A Tough Goodbye

We received the sad news that Jax had to be put down a few weeks ago. One day his back legs wouldn't work and he was not able to stand in the pasture.

Even though Jax joined our family for only a short period of time, his loss is sincerely felt. He was a sweet, sweet boy who just wanted to please and loved "his girls" Casey and Audrey so dearly.







It is a very bittersweet ending. He was kept in a shipping container with no pasture for who knows how long...then when he finally hit pay dirt by being rescued by Animal Rescue Unit and subsequently adopted by Casey, he was only able to enjoy freedom for such a brief a time.

I'm incredibly angry that he had to endure such gross mistreatment, but I'm also indescribably thankful that he passed on knowing he was safe and loved.

Many pet owners are familiar with the concept of the "Rainbow Bridge." Many of you also know I am generally a skeptical person and try to pretend I'm above being sappy. But I found this poem today that gave my heart solace. The sixth stanza especially helps calm the storm of bitterness and anger within me for Jax's hard past, and for that I am truly grateful.

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Message from a Horse Spirit
by Katie Graham

Where am I, now that I am

   Gone from your life?

Leaving you lonely and sad,

   For that I am sorry.

But this is a warm place,

   And the pastures are green.

And now I know just how

   Much you loved me!

Everyone here shares the

   Kindness of your heart.

What am I doing, now that
   I have left your care?

Racing with wide-eyed 

   Foals, orphaned no longer.

Breathing crisp morning air

   With wise old work horses,

Now grown young and

   Strong again.

Looking at mountains

   Through the eyes of the
Blind who
   Can see.

Carrying on my back all of

   The folk who never had the

Chance to know the warmth

   Of my sweet horse breath

Or the thrill of a gallop, but

   Always yearned for it.

Visiting little girls who

   Dream of beautiful steeds, 

Flying over fences and racing

   Past the finish line,

Keeping them safe, giving

   Them hope.

  

Saddest and sweetest of all,

   Greeting the ones who

Cross that Rainbow Bridge. 

   Some were wild and free on

The earth, and they remain
  Wild and free. Some were
Loved and cared for, and
   The will be well loved
And cared for here. 

And some of the horses

   Trotting over that Bridge

Were

   Neither free nor loved.

Those are the greatest joy to

   Greet, for now they have the

Greenest grass and the

   Freshest water, and they

Will never be sick or in pain
   Or alone ever again. And
They will always be loved.

So cry for me as humans do,

   And then move on

To tend the mortal horses
   Who need your care and
Kindness. And take care of
   The children; help them
Find their dreams, nuzzle
   Them for me.

I'll be waiting for you
   When you come to pass that
Rainbow Bridge,
   We will piaffe through the
Clouds and leap the
   Lightning bolts, and then trot
On home together to
  Those green, green fields.

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Farewell Jax. You are safe and you are loved.

No Caffeine Needed

Sometimes I worry that I'll run out of stuff to write about. Silly me.

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My morning routine is to drag myself out of bed, put on my muck boots and a sweatshirt, and stagger out to feed the ponies before taking a shower and fully waking up.

This morning like usual I fed Cooper in his stall with his special grain and then got the buckets laid out for Tanner and Renegade. Their grain was running low, so half asleep, I was leaning into the grain bin to scoop some out when something shrieked and leapt at my face.

I yelled* and jumped back.

I stared at the bin as my body involuntarily shuddered. I looked at the tools in my hands, the scoop and a bucket, looked at the grain bin, and squared my shoulders. Let's do this!

The vague plan was to scoop whatever it was into the bucket and then release it outside.

Except that when I approached the grain bin for a second time, the creature again erupted in unholy shrieks and raced round and round the bin. There was no way I was going to put my precious face and arms at the mercy of this vile being.

The dogs started to go crazy, whining and trying to find the source of the shrieking. The dim light of the tack room gave no indication of what it was; it was just an ominous moving shadow.

I dragged the whole bin outside the barn, where I finally caught a glimpse of the monster.

Inside was the BIGGEST mouse I have EVER seen**. It stared up at me with its beady little eyes, clearly plotting my demise.

I didn't have my camera on me, but this is a faithful interpretation.

Once again I girded my loins and prepared for battle. I slooooooowly tipped the bin over...and then chaos erupted. Finch, no longer able to wait patiently, lunged halfway in and the mutant darted between her legs. Hobbes pounced, pinning it down until Finch turned around and rejoined the party.

I won't go into detail about what the dogs did then, but it's safe to say that the way they play with squeaky toys is indeed the way they kill live squeaky things. Surprisingly quick and bloodless though.

I feel a little bad for not mercy-killing it or at least holding the dogs back so it could escape, because even the most hideous of creatures is loved by someone***.

However, I am hoping that this was the famed beast living under the tack room that had been taunting Finch for weeks.

Maybe now Finch can have a little bit of peace...but I know I'll never be the same. Shudder.



Anyway, happy Friday!

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* I am more than a bit proud that I did not scream like a little girl, but instead emitted a dignified lumberjackish shout. I've always wondered how I would naturally scream in a scary situation...haven't you?

** Edited to add: It was actually a RAT. I told myself it wasn't since it didn't have a naked pink tail, but then I googled wild rats later and it totally was a rat. EW.

*** That someone is probably only its mother.

Renegade Report I

Renegade wins people over wherever he goes, and many are interested in how he does. The poor pony had been trained and then sat in a pasture for 5 years doing nothing, and as a result he lacks confidence in himself. He made amazing progress in 8 weeks with his trainer Norma and hopefully will continue his improvement as a Blonde Bomber! Rene is so smart and responsive that I am really psyched to work with him as a team.

So long story short, I'm going to provide occasional updates on Rene for those who are interested.

Tonight was our first solo ride and he did pretty well! He was not impressed with my stops to take pictures, so of course I made even more picture stops. :) We're also working on cruise control; he's not real consistent with maintaining a particular speed. Overall though, we had a great ride and I'm proud of him.

A rare event - Finch resting

Not content to just stop
and smell the hay bales

After the ride I rewarded Rene with some time to eat grass and myself with some time on the hammock. Finch joined me on the hammock while Hobbes did his best to get as close as possible.

All in all, a lovely fall evening! 

Pipe Dream

What an amazing fall weekend! Beautiful weather and chock full of friends, furry and human alike.

I am SO EXCITED about Piper's new home. I had met Shalegh on the Acadia trip; she moved her horse Seitte (pronounced like "Sady") to Lupine Farm shortly after Tanner and I left for BB Acres. Shalegh saw my post on Facebook about Piper being for sale and expressed interest, so I invited her to come up Friday evening for a trail ride.

Shalegh's expectations were low since she's a dressage rider and Piper is a western horse. Lo and behold however, Shalegh fell in love and it seemed to be mutual: Piper really responded to her in a way that she hadn't with me. Shalegh also shared that because of Seitte's extremely wonky confirmation, Shalegh has had to go to physical therapy. Definitely time to retire Seitte and work with a new furry friend, Shalegh!

Shalegh decided to buy Piper, a decision cemented by her boyfriend's similar immediate love of Piper when Shalegh brought him to meet her on Saturday.

Meanwhile, my friend Alex and I loaded up Tanner and Cooper (thanks for loaning him to Alex, Casey!) Saturday morning and drove up north to Lagrange, where we went for a lovely ride with members of the Maine Mounted Search and Rescue unit.

Thanks to Tammy for sharing this picture on FB!

This was also a chance for MMSAR to scope out my riding skillz and make sure I was a good candidate. Tanner certainly passed with flying colors...I had brought the wrong bridle so I rode Tanner the whole day in a nylon halter with reins attached and he was perfect. Despite being on the slowest horses in the group, we had a lovely time and enjoyed the warm weather.

During the day, I had texted Shalegh that if she coordinated it, I'd be happy to bring Piper and throw another horse on the trailer for a group ride with the ol' gang at Lupine. She sent a text back basically saying, "Weeeellll, we've got a ride scheduled at 9 am Sunday..........." So Sunday morning found me, Piper, and Renegade headed east.

At Lupine Farm I met up with Shalegh, Denise, Lauren, and Charlie and went for a long, adventurous trail ride. I also got to meet Lupine's newest human member, baby Willa, and say hello to her parents Emily and Bill and older brother Elliott. Nostalgia!

Rene was such a good boy.
And he looks so pretty in purple!

It was a great ride, and I was so glad to see Shalegh and Piper bonding. Or I should say, Shalegh and Reese, since she decided to go back to Piper's previous name. I will admit that it has grown on me, especially since Reese is peanut butter and chocolate colored, and who can dislike that combination?

Shalegh and her new baby

Photo credit - Emily

I could not have dreamed of a better home for Piper-Reese. Shalegh spoils her furry family and I know Piper-Reese will just blossom. I will miss her pretty face and sweet personality, but she is in the best situation that I could ever think of. Not to mention that I'm glad that Shalegh's body will get a break!

It was a beauteous, horsey, new and old friend-filled, soul-renewing weekend. My house is a disaster, but I definitely made the best choice for filling my time.

Goldilocks' Pony

As some of you know / have seen on Facebook (also, what is up with Facebook reporting EVERY LITTLE THING I do on there to everyone else?), Piper is for sale. She has a pretty uncomfortable canter, and since all I do is trail ride, I want it to be comfy.

I was talking with Casey about why it's totally acceptable to buy and sell horses willy nilly, when we (me included) judge people who get a dog or cat and then get rid of it. Part of it is because horses are damned expensive, and if it's not a right fit it is a lot of money going down the drain. Casey pointed out too that our level / type of riding changes throughout our lifetime, and one horse may not be suited to each level / type.

Whatever the reason, I've been playing Goldilocks, sitting on different horses trying to find the one that's juuuuuust right. Obviously I'd rather have a horse for a long time / furever, and Tanner is never leaving. But unfortunately Piper is just not the right fit.

My original plan was to wait til Piper sold, then look for another horse. It will come as no surprise to anyone ever that I fell in love with a horse before then and just had to have him.

Meet Renegade!

Renegade (Rene for short, pronounced "Renny") is a giant blue-eyed Missouri Fox Trotter gelding. Fox Trotters are a gaited breed, meaning their faster paces/gaits are different than normal. The breed was developed in Missouri (shout out to my Truman peeps!) to cover long distances while being comfortable for the rider. Bottom line, riding Rene is like riding a couch...like riding on top of a cloud...like riding on a calm, glassy lake. Basically it's amazing.

Rene is also a huge sweetheart and a joy to have around! (Although he did promptly end Tanner's reign as king of the pasture...but it was only a matter of time. Tanner was never meant to be a leader.)

To recap:
- Tanner is always a Blonde Bomber
- Renegade just became a Blonde Bomber
- Cooper belongs to Casey
- Piper will soon be leaving
- Hattie the donkey left to guard sheep

Pretty soon it will just be the three boys in the pasture: Tanner, Cooper, and Rene. So I'm doing fairly well on the not-animal-hoarding front!

Greener Pastures

BB Acres just got a little less interesting. Miss Hattie went to her new home today, where she will be guarding sheep and the only equine fighting for people's attention.

The decision to sell Hattie was hard, but she was bored and would much rather spend time with people than with horses. She would practically climb the gate every time Casey or I would pull a horse out of the pasture, wanting to come out and play.

At her new home, Hattie will be in charge of her own flock of sheep and will get huge amounts of attention from her new owners, Steve and Jill. I am sad, but also excited to hear about her new life.

:( but also :)

In her own little stall

A couple of her new buddies

Tanner and I took Hattie on her first (and last with us) pony ride last night (why yes, that IS how we Blonde Bombers spend our Friday nights!). We'll miss this sassy donk for sure.

PS: This is reason # 5,489 that Tanner is the best horse ever...I jumped on bareback with just a halter and lead rope on him, and took Hattie along. As you can imagine with a donkey, it was a little chaotic. Many times the lead rope got stuck up under his tail in his butt because Hattie would try to switch sides, or I'd be holding on with one hand in front of me clutching his mane and the other stretched behind me, pulling an unwilling Hattie along. I love my golden boy.

BBA's Most Wanted

WANTED:

MAY BE SEEN WITH THIS DOG:

Wanted for crimes against the olfactory system. Known for late night attacks. Gives biological warfare weapon to associate who then enters the home with it. Victims describe a lingering smell "of death" permeating their residence and clothing. May make them late to work.

If seen, do not attempt a citizen's arrest. And for chrissakes, do not let its associate into your home.