Windy, Windy

We should have named our farm "Stinking Windy Farm."
It was windy, chilly, and sunny today.
Therefore, I didn't do too much playing with the horses, just lots of hanging out with them. Eddie and I played with our canter lead changes in the pasture, I let him graze for a nice long time while I moved the t-post insulators for the track. Diesel has figured out how to get under the electric fence and graze Eddie's long grass that is in the pasture, so we have to lower the bottom line.
Anyway, Ed and I played, went for walks, and then Diesel and I went for a nice long walk around the property. They are such good boys! :-)
Then I trimmed Scout - his feet are looking GREAT! After a laminitis episode in January... they look amazing!

Well, gotta go, time to do the horse's final check.
Hope that you all had a great day!

2 Corinthians 5:14-15
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Busy Times

I'm sitting here with a purring cat on my lap who is also sitting on my sister's laptop keyboard. Ah well, at least I can still type! ;-) Just forgive any misspellings!

The grass is lush, and the horses are crazy for it. Eddie and I have been playing in the outdoor and riding in there because there's just so much grass in the pasture. We do our cantering out there, but still. It's nuts! Almost time to mow!

So, every day I play with Eddie for about an hour, groom him up, take Scout for a walk, take Diesel for a walk, and then 'flush' Diesel's mouth because he gets grass wadded up in there.

Yeah! There's grass everywhere!! haha!

This is what Eddie and I have been doing when it comes to riding. HQ pivots, FQ pivots, 'roll backs,' shoulder in, haunches in. I love it. And Eddie does too. It gives us something small to do while we wait for it to dry up (I hate mud) and the wind to settle down. (He hates wind)

Hope that ya'll are doing well, and I'll be posting more often. I miss it!

Psalms 62:5-7
My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory;
The rock of my strength,
And my refuge, is in God.

Spring is Here!

Scout in the pine trees during our walk.

There's a warm breeze comin up from the south, and you know what that means??
SPRING!
This past week I've been taking all our horses for walks, riding in the outdoor, enduring this incessant wind, and trimming. Scout needed a bit of a trim since his laminitis and we got x-rays done of his feet too, so I trimmed to those.
Anyway, today this beautiful Sunday, we are addressing the track to get rid of all of the grass for our metabolic ponies, and I'll be playing with them all too.
I've been working on my final for my Applied Equine Podiatry online course and it is pretty challenging. I'm halfway done with it and it is already 6 pages! But today I'll take a break - I've been working on it nonstop and Sunday is a day of rest.
So, here's to more posts in the future. I know, I've been a bad blogger. But sometimes you just need a break to get a new perspective and finish up and attend to the things that really matter.

A blessed Sunday to you all!

In Like a Lion

March comes in like a lion.
We've had quite a bit of snow lately and yet it's still slippery mud underneath. Other than that, it's been a great past couple of weeks. The reason I haven't posted much is because I'm just busy with other things. Sorry for the lack of updates! But I have a final to finish, and horses to play with and ride.
But yeah, all has been great here. Eddie and I have been playing with long reins, riding a little bit and just letting him burn off energy.
Scout is back to his old self. We got him the Easyboot Rx's and they are helping a lot. Just a little extra protection while the ground is hard.
Diesel and I have been going for lots of walks lately and he is very happy for them. Especially when he gets to graze. He is such a cutie bug!

I'll post pictures later - that I can do. ;-) Gotta run! Chores to do!

Lack of News

Sorry for the lack of posts... I've been taking a break from facebook, blogger, and just taking some time off. It seems I want to post more when I don't force myself and say that I HAVE to post every day.

I've been super busy lately... Playing with Eddie every day, sometimes twice a day, riding, taking Diesel for trail walks, doing chores... It's been so nice to take a break from the computer and internet.
Anyway, I'm back, except for facebook, and I shall be updating ya'll more regularly.
So, here is what Eddie and Diesel and Scout and I have been doing.

With Eddie, we've been working on our side-passes at the walk and trot, and transferring that to riding. Trail riding too! We've been riding around the property more and more and today we rode around the pasture, which we haven't done for a while. He did so amazing! I love him so much and he just does better and better every day!
With Scout, my sister and I have been taking him for walks twice a day. His feet are looking amazing, the vet is coming out soon to take x-rays, and he is as happy and spunky as ever. I've been taking him for walks around the property and he will snatch a bite from pines trees and patches of grass. He is so silly! :-)
With Diesel, we've been going for trail walks and he has been so eager for them! We go across the road, and a couple of days ago we were out for over a half an hour walking down to the creek. We didn't get all the way there, but it was more than half way!

It's been such a crazy, busy, past couple of weeks, but here's to a more easy-going end of February!

Cold Wind

Seasons Change by Tim Cox

Yesterday's high was 17 and today's will be 28. Thank the Lord for warmer weather. Although, I had fun with the horses yesterday. I took Eddie for about an hour walk around our property and we even went for a trail ride. Yup, my first trail ride out of a paddock. At least it's my first successful trail ride. Last time Eddie dumped me in the manure heap. It was funny, but I don't have a yearnin to do it again. I just rode around by the garden and Eddie was a champ. Man, do I love that horse!
Then I took Diesel for a long walk around the property too. We avoided the windy spots and I let him graze by the raised beds in the garden. The grass was a little less lush there, so I let him graze there instead of Laminitis Lane and Founder Freeway (aka the orchard). I guess rotting apples and pears make for a pretty good fertilizer.
Anyway, today looks to be warmer, a little windy, but sunny. Hooray!

P.S. Scout is doing better and better! He was trotting around yesterday and my sister took him for a good 20 minute walk. Praise the Lord!


1 Corinthians 13:6-7
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

A New Lineup

So, I was thinking... I think I might do special blog posts for Wednesday & Sundays... Like Words of Wisdom Wednesdays and Scripture Sundays. I don't know... We'll see! It would be fun and it would ensure that I blog more often. :-)

Anyway, today was a beautiful day!
I trimmed Jigs this morning and Crissie (his owner) met us down there to hold him and so that I could practice my final exam (all the questions and spectrum I had to go over.) Jigs did really well and his feel are looking great. He's such a teddy bear!
Then when mom and I got home, we all ate lunch together and then I went out to play with Eddie. We went for a really long walk all the way around the property and we even went in between the trees down in the south line. He was loving that! We went in the pasture after that and played around. He was SO hyper! So we cantered, jumped, did cavaletties, worked on our harmony and I worked on my lightness. It was super fun! He was bucking and kicking and flailing his front feet - oh he was having such a blast!
We finished up by riding in the round pen and we just did one lap. He was still kinda crazy and I didn't want to get dropped in the mud.
I took Diesel for a walk too this afternoon. We went for about a lap and a half around the entire property and oh boy - he just loves his walks!
Also! I have great news!!!!! Scout is SO much better!!!! He was trotting around when Al took him out for his walk and he just looks so much happier. *happy sigh* God is good. I don't think we've ever been so happy to see Scout so spunky. We love you our little pony-man! <3



Psalm 33:4-5
For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Back to Normal

For the first time in over a week things felt like normal again. Scout was 99% better, Eddie was calm and confident and Diesel was exuberant and hyper. Oh, it was such a lovely day! It was foggy and cold - reminds me of fall.... Definitely not winter. Ah well, fall is my favorite season anyway!
So, I played with Eddie and we went for a 45 minute walk. We went all around the property, played fun little games and you know what? He was so much better when it came to our harmony. I would stop really quickly and he would walk ahead of me like, "Why'd we stop?!" Then I would run forward quickly and he would look surprised. After about ten of those all along the east side of our property, he caught on and we would run, stop, walk, stop, backup, run, walk... You name it! And he was so connected to me and eager to follow. Yippee!! :-) I love my Eddie!

Then I took Diesel for his usual power-walk all around the property. We jogged about two laps and he was having such a blast! He would wring his neck and 'strut-his-stuff.' Oh my goodness, it was so cute.

Such a fun, foggy day. Pictures to come soon! :-)

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written:

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

A Beautiful Day!

The sun was shining, it was above 40 degrees.... It was a beautiful day!
I played with Eddie for an hour. We rode, went for walks out around the property and played out in the pasture. When I rode, we worked on lightness and feel. For about 20 minutes we played with it and by the time we were done, I could back him up with just a shift of my weight and turn him too without touching the reins. I own a pretty amazing horse.

I took Diesel out next and we went for several laps around the property, through the trees, a lap on the track, around the buildings, through the south line... We had a blast and we were so pooped when we were done. He went to take a nap and I went to go and get their hay around the the night. *sigh* have I ever said that I love the smell of hay & horses? There isn't anything better.

Scout is doing much better too. His feet are cool and he isn't shifting his weight anymore. Also, he went for a little walk today and was perfectly comfortable. Slow. But comfortable. So this evening we're going to take his pads off and let his feet air out. Also, I thought I should share this with you all... If you need any information about horse nutrition, laminitis, or really anything relating to the horse's diet, this is an excellent, excellent, excellent, resource. http://drkellon.com Take her courses, you won't be disappointed.

Welcome to the Artic

Today was cold, cold, cold! It was a high of 20 degrees and felt like 6 degrees. And let me tell you, it sure did feel like 6 degrees. Besides keeping warm inside and getting a TON of things done, I took Eddie and Diesel for a nice walk. Eddie and I just went in the backyard out of the wind and I let him graze for a nice long time. He was pretty spooky though, so we couldn't go everywhere, but we did have fun walking around the backyard. :-)
Then Diesel and I went for a whole lap around the property and walked a half mile. It was SO cold! lol! I was freezing by the time we were done and he was so eager to go and so hyper. It was funny... I put him away and he ran to the gate as though he didn't want me to leave. He's such a good boy!

Anyway, I sent in my homework for the KC La Pierre online course, made an appointment for the new horse I'm taking on and going to trim, and responded to all my emails!
Oh yeah! And I also made a huge ramp off of the shed today. My sister and I sledded down it today and it was so much fun. I'll post a video as soon as I upload it to youtube. :-)
Have a great week!

Blind Driving & Riding

Thank the Lord, it has been SUCH beautiful weather!
I am so thankful for it, I've been able to play with Eddie and Scout and even Diesel every day. Today, I played with Diesel's mouth since we have to flush it every so often. See, he's a 'packer' and packs food up in his mouth. So we have a tube and just squirt water into his mouth. He didn't like it at first, but once we let him see what it was, he was totally fine with it! He is such a smart cookie. All our horses are so much smarter than we give them credit for.
Scout and I went on an amazing walk today. We went around the ENTIRE property and he was just having a blast. Scout was kinda hyper, so we did some circles. Just so that he could get some of his energy out. But I think he was just excited. What's more fun than going for a walk? After we did another lap around the whole property, we went into the outdoor and I rode to the gate, opened it and then we went in his stall. ;-) hehe! It's interesting to ride in a stall. I thought to myself, "Hey, an indoor arena!" lol!
Eddie and I played in the outdoor in the morning and rode too. We did some more blind driving. He is REALLY getting the hang of it! All I have to do is hold up my hand and he will turn like a pro. I am so proud of him. =-) After we did that for a little bit, I hopped on and we rode for a while. We trotted, did a few laps, played with some side passes (which looked really pretty, btw!) and just had fun. I was going to play with him again tonight, but he and his herd were all running around quite a bit. So he got his exercise, for sure! They were really huffing and puffing.
It was such a lovely day and it was very fun to play with all the horses.
Getting off topic a little bit but... We're redoing our bathroom and painting it for the first time since we moved here. It is so pretty and so nice to have it almost finished. Yes, in between playing with the horses we were painting all day. It was fun!


~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Proverbs 19:20-21

Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
      That you may be wise in your latter days.
       There are many plans in a man’s heart,
      Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand.

Thursday

Yesterday was sort of a busy/sluggish day. I had a lot to do, I just did it lazily. :-/ Ever had one of those days? Felt kinda bad about it. Anywhos...
I took all the horses for walks! Scout and I went for a lap in the track and I rode. We trotted up the west line and then rode into the pasture. He was very happy for the long grass of the pasture!!

Then, Eddie and I went for a walk around the property. We went to the front yard, around the pool, down the west line and just all over! He loves to go for walks and had a blast. He is so confident now and I am so proud of how far he has come.
Last but not least, I took Diesel for a walk up and down the east line! We trotted together, he grazed and we enjoyed the time together. Our herd is so amazing. I love them all so much and they are just the best!


~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~



1 John 3:16
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

First Things First...

Well, it has been a really busy last couple of days!
Time to get caught up...
Let's see, on Wednesday I had an amazing day with Eddie. If you saw my video, no doubt you would agree! Eddie and I jumped, cantered, trotted and had such a blast. Three or four years ago, I would not believe I would be saying that. I mean, I always knew that we would get there, but it was 'out there.' Well, now we are 'there' and it feels pretty amazing. <3 Eddie is such an incredible horse and I cannot imagine how his previous owner thought he was stupid. He's the smartest horse I have ever ridden!
Anyway, that was on Wednesday and I just beam every time I think about it!
Oh yes, I also trimmed Diesel too! His feet look amazing!

~Lea & Eddie~


Psalm 119:130
The entrance of Your words gives light;
         It gives understanding to the simple.

Two Hot Days

Yesterday and today were both very hot. 90's and humid and sunny. Eddie and I had a bit of an adventure yesterday...
Long story short, he had one of his dehydration episodes that we call colic. Now, I caught it within minutes and got the bute into him lickity split. This was one of the fastest colics he's ever came out of. A half an hour later he got a drink and ate. That made me very happy that they are getting better and better! The last time he coliced was in the spring and it was pretty mild as well. So far so good, only 2 in one year!

Anyway, we've just been chilling, swimming, taking Scout and Diesel for walks and planning out new paddocks! I will post pictures and schematics of what they're going to look like!
I look to the right of this blog post and realize that I should probably explain why there are buggies on my post. Well, I rode my bike down to the creek yesterday and took lots of pictures of the flora and fauna! hehe! :-)
Oh, farm life is good!
More blog posts to come later! I have lots to talk about! One is the new paddocks and the other is SCOUT'S THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND BIRTHDAY!!


~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Think Harmony (part 2)

Yesterday it was a very wet, hot and humid day.
hehe, The End.
Just kidding.
Even though it was warm out, Al (my sister - short for Allison) and I took the ponies for a walk around the track. Literally around the track, not inside it, but on the outside. The "Wild." ;-)
They were very happy for the exercise and new scenery. I think they really enjoy getting out and going new places. They probably get bored of being in the same paddocks day in and day out. Maybe we'll have to break out of our bubble and go across the road for fun or something. Diesel would love that! He's the adventurer of the herd!
Anyway, Eddie and I did some more 'think harmony' yesterday. And it was so much easier! I don't know if it's just once you do it once, you do it all the time, but I was constantly aware of where his feet were when I rode. I asked for a stop as he descended his foot, and imagined a turn lifting the correct hoof he would lift. What also helped was that I walked with him while he grazed. It was a fun little activity to do together. :-) I would follow his footfall with every step he took grazing. Like it said, it was really interesting to see how he walked when he grazed. You should try it! Eddie was just at liberty in the round pen and I just followed him around. Kind of like Simon Says. I'm hoping to ride again today, so I will post about what our Think Harmony is like later!

~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Romans 12:16

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Think Harmony

I always like to try new things. Especially when it comes to the horses. I like to practice new theories and see if they work on not. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.
Today this new theory worked! However, it was hard. Very hard for me. See, when I ride I like to just relax, let my mind wander, feel at peace with Eddie and do lots of small things together. In Think Harmony With Horses by Ray Hunt, he challenges riders to think about what they're doing and make everything matter. He also encourages us to feel the horse and act as though we are walking with the horse.

Let me tell you that it took a lot of unconscious thinking to know every movement Eddie was doing. But! It worked! When I would ask him to stop, all I had to do was think about it, exhale and lean back a little bit. And he stopped! When I would ask him to turn, all I had to do was look in the direction and slightly shift my reins. As you can see in the picture, my reins are always loose and I always let him have lots of slack. It's just more comfortable that way, but maybe someday we'll move on to contact. Anywhos...
We worked on fast walks/slow walks and just having harmony together. It took a lot more brain power than I thought it would and Eddie was SO patient! I'm excited to see how this goes, I already feel an improvement!!
After I played with Eddie, I took Diesel and Scout for walks. Diesel and I went around the track and through the corncrib. Then Scout and I went all around the property, through the front yard, up the driveway and back to the barn. :-) It was really fun and the ponies were so happy for the play time! hehe, Scout and I also ran around by the pumpkin field and went up and down some slopes.
Ah, such a nice day and even though it was hot out, we had lots of fun!


~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Diesel Update

Diesel, Diesel, Diesel. He is such a trooper and such a strong little guy.

He ended up having a loose tooth,which the vet pulled. It took him 25 minutes to get it out and 20 minutes to sedate him beforehand. However, he was very patient and never lost his temper with our little mini hinny.

It was quite lonesome at the farm without our little trouble maker. Scout's butt was never bitten (in play) by Diesel and Eddie never got to chase him out of his paddock. hehe, such boys!
But, Diesel came home around 5:30 yesterday and he is sleepy, sore and recovering. However, he recovering very well. Grazing like a champ (pardon the pun) and eating hay and Ontario Dehy.

Here are some pictures of him being floated:

So, we're going to have the vet out to do Eddie's teeth and Scout's in the fall. They will need it and we trust the vet with our boys since he has worked on Eddie multiple times.
*sigh of relief*
As of now, all is good, horses are happy and we're hunkering down for another hot day.
Thank you all for all the prayers and well wishes. God certainly had His hand working throughout the day!

~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Psalm 119:30

I have chosen the way of truth;
         Your judgments I have laid before me.

An Unexpected Vet Visit

This morning started out like any other. I went out to the barn, gave the horses their grain and it was then that I noticed something was up. Diesel wouldn't eat his grain and he was having a hard time chewing.
:-(
When one of our horses don't eat - a pit automatically enters our stomachs.
So, I let him out and watched him graze. He was still having a hard time and he wouldn't chew. I brought him in, got mom and we watched him some more. We decided it was time to call the vet and we went back inside.
Now, let me first say that it is STINKING hot outside. 99 today with heat indices of 110-120. So, this was a big deal especially since he wasn't eating or drinking.

We called several vets and they all seemed to be busy or couldn't get here until late in the day. However, God orchestrated everything and our first-choice vet called us back. YAY! He left us with two options. Either he could come here at 1. Or we could take Diesel to the vet's place at 12. The clinic has air conditioning and they would be able to see to Diesel sooner. We decided to go to the clinic. If it wasn't for the heat, we would have stayed home, but we were really concerned with dehydration.

Our good friend, Ginger ended up coming and getting him and with a few ropes and some grain, we got Diesel into the trailer. It wasn't natural, but it was hot and he is better off for it.
Right now, they are diagnosing him and we're praying it's nothing too serious. In fact, I should be getting a call right now from my mom who is staying with him while I stay with Eddie and Scout.
It's 99 in the barn and I'm praying that it doesn't get any hotter. However, there is a nice breeze and the horses aren't even sweating.
I'll yet ya'll know when I hear from mom. I'm hoping it will be soon.

~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Warm Weather

Yesterday, no wait... Two days ago, I trimmed up Scout and took a lot of pictures of Eddie's, Scout's and Diesel's feet. They are all looking great! Today, mom and I went out to OEW's and trimmed up Jiggles. I did a full trim! Yahoo!! Jigs' feet look good, flares, but that's ok. Got em back to where they need to be. :-)

So, lately I've just been riding in the morning and hanging out in the afternoon. Today is not so hot, so I'm headed out to play with Eddie once I finish up here!

Our riding has gotten really good though. Eddie is becoming a lot more soft and light, which is really amazing. And I've also worked on becoming more soft and light and not holding any braces in my body.
We've just been having a lot of fun, keeping cool, riding and doing chores. Speaking of chores, I gotta go clean water troughs too!
Here's a pictures of Diesel and I under the apple tree two days ago. We went for a half hour walk and he loved every minute of it! Or maybe he just loved the lush grass.... Hmmm... ;-)


~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel & Jigs~

Psalm 18:30

As for God, His way is perfect;
         The word of the LORD is proven;
         He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Really Excited

Today was the sort of day when you just want to be outside ALL DAY LONG!
So... That's what I did!
At 9am I trimmed Eddie and his feet are looking superb. That made me really excited to start trimming more horses for a job. I already have 14 horses waiting until August when I take my next hoof trimming class. Which is KC's course and then I'm going to take another hands-on class by Ida Hammer. Hopefully over winter I can also do KC's online course. So, I'm very excited about those things!

Anyway, at noon, Eddie and I went out to play.
He was SO sleepy! We played out in the pasture and did a few small things until he woke up. Then, we jumped lots of things, did a weave, cantered together all over the pasture and I let him graze some too. I got LOTS of pictures, so I'll have a picture post coming up after this one.
We went into the outdoor from the pasture and we rode in there for a long time. We trotted a lot, worked on some sidepasses and he was a little goofy/clumsy, so I was trying to get him to pay attention to where his feet were. I think if I had some poles set up in the outdoor it would have helped, but he was so tired I didn't want to ride too long. Believe it or not, we ended up riding for 40 minutes and ended on an amazing note! I tried to put a few things I learned from Buck Brannaman's book, Believe, into practice. Like using a little less than what you think it would take to get it done. I'm really excited to start being more light with Eddie. He can feel a fly land on him, but won't respond to a little pick up of the reins. I know it's me, I just have to become more aware of the braces I hold in my body or the cues that I unintentionally give him.
:-) Yay, something new to work on!

Next, I played with Diesel in the outdoor!
He was rather tired too, so we didn't do too much. We trotted around together, stood on the pedestal went through a narrow space and he took a little lap at the trot. He is such a good boy and he was so confident, he even bit my finger! lol! Even though it was unintentional. :-) It was still funny!

Scout and I went for one of our fun liberty walks! He wasn't so keen on the walking part. More on the "Hey, there's grass over there!" part. We trotted together and then I let him rip and run into the pasture. I could just imagine him going, "YIPPEE! YAHOO!!" as he cantered into the lush, green, grass of the pasture. We did some weave out in the pasture together, stood on the pedestal and took a few laps at the walk and trot. He was just so excited to be out there, I let him have room to move around and take big mouthfuls of the nom noms.

So, it was a WONDERFUL day and I can't wait for tomorrow. Looks like it's going to be just as nice - if not nicer! hehe, is that even a word? Ah well...
Hope that ya'll are having a great week!

~Lea & Eddie & Scout & Diesel~

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season,
      A time for every purpose under heaven: