Mustangs!

I just LOVE our little mustangs, Cali and Scout. Cali is the palomino. She is the nicest, most calm horse! NOTHING bothers her. Not baths, not picking up her feet, not even a saddle! Ho-hum! Scout, on the other hand, THINKS things through and then SHE decides whether or not it is okay. She is definitely an alpha. I LOVE both of them! Aren't they cute?

Sexy Sunni!

I SWEAR by ground flax! It always makes him look so shiny! I buy it at the local health food store ($0.79 a pound) and I usually buy it 5 pounds at a time, grind as needed, and feed it to the horses. They ALL get it, but it really makes him nice and dark and shiny! Isn't he a sexy boy? (Sorry, girls....he's GELDED!) (tee hee!)

He can be a BRAT though! Right now he's going through his "Uh, uh. I DON'T want to be haltered!" stage. First it was the "I don't want to go through gates" stage...now the halter stage. I need to work him through this.

Feeling better and new pics!

Yes! I am FINALLY feeling better! The second round of antibiotics are knocking out the dreadful sinus infection! YEAH! I've never had a sinus infection before (I've got chronic bronchitis and I've had pneumonia 3x), so this was a new experience! Headaches EVERY day, pain shooting up to my brain, sensitive nose, eye pain...UGH...you get the picture. NOW, no more headaches! No more yucky mucus! No more sensitive eyes or nose! Whoopie!

Here are some new pics to celebrate! YEAH! That's Beauty, with the white blaze, and Sunni!

Memorial Day dreary Saturday

Bad news and good news. First the bad news. I'm still VERY SICK with that darn bronchitis, which has now launched itself into a severe sinus infection. My eye was so swollen and red I could barely see to drive up to the horses! Plus, a headache of monstrous proportions! Then, it was a dismal and dreary Saturday. COLD! It was 47 degrees up in the mountains with the horses! I was just too tired and weak to do ANYTHING with any of them! So, fed them some beet pulp and feed, and drove home.

The good news is that since hubby bought himself a new camera (hhhmmmm...that's ANOTHER story........), I got one of his old ones. It's a little Nikon Coolpix with a 10x zoom. Now I have to figure out how to use it! Our daughter also got another "hand me down" camera, one with an 18x zoom. And, son got another one. Hmmmm....now I'm wondering just HOW MANY cameras he really has!

Anyway...here are a couple of pics from yesterday. HA! I only took 3! I'm starting to feel a little better today.

Joe's blog May 9, 2008

Friday, May 9th... The morning journal today is dedicated to the following:Destiny VazavezAlia YahNahomy VasquezChristian VillafanaEmilySebastianHenryJeremiahMonicaMonesha ClaggettRobert BazuaAngel DelgadoKevin LeonLivetteOlivia VasquezLizabeth AndradeHenry ToribioMerieneiana ArriagaJesusIramMrs. Cheryl Dean - teacher at Valle del Sol Elementary School in Coachella, California. Her 3rd Grade Class.Not much money in the town of Coachella. These kids have very little. Yet they collect cans and bottles, turn them in for cash, and then send the money to help horses in need. The kids write Cathy and I letters, complete with drawings of horses and barns.And so today I dedicate my morning ramblings to the 3rd grade class in Coachella. Horses are universal. Your e-mails this week prove how horses are loved all over the world.

Yes, this is my class! Third graders from one of the poorest cities in California, yet these kids have opened their hearts to horses and horse rescue! They bring in water bottles and soda cans from home. One little girl goes to the park behind the water district, where she dances Mexican dances, and searches through trash cans for cans and bottles. Another little girl looks for bottles and cans in her neighborhood. Their teacher drives her new car ( a Honda CRV) to the park on Saturday and Sunday mornings and pours through trash cans! Then, she drives down back alleys looking for cans and bottles. I BEG teachers to save their soda cans! I asked parents for their bottles and cans during our Cinco de Mayo festival.

WHY? To save the life of one or two horses, if possible. Life is precious. I learned that today. Our STUPID DOGS knocked the screen off our bedroom door and our cat, Patches, was left alone to fend for herself with the dogs. I came home and, in horror, saw the screen door down. I thought Patches was gone! I was sure of it! I could visualize the dogs chasing her out of the bedroom. I poured her food into her favorite bowl, hoping that would entice her out from under the bed. No Patches. I called her. No Patches. I finally got down on my hands and knees and searched under the bed for her. She FINALLY came out! Then, I realized that I was crying. Life is PRECIOUS. Any life. An unwanted cat. (Patches had been left on her own at another ranch for 2 years and had to fend for herself.) An unwanted horse. THEIR LIVES ARE PRECIOUS and should NOT be thrown away. EVER. Eight Belles was precious. I'm still trying to figure out how and WHY she died at Churchill Downs.

Now, go hug your horse(s).

Gigondas

Gigondas is the 5 or 6 year old thoroughbred mare that I rescued from a feedlot up in WA state. She and Beauty were both there. I saw their photos online and KNEW I had to save them!

She took one look at my husband and FELL IN LOVE with him. Hmmmppphhhh! Well, in a way, I'm glad. They get along so well with each other and she trusts him. She puts up with me and has NEVER done anything bad, it's just that she LOVES him (go figure!). We had her in training a year ago, had her saddled 3 times, then the fourth time, when our trainer was ready to ride her, she exploded. She went straight up. Needless to say, her riding was put on hold. Then we moved the horses down here closer to us. Art hasn't done much with her, just lots of petting and letting her run in the arena. He walks in with the halter and if she wants to go, she'll come right up to him. If not, FORGET IT! He can't halter her. She stood perfectly still for our vet when she got her shots this spring. In fact, she was the BEST of the 5!

I'm writing this because today she showed how level headed she can be! Art took her up to the cross ties, tied her, and began to hose her off. Now, she has always enjoyed her bath. But, when the water went from lukewarm to cold, she pulled back on her ties, just like Sunni did a few weeks ago. Only, instead of absolutely PANICKING like he did, she stopped when I yelled, "WHOA!" She completely stopped! She settled down! Like a sensible horse! Hmmmm......and Art proceeded to finish her bath. GOOD GIRL! Nothing like a sensible thoroughbred. Oh, and now we can pretty much scratch her ears and around her eyes (that was NOT possible a year ago!). In fact, I was able to put fly stuff all over her face for the first time today. YEAH! Time and patience DO WORK WONDERS! She was an abused mare and didn't trust people and was very spooked by sudden movements. We have worked SLOWLY with her, no pressure...we certainly aren't in any hurry with her!