Faye's Big Adventure--or The Little Red Team

Well really, neither Faye nor I are little.  But we ARE short. Ha!  And we ARE The Red Team!

When my main horse became seriously ill in Feb, I was left with no horse to ride.  Sooooooo Baby Faye had to grow up quick.  I started riding her & realized that while she'd been ridden a little, she'd only walked.  It was interesting to ride an 11 year old greenie learning to balance a rider as we trotted down the trail.  A friend of mine describes it best, spider legs.  LOL

I had planned to do the Dru Barner Memorial Ride over Memorial Day Weekend.  Of course that plan was made before Faye became my riding horse.  Oh well, what was the worst that could happen if I took a greenie to a huge group ride for a weekend of camping?  I could just sit around camp if she was too nervous or freaked out to ride.  I could lead her on the trail (uh not the best option for me).  I could start riding & go back if she started to get too nervous & unsafe (yeah, I know me better than to think I'd go back).  Or I could just RIDE!  Which is exactly what I did, riding with a friend on her mare.

My friend & I caravaned to the ride early Saturday morning.  Once there, we set up camp & then headed out on the 5 mile ride through the Enchanted Forest Trail.  Faye & Lulu did VERY well.  We walked the 5 miles in 1 1/2 hours.  Along the way we played leap frog so both mares had the opportunity to lead & follow.  Back at camp Faye got to experience the Hi-Tie for the first time.  Of course I wasn't worried because she does very well on the hot-walker at home.  She's such a sweet mare who never tries to stretch her boundaries, which made it hard for her on the Hi-Tie.  Everytime she felt the pull of the line, she'd stop.  That meant she wouldn't reach down far enough to eat from her bucket or drink.  She finally figured out she could reach the water bucket & I bucket her feed bucket on the top of her nibble net to raise it up for her.  We settled in for the night & all was quiet.

My friend & I hit the trail at 8am Sunday morning.  We were doing the 12 mile ride & wanted out before the heat set in.  Within
minutes of hitting the trail we had 2 crazy girls on crazy horses crash pass us.  Fortunately we were able to move off the trail & keep Faye & Lulu a little calm.  Grrrrrrrrr...some people have NO clue about trail etiquette.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride.  Faye & Lulu, a Missouri Fox trotter, did great together.  We crossed bridges, logs, rocky trail, rutted trail, & even a section of trail that had cinder blocks as erosion control. The Dru Barner Campground is in El Dorado, outside the town of Georgetown.  It can be quiet hilly & we did some pretty tough climbs on single track trail.  Faye was AWESOME!  She really impressed me with her willing attitude & "get it done" forwardness going up the hills.  She just powered right on up.  We did a little trotting in places where the trail was flat & easy.  Faye really figured out that she could trot & we got some nice even pacing for short sections.  Lulu was learning to maintain a nice fox trot so both mares did really well learning their respective gaits.  Every now & then we had a few riders pass us.  We moved over & faced our girls into the on coming riders & had no problems.  Have I mentioned how proud I was of Faye?

Half way though our 12 mile loop was a nice refreshment stop.  There was hay & carrots for the horse, food & drinks for the riders.  We hung out while Faye & Lulu ate & we enjoyed a soft
drink (beer was available for those who wanted it).  Then climbing on a log, we mounted up & started off on the 2nd half of our loop.  Heading back to the campground had the harder trails, but by then our girls were in a groove & feeling like real trail horses.  It was fun riding the windy, single track trail (my favorite).  With Lulu in the lead, Faye all of a sudden jumped forward.  Yikes!  It was a runner coming up behind her.  Once she saw him she relaxed, but that jump was a little startling.  Further down the trail I all of a sudden found myself airborne & slapping back down on the saddle.  I don't know what happened, but Faye went straight up in the air like you see in cartoons where the horse spooks all 4 feet off the ground.  Did she get stung, see something under her out of the corner of her eye, or....?  Luckily I just got a bruise on the inside of a knee, & I didn't even lose a stirrup. Woohoo...  When we had about 1 1/2 miles left, a group of 3 riders came toward us.  As we moved off the trail for them, we ended up on opposite sides of the trail with the riders going between us.  ACK!  Faye had a melt down, bouncing around, spinning, & screaming for Lulu. Another disaster averted & on down the trail we went.  Not long after that the 2 crazy girls on crazy horses came galloping up behind us.  We got off the trail but they really frazzled Lulu.  Fortunately Faye was in front when we got back on the trail because Lulu tried to run through her bit & needed Faye for brakes.  Those 2 crazy girls on their crazy horses sure gave off a bad vibe.

The last 3/4 mile was uneventful & we were both so happy & proud of our girls.  Back at camp we sponged them off & fed them mashes.  Faye finally learned that she could put pressure on the Hi-Tie & it was ok.  After her sponge bath she figured out how to roll while on the line.  Way to go Faye!  It was fun watching other riders come in from their rides.  Everyone had smiles on their faces & fun stories to tell.  We stayed for a delicious dinner before heading home.  The group that puts on this ride does an awesome job.  It was fun with well marked trails & the people are great.  I got home before dark & Faye was really glad to see her pasturemates.  I'm sure she had fun last night, telling them all about her big adventure.  Which is only the first of many for The Little,errrrrr, Short Red Team.

:)

If Wishes Were Saddles

Then I would ride.

March 1986, & I was reading a magazine while hanging out at the Malibu Endurance Ride ridecamp.  An article caught my attention.  It was the first of a three part series about Len Brown's long distance, multi-state journey on horseback.  Len went into detail on all the saddle fit & sore back issues that he encountered with his horses, as well as the fixes he did to make his horses comfortable.  At the end of his journey he decided to create & build saddles that would FIT!

The next morning I set off on my 50 mile journey through the beautiful hills of Malibu, CA.  At the lunch stop I had to ice my horse's back to keep it from swelling.  I'd been having ill fitting saddle issues for all of the 1985 season, & now into 1986.  I'd even had two saddles custom made to no avail.  They sored Wraff's back, creating pressure points that would swell.  By the Malibu ride Wraff had white spots behind his withers, & even a balding spot.  The best remedy I'd found was to cut holes in a foam pad so the saddle couldn't sit down on those now sensitive spots.  It was only a band-aid & I knew I had to find a saddle that fit, or get a new horse. I was pretty discouraged with Wraff's sore back at the end of Malibu.  It was then I made the decision to call & talk to Len Brown.

When I called Len that following Monday, & told him what I'd gone through with ill fitting saddles & sore backs, he promised me he could fit my horse.  That very day I sent the deposit so Len would begin making me a Brown's saddle, better known today as the Ortho-Flex Traditional.  My saddle arrived on Friday as I was leaving for the Tar Springs ride in June.  When I opened the box I was shocked.  After riding in a Steubben or a Stonewall, my new Brown's saddle looked huge.  How was I ever going to ride in it?

The next day I rode in that saddle for the very first time, finishing 50 miles WITHOUT Wraff having a sore or swollen back.  The successful result that day was amazing.  On July 19, 1986 I rode Tevis &, after 100 miles, Wraff's back looked & felt great.  I was in LOVE with my Brown's saddle.

Over the years I'd bought a few used Ortho-Flex saddles.  The ones that had originally had horns all seemed to be on the narrow side & didn't fit as well as my original saddle.  Those were quickly sold.  There were other models & I tried a couple of those with no luck.  I bought a 1987 Traditional from a friend, who later decided she wanted her saddle back.  It was a good deal for me because I traded her for a hotwalker.  In 2012 I bought a refurbished Ortho-Flex Traditional.  Its panels had been shortened & when a friend borrowed it because her saddle didn't fit her horse, I lost my #2 saddle.  In 2013 I was lucky enough to find another original Ortho-Flex Traditional & didn't hesitate buying it.  Len Brown had lost the original company & the new Ortho-Flex Co was nowhere near as good as Len's saddles.  They were imitations.  Not only that, the Traditional became a discontinued model.  While I had two of these wonderful saddles, I really wanted a 3rd.  It would be convenient for me to have a saddle for all 3 of my riding horses, each set up with booties (attached saddle pads) for an individual horse.

Two days ago someone posted on an Endurance Facebook page that there was an older Ortho-Flex for sale in Old Town Auburn.  Yesterday my friend, CCR, sent me a message asking if I'd seen the post.  Yes, I'd seen it but it was 65 miles away & I had a full schedule.  I did call to see if it was in fact an original Traditional.  It's number told me it was.  I thought about that saddle all night (it must have been calling my name) & today when I went to drop my hoof nippers off for sharpening, I decided to just drive on up to Auburn.          

 For 28 years my saddle has fit every horse I've ridden.  It's been a wonder saddle.  And now I have THREE!  

The Saved Foals

A wandering mind isn't always a good thing.  Random thoughts can lead down into the dark at times.  Guess I haven't been busy enough today because my mind has been wandering.

Twelve years ago I had jury duty in a murder trial.  The defendant changed his plea to guilty so we got out of the courtroom room early.  Not long after I got home that afternoon, a pregnant mare belonging to a friend went into labor.  She presented with a red-bag delivery, meaning the placenta was coming out ahead of the foal.  A RED ALERT situation.  I managed to get the placenta torn open with my hands (it's amazing how tough a horse's placenta is), & the colt delivered.  The colt wasn't breathing so I thumped his ribcage trying to jolt him into breathing.  When that didn't work I held his mouth shut, closed off a nostril, & breathed air into his other nostril.  I don't even know how many times I breathed into that little nostril, but finally he coughed & breathed.  Lack of oxygen caused a few days of a "dummy" foal & he had to be bottle fed for a while, but Little John thrived & was a cute colt.  My friend was quite pleased with his new colt & had plans for his future as a nice trail horse.

Eleven years ago in March, we had a severe thunder & lightening storm.  I went out into the night to make sure the horses were safe & not panicking.  The nine yearlings were huddled together & none seemed too alarmed by the storm.  The adults were all fine as well, so back I went back to bed.  I left for work before daylight the next morning but did take a quick headcount, as I do every day.  When I got home from work, my friend was already at the ranch.  He was in a panic & I just knew something was really wrong.  All he could say was "Little John".  I could see Little John standing 3/4 of the way up the pasture so was a bit puzzled.  As I walked up the hill I could see that he was standing odd & not moving.  I sent my friend to call the vet because I knew Little John had a broken leg.

Sometime during the night, after I'd checked on the horses, the yearlings had panicked & run through a fence.  I could see that two of the yearlings had scratches on their chests so surmised they'd been the first through the fence, knocking it down as the others followed.  Somewhere in the herd of frightened yearlings was Little John.  When he went over the fence a hind leg had to have gone through the wire.  The force of his forward movement stripped that top wire loose from the rest of the wire by 20-30'.  The "yank" of the wire had to have caused the break at the top of Little John's femur.  There was no saving the well loved gelding.

In the aftermath of that tragic day, my friend & I wondered if Little John should have been lost on the day of his birth.  It felt like maybe I wasn't supposed to have been home to save him, if that makes any since.  I was supposed to have been on jury duty for a couple of weeks.  I shouldn't have been home early the day he was born.  Maybe I wasn't supposed to have saved him & that's why he, of all the yearlings, was the only one injured so tragically.  Was his loss as a yearling the balancing of his being saved at birth?  When we go to such lengths to save a foal that would have been lost had no one been home, are we upsetting a natural balance?  Have we changed the course of a fate that needs to be rectified by their untimely, young loss?

As I reflect on Little John today, I'm wondering if going to extreme lengths to save a foal who wouldn't have survived without intervention, is only delaying the inevitable.  Are the saved foals destined to break our hearts when we lose them all too young?  More of our hearts go into the saved foals so more of our hearts are broken when we lose them.  Maybe there's a tragedy in the euphoria felt when a foal survives against the odds.  While I don't regret my saved foals (I would do it again without hesitation), & I love them more than I can say, my heart breaks at the thought of losing them all too young because maybe, just maybe, the balance needs to be righted.          

My heart is breaking.

FV Farrubi & Her Legacies

Years ago, 12 or 13 maybe, I was looking for a new riding horse.  I saw a mare for sale that peaked my interest.  I liked, errrr LOVED, FV Farrubi's pedigree & what I saw of her in her pictures.  But when I contacted the seller, I found out she was pregnant.  DARN!  I spoke at length with the seller about Rubi & something said in passing gave me pause.  It was just a hesitant pause in my mind, but something that would later prove to possibly be a life saver.

I was offered a package deal on Rubi.  I could have her, her 2 year old gelding (if I'd only known his future), & the foal she was expecting.  The only problem was that I wanted a riding horse & didn't want to wait through foaling & weaning.  So I passed & continued my horse shopping.

A number of months later I got an email from someone who had ended up with Rubi.  This person had been told of my interest months earlier & was contacting me to see if I would be interested since her foal was going to be weaned soon.  She was now 1/2 the original price.  Yes, I was interested.  Then that hesitant pause came back to me.

I contacted a couple of Rubi's former owners & what stories they had to tell.  The gal who had gotten her as a 2 year old, & paid good money, had given her away a couple years later.  She told me Rubi was crazy.  The final incident before giving her away was Rubi flipping out in the palpation stocks & eventually flipping over the rail.  Years later I would meet the vet involved at the time & her story corroborated the total flip out.  The next previous owner told me how Rubi would just "flip a switch" & go crazy.  She said there was no warning & there was no "getting the mare's brain back".  After multiple small incidences, the final episode for this owner was a total bucking frenzy that lead to a hospital stay with a severely broken leg.  In her opinion, the mare needed to be euthanized because she was dangerous.  The 3rd person I contacted told me that he was the only person to successfully ride Rubi.  By successful he clarified that meant he was the only one not to get hurt.  He did complete an endurance ride on her, but the unpredictability was just too risky.  He warned me to NEVER get on Rubi.  He said that all the things you do to normally calm & reassure a horse didn't work for her.  Pet her neck & she'd explode, talk to her & she'd explode, basically nothing you did would bring her brain back.  That hesitant pause served me well.  I told the current seller what I'd discovered & that I wasn't interested.  Until two months later...

When I opened that email I knew I was in trouble.  The seller wanted to know if I knew of anyone interested in Rubi as a broodmare only, at 1/3 of what she was originally asking.  That came to 1/6 of the price I had originally considered paying for her.  I emailed the gal back & asked if she would deliver Rubi to me.  To this day I still shake me head.  LOL

I'll admit that Rubi was freaky scary when she arrived.  Yikes!  You couldn't give her a pat or she'd go ballistic.  It was a bit unnerving to go in the stall with her because she'd whirl, her eyes would roll, & over the top of you she'd go, never even knowing what she was doing.  WHAT had I gotten myself into?  She was thin & sick when she arrived, mane snarled & tail chewed off.  WHAT had I gotten myself into?

Samskrit

DC Kid Rooster

Rubi's first foal for me was a gorgeous bay filly, DreamCatcher Fargo (Belesemo Diego x FV Farrubi).  Unfotunately I sold Fargo as a weanling & the new owner never completed her registration.  What a loss as she was a quality filly.  Rubi's 2nd foal for me was a chestnut colt who would become the horse of my dreams.  DreamCatcher Rabulaun (Rabu Farwa x FV Farrubi) was born in 2005 & came into the world a month premature.  I knew I was going to have a tough time saving the foal & was worried about crazy Rubi & what she'd do as I fought to save her foal.  That first night Rubi & I came to an understanding.  If she'd stay calm I'd do everything in my power to save her colt. She was awesome while I milked her & bottle fed her colt. No matter what I did with Launi, Rubi never lost her brain.  Even with many trips to the hospital for surgeries on her colt's legs, she never completely unraveled.  As soon as her colt was safe & healthy though, she was back to her "episodes".  Rubi couldn't handle pressure of any kind & would ocassionally "melt down".  She did come to trust me though, & would look to me for comfort.  I was eventually able to pet her all over & even clip her bridlepath.  But I always kept an eye on her so I could get out of her way if she bolted.  Her 3rd foal for me was another gorgeous bay, this time a colt.  DC Kid Rooster (DreamCatcher Rajiyyah x FV Farrubi) was sold, along with Rubi, to a friend who loved them both from the moment she saw them.  Kid is still the dearly beloved gelding of my friend.  Rubi's 4th foal for me was 7 years later.  DreamCatcher Auryn (DreamCatcher Alshain x FV Farrubi) is a lovely 2013 filly.  All of my Rubi foals have had a quirky disposition.  Fargo was extremely sensitive & hot; Launi is bold & challenging with an ornery temper, but he's also my heart horse & I know he'll never intentionally hurt me; Kid has Rubi's sensitivity; and then there's Ryn, who's bold & has a bit of a temper, as well as a little of Rubi's sensitivity.  To complete my Rubi Red Family is DreamCatcher Carlauni, the daughter of Launi before his nasty disposition got him gelded.  Carli is a sweet love bug, but can be hot & sensitive like her granddam.  She's the one most like Rubi in her temperament, but unlike Rubi, Carli trusts me & looks to me for her confidence.  She does have a temper but, as she's starting to mature at 5 yrs old, she's leaving those temper tantrums behind.  Sometimes I can see the Rubi look in all of their eyes.

And remember I mentioned I could have originally purchased Rubi as a packaged deal?  Well that two year old gelding has grown to be a truly exceptional endurance horse.  Farraba (Rabba Baron x FV Farrubi) was the 2012 Haggin Cup Winner at Tevis, & in 2013 he won the AERC Championship Ride.  Another son, Samskrit by Aur Samari, has also completed Tevis.

Rubi was laid to rest on Valentine's Day 2014.  While she's gone & no longer runs across my friend's pasture, she has left her exceptional legacies for those of us lucky enough to have them in our lives.  I consider myself honored to have had this quirky, hard to know, exceptional broodmare in my herd.

Thank you so much Rubi, for giving me my Rubi Red Family of Launi, Carli, & Ryn.  They are near & dear to my heart.  Without you I wouldn't have them.  Run free Rubi.  Run free with a peaceful mind.

       
        

The Young Man & His Dog

Many months ago, back when my dad was still driving, I saw a clean young man walking along Lincoln with his cute, red, possibly pit cross, 1/2 grown puppy.  A couple hours later we saw this same man & his dog outside WalMart with a "need help, hungry" sign.  I remember thinking "What a shame.  He must have just recently lost his job".  Over the months I've seen this man & his dog on various street corners, begging for help.  My heart has always been drawn to his ever faithful companion.  As time has gone by the man has gotten scraggly & scruffy.  His dog has grown & while not skinny, she is lean, & always laying at his feet, no matter where I've seen them across town.  Why this duo has drawn my attention time after time, I have no idea.

Today the man & his dog were at WalMart when I went shopping.  Without realizing which aisle I was in, I found myself picking up a few groceries, a small bag of dog food, & a little blanket for the little red dog.  I had no idea how I was getting the 2 little bags to the man from my truck in a VERY busy parking lot.  But as I pulled out of my parking space, the lot seemed to temporarily be free of moving vehicles.  I waved the man over & handed him a bag, telling him it was for him.  The 2nd bag I told him was for his dog.  I told him I'd seen them around town for a long time.  Through a choked voice he told me his dog's name (starts w/SH but I couldn't make the rest out), thanked me, & wished me a great day.  I pulled out of the parking lot, choking back my own tears.  After running to another store I headed home, back pass WalMart.  There was the man, scooping peanut butter out of the jar with either crackers or a bagel (I couldn't see which).  His dog was looking up, waiting for her bite.  Blinking back tears, I came home to hug my ever faithful companions.

How is this related to being touched by horses you ask?  Well if it weren't for my lifelong love of horses, I wouldn't have had a career path to fall back on after losing my long time office job.  If it weren't for horses, it very well could be me & my dogs standing on street corners, hoping some stranger would have compassion for us that day.  Horses touch our lives in ways we'll probably never even realize.  They truly are magical creatures.        

Supper's Sand

It's so hard to believe it's been 10 years since the grand old mare, Supper, entered my life for a brief time.  It's even harder to believe that after all these years I still think of her.

Today as I used the tractor to move base rock & decomposed granite from my dad's property to mine, I got thinking about Supper.  When she arrived from S CA she was in such poor shape that her old bones still showed, even after a couple months of feed at the wonderful rescue who fought to save her.  Her protruding hips had sores from laying on the ground.  My folks took Supper into their hearts and had a semi load of sand brought in for her.  That pile of sand became known as Supper's Sand.

Over the years many horses have enjoyed the soft, warmth of Supper's Sand.  It's been a favorite spot for all the Dream Catcher horses; from foals to adults to the occassional rescue who has stopped by.  Even the dogs have enjoyed laying in that sand pile, watching over their domain.

Bouncing along on the tractor I reflected on the fact that it was Supper who raised the weanling Faye.  She was such a good babysitter, steady & loving.  I'm sure having her as a nanny contributed to the wonderful mare Faye is today.  It was Supper's grandsire who sired Exceller, the namesake of the Exceller Fund.  For those who don't know, Exceller was a former race horse who went to slaughter in England when his owner no longer wanted to pay his upkeep.  My mind raced on with reflections of what Supper had meant to me & what she brought to the lives of all those who knew her in her last year.  How could I not have Supper's Sand in my life after the sale of my dad's property?

For the next 2 hours I used the box scraper to get as much of Supper's Sand as possible into a pile.  I then used the bucket to bring a dozen loads onto my property.  Next I scraped as much as possible across my dad's property & onto mine.  As long as there's horses on my property, I will always be able to look out & see them rolling or laying in the sand.  They will always have the privilege & honor of enjoying Supper's Sand. 

Launi & Miss Piggy

Why is it the camera is never there when you want it?  Maybe because today I left it at home, thinking I wouldn't be taking any pictures.  Sometimes I get what I deserve for thinking.

I was meeting a friend this morning at the Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area to ride.  I love this area for riding because it has a lot of hill work, it's quiet & peaceful, & there's a great creek about 1/2 way out & back to cool the horses.  As is usual for me, I arrived about 1/2 an hour earlier than our scheduled meet up time.  Anyone who knows me knows that I take my time getting Launi ready to ride.  His mane MUST be braided just right.  LOL  Actually, I just like the peaceful time spent with my horse.

Not long after I arrived this morning a truck pulled into the parking area, asking if I could round up some cattle.  Uh, I don't think so, I ride an ay-rab who's never worked cows.  Maybe someday, but not as of yet.  We talked for a few minutes & we hear a snuffling, snorting noise coming around the bushes & into the parking lot.  It's a pot belly PIG!  I untie Launi as fast as possible because I just know he's going to come unglued.  He's never seen a pig & every horse I've owned who met up with pigs went crazy.  They just don't smell right.  Well, this little pig just waddles over to us & Launi's captivated.  He sniffs her & she roots around his feet.  She even noses his hind leg & he doesn't mind.  Next they eat the same patch of grass.  It seems Launi wants his very own Miss Piggy.

She was a cute pig, obviously someones pet.  She liked being scratched & hung out around the trailer.  My friend arrived & wasn't thrilled to see Miss Piggy.  She didn't unload her horse because she KNEW he'd freak out.  She petted the little pig & instantly regretted it.  Miss Piggy followed her to her trailer, trying to nuzzle her leg.  Pig noses are strong & pushy.  My poor friend gets on the trailer step to get away.  I'm laughing with glee & regretting the decision to not bring my camera.  Miss Piggy puts her front feet on the step & my friend LEAPS up onto the trailer fender.  Shoo shoo, go away....   I'm cracking up, sorry my friend.  It was such a comical scene.  All the time Launi was just watching HIS little pig.  Finally Miss Piggy waddled on down the road.

We had a nice ride & enjoyed the day.  Back at the trailers Launi & Sonny noticed donkeys across the road.  Three little mini donks.  Hmmmm...first a pig & now 3 donkeys.  I untied Launi & he slowly made his way out of the parking lot, across the road & to the fence.  It was so cute to see him sniffing noses with 3 little donks.  They might have come up to his knees.  I really think if I'd let him, Launi would have brought all his little friends home.  I'm sure in a former life he must have told his mom "Look what followed me home.  Can I keep them?"