Thursday, August 15, 2013

A Big 'Ol Update from your Long Lost Blogger Friend.

Where have I been? WHAT have I been doing? Remember that one time I used to blog...

Well, I finally have a moment in my schedule and I just wanted to update a bit about life.

Being a loper has been a wonderful, lovely experience. Here I am, "at the office" riding and ponying two of our show horses. Sometimes, my office is galloping a two year old in a field with the mountains just off in the distance. Other times, it's sipping a coffee, watching my boss work cows. Life, is good.

However, in my other horse-life, aka Jingle, I was having a bit more of an issue this summer. After our Spring saddle-related soreness, come summer Jingle continued to have a mystery lameness, that a vet called an "unusual movement, but not lame". He was still stagnating between bad and good, and had almost 6 weeks off, and so I started to slowly work him again. For two weeks we slowly worked on getting him back in the swing of things, we trotted up and down a fence line and starting to build him back up. Straight lines seemed to help, and so for awhile, this big field was my arena.

Finally, I circled him for the first time in what seemed like months, and lo and behold... my horse seemed sound.





An exceptionally rare video of me riding...
how do I look, but better yet, how does my big man look?! 



Sarah's kids, Ben and Abby, even got to spend a time with their favourite painted pony...



Jingle is such a champ. I love him.

We visited the old ranch... as you can probably tell from my last post, not being out there this summer was something that I have been struggling with.


Here's my poor Cash... looking all mangey and disheveled.

It's funny, I was having a discussion with someone about the treatment of horses. They were talking about PETA and all the issues that these organizations have with rodeo, chuckwagon racing etc. To me, having seen many sides of horse ownership, the worst horse owners are the ones that stick their horses in fields and never check on them, never do anything with them... However, horses roaming in big barbed-wired fields is what seems to be a "good" image for non-horse people. Sigh.




The horse-crew was happy to see us, a kid-free summer must seem quite foreign and strange for many of them.

Of course.. just as soon as Jingle seemed "good" again, my crazy-busy lifestyle caught up with me, and I could barely steal away to even see him, let alone ride him. Once I did, I discovered a bit of a gash that poor princess-face was really not happy about. His fly sheet had been rubbing it and I think it was really irritating him. So, he got a couple days off for that to heal over, and for him to get over himself.




Jingle has been spending A LOT of time in his back on track products lately...
(Which, I am now a firm believer in, he loves his BOT time, I swear, totally mellows him out)


Jingle, in working with his "let's never ride again" theme, has decided that he's now going to be a liberty horse - no bridle, no halter, nothing. He thinks this means he's "at liberty to not be ridden ever again". He is very happy with this new adventure in his life.




Jingle's mane is seriously growing, we're almost at that mythic gunner-style reining mane (WITHOUT the extensions - what whaaaat). Atleast something is going right this summer.


A snapshot of that aforementioned "loper life"


Mac and Jingle, enjoying their lazy summer.


Finally, a word about my horse.

It's been a year since I purchased him, and three since he sunk so deep down into my heart that all of a sudden he encompassed me totally, and fully. It's hard for me to put in words quite what this horse means to me, but he means everything. There is something about the way the two of us can just "be" together, and there's also something in the way I am when I'm around him. He has taught me strength and compassion, learning and patience. He may not be, or may never be, a performance horse, or some champion with earnings... but he's mine, and he has blessed me, and continues to bless me whenever I am around him. I can't wait for another 20 years with this big brute - hopefully more!

So, that's a bit of a recap - can you believe there's more?!
Big announcement coming next ;)

10 comments:

  1. First of all, SO jealous of your job-and boots. Come on, I need red boots!-secondly, I completely agree with the rodeo vs. not cared for horses. 99.9% of those horses LOVE their jobs, sure, there IS abuse, but there's abuse in every discipline.
    I feel the same thing with my horse! I've almost had him for a year-september 4th!!-and even though he's not perfect, man do I love that horse!! It's really indescribable.
    Www.Sittinginthesaddle.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment, the boots are pretty spectacular, I love 'em. Glad you've also had a wonderful first year with your boy!

      Delete
  2. Glad to see you back at it and that Jingle is doing well. I constantly have the same conversations with people about the rodeo and coming from a long line of Cowboys and Rodeo Clowns i think people are getting a little rediculous.... most of those animals are cared for better than some humans (not all... most....) I have a friend with a few horses that are more like pasture ornaments... and considering where they came from (all are rescues) they are very happy.
    Love the pictures! my yearling looks a lot like Jingle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A) Super cool that you come from a family of cowboys and rodeo clowns - how awesome is that. B) I totally agree, when I said that in my post I was more directing it at non-horse people that just simply don't know, or care to know, what goes into caring for a happy, healthy horse. I'll have to creep your blog to see photos - glad your back too!

      Delete
  3. Get your shit together, Jingle. Stop breaking yourself.

    And even though I would never wear cowboy boots myself (because someone legitimately western would probably bitch slap me), those things are fucking fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are fucking fabulous. Just saying.

      In other news - I try to keep my cowboy boot game on point since, more often than not, I look like a semi-homeless, horse-slobber covered, zombie when i'm at the barn. SOMETHING about me has to look good.

      Delete
    2. Seriously cool boots. Love me some red boots. High toppers too.

      Delete
  4. Glad to get the quick snippet and very glad that no news was once again mostly good news. Busy is not bad.

    I agree with the others, those boots are da bomb! And you guys look great n the video.

    Most rodeo horses are cared for very well, except for the ones who aren't. Most dressage horses are cared for very well, except for the ones who aren't. And so on and so forth. It is the same as saying, All dog breeders are puppy mills, only bikers beat their women, and all Dr.s are alcoholics, and all Lawyers are filthy liars. Okay so maybe the one about the lawyers is true...LOL The truth is, the world continues to stereo type everyone and everything, and until they start treating each case as the individual that it is, things will be out of control.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right - busy is not bad, but boy oh boy it is tiring. The end of August is going to signal a well needed break from all these crazy work days. But my savings are piling up and that is all that matters.

      Totally - I completely agree with you. It was more a conversation about how non-horse people perceive horses and animal care, and how, if your not in the industry, how can you really know what goes on, and what is good, and what is bad. However, you are more than right when it comes to stereotyping and treating each case as an individual, I agree.

      Delete
  5. Nice posting transitions in the video. Jingles looks solid.

    ReplyDelete