Just because

Not much to say , I did ride  both Cat and Andee this weekend and both went well, though Cat did show me  just a little "Appytude" with her "angry face" no other resistance to speak of ,just a little grumpy.I take it we will get though stuff like that just fine . Because either all these years with Appys or just because , I have a little "appytude' myself! 

 And then there is Andee, soft and just looking for the sweet spot . She is a very sensitive girl, and a pleasure  to work with 

the rest of the weekend went well, I  worked on Cactus then Sunday dragged Deb up to Barrhead to the rodeo  with me . Watched my cousin rope and had a nice visit with family. Then home to chores and a quiet evening .

 I took a few pictures over the last couple of days . I have been trying to get a few more good ones of Quinn, these are,while pretty enough not really well lit for adds. Not sure if these would help or hinder the add.But they are pretty so...

 This next picture is a lesson in what NOT to do , I was wrapping Cactus' leg and my back got sore so I took a seat . And while Cactus is a rock and a really  steady guy, I sure would never suggest this to anyone.A lot of ways it could have gone wrong. But as I said on FB it brings to mind a conversation from years ago, about stallions and how they  just get mean as they get older. Some do maybe , but if they are taught respect and trust , you get that back .

Oddly I did not get hurt doing that, but later in the weekend , while forking hay ,managed to stab myself in the knee with the fork! Seriously I have no idea how,I couldn't  do it again on a bet! (nor would I want to for that matter) Yup that's me , you can call me a lot of things, Sherry, Share Bear, Fern Valley , but I can guaran -darn -tee you , NOBODY has ever called me Grace! 

The knee isn't bad, just scraped the skin and bruised more  than anything .

 This last 2 are just because ,like the tile of the post , I was walking in from chores and the way the sun was over the trees ,and peeking through the clouds ,I thought is was  just beautiful ! 

Like a  window to Heaven

Hope everyone had a great weekend . 

And as always, do what I say not what I do, stay safe! 

Readiness is all

Well the title is a quote from Hamlet  but it fits this post well enough .
the next quote is the status I posted on FB this morning ,which will explain ,I hope where this train of though sprung from
"I have laughingly said in the past that horses are born looking for a place to die. Just because I was laughing doesn't mean I was wrong . Treating a lovely huge gouge in Cactus' leg for the foreseeable future.A long way from his heart but still..."

Got up this morning  at my usual time "sleepy o'clock" and started to have a cup of coffee, but the horses were talking already so I headed out to feed.Most are still on pasture but I have a few that are being supplemented with hay now . Fix did his usual morning dance and  Jewels and Harley were good .Then I got to Cactus , all seemed well with him as he rushed up to meet me,then I glanced down.He had a gash  above his knee about the sized of a deck of cards ,with a skin flap hanging .Sigh here we go !

I let him eat for a bit while I gathered supplies then  haltered him(though why I bother I don't know he is a peach to treat!) and set to work, he stood well and let me clean and examine the wound ,the skin flap may or may not slough off or may need to be cut off in time but because the wound was so fresh I decided to  dress it in place . 
which is where we come to the title of this post ...
Readiness
I try very hard to keep a full first aid kit on hand for the horses(also for me ) .Dressing supplies , wound treatments etc. Why? because very often the faster you can treat a wound the better that chance are of it healing well. 
Not only by having supplies, but by having eyes on your horses as often as you can.The difference between seeing a wound in the first  hours to day that it occurs and a couple days in can be huge . As for that skin flap? well if it even stands a chance of adhering back it had to be dealt with PDQ, that said it still may come off, I just felt as angry and as fresh as the  wound was it was maybe kinder to let it be before poking around in it more,the fate of that flap will be decided in a couple days , but letting the inflammation go down for a bit won't hurt him.

Readiness is also in educating ourselves.
Educating in how to manage wounds, how to bandage , how to assess, whether the wound is in fact something we can manage on our own or whether we need veterinary intervention. 
And with that ,how do we report and request service from our vet should we need them. 
Yes they will weed though the ramblings of a panicked phone call, but they are far better able to help you if you can report clearly what has happened , the history of the animal as it pertains to the current incident . Vital signs etc. Building a relationship with your vet is also a good idea, (after all not everyone has an honorary niece as a vet! color me spoiled!LOL) Its very nice when they know who and where you are.
And readiness, in the handling of our animals. Cactus is a good boy , and due to the injuries he sustained before I had him , has had his legs handles A LOT.Plus  he is very trusting and  sensible 
But what about others, I have had a couple  situations over the years where a horse has been injured ,the horse panicked My old Jewels mare comes to mind and others ) what is the plan then? well I had a set up for the cattle that I was able to run her into get her in a small enough space without her panicking and we were from there able the ge the vet to sedate her. However you do it , you need to have some form of a plan , and some form of facility to make it happen. But the best course of action is to have them used to being handled and trusting you so that when they are injured and upset , you are the safe place .  Easy enough to do with the average pony or one you have raised, but what about the rescues or the adopted Mustangs? 
Have a plan 
Have a full kit 
Keep your eyes open
and as always 
Stay safe! 
That's it for me for the moment , hope everyone has a great weekend , and has  few or no occasions to  dip into those first aid supplies! 

Believing in dreams

 I have a couple  thoughts to share here, about believing in dreams and believing in ourselves . Yup its another fern Valley  ramble on the way !

That can be hard sometimes, when life  gives us a kick in the teeth.
Age, injuries, fear, or just then sense of complacency we get when we fall into a rut . I have been there, a lot! I rode that beautiful bay mare Catana for years, and as she got older and I was faced with the fact I needed to ge another horse going I panicked! No horse would ever be her! I was right  no horse ever would be her, but that didn't mean there would never be another good horse in my life .
I hemmed and hawed , convincing myself that I could not start a horse on muy own , and then that the horse I had chosen was too small, and that this and that would go wrong yada yada yada. Weird thing was is all the time I had Catana I had other horses, wonderful horses, that I trusted and adored , but somehow I hung all of my confidence on her more than able shoulders .
Suffice to say , I did find another horse , and a great one  Johnnie Handsome , brave  stout ,and just fine . I started him and amazingly enough,I did not screw it up royally! He is awesome .

Then there was Cat, (Whoa Dammit , the Fat Baby etc) I thought about selling her but really I  just could not.So this year she went in to training. And she too is awesome.I have to admit to some shaky knees  when I first stepped up, she is a snappy little thing and with age and some injuries , and arthritis , I was just not sure (well actually I was convince) I was going to fall on my face.

Same thing with Phoenix. and you know what ? I got up there, and amazingly enough ...

I can ride! who knew?

So today , am reminding myself that belief in ourselves being willing to give it a go , pays off. I have hopefull many more years of riding ahead, and some great horse to enjoy it with .

So as a reminder to me and to all of us who  face that fear or uncertainty ,BELIEVE!!

Live life by living it 

It hurts sometimes, this life of mine 
but I wouldn't change it , 
not one time 
The bumps the stings, the aches and pains 
It cost far less than what I gained 

We can live our lives and ride the ride
or wait and watch and let it slide 
I come from tough and stubborn stock
we do the work , not talk the talk

When each day ends I take my rest
and hope I was equal to each test 

Live life by living  every day 
don't wait and let it slip away 
Fear  can hold you back its true 
but don't let it take on all of you 

Breath the air and dance the dance 
And give this life you live a chance

Also I would like to celebrate another dream, this one not mine , but that of my friend Mel, talented girl, and I am gonna keep telling you all about her , because she is that great a gal , and that talented. She is doing a special project for me , that I cannot share for a while , but has also done some great work in the past . Most recently she did a graphite of a favorite picture of mine , and as a feature with her artwork she will now be sharing a cd of the process with her customers , of their very own  original ! 

   

How cool is that!
Stay safe my friends and remember to believe !

Fridays for sale, on Saturday

Passier 17.5 inch general purpose. has had some use but remains in good condition. $300

\16 inch Argentine close contact Used , needs some love  but is still very usable and in good condition  . $200

2 horse  sized show halters, one light oil. one dark w/ silver accents.never used  $45.00
1 yearling  dark oil show halter w/ silver accents lightly  used $40.00

Drop dead gorgeous2011 Palomino Appaloosas gelding
FV Quicken the wind !
Solid classic palomino.Athletic, sweet quiet sane and did I mention gorgeous???

 I apologize for the weird sideways shots , blogger and I need to talk! 

To anyone who mentions seeing him on the  the blog in contacting me $1200

So there you go, that's what I currently have for sale. Harley will be weaned soon, but I am not sure what Martin's plans are for him so ,maybe...

I also seem to have a fairly large collection of 5 inch egg butt snaffle bits, copper mouth, sweet iron, and one  rubber covered french link. will sell  for $10 each
Any questions or interest either contact me here through the blog or at fernvalleyappaloosas@hotmail.ca
And as always my friends , stay safe!

Looking back and moving forward

Odd title, I guess especially since I am the gal who will tell you that  you need to look where you want to go in order to get there, but stay with me .

In 1983 I bought what was my third horse . Chilleens Catana. (pictured in my side bar, and featured in the blog over the years) For some reason the post about her in honorable Mentions  has not been replaced  after last years hacking  but I will do that soon . Long story short, I rode that mare  for 25 amazing years! She and I were regulars for 13 years running on the Alberta trail riders against  Cancer ride and she was a remarkable horse. So much so that  the odd time I would show up on a ride with a different horse , folks either would not recognize me at all or would panic! Asking where  she was!
Mountain trips, trail rides , moving cows, I never seemed to be able to  set that mare at something that she could not do, and do well!
But alas as the way of the world , even the best horses grow old, and I sadly had to let Catana go at 28 just a few years ago, 4 to be exact.

That year I had a filly born here, no relation to my darling "Tana bear" But a fine image of her all the same.FV Catch a Dream.  Catana played  live in granny to this filly all summer. and  here is where this story  moves out of the past ,and forward .
Cat , has been in training this summer and I went today to ride her for the first time ,
Well all I can say is "color me happy!" I am perfectly OK with going back the anonymous "girl that rides that gorgeous bay appy"

Maybe next spring I should  wander back to see if those folks at ATRA remember me after all these years...
they might think they have seen a ghost! LOL

AV Docs Baby (Andee is also doing well )I did not ride her as she is Martins's mare and I thought he should get the first try, but she too is going beautifully and I hope to get some video on Wednesday with Martin on her.But for now...

 

Also moving forward  will be Cat's little bro, FV A Shocking Comet,

We have a pending sale on him, all looks good and it appears that  at the end of September he will be heading east to Saskatchewan. the folks that are buying him run a big cattle operation there and apparently Mr has been looking for an Appaloosa for himself  for quite some time, just couldn't find the right one  till he saw my golden boy! I am gonna miss him but I am sure he will do himself proud! He is bound to cut a dashing figure , all golden and gorgeous on the open prairies there!
Anyhow all in all a good weekend ,and lots of good things to come . All these  broke horses around I am gonna have to get my but in gear! Still have Johnnie to ride, Annie to get back going  under saddle ,Wilder...
Yeesh!
Stay safe everyone

Playing the Wild Card

Wild thing...

you make

 my heart sing...

 You make

 everything

Groovy

I said wild thing...

Our very own ,Mr Peaceful , FV Wild Card, better know as Wider, was on a tear in the crisp cool day today 

And he wasn't happy  just showing off on his own , he was busy trying to get his buddies in on the action

C'me on Digger

And Johnnie got in on it too 

All the while, old Man Stryker was lapping up some salt and attention from me , far too dignified to  play with the silly boys 

I have lots to to this weekend , and I did get some of it done , but it is a blustery cold start to  September , and I am staying in as much as possible , guess I could clean house...

Stay safe everyone

I got my "Fix"

Fern Valley's Phoenix, that is !!!

My  blue eyed handsome boy is home, and we are HAPPY!!!!

I went to  try him out and bring him home ,and I am very pleased. He is settled, willing soft and responsive, just as he should be.I think I will keep him LOL

First I watched Justin ride him a bit , not as much of what he has been doing  is shown but it was a busy day there getting ready for a futurity. He has been used to  turn back  cattle and also they have been "working him on the flag " (useful for cutting and penning) I would have liked to see that, but I needed to get down there more than I did .Sometimes being busy is good, but sometimes it sucks! Anyhow as you can see , my "Fix" did get over his  fire breathing dragon moment/s that he had when he first got there and has settled into the good horse I knew he  could be.

Then , I got on. Geoff  kindly agreed to take a few pictures of me .Thankfully  after the trainwreck which was me mounting up! Lets just say that although it was not pretty I got there (bad hip, and knee, sore shoulder all conspired to make a mess of it ) And that in itself also showed what a star Phoenix is , ! He stood , feet solidly planted and waited for me to flopscramblewrithe onto his back!

So he is home and settling in nicely,not just sure what the next step is for  "Fix" but he has a lot of ability, and a great foundation so we need to figure out just where  to go from here . Meanwhile I am just going to enjoy having the blue eyed wonder home !
Stay Safe