New Blog - Mounted Archery

If you are looking for something new to read head on over to my new blog Hunting for Arrows. 

Joe and I have taken up Mounted Archery. I'll do my best to add new posts a few times a month. 

Grace is doing great in her new home! It's been 3 years now. 
She is loving life with her girls! 

Grace's New Home

I wasn't looking to rehome Grace, but since last fall I've kept an open mind if the right situation should appear I would be willing to let her go. Grace was still teaching lessons in the summer, but standing in a stall with less exercise during the winter months wasn't ideal for her. 2 weeks ago a friend tagged me in a Facebook post asking if I knew of a been there done that horse. There was a 6 year old little girl in need of something safe she could learn on, and Grace at 20 wasn't too old. A few days later the family came to visit Grace.  I was thrilled when I saw they had not one little girl but 2! Grace might have 2 little girls to love on her. I got on and showed them all her bells and whistles while the girls stood at the edge of the arena. Grace dragged me to them as to say "put the kids on". The 6 year old girl had no problem guiding Grace around the arena and soon had her walking over poles. I set up some barrels and they started walking tight turns around them. The girls mom was thrilled with her daughters confidence. Next we put the 4 year old on and Grace packed the two girls around the arena. When it was Mom's turn to ride, Grace gave her the business sucking back and throwing her head. She made it pretty clear she wanted to be a kids horse. I talked mom through how to get Grace to move forward and we finished with a trail ride with me on Joe. We made plans for me to drop Grace off the following week, she just had to get along with the family's mini. 

I rode Grace more in the last week than I have in the last 6 months, my goal was to get her tuned up for the mom. I only had to remind her what leg meant one time and she was good to go after that. With each ride I remembered what a cool little horse she is, and was more excited about her new adventures. I swear Grace was looking for those two little girls each time I took her out of her stall. Today was the big day, I hauled Grace to her new home. She jumped right in the trailer after not being off the property for over two years, stepped out when we got to the farm, looked around and settled right in. The meeting with the mini was uneventful, they touched noses through the gate and then grazed alongside each other like it was no big deal. After unloading her blankets, favorite brush and a bale of hay I headed back out to the pasture to say goodbye. Grace was right where I left her, totally comfortable in her new surroundings as though she had lived there her entire life. I could not have found a better home for her if I had gone out of my way to look! 

Grace Discovers Lead Line

 

 Grace would like to know why no one had ever told her about lead line class before yesterday. She got all decked out in pink ribbons, pink saddle pad and got to carry around the most adorable kid on her back for a lap or two around the arena. The schooling show was her first time off the property in over a year, she didn't bat an eye.

Grace's New Role - Update with Video

Holly had been telling me for weeks that Grace loves teaching the little kids. One day I finally was in the arena at the same time that Grace was giving a lesson to an adorable 4 year old girl. Who was this horse packing this small child around like she was the most precious cargo on earth? Was that really the same mare that had been giving me the business on a regular basis for the past 13 years? Here is video of Grace in all her glory teaching the little ones how to ride. For years I've kept this mare as "mine". It wasn't until I shared her that I learned just how amazing she really is.

Poop On My Face!

But I don't need another saddle ..Oh that one is pretty!

I was not looking for a saddle. I didn't think I needed another saddle, but dammit, this saddle! 
Sarah told me to put it on Joe for my lesson this week. She bought it for one of her horses last year and it didn't work out. She just found the right saddle for that horse and is planning to sell this beautiful Blue Ribbon that is just sitting. "I want to see if it fits Joe before I list it and then wish we had kept it". I figured it wouldn't do any harm, Joe hates trying different saddles there was no way he would be good in this one, besides my About the Horse saddle fits him great... but it could be prettier for shows. Not only did the saddle fit Joe, it fit me. It fit me better than any saddle I've ever sat in. My leg looked longer and it was still. I didn't have to adjust my seat throughout the ride. How could this be? Joe likes to put me in the back seat when I ride him. My other saddle has a more forward seat position which works great for Grace, Joe would have me sitting on his tail if he could. Sarah has a mare that does the same thing, when she put her in a saddle that put the rider where the mare wanted her it made all the difference. Same thing happened to Joe. Yesterday he was the most consistent he's ever been with his head at the lope, especially to the left which is his more difficult lead. Every time I rode past the mirror I couldn't get over my leg. My thighs looked long and not huge, my leg was still, I looked like I could hold my own in an equitation class. Sigh... off to see what other tack I can part with so this saddle can be mine. It sure is pretty! 

God Dammit Tiffany!

I've started writing again. This has nothing to do with horses but wanted to share: 

“Yaaaaawwn” I stand up on my bed and stretch my body pointing my rear end to the sky. I shake out my hind legs before stepping out of the plush bed that is covered in my black fur. The humans should really clean that up today. I walk across the bedroom floor, stopping to stretch once again in the sun spot coming in through the window. On my way past the bed I graze the top of my tail across the mattress. The humans don’t seem to be awake just yet. I’ll give them a moment or two to pull their act together. I trot into the kitchen to see if maybe they fed me while I was sleeping. Oh good! My bowl is full of food, I’m starving! I dive in and start crunching, wait this isn’t right. Where is the smell? No fake fish or beef aroma? I run my paw through the dish, just as I thought! This is stale food from yesterday! How did this happen?

 I trot back into the bedroom “Meow, meow” I use my sweet voice letting the humans know there has been a mistake. No movement from the bed. I walk the length of the mattress rubbing my tail across the dust cover. “Meow, meow” louder now, they’ve been asleep too long. Still nothing. I put my front feet on the top of the mattress leaving my hind feet on the ground. The female human is facing me, eyes closed. “Meow?” She pops one eye open and closes it quickly. I jump onto the bed climbing onto the female human’s hip. She roles onto her stomach causing me to land back on the mattress. “Me-ow!” I shout in protest. I climb onto her back walking towards her shoulder. She still doesn’t stir so I take my cold nose and push it against her uncovered neck. “Dammit Tiffany!” That’s my name, Dammit Tiffany. My official title is God but sometimes the humans forget to use it. “Did you feed her last night?” The male human grumbles “yes I filled her bowl” she answers. I dance in a circle on the female human’s back, I have them both awake now! The human mass under me moves quickly, she rolls on her back grabbing me with her arms at the same time, pulling me into her chest under the covers. Oh! Warm human cuddle time, my favorite! I purr against her chest and drift off to sleep. Visions of furry mice and birds outside the window fill my dreams. I’m running outside in the fresh air, hunting a fat robin in the tall grass. I sneak up on the unsuspecting bird and hunker down, I shake my tail wiggling my hind end winding up my spring. Fully coiled now I leap into the air, the robin never sees me. Claws fully extended I’m just about to grab the juicy feathered meal “Beep, beep, beep” The female moves out from under me reaching over to the night stand to make the sound in the box stop. ”Me-ow!” How rude! I almost had that bird! The female human leaves the room. I’m still sleepy and am now getting cold but there is still another warm human in the bed. I climb on top of the male human’s back. He doesn’t move. I walk up to his shoulders, nothing. I try the same nose trick that I did with the female, he snores. This calls for extreme measures. I extend my claws and begin kneading between his shoulder blades. He wiggles underneath me “Ow! Dammit Tiffany!” He rolls onto his side throwing his back towards the edge of the bed tossing me onto the floor. “Me-ow!” I land squarely on my feet and glare up at him with a dirty look. It’s no use, he is snoring again. 

I head off to find the female human, its due time she fill my food bowl with fresh food. I find her in the bathroom sitting on the toilet. She looks like she is still sleeping so I rub myself against her legs to help wake her up. She reaches down and stokes her hand across my back as I walk and forth against her. She gives my tail a gentle tug “meow” I let her know it feels good. She tugs again, I rub up against her leg and purr. She tugs once more but a little too hard this time, I dig my claws into her leg and bite the soft skin of her calf. “God Dammit Tiffany!” She jumps up off the toilet moving quickly away from me “Meow” Finally she gets my name right.  The toilet flushes and I race out of the bathroom heading down the hall to the kitchen. I turn around when I get to the kitchen, no human. I look back down the hall and she is just now coming out of the bathroom, with a new Band-Aid on her leg. 

I race back to her and help her walk to the kitchen walking in between her legs with each step. She takes a step out of cadence and steps on my paw “YEOW” I yell, that hurt! “Dammit Tiffany!” I plop myself down directly in front her to tend to my sore white toes carefully licking in between them. She steps right over me and continues on to the kitchen. I’m busy working on my paw when I hear the tinkling of fresh kibble landing in my bowl. I run down the hall, my paw no longer hurts. I slide to a stop in front of my food dish. The female human is busy at the coffee pot. I dive into the kibble salivating with each bite. A few kibbles in and I bite into a soft half chewed kibble. What is this? I spit the kibble out on the floor for further examination. I recognize this kibble, I spit it out last night when my dinner became stale. I sniff it, it smells like my drool! The humans have tricked me! They haven’t been refilling my bowl, they’ve just been mixing up the kibbles thinking I wouldn’t notice! I take two steps back and force myself to vomit my breakfast onto the clean kitchen floor. I’m not hungry now anyway and I’ll just lick the butter dish on the counter when they leave if I get hungry. As I’m walking out of the kitchen with my tail held high the still sleepy male human walks in. He isn’t quite awake yet and steps directly into my fresh pile of warm vomit “God Dammit Tiffany!”  “Purow!” Oh how I love to hear my name!