2009

I usually write my blog and then look for pictures to go with it. But in this case, I am having a hard time recapping 2009 - so many good times! So I looked to the pictures first for inspiration and I'm smiling. Despite the fact that it is 7 degrees right now and there is over a foot of snow on the ground, it was a good horse year!

I started the year with setting my Trail Time goal: Three hundred hours in the saddle. The year started out strong! We had a lot of nice days in late winter plus I started to condition for a Competitive Trail Ride (another goal), so I was way ahead of plan. But the arrival of winter in late fall quickly changed things. Yes, I made it - 313.5 hours, but didn't exceed the time by as much as I had hoped. I rode over 650 miles and put almost 5,000 miles on the truck for horse related activity. With the price of diesel, I don't want to do that math!

On my bucket list was riding Windy in a Competitive Trail Ride. In May, we traveled to Smithville, Missouri and despite getting 5" of rain in 2 hours the previous afternoon, we did it. Not only did we complete the ride, Windy came home with the coveted 6th place! We had so much fun, we did it again in September! I said it was just to "get it out of my system". But I hate to admit, I've kind of got the bug for the sport, so who knows what 2010 may bring in that regard.

Throughout the years, horses have been a family hobby. I have to admit that it was more my thing than the rest of the family, but they continue to humor me though not as frequently anymore. My boys have turned out to be good riders and although it is not their passion, I joke that I have prepared them well to be a good horse husband to some horse crazy girl they may hook up with later in life!

My circle of horse friends is incredible. I have said many times and will say it again, if I can't find someone to ride with, I must not be asking. From our Wednesday Platte River Rides to our Horsetales trip to Big Canyon, day rides to weekend camp trips, I truly do not think I would enjoy this horse life as much as I do without friends like this to share it with.

And I won't brag anymore on my horse.

You all know how I feel about her!

Thank you all for an incredible horse year.

I can't wait to do it all again in 2010.

Happy New Year!

The Calvary Wears Green

John was unsuccessful in bringing his tractor up from the shop. There is still too much ice on the county road. He made it half way up our hill and started spinning out. He had to go back. He attempted to come through our pasture and then through the alfalfa field, but the terraces are too deep with snow. It was time to call in the calvary; our neighbor on his big green tractor.



Ron was very surprised to find us buried under so much snow. Living just down the hill from us (his farm is behind the treeline in all my sunrise pictures), his buildings and trees allowed the snow to pass through without much drifting.

Now this is moving snow!
(Pay no mind to the flying monkey at the end of the clip.)

It didn't take him long to open it all up for us. The biggest challenge was where to put all the snow. God help us if another storm comes in because there is no room left - we are piled high! And I can't imagine what the drifting will be like the next time so we are praying there won't be a next time until these piles are gone!

No sooner was the driveway cleared than we hopped in the Durango and went to town. We needed milk and were getting low on dog food, but nothing we couldn't have survived without. We were more curious what the rest of the county looked like. And it was strange, but we didn't see near the chaos we expected. It was like we had our own little hell going on upon our hill, but the rest of the world was scooped out. The highway was clear. The snow piles left in our driveway by the big arse John Deere are bigger than what we saw along some of the roads. I'm not saying it wasn't bad, its just the winds must have been just right to cause incredible drifting on our farm; the perfect storm.



Pulling into our yard, I was thinking about how just two days earlier we plowed through this same driveway on our horses; snow up to their chest. And now here we are, business as usual, and back to our regular scheduled programming.....