BARN NOTICE
It's been a while since I've sat down to write a barn notice. I can't really say why. Perhaps because the last few had so much information that they simply became unmanageable. So we will try it again....
Mark Your Calendars!
The new Schedule for 2010 published. Watch for such events as:
- March—Spring Barefoot Trim class with Jerry Schmidt.
- May—Clinics and Trail rides
- June—The first TPA summer Camp
- July—Haying season
- August—Visiting Japanese students and the second Summer camp
- September—Good weather and the return to school
- October—Our first ever jump camp
- November—The Buck Brannaman clinic in Tacoma and the beginning of the Holiday season.
- December—The farm Christmas potluck and holiday closure.
There are other ideas in the works and as time goes by we will see how things all pan out. Enjoy the New Year everyone.
For first-time leasees, and even for folks who attended the last Jerry Schmidt clinic, we recommend attending this clinic. We learned so much from Jerry the last time (both in the classroom and out). He brought dissected hooves and legs for us to see, we got to work on all of our horses, and he had a few items for us to buy so that we weren't struggling quite so much. Sign up early—there is a form on the Tack Room door.
Thank you everyone for your support over the last year and the years before. We have a super group of students and parents that are a joy to know and be around. Thanks again for everything in the past as we look towards an incredible new year in the future.
Working Cows in Sequim
Karrie and I spent a wonderful weekend in Sequim over New Year's, camping at Freedom Farms and chasing cows for two days. It was a great way to wind down, and we'd like to than Mary and Jerry for their hospitality over the weekend. We took Al, Alsace and Scimitar, managing to warm up in their beautiful indoor facility before going out to their cattle pens and arena to move cows around with the horses. The weather co-operated nicely and stayed dry and fairly warm.
We do have plans to go back several times this spring, so keep your eyes peeled for sign-up sheets.
Changes at the farm
This last year we've been lucky enough to have had quite a few changes occur. From the destruction of the old arena and the construction of a new one to the moving of the grain room, the addition of a western tack room, some fence projects and the building of new sheds—all of it has kept us busy.
The new arena still has some drainage problems because of the disturbed French drain on the east side of the arena. When things dry out, we hope to remedy the situation by putting a new drainage system in. Until then, we just have to make do with water seepage. Hopefully some tractor work done the first week of January will have helped the problem a bit.
Luckily we have no plans to erect any more sheds (THAT means more horses on the property—grin), but we do have plans to replace more fences. We hope to replace the entire fence line between the creek and the summer pasture this year. We also hope to add a few more panel corrals around the barn and to make what we already have permanent.
All of the above should keep us quite busy!
New Items & Reference Material
Dr. Bronners Pure Castille Soap
I picked a bottle of this stuff up at the New Trader Joe's on the west side of Olympia. I now use it for everything. It is a fair trade item, it is cost effective ($9.00 for a LARGE bottle of this stuff) smells great, and has a wealth of information on the bottle itself. Last week I used it in a variety of ways.
First, I used one of my very favorite microfiber cloths from Trader Joe's, diluted a bit of the soap in warm water, and dusted the entire house with the solution. The peppermint smell makes everything smell just great and fresh and clean. I was totally amazed at how much dust these two items picked up. (Or maybe my house was just THAT dusty!)
Next, I used the same solution to take off fingerprints and spots of grease or whatever on my stove, fridge and microwave fronts. There was hardly any hard work. The stuff just came off. I used the same cloth and warm water to wipe my counters and cabinet fronts. Everything was sparkling clean in no time at all.
Then I added a Teaspoon of soap to my empty dishwasher and ran that once. The insides were again sparkling clean. I finished up the day using a slightly stronger mixture of soap and hot water to wash my tile and linoleum floors. The Corgis track in all sorts of dirt and I find that this mixture cleans the floors with less wiping and mopping, tho I still go over the floors three times to get everything up.
The next day I used the same mixture (and a sponge with a slightly harder side) to clean the showers and the bathroom sinks. The soap scum came RIGHT off with the Dr. Bronners soap. No hard scrubbing or abrasive materials used.
To say that I really like this stuff is an understatement. I did, however find that this soap isn't very good on Windows (I use the Cedar and Sage Trader Joe's cleaner for that). Nor is it very good for getting horses tails white. Good old Dove soap or a decent eco friendly dish soap seems to be the best for cutting the grease near the tail bone and for a one time sort of application.
Lyn said that she has used the Dr. Bronners as a toothpaste in a pinch when out camping. She's made of hardier material than I am for that application!
So if you have access to a Trader Joe's nearby, you might want to pick a bottle of this stuff up. I do have to mention that I like the Dr. Bronner's brand over the Trader Joe's Castille soap brand. It seems to do a much better job on the many tasks that I tried it at.
Books and what they have to offer
I visit used bookstores quite often and love to pick up used books to add to my collection of horse stories, how to items, and garden books. Tacoma Book Center near the Tacoma Dome has an incredible amount of horse books, both fiction and non-fiction, for decent prices.
I started reading Thomas Hinkle, Larom, Grew and CW Anderson when I was young. These writers wrote stories about how horses and life really was. None of the social scene of the young Saddle Club series. None of the drama of who is going out with what boy. Instead, these books talked about the real life drama of growing up on the range, on ranches, on decent values, truths and horsemanship (both good and bad) that still apply today. Pick up the "Mountain Pony" series. Or "Beyond Rope and Fence", "Tomahawk" or "Mustang".
Tacoma Book Center has an incredible array of children's horse stories that can be enjoyed by the young and old alike. Take a trip there, and invest in some books and reading time. You won't regret it!
Thank yous and Welcomes
We'd like to welcome Carmen, Sammy and Erin to the farm this month.
We'd like to thank Jessica Ware for the use of Tuffy and Captain all year. We'd like to thank Ginny Hamilton for the use of Scimitar. Thank you to Bob and Dee Brady for another year of boarding Serenya at the farm.
Return to General Items & Thoughts
From Jessica Ware
January 23, 2010—I look online at horses often, probably weekly if not more often; I go through spurts where I will look at ads daily. There are hundreds if not thousands of horses in Western Washington alone that are being sold or re-homed daily, yet I do not limit myself to only Western Washington ads. I look at hundreds of horse ads online and maybe not a one will stand out to me, all these ads may just be another horse to me; then there is the one that does stand out. That ad I won't be able to shake from my thoughts, I will look at it again and again just thinking, wondering what the story is on that horse. I don't ever really have a real exact reason of why that horse will stand out to me, like this horse, most are not the best confirmation. They are not ribbon winners. They don't have a long list of credentials. Yet, to me there is something there.
A couple weeks ago I saw a horse for sale on Craigslist; the ad wasn't anything to shout about. The photos were horrible. But, still there was something I felt toward this horse. Skylar and I went Tuesday to see this horse in Brush Prairie, WA. I liked the horse for his quiet nature, the kindness and tolerance to the human he showed. Tokin (as they called him) is about half shut down mentally, he looks sad and depressed and there isn't a person around in his presence that sees it. Not sure how they can not, but they can't see it and maybe it is because they don't care? I don't know, either way I find it sad that the human is so selfish and blind. I see something more in the horse then these others do (or so I believe); to me he isn't just another horse—I believe there is something special in there.
The seller gave me the run around a bit, but I have set all that aside as it isn't the horse's fault. Even after the frustration of a less-than-honest seller, I still thought about this horse.
Liz, Charlie, Skylar and I went to Portland today (we had a good day) and on the way home I asked if they wouldn't mind stopping to see this horse again. They didn't mind so we stopped. Once they met the horse they both agreed with what I saw: a big, kind horse that needs to know how to be a horse. A horse that is longing for something else, though he probably doesn't know that something else exists; only that he hopes that maybe it does and maybe that something will find him or he will find it. You can tell though, he isn't holding his breath, so far he is just another number to the human, and basically has no interest or faith in the human—but is only tolerant, as that is the easiest path. I have to agree with Charlie when she said the horse looks like an "old soul in young horse's body.". Though the horse knows nothing about our life, about how we feel horses should live; he is a smart and wise colt to just go with the flow of the cards that he was dealt at the time.
Toking Dirty is a three-year old off the track Thoroughbred. He raced twice and wasn't aggressive enough, so was tossed out like stale bread even though his training times were looking good (or so I was told). Toking Dirty was obtained by this 'seller' three weeks ago, as she got him for free from the trainer. (I have spoken with the trainer directly, though the seller doesn't know this and she goes on to tell me her many stories about the registered owner.) The seller hasn't done a thing with the horse since getting him, she admits this. Though I believe it is good the seller hasn't tried to ride or 'retrain' this horse, I am saddened that she hasn't even pulled the bands from his mane. I know she didn't band his mane; this was done at the track to help his mane stay to one side and look eye appealing to those who like to admire the horses walk by on their way to the starting gates. So the horse doesn't even get the attention of ridding the uncomfortable bands from his mane. Definitely no turnout, as I was told this directly, and no in-hand exercise either. So here the horse stands in a grubby old barn, with his two squares of grass hay, he was loosing weight by the hour. The colt lost at least 50lbs since I met him last Tuesday, as she is only feeding him grass hay, which is good in large quantities for filler, but such a large, young colt needs additional feed to just maintain weight.
On Sunday January 24, 2010 John, Skylar and I went and picked up Tokin. He hesitated at the trailer long enough to take a look, and then stepped right up into the trailer. I took off his halter so he was turned loose in the trailer; he was quiet and never even let out a nicker to the other horses as we left. Once home I turned him out in the sacrifice pasture that is adjacent to the barn, gave him a bunch of hay and brought the other two colts up to the paddock next to him for the night. Tokin ate some, but with wide eyes he walked around checking things out and just looked like he was in pure shock to be outside, not wearing a blanket, feeling the rain falling on his back. He picked at the puny grass and milled around inspecting the area. I walked out and rubbed him and he allowed it, but still didn't see me as any different than any other human in his life. I hope that changes and that he will see me as a friend, a partner—and not as a slave driver to make a dollar. I look forward to turning him out with the other colts for interaction, which will help his mental state immensely. And watching him change as the days go by will be more than rewarding, and is sure to bring a smile to my face.
The Adventures of Bonnie and how she found her new Family
A friend of mine, Barbara, invited us for lunch and in the process, added a new member to her family. She has been sharing her adventures with us each week and it is just heartwarming how this furry little creature now named Bonnie has wound her way into the life of a brand new family. We thought that we would share this story with you. Here is how it all began:
Last Tuesday I was greeting some friends at the door who were coming for lunch, but they weren't looking my way and were instead staring at the shrub by my front window. "Do you know you have a kitten?" my friend asked. That was news to me, but then I saw it and heard her pitiful meowing. She came right up to us, still crying, and then I saw her problem. Her poor little tail was half gone and several more inches were hairless and scabby; the tip was black and obviously infected. Yikes. My thoughts were running wild as I acted on my first impulse, dashing into the house to open a small can of expensive wild salmon and pour her a dish of cream. She pounced and gulped. I fetched more. My friends who are animal lovers declared that I now had a new pet. Chuck didn't think it was a funny joke and made a sour lemon mouth, as if even the thought of it left a bad taste.
Well, I had fed her, my short responsibility now completed, and all of us went in the house to enjoy our lunch and have a nice chat. Later, I glanced out the window praying that she was gone. Nope, still there under the bush. What were we going to do? Chuck wasn't going to do anything and was scowling fiercely at me giving me a clear message that we were not going to keep her. OK, but I knew I had to get her out of the freezing rain and take her to the vet to get her tail fixed or she could suffer and die. So, off to the vet we went, the cat in a borrowed carrier crying while desperately trying to find some way out. I was a nervous wreck, shaking like a leaf, realizing that this kind of situation is exactly why I didn't want a pet.
After consulting with the very nice vet, she recommended that a good part of the rest of her tail be removed, spay her, do a few health tests, give her a flea treatment and clip her nails. OK, I agreed and was told to pick her up the next evening. All the way home I was planning what I would say to convince Chuck to let her stay with us for the two weeks it would take for her complete recovery, stitches removed and a clean bill of health. I assured him that we could find another home for him or take her to a shelter if it didn't work out. He agreed to keep her. And then, hugging me and smiling as only he can, he congratulated me on being the mother of a new little kitten. What have I gotten myself into?
I look back on 2009 as quite a year in so many ways. From the National level to the International level and then to our own small world here at TPA. It all has been such a learning experience.
For me, personally, it is always fun to be confronted with some problem and then have to think things through to solve them. At first, it was not particularly fun to realize that our arena had collapsed, our financial plans for the future had suddenly changed and that we had to make a decision about a major part of our lives. But those lemons turned to lemonade as we interviewed folks, made decisions and watched the remainder of the old arena come down and a new one go up. Even in the darkest moments there are flashes of light. And our light is the beautiful new arena. What was a horrible week suddenly turned into opportunities galore—from new sheds to new flower beds and shelving.
Also, throughout the year we were blessed with reunions with relatives. Some good, some great, some strange. But in the end it was all really terrific to see folks that we hadn't seen in forever. I so dearly love my cousin Gay and her hubby Mike and their son Nick. We didn't get to spend enough time with them—either when they were here or when we were in Connecticut. Nor did we get to spend enough time with everyone in Connecticut. The drive to and from the east coast was certainly wonderful, but it also took away a great deal of time for spending with relatives and friends while on the east coast.
Speaking of which, one of the reasons why we went back to Connecticut -other than to visit relatives-was to pick up two pieces of furniture that I loved as a child, grew up with, then lost when my grandmother passed away. Those two pieces—the desk that I did homework on for 14 plus years and a hoosier that I helped my grandmother refinished—have always been on my mind for years, but had been thought to have been sold or given away by an uncle who had inherited the family farm. My sister discovered them, moved them to a friend's house, and lo and behold, called me about them. The moral of this story: Never give up on things because you just might find them waiting for you, even after 30 years. The two pieces now reside in places of honor in our house and the memories that they invoke are truly beautiful.
The Brannaman clinic in November was another eye opener on how fit I was, how much I had worked my horses with clarity, honesty and dedication...none of which I had really applied with any great thoroughness. I rode my horse and worked my horses to the best of my time availability but in the end, it wasn't half as much as I really should have done. Afterwards I sat down and re-evaluated much of what I had planned for 2010. Already I have put much of it into effect-riding more, thinking more and experimenting more. My horses have come farther in the last two months than the entire summer before.
Return to Personal Reflections
Things We Need to do Better—Barn Assistants and Students Alike
With so many of the horses now being leased and so many new leasees, we often find that we need to make sure that both those who have been here for a long time, and the newbies are all on the same page. Over the last few weeks we have put up a few notices to remind everyone of the rules and expectations. If you have any questions on why we do the things that we do, don't hesitate to ask. We will explain everything since we've usually done otherwise and things just haven't worked out well. Thanks for reading everything!
- PLEASE Snap or tie all grain buckets to a fence for Harmony, Elegance, Fred, Music (or anyone else that spills grain.)
If it's raining, put buckets in the hay feeders-don't put them under the eaves of shed where the horses won't eat because water is pouring off the roofs onto their heads. - Make sure all doors in the barn aisle are shut and horses are LOCKED in, the lights are off in the barn and for te back hay shed, and that the back door is locked before you leave every night.
- Please check all wooden feeders for extra grain buckets that are left over from the Am or evening feed. Pick up and bring back to the barn.
- CLEAN a water bucket and several grain buckets each evening.
- Remember to check to see if laundry needs to be done or is already in the washer or dryer.
- Make sure all gates and doors are shut and double locked if necessary after you go through.
- If you are not sure where horses go or if they are to be moved, please ask.
- Do not take any horse UNDER a cross tie. Undo all cross ties when bringing horses through the barn.
- Clean up after yourself EACH and every time that you ride.
- All leasing monies are due before the 5th of each month.
- Put your name or your initials on your files and knives.
- Make sure that your name is in your helmet.
- Let's try keeping your bins and lockers neat and tidy.
- Make sure that the barn aisle is swept every night.
- Make sure that the grain room has all the lids on everything.
- Make sure that the grain room is swept-this is not an extra chore.
- Make sure that the hay rooms are swept.
- Make sure that the tack room is swept upstairs and downstairs.
- Make sure that the counter is clean.
- Make sure that the kitty litter boxes are clean.
- Make sure that you do your horses hooves at least once a month and sign off on it.
Some horses need to be done as much as once a week or twice a week. However, do not overdo trimming. Check with Charlie if you need to. - Make sure that all bridle paths are done at least once a month.
- Make sure that you do your extra chore and sign off on it.
- If you run out of time and light to do your extra chore outside, plan on cleaning gear.
- If you run out of time and light to do your extra chore outside, plan on cleaning gear.
- Learn how the electric fence works and where the lines go from what boxes.
- Check to see that the big gates in the pumps are closed as you leave.
- Do not bring any horses from the Johnson's front through the small gate in the fence line. Bring them past Marilyn's burn pile into the Johnson's middle and then to the barn.
This keeps the walkway from the small gate to the Barn paddock of the Johnson's front from getting muddy so that it is miserable to push a wheelbarrow through. - Remember to spread manure on the Johnson's middle pasture.
Return to Things We Need To Do Better
"The mind is everything; what you think, you become."
~Gautama Buddha (c. 563 - c. 483 BC)
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
~Confucius
"Normal is just a setting on a dryer."
~Barbara Johnson, author and speaker
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence—regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
~Vince Lombardi