Cedar View Paint Horses

Give 'Em The Boot

2012-01-24T12:19:00.005-06:00

So I'm Frugal. Miserly. Fiscally Responsible.

Let's face it: I'm Cheap. I have rusty hinges on my wallet. I will be buried with my first dollar I ever earned and if you try to pry it from my cold dead rigored fingers I'll haunt you forever!

Why do I tell you this? Because I have boot envy.

I wants:

But they are a hunnert bucks! Or more even. A hunnert bucks for some neoprene and rubber? No way even. Not this guy.

I've resigned myself to the realization that I'll never own a pair and slog on thru the mud in my uninsulated mud boots that I scored at TSC for $10.99. They're good boots. Their pliable rubber keeps the mud and wet away from my feet, but don't do shit for the cold. And it gets cold as shit here.

Just before Christmas I was at the Man's Mall and noticed that they were blowing out all the winter gear. You know how stores are - they get the Halloween stuff out in August and the swim trunks out in January. Anyway, what did I spy on the clearance shelf?

Ta-Daaaaah!

And $24.95! And in my size! You didn't have to ask me twice. Into the cart they went. Christmas was coming home with me.

So why did I need these when I have a perfectly good pair of Rocky Mountain 1200 gram Thinsulate ice-grabbin cold-stompin boots in the basement? Why? It's all about efficiency. I like pull-on boots. Quick and easy, just shloomp and your foot is in. My Rocky's have fourteen feet of shoe laces on each boot. I don't have the time (or patience) to sit down and lace up boots at 4:30 in the morning when I can just shloomp a pair and go. And I don't have the time (or patience) to sit down and unlace when I get back in and my glasses are fogged up and the dogs are trying to help me and I have to pee. Relate?

So I'm all happy with my new Columbia Drylights. Or am I? This post wouldn't be interesting without some twist. Give me a minute while I hobble over to the coffee pot....

Hobble? Yes, hobble. Seems my new besties are a bit lacking. Plenty of heart, but no sole.

(Badum-chsss!)

Damned near like moccasins. I've got a big ol' bruise right in the middle of mine foot. It hurts, but only when I move, so most of the time I'm ok. How'd I do it? Well, lemme tell ya: I was cleaning the drylot with my Lil' Blue Tractor last weekend. I've got a handy-dandy landscape rake, and it works great for cleaning up all the manure and scraps of uneaten hay. The lil' frozen poopturds follow along in an orderly fashion while I drag them to the corner to be piled up and become future garden soil. I had to stop and move somethin or the other, so I hopped of the tractor and landed just perfectly on one of those lil' frozen poopturds and my clearance-rack boots with their moccasin bottoms offered no support and I got a big ol' bruise on the bottom of my foot.

Cold as shit, I tell you.

Makes Me Proud

2012-01-22T19:23:00.001-06:00

Wow. It's like she was inside my head.

Horsepower

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

I had to take a run into town the other day and came across this:

A small group of fellas and their old Allis Chalmers tractors were turning a field. It was cool. Just a put-put-puttin along, turning the soil over two rows at a time.

After I had enough of that I headed home to see this:

Them'r the real deal. I have no idea of the specs, but that's some horsepower. And bucks. I'd hate to guess a value, but I'm sure the green ones cost a bit more than the orange ones.

In The Shadow Of Lambeau Field

2012-01-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

Sara and her dad went to the Packers playoff game against the New York Giants on Sunday. While the results were less than stellar, the experience was incredible.

Lambeau Field is impressive. We live here, we see it all the time, and we don't think much of it, but really, it's cool. The stadium got a facelift a few years back and it sure makes an impact.

But what really makes it unique are the fans. Here are some of their "rides":

And of course, the people:

There were cocktails:

And Crazy Fans:

The flyover (B-1 Bomber):

Then finally, the kickoff:

As we all know, it was downhill from there. But it was great year in the land of Green and Gold. Go Pack Go!

Seeing Double

2012-01-17T12:06:00.003-06:00

Mater and Teddy shared some lunch.

This is from back in October.

When it was still nice out.

Life on the Farm

2012-01-15T07:00:00.006-06:00

So, as I sit here guzzling coffee and trying to think of something to write about, I'll offer you some random pics of the happenings around here.

The little garden shed got painted. With the house and barn all tan, we thought we'd mix things up a bit and go with green on the shed.

I likey.

And the big shed got a new steel roof. The old shingled roof was so bad that the insurance company wouldn't even cover it. The fella we hired did a nice job, considering this old shed was built by two farmers in the 50's that didn't own a square and a tape measure between them. The roof peak snakes like, well, a snake, and the tamarack timbers used for roof beams made for a very uneven roof deck. Lines were run over the low spots and shims were nailed to the existing roof to try as best to level the surface before the steel was fastened down. It looks good and matches the barn now. Next summer we'll put steel on the front. Or paint it. I dunno yet.

And that car? The cool white one? The SHGN WGN? That's my daily driver. Finally, after five years of freezing my tookus, we got the heater fixed. I can now drive in relative comfort and not have to scrape the inside of the window to see.

Tucker In Tow

2012-01-12T12:25:00.002-06:00

Tucker has to learn how to pony along, so Sara hopped on Teddy and gave the lil' boy a lesson. I don't know if I should be more proud of the student or the teacher!

Special Delivery

2012-01-05T05:13:00.002-06:00

These showed up in the mail yesterday.

This is just a tease of how well Mater did showing on the Pinto circuit this year.

It's True

2012-01-01T19:00:00.004-06:00

I'm the Best Husband In The World!!!

Or the dumbest....

See, we went on a little trip yesterday, and I bought Sara a horse for Christmas.

He's a baby yet.

And a ham...

And a goober...

And a lover...

And I think I did a good job...

Meet "What About A Zippo", aka Tucker.
He's The Scotchman and Zippo Pine Bar bred. And the next Cedar View Paint Horses superstar.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T07:19:00.005-06:00

Sitting in the house this morning watching our first measurable snow of the season, and I came across this blast from the past:

March, 2008.

As of midnite last nite, our ground was bare and brown. There's about an inch of heavy wet snow out there now, with another inch expected, then lots of wind and plummeting temps. This snow may just stick around. Last year we had over a foot of the white stuff on the ground at this time. I'm not complaining, just observing. Snow has its pros and cons, and I've been ok without it so far. This storm blew in apparently "under the radar" of the weatherclowns. I checked the weather on NOAA on Friday evening, and it said that today was supposed to be full sun and unseasonably warm. I'm so glad we did our traveling yesterday.

Traveling? Where did we go? Stay tuned.

Until then, have a great 2012, enjoy the day however you may, and go hug your critters.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T08:08:00.004-06:00

Hoping all is well with you and yours.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us at Cedar View Paint Horses!

"Ahhh, warm ears" says Teddy:

"Get it off - Now" says Mater:

"Oh geez, this again" says Hank:

"Don't even think about bringing that hat over here" says Honky:

"Gives us the treeeeeeeats" says Luci and Austin:

I Sprang From The Bed To See What Was The Matter.

2011-12-17T04:46:00.006-06:00

To say I'm a light sleeper is an understatement. I sleep well, but I'm definitely "in tune to my surroundings". Which leads me to this: at about 2:50 in the morning I am ~~woken~~ ~~awoken~~ ~~awakened~~ wokedup by a humming. Not the normal sump pump or water pump or refrigerator humming. Different noise. I can't just ignore it, and it is a Saturday, so I may as well get up and get some stuff done.

So it's 61 degrees in here. I figure it's the thermocouple acting up again, but I just serviced that last week and things have been running fine. I reset the thermostat and listen. I hear the boiler go thru its normal clicks and clacks, but it never fires and goes into standby. I go down to check the boiler and find the source of the hum. It's the relay and/or the circulating pump. The transformer is hot to the touch. And there's no water pressure on the gauge. So I kill the power to it, the humming stops, and the transformer cools. I've either got a shitty pump or a bad control module. Either one is not cheap. Not to mention a Saturday service call. And it's 18 outside. And it's not getting any warmer in here.

But on a good note, Sara got the tree decorated! Ho Ho Ho!

And that picture I stole from the web - the mom's freaky lazy eye sure makes her look nutso. Gives me the creeps. Look at it again. I know you will.

At Liberty

2011-12-12T05:47:00.004-06:00

Sara brought in Chunky, the horse previously known as Mater, for some hands-on time. He's had the last eight weeks off after a very successful show season. Eight weeks of lounging by the pool (water tank) and feasting on five course meals (first and second crop hay, grain, oats, and flax). No schedules to keep, no cell phones to answer. Just much deserved time off.

So what did they do? Showmanship practice. Sans halter and lead.

Moon Over My Hammy, Sammy

2011-12-10T05:13:00.011-06:00

Just before four a.m. my foggy brain said to me, "Why's the ligh shtill ohnnnn?"
I rubbed the tired crusties out of my eyes and tried to comprehend.
Bright. Glow. Window.
All fragmented, not in the form of a question, Alex.
Bright. Light. Ponies. Cold.

Ahh, it was coming to me. My internal alarm was buzzing, reminding me of the appointment that I scheduled with the horses just before I went to sleep last nite because Algore is an idiot and it's freekin cold out. Cold. Single-digits even. The fatties need eats to stay warm.

But who left the light on? More eye rubbing, forehead smoothing. (It's my ritual. Deal.) I sat up. Outside light. Bright.

Moon.

I was fully awake now, admiring the brightness of it all. You could see the frost on the fence rails. The big boxelder's shadow was crisp on the ground like it was drawn with a new pencil. The sky was clear of clouds and full of stars.

I got dressed without turning on a light. I found the coffee pot and flicked it on. I could clearly see Big Red Ted standing by the gate, his big white face lowered to the tank. I woke the doggies in the dark and let them outside. I found my coat and hat and gloves and boots in the light coming through the window. One last glance at the thermometer told me it was 8 degrees. Nice.

It was one of those mornings where you could read a book in the moonlight. Bright. Crisp. Sharp. Like a really good black and white picture. The outline of the barn was stark against the star filled sky. The ridges on the steel were accentuated by the moonlight, their perfect columns of shadow all lined up against the building.

Ted was still by the gate, watching me watch him. Something in the shadows by the tank moved, then moved again. The shape hopped up onto the insulated water tank housing. Maverick. He's a strange one, that Maverick. Greets me almost every morning from that water tank. I'd like to think he's keeping an eye on things, but I know to never rely on a cat.

I gave him a pat, then stepped up onto the tank to get a peek over the fence. Mater stuck his sleepy face out from under the darkness of the lean-to, his big blaze easily visible in the light. Farther down the row I heard Hank's deep "Ruh-ruh-ruh" preceding his blaze coming out of the dark.

"Breakfast is coming, Hank."

Teddy's nose brushed my gloved hand. I reached out and gave him a big scratch on the neck. He leaned into the scratch, his white eyelashes catching the light.

"Breakfast is coming."

The Results Are In

2011-11-28T19:22:00.005-06:00

After having a fun day at the farm with with Kirby and Wyatt on Friday, Teddy had his big debut in the ring on Saturday. We trailered out to Heartland Stables for their "Beat the Blues" winter show series. It's a nice laid-back series of shows with no show clothes required, and it's a perfect environment to practice with your young horse. And that's our Teddy, a young horse, barely ready for the ring.

Teddy took it all in stride. I expected no less (did you see 5:27?). He just looked around at all the horses, from ponies to Saddlebreds. He took a great interest in the mirrors on the wall in the warm up arena. When Sara stood, he stood. When Sara walked, he walked. We couldn't have been happier with how he just absorbed everything.

His first class was showmanship. For a fun show, the pattern was kinda complex, and it had a pull turn, which is something they've never worked on. Sara and Ted went first, their back tag number being 404.

They nailed it.

I was making a mental checklist of the errors that the competition would make. Everyone had a flaw. I'd watch the judge scratch some notes down on her pad after every flaw. Teddy and Sara were standing on the far side of the arena watching the same thing I was. I hoped she was thinking the same thing I was: could Teddy really win his first class ever? The last horse came in the ring and performed a really nice pattern. Oh boy. Did the judge ever scribble down any notes? I wasn't sure.

The announcer got the judge's card, and put the mic up to his mouth.

"In first place, number 150."

Damn.

"In second place, number 404."

Woohooo! Yay Teddy!!!

To even place in the ribbons was an accomplishment. To get a second was fantastic.

The rest of the day followed suit. Teddy just went in the ring and did what he knew without any fuss or worry. His first riding class was English walk/trot:

That ride earned them a 6th place out of eight horses. Not bad at all.

Next was English w/t equitation. I didn't video that one. 2nd outta ten.

Sara wasn't going to enter him in any canter classes at this show - he wasn't ready to hold that canter together just yet. At the last minute she changed her mind and signed them up for English Pleasure. They did really well:

That ride earned them a 3rd outta ten.

The next video is both Western walk/jog pleasure and Western walk/jog horsemanship:

Those rides earned a 3rd and a 2rd respectively. Both classes had ten riders.

In the short six weeks that he's been here he has never failed to surprise and please us. He's gonna be a good horse, that Teddums.

Big Red Ted

2011-11-25T06:18:00.004-06:00

They called him Ami.

Ami...

That wouldn't do. Ted. Teddy. Big Red Ted. Teddums. Teddy Bear. Much better.
Invitation To Invest is his name when formalities require it.

This is Sara's latest project, a 3 yr old Paint that's got as much personality as cute. Nice solid boy who's gonna turn out to be a good size. He doesn't know much yet, but he's catching on real quick. He's no dummy, and don't let that goofy face tell ya otherwise. He's got real nice ground manners, minds your space, and stands tied nice and quiet. He had 30 days training last spring, then sat all summer being a pasture puff.

We found him in that far away land known as Minnesota. Southern Minnesota, if I must be specific.

Land of 10,000 lakes and a lot of corn. A Lot of corn. I think all the lakes moved north.

The trip was uneventful, aside from the construction and the 40 mph winds. Ever pull a big trailer through 11' wide lanes in a cross wind? Keeps ya on yer toes, it does. Those big concrete barriers look so much bigger when you're dragging a trailer.

Anyway, once you leave the scenic tree-covered hills and valleys of Wisconsin and cross the mighty Mississippi, a strange thing occurs: trees vanish.

I think the corn ate them.

Enough of my fear of wide open spaces.

Teddy's riding is coming along nicely. He's not going to have a trot like Mater or Oliver, but while his fronts may not be the sweepiest, his hind end lopes real nice and deep. Wunna those "oooh, looky that" lopes. He'll move much better once he builds up some toning and just figures it out. Here's a video from his first day home. I think you'll see why we bought him. Speshully at 5:27.

Did I mention he's quiet?

And here he is after three weeks.

He's far from being finished, but maybe you can see the improvement. Enough improvement that Sara decided it was time for his first show. That was yesterday. And here is where I'll leave you hanging.....

Follow Along If You Will

2011-11-21T18:03:00.013-06:00

We've got a lot of "catching" up to do.

Remember this little guy? The lil' red-n-white horse that made me the best husband in the world? It's been some time since I've mentioned him. Lil' Kirby grew up and became quite the awesome horse. Quiet, cute and loveable. Fun to work with and never one to put up much of a fuss.

Sara got him going under saddle in the spring of his third year. She spent hours working with him to learn all the basics, then they spent more time working on getting him finished for the show ring. They did well at the local open shows, always placing in the ribbons. You may remember this memorable moment that they had at a show.

Later that summer Kirby got to tote Sara's mother around at the annual "Girlz Weekend", a three day camping trip in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Sara's mom hadn't been on a horse in 25 years, and Kirby did his best to take care of her.

They experienced ATV's and river crossings and Kirby did his job without any unexpected happenings. All that walking maked him awfully tired though.

There's no explanation on the halter. That's just Kirburt.

During this time we had a mom and daughter combo that would stop by occasionally. We'd all be standing around visiting and Sara would tell the girl to go grab Kirby and saddle him up. She never hesitated, and Kirby couldn't have been better for her.

Before we knew it, that young lady was coming around more and more often. Sara had her hands full with taking Mater to the APHA shows, so she welcomed the time that this girl wanted to spend with Kirby. You can see where this is going: they offered to buy Kirby. That big lug that was once a lil' red-n-white anniversary present was sold to a young lady who adored him.

Since Kirby was trained for the show ring, they stepped right up to the challenge and got him ready for the shows.

As you can see, they've done well. That lil' red-n-white horse has made us proud, and that young girl is growing into a good horse hand.

Keep up the good work Kirbs!

Get Over It

2011-11-19T07:05:00.002-06:00

Life is hard.

Go Pack Go!

Meet Rusty, Beater Truck

2011-11-13T06:00:00.001-06:00

A man needs a truck. Once you have a truck, you'll wonder how you ever didn't have a truck. Once you are without a truck, you feel like you're missing something important. Like not wearing pants at the dinner table.

With Sara off to horse shows most weekends, the good truck was also gone to horse shows. I had "truck stuff" to do, like going to the dump (pardon me, recycle center), getting grain, going to the lumber yard. It's hard to strap big lengths of lumber to the top of my daily driver, the super-cool 1994 Mercury Tracer Trio wagon. And 150 lbs of grain made the wagon's ass sag. So, a decision was made and I was to find a beater truck.

Ironically, we found Rusty on the way to the lumber yard while riding in the good truck. One of those rare weekends when there wasn't a show and I was allowed to take the good truck for a spin. Rusty was sitting along the road with a for sale sign in the window. Low miles for it's age, a 300 c.i., 4.9L straight-six (the good'n), and a five speed manual transmission. Zactly what the doctor ordered. And good tires - bonus! The interior is in nice shape. The outside, not so much. It's seen it's fair share of heavily-salted winter roads, but a little rust wasn't gonna deter me. And the price was right.

It didn't come without it's fair share of quirks. Aside from the rust, there's the color. The color is a mix of many shades of brown: dirt brown, rust brown, grime brown. It's a '91 model, and my best guess is that it was last washed in '92, then left to dry downwind of a dusty field. The wiper control knob has been replaced with a 3" C-clamp. Necessity, the mother of invention. The driver's window goes down really well, but up requires persuasion. It has semi-cool air conditioning. It smells like old leaves and refrigerator-coil dust. But the heater works and the radio works and the dimmer switch is on the floor. Name your last vehicle with the dimmer switch on the floor! And we can't ignore the front-bumper-mounted spare tire. A Yooper trademark, for sure. That (along with the C-clamp) sold it.

After bringing it home, the proper thing to do was to change all it's juices and filters and douse the interior with Febreeze. The brown stuff and the green stuff came out clean, which led me to believe it's seen some maintenance, but the air filter made me question that thought. The bolts that hold the lid on the airbox were rusted right tight. Lotsa Blaster and some convincing finally got it open, only to find a heavily soiled air filter, a bunch of maple tree helicopters, and a family of moths. The air filter and it's accumulated collections weighed three pounds. That's alotta crud. New fluids and filters later, Rusty was ready to be put to work.

In the words of Canadia's most famous self-help guru, Red Green: "If ya can't be handsome, be handy". Rusty fits the bill. Aside from the normal run-around chores, he's been a great help on the farm. We used to move hay from the barn to the hay shed by hooking the trailer behind the tractor, pulling that into the barn, filling it full of hay, then hauling that over to the hay shed to be unloaded. Now Rusty does the job, and is much more nimble than backing that lousy trailer up to the hay shed. We've also been out collecting firewood and old concrete and other odd jobs around the place. I think he's gonna be a handy lil' truck to have around.

Veterans Day 11-11-11

2011-11-11T12:42:00.002-06:00

Not what normally comes to mind when one says war hero, but a hero she was.

Hey There, Good Lookin'...

2011-11-10T06:00:00.001-06:00

"What's a perty girl like you doin' in a place like this?"

"Stop it Mater, you're making me blush!"

That's Fergie, and Mater is git'n bitten by the smitten bug. He likes the tall girls, ya know.

An Apple A Day

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Nom Nom Nom......

Season Results

2011-11-06T07:42:00.003-06:00

That Mater. He IS a super horse. This is on the back of the nice jacket that they, or should I say Sara, received. Mater got nothing. That's kinda sad, really. He did all the heavy lifting and stuff. Oh, I spose I'll go give him a carrot or two.

(pardon the quality)

And who is that beaming kid on the right? The one that earned Reserve Champion and third place?

You'll just have to come back to find that out.

And The Winner Is...

2011-11-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

Well, you'll just have to wait for the results to be announced at the banquet tonite. We are attending the year-end awards banquet for NEWPHA (North East Wisconsin Pleasure Horse Association) this evening, and I'm sure it's going to be a fun time.

I know, the suspense is dreadful.

New Kid In Town

2011-11-04T12:05:00.005-05:00

Hey! Howzit goin?

Hangin' It Up

2011-10-17T16:44:00.003-05:00

No, not the blog. My Captain Slacker cape. Who knew this blogging stuff was gonna be hard.

We've got a lot of catching up to do. A Lot. That means you've got a lot of reading to do. Go get your slippers and a big beverage of your choice. I'll wait.

So Summer blew by in a blur. September came crashing in all cold and wet and depressing. I was preparing for another battle with Seasonal Depression, but October showed up all sunny and hot. I've been happy with October. Gooood October. But let's not forget that Old Man Winter is right around the corner. The Shit.

But I regress.

In a nutshell, I'll cover a few highlights that I'll get to in greater detail eventually when i get to it maybe (how's that for being noncommittal?). Here goes: We sold a horse, bought a horse, sold a horse, bought a horse. We sold a truck and bought a truck. Wifey won a whole bunch of stuff with Mater and a whole bunch of stuff with Oliver. I congratulated her by buying myself another truck. Gardens grew, gardens died. Little shed got painted, big shed got a new roof. Hank lost his Woman. Not the donkey, but the lady that leased him.

Whew. That's enough. Any more and I'll scare myself into putting my Captain Slacker cape back on.

I'll be back with details. I promise.

Just Ride

2011-09-08T12:20:00.001-05:00

We went for a trail ride on Labor Day. Come ride along:

And They're Off!

2011-08-29T12:10:00.008-05:00

We had been tossing around the idea of taking a trip, so we finally boarded the Senior Shuttle and took a day trip down to Arlington Park.

It's a beautiful facility just west of Chicago.

You can go down by the paddocks and watch the grooms ready the horses for the race.

I was really impressed with the concern for the horses and how they ensured that they were kept cool after each race. And they watered the hot rubber track between each race.

We did a little betting and a little less winning, but it was a great time and we're sure going to go back.

Cuteness Revealed

2011-08-28T08:19:00.003-05:00

Nailed It

2011-08-26T12:22:00.001-05:00

He makes it look so easy.

First place under all six judges.

That's our Mater, Mater, Sweet Pootater.

A Gem

2011-07-28T12:06:00.002-05:00

There's a sleepy town on the border where Wisconsin and Michigan are separated by the Memonimee River. Marinette is home to the Mickey-Lu-Bar-B-Q, the neatest burger joint in the Midwest. If you enjoy a little nostalgia, make sure to stop in for a step back in time. When you do, the first thing you'll notice when you get out of your car is the mouth-watering smell of charcoal coming from the old tin smokestack. Yep, Kingsford charcoal. All the food is cooked over a charcoal-fired grill located smack dab in the middle of the diner. It's dark brick front faces the lunch counter, which seats about twelve. The counter bears 24 worn spots that came from 63 years of propped elbows. Countless burgers have been served over that old counter, and probably as many first dates were spent in the two-seater booths under the windows along the wall. Some have had both their first date and their 50th anniversary there.

The food is simple: burgers, brats, and dogs. All served on Zemal (Semmel) rolls toasted over the grill. They also serve a fair amount of fried egg sammiches, which was a surprise to see on the menu.

No fries. You want a tater - get a bag of chips.

And malts. This place wouldn't be right without malts.

Everything adds to the character of the place, but it's the charcoal-fired grill that makes it so neat. Nobody can deny that charcoal makes food better.

We sat directly across the front of the grill, watching the grill master flip burgers, crack eggs, cook brats, toast buns, assemble burgers, wrap orders, and ring the bell. All in short order. The waitresses were a blur, running to keep up with the malt machine and the bell. The burgers are not huge, but neither are the prices. 2 dcw & 2 cm was about $10. That's two double cheeseburgers with the works and two chocolate malts. The works is onions, pickles, ketchup & mustard, and butter. The buns are toasted just right, and are still nice and soft.

So stop there. Get a dcw. Relax. And enjoy.

A Predicament

2011-07-10T08:52:00.005-05:00

I call that one "Cat on a Post".

A very tall post:

Verrrrrry tall:

"Hey, I can see da U.P., eh"

Maverick was minding his own business hunting wabbits in the pasture when the doggies flushed him up the pole. They meant no harm. Luci just wanted to love him. But I won't get into that...

He sat up there for a good while, waiting for the dogs to get interested in something else.

He's just fine. A little P.O.'d, but just fine:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Wrangler was very worried about his lil' buddy:

Our 4th, a Pictorial

2011-07-07T12:10:00.002-05:00

Hey, Hey, Hay...

2011-07-04T06:43:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year again.

With a wet and cold spring, we were all wondering how the hay crop was going to be. First crop is a little late this year, but things dried up nicely and we've had a spell of warm and dry weather.

This is nice stuff. All grass, and very soft.

Good for keeping those tummies warm thru Wisconsin's 11 months of winter.

The loft was getting a little low. Time to fill it back up again. With 1500 square feet of hay loft, we can store a lot of hay.

There's much more to come. Anyone wanna help?

Hot Hot Hot!

2011-06-19T07:26:00.005-05:00

Nah, not the weather. Hot Machine is hot! Oliver had his second show on the Creekview circuit, and that lil' brown horse with the rainbow tail is getting noticed in the ring.

Sara called on her way home after the show and said, "You better build a bigger shelf! Oliver is bringin' home trophies!"

1st in Showmanship outta 5 horses.
1st in Western Walk Trot out of 14.
1st in both of his Western Pleasure classes with 5 horses in each class.
Then he got a 4th out of nine in his last WP class, but that was due to an unfortunately timed bathroom break. Judges have no sense of humor.

Does This Sign Make My Barn Look Big?

2011-06-15T12:10:00.004-05:00

We had a sign made up by From The Forty, a company owned by the family of a coworker of mine. It turned a lot nicer than we had anticitpated. Selecting the right font was tough, but I think we picked a good one. It's 4' wide and 3' feet tall. The 2" thick white cedar is coated in spar urethane, and should offer many years of use.

Holly was really easy to work with (read: was really patient with us), and it only took a week to make. They've got a nice selection of pre-made signs at really nice prices, and they can make just about anything you can dream up. Go check out their site.

Showing Pinto

2011-06-12T09:29:00.006-05:00

After their successful year on the APHA circuit last year, Sara decided to see how Mater did against the Pintos in the area. Many factors went into this decision, and the least which was the time spent on the road. Having to be gone three weekends a month is a tough life on both the horse and the exhibitor. Also, Oliver is coming along nicely and needs exposure at the local shows, so she wanted to have the opportunity to work with him more. And the fuel prices sure don't help much.

There are only six Pinto shows in Wisconsin in a season, and they are held over three weekends, so this really cuts down on the travelling. Two back-to-back shows are held on one weekend, and each show has six judges. Yes, Six. That means you cannot mess up, and there is no where in the ring where you can "have a moment" with your horse. But, if you do well you can really build up the points.

So Sara and Mater headed off to their first Pinto show a coupla weeks ago. It was down at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, a popular place for holding many of the regional shows. Due to a scheduling conflict the show was on Friday and Saturday, so I had to stay back and work. They left early Thursday afternoon to get a good spot for the trailer, get some riding in, and get him all cleaned up and settled in for his big weekend. Sara called me that evening to check in and said, "Everyone is SO NICE here". Seems that folks were just coming up and saying hi and introducing themselves. Very friendly bunch.

Friday started with Amateur Showmanship. Yup, Amateur. Since they pointed out of Novice last year, they have to show in the next step up. Their first class had 11 horses in it. Mater did a great job, and they waited for their placings........

1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 5th, and NP!

Yay Mater! Why the NP? Who cares - four 1sts!

The rest of the day followed suit. Here's a quick rundown.
English Shmshp, 1, 3, 4, np, np, np.
English Pleasure: 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4.
Eng Pleasure Geldings: 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 6.
Eng Equitation: 1, 1, 1, 4, 5, 7.
Hunter Under Saddle: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3.
Disciplined Rail: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 5.
Trail: 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5.

So it was a good day. After all the horses were fed and tucked in for the nite, the Wisconsin Pinto Club hosts a dinner for all the exhibitors to attend.

Saturday were the western classes. Mater did his thing, and the results were impressive.
Open WP Geldings: 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, np.
Open WP Senior: 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3.
Amateur WP: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2.
Am WP Geldings: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1.
Am Horsemandhip: 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 5.
Am Western Disciplined Rail: 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 4.
Open Disciplined Rail: 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3.
Am Barrels: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3.
Am Flag: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2.

Overall, it was a great first Pinto show. They earned 388 points and two Registers of Merit, and they won the high point for each day.

Mater, Pinto Rockstar!

National Trails Day

2011-06-08T12:09:00.002-05:00

Our riding club celebrated National Trails Day on June 4th by hitting the local trails.

It started as a hot and sweaty day, but it was cooler in the woods and the bugs weren't bad at all.
Oliver is such a ham.

Oliver lost his head.

We ended the day with a visit to the local frozen custard stand. Yum!

Show Teaser

2011-05-24T12:19:00.004-05:00

Oliver's first Creekview show:
(Pardon the blurry pics)

Oh, you want the results????

1st place outta 15.

Oliver.

Rockstar.

I was taking pics and visiting with the stable owner during this class. She got a call - tornado sighted just 10 miles south. Sara and Ollie got their ribbon, I got the trailer, and we got the "truck" outta there.

The Other Woman

2011-04-14T12:23:00.011-05:00

Honky is not amused. Hank has been seen in the arms of another woman. A new woman to these parts. An outsider.

Oh! the Drama.

Let me explain. Every winter Hank thrives on the snow and cold of our Wisconsin winters. While the average horse can sustain the cold and wind with proper shelter and adequate forage, Hank has learned to excel in this environment. He grows a massive thick coat. He's seldom seeking shelter. And he ~~maintains a good weight~~ gets fat on air.

Just about the time we noticed that his saunter had a little more roll than stroll, we were approached by a person looking to lease a horse for this trail season. She's a thirty-something that grew up as a horse-crazy kid, but like many folks, life got in the way and horses were put on the back burner. Wanting to get back in the saddle, but not sure of making the full commitment to purchase a horse of her own, a lease is just the right thing for her.

New Lady came out to the farm last Sunday to meet the animals and see that we weren't CHPs (Crazy Horse People). She liked the place, saw that we didn't have horns, and was smitten with Hank.

He's a charmer, that fella.

Honky was rather aloof. Almost rude, even. She's not fond of strangers, much less strangers that are touching HER man. She kept her eyes on Hank, making sure he wasn't enjoying the attentions given him by this...this...this Interloper. But he was. Hank likes strangers. Strangers always have treats. Always.

New Lady returned on Tuesday to spend some quality one-on-one time with Hank. This did not sit well with Miss Honky Tonk. She pouted at the gate, braying in that "I'm pathetic and want my way" kind of way that she has. This usually gets Hank's attention, but not this time. His attention was on New Lady and her good brushins. He was a perfect gentleman. She brushed him all over, picked his feet, and got him ready to ride. He didn't fuss about anything. If you know Hank, you'll understand that this is not his modus operandi. He's a joker and a tester, always seeing if he can get away with something. But not this time. He was perfect.

He's a charmer, that fella.

After a few tips & pointers, New Lady was up in the saddle and learning Hank's buttons. Walk, trot, & lope with no problems. Never a hesitation or a balk. Correct lead every time.

Did I mention that he's a charmer?

Meanwhile, back at the gate, Honky had ceased her complaining and was slowly muching on her dinner. I'm sure there were comtemplations on how to get rid of New Lady, but I don't think New Lady is leaving anytime soon.

Goals

2011-04-09T04:07:00.009-05:00

A while back I wrote about Mater and how he landed here at Cedar View Paint Horses. What began as a disappointment has turned full circle and became something we never thought would or could happen. Seems that Lil' Brown Horse has turned into quite the superstar and has made his momma (and me) very proud.

Before the 2010 APHA show season began, Sara set goals for her and Mater. For this season she wanted to finish in the top five in Zone Five for Novice Amateur. The APHA divides the country into several regional zones, and we live in Zone Five. Finishing in the top five means you've got to be one of the five best in your region by a cumulative total score of the points earned in all of the disciplines you show in. No small feat. You have to do well in the in-hand classes and the under saddle classes, and do this consistently to keep your points building. This is quite a goal to achieve. There are five states in our zone, and they are very competitive with a lot of talented horses and riders.

About a third of the way into the season, things were going well for the two of them and it looked like the goal of finishing in the top five was attainable. Sara re-thought their goals and committed to reaching higher. The top five goal changed and she was set on ending the season as #1 in Zone Five. Mater Mater Sweet Pootater had a lot of work ahead of him!

Many shows and many miles spent on the road followed. Mater kept proving to be as competitive as those big fancy show horses were. He kept earning points and holding his own at those shows, showing that a little horse with a big heart could win.

His season eventually came to an end, but we had to wait for all of the regional show results to be officially entered by the APHA. We had an idea where he finished, but nothing is official until the APHA says it's official. We finally got the official results in late January, but we wanted to wait until the April issue of the Paint Horse Journal came out so we could show you this:

Yoobetcha! #1 in Zone 5!

But there's more.

Yessir. You read that right. Seventh place.
In the nation.
That's in the Top Ten even.
That's A Big Deal.

Mater has come a lot farther than we ever thought he would. He stepped off that trailer as an ugly and skinny and dull brown horse.

Now he's our Superstar.

Why I Don't Watch Much TV

2011-03-27T05:08:00.004-05:00

Limited Seating.

Maybe A Little

2011-03-22T07:26:00.001-05:00

The part of the garage (shed) were I park my truck has gravel floors. Fine little gravel stones get transferred from the floor to my truck via my shoes. Being the ever-thinking crazy person that I am, I spied a $.99 door mat at Menards. You know the kind - the bright kelly green fake plastic grass kind with the little plastic flower in the corner. Ding! - light bulb moment! I took my new door mat to my shop, found a piece of scrap plywood and sized it appropriately to match said mat. Just about the time I was applying the contact cement to the back of the mat, in walked Sara.

"Whutcha doin'?" she inquired.

"I'm gluing this mat to this board so I can wipe my feet on it before I get in my truck and track all the little stones inside and make a mess of things and if it works good I'm gonna make another one to set on the other side so you don't drag little stones into the truck on your side."

She just rolled her eyes and left.

Spring Update

2011-03-21T16:32:00.001-05:00

Spring is finally here! The robins are back with their "Heeeere, heeeere, birdie birdie birdie birdie". The redwing blackbirds are making their ruckus way up in the maple trees. The prehistoric noise from the sandhill cranes can be heard floating down from high above. The steelhead and walleye are on the move, and the bald eagles are perched in the cottonwoods below the dam just waiting to pluck a nice fish dinner from the waters.

Mud is everywhere. The horses are in a perpetual state of crusty. We bring them in, curry them and brush them and comb them only to let them back out to roll in the mud again. Having Paints seems like a silly idea this time of the year. While Oliver and Mater are mostly brown, Hank is about 50% white. Which means he's about 100% mud color 100% of the time. He's going to spend some quality time with the brushes tonite.

As is normal in Wisconsin, with the beginning of spring comes another snow storm. Six to ten inches of heavy wet slop are predicted to make a mess for the next two days, followed by highs in the 20's and lows in the single digits. I have crocuses in bloom and tulips well on the way. I hope the snow and cold doesn't hurt them much. I got the urge to go thru my seeds for the vegetable garden yesterday, but I saw the forecast. It'll be two months before the soil is warm enough to plant, so why rush.

Can't complain too much about this past winter. We only had four decent snow storms, with this one in the forecast making number five. We never had the severely cold temps that we experienced over the previous two winters. I think the coldest morning I recorded was -19, and we never had a significant number of cold days in a row. I think we're still on our second propane tank for the winter.

Show season is still a few weeks off. Sara has decided not to push it so hard this year. She was gone to shows at least two full weekends per month last year from May thru October. We got Mater registered Pinto this year, so they'll hit those shows. They only have six shows all season, and they are held over three weekends. It's a nice schedule because you're not running to shows all the time, but they are expensive. Each show has six judges, so the out lay for the weekend is huge. So if you have a bad day, you just made a huge donation to the club. But if you have a good day, you can bring home 100 points in a weekend. Oliver may not be ready for the APHA shows this season. They seem to have hit a flat spot in their training progress. If he's not ready, we'll take him to open shows and see how he does there. We've got lots of trail rides planned, and he loves to ride in the woods.

Long Time, No Post

2011-03-12T09:58:00.005-06:00

Yeah, I’ve been slacking. It’s tough to write about my boring life, especially after I read other’s great blogs that are heavily laden with great pictures. I’d like to promise to do better, but I hate promises.

Sara started this blog for me. I had an interest in blogging, but for reasons unlike most other bloggers. I’m a bit of a weather geek, and I really enjoy reading stuff like this. Yep, phenology: “The scientific study of cyclical biological events in relation to climatic conditions.” Good cheesy geeky stuff. I thought a blog would be a good way to chronicle my every-day observations on weather, the changing seasons, and my observations on wildlife.

But who was I kidding. I’m too non-committal.

So, I have a small clutch of friends that sends emails back and forth throughout the day. Sometimes I’d get carried away and write little anecdotes. More smart-assed than anything, my little stories are just a way to lighten the day. Sara said I should expand on those stories and put ‘em in the blog. So I did. Some were kinda funny. Some were reflective. Most were simple reports on what was going on around the farm.

But now I’ve petered out. As I mentioned, there are lots of interesting blogs to read out there, and that takes time. Then after taking the time to read many of them, my stories don’t seem very significant.

Looking back, I guess it was kinda fun to talk about the birth of Cedar View Paint
Horses. We’re proud of this place and what it took to put it all together. I’m proud of the horses we have and the successes Sara has with them in the show ring. It just seems to be repetitive and mundane for me to post what is relatively the same thing, day after day.

So I dunno. Do I continue to blather on with my drivel, or do I hang it up? Anyone?

You Like Me, You Really Like Me...

2011-02-11T12:25:00.003-06:00

I done won an award! A big thank you goes to In2Paints at Rlilbitofcash for selecting me.

The rules of the award are that you share seven facts about yourself, and that you give this award to 15 other bloggers. Fifteen. I dunno if I know 15 blogs...

Anyway, the lil' known facts:

1) I have heterochromia.* So does Dan Akroyd, Christopher Walken, and Keifer Sutherland. I guess that makes me speshul.
2) I love to grocery shop. Yep. I wander the aisles dreaming up yummy concoctions of interesting ingredients. I love to cook and eat, too!
3) I'm the president of our local saddle club. We manage 25 miles of bridle trails on public forest lands.
4) "I play third chair trombone in an out-of-work polka band." Actually, I play trumpet, French horn and baritone. I'm involved with the local community band and I fill in with a Bohemian polka band once in awhile. (Without googling, name the tune that line came from.)
5) I have OCD but keep it in check by practicing lazy ignorance.
6) I married into this horse thing. Sara asked me out for our first date and I was skeert to give her a g'nite kiss (trust me, I wanted to!). We went to see City Slickers. What a harbinger that was!
7) I'm the youngest of 54 first cousins, a brother to 8, and an uncle of 15.

Geesh. In review, I'm downright peculiar.

Now, who to award this to?

On the way to Critter Farm...
The 7MSN Ranch
Ride a Good Horse
Diary of the Overanxious Horse Owner
The Poor Farm
Highland Hooves
Transplanted Alaskan
Life at the Rough String
Gizzards & Calf Fries
Musings From the Judge's Box
A Horse Named Milo
Oh HorseFeathers & Related Twisted "Tails"
Between You, Me, and the Fence Post
Moondance Ranch
HorseCentric

I think that's 15!

* = left blue, right green.

The Beginning

2011-02-10T12:19:00.007-06:00

Everything has a beginning. Here's Sara, way back in '85. This was her first show, and that is her first trophy. She caught "the bug" at the tender age of 12, and there's been no looking back.

Growing up, her family had horses. Her dad had horses on the farm when he was a kid, so he passed the bug on to her. They mainly had them as pets, and they rode them around some. Then one day her dad told her to go get Skips Mary Jayne out of the pasture and give her a good brushing. They were gonna take a ride to Zablocki Stables and see how they'd do at a show.

Everyone knew of Zablocki Stables. Just off the main road to town, kids with the bug would press their little faces to the car window as they drove by. There were always horses to look at. There was always someone riding in the huge outdoor arena.

It was that day, many years ago, that Sara got to go in that arena. Totally unprepared, not even sure what to do in a halter class, her dad stuffed a hat on her head and pointed at the gate.

They took first place in that halter class. She caught the bug hard that day, and there's no doctor in the world that can cure it.

Wisconsin Paint Horse Club Year End Results

2011-01-30T08:41:00.002-06:00

Attended the WPHC banquet last nite. This is just a teaser. National results to follow soon!

So, How's The Weather Up There?

2011-01-22T19:46:00.001-06:00

There's a Giant in my pasture:

The brown ones are perplexed.
"What the hell IS that?":

"I dunno, but I think the two of us can take 'im":
Meet Cool Hand Luke, a 7 year old Friesian x TB. He's a very mild mannered behemoth that is being boarded here for the winter. Aside from having to duck around the lights in the barn aisle, he's settled in fine.

He and Oliver have become fast friends.

Mischievous Maverick

2010-12-26T10:38:00.005-06:00

Remember Maverick, that tiny little kitty that we found under the hood of my car a few months ago? Well, he is growing up. He's a rambunctious little fella. Rambunctious and rotund. That boy eats more than his big barn mate, Cowboy:

"Hmmmm, what's that on the floor? I wonder if it's food"

Anyway, here are a few pics of his first time playing in the snow:
"Weeeee"

"Hey, what's in this bucket?"

"My feets is frozen to the floor"

"Yes, I am precious. Click the pic. You'll see."

Who Needs a Stinkin' Parade?

2010-12-12T09:29:00.003-06:00

Since they canceled the Suamico Christmas parade due to the storm, and since we bought all the decorations already, Sara got Hank all dolled up in his parade attire.

We'll begin with his end:
Just lovely.

Next, Sara wove lights into his mane:
He tolerates just about anything. He may not approve, but he tolerates.

The sleigh bells were loaned to us by a friend, and they sound really neat:

I sense a lack of approval on his part:
The decorations on his bridle were picky on his face.

Trying to pose in the wind:

Heading out for a quick lap around the yard:

Heading home. That was enough, and it was cold out:

Kinda breezy:

Less wind here, we'll try to pose again:

Finally, a really nice shot:
Merry Christmas from Hank!

Oh Geez!

2010-12-11T05:40:00.004-06:00

Look what's coming, and it's not Santy Craws:

For my readers (I thank you, both of you) from the south and other lovely places that don't experience winter in it's full fury, that blue color represents snow. Lots of snow. The green is rain of course, and the pink stuff is a mix of pure hell. I, apparently, live just north of hell.

We have 10"-18" of whiteshit expected. Followed by strong winds to blow the whiteshit into drifts and just make a bigger mess of things, followed by frigid cold temps to freeze the whiteshit drifts in to place.

Ho Ho Ho...

Cheap and Easy Horse Treats

2010-11-26T09:48:00.003-06:00

Got extra carrots from the garden?

Got a food dehydrator?

Try this:

Wash off any excess dirt, slice at about 1/4" thick, and dry for about 8-10 hours - until they are almost brittle. Easy!

Rainy Days

2010-11-21T08:51:00.004-06:00

Call for homemade bread.

I borrowed this recipe from the 7MSN blog. There are two posts. It's super easy and it turns out to be quite edible. I've never made bread before, and this was kinda fun.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

2010-10-17T19:12:00.002-05:00

...on the back of the couch.

Luci. Super. Dog.

Perfect

2010-10-12T07:42:00.003-05:00

Days like this are not very common in Northeast Wisconsin in October. But when they happen, you best take advantage of it. Skies are only this color when it's fall. I don't know why and I don't care. I just like it.

The fall colors are just about at their peak. We did lose a bunch of leaves last week to some heavy winds, but the ones that hung on are giving a good show.

And you know the best way to see the fall colors is from the back of a horse....

With good friends in tow....

Vicki brought her horse Lester over and we all headed out on the Oconto River Trail, a reclaimed railroad grade. It's an easy ride, and a great way to spend an afternoon.

Vicki was a little apprehensive about the ride because Lester's wunna them there fancy schmancy "show horses". Little did Vicki know, but Lester is a super solid trail horse as well. In no time he was leading our group like he's done it a thousand times.

He made it past the killer llaammaass without a care.

And the Big Bridge over the Little River was not a problem.

And of course Oliver was a super star and gave Sara a great ride. He doesn't know it yet, but he's gonna be wunna them there fancy schmancy show horses, too.

Just like Lester. Show horse/trail horse extraordinaire.

Enjoy the fall to its fullest. Winter is just around the corner.

Some Like It Hot

2010-10-10T19:51:00.002-05:00

And that's me.

I admit it.

I'm a Pepperhead.

Now, I'm not into the extreme heat like some folks enjoy, but I do like a lil' sweat on the brow.

So much so that I attempt to make my own hot sauce. Pull on your flame retardant suit and follow along.

First, I grow my own peppers:

Then I harvest them, wash them, and prepare them for sauce time:

This time I used a mix of jalapenos, serranos, and habaneros:

The habs are the hot ones (hence the gloves):

All of that white membrane contains the capsaicin, which is what causes the heat. The seeds are hot as well, but it's their proximity to the membrane that lends them their heat. Remember, capsaicin is the main ingredient in pepper spray. Yum!

Here's a pic of some habs in different levels of ripeness:

And here's a beauty of a jalapeno:

And a big bowl of hotness:

All the trimmings. Even the parts I can't use are pretty:

The next step is to boil the peppers in a bath of vinegar and salt:

This is when you wish you had more windows in your kitchen:

It's quite caustic. And the next step may be even more so....the blender:

Oh yeah, we can't forget the carrots:

And the final product:

I ended up with about 7 quarts of hot sauce. Enough to strip the paint off of a really big building. And it's yummy!

Then and Now

2010-10-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

Oliver is filling out nicely. He's starting to muscle up and show definition in all the right places.

Then (August 16th):
Now (October 4th):
Then (August 16th):
Now (October 4th):

He cleans up perty good, doesn't he?

Walk With Me

2010-10-03T07:30:00.002-05:00

Silly Pony, over at Diary of the Overanxious Horse Owner asked for some information about the layout of our barn. Follow along on my tour. We love our barn and are lucky to have it and are always happy to share it with others.

This is what I see every morning:

This side faces the road:
The door:

This was given to us by Harry Klock, from Stockmans Bar in Harlowton, MT. Just east of Two Dot on highway 12. You don't meet many fellas as nice:

Let's open it up a bit:
Here's the grain area. It's just inside the door to the left:
Turn completely around, and here's the message board. The bench was a gift from Chris & John. He fabbed it out of an old twin bed frame, and Chris did the upholstery. It's got lil' cowboys on it:
This is tacked up on the board. It's from Maddy, the lil' neighbor kid that exchanges stall cleaning for horse rides:
Turning back around, here's the tack room. It's 14' wide and 12' deep. The log siding was donated by a good friend, Rod:

I bought that chair for $7! It's comfy:
"Home is where the barn is":

View from the comfy chair. I could live out here. Coffee and pizza (and beer). Good enough for me:

Back out in the aisle, the next thing is the wash stall. It's 10' wide and 12" deep, just like our stalls:

Then the three stalls:
I just got more log siding to finish the fronts to the right of the stall doors. That should really finish it up:
Then back up the other side of the aisle is where we store a few bales of hay and shavings:
Halters and bridles:
Gate to the indoor arena:
And back where we started:

The aisle is 12' wide and 60' long. Plenty of room to pull through with the tractor or truck, and there is still room to open the doors. The wide aisle was something that many other barn owners regretted not doing. I put the lights up to the sides of the aisle. That was a suggestion from a barn owner just down the road a bit. Lights overhead don't light up the underside of a horse. I would have never thought of that. Each stall has a light and a fan. I mounted the switches and outlets up high, up out of the way, and away from curious horse lips. You can see them on the front of the stalls.

Oh, and above the stalls and the aisle is the hay loft. We had the barn designed with "post and rafter" construction on this end so there wouldn't be trusses up in the loft, which really hurt when you bang your head into when stacking hay. With 1500 square feet of hay loft, we can store a LOT of hay.

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Any questions, just ask.

Maverick

2010-10-02T07:57:00.003-05:00

Maverick is our latest addition to the farm. Strange things happen around here, and he's one of them. Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend I went out to do chores as usual. I saw something scurry underneath my car. I looked around, under and inside the car, but didn't see anything. As I came back to the house after chores, I heard a faint meow coming from my car. I ran and got Sara, and we looked all around, under, and inside the car. Nothing. So I popped the hood, and here was this little kitten sitting on my battery.

He was as tame as could be. We took him in the barn, got him some food and water, and he moved right in like he owned the place.

Cowboy was not amused.

Ollie Who?

2010-09-26T08:28:00.007-05:00

I mentioned Oliver briefly in my last post. He's our latest addition to our herd, and future Cedar View Rockstar.

We found Oliver for sale way up near Duluth, MN in a little town called Solon Springs. Knowing it was going to be a long day, we left the house at 4 am and headed west. We had a few other stops to make along the way to look at other potential buys, but nothing we looked at was "the one".

Upon arriving at Oliver's home, we met with his owner and her family. Oliver was standing quietly near the round pen, with his lead rope just draped over the rail. He's really quiet and calm and just takes things in stride. He was all brushed up nice and was curious of us strange folk pokin' and proddin' him. His ground manners are impeccable, and my hat goes off to his owner for teaching him to be a good boy.

And it helps that he's got great breeding. This is his sire:

Hot Roddin' Zip has produced a good number of world champs. His foals are sought after in these parts. You can see his website and his facebook page.

Apparently even horses have their own fb pages.

His dam is Invest in a Machine, a daughter of the great Fleet Machine:

Here's a video of Sara's first ride on him:

You can see that he's far from being finished, but Sara works better with a clean slate. He was thin and out of shape, but he did what was asked and was willing about it all.

So, as you've figured out, we brought him home with us. He loaded just fine and trailered quietly. It was a 5 hour trip home, and he never fussed.

Here he is on his first day at Cedar View:

Here's a pic of Ollie and Mater. I like this pic because it allows for a nice comparison of the two body types, and you can clearly see the muscling and overall finished look that Mater has:

But in time Ollie will be buff and as handsome as Mater. He's put together very well with a nice shoulder, a deep set hock, a decent barrel, and a short back. He really has the potential to end up to be a really nice mover.

We brought him home on August 15th and let him eat and settle in for two weeks before we did anything with him. He's a smart one, for sure. Very fun to work with on the ground. Sara does on the under saddle stuff - I haven't ridden him yet. Here's a video of those two working on trotting and pivots and backing:

And here they are working on his lope. He spooked at Cowboy the cat at 3:37. If that's his spook, we'll take it:

He sure is a wonderful boy to have around. He's filling out nicely, he's settled in with the herd - heck, he even plays with Hank. Most horses don't mess with Hank, but this Ollie is a goofball.

We've got high hopes for this fella. Follow along to see his progress.

Happy 1st Day of Fall!

2010-09-23T12:27:00.003-05:00

Getcher mudboots and umberellers out!

I put on my boots and floppy rain hat to go feed this morning in the light rain. Checked the rain gauge quick to see that we got about 1-1/2" overnite. After dragging the hay wagon thru the mud out to the drylot, I found no one was around.

No one was at the feeder.

No one was under the shelter.

No one came trotting up when I whistled.

As I dragged the little wagon thru the mud and rain, I could barely make out an outline of this big "thing" in the middle of the next pasture. In fact, it went all the way across the pasture, neatly dividing it in two. Cedar View River was flowing, and the horses were stranded on the far bank. There they were, all long-faced and wet. A ten foot wide meandering stream was keeping them from the yummy hay in the wagon. The water had to be a scary six inches deep in places.

Hank let out his pathetic hey-hey-hey that he likes to do during feeding time. I laughed. I knew it meant "Bring that wagon over here. You have boots!".

"But you have four-wheel drive", I thought.

As I spread the hay into their four piles up on my side of the wild river, Mater was the first to dare the depths. Schlop Schlop Schlop. He made it! Then came Hank, Honky, and Oliver. Oliver always comes last after he assesses which pile isn't claimed. I checked to see if the mud sucked off Mater's shoes, and they were still there. Honky was crabby. Again. The rain just ruins her hair, and she wants to look her best for Hank.

Just another day in paradise. Schlop Schlop Schlop

Pasture Mowing

2010-07-28T07:00:00.002-05:00

Now that we've got our pasture rotation figured out, it seems that we have more pasture than our horses can keep up with. So the front pasture got a little "leggy" on us.

Had to get the Lil' Ford out and put the rear mower to use.

It's in the weeds there somewhere.

After an hour or so of going up and down the hill, it looks much better. In a week it should be all green and lush again.

Derned Flies

2010-07-27T12:08:00.004-05:00

See that big'n to the upper left?

It was pesky and Honky didn't much like it.

Keep clear when she gets those big ears whipping around.

Luci Got Bling

2010-07-02T06:45:00.002-05:00

Sara just had to pick this up for Luci:

Her very own cowgirldog bling.

Luci loves it.

But it's kinda heavy.

This Little Piggy Had None

2010-06-28T12:13:00.003-05:00

Let this be a lesson to my readers (and I appreciate the both of you): do Not be around horses without proper footwear.

The fourth toe from the left on my foot on the right is missing it's toenail. The one in between Roast Beef and WeeWeeWee. I, like a carefree dummass, went to feed the horses wearing my Crocs. Mater, recently shod with shiny aluminum shoes, decided that the hay that was closest to me looked the yummiest.

He stepped.
I hollered.
Blood squirted.
I hobbled.

I'll spare you the graphic pictures.

It turned black and gross. Aside from the initial crushing, there was very little pain. But it still looks gross.

Years ago Hank stepped on my left foot and I think he broke my big toe. That hurt lots worse than this. Once the swelling went down and the color returned to normal, that toe was never the same. Over time it became more and more stiff and painful, not wanting to bend much when I walked. Then one day Jin stepped on that same toe. Hard. It made a bad noise. I said bad words. After the required hopping around and swearing, I realized that the mobility had returned to that toe. Apparently something was stuck, and Jin unstuck my stuck toe. And it's been much better since. Both of those times I was wearing boots, and I'd hate to think how much worse it could have been.

Shows #4 & 5, Iowa & Illinois

2010-06-08T19:40:00.005-05:00

Back-to-back weekend shows had Sara and Mater zig-zagging all over the Midwest. She was home just three days in ten.

Memorial Day weekend found them in Cedar Rapids Iowa at the Iowa Equestrian Center. It was a 3-day, 10-judge show. Just a teaser - they won THREE circuit championships and the Novice Amateur All Around High Point award for the weekend! I'll post more on that with pics when the prizes arrive.

This past weekend was down in central Illinois at Gordyville USA for a two-day, 6-judge show, dubbed the Illinois Summer Kickoff Paint-o-Rama. They showed there earlier in the season.

This weekend was a success as well, with the two of them earning six 1sts in English Equitation, five 1sts and one 2nd in Horsemanship, and a smattering of other placings in the other classes that they entered. They had a great ride in the Western Pleasure, earning two 3rds out of 16. The horse that got 1st is a former World Champion, and the horse that got 2nd is a former World Show competitor. Not bad for an amateur backyard horse owner. Sara's trainer and fellow show friends greeted her at the gate with cheers and high-fives. She said her ride in the Hunter Under Saddle was her best English ride she's had on him. He just did his job without any instruction from her. She just got to ride a great ride and he was flawless. That class earned them a 2nd and a 7th. This is a great accomplishment for a little 14.3 hand horse who wasn't going to be shown English because Sara didn't think he'd compete with "the big horses".

I think he holds his own just fine:

It's still unofficial until the final results are posted, but our records show he has earned a total of 125 APHA points so far this year!

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

2010-05-31T15:14:00.002-05:00

SNAKES! Tis the season for the buggers.

Yesterday, as I walked toward the barn in the early afternoon sunshine, I saw Cowboy the barn cat playing with something near the edge of the driveway. He'd swat at the something, then spit and pop straight up into the air. I never heard him spit before. Never saw him do a three foot vertical before. So I set down whatever it was I was carrying and moseyed over to see what all the fuss was. A snake. A big one. And it rattled.

It didn't likes the looks of me much either, so it slithered up the manure pile, then down into some long grass on the other side.

I debated. Should I get the gun? Should I leave it be? Should I run like the sandal wearing floppy hat adorned chicken shit that I really am?

I did what any self respecting man would do.

I pummeled it with a shovel.

After I got tired of swinging the shovel - it was very hot out - I scooped it up with a manure fork and carried across the road and threw it in the willow brush. I didn't take the time to measure it, but it was over four feet long.

Problem solved. Back to work. Forgot all about it.

Then.....

I went out to my shop after lunch today and found this:

Hmm....what is that doing on the floor? It's supposed to be up on the shelf right here:

(Insert girly squeal here)

I actually think I said "Jeeeeeesus Christ you have GOT to be kidding me." And maybe did the pee pee dance a little.

So I gathered my wits and decided that I wasn't going to kill this one. I'll just put on some gloves and grab him and....well....and then what? I'm no Crocodile Dundee.

So I called my neighbor. "Jim, you afraid of snakes? Yeah, I got one in my shop. Couldya help me get it out? Cool, thanks." So Jim comes over, takes one look at it and says, "Jeeeeeesus Christ you have GOT to be kidding me!"

Who's the scaredy cat now?

It's up on the shelf above my air compressor, all comfy cozy with my impact wrench and my socket set and stuff.

This shelf is 66" off the floor. I don't want to know the how. I just want it The Hell Gone.

Well, we "manned up" and between the two of us, two pairs of gloves, a trashcan, a broom, a butterfly net, a snow shovel, a fiberglass rod, and a camera, we got it safely relocated to the willow brush across the road.

I'm never going in my shop again.

I Am #47!!!

2010-05-27T21:01:00.005-05:00

"I love your article you wrote on me in the Jack Benny Class. I have 8 Chemos behind me and 4 yet to go.......That class win will get me through the rest of this year with surgery and 5 weeks of radiation to go. I LOVE YOUR ARTICLE!!! Please share with who ever you want!

Hope to see you at the next Creekview show. I take it a day at a time!

Lisa M."

Got this in the inbox today. Seems the power of the internet got Sara's little story to travel full circle.

Jack Benny

2010-05-24T22:05:00.005-05:00

Wifey started this blog for me a few years back so I could share some of the things that happen around this place. It was meant to be a place where I could try to be funny and whimsical. Notice I said "try". Anyway, she wrote this the other day about the show last weekend, and I just had to share:

The Jack Benny Perspective

I'm not even sure who Jack Benny is. My only familiarity with the name is because I now get to show my horse in that class at the horse shows. There's an age restriction that you have to be 35 years old or older to participate. It's called the "Old Fogey" class, or the "Old Fart" class. Just a bunch of old ladies riding around on their pretty horses. So I ride my young horse in the Jack Benny Walk Trot class because he needs the practice, and because I am now old.

My horse rode through the class perfectly. I thought there might be a good chance that this young pup in the Jack Benny class would win it. I was listening intently as the announcer called out the results.

The announcer called the first place winner.

Number 47.

She didn't remember her number. Not an unusual problem in the Jack Benny class. The announcer continued by saying her name. It didn't quite register with her yet. Then she recognized her horse's name over the loudspeaker.

"OH, THAT'S ME!!!!!!!!!!!!", she cried out as she rode out of the line up.

"I WON!!!!!!!!", she screamed as she threw her arms into the air in a celebratory wave. "WHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

She collected her trophy at the exit gate, then jumped off her horse and proceded to bear hug everyone within five feet (even her horse). There were huge smiles. There were big (happy) tears. She took off her hat for just a moment to wipe away those tears, or perhaps the sweat off her brow from the heat of the day.

In that moment I saw why this little win was so big for her. She was bald. The kind of bald that cancer brings. The kind of bald that doesn't let you do a lot of horseback riding, much less horse showing. The kind of bald that means you are lucky to be alive. The kind of alive that you feel when you win the old fogey walk trot class at a horse show.

The perfect ride I had on my young horse earned us second place to number 47. A red ribbon. And a big reminder to never take anything for granted.

What Is He?

2010-05-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a little over a year since we adopted this little dog from Furry Bottoms Rescue.

He was brought home to fill the void left by the death of Freddie, our Cocker Spaniel of twelve years. Freddie was Sara's sidekick, constant companion, and cuddling jellyfish.

Not just any dog could fit into those big furry dog shoes.

We didn't really know what kind of dog we wanted. Sara was drawn to Cockers, but I didn't want her to have a dog that she would compare to the Ol' Freddie all the time. After having Luci for a year, I had really fallen for the stubborn pigheadedness reflected by extreme loyalty that the terrier breeds offered. We found Austin on a website listing him as a wire haired fox terrier. He sure didn't have the makings of a true Foxy, but he was cute and we kept coming back to his ad. We decided to take the drive to Adell to see him. I wasn't sure he was exactly what I wanted, but the decision was ultimately up to Sara. We took Luci along for the ride - she had a voice in the approval process as well.

After introductions with his foster mom, Renae, we were introduced to Tristan. Yes, "Tristan" is what they called him. I wasn't too sure about that name, either. But he was happy, bright-eyed, and as cute as a big-eared who-knows-what-breed dog could be. He had this little rubber ducky that he carried around with him everywhere. It was just a little cheapo squeaky toy, but he carried it so gently that it didn't have a nick in it. Our Ol' Freddie would take toys like that and shred them into little slobbery bits in seconds. He got along well with Luci, and Luci seemed to approve of his big ears. We spent some time with him outside, too. We had just received one of Wisconsin's famous spring snowstorms, and there was plenty of the white stuff on the ground. That little dog would run around and plunge his whole head under the snow. We decided to bring him home and have him be a part of our family.

We re-named him Austin. We all like that name better. After we brought him home, we were looking through his paperwork and made an interesting discovery. Austin, formerly known as Tristan, was originally named Fred. Hmmmm....co-inky-dink?

He has really turned out to be an awesome dog. He's about 2-1/2 years old now, and can run like the wind. He loves to have the opportunity to chase the killdeers in the pasture. He can't catch them, but he gives it his best try. I'd guess he can run close to 25 mph. He and Luci are always exploring together, finding gross things to roll in, hunting for kitty treats in the riding arena, looking for hoof trimmings in the manure pile. Good stinky dog stuff. With all of that type of activity, he has gotten used to bath time. He's a great listener, a great cuddler, and just a good lil' dog to have around.

Even if we don't know what he is.

Some Pics From Last Weekend (Show #3)

2010-05-19T05:46:00.002-05:00

His thinkin face:

Her thinkin face:

His winnin face:

Show #3, Jefferson, WI

2010-05-18T05:44:00.002-05:00

Just a quick rundown of the results:

Saturday
Showmanship: 2nd & np outta 8.
Amateur Sms: 4th & np outta 15.
English Pleasure: 1st & 4th outta 4.
Eng Equitation: 1st & 1st outta 4.
Western Pleasure: 1st & 2nd outta 9.
Horsemanship: 1st & 2nd outta 4.
Trail: 1st & 1st outta 4.

Sunday
Sms: 1st & np outta 10.
Eng. Pleasure: 3rd & 4th outta 5.
Eng Eq: 1st & 1st outta 3.
WP: 2nd & np outta 9
Hms: 1st & 1st outta 5
Trail: 1st & 3rd outta 4.

23 overall points! And Weekend Highpoint!

That's 48 total APHA points after 3 shows.

APHA Show #2, or Lucky Numbers 3 & 6

2010-05-12T16:41:00.001-05:00

Sara & Mater hauled to the Minnesota Equestrian Center in Winona, MN for their second show of the season. This was a double judged, one day show.

Showmanship: Mater was a lot less nervous at this one, and he did much better in showmanship than at his first show. He did a nice pattern and even earned compliments from Sara's trainer.
Results: 3rd & 6th out of 15.

They entered in Amatuer Sms for practice. Mater had a nice pattern again, but was bored and mouthy and wouldn't keep his head still during inspection.
N/P.

HUS: That lil' Mater kept up with the big hunters just fine, and he was as consistent as he could be. The only problem was his canter to trot transition, which one judge saw.
Results: 3rd & 6th out of 9.

English Eq: The pattern called for a canter to trot transition, so they practiced that for a few minutes in the warm up ring. He still didn't have it down by the time it was their turn to show, but he nailed the pattern!
Results: 1st & 1st out of 4.

WP: He was pokey. He gets lazy and falls out of form when he's pokey. Her trainer told her to bump him up a bit, but that was after they went around once and the judges saw his laziness. But he finished strong after she got him moving right.
Results: 3rd & 6th out of 9.

Horsemanship: Big fun pattern that started out with a slow lope in a small circle, followed by a fast lope in a big circle, with a full array of lope to jog transitions, turns, stops, and extended jogs all thrown in the mix. They had fun with it and really let him fly in the big circle. He did a great fast lope to slow jog transition around a cone. His only bobble was when he picked his head up too high at a stop in the pattern.
Results: 1st & 2nd out of 6.

So, add ten more points to his record, bringing the tally up to 25 points so far.

This weekend is in Jefferson, WI, for a two day, four judge show - two judges each day. Rumor has it there are over 100 stalls reserved. Wish them luck!

I'm Too Sexy...

2010-05-11T20:02:00.002-05:00

...For my jammas
Too sexy for my jammas,
These stupid pajamas.

I'm a horsey,
Ya know what I mean,
And I do a little jog in the show ring.

I'm a horsey,
And you know what I mean,
I do a little lope in the show ring.

I'm too sexy for this song.....

Too Cute For His Own Good

2010-05-11T06:03:00.003-05:00

Kirby keeps a watchful eye over the green grass.

Sometimes a really close eye. Nom Nom Nom.....

It's Official!

2010-05-08T06:09:00.004-05:00

Mater won the Circuit Champion Award at his very first APHA show!!!

I came home from work and noticed a box by the back door that was left there from UPS. I wasn't expecting any packages... And inside was a nice horse sheet with this embroidering on it.

That Sweet-Poo-Tater...

He keeps proving that he was worth the chance we took on a sight-unseen lil' brown horse.

Mater's First APHA Show

2010-04-22T05:25:00.009-05:00

After many hours of practicing followed by many more hours of practicing, Sara and Mater travelled to the Gordyville Arena in Gifford, Illinois for their debut on the Paint Horse show scene. They left at 5:30 in the morning Friday to arrive there by early afternoon. The show wasn't until Saturday, so they had time to get used to the arena and get him all groomed up and looking his best.

This show was the Illinois Paint Horse Club's Paint-O-Rama, which is a large show with four judges. All four judges keep their eyes on the horses and riders and judge independently of each other. The good thing about a multiple judge show is that you get you get points from each judge - if you do well. The bad is that you now have that many more eyes watching your every move. Every inch of that show ring is being watched, and if you and the horse mess up, it's sure to be seen.

The first class up for Mater was showmanship. This is Sara's favorite class. After going thru the pattern without any errors, she had to present the horse to the judge for inspection. This is where the horse has to stand squarely and quietly for the judge to do the inspection, which is where they walk around the horse. The combination of a strange arena, a loud PA system, and an unfamiliar person walking around him was too much for lil' Mater, and he couldn't stand still.
---Results: No placing from all four judges.

Next class was Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle. This was a class that her trainer urged her to enter. Sara had her reservations, as most hunters are tall horses with these big sweeping strides. Mater is short and is a great western pleasure mover, which is a lot more relaxed and easy-going than a hunter's pace. They practice the extended trot and the canter at home, but typically in their western saddle, bit and bridle. He's only been tacked up in his huntseat attire a handful of times, and only just recently. But the trainer knows best, right? And he did great. He just went along and extended his stride just like those big huntseat horses. He was the most consistent in the ring, albeit the smallest.

---Results: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th.

Next was Novice Amateur Huntseat Equitation. This is a class where you ride a pattern, with each horse and rider taking their turns to show to the judges. Mater did well, but Sara could feel that he was nervous again. It seems lil' Mater would rather perform in a group than take center stage. But he kept it together as long as he was moving.

---Results: 1st, 3rd, 3rd, & 3rd.

Western Pleasure was next. Sara was a bit intimidated, as she was up against a multiple word champion and few others that had competed at the world show. But Mater Mater Sweet Pootater did his job and they got their names called in the winning lineup.

---Results: 3rd, 3rd, 4th, & NP

Lastly was Western Horsemanship. Like Huntseat Eq, this too is a pattern class. Mater's nerves had calmed down by that time, and again, he went out and did his job as he's been trained to do.
---Results: 2nd, 2nd, 2nd & 2nd.

Mater made Sara proud. This is a horse she bought almost sight unseen, as green as grass, and trained herself. He's come a long way, and he's promising to go a lot further.

What a Wyatt

2010-03-21T06:26:00.006-05:00

It was a nice, brisk, 37 degree day. Slight breeze, hazy sky. Sounds like good riding weather to me! So I saddled up the problem child and told him we were bustin' out and going for a real ride.

Here he is looking so unamused:
Here we are heading south toward the trail:
Coming up on the old town proper:
The old town hall:
Reading all of the signage and obeying all the rules:
Looking at what made that big scary noise (chipmunk):
Just a fella, a horse, and a trail:

And then:

What the buggers IS that?
(Those of you that ride a horse and carry a camera can fully understand that pic)

It's one of these:
Furry horse-eating Alpacas:

Wyatt was wonderful. He only got a little twisty on me when this fella charged the fence. He must be Chief Alpaca:
After that excitement it was back to the trail:
Some berries (we didn't eat them):
Some ice in the swamp:
More traffic signs, complete with traffic:
Some logging:
Then we were home:
Doesn't he look happy?

(We don't put our snow shovels away until June. It's Wisconsin, ya know)

Just Riding

2010-03-18T07:24:00.004-05:00

Just a few pics of Sara bringing Wyatt in for his grain. She decided to hop on to avoid walking through the mud.

There's not much to say about this fella. He's about as good as they get.

Wild Man Wyatt

2010-03-15T19:18:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned, Wyatt is here for a refresher. Mainly on manners. His owner has just about had enough of his unruliness, his pushiness, and his crabby ways. He bites at her when she's grooming, he's constantly swishing his tail and dancing around, and he's just owly all the time. So we said to bring him over for a few weeks and we'll see if we can figure out his problems.

But....

He's been a perfect gentleman since he stepped off the trailer.

It's just the same as when your car makes a funny noise all the time except when you take it to the mechanic. Hard to fix what seems fine.

But he's a blast to have around. He loves to play with Kirby, and Kirby was in much need of some play time. These are from their first meeting.

The Hello:

The obligatory Telling of the Dirty Jokes:

And a little bit of Acting Like Clowns:

But soon enough it was Back To Work:

Followed by some Cool Down:
I wish he'd show us some of that famous ugliness, but until then, we'll just enjoy having him here.

Schluk Schluk Schluk Schluk........

2010-03-12T19:06:00.003-06:00

That's the sound I'm greeted with every morning. The sound of horse hooves slogging their way through the slop of thawing mud, melting snow, and receding frost. It's a welcome sound after the four months of frozen earth hidden under a deep blanket of snow, but it sure makes for a mess.

Times like this summon thoughts of how to better engineer the dryot for better drainage. We all become backyard experts in excavation, hydrodynamics and geotechnical engineering this time of the year. We arm ourselves with shovels and rubber boots and head out to divert the flow of meltwater. Sometimes tractors, back blades and box scrapers are brought in, but the slippery mud can render tractor tires useless. And most times the tire ruts do more harm than good.

It's really a practice in futility, but we feel the need to try to beat the forces of nature, or at least come to an understanding. We can never win against an opponent that works tirelessly to keep the tide of the seasons moving. It would be nice to go straight from the frozen tundra to the lush greens of summer, but we must transition there gradually. And the medium between snow and sun is mud.

So we slog forward, fighting against the mud and slop that struggles to keep our feet planted. And we keep hoping for sunny, rain free days.

Grandpa's Tractor

2010-03-08T05:43:00.002-06:00

Sara's Grandpa lent us his old J.I. Case 430 LCK for the winter for snow removal and other jobs that we could find for it around the farm. It's not perty, it smokes and sputters and it leaks every fluid except gasoline and green stuff, but it sure is handy. We've been using it to clear the driveway of snow, level the sand in the indoor arena, and scrape the drylot of frozen horse poo.

The day we went to pick it up was an interesting day. First, it wouldn't start. It had been sitting since last April and the gas was old and all varnished up in the carb. We ran the battery dead trying to start it, so we tried to pull start it by pulling it behind the big tractor. After a few tries it spittered and sputtered to life. Everything seemed to be just fine until I went to drive it up on the trailer and the right brake locked tight and wouldn't release. So we pulled it backward with the big tractor and the wheel freed up. Seemed ok until I hit the brake and the same wheel locked up again. We got the wrenches out and removed the pivot pin from the right drum brake housing. This allowed for the wheel to turn, but completely disabled the brake on that side. And brakes are a good thing to have.

We got it loaded and home without further incident. I used it a few times to drag the chisel-plowed field behind our place so I could spread manure. Then one morning I went out to start it and it wanted nothing of it. Seemed that all the bouncing around from the trip here and the rough field work loosened up the sediment in the gas tank, which found it's way into the fuel filter and plugged it tight. So, I drained out four gallons of dirty old gas, replaced the fuel lines and the filter and it was good to go. That was until the float in the carb stuck open, flooding the engine. So off to the store for a carb kit. Took off the carb, cleaned and reassembled that, and it was good to go. Again. Which was good, because our first major snowstorm of the year was just around the corner.

Boy, it snowed. We got about 16" of heavy snow and sideways winds. Thigh-deep drifts. I had no fear, Grampa's tractor was here. It started right up, eager to push the blowing whitestuff into a big pile. I let it warm up while I sipped coffee and watched the snow whip past the open garage door. I snugged my hat down on my head, climbed on the 430, and headed out to move snow around.

And got stuck at the bottom of the driveway.

It did a fine job moving a big load of snow down the hill to the road. I turned the tractor around and pushed that big pile of snow into the ditch on the other side and got stuck. That's when I found out that a two wheel drive tractor with bald tires and no snow chains is about as useful as wet toilet paper. I tried rocking it back and forth in hopes that it would get enough momentum to climb back onto the road. No luck. Here's where the significance of losing the right brake comes in. A tractor has two brake pedals to control each back tire. Almost always you press both pedals to stop the tractor's forward motion. But those brake pedals can also be used to help the tractor gain traction. The rear differential of a tractor delivers power to the tire that has the least resistance; ie: the one that is spinning. Spinning tires don't get you moving forward. They just spin. By pushing on the brake of the wheel that's spinning, you cause resistance on that side which in turn delivers the power to the other wheel. Hopefully. And when you have a working brake pedal to push, it usually works like a charm.

But, I didn't have that option. Pushing the brake pedal did nothing because, as mentioned above, we disabled that brake. So there I sat. Back tires just off the edge of the pavement, front of the tractor sticking out on the road just waiting to stop traffic. So what does one do in a sticky situation like this? Call your friendly neighborhood farmer, that's what. Preferably the guy with the bigger, unstuck, tire chain adorned tractor. So I humbly called Donald, the older fella that we bought our land from. He was almost too eager to offer to come over and help. I assume he needed a good laugh.

Hearing the hum of that engine over the sound of the tire chains coming down the road was a relief. Even if I was a bit embarrassed. He pulled up grinning ear to ear on his showroom quality 1970 International Harvester 544 Utility . "Thought you were stuck", he shouted. I suppose the sight of the old Case sitting a mere 6" off the roadway didn't seem to fit the definition of stuck, but stuck I was. I just shrugged. He looked again, saw the bald tires with no chains, grinned a little more and said, "Ahhhh..."

His tractor pulled the old Case out of the ditch and up the driveway without the slightest hint of laboring the engine. I was able to motor on my own as soon as he pulled me out, but he felt it was necessary to pull me all the way up the driveway to a resting place directly in front of the open garage door. It was a humbling experience. I hopped off the old Case to disconnect the tow chain, and Donald shouted "Ya need chains. I'll clean out your driveway for ya."

He spent the next two hours moving snow for me. I suppose he felt he had to pay for his entertainment. You see, tractor owners are very loyal to their brand. Any opportunity to help a fella out of a tight spot who happens to have a different brand is an opportunity to puff up one's chest. It's called Brand Ego.

The following weekend I got chains and haven't been stuck since.

This last weekend I backed it out of the garage and heard that telltale squeaky-grindy noise that is sure to be a wheel bearing going to hell. Off to the shop we went, and that's where it is until the parts come in. Luckily, it's an easy fix. At this rate, Grampa's gonna get a nicer tractor back than what left his place.

Welcome Back!

2010-03-07T10:08:00.005-06:00

Wyatt's back for a few weeks for a spring-time refresher.

LOTS of pics to come. He's almost as handsome as the lil' Mater-pootater.

SRSLY?

2010-03-07T08:53:00.004-06:00

Could he be ANY cuter?

My eyes hurt looking at that face.

But back to reality, it's work time at the farm.

Mater is coming along very well. Big show season debut in about 6 weeks. Gonna be exciting.

Fuzzy Girl

2010-03-03T19:11:00.004-06:00

Warm weather is coming, and our 'lil Honky Tonk Girl is still as furry as ever. She's usually the last to shed out.

Oops. Excuse Me.

2010-02-11T05:51:00.003-06:00

As the big storm was blowing all the whiteshit sideways outside, we were inside the barn readying the stalls for the nite. We let Kirby and Mater blow off some steam in the indoor arena during our chores. Mater was more interested in stealing hay from over the railing, but Kirby was having fun rolling around in the nice soft sand. I think he was trying to tell us he didn't want to be a Paint anymore, because he did a real good job of turning every white spot to sandy brown. After his roll he took off buckin' and runnin' all over like a fool. Rear hooves straight up in the air while his head was tucked between his front legs.

Mater was unimpressed and continued to steal hay over the rail.

After the acrobatics show, we got back to work cleaning stalls. I set my can of beer down on the rail. Dumb move, I know. That's a fine spot to set it if I wanted it knocked over. And sure enough, Kirby happened to spot it and proceeded to knock it over. Any of the beer that spilled on
the rail was promptly licked up by that messy boy. Amazingly the can landed upright in the aisle and didn't make much of a mess. I picked it up and was going to set it on the shelf away from thieving horse lips But Kirby was sure interested in that beer can. I took a sip and blew my stinky beer breath at him, and he just sniffed and sniffed. So I figured why not - and poured a little bit onto my had and let him slobber it out.

No sooner did I take my hand away that Kirby smacked his lips twice and went "URRRP"!

We just laughed and looked at that dirty brown horse. He didn't seem to understand all the commotion he caused. Sara just laughed harder and said that he's becoming more and more like me every day: always a mess and full of beer burps.

Now, I've always been told that horses can't burp. I'll be the first to argue that they can.

Four Blues

2010-02-08T12:07:00.004-06:00

Congrats to Sara and Mater!

They went to Heartland Stables on Saturday for the Fuzzy Wuzzy winter series that they host.

They had a successful day, earning:
1st in Showmanship
3rd in walk/trot English Equitation
2nd in English Equitation
1st in walk/trot Western Pleasure
4th in Western Pleasure
1st in walk/trot Horsemanship
1st in Horsemanship

The Horsemanship class had quite the pattern: Imagine a big capital "N". Lope off on the wrong lead, continue loping on the wrong lead around the cone, do a lead change halfway to the next cone, then lope around the next cone on the opposite lead all the way to the last cone, then stop and back. They've only been working on simple lead changes for a short time now, and he nailed it!

Even though they come home with four blue ribbons, Sara was still disappointed about not placing better in the Western Pleasure. It seems that Mater has developed a habit of falling out of the lope at the most inopportune times, like when he's directly in front of the judge. It's just another thing that Sara will add to the list of things to work on at home.

Without The "Ta"

2010-01-27T07:47:00.008-06:00

After we sold Jin the search began for a new horse. Sara wanted another young Western Pleasure prospect that she could finish. Again, the internet was searched and calls were made. A couple of appointments were scheduled, but were cancelled at the last minute by the sellers. It seemed that anything that caught Sara's eye had a big fat price tag attached to it or was too far away or it had some concerns that would cause us to look elsewhere.

But one little horse kept coming to the top of the list. For the life of me I don't know why Sara was drawn to him. The sales presentation was horrible. We were sent two teeny little pics and a poor quality grainy video that was taken on a cellphone. These are the actual pics, and no, they don't enlarge if you click on them:
I'd find Sara at the computer studying that low quality video over and over. I'd just shake my head. Sara would email the seller a list of questions and the reply would come back with maybe half of them answered. I thought it was a waste of time. Sara thought she saw something there, some untapped potential in that blurry 30 second video.

I could tell that Sara had the itch to get a new horse, and soon. I told her to take her time, the right one would come along. She told me that she thought she found the right one in those tiny pics.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yep."

His home was in central Illinois, about a seven hour's drive from here. We tried to schedule a time to go see him, but the thought of making two trips didn't sound too fun...one trip in the car to look at him, and a trip back with the truck and trailer if we liked him. We discussed just making one trip with the rig, and if we didn't like him we'd just be out a bunch of gas money. But the thought of dragging a 30' trailer through Milwaukee & Chicago didn't appeal to me too much. After much discussion we decided to take a crazy chance and buy this guy, sight unseen, and have the seller's deliver him. Sure sounded crazy. In fact, it still does.

We made the offer to the sellers, and they accepted, delivery included. They readily accepted. Maybe too readily.....

So, we bought this sight unseen (in the flesh) horse from someone we've never met from a land far away. Stupid? Maybe. Crazy? For sure. I just hoped he had that untapped potential that Sara saw.

He arrived June 12th on a cold and windy day. The poor boy was all shed out from his warm winter hair, and it was 40 degrees and nasty. My first impressions were not good. He was short. His feet were long and his shoes were falling off and no two hooves were trimmed at the same angle. And he was thin. Ribs showing like a xylophone.

Did I tell ya it was a crazy idea to buy a horse sight unseen?

But he was quiet and cute and sound and he moved nice. Sara still had hope.

Mega's Doctor Time is his real name. But they called him Mater. That's right, like the hillbilly tow truck in the Pixar film. Mater, like tamater without the ta. Yeah.... But we kept the name. It fits him.

We got his shoes pulled, trimmed his feet up right, got him some good groceries and attended to anything else he needed. Sara worked on his training, and it needed a lot of work to bring him to where she wanted him. It was frustrating for her at times. She kept expecting him to perform as well is Jin did, but she had to realize that he was far from being where Jin was in his education. Take a few steps back and remember how to teach the basics. With Mater being the same age as Jin, it was hard for her to grasp that he just didn't have the training that she was accustomed to. But they worked hard and Mater had the talent and brains to learn it all.

About a month after we got him, Sara thought it was time to try an open show to see how far they had come along in his training. They loaded up the trailer and headed out with the plan to show in a few open walk/trot classes. I wished them well and saw them off. When they came home that evening I asked how they did, and Sara had a weird look on her face and her hands behind her back. I asked if everything was ok. That's when she showed me the pair of etched wine glasses and blue ribbons that they earned that day! Turns out lil' Mater Mater Sweet Poo-tater took 1st out of 20 in open walk/trot and 1st out of 27 in open walk/trot horsemanship.

His training and showing continued over the summer, and he kept proving that he had all the potential to be a champ.

In the six short months we've had him, he's shown us that he is everything and more than what Sara saw in that blurry video. A big heart, tons of give, and a calm disposition.

We sure lucked out with this sight-unseen lil' pony.

Mater, like tamater without the ta

Mater Mater Sweet Poo-tater

New Blog Link

2010-01-16T06:49:00.006-06:00

I've got a new blog listed in my blog links in the right column. I suggest that you regularly check out Sleep Talkin' Man . I find it hilarious.

Dreams are amazing things, and this fella vocalizes them. His dear wife then records all of his crazy mumblings and posts them for the world to see. Some of it is very "adult", so be warned.

Put your coffee down and enjoy!

Perfect Jin n Scotch

2010-01-13T12:41:00.006-06:00

I've been putting this post off for many reasons. It's hard to put all of these thoughts into words, at least words that everyone can understand.

Parting with a horse is not an easy thing. A horse that has been a part of our daily life for years. A horse that has given so much of himself and has rewarded us with so much pride.

Jin came about after many months of searching for a new show prospect for Sara. Many hours were spent scanning the ads on the internet, viewing videos, and talking with sellers. Many miles were spent in the car looking for just the right horse. We got it narrowed down to three prospects, with Jin being the youngest of the three. Sara really didn't want a yearling, but she always had a soft spot for a Palomino Paint. A lucky turn of events found her dad near where Jin called home, and he took some time out to go look at him for us. He called us that evening and said he couldn't find one bad thing to say about this little yellow horse. We called the seller, made arrangements to go pick him up, and hooked up the trailer.

I'll never forget that trip. It was mid December and 9 degrees above zero. About an hour into our trip we discovered that the heater in the truck was stuck on high. We had to drive with the windows open so we wouldn't melt. When we finally arrived without any further incident, Jin was all cozy in his stall waiting to meet us. He was adorable. And all legs. He was nice and quiet and a little shy, but he warmed up to our scratching fingers soon enough. We put a blanket on him to keep him cozy for the trip. He'd never had a blanket on but accepted it without a fuss. He loaded into our strange trailer without a fuss and stood quietly for the entire ride. We got home well after dark, and he unloaded just as quietly and followed Sara's lead thru the dark to the barn door. It was a big day for him, but he handled it all like a big boy.

There's not a lot of things you can do with a late yearling. Sara and Jin just spent a lot of time together that first winter. He learned how to lead and lunge and mind his manners and they even did some simple showmanship practice. It was fun to watch him grow and learn. He seldom needed to be shown something twice.

His second year was spent with more learning. We took him to the occasional open show and he did well in the 2 year old lunge line class. We knew he was going to be a nice mover when his body and brain finally caught up to those legs. Sara started him lightly under saddle at 2-1/2, and his first ride outside was on Thanksgiving day. The smiles on Sara's face were priceless.

His third year was spent at many local open shows, where Jin and Sara earned many firsts & seconds. He was beginning to excel in showmanship and hold his own in Western Pleasure. We have an entire wall in our rec room dedicated to his winnings.

The APHA has a program that allows Paint Horse owners to accumulate points at open shows, and it's known as the PAC program. This is to acknowledge that while you may not be showing at breed shows, your APHA horse is still capable of earning points. By the end of that third year he had earned certificates of recognition in Showmanship, Western Pleasure, and Equitation. In addition, they received year end awards from a local open show circuit - Grand in Novice W/T Horsemanship and Reserve in Open Showmanship. Not a small feat by a little yellow horse that was raised and trained by an amateur owner.

His fourth year was when it all came together. Jin & Sara started taking a lesson once a month from a local trainer. Sara had done very well with him, but they both needed that push from an experienced trainer to point them in the right direction. They polished those rough edges and got ready for their first breed show.

I'll never forget that first show. I felt like the smallest fish in a big pond, but everyone was so nice and friendly and helpful to us rookies. I remember watching the competition and realizing that there were a lot of really good moving horses there. I wondered if we made a mistake by going to those breed shows. But we soon realized that the biggest difference between open shows and breed shows was the quantity of the quality. At an open show you'll have three or four good horses and 15 not-so-good horses in a class. At a breed show you have 15 really good horses in a class. But you still compete the same. The goal is the same. You try to do your best just the same. Anyway, I don't even recall the outcome of that first Paint show. They did well enough to not get discouraged.

There was one defining moment to that first big show. We were walking Jin back to the barn after one of his classes when a big trainer walked past and said, "Hey, you have a really nice looking colt there." I turned back to see Sara smiling from ear to ear. She was six inches taller as she floated back to the barn. We knew then that they had a good chance of doing just fine at those Paint shows.

And they did well at their fist year on the circuit. Sara set big goals for the two of them, and they achieved all of them and more. They ended the season winning year end awards in every class, earning points in Horsemanship, Western Pleasure, Equitation, and Trail, a Register of Merit in Showmanship and Hunter Under Saddle, Reserve Champion in Novice Amateur Horsemanship, Reserve All Around Novice Amateur, Grand Champion in Novice Amateur Showmanship, and Rookie of the Year, which was accompanied by that big shiny buckle.

Sara and Jin continued to work and learn new things that fall. They spent the winter working on nailing those lead changes. Jin was about as good as he was gonna get, so we decided to put an ad on the internet. Just to see if we'd get some nibbles.......

The phone was ringing within two hours of placing that ad. Details were worked out and a thorough vet exam and x-rays were done.

It all happened so fast.

We sold that little yellow horse. He has a wonderful new owner and a nice new home in Arkansas. Of this we have no doubt. We hope that he brings his new owner that same sense of pride that he brought us. We hope to see him continue to excel in the show ring and bring many ribbons and awards home for his new person. We hope that they bond as deeply as he and Sara bonded.

Masked Man

2010-01-12T12:22:00.005-06:00

Don't feel bad, buddy...
My mom used to dress me in hand-me-downs too.

Angst

2010-01-03T08:19:00.003-06:00

Or better yet,

so⋅lic⋅i⋅tude

–noun

1. the state of being solicitous; anxiety or concern.

2. solicitudes, causes of anxiety or care.

3. an attitude expressing excessive attentiveness

Christmas Torture Pics

2009-12-30T19:29:00.002-06:00

Poor Dogs.

Why must we do these things to them?

Because we can!

"if i must look at u, i keel u"

"mee too"

"i tink mine's too tight"

"hard...to...breeth..."

"GIT THIS OFF NOW!"

"srsly...help....."

BAH!

2009-12-12T07:11:00.004-06:00

Ha, I just had a good laugh. I read this post just moments ago and had to shake my head. Someone, whether it be Mother Nature or Father Christmas sure pulled a funny one on us this year. After a surprisingly mild November, (and I mean temps in the 40's during the day and lots of sun) winter arrived in full force. It's -6 degrees outside right now. It has been that cold since the 2 day blizzard that left us with over 16" of snow.

I am not amused.

I like winter. Or parts of it. I like the days like that post back in '07. I like the snow (to an extent) and the cold (to an extent). But this all-out-hello-here's-winter that smacked us in the face sure hurt.

Yes, I'm complaining. It's my right. But, like anything, this too shall pass. The temps are forecast to be in the upper 20's and what a relief that will be.