Tommy

12.29.19

Most likely this is the last blog post of 2019. I, for one, will be happy to say goodbye to this year, but happy about many other things in the future.

When I still lived in Maryland, I used to do some substitute teaching at various elementary schools nearby. It was what I actually went to college to become ( an elementary art teacher), so all those child development bits returned over the days spent in classrooms. Eventually, some schools realized that I was good at handling the "handicapped" kids. Those with health problems, those with emotional problems, and more. What a catastrophe in my first class was! Kids running rampant up and down the halls. Other teachers coming in to tell me to keep them quieter and much worse. Perhaps I wasn't cut out to be a teacher of humans. Maybe I needed to just teach horses and forget helping out if needed.

There was a little guy who was in a 3rd-grade class I tried to teach a few different times. Each time we got a little better and being "quiet" but still? Mayhem. The teacher had left me instructions to do certain things throughout the day but many times it just didn't happen.

One day, I stood up and told my "class" of 12 that we were not going to work on anything according to their teacher's directions, but to do some artwork. A couple of little girls were very excited as they Loved Art. We talked about what art was and had a few stories told. All the while that little fellow sat listening and paying attention. He normally was one of the rowdy boys as he'd had little to no discipline at home, but he was, soaking it all up.

It must have been two hours of almost peace while they all worked on their "Art". Almost... Every so often the little gal who was so mentally and physically underdeveloped would scream and smile. The rest would "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" her. I just smiled.  Then one of the other kids saw a bug on a window... Havoc occurred as all rushed to the window to see said bug. That took a good 25 minutes of "science" going on.  What IS a bug?  Where do they come from?  Why are bugs around? The answers were hilarious but I kept from laughing as much as I could.

Lunchtime came and off we all went to the cafeteria. Once that was done, recess was big on their list for the next item to happen. Off we all trooped to be outside. I had no idea how long recess was to be, so when the other teachers started taking their classes inside, so did I.  That worked well!

After lunch, recess, we had a 'quiet time'-  a sort of nap time but not really. Some read their favorite books if they knew how, some snoozed, and some, well one, screamed.

Back to finish our "art" - aka- drawings.  It wasn't long until it was time to go home via buses, parents, and the ones who walked with an older sibling.  After they'd all gone, I realized I was exhausted and didn't know just how this class's teacher did it day after day.

I was assigned to that same class of kids a few times and we all got to know each other quite well. They were always fun, loud but they also tried hard to keep themselves under control.

One morning, I had once again been called to "teach" another class and actually was looking forward to it. As I was walking down the hall to my classroom, there were lines of children walking along - I had no idea where, but there they were. All of a sudden, one little scruffy boy dashed out of his line and began running towards me. His teacher began calling to him, but he paid no attention to her whatsoever. He slowed down a little as he got close to me, handed me a piece of paper, and hugged my waist ever so tightly. It was Tommy... the kid who never ever showed emotion nor would allow himself to be touched, or would not touch anyone. EVER. I took the piece of paper and hugged him softly, telling him that his hug was perfect. Then, off he dashed again into his line.

Later on, a number of teachers who saw what had happened came over to let me know that Tommy simply did not DO things like that.  That was a big breakthrough... When I got home after classes were done, I remembered that piece of paper he'd given me. I opened it up and there was ( I think) a picture drawn by him- and right in the middle of "me" was a giant red heart. I kept that drawing for years afterward, and with various moves, it has disappeared. I'll never forget that little guy who understood kindness and that others have a big heart too.

                                

The end of it all

10.27.19

The 4-horse trailer has been sold- the new owner is picking it up tomorrow. This is the end of what I have known all of my life. Next will be moving to some stupid housing development with neighbors all around...

So, goodbye to being a horsewoman, goodbye to being a countrywoman and for whatever small things I am inside.

Soon, it will be taking a walk around the new neighborhood and dealing with kids, barking dogs and noise that comes with living around too many people. Not to mention cars/ trucks, etc.

The husband is as pleased as can be. Our farm has been listed for sale, and that'll be the next hurdle for me. He will be happy to be away from the "country".  I will hate it.

What's to come? Might run away and live in the mountains like a hermit would? Maybe just run away and not return? I haven't a clue... time will tell I guess.  Adapting is something I have always been good at, so we shall see. One thing for sure, I'll not ever be as happy as I was around my horses...

Welllll..............

10/2/2019
The auction happened. We sold a lot of things we no longer needed, and it was definitely a buyers sale. Things went for dirt cheap. Everything but for my gorgeous gold pickup. That went for more than what's listed as a normal price for a truck of its age. < sigh> My ancient tractor, Moses, was sold also.

The farm, however, as I figured, was not sold. It will be listed with a realtor, and hopefully sold quickly.  Horse farms are hard to sell in winter. I doubt it'll be sold now until spring.

I still have Briana, my draft pony, but no chickens any longer. I miss them but I am happy to know the last three are in a happy home with a dear friend of mine. She shares photos of them occasionally and they always make me smile.

This summer, it seems like all I have done is mow grass! Thanks to the plentiful rain and sunshine, it grew like something possessed. Every week some pasture needed to be mowed down. I used to love mowing- but sheesh, after this summer? Not so much. The farm sure did look pretty though. We got repairs done that needed to be done a few years ago, and that added to it.

There are a couple of houses that were liked by us both, but nothing absolutely perfect. The search continues I suppose... but we won't be seriously looking until this farm has a firm contract on it. It is like living in limbo for me.

Not being a person that enjoys people living right next door, I guess I'll have to adapt to it all and to look for positives to all of this. Quite a change from a horsewoman running her own business to a woman living in a housing development, I'm still not sure I will like it at all.

Briana is fine living alone- thank goodness. She's quite an independent little thing it seems. She rules the roost here now. When it's too hot for her to stay out all day, she watches the house waiting for someone to come outside. Then she'll "grunt" at them.  "Hint, hint, Briana is HOT and needs to be in her stall". She walks up to the gate and looks again to be sure I'm on my way.

She just wasn't sure about that auction!  Noise, people parking in horse pastures, that Awful loud man yelling all the time, the different smells and so many people walking around. Oh MY. She took it all in stride and just remained on the other half of her pasture. Being my nosy little beastie, she had to come up to the fence to figure out just what was going on. A friend of mine had come to help and she gave Briana attention- which I know Briana loved.

Again, next to my Percherons and Appaloosas, I adore this breed. The American Draft Pony breed is wonderful to have around and care for. They are sensible ( so long as they inherit that super brave draft horse mind) and such fun. Briana loves to go for drives- anywhere. She doesn't care, so long as it's fun for her and I try hard to keep it like that. There are so many horses that have been ridden to the point where they're dead tired and hurt badly the next few days afterward, that they learn to dislike being around humans. I can happily say I've not had a horse who learned that from me. I know how much I ache after a hard days' work but I can understand why. Horses don't, but they sure learn to associate a day of being ridden to aching the next day or two.

That's about it for what has been going on here. We do have three deer that come out and graze in the back pasture since it no longer has horses in it.  That is pretty neat. I believe they are the same ones that use the woods across the road for bedding down during the days. One afternoon, I saw them and got these photos of two. See, they still have their spots.

Summer 2019

Wow, have I ever been a slacker here. It has been an interesting Spring and early Summer at this farm.

First, we are downsizing BIG time. This coming September 7th, there is to be an auction here. We will sell whatever we won't be taking with us, and then once that's done, this farm is to be auctioned off. It appears my husband decided this, even if I don't agree.  And that's that.  Sadly, I've been sorting thru all of the items gathered over the years. Tough choices as to what to take and what will be for sale.

Many many memories in this "stuff" of mine. Some good, some not so good. I shall miss my wonderful hill at the top of the farm. Many's the time I have walked up there and felt as though I could see the whole world. Missing the mountain view already.

 This past April, I lost my last Percheron. Bojangles hindquarters had gotten so weak that there were times I feared he might stumble and go down. Never wanting to see that happen, we chose a day for him to move onto the 'Summerland'. He would be with his best friend there, and there wouldn't be any more pain for him.  The farm's vet arrived and I'd already planned where he would be buried. Gently he slipped away in total peace... Bo was ready to leave this earth. After it was all quiet, Briana and I walked to where he was laying so she could understand.  Horses know all too well about death... and I wanted to allow her to accept that he was gone. She's the only critter left here now on 4 legs. We stood beside him and she sniffed his neck a little, and another time. Then she was ready to leave, so we walked back to her pasture. No calls, no running like one who didn't understand it all.  She quietly went back to grazing, occasionally looking up the hill to where her pal was. And that was it. She has asked me where he was and I explained it to her again. Eventually, she was fine with it all. I thought perhaps to get another horse for her to be pals with. She hasn't fussed at all.  So perhaps she is independent enough to live with just me and those goofy chickens as pasture pals?  It has been good so far.  I know I'll miss him- all of his silly antics and how gentle and loving he was.

 Slowly but surely, I am marching towards a full retirement; I will be boarding my 'short horse' with someone I hope will care for her as well as I do, and that will be that.  The husband says we're going to do some traveling- but somehow I don't see that happening much.

If you have nothing to do on September 7th, come over and see what we have.

Snow- blech

2.26.19

I'm baaaccccccckkkk.  So far we've had 4 snows in 2019. Thank goodness, nothing really to amount to. But is sure has snowed- the last one was during the Polar Vortex and that was quite simply COLD. Bitter cold. Being on the East Coast, we have wonderful humidity that doesn't go away even in winter. So- one goes out to the barn, gets busy working along and all of a sudden, one is sweaty. Hahaha- one better hadn't be still for long or one will be Very cold. Layers are the way to go but eventually, they don't even help much.

Everyone came thru that bitter cold just fine, thank goodness. I stepped on keeping a lot of water available for the animals and we didn't lose electric power!

Now we have semi-melted mud and when it freezes, life is hard.  Walking is hard too.

So here I am, impatiently waiting for Spring to arrive, knowing full well, March still has to be dealt with. Just one more month and it'll be getting warmer again.  YAYYYY!!!!

I hope your winter has been easy to deal with- ours has- so far.

Here are a couple of photos I took- it seems the two  house cats LOVE to drink from toilet. Smudge, my black cat, didn't realize it was possible until Dexter showed him how it was done.

ewww, February

2.12.19

 What a winter it has been here. A LOT of mud, slippery slopes, and very dirty horses are all a part of winter but it seems there has been a lot of it. Oh- then the mud freezes around the ankle-deep hoof prints in the pastures and they quickly become mini potholes for we humans to fall over. I am not sure which I hate the most- the boot-sucking mud or those little 'tripsters'. Either one makes life a little more miserable to deal with.  I bet the horse people reading understand how very terrifying it is to the horse when a human falls down...
< winks>

Today, it is snow to contend with. Not much but enough to create a wonderland out of the farm. That is if one ignores the icy patches...

Our farm has slowly been downsized to just two horses by now. The husband and I decided last year that come this Spring, the farm would be for sale and we are planning on moving into a much smaller place.  Sadly enough, I don't think my chickens will be able to move with me. :(    I love my chickens but sheeesh- can't see them living with neighbors all around. 

The ring is below- can you tell my Percheron gelding has been in it?  Just about all of my driving cones have been knocked over. Hahaha- it is seemingly HIS job to knock them over and he does it really well

 Briana is a hoot lately. She's my American Draft Pony and reminds us so much of my Percheron mare, Evie.  Same look, same personality, and spunk.   I love her a lot and can't see life without her in it. When I lead her out to her pasture for the day, she's head's up, looking all over for something 'new'. If she finds it, we must head over to check it out. Lately, it's been an old green tarp. She'll sniff it, and push on it with her face in checking it out. Never has she been unsure of checking things out because I have never allowed her to be scared or hurt.  Trust is a glorious thing between a human and a horse. Lynn used to trust me explicitly and would give almost anything a checkout or a try. I'm hoping my pretty pony develops the same kind of trust.

There have been SO many untrusting horses

in my life and each one has belonged to someone else. Not ever has a horse learned fear or confusion when it was "owned'' by me. It's easy to develop and is wonderful to watch happen.  Sadly when the horse goes back to its rightful owner, and THEY have not learned the things needed to continue, it reverts back to how it was before.  Lynn was mine from the time she was 15 months old and hadn't been mistreated too much by her former owner, so she was great fun. Briana had had two owners and the first one really destroyed her trust in people when it came to having her ears handled. Still, she isn't 100% trusting about that, sadly enough. I just don't understand why people don't take some time and show their animals that clippers, etc will not hurt them... I guess because they either have little education in all that or just don't care. Forcing is easier and faster. At what cost to the equine though?

Below is my little smarty pants  :)

WHY do we continue to do it?

1.10.2019

Vent:

 So for years- decades actually- I have tried so hard to be nice to others. Sure, when I hurt so badly I can barely walk, there's a tendency to get crabby. There have been times when I have not said anything just to see it happen over and over again. Sometimes we horsewomen hurt to the point that we wonder "why".

Why do we keep trudging forward?

Why do we keep putting up with bad pay clients?

Why do we continue dealing with people who ask so many questions (yes, some over and over again) and never seem to absorb the answers?

Why do we put up with the supposed know-it-alls that have it oh so wrong but continue to teach students or train horses in abusive methods incorrectly?             ( the worst is that others actually believe them)

Why do we deal with fractious horses (their people too) just to have money coming into the barn?

Why do we head to the barn every single day - in knee-deep snow, in the 100-degree summer heat and springtime's torrential downpours?

 WHY?

Lately, I have once again opened this barn to those in the area who really want to learn how to be around horses in the correct manner. It began with inquiries from various people who when they found out that they (oh my gosh) would have to help at the barn in order to learn more. To me, it's an exchange of help (yes- stalls) and education. The 'barter system" if you may.

It began alright- but slowly but surely things dwindled down to the ever-popular " sorry" over and over again. I did my part in teaching all about horses (within a beginner's level) Finally it was enough and I took the option away. No more "sorry"- no more ''oh this or that happened" on the morning of the self-appointed day they should have been here to help.

And so it is over. I am finished dealing with people who haven't the smarts to realize that we barn owners/managers have needs too...

A need to be paid on time, a need to have a possible day off, a need to be able to discuss things with clients and not watch/ listen to their excuses, or 'hissy fits' about how terrible we are to even ask to have things accomplished, paid or just to stop gossiping.

Never do /did I want to run my barn or any others as far as that goes with the proverbial Iron Fist. There have been some managers like that and it bothered me. Sadly- now I understand their 'whys'.

I know there are many barn managers out there who have had bad pay boarders. Those people who don't seem to care whether they get their board or monthly lessons paid. Little do they know (or perhaps they DO know and ignore it??) that a farm is run by their prompt payments- each time, every time. I wonder how many would complain about a board being broken or a fence post lose? Do they ever consider that their late (or not at all) payments are used for that sort of thing? It is very expensive to keep a barn and farm repaired and safe for animals of any kind. We, horsewomen and men, take in other's animals to care for because we love doing it. Not "just for the money"- but it costs money to keep things safe and in good repair. Feed, hay, bedding, electric and more. Those who make late payments or just never bother are the ones who will be the first to complain or gossip to others who will listen about how bad it is where they board or ride.

And so it goes and here's one better educated, willing to help horsewoman 
who is closing those doors.