Awe, Best Friends...

Last spring a chicken hatched out her eggs, she had 9 chicks. Around here it is survival of the fittest...free roam and free-for-all. Including the hawks, owls, magpies, raccoons, and many other hazards, it's always a surprise when any of them survive. Well, this little girl made it! She never got very big and she always walked a bit funny, but she got by!

She was about the ugliest chick I've ever seen! Took forever for her to grow feathers around her neck, head and face, and her body was like a ball...really round. She was about half the size of a full grown Banty. She would hop up to me every time I was out by the barn, seriously, she would hop up in my hands! I would pack her around while I did chores...sometimes I would set her inside the scratch bag until I was done, just so she could eat without getting hassled by the others.

My horse, Dali, fell on the ice, was a little limpy, so we put him in a 12 by 32 run. I think he got a bit lonely cuz he and that chick were pretty good friends! Dali would lay on the chips and that little chick would be nesting beside him. Dali would eat and that chick would be by his feet. Iwould carry the chick around and Dali would nuzzle her. It was very sweet.

The chick wouldn't stay in the chicken house so the cold weather took it's toll on her. A few days ago I went to feed the horses and the little chick was dead...and standing over the top of her was Dali, his head hanging low and his nose almost touching her. It truly broke my heart. I think they were best friends. Who knew an ugly chick could keep a horse such good company?

I don't know about you, but I got a tear in my eye...again.

 

Road to the Horse 2011...a horse in the race...

RTTH...Road to the Horse 2011. Wow, Super Bowl for the horse person! And if you have a horse in the race, so to speak, it is all that much more exciting!

We live out of the way, in the woods, no high speed internet here, so webcast?...ya, right! Tried to buy tickets to RTTH in December for my hubby for Christmas and then we could do a little vacation in February...Murfreesboro, TN...that could be fun! Not! Sold out...oh no! OK, webcast...no reception. Plan C...let's hotel camp, buy the webcast and watch the RTTH there!! Oh baby, let's make this happen!!

On Friday February 25th we check into the hotel...settle in and load the magic webcast numbers on the computer. I thought ahead enough to make sure we got a room with a big flat screen TV and took the necessary cords to make the connection between computer and TV happen! Oh, man, the best seats in the house!! We kick back on the bed and watch it on the big screen! Couldn't have got this view if we had front row seats at the actual event!!

Road to the Horse 2011...starring Clinton Anderson, Chris Cox and Pat Parelli. These guys are considered legends in the horse world. It doesn't get much better than this...ok, maybe, John Lyons or Craig Cameron or Richard Winters or Ken McNabb or Tommy Garland...oh goodness, there are so many great horse trainers!! But these 3 are right at the top of the heap...really, it depends on the day with any one of them! That being said, we all have one that draws us a bit more than the rest, that would be your horse in the race!

The remuda of horses are herded into the arena and the horsemen draw a number to see who gets to pick first from that remuda. This year the 3 year old geldings are from the famed 6666 ranch! The horse they pick may well seal the deal as to who wins, but really, who knows until the fat lady sings! The 3 horses picked seemed to be pretty tough. Not the same brain power as horses used in previous RTTH events. Seemed Clinton Anderson's horse was hot...oooh, sizzle! I would not want to ride that one!! Parelli's, a bit more on the quiet side but totally pie eyed! Cox's, about in the middle of the other 2 horses. (Remember, I'm not a professional, I'm just a lowly commentator giving a blow by blow as "I" saw it!)

This was a 3 day event...it was exciting to watch and nerve wracking at the same time. You want the trainers to do well and the horses to catch on fast! I’ve watched all the RTTH videos since "In a Whisper" was released and I don't remember any of the trainers getting bucked off, but you know, there is always a first! When Parelli got tossed to the dirt, I'll admit, I laughed! Oh, some will say he fell, others will say he bailed...but he flat out got bucked off. Sorry guys! Parelli is a great trainer and he most certainly has put his mark on the horse world...but..he's a mouth. I can't count the times I've heard the 90 plus percent of the rodeo stock he has "not" been bucked off, so the horse owed him this one!

Now, I can hear some of you yelling at me "Anderson's a mouth too!" Ya, Mate, he's cocky, nobody is going argue that point. But for me, he's the lesser of the 2 evils and I like his method best...for me! It's a personal choice, nothin against anyone who disagrees! And Cox seems pretty quiet and passive...boring...great trainer, just doesn't keep my attention. I do plan to pay more attention to him and give him an honest shot though. He has a nice family...adorable kids!-- Oh, back to RTTH!

So, by now you know who my horse in the race was! Truth is, no matter who your horse was, the whole event was awesome! I liked that they had Susie Dobbs, Stacy Westfall and Richard Winters doing some commentating. I think it helped fill in some space for Rick Lamb. Richard Winters did a great job, he is knowledgeable and fair, and a great trainer himself...I think he brought allot to the table! And the more I hear from Westfall, the more I like her! I think the one element missing was Craig Cameron. He has an outstanding personality, easy going, easy to like and creates a great report with the crowds. He won RTTH 2010, it would have been very fitting for him to have taken part in this RTTH! As a competitor or commentator. Maybe next year!!

I like the "Freestyle" at the end of each clinician's presentation the most. And really, Anderson does the best freestyle performance of any of them, ever. Even if you think he is a one man circus act, you gotta give him credit for being gutsy and at a minimum ...entertaining!! Of course, I may be alone on this one!

So, Cox won. I'm not terribly disappointed with that choice and I'm not sure any one of them did any worse or better than the next, it's a tough job, I don't care who you are! But, I do have to wonder if Parelli's dislike for Anderson influenced the judges to go with Cox on this one and leave the other 2 to learn a lesson on sportsman like conduct.

Bottom line...this is a great event and it gets better every year! All the horse trainers/clinicians should be applauded...they have done wonderful things for the horse world and the horse lovers. I know I have learned something from everyone of them...even If I have my favorites, they all deserve credit for bringing it to us, sharing it with us and stirring our enthusiasm for the horse! Looking forwad to Road to the Horse 2012 !!!

Thank you Tootie Bland!

It's a slippery slope!

This is a view of my driveway a few weeks ago. It was sheer ice,  and there is a slight down hill run. The dogs are Goose, Grover and Miss Noodle. These dogs have a serious play agenda! They charge, pounce, jump, push, pull, trip, chew, anything they can think of to each other! Never a dull moment, and assuredly, never bored...not these three!

After a freezing spell, the snow started melting a bit. It left us with ice everywhere we had plowed...and that makes for some funny moments with the critters! The dogs, mainly Grover and Miss Noodle, will hide in the woods or crouch on a snow bank, and when another dog walks/runs by, they charge! The 2, sometimes all three will go sailing down the sheet of ice and slam into a snow bank and slide some more...then they jump up and do it again!!

Sometimes, a chicken might get in the way and they will go for a slide! Once, our big black rooster jumped down off the snow bank onto the ice and there was a whole lot of fancy ice skating going on! He was unable to keep an upright position for long but seemed to catch onto the summer salts quite nicely!

This ice makes for hours of entertainment for us humans! Of course, it's all fun until a critter winds up in the vet's office! I'd get all this on video but seems by the time I get the camera out, the critters act like "hey, nothin goin on here"!...But, some day!!

On One Leg!

When we leave our driveway, we then have another, oh, let's say 1/4 mile of easement road just to get to a "primitive" road that takes us to the narrow, paved 2 lane road that gets us to the highway...you get all that?! Ok, let's get back to the easement road...there are trees on both sides. To the north there is thick woods, to the south after the narrow row of trees, there is a field. So, as you can imagine, there are a plethora of critters that go back and forth across that easement road, from the field to the woods.

I personally have seen deer, moose, grouse, quail, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, turkeys...I'm sure I've missed a few! And, there's the domestics, dogs, cats, horses and an occasional human! Anyway, right now, the turkeys are out in force. Sometimes I will see a rafter...oh ya, that's what a group of these guys is called...a "rafter"....pretty smart, huh? Ok, wikipedia! -- So, sometimes I will see a rafter of 10, sometimes 100...I'm not kidding!! Lately, there has been a turkey in the rafter with either a leg tucked up under himself or a missing leg, regardless, he only has one useable leg! We have seen this guy for a few weeks now, hopping back and forth across the easement road.

Well, it snowed last night...not much, but a decent skiff, enough that it is perfect for tracking. At O-dark-30a.m., I went out to feed the horses...still dark. I see a track coming into the driveway, over the gate, across the yard, to the hay barn. The weird thing, it is a turkey track, the right leg of a turkey, in a straight line. No left leg, just the right, and where do the tracks go from the hay barn...well, to the chicken house of course!! It's a free meal, why the heck not!  Do you think my 2 BIG dogs know he is crippled up, because they sure aren't stopping him!!

All said and done, this little one legged, chicken scratch steelin, thieving turkey is pretty crafty! He has survived a pretty harsh winter, deep snow, underlying ice, extreme low temps, lots of owls, raccoons and a mega population of coyotes...and my dogs! I'm impressed with this turkey's survival skills. Maybe he will soon join into my daily follies, he seems to feel pretty comfy here on the farm!!

hmmm...

Why did the cowboy buy a dachshund? 



He wanted to "get a long little doggie!"
                                           
....YEEE HAW!!



                                                     

                                    

The Little Dog

I wish Christ had a little dog

All soft and loving like mine,

With two long ears and a nose all wet,

And big brown eyes that shine

I know that He hadn't because I have read

How He prayed in the garden alone;

For all the disciples had fled from his side...

Even Peter...the one called a stone.

I'm sure that a little dog

With a heart so tender and warm

Would never had left Him to suffer alone

But would have crept up under His arm

Would have licked the dear fingers in agony clasped

And counting all favors but loss,

When they took Him away, would have trotted along

And followed Him right to the cross.

ua

What is wrong with people...

Daughter in law, Dr.J, asks if we could maybe check out a house in the middle of nowhere on some mountain top, where abandoned dogs have been reported. The Sheriff’s office responded, found 2 puppies, one dead, and the momma dog, which he could not catch. The officer took the live puppy to Dr.J at her clinic.

Long story shorter…we drove up the mountain and found the abandoned house. Looks like the people shut down, locked up and walked away in a hurry…left it all, everything…food in cupboards, dishes in sink, garbage everywhere, trash in the yard, AND their dogs!! There is 3 feet of snow and the only tracks are from the abandoned dogs. No one has shoveled, plowed or walked up to the house except the one officer…and his tracks were snow covered! While we were struggling through the snow, there was an unsettling feeling, like the hair on your neck being disturbed! My hubby says, “shhh, I think I hear banjos”. Oh, hey, thanks allot! Like I need you to add to my creepy thoughts!

Ok, so no boogiemen, no one from the “Deliverance” movie…just dogs, abandoned , helpless, starving dogs. The information we had was there was a female (mom to the pup) that had a broken front leg. She was there. A sweet small Black Lab cross with damage to her front leg. AND there were 4 more puppies…adorable little Lab/Rott cross. AND a 6 month old female Lab/Rott cross, AND a year old female Lab/Rott cross.
You doing the math here? That’s 8 dogs!! 8 abandoned dogs! AND I’m sure we saw one more that we can’t find now. We took dog food up and left for that one…we will go back up and look for him in a couple days.

These dogs have been scrounging to stay alive. We saw a chewed on back bone that seemed to be that of a calf, and some venison bones were laying around as were a few empty dog food bags along with all the garbage in the yard. All the dogs had extended stomachs and crusty hair, add to that a horrible smell! So, they all went to Dr.J for a check up, shots and de-worming. Dr.J is guessing pups at around 7 weeks old so they are ready for new homes! 2 of which are now living with the pastor’s daughters and getting spoiled! I hear the other dogs are all doing well also. Dr.J thinks the leg on the momma dog will be saved.

We have the year old with us, and she is doing well, after passing all those horrid worms and getting some good nutrition in her. Isn’t it amazing how a dog can fair so well after being treated so bad. 3 days with this young dog and she now knows how to sit, lay and ask to go outside. She sleeps by the bed…all night without getting up, and she rides in the car like she is a world traveler. She gets along well with the other 4 dogs, lays with the cats and pays no attention to the chickens, ducks or horses. You gotta love a dog like this!! She already has a new home and will move in there next week…it’s just down the road so I will get to see her often!

Still, I’m appalled at the nefarious butts that think they can just leave a helpless critter to fend for it’s self with no consequences. Maybe someday they will suffer what their dogs did.