Cleaning out the house and Quad

We have our annual city FREE trash pickup next weekend, so yesterday afternoon our daughter and son-in-law came over and helped us...er... "purge" our bedroom and my office.  I've been laundry all day today and only took a break to go to brunch at their house and watch the grandson have his first Easter egg hunt!  We stuffed the eggs with quarters and dollar bills, so he can add them to his savings account!  He got a new train set from our Prescott trip and his dad set it up for him and he learned how to turn the engine on by himself (it uses batteries)...We are all exhausted, since it was in the mid 80's here today.  Daughter even had to turn on the air conditioner which is a big "no-no" this time of year, since the rates for doing so are out of this world!!! Anyway, I now have a nice, CLEAN and well-organized office now for my blogging (no more sitting on the couch for me!) and my own office!  FINALLY!!!  Hubby has his office in another room.  Both offices are the kids' old bedrooms.  You know, it's really a NICE feeling to have my own space!  I really need it.  And, today was Quad's 8th birthday.  Nobody was home up at the ranch and I have a furlough day tomorrow, so I'll drive up and brush him and let him out into the arena. Happy Birthday, big beautiful boy!

Quad

After dealing with "Ms. Attitude" (Gigondas) on Tuesday, it was a real treat for my trainer, Maia, to work with Quad, who was very relaxed and cooperative. She didn't bring her english saddle, so she put one of my Western ones on him...ho hum. He stood quietly for his fly spray (the flies here are AWFUL and they even bite us!). Doesn't he look handsome in black?

Status of the herd: Quad

Well, Mr. Poopy Pants is back to normal. I got an email from the ranch owner that he now has normal poop, not runny. Phew! In case you missed my previous post, Quad reached through his corral and knocked over my gallon jug of Coca-Soya oil and then licked it all up! It was about half full, so that was a LOT of oil. It DID clean him out, however, and did remove a lot of sand from him! But, now he's back to eating normally and pooping normally, too! :-) When I stumbled out to the living room this morning, one of the dogs got into my 3 sample bags of dog food and ate it all up! Don't we feed our animals ENOUGH?????

Guess who?

Peek a boo, I see you! Goofy Quad!

Yesterday

Yesterday was a good day. I got up to the ranch about 8:30 a.m. and was immediately greeted by Gigondas. I brushed her and took her down to the arena for some exercise and training review. Unfortunately, as I reached to unlatch the lead rope, she bolted...sigh...so I caught her and worked with her on standing quietly and allowing me to unlatch her. I also reviewed all her commands (stay, back, come) and she remembered every one of them! She is such a smart girl! Wow! I'm amazed how she remembers her lessons. She leads very quietly now and isn't pushy (like she used to be). Next, it was Sunni's turn. He has always leads very well and he isn't pushy (remember, he is a "wallflower"...see yesteday's post). I worked with him , lunged him, and went down both back legs. He is very good with the "stay" command and will ground tie. YEAH! After working him, I let him run, too! After that, I took him up to the wash rack and gave him a nice shower all over. Ahhhh....I bet that felt good! Of course, 5 seconds after he was all clean, he rolled in the dirt and covered himself on both sides. As you know, the flies this year have been AWFUL, so I guess he was getting ready for the day! Finally, I took Quad down to the arena. He leads so well and is so easy to work with! I just let him out and let him run and enjoy the day. By then, I was exhausted, the temps were rising, and it was 1:00 p.m. I meant to give him a bath, too, so I'll have to do that today. It was a good day. I'm surprised I was able to work with 3 horses as 2 is usually my physical limit. So, I'm glad I pushed myself, that the weather was reasonable, and there was a slight breeze in the morning. Here are some pics from yesterday. Yes, that's Sunni AFTER his roll in the dirt (and his bath!) Dirty boy!

Quad and Santa Anita opening day plans

Quad has his long, winter coat. While his hair isn't as tight as the mustangs, it is interesting to rub my hand over his coat. He's very interested in eating that extra meal right now and hardly even looks up from his feeder! But, he did amble over to me one day for a sniff, and then back to his feeder! We have had a few days to dry out lately and no rain is in our forecast, so this weekend will be nice and clear and warm. The ferrier is coming over on Saturday to trim all the horses at the ranch.

Hubby surprised me yesterday with plans for the Santa Anita opening day! I've attended twice in the past and this year, with a list of activities, he decided we should attend. We'll get a free calendar and get to see the unveiling of the John Henry memorial statue, and see Zenyatta! I can't WAIT! Here's the link to the Santa Anita activities: http://www.santaanita.com/content/about-santa-anita-park Of course, I'll take 10,000 photos, enough to post for a year! Since we aren't traveling during Christmas break, it will be a short break for us, some relief from the desert.

More Quad pics

I didn't get up to the ranch on Sunday as I came down with the flu. I've been home, in bed, for 3 days now, but I'm well enough today (though still weak) to straggle into work. Fortunately, I took a lot of photos of Quad on Saturday, when Molly came along with me. Here is Quad in his winter coat. See how thick and wooly he is getting? I'm always amazed when the horses' winter coats come in!