Oct 8, 2011

An Award


Ever so often in Blogland, a fellow blogger passes along awards to those whose blogs they read.  I would like to thank Arlene at Grey Horse Matters for recognizing Horsetrailriders. 

Like many of you, most of the blogs I read are horse related.  While geographically, Arlene and I are a half a country apart, I have enjoyed following Grey Horse Matters, seeing her beautiful farm via her pictures (the landscaping is to die for!) and sharing weather woes while we wait for the next spring.  And, we both have horses named Blue.  I started following her blog when she rescued Sami and Sweetie, or perhaps read back to the story, but was hooked ever since.  Thank you again, Arlene, for the award and especially for your kind words when we lost Ginger. 


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The award has a couple of conditions.  1) To pass it on to fifteen other bloggers and 2) To mention seven facts about me. 

I read a lot of blogs – many of those all of you read – so I will call out a few that may not be on everyone’s blog roll but definitely worth it to click over and visit. 


The Cheyenne Chronicles takes us to Scotland.  Don’t we all dream of riding there someday?  And do any of you who tune in to Cheyenne, read it with an accent like I do?

Mindee’s Our Front Door is another local blogger who I have been following for some time now.  Her blog has given me many laugh-out-loud moments. 

I love Shiloh Horse Rescue.  If I were to ever do a rescue, that is the one I would clone it after.  I love the that she has a “gummie” corral and pigs named Lindsey Lohan and Jimmie Dean.  This is what I would do if I were to win the lottery. 

Horses Are Our Lives:  Brenda is from my area and one of my riding buddies.  She is a trainer by trade and Windy has spent many days at Camp Messick for tune-ups.

Painted Creek Farm and Ranch Girl Diaries:  Bloggers, horse lovers, sisters. 

Funder, of It seemed like a good idea at the time..., is a distance rider from Reno.  I love reading about her rides, her Dixie mare and she is incredibly funny.

Fantastyk Voyage:  Val, and her daughter Sheila, from New Mexico, was a special guest at the Friday Before Mother’s Day ride a few years ago.   It’s great to keep in touch with her via our respective blogs.

MiKael of MiKael's Mania is the “mini-series” writer of blogs – focusing on a story line and bringing it to life over several days.

Maery Rose, also from the midwest is a Cowgirl by Proxy.  She is a writer, mom to dogs and horses and a wonderful photographer. 

When it’s It's Sunny in SD, it is probably sunny here, too, as we share state lines. 

The Barb Wire:  Raise your hand if you want to look and ride like Tamara!  (My hand is up!)

50 + Horses:  The title got my attention even though I wasn’t quite there… yet. 

KC at All Horse Stuff and I have bay mares separated at birth.  And some day, I am going to ride those Oregon trails with her. 

Follow Robin and Steen On the Trail to Somewhere.  And, she is bringing her husband along for the ride.  His blog is Diplomatic Bear

And finally, Debi from Greener Pastures.  I so wish we were closer as I would love to meet her in person.  I think we could talk for days. 


Please - be sure to check out my blog roll to the right of this post.  These are all must reads!


And…. drum roll…. the 7 (dreaded) facts about me.  Hmmm.  I am such an open book that it is hard to come up with something I haven’t already shared…

1)  For those who follow football, although I am a Nebraska native, I am not particularly a Nebraska Husker fan.  Oh, I want them to win and all, but the game is on while I am typing and probably 2.8 out of 3 televisions in our state is tuned in, I couldn’t care less. 

2)  I was 31 when I got married.  We have been together 23 years.  My mom was 30 when she got married (her first and only time). 

3)  My first car was a Ford Torino.  I think it was a 1968 and disgusted that I can’t remember for sure because, for a girl, I am pretty good about knowing years of cars. 

4)  I am a speeder.  It has taken too many tickets and a teenaged boy on our insurance to finally get me to slow down.  But there are still some days I will glance down and be going 80 mph.  My Durango with a hemi stays garaged most of the time and I commute in a 2000 Ford Focus.  It keeps me out of trouble. 

5)  I love to mow the lawn.  And I don't like vegetables.  I know, technically 2 things but I thought they went together.  ;)

6)  Dogs love me.  As I sit here, my “team” of dogs are all nearby and would be on my lap if I’d let them.  (I don’t think they like Husker football either.)

Am I done yet?

7)  There are a few people in my life who can make me laugh until I cry:  my sister and brother, my boss and my friend, Jules.  There are others, but these four come to mind first and foremost.  I have totally lost it in churches, meetings and stores when with one of these culprits.  And in my book, there is nothing better than laughter. 

(PS:  To sound like I am somewhat interested, I just asked John what the score is.  And I have no idea what he just told me.  That is just how interested I am…. )

Oct 1, 2011

A Hard Act to Follow


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Butter has been on an extended vacation but that’s about to end.  It’s time she steps up to the plate and she has some big horse shoes to fill.  I guess for now, she’ll be John’s main ride.  And my back-up horse.  And the guest horse extraordinaire.  She’s kind of a cranky thing; I’m not sure she is going to like these extra duties.

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Case first rode Butter in 2004, then owned by a friend of ours.  At that time, she was just three years old - and certainly not an age for a young child - but had a nice start and was a good size for our then seven-year old boy who had been riding for almost three years.  The next year we had an opportunity to buy her and we did. 

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The boy and the horse grew up together.  While good parents would most often find an older horse for a child, Case and Butter did okay together.  Oh, she got away with things she shouldn’t have and as a team they probably were a little too wild, but the boy is now almost 15 and Butter is 11, and they have had a lot of fun and survived so far.   


From boy....
From boy.....


To young man....
To young man....


Butter isn’t a tall horse; she stands just at 14.2hh.  But she is stocky built and although short, I have never felt “too big” on her.  As Case passed me in height, I kidded him about being too tall to ride Butter, his long legs hanging well past her stomach.  He hasn’t rode much this year and she has grown more buddy and barn sour.  The last time we had Butter and Ginger out, I opted to ride Ginger and let John deal with Butter-butt.

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I don’t know what John will do about getting another horse.  If it were me who lost Windy, I would probably finish the season on one of our other horses but would definitely look for my own horse.  But riding isn’t as important to him as it is me.  He definitely had a bond with Ginger.  He loved her spirit and I am pretty sure he feels he can’t replace that with another horse.  It would bore the hell out of him to go look at some well broke horse that lacks the fire he felt with Ginger.  His idea of horse shopping would probably be the loose stock they run through at the end of a sale.    And that’s okay, too, if that is what he wants.

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For now, if the weather holds, we have one more camping trip planned next month.  I asked if he planned to take Blue or Butter and he said Butter.  So I will start putting a little time on her so she is in some sort of shape for the trip.  Her days of leisure are over. 

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