It's been a heck of a day here. Little Mare is giving Graham Pony fits, but since I went out and moved the hay piles way, way apart, at least he has multiple piles to pick from, and distance between them to eat some. Poor little fellow is walking around, just looking utterly confused. Little Mare just looks, ... well, ..... ticked off big time. Oh well...
In other news:
The Name the Baby Deadline is the 20th! We have a slew of really good suggestions in, and I just wanted to get in a quick reminder to have any last momententries for "our" filly in by midnight tomorrow. The naming party will be this weekend, on the 22nd. I will post the name, and winner, as soon as Debbie lets me know.
Meantime, it seems that "our" filly and her siblings are growing like weeds and doing great. She just gets cuter every day! The colt will be named in honor of his owner, who passed away. Which is how he, his dam, his sire, and two other mares and foals, came to reside at Harmony Meadows. Guapo is the sire. Now hows that for a handsome man!
Onto one other subject real quick. This is one of our minor pet peeves, but one that could blow up into a dangerous situation in a flash.
We encountered a situation yesterday, where the barn owner (a very good friend of ours,) had to leave to take care of some business matters. Not a problem- her horses are very well behaved, and there was extra help there in the form of teens and a trainer.
It was quite warm, and the one young man who had been holding and getting horses for us was pretty much wiped out by the heat. Now, I have to give this fellow a BIG amount of credit here- he paid attention, and took his job seriously. He kept us safe when we were under the ponies and horses. The poor kid got way hot, and asked one of the other teens to help out, and hold the next to last horse. The next to last horse is an OTTB gelding, who in the past has been a real yutz to work on. He and I have had a go round or two, and he has bitten Dear Husband a time or three as well. He also has a history of some striking and kicking. Now, our dear little helper was NOT paying ANY attention at all, and I could see by the look in this horse's eye the sh*t was about to hit the fan.
The kids (and trainer) got an earful about OTTB's, and PAYING ATTENTION in general. I held the horse for his trim. The trainer about got his ears boxed too, when he commented that the horse didn't look like he was being that bad, and in fact seemed like he was ready to fall asleep.
My comment to the trainer was along the lines of, "Do ya think MAYBE, just maybe, I have done this before? That maybe this horse knows who is going to take crap from him, and who is not?"
The point got driven home.
I hear today that the kids, well, OK, the kid that HAD been holding the horse, thought I was a bit grumpy. (I love my barn owner here- she looked the kid in the eye, and said, "Well, it sure takes a lot to trip Mrs Mom's trigger... so what did you do?")
Know what? I was grumpy. I was rough. I was downright mean about getting my initial point across. I'll put up with a whoooole lot of crap.
But the second it looks like someone is in danger around a horse, in this case MY HUSBAND, you are darn right I am going to act.
I do not care if it is a 40 year old family pony that has kids crawling over her all day long, every day. I do not care if it is a show pony who is worth his weight in gold for being forgiving. I do not care if it is an OTTB. It is up to the handlers to act responsibly, and keep the service provider- vet, hoof care provider, dentist, etc- SAFE. In order to keep them safe, you have to pay attention. No cell phones, no flirting with your sweetie, no looking around for space ships and aliens. Your job as a handler is to pay attention to that horse, and his surroundings.
I indicated to the kid holding the horse- who really is a darn nice guy when he is made to mind- that had something happened to my husband, handler and I would have had a wee bit of a go round ourselves. The other kids in the barn about had their little eye balls fall out of their heads.
The point in my ramblings? No matter HOW good your horse is known to be, They Are A Horse. They are a reactive animal. A bird can come flying up from under them and spook them. The horse in the stall next to them can roll and kick the wall and spook them. The pony at the gate can fart loud and spook them. Anything can happen with a horse. At Any Time.
Please, keep an eye out for the people who are there to HELP your horse. We can not do much good if you have to call 911 to help US.
And thus ends my public service announcement for today....
Posts
20 comments:
I love the PSA...I am guilty myself of trusting my boy a little too much. It came back to bite me in the butt when he kicked me in the knee last week. I forgot about how my horse kicks at bugs and got to close. The fact that it was a stupid mistake didn't make it hurt any less.
As for more baby names I have another two for my future dressage horse...
The Perfect Color
and
Sweet as Silk
I still can't get over how adorable that little filly is, can't wait to see what name they pick for her. Hope the mare gets over herself and accepts Graham pony soon.Like the picture of that wonderful pony too.
As for your grumpiness, I don't blame you, everyone should be especially vigilant when working around horses. You are right, even with the best horses anything can happen at any time. Everyone needs to be on their toes and not nonchalant about working around these huge animals.
You are right with the public announcement about being awake and aware. Sometimes with 'ole Charlie horse, I slip, and don't worry and take chances... but I shouldn't. Thanks for the reminder.
On another note, our farrier has been teaching our son to do our horses for about a year now. Mostly, because his back is getting bad and today my son went and helped him with some big shires. He came home pretty tired. All he said was, "them are some pretty big horses." Now William seems small! Tomorrow he goes back and helps do about 8 more!
Sorry to hear that Sonny wasn't doing too well and had to go home. Keep us posted, I am curious to hear what is going on with that boy.
I don't blame you for being grumpy. Your (and your husband's) safety is the most important. I was talking to my farrier about that a couple of weeks ago. He said it gets a little scary under there sometimes!! It is the client's responsibility to present a well-mannered horse, and control and pay attention to what is going on!
"The pony at the gate can fart loud and spook them."
Sorry but that really made me laugh. I was riding my paint mare in an indoor arena. It was a tune-up ride as I was having some people come out to see her (she was for sale at the time). Anyhow, she's trotting nicely and as we turn off the short wall to head down the center of the arena she farts. Loudly. It echos. Trot becomes a lope for like 3 strides. Mare stops and looks around like "WHO was THAT!?!"
OTB- ouch!! Thats a heck of a reminder there... Hope that your handsome man at least gave you kisses to say Sorry Mom!
GHM- ISnt she just cute as a button though? I hear she has personality to match too! Wish we were not 4 hours away from her- I would be there in a flash to meet her and the other horses there, and fill you all in on them first person!
TJ- EXCELLENT! I am glad your son is learning the trade! Shires--no thank you! You will not catch me under anything that has a hoof bigger than my HEAD. That is awesome though, that he has stuck it out for a year, and is going back for more. Kudos to him!
Pony Girl- We love owners who have the horses mannered up, clean and ready for us. It makes life SO much safer. Kinda scary under there is an understatement. There have been times when my life flashed before my eyes, and I thought, "This movie is too short." I now know to get the heck away, pack up my tools, and leave. Have not had to do that in a while though...lol
CDN- LOLOLOL... I can just picture that.... indoor areans have such interesting accoustics that your mare must have thought there was a tractor or something coming up behind her! Too funny...hehehe
Our filly is growing up so fast! Look at them long legs! Can not wait to see what name gets chosen!
Oh girl that is a great point, so many people seem to not pay attention around horses! I just love the younger generation on there cell phones, flirting, whatever they are doing at the time and not paying a bit of attention to this massive animal they are on or supposed to be handling! UGH! Now I do carry my cell phone at all times when I ride (per hubby's request) since I ride all the time by myself. I have certain ring tones so I know who it is without having to look, the majority of the time I do not answer unless it is hubby. I am big on keeping the vet, farrier, whoever is working with my horses safest at all times. That is so important to me! You have to instill that at a early age, Savannah has gotten tons of spankings for not paying attention around horses. I am hard on her about that, but I am because I love her and want her to be the safest at all times. Kuddos to you for taking this opportunity to teach these people at the barn. Oh well, if they get there feelings hurt, sometimes you have to be that way to get your point across! (wish we lived closer, we would be a duo to be reckoned with!) Love it-the kids eyeballs almost fell out! ROTFL!! Go Mrs. Mom GO!!! WOOT WOOT!!! Another great post or I mean public service announcement!!!
I don't have horses, but I am fascinated reading blogs about them! We had a pony when we were kids, but I can barely remember much about him now.
Keep up the great work!!! I don't know how you manage everything...horses, children, dogs, family, swimming with the boys every day, etc. You are a GREAT mom!!!
(((HUGS)))
LOL KDW- I can not imagine what damage the two of us could do together... hehehe... Our husbands might run in fear! Well, MINE might. lol
Nancy- thanks. Your kind words really mean a lot to me. Frankly, I dont do it all --- I have been blessed wtih an absolutley amazing husband, who is a terrific father, a great provider, and my rock. With out him, I am literally a mess. I can not tell which way is up. If it werent for him, I hate to think about how life would be for me and the boys.
Horses have been my all consuimg passion for my entire life- my Dad is fond of telling folks that I have had horses on the brain "since she had legs". It just is shocking to me that kids today DONT havet hat same passion... but things have changed I reckon, and parenting styles have changed too.... Life goes on...;)
I was just reading your post while you were reading mine- how synchronous! Yes, I TOTALLY agree with you about vigilance around horses and being safe. Good thing the barn owner has her head on straight, and hopefully that kid got the message. The filly is cuteness personified. I hope you have lots of good names to choose from and I look forward to seeing what they pick.
Horses are dangerous enough animals in the best case scenario.
If my farrier is coming and one of my horses hasn't been handled, I get him out and handle him and even lunge him before the farrier arrives. I always hold them. I never leave them on the cross-ties. Farriers have hard enough and dangerous enough jobs without having to worry about our horses misbehaving.
www.GreenerPastures--ACityGirlGoesCountry.blogspot.com
Hi Mrs. M, just wanted to comment on the comment you left me about 9-11 and your sister. That is an amazing story. I am so glad that fate stepped in that day! Maybe the story I heard was your sister's, not a man's (I don't even know where I heard it, but like you said, there is the "urban legend" effect with stories and events like that.)
As I have said previously, I almost lost my coffee to the computer screen with the "fart" remark. In fact I once had a little gelding, A TB/Arab/Welch Pony mix (a pasture accident- the owner had the Arab/Welch mare turned out with an 11 month-old TB colt and thought there was no lead in his pencil) who spooked at his own manure from the shadow. So anything can get to even the most docile horse-although he was not that and was a farrier's nightmare to boot-was terrified of men).
Your reminder to use caution all the time is sage.
Love the photos as well. Can't wait to learn the baby's name!
Take care everyone!
Jo
Gosh... that filly is sooo cute! Makes me want to breed my palomino again.
If you think you were being grumpy, I guess you would know. But perhaps that came out from just having the experience of working with horses and seeing another not be safe. I am sure that this young man will pay attention from now on and maybe even make sure others around him are too.
Funny, I had scanned a cover of a magazine 3 days ago to show a big no-no. I can't believe how irresponsible this magazine was. I will post on my blog soon.
And way too funny about the fart thing!!!
have a grand weekend!
Lol, had the bird thing happen, had a dog chase a rabbit under a horse (big wreck), had a rattlesnake right up next to the hitching rail (12 inches from my and the horses foot)
But the best, the VERY best, was the guy who was holding his horse and letting it get away with everything. I was under the front end trimming and the mare kept pulling and pulling, yet I hung on. She was pulling HARD. Finally I'd had enough (like 5 minutes of this nonsense) and I was ready to step out, so I let go.
He was in the perfect spot, not paying attention and she caught him in the nads. He dropped like a rock and I turned around to see him in the fetal position on the ground, moaning. I swear, I laughed, doubled over, for a good 10 minutes. I still laugh when I think about it.
Pay attention people. Your future children may depend on it :)
It's one thing to let your attention slip around your horses when you're the only one in danger of being hurt. It's another thing entirely to put any kind of service provider at risk. I hope the kid (and trainer) learned a lesson.
foodforfounder.blogspot.com
That filly is just too cute. I guess I've said that before but she is!
As for the PSA, you go girl! Nothing makes me crazier than people with ill mannered horses tolerating that behavior thinking it's "normal."
What happened with the baby naming?? Can't wait anymore so I had to ask! :)
The name for the baby will be picked on Sun. the 29th. We had to change the date at the last moment because the lady who is a big part of our rescue had a death in the family.We changed the date so she could be here. I will give the name to Mom as soon as we have it picked out Sunday.. Sorry for the delay.
Post a Comment