Getting Along With a Dilemma

It's been a month since we put our elderly Belgian Draft Horse, Bear down.  When Bear left us we moved Gus into the pasture with Bob our Quarter Horse and Poco our Appaloosa.

Initially things were a bit rocky as the dynamics of reforming the "herd" took place.  Poco and Gus have shared a pasture before and get along well.  They greeted each other happily but Bob immediately stepped up and pushed Poco away from Gus.

Yep, there was a new Boss in town.

Gus is as gentle and kind as he is big.  He's willing to let Bob, ironically the smallest of all three horses, think he's the boss although Gus could easily change this if he wanted to with one push of his massive frame.

Feeding time has required us to drop hay out in the pasture for Gus while Bob and Poco share the feeder in the loafing shed.  Initially Bob would immediately come over and push Gus off of his hay.  But Gus being the resourceful guy he is, would merely go to the feeder that Bob had just vacated and pick up where he left off with his meal.  All the while Poco paid no mind of who was standing next to him.  Eventually Bob realized that there was nothing special about Gus's hay and now leaves him alone.

As the last month has progressed things have settled down pretty nicely. Everybody is getting enough food and nobody has gotten hurt.  All three horses now graze and nap together.

They even share the loafing shed in rain storms.

So although things are getting along fine I'm concerned about the upcoming months.  Winter is coming and it brings the strong cold winds out of Canada.  This pasture and its larger loafing shed (where we feed and water out of our outbuilding instead of the barn), are in direct line of these winds which peaked at  +100 mph last winter.

At the end of October we have always moved our horses to the back pastures where we feed and water under the lights of our barn.  The loafing sheds are smaller, fitting two horses well but a bit tight for three, especially for a horse of Gus's size.  These sheds are insulated and provide protection from the winter wind and elements. 

There is nothing as comforting as hearing a storm rage outside at night and knowing your horses are dry and safe.  This set up worked great when we had two horses at home and boarded the third.  But this year we have three horses at home. 

I'm concerned that someone is going to be left outside in our winter weather.  In addition, I don't want to drop hay outside for the "left out" horse and have it fly away, get soaked (or both).  I want everybody eating in the safety of a dry loafing shed and to have the option of seeking its shelter.

Could be that someone has to live alone but I hate that thought as much as someone standing forlornly outside in the middle of a storm.  This is my current dilemma of which I've found no solution.  Ugh!  I don't have many days left to figure it out!  Stay tuned.

Going It Alone

My husband has encouraged me to go there alone.

I was hesitant.  I hadn't spent a night there for over 15 months, so swept up in riding I guess. 

But the horses could have come.

And we could have ridden from our front door all the way across the United States.

A call from my childhood best friend who also has a cabin changed everything.  "Come up and let's hang out," she said.  "No excuses!  Let's get together before the snow falls."  I agreed, still unsure about going it alone.

So I brought Hank The Dog.

And Tuna The Mighty Hunter. 

When I opened the door it was as if time had stood still.

It was as if I'd just left.

Nothing had changed.

Just like a Mom, the little cabin welcomed me with open arms.  I could hear it telling me how it had missed me as much as I realized I'd missed it.  And just like a Mom, I could hear it asking me in a stern voice, "Where have you been?"

My friend was not here.  She was delayed.  I found myself the only one here.  I would be going it alone for a few days.  So Hank and I took walks (lots of walks).

To the "store" where the millworkers used to get their supplies.

Past the trains that used to haul the logs from the mill to the nearby train tracks.

To the schoolhouse that was used for the millworker's children.

Into the millpond that used to be filled with water and full of logs when I was a child. 

With every step I found myself getting in touch with my own center core and re-evaluating who I was.  It was good.  It was cleansing. 

Soon others arrived, including my friend.  It felt odd to be back around people after the silence I'd become comfortable with.  Time passed and soon it was time to return home. 

As I packed I set my first goal for 2012.  Next spring after the snows are gone, I will be back - with Hank, Tuna and the horses.  And we'll go it alone.





Blessed Days

They arrive in the fall.  The temperatures have cooled down and the winds that will rob us of power have yet to arrive.  They are the icing on the cake, the cream on the top, the best days of the year for riding.

My riding pal Haley and I came up with the name Blessed Days (or BDs) when I used to board with her.  We had frozen in the winters, been soaked in the springs and sweated (and swatted bugs) in the summer.  But each year when fall arrived we discovered the perfect riding weather. 

I still haul in to ride with Haley whenever I get a chance.  Last Wednesday when I awoke to find a sunny, crisp fall day, I called to tell her what she already knew - it was a BD.  Didn't take us long to put our day's priorities down and arrange to meet for a ride.

On this particular BD, Haley and I rode indoors because the outdoor arena was muddy (from the prior non-BD).  As usual we worked our horses in silence and then rode side by side to discuss whatever came into our minds.  We always have the most unusual and hilarious conversations.

To cool our horses off, we took them for a walk around the property, still jabbering about this and that, laughing all the way.

BD's are full of deep blue sky.  Haley and her horse Harley D in the background.

I can hear them, "Sigh.  Do we really have to do this?"

I can't believe I've had Bob for four months.  We have really bonded and I'm grateful to have found him - he is a gem.

Haley and Harley D.  Harley used to be a circus horse.  He can do all sorts of cool tricks.

Blessed Days don't last very long so it's important to stop and enjoy them when they come along.  They give us something to remember for the rest of the year.

Snotty Saddle Bums

First, thanks to all who commented on my Post regarding the loss of Bear who left us peacefully without any drama.  Today is a new day and although we find ourselves sad about Bear's loss we also feel a weight has been lifted because he is no longer uncomfortable.

When I purchased Bob last May, I put our Belgians, Gus and Bear, into a pasture together.  I then put Poco and Bob, our saddle horses - or as my husband likes to call them, "The Saddle Bums", into a different pasture.  Since that time our horses have each lived with a buddy.

Gus had paid no attention during yesterday's event with Bear, quietly eating hay out of the loafing shed feeder instead of wondering what was going on with his buddy.  Recently we had noted that Gus was aloof around Sunny.  Perhaps he knew what was to come.

After Bear left us we had haltered Gus up and brought him out to say goodbye to Bear.  This is something we have always done with our horses after their buddy is gone.  We believe it's important for them to say goodbye to their good friend and find closure.  Some people think it's silly, but I firmly believe that it makes a different.

After allowing Gus to say his farewells it was now time for us to move on.  We led Gus into the large pasture that the Saddle Bums have been using.  Although Gus and Poco have been good friends, Gus had not been in a pasture with Bob before although they've been fence mates.  If any altercations were to occur we knew there was plenty of room to escape until everybody settled down.

The usual meetings and greetings took place with Bob and Gus smelling each other along with a bit of pomp and circumstance, but that was all.  Gus was happy to quietly graze.  It would be interesting to see who became the alpha.  This morning all was well, but:

Those Snotty Saddle Bums.  Can you see them talking about Gus behind his back?

Whisper, whisper, whisper.

Gossip, gossip, gossip.

 

Us gossiping?  No, Uh Uh!  That wasn't US Saddle Bums!

Daaaaaaaaad!  Tell them to quit saying mean things about me!!!

It's Ok Gus.  Sticks and Stones (and your weight) could break their bones.  Saddle Bums that are Snotty don't get carrots but Belgians that are nice do.

No carrots??!!!!

You Will Know When It's Time to Say Goodbye

Like watching the sun set on a great day, we've probably all wanted to stop the clock and just be in the moment. 

That's how the last few months have been for us because as I wrote in my Post "Preparing to Say Goodbye" (4/29/11), the time has been coming to say goodbye to Sunny Bear (Bear), our sweet and cherished, third-time-was-the-charm, Rescue Belgian Draft Horse.

It could be tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe the week after.  We had no idea that it would be 5 months later. 

My husband and I have turned to each other and said the time was coming.  But the next day Bear would be doing better.  We'd say, "Soon, but not today."  Because "the day" was imminent, I didn't Post a picture of Bear on the front page of my Blog.  It was just too sad for me to put up a picture of a beloved horse whose life was on such a short string.

It is said, "You will know when it's time to say goodbye".

In the past few weeks Bear has become a bag of bones, regardless of how much or what we feed him, his hips and ribs are visible.  I watch him walk, he is feeble.  He stands out in the middle of the pasture unaware of his surroundings.

When I came out to feed this morning Bear was down.  I could see by the pile of dirt where his back legs rested that he'd been struggling to get up without any luck.  He periodically raised his head.  When I approached him he didn't seem upset about the situation.  He took carrots from me - I left a path of them hoping they'd encourage him to find the strength to get up and eat them.

And even though my carrot plan eventually worked, I went inside and made the necessary calls followed by a call to my husband to tell him what I'd done.  It's true, you will know when it is time to say goodbye...

The Perfect Camp Site

Three years.  It seems so long ago when I first saw The Perfect Camp Site.

My husband had suggested we take a vacation to an area where he had hunted for years.  A few days before we left I had met with a retired co-worker who had offered me a part time job as a consultant for his company.  It was a once in a life-time opportunity that would allow me to retire in my mid-50's. 

There were others waiting in line if I didn't take the offer.  I took it knowing the opportunity wouldn't come around again.  We had left on our trip knowing that after almost 35 years I'd be announcing my retirement when we returned.  I still recall the joy and disbelief of that decision and how the world suddenly looked different as we headed down the road.

I recall the 8 hour drive and babbling about my decision and also about Champ, our daughter's horse that I'd inherited when she'd headed off to college.  I had never ridden a horse like Champ.  I didn't know how to work his buttons and was in the midst of taking lessons to learn how to ride correctly.  I was planning on riding in my first horse show and would be missing Champ and my lessons while we were away. 

On our first trip we had stayed in a little cottage on a lake.  The lake was beautiful but the cottage was run down and literally falling apart around us.  After a long drive and sleepless night, my husband had taken me into the mountains so that he could show me his favorite areas.

We'd come across this beautiful camp site.  I recall asking my husband to please stop and pull over so we could check it out.  I stood there in awe of the surroundings, intensified by my change in life decision.  We had pulled out our camp chairs and spent hours sitting in the silence of the woods.

When the time came to leave we didn't want to return to the run down cottage on the lake but we had no choice.  We made a pact to return the following year with our camper so we could stay in the woods.  For the next twelve months we talked frequently about The Perfect Camp Site.

Year 2.  With Hank the Dog we had loaded the camper on the truck and headed back to The Perfect Camp Site.

This drive had been somber.  I was retired and enjoying my new life but Champ had died six weeks earlier.  I was still reeling from the sudden loss. 

I had purchased Poco two weeks before losing Champ.  I'd bought him as a horse for my family and novice friends to ride along with Champ and I.  Now Poco was my only horse.  I had no idea where Poco and I were going.  I felt numb and lost.

We arrived to find The Perfect Camp Site empty and waiting for us.  Stepping out of the truck I felt my sadness falling off of me like old skin.

During our stay we never saw another person.  My husband told me were "cold camping".  No power with the exception of our quiet little Honda generator, no water with the exception of what was in the camper, no cell phone service, no fire due to fire danger.  We loved it.

We did find ourselves camp bound and if it hadn't been for the Red Ryder BB gun that my husband had grabbed as we'd left I think we would have gone stir crazy.  We spent a lot of time hiking, taking turns shooting the BB gun and throwing the ball for Hank the Dog.  When it was time to leave we agreed to come back again the following year.

Year 3.  This year we brought our 4-wheeler.

As we drove to our now familiar destination, I commented on the changes in the past year.  Still working part time and happily retired, but this year we once again had two saddle horses to ride thanks to the purchase of Bob at the end of May. 

Where Champ had been a challenge and Poco was steady, Bob was fun.  He pushed me a little and allowed me to grow.  As the miles passed by I was already looking forward to getting home and riding Bob.

During the past year we had often commented on how The Red Ryder BB gun had been a hit.  This year we had collected the tops of dog food cans so that we could make targets and have a little shooting competition.  With fishing line, magic markers and a hammer and a nail, we were set to create our targets when we unpacked.

As we neared The Perfect Camp Site we once again assured each other that we would be ok if somebody else was already occupying it.  We reminded ourselves that there were lots of other nice spots where we could stay.  But both of us knew that none of the other spots came close to The Perfect Camp Site.

We arrived to find The Perfect Camp Site once again waiting for us with open, although very dry arms.  We jumped out of the truck and turned to grin at each other.  We were back!

It was amazing how quickly we got unpacked and set up.

We set up a tripod for our targets. When the breeze picked up they sounded like a wind chime.

Hank the Dog, a typical Lab.  If there's water around he's in it.  We loved listening to the sound of the water in the little creek.  We could hear it gurgling inside the camper and periodically a fish would splash.  What a nice way to fall to sleep.

The Perfect Camp Site

Before we knew it the time had come to pack up and head for home. 

Goodbye Perfect Camp Site.  See you next year!