The Holiday Season

We're galloping toward Christmas, and I'm still in a Thanksgiving state of mind.  I'm thankful for our friends Jan and John, and Diana and Bob, who've made ranch life easier and more fun.  Here's just a few things they have done for us -

John lent David his tractor so we could mow our pastures.

Jan and John let us store hay in their barn so we could buy

more than our hay shed could hold when hay was on sale.

Diana and Bob lent us their cargo trailer so we could store

yet more hay in case there's a shortage this year.

We even have hay in a warehouse.

(next year's ranch improvement project?  More hay storage!)

Bob and Diana trust us with Boomer and Ben.

I'm thankful for our friends.

And now it's time to start thinking about Christmas.

1st on the agenda?

Get ready for the Christmas parade!

I hear sleigh bells!

Lovely Russian Ladies

Diana and Bob brought out their Borzoi, Hannah and Gossamer, for a visit.  At first, the dogs were a bit cautious.  Mickey made sure he was between his human and the lovely Russian ladies. 

Mickey, me, Gossamer and Hannah

                                                      photo by Diana

Gossamer is the perfect name.

Bob and Diana co-own yet another lovely Russian lady, Finessa.  She is 1 of 5 Borzoi invited to compete at the Westminster Dog Show, and she is the #1 female Borzoi in the nation.  I always watch Westminster on tv, so I am very excited about the show, and hope to see her on tv. 



Remarkable Healing

Yep, that's what the doctor said.  David's hand has shown remarkable healing.  He got the drain out today, and the stitches come out in a week.  He can do light barn work, but nothing requiring a grip so the stitches don't come out.  I have missed my best friend/barn manager's cheery presence and help.  It seems like it takes 3 times as long to do the ranch work by myself.  He threatened to get a sick leave note from the doctor for me, but nothing doing!  Back to work, big guy. 

When Hay Sheds Attack

David was moving hay, minding his own business, when the hay shed viciously attacked him.  A screw grabbed his hand and ripped it open.

Sure, the hand looks all tidy here, but it was a pretty bad rip.  David has stitches and a drain.  The doctor said that if his wife (that would be me) hadn't made him go to the clinic, he'd be looking at surgery next week.  The screw has been exterminated.

We Have a Winner!

Flartus guessed it.  It's a tool to measure for Ben's collar.

Just like humans, horses can be the same weight and height, but different sizes.  Boomer and Ben are both 18.2 hands and 2,000+ pounds, but Boomer's collar is too small for Ben. 

The fit of a driving horse's collar is just as important as the fit of a riding horse's saddle.  The collar distributes the load of the vehicle around the horse's neck and shoulders (loosely stolen from Wikipedia).

Clue #2

Jim and Sophie are on the right track.  It's horse-y, but it has nothing to do with Liesl's recent post, thank goodness!

Care to Make a Guess?

What do you think this is?

Clue #1:  it's 36" long.

Bringing in the Clydes

We are enjoying fabulous weather.  Here's a look at David bringing in the Clydes.  That's Boomer in the lead, followed by Ben. 

Ben has rolled and needs brushing, and the pastures need picking.  There's always plenty to do!

Elvis, Ride 2

First off, David found my camera!  Yay!

It was a very horsey day.  Most days are.  Jan cleaned her barn, David and I cleaned our barn, and then we were off to Elvis' barn.  I got on the big guy first, and he was quite strong.  It might take a little time for him to adjust to his new life after having Jan's big acreage to play in all day.  Poor guy.  So after my ride, Jan got on, and she did great!  She was able to get him nice and collected in short order.



I am thrilled for Jan.  She's been on Elvis a few times since her serious health problems, but this was her first real ride in a very long time.  She looks like she never took a day off.  

I Haven't Posted Because -

I can't find my camera!  I'm sure it's in a pocket somewhere, having a good giggle at me. 

So here's a quick update.  We survived the blizzard just fine, and now it's in the low 50s.  Snow + 50s = mud.  We had planned on moving Elvis back to the fancy dressage barn on November 1 for the winter, but Jan had snow drifts as high as her fences, so we moved him yesterday.  He settled in fine, and I had the first ride today.  He was a very good boy.  Jan and I plan on sharing him this winter.  I am really looking forward to it.

Mickey was supposed to have his first class of "Tunnels and Jumps" Tuesday, but it was postponed due to the blizzard.  It is only a three week class, just to see if that's something he enjoys.  He loved basic obedience, so I'm guessing it will be a hit.  Now the first class is this Tuesday.  I hope I find my camera by then!

Blizzard

It's really not that bad.  The boys are safe in their stalls, listening to jazz on the radio and munching hay.  We are feeding them throughout the day for warmth and entertainment.  The sun will come out tomorrow.