Ozzie is on the Move

I was disappointed on Friday afternoon when I received a call from my horse "trainer". I was supposed to go and watch him ride my horse Friday evening. When I answered the phone this is what I heard, "Ms. Andrea? This is your horse "trainer". I just broke my hand and I am at the emergency room. When I was changing horse trailers my hand got crushed by the trailer." I guess I could give him a break, just this once, being that he had to get stitches and he is getting a cast on Monday morning.

Good news is that Ozzie is moving to my friend's barn. The barn where I would go to ride Chip. I am so excited. I will now be able to go and ride my horse every day if I want and I can go and watch my "trainer" finish out that longest 30 days ever. I am excited to see how things are going on Monday. I can't wait to see my boy and I am going to take pictures if it kills me. So, tomorrow I will finally see my Ozzie. I am so excited. That is about all I have going on now. Yet, I couldn't have a post with out any pictures so I thought I would leave you all with Big Cowpoke's version of a cowboy punk. One thing I can always be sure of and that is he will always have my back. That is one pretty scary dude. Well, I guess I know a lot of scary punks that walk like an Egyptian. So what, if it shows that his mother is a total 80's music fanatic. That is better, shake it up a bit. I think he is trying to act like he is scratching a record. If he even knew what a record was. Yeah cowboy homie "G". Waz Up?Few, that is better. There is my sweet Cowpoke. Maybe I should start calling him Busta-poke.

Finally Friday

This week has drug on and on. It has rained everyday for the past week and I am so glad to finally see the sun out today. I have not been doing much of anything lately. We got a phone call last night about Bear. A lady swore she saw him at a trailer park about 10 miles away from my house. I drove over there and only say an old really long haired lab looking dog. It was nice of her to call, but still no bear.

I was also trying to save on gas money this week by not going to town. But I failed at that and I drove to town yesterday to go to a play group. Little Cowpoke was glad to get out of the house. I was glad to have adult conversation. When I first got to play group there were three ladies there and all three are pregnant. I told them that maybe I should be very careful where I sat and what I drank. I sure do not need to be with child again any time soon. We had a fun time.

So, there you have it a very boring non eventful week on my behalf. A couple of weeks ago I did go out and look at a new horse trainer. He was very nice. He grew up rodeoing with Mr. Cowboy, so I knew a bit about this fellow. When we called he was just getting on a horse and told us to come on over. That was nice for a change. When we got there he was very nice and introduced him to me and then got on a colt that he had started. He had 120 days on it then gave it a three week break and the day I went to go watch was the first day back on the colt. He rode around his arena for a bit and then came over and talked a bit. He actually loped the horse around not just walking! I was impressed. Then he got out his finished cutting horse to show me what he can do. I was impressed with this guy. To look at him you would think he was just another cowboy. He wasn't dressed like most show trainers are, but dang that boy can ride. I asked him why he was riding his finished cutting horse in a snaffle bit. He told me that while he is at home training that he only rides in a snaffle bit. That way he can correct his horse and do a lot of bending and flexing. That was a great answer. He was passing my test with flying colors. He tracked a few cows and then did a little cutting. It was so neat to watch.

I was amused at how short his stirrups are. I think he rides with them like that for better leg use? I think my legs would cramp up. He is really tall too, so that might have something to do with it. Being really tall and riding small cutting horses might be difficult for your legs. I really liked him. Mr. Cowboy is thinking of sending Richie to him for some bending work and some time to track cattle. We didn't stay too long before both boys were asking to leave. That is when I get looks like these.I always say that Little Cowpoke has super villain eyebrows. We talked for a bit longer. The new horse trainer said that he had dappled into the western pleasure world for only a little bit, but he truly loves working cows and reining horses. At least he is honest and does not proclaim to be a big time western pleasure trainer. He did add that if you can work a cow with a horse you can do anything with him. I am thinking I might bring Ozzie home and give him some time to fatten up. I will try to ride my horse and get some muscle put on Ozzie and then send him to go and work cattle. That should really de-spook my horse.

Oh, and I almost forgot, today I am going to watch my "trainer" ride Ozzie. I have told myself that if I do not see him do anything more than a walk, then I am going to just tell him to leave Ozzie in a stall and I will pick him up later this evening. I think he told me that I have a week and a half left of my 30 days. This really has to be the longest 30 days ever. I think I would have fared better with Noah on his ark. At least that was a definite 40 and they were out. I will take pictures this time too. Let him "threaten" to take my camera away and bring my horse home, I dare him to. Whahahahahahah, insert evil laugh.

Horse Spotlight

Between my father in law and my family we have managed to gather 17 horses here at our place. Mr. Cowboy and I own 5 of those 17. I like just owning five. It is really nice on the feed bill. I thought that maybe I could do a spotlight on a different horse every now and again. I will tell where they came from and what we use them for and how long we have had them and so on and so on. I have decided to start out with my favorite horse. I wish I had more pictures of her, but as I searched I realized I don't' have many. So, here we go. War Pearl is a registered Thoroughbred mare. She was born on February 15, 1993. Her mother's name is Refreshment who's dad isNonoalco, and her father's name is War. She was bred to run, and run fast. She is a great great granddaughter of War Admiral. Pearl was born in Florida. Pearl lived at the farm where she was born until she was three years old. She has no race record, so I believe she was never raced. Pearl is a bit pigeon toed, so I think that might have kept her off the track. Pearl then only stayed at her new home for one year. She then was bought and sold to three different people with in the next three years. The longest she had ever lived in one place was her Florida home. Her last home was with a family the actually owned her for two years. They bought her for a Mardi Gras parade horse. They used her for two years in all sorts of Parades. Then after the parades were over they put her for sale in the local newspaper. In February of 2003 I drove 40 minutes from my house to go and look at this old mare.

I showed up in my scrubs, yes I was really dressed to try out a horse. The man showing me how she rode was dressed even better. He was wearing umbro shorts and sandals. He got Pearl out of her stall and saddled her, then he hopped right on her. We walked and trotted her around his pasture and then walked her over to me. While we talked he had his 10 year old daughter ride Pearl around. I was sold. The man asked me if I wanted to ride Pearl. I told him, "No thanks, I saw you ride her and I like how she moves and I love her attitude.". The man looked at me a bit confused. I drove home and told my husband all about her and I dragged him out there again that night.

When we got there my husband looked at me like I was crazy. He thought Pearl was not the best looking thing, but I begged and pleaded and she became mine for the high price of $700 dollars. We set up a time the next day to pick Pearl up. I was so very excited. The next day we were loading Pearl up in our horse trailer and the owners and I were doing all the paper work, he asked me what I was going to use her for. I replied, "I am going to jump her." The man laughed at me. Seriously right in my face. He then said, "She doesn't run. We have never been able to get her to go faster than a trot." I just smiled and told him thank you and took my papers and my new horse and went home.

When we got home my father in law was there and helped us unload Pearl. My father in law's first impression of her was, "That is the ugliest horse I have ever seen. Did you chop that mule's ears off?" You see Pearl was a bit under weight and she has a rather large head. For six months all I did was ride Pearl. And would you believe it that she does canter. Pearl and I went to the local open shows and won all sorts of ribbons. I won my first belt buckle for being the champion in their Open Hunter Hack class. Pearl was perfect. After riding her for a while I decided I wanted something younger to ride. I needed a younger horse so I could jump higher, Pearl has arthritis in her left hip. That was when we decided to breed her to a Thoroughbred stallion that lived down the road from us. Mr. Cowboy would Breeze his two year old for him. But we never got to breed Pearl to that Thoroughbred stallion, because our paint stallion jumped the fence and bred Pearl. It was a total accident. And out came my beloved Ozzie. We then bred her a year later and she had Mac. Then somewhere in between those times I have used her for my trusty back up. I can get on Pearl and do anything on her. It is like she never forgets where we left off. I can trust her with anybody. She will stand for anything. She will only go as fast as you ask her to go. She puts up with my Cowpokes dressing her up.Pearl loves to look beautiful. Pearl will let anyone lead her around. Pearl is always up for a pony ride. She is my old trusty. She is one of two horses we have out at our house that we can put any body on and just let them go. She has now lived with me longer than she has ever lived with any of her former 6 owners. I do not believe I would ever sell her. I was offered $3500 for her and I turned it down. You just can not replace a good trust worthy horse. Pearl will have to die in my backyard. Pearl is going to have one more baby this coming up March and then she will be retired as a brood mare and then only be used by my Cowpokes for riding. She deserves a good retirement. I know she isn't that old, she is 14, but her arthritis in her hip is bad and if I can let her have an easy life, then I will.

Practice Makes Perfect

Since school started last week the local soccer club started their practices. Big Cowpoke now practices twice a week. We load up in the car and drive 20 minutes to the practice field. I love soccer practice. It gives my very energetic boy some time to release his energy. He is on the same team he was on last year. This year they have a few new kids on their team and they have a new coach. Here Big Cowpoke is with his cousin and his good friend from school. And the Coach is trying to steal the ball from them. Girls are so much easier to take pictures of than boys. Big Cowpoke took a turn doing a "scrimmage" with the coach and then they played a quick game. It's neat to see how Big Cowpoke actually understands the game this year. Last year he made many goals, for the opposite team. Little Cowpoke wishes he was bigger so he too could play soccer. Mr. Cowboy is a good sport and plays a little bit with him. I absolutely love how he kicks the ball. He gets his head down and uses his arms. It makes me laugh. Little Cowpoke insisted that his Ohio State jersey was the perfect soccer shirt and he had to wear it. I guess I am not too worried that any Louisiana Sate University fans would mind a little rivalry. It's so funny how the North vs. the South thing still kinda lurks around here. Not that the folks here don't like Northerners, but they don't have any problem pointing out that I am a Yankee. I think it's funny.

The Search Continues

We still are looking for Bear. We have found a few clues. Brodi, our other dog, came home Thursday evening with rice in his dog hair. That ment he had been running around in a field behind our house. There were a bunch of men back there cutting rice. I had ridden my horse back there and called for Bear but nothing. So, today, I got Mr. Cowboy to drive me back there while the men were cutting so I could walk around the fields to see if we could find Bear. I have never been this close to a rice field. It looks just like an overgrown field of grass. We walked down the side road looking in the ditch and in the rice field. While walking down the road a large tractor approached us. Big Cowpoke was worried it was going to run over us. But the nice driver saw us and drove in the field instead of on the road. It didn't take long before the boss man on the job got in his truck and came and met us. He asked us what we were doing. I guessed we looked innocent enough with our three kids and our dog. The boss man told us that the only thing they have seen was a very large coyote. They have not seen a yellow lab anywhere. Which I think is strange being that Brodi had freshly cut rice all over him from Thursday and again from yesterday. I know Brodi has been back there. But the nice farmers said they hadn't seen Bear, so I just have to believe them. Mr. Cowboy told me today that he thinks Bear is gone. He says there are so many snakes that hide in the rice fields. He thinks that maybe Bear and Brodi were playing and a snake got Bear. Then if Bear had to sleep there at night the coyotes would have found him and he wouldn't have a chance. Despite Mr. Cowboy's stories, I insisted we walk a bit farther. I looked in the ditch next to the field just with a small bit of hope. Hoping to find just a small trace of my Bear dog. But we didn't see anything. The kids seem to be alright with Bear being gone. I think Brodi dog and I are the most pathetic. Bear was just too good with my babies. He was always so careful not to knock them over. He would just lay on the floor and let the kids crawl all over him. I sure do hope that someone picked him up. Maybe they won't ever see my Lost Dog posters, but hopefully they will take good care of him. I just think it's strange that a big dog like Bear could just vanish. Nobody seems to have seen him. We have asked all our neighbors. It could be one of three things. Bear could have been picked up. Bear could have been bitten by a snake. Or, Bear could have been shot or hit by some random hunter/person on a four wheeler. I am hoping for the first one. Mr. Cowboy gives Bear two weeks and then he wants to look for a new dog. Brodi has issues with being left alone. So, he needs a friend. I hate having to train a new dog. I pray that Bear comes back.

Come Home Bear

This morning Mr. Cowboy let out the dogs like he always does. Nothing different, just the same two dogs out for their morning run. Both Brodi and Bear will then meet Big Cowpoke and I outside, while we wait for the bus. This morning Brodi and Bear did not come and meet us. I didn't think anything of it. The dogs sometimes get carried away with playing. I then left for the day to go to town. When I came home there were not any dogs in my driveway to meet me. That had me worried. Then when I went to go feed at 4 p.m. I saw Brodi. He looked a bit tired and a lot guilty. But there was no Bear dog. Bear has never never been away from home. He has always made sure he was home so he could be let inside by dark. He will bark at the back door until you let him in. I have driven all around the area whistling and yelling for Bear. Brodi is home and he is just sulking on the floor. You can tell Brodi is sad that Bear is not here. We got Bear to help us out with Brodi. Brodi is old and gets all nervous when ever we would leave the house, so we got him a friend, Bear. Now Bear is gone. I can't find him anywhere. I sure hope he comes home tonight or in the morning. If he is not home by the morning, I am going to make posters, call the local shelters, and go out looking for him again. Bear PLEASE come home! The boys and I miss you.

One's Away the Others Will Play

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty for going out and having fun while Big Cowpoke is at school. Big Cowpoke will ask us, "What did you do today? Why do you go with out me?" I then promise him I will take him on the weekend and we never go because we are so busy doing other things. Little Cowpoke and I go on many adventures. Yesterday we were bored so we went to see my friend Britta. Yes, her name is like the water filter. She says she was named after a Swedish model. She is a really fun girl. Britta just adopted this horse. He is a four year old Holsteiner gelding. He had a slight bowed tendon on the front left. We both think it is due to the horse being jumped too high at such a young age. This boy just looks like a baby still. He stands about 17 hands at four years old. His legs are never ending. He was at Silver Creek Farms. They have a video of him jumping before he bowed the tendon. Britta was so excited. She adopted him for free and then just paid the shipping to get him down to Louisiana. She is going to do all the needed rehab for his leg and then start some light riding. Britta is hoping to ride him in about 6 weeks. She is all of 5 foot 2 inches and maybe 100 pounds. I was so excited for her. Then the Cowpokes and I went to see the new barn that some friends of mine are building. Here we are driving by the new barn. This is the covered arena. Not too shabby. I pulled in the driveway and it curved around and around and around. Very nice. Here is the main barn. I think they said that there will be 80 stalls total. They ride some really nice hunter/jumpers. They have hired two trainers to work for them and I think they have about 20 horses of their own. This is the back side of the second barn. Both barns look the same. I think one barn will be the show barn and the other barn will be the lesson barn. Here is a side view. The workers have just started with the roof. The owners are hoping to be in the barn by October. I bet they can't wait. These are just a few of their turn out paddocks. They have built cypress run in sheds. I love the black fences. I really want a black fence built next to our house. I love the black look on the green grass. It reminds me of Kentucky. The entire time I was driving around the barn Little Cowpoke said, "Why are we here? Why are you taking pictures? Can we leave?" Kids ask so many questions. So, for Little Cowpoke being such a good sport about hanging out at the barns with me, I took him to a little water park. There were not very many kids there. Little Cowpoke loved the cannons. He was a bit shy at first but then he jumped right in and got all wet. We even had the ice cream truck stop by. We flagged down the ice cream truck/creepy van, and got us some really expensive treats. This huge Popsicle was 3 dollars. Gas sure has made everything more expensive. Little Cowpoke ate it right up and then rinsed off in the water. Cowpokette and I shared a lemon chiller. No she does not have rabies, she is just showing everyone her lemon chiller. I was so excited about Cowpokette's hair. I have been trying some new things with her long baby hair. She is such a good sport and lets me play with her hair. At least for now. She has so much hair and it always gets into her eyes. I grabbed a handful of hair and twisted and twisted it and then put a pony tail holder in it. I have put hair bows in her hair since she was tiny, but now she grabs them out and uses the bows for teether toys. This way she can't rip out her hair do. Girls are so much fun, for now. Everyone can remind me of how fun they are when she is 12 and then again when she is 16. I might not be saying "fun" then.