Today - How's it going for you?

Today is the last of 2010 - got to get used to writing 2011 tomorrow.......Today my gelding's blanket is hanging on his door. It is 50 degrees outside - supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. We had single digits and snow last week and they will probably be back next week - in the meantime, my hairy guy (the horse) is up for a good deep scratching that he couldn't get with his "blankie" on. His two little mini friends who are so lovely in the summertime are now little furballs with noses and toes....cute, cute, cute. Today, spending a few hours at the tack shop - the economy is just too soft....we are keeping the mobile unit to go to horse shows, but we are dropping the store - not fun putting in 60 hours a week for 25 cents an hour. Have dogs and horses to work, and gardens to restore - will stay busy. Today I have a sore back - I slipped on some ice last week and jammed by neck, then two days ago bent wrong moving hay - EOWWWW!!!! It's getting better, but no New Year's Eve trail riding for me.....maybe just a BIG mug of hot chocolate with a swig of Peppermint Cremora stuff in it - YUMM!!

Hi Audie!

Sorry to read of your injury of late. I know that feeling all too well. While I don't mind snow, the ice that seems to follow is down right dangerous. I am sorry to hear about your tack shop. The economy has been so tough this year. I hope in the new year things start to turn around.

We have not had much snow here, but today the wind is blowing in gusts over 50 and it's 30 degrees outside. Very cold! The horses stood at the fence and begged to come in. As soon as I got the barn clean and ready, they came in and had a nice lunch - a happy group. I have two little pygmy goats that have the same description as your mini's - total furballs - they hate this kind of cold and they are in their igloos (in the barn) staying warm.

I hope that 2011 sees the economy pick up. I hope everyone out there has a very happy and safe new year. Set those goals and work to reach them. My #1 goal for 2011 is to return the the showring after a 16 year break! What is yours?

Wishing everyone good health and happiness,
Kelli

We've had the same crazy weather. 60s and super windy on Thurs, severe thunderstorms yesterday (while the temps were sitting at freezing), and now not even above freezing today but finally sunny with no wind.

2011's starting out right for us here. My show horse gets turned out to paddock today--off his stall rest a month early! A super exciting event for everyone here. Especially considering when I had forwarded his case on to several specialists for consults, they'd been greatly discouraged (despite his corrective shoe and large amounts of pain meds, he was spending almost all his time down, non weight bearing, and had developed a draining tract--all of us feared a sequestrum and the potential of surgery). But...today he gets to let off stall rest and turned out to the paddock--completely sound! No effusion, no lameness.... Yeah!!! Hopefully the rest of 2011 goes as well.

Thank you Kelli - am doing much better today - I didn't do much this weekend and the has done wonders toward healing....still have a sore spot if I move wrong, but overall much, much better.

Jennifer - That is terrific news about your horse - sounds like the New Year has gotten off on the right foot!!

Hasn't the weather been something? We were in the 50's a couple of days ago - and now winter is back again. It has been colder than recent history would dictate - so much for global warming. Most of the country had a white Christmas to one degree or another.

I hear ya about the weather. It was in the fifties for a couple days so Rana's Blankie came off and poof she turned into a furrie walking peppermint eating monster! I am hoping for a better economy and better gas prices or I wont be able to show much. ugh. This year I would like to qualify to go to Regionals and possibly qualify for Sport Horse Nationals! I wish you all the best for 2011.

Christina - I got a chuckle out of the "furry peppermint eating monster"...a virus going around?

Had to stop and buy a new heated bucket - Audi's bit the dust. Tonight is in the 20's, but tomorrow night is supposed to be back in the teens. I resisted the luxury of heated buckets for a long time, but now I can't figure what I was thinking !!! They are the next best thing to Green Spot Remover !!! (Ha - Ha)

Have my fingers crossed that the new influx of legislators can do somethng about bringing (or keeping) gas prices down....the idea of $5.00 a gallon is not giving me the warm fuzzies. I do shop around for gas....Murphy Oil Co's (Walmart) gas was 23 cents a gallon cheaper this morning than Super America or Marathon....and for 25 or so gallons, that ads up.

Oh we are getting ready for rough weather next week here; and my personal favorite, blowing snow (at 40 - 50 mph). Our daytime temps are supposed to be below freezing (teens, low 20s) for 5 days or so. I have so many heated buckets, troughs, you name it. And all will be well filled since faucets will freeze unfortunately. This type of winter weather makes me cranky! I've got one horse who can't stand to be cold, he should be fun to deal with too.

Hey Audie, What state are you in? I see Region 14, but that is a big area. Email me sometime at ladynyellowvests@yahoo.com; I've got a question for you. And I hope you are feeling lots better these days.

I hope everyone is surviving winter and that all horses are doing well. I can't believe what a rough winter it has been.

We too are preparing for rough weather. Highs only in the 30's, lows may make it below 20! Bought heated buckets for everyone today.

Have been extremely blessed with a new horse. His registered name is Korbell (just Korbell). He's 13 and was sired by Shampaine x SR Nadir. He was shown as a 3-4 year old in western. He's a beautiful blood bay with teeny, tiny head and really tippy ears. Cute, cute, cute. He was given to us by Jeremy Harper, who was downsizing a bit.

He was free, but I've already purchased a used Circle Y saddle, Circle Y headstall, saddle blanket, girth, a "rail jacket," and have bids in for a pair of chaps... Guess nothing in life is truly free!

I'm hoping to show Buddy (his barn name) and Blaze this year at the open shows.

Newzew - congratulations on your new horse...I am smiling and nodding in agreement with you - free horses are never "free". This one does sound like a peach though!!

We are in Ohio outside of Dayton - and today we are battening down the hatches for 4 or 5 inches of snow tonight through tomorrow. I know that that is not a ton of snow for many places, but this area seems to have a 50/50 mix of people that can cope with it and those that really would be more at home in a state further south. Grocers and retailers will rejoice - they will sell down on milk, bread, beer, chips, diapers, salt and snow shovels.

Today we are going to reach 26 degrees with sunshine....not too bad....there does seem to be a lot of traffic on the roads today - "pre-emptive snow driving?"


I had a horse who would colic when he got cold....he is "over the bridge" (not from colic)...I just made it a habit to put his blanket(s) on when the temps headed down into the teens or less. The vet and I went through the usual routine twice before I caught on...after that I always erred on the side of caution and we never had a problem after that. Amazingly, he was stoic about any other discomforts that he encounted in his life - he just couldn't stand the cold.

Current horse's new heated bucket is installed and working like a charm. Hooray!!!

I wish I could have a heated bucket but dont think my current stable has a way for me to plug one in or I would be all over it!

Oh I entered Rana in the ACTHA's competition for the America's Favorite Trail Horse doo hickey. And hopefully we will go far but first have to do well at the preliminaries. (I would love to make it that fair). In the big show down we have to get America's votes for Rana. So I'm not counting my eggs before they hatch. Anything could happen.

OO Any one have issues with their horse just dropping weight in the middle of winter? Rana is fed 1 scoop of freshly milled 12% pelleted grain 2X a day and 2 flakes of great hay 4X a day. grr I guess I', going to add maxie glow's pelleted rice bran stuff to her feed. EH Drama