Pepper

Here we go with the story of Pepper. Bob calls him his wonder horse. I call him a spoiled brat. However he is a great horse that anyone can ride. If you are experienced, he does well, if you are a beginner he takes care of you and if you are a child, he babysits. I have been giving riding lessons on him since he was five. I believe he is about 11. I would have to go look at his title. We adopted him in Burns Oregon when he was about 10 months old. Bob told me to go pick the best in the pen of yearling colts and I did. He wanted a dun but Pepper was the best I saw. It was at a Kigerfest. Pepper is a Riddle Mt. Kiger.

The picture is of Bob working with Rusty off of Pepper. He has been very good at that. He will pony a horse and really work at it. When I was ponying the horse that bucked Bob off last year, Pepper was doing all he could to help me keep ahold of the rope and pull the horse around. It was too much for both of us and that is when Bob went off.

Pepper in his stall. That is not his favorite place to be but he likes the grain he gets. Actually very little grain but its what we mix the supplements in for his eyes. He is going blind. I don't know what it is called but the colored part of his eyes are deteriorating. We kept it at bay for a couple of years but it gained on us this winter. He still sees pretty well. Good enough to trail ride.

This picture is at Valley Mission arena. He is in the rear behind Dixie and Katies horse Abby. We had participated in Mustang Days and after it was over we turned them out to run and roll. They had mostly been in stalls for 2 days and enjoyed the romp. We did have a little trouble catching them. Mustang Days this year is June 27/28. Saturday will be Meet our Mustangs and Sunday will be an open schooling show with special Mustang classes.

Pepper looks longinly over the fence after he watched me put in their grain and hay into the stalls. He thought I was being rude for making him stand there and take pictures when he wanted in to eat. We probably have more pictures of Pepper than of any other of the horses but other than Rosie and Ditto, we have had him the longest.

This is a picture off a our Back Country Horsemen calendar. Ryan our grandson who was 10 at the time rode him for a week in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. They had a really wonderful trip. Ryans job was to take salt to the horses every evening after they were tied on the highline. I stayed home and babysat the farm.

I thought I uploaded a couple of others but they did not seem to come up. One is our daughter riding in the back country last summer on Pepper and the other is Bob riding him bareback and ponying Raven with Dixie ambling behind on their way back from water where we were camped. That place is my favorite place to go camp and ride. It is at Larabee Corrals on Craig Mountain south west of Lewiston. At one place you can see both the Salmon and the Snake Rivers. We are going down to Craig Mt. over Memorial Day weekend this year but we are going to Madden Corral's which is a great place too. So much fun and lots of good trails. We have seen lots of deer and Elk.

Today was grey and it looked like the snow that was predicted but did not fall, yet anyway. I made Valentines for our young grandsons in Arlington. I had to send Tylers W2 to him so sent them all together. I wish Tyler had returned but he is almost 21 and not going to do anything he doesn't want to at this point. I did pack all his stuff up though and he will need to come get it at some point.

I am anxious for the little truck to get a license on it so I am not stuck home. I might not go anywhere but when I can't of course I think of all the places that I would like to go.

Raven

A few weeks after we gave our filly Cricket who was a Kiger Mustang to our grandniece Caroline, we were told about a mustang mare that a lady wanted to give away. We called her and made an appointment to go see her at a stable not too far from us. When we got there she was eating. Bob took a hay string and put it around her neck and she came right with him. We looked at her and she had a calm gentle eye. We called the lady went over to get her title. She told us she had bucked her off and she was afraid of her. We thought we still would give her a try.

We did. I don't think she bucked, I think she spooked sideways and the lady fell off. She has never offered to buck at all but has some spook when you go on the first few rides of the season. Bob has ridden her hundreds of miles, he packed her once. She did fine in the open but that spook came out when the pack boxes hit a tree and she took off but came right back to Bob. He hasn't done that again but she would get used to it, I know. The top picture is Bob closing a gate that we had just ridden thru and the second picture is riding across a meadow down on Craig Mt. last summer.

Raven is the lead mare. Not mean just boss. She has gotten a steroid shot every day for 3 weeks now and she just stands there eating when Bob gives it to her. She knows I think that it is going to help her. Her upper lip is much better. It does not hang to one side near as much as it did. She has 3 more shots and then we hope it will get better on its own. Dr. McKinley said the nerve would regenerate about 1/4" a month. That is not very fast.

This is a picture of Bob and I. I thought it was Raven when I posted it but its Pepper. That is another day.

It was a good day. We went to church this morning and did some errands while we were in town. We went down to Shannon's and got her small pickup that she has just sitting there. We will pay for the license and insurance and I will have a vehicle to drive while Bob has my car at his work which is turning into a courier job and the car gets good mileage. I will like not being stuck here and Bob is going to put the gooseneck thingy in it for the horse trailer so I can go ride locally if I want. That will be nice this summer. The truck is automatic and I like that. We are so greatful for Shannon for loaning it to us. She gave it to her sister but she never came and got it so we borrowed it.

The sun shone today and more snow melted but we are predicted to get more but not much. I hope not, I like the sunshine.

Cathy can't go to Albany with me but maybe Kathy Spring will. I would love to have someone to share expenses and company for traveling. At least I have a motel room at LaQuinta.

Saturday

When my telephone does not work, I don't have a computer because I have dial up. Sorry but thats how it is. Last night when I sat down here I discovered I could not get on line and when I went and checked we had no telephone either. That happens when it gets really wet.

This morning bright and early we went out to Centerplace to McKinley Equine customer appreciation day. A vet talked first about composting manure, shavings ect. into horse bedding. That sounds interesting. Bob is going to look into it. Each horse generates an incredible amout of manure in a year. I think 10,000# per horse. She also advises feeding your horses every 2 hrs. Not happening here. She recomends automatic feeders but they are pretty spendy. She writes books now about horse management

Also Dr. Bob Peters spoke about dentistry in horses and I learned ALOT. He was very entertaining as well as informative. He talked about a horse with a mishapen tooth that grew wide as well as outward and the baby tooth was still under it. He had to open her jaw and use a chisel and a mallet to remove the tooth. It sounded alwful but the poor horse had been in pain when she went to the trainer and of course that did not go well. He has to do some more surgery on her mouth soon. He had pictures and exrays.

Then we broke up into groups, One on emergency treatment till the vet gets there - one on colic, one on shots and one with the purina rep about feeding. It was interesting and informative. I did not get to the one on shots but did the other 3. Time ran out.

We had a nice light lunch/brunch type refreshments, all coffee and water you wanted. Lots of door prizes but we didn't win any. It was a good day. We stopped at Big R for some Sr. Allegra and some dog food and we ended up with some other things. Who can go to Big R and only get just what you went for?

Yesterday I went to a baby shower for the mother of our soon to be 4th. great grandchild. If the ultra sound is incorrect and this is a boy instead of a girl, he will look pretty in pink or she will have to return alot of things. Baby is due about the 20th. Like most first time mama's she thinks the baby will come early but its not usually what happens. It was good to see our grandson Robby. It has been a really long time and that has made me sad. He is the son of our son who died 6 years ago the 16th. of this month. Today would have been his 48th. birthday. We miss you Scotty.

Barbara at the Serenity room is giving away a book. I didn't win the Valentines Day prize, but I would like to win the book. Here's my entry Barbara. You are so generous.

I made reservations in Albany for the Horse Expo. I hope Cathy Johnson can go with me but if not, me and myself will go. I am excited. Not only to watch the Extreme Mustang Makeover but Craig Cameron and the Extreme Trail Challenge. Plus all the vendors and all the other clinicians. I am leaving March 19th. and coming home the 22nd. Its my exchange for not getting to go to Mississippi this year. No way can we afford that. So I am sad about that but glad for going to Albany.

See you tomorrow, God willing.

Thursday the 5th.

Sunshine and nothing bad happened. I went out and played with Dixie and Ditto for a while. They were having fun and so was I. They ran laps around the barn playing keep away. It was a good day.

The people with the chicken eatin dogs, happened to be friends down the road will make it right and the dogs are tied up. If they are caught loose, they will be incarcerated permanently. One of the hens that survived is the oldest hen we have. She probably doesn't even lay any more. She is blind in one eye and has a funny leg so she limps around. She got that way in the first dog attack we had several years ago and she got away. We thought she would die but she lived to survive an attack of a wild critter for life two. She disappeared that time and we thought she was dead but after a few days came hobbling out. Now she survived another. I was so glad to see her. We call her Lucky.

Bob calls our place the funny farm because of the funny animals we have. The horses each have their own personalities, the donkey is a clown, the goat thinks he is King Tut or something like that. His name is Oliver. We have the gimpy chicken and Pretty Boy the rooster with no tail left. He is embarrased.

Tomorrow I am going to a baby shower for the mama of our next great granchild. She is due to be born in about 3 weeks. It will be fun to have a tiny baby around again.

I just looked at the calendar and my oldest, bestest friend's birthday is tomorrow. She and I have been friends since we were 4 I think. Her name is Louise and she lives in Denton, TX. I will have to remember to call her.

Wednesday

Do you ever feel like you are in the middle of a black cloud hanging over you. One thing after another - nothing good. Or an attack from some evil force? We are in that place.

This morning, before I got up, and Bob had left for work, he got a call on his cell phone from a friend who lives down the road a ways and told Bob that a big black dog came out of our driveway with a dead chicken in his mouth. Bob called me and I went out to check and there were dead chickens all over the place. I saw the dogs, they were there with the chickens and I yelled at them and they took off. I got a little hysterical and called Bob back. I went walking down the road to see if I could see where they lived maybe. They were in the field next door. I came in and called Animal Control.

They sent an officer out, she took pictures and we saw the dogs next door just watching us. She went and caught one but could not catch the other one. He is still at loose. We think we know where he lives. Bob will go take care of it when he gets home. We have 15 hens and one rooster. We now have a rooster with no tail feathers and 5 hens. All traumatized and feathers all over the place. Makes me sick and MAD. If a coyote or some other wild animals gets them, they take them for food, don't usually kill for the fun of killing. These dogs did that. Just killed. If I could have gotten close enough I would have shot them but couldn't.

So thats been my day. Not fun.

Our horses are better. Even Rusty ate this morning. I put our horses out for the day. They are not 100% but well on their way. It took Ditto a long time to eat her breakfast but she ate it all and so did Rusty. The other two seem to be pretty normal this morning. That is a huge relief to me. I want to ride soooooooooooooooooooo bad. It is still too icey though except on the road and I don't like riding on the road.

Tomorrow Barbara of Serenity Room is drawing for her Valentine giveaway. Go and make a comment and you will be in her drawing.

Tuesday

Well after a night of watching the horses. Dixie in particular gasping, they all made it thru the night. Pepper was pretty much himself by midnight, Dixie started her turn around about 7 or so this morning, Ditto later this afternoon and Rusty still had not eaten at 5 but was up and moving around. She got another dose of Banamine.

Dr. Porter called about 4:30 today with the blood work results. Nothing in particular showed up. We are quite sure there was something poisenous in the bale of hay that got fed yesterday morning. They could not pin point it though. If she had not tubed the 2 mares they would probably have died. That flushed their systems and got it out before anymore got absorbed. So this evening they got some grain and a little hay that we knew was OK. Tomorrow we start them back on regular diet and watch them like hawks. The three in the barn will get to go out tomorrow though. Dixie and Pepper wanted to today.

If Rusty is not chipper tomorrow she will have to come and due some more checking. I am sure she will be though. For a barely gentled mustang she was wonderful about shots and all that the vet did last night.

We had fed about 2 tons of the very same hay and this one bale was bad. It makes us leary. We have bought hay from the same guy from the same fields for the past 6 or 8 years. Cannot imagine.

Anyway we all survived. I got very little sleep, Bob got less and bed will be very welcome tonight.

Today is our oldest son's birthday. We almost forgot to call him. Bless his heart.

This is the last week of Serenity Room blog give away. Its a great give away. Worth looking at.

Thanks everyone for your concern.

Not a good day

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Four of our horses are really sick and the vet does not know if Ditto and Dixie will pull thru it. Pepper seemed better this evening and Rusty is so so. At least she stayed on her feet. We have not an idea for sure what is the matter except they eat the same hay and the pasture horses eat another hay. They do not have good gut sounds, Ditto had barely any. Dixie's were not good either. They all four had blood drawn, and Ditto and Dixie got tubed, and all 4 got Banamine shots. As sick as Dixie is she had to sedate her but Ditto is so sick she just stood there and let the vet stick the tube down her nose. So $815.00 later we still don't know if the two mares will make it or not. they were fine yesterday but did not eat this morning. Dr. Porter thinks there was something toxic in that bale of hay but its gone so she could not take a sample of it.

Thanks loads for your good thoughts and prayers. I will keep you updated. Bob is taking the first stretch in the barn and I will do about 1 or so for the rest of the night.