROTATED?!?!!?!?!?!" No. It's not. Coffin bone is good.

So, I sucked it up and called the vet, only to discover that the top lameness guys wont travel out "as far as my barn" (45 minutes... pretty sure the receptionist thinks my barn is a ranch in the mountains). The other vets were all booked straight for a week and a half, except for the two days I can't make it to the barn during the day. So, we have a vet appointment for Monday the 24.

In the mean-time, I had an osteopath out to look at my boy. No surprise he was tense and needed adjustments EVERYWHERE. She did notice that his withers were very misaligned and needed adjustment, his left elbow was also locked, and he had a lot of tension in his shoulder. All points lead to a messed up shoulder, and I was hoping that she was my cure. She worked on him for over an hour (something that really impressed me), and I sincerely hoped that he would be sound when I returned. He was moving better and seemed in better spirits after his adjustment. 

(Except for a slight episode where I left him to walk her to her car and he pulled back and went for a joy-gallop on the barn's front lawn... lovely.. this is my life)

Two days later... no beuno. 

fuck.

I don't have the money for this. I want my horse to be sound.

So, that's my Jingle-update.

Here's some really nice photos I took of him today in the dandelions. He loves dandelions, he'll eat them for hours and hours on end, avoiding the grass and just nibbling on the flowers. He is the most handsome. I love him. I just want him to get better. Sigh.