Meet (Leggo My) Fuego!!

Okay! So I JUST figured out that I am able to blog from my phone!! Awesome!! ((Yes, I know....I'm a little delayed on the uptake here)). Anywho, not certain (yet) how much I'm able to type from my blackberry/MMS, I guess we'll find out!!
Here we have Fuego...the newest & youngest member of "the herd"... I brought him home on December 18, 2010. He's a scamp...newly 5years old, arabian gelding.. "Found" him on craiglist FREE!! He's well-bred (grandsire is Monarch AH->Wiking & Sasanka on top & Bask-O-zel-> Bask on the bottom, also Korsarz->Genua [[swoon!!]]) and should work wonderful for what I'd like... Trail, low level eventing/dressage, & CTR. Fuego is a very intelligent & "in your pocket" boy... Isn't he adorable??

The original Pillow Pet

"New Product for dogs~ Cat Pillow... built in massage, but don't get too rough... it can be sharp!" (Thanks Jen K for the caption!)

Meet (Leggo My) Fuego!!

Okay! So I JUST figured out that I am able to blog from my phone!! Awesome!! ((Yes, I know....I'm a little delayed on the uptake here)). Anywho, not certain (yet) how much I'm able to type from my blackberry/MMS, I guess we'll find out!!
Here we have Fuego...the newest & youngest member of "the herd"... I brought him home on December 18, 2010. He's a scamp...newly 5years old, arabian gelding.. "Found" him on craiglist FREE!! He's well-bred (grandsire is Monarch AH->Wiking & Sasanka on top & Bask-O-zel-> Bask on the bottom, also Korsarz->Genua [[swoon!!]]) and should work wonderful for what I'd like... Trail, low level eventing/dressage, & CTR. Fuego is a very intelligent & "in your pocket" boy... Isn't he adorable??

A time for letting go.. Once a Pooty, always a Pooty.....

My sister said goodbye to her beloved Roxy Laroo yesterday, December 6, 2010.  She, like so many of our beloveds, succumbed to cancer. Roxy was such a steady spirit in our life and beloved by all who knew her. She was 11 years old, an adorable apbt.

She has shared so much of our "life" and growing... she was around during my sister and her husband's beginning.. their basement apartment, their pinching pennies, to the purchase of their home, their wedding, and the birth of their daughter, my niece.   She loved swimming and traveling and snuggling in her blankets... my sister would give her nice warm snuggly blankies in her bed... She was  "Drome" dog.. and was so easy going and amiable to whatever situation, or locale she found herself in... She was beautiful and adorable.. my sister would dress her up for whatever occasion and holiday and Roxy was always such a great sport about it... she would stay still and "pose" like the super model that she was while my crazy sister took various photos of her....She was an awesome "boatdog" and just loved the water!!  Roxy always had a ballie in her mouth that was like a pacifier to her... She had a tail like a whip and would get "happy tail"..lol... she loved coming to "Aunties" house... she would play in the stream, eat horse "biscuits", and get all kinds of muddy on that pristine pink and white fure and skin of hers... Roxy was a "good girl!!"

Roxy experienced every growing stage of their life... and also was witness to many of mine.  She was a very steady spirit... loved her balley, her girl, Skye, and my sister.  I love Roxy LaRoo.... and my heart is heavy with sadness over the loss of her... my heart also breaks for my sister... Roxy was extremely devoted to her and I understand the pain my sister is feeling and how empty the house is without her beloved Roxy.

This had me pondering the great love and bond we attach with our 4-legged partners. Losing Roxy is laced with such sadness and brings me to thoughts of my first beloved companion, Imo. Losing Imo was the hardest event my life has experienced. I feel for my sister. Roxy is her heart dog. I know that pain. 

Imo and Roxy are together now... frolicking around like in life.. I am certain of this... Roxy undoubtably has her ballie and Imo is likely trying to desperately steal it from her...  We will meet again.. beloved furbabies... and until that time.. please care for each other!

Thanksgiving......

Thanksgiving

We return thanks to our mother, the earth,
which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars,
which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun,
that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in Whom is embodied all goodness,
and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.

~~Iroquois Thanksgiving prayer

Battle of the Geldings?!?!?!

So I get  home last night and go outside….. it was quite dark (as you know now at 745-8)…. Gabriel was barking up a storm and I could hear a ruckus from the “arena”….. I could see Hannibal Lightning standing patiently by the gate to enter the dry lot… in the background I could faintly see a “whirling” of shapes and shadows…. As I got closer I was able to make out   Takota running around in circles throwing up kicks here and there… I could hear snorts and movement….. I got closer still and was able to make out the outline of two rearing bay geldings… one a copper colored red bay, the other a dark bay…. It looked kind of like this………(red bay on left, dark bay on right):

Only in shadow, in the dark, in a makeshift riding arena, with no water, and ground poles and barrels strewn around……. Up they both would go, then one (or the other) would come down, spin, semi kick and run off only to return….  It was actually quite dramatic… I let Hannibal onto the dry lot and took his muzzle off…. Throughout this whole thing, he stood by the gate calm as could be, totally oblivious to the drama behind him… focused on “the lady that brings the bounty.” LOL!!  When I let Lightning in the two bays ceased fire and both stood staring at me….aka “the lady that brings the bounty”…. It was all quite interesting…. I’m not certain if they were play fighting, or jockeying for position, or a combination of both…. I can say that Kopper was quite subdued and removed when he entered the dry lot… I’m thinking maybe Dusty FINALLY is getting tired of his (Kopper’s) shenanigans?!?!?

And this is them in "real" life....... shortly after introducing Dusty, aka Mr. Withers, to his new herd....

"Herd Politics"

(Kopper is the 14.3h red bay arabian gelding with the Napoleon complex, Dusty is the 16.3h dark bay OTTB that encourages and enables the little dictator, Takota is the gray 1/2 arabian mare....errrr...gelding, and Lightning aka LB is the 15.3h black/white tobiano TWH gelding)

Whoottt whooottt.. the in hand work is paying off!!!

So I thought it would be a fine idea to see if what Leeandra was talking about on ground would translate into saddle.....

((it is quite exaggerated... remember.. we are both learning, LB and I))

Fall is here....it's getting chilly...please excuse me looking like a homeless person...
((also, please ignore my poor equitation here at times))

And just WOW!! The in-hand training is really paying off and WHAT a difference it has made to him... Leeandra ROCKS!!  LB is getting so GOOD!!! Seriously, she was correct.... I look forward to more in-hand to saddle transition work... Whoott!! Whoootttt!!!