Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Updates Well we didn't go to the Marion show, that was detailed in another post "Murphy's Law" now we just realized that we missed the entry deadline by 2 days for the Ingham show. GRRRR... We thought that the entry's deadlines were July 1st, everyone else's was but of course not Inghams. So we will be skipping that show which is a good thing I think. Looking at the calendar and the schedule we would have been toasted going from show to show starting August 1st. So now we will only be doing 3 in a row in August but that will be tough as well. Were shipping right from one show to the next, the horses wont see home till after the Michigan State Fair. That's going to be 3 long weeks for everyone. I am looking forward to it even if it will be taxing on us.Barney and Hank have been training excellent and they are very much so on top of their game. Doug is a bit behind on his conditioning due to his accident posted about under I zigged when I should have zagged. He is healthy and almost 100% healed up from that adventure. His conditioning is the most important factor now.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:04 AM
0 comments
Friday, June 25, 2004
Another Friday Well Friday is here. Duane, who has been working 3rd shift, is going to be working with Shane(our blacksmith) today and tomorrow trimming horses feet. It will be great experience for him to do so under Shanes supervision. Trimming our horses over the winter and just doing our riding horses at home is fine and dandy for us but this will make him take it a step farther and a chance to hone his skill... that is if he can handle it after working all week. I believe the goal is to get good enought to be able to shoe a show foot on our geldings and be comfortable doing so. That sure would save a ton of money a year... like around $2,000 minimally. Hmmmm what can I buy with that saved cash ;-}Haying is in full swing and we were finally able to get a "good" bail of hay from our supplier today. We have been getting decient but corse bails for the last 2 months. Unfortunatly we didnt budget our hay requirements good enough and ran out of the stuff that we usually feed. We were able to get hay that at least met minimal needs but it sure wasnt somthing the horses were happy about. The good news is that we just got our 1st bail of the good stuff so we are back on track. The horses sure are happy about it to. By the way they swarmed the truck when it brought in the new bail you would think that they had been starved or eating straw.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:39 AM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Another Chore Having horses on our property and caring for them ourselves has really been an eye opening experience. The work that goes into maintaining horse facilities is a never ending job. Combine that with having to provide for all your horses physical needs can make for an interesting life. I work at an office and they are floored when I might say that I’m tired from being up late shoeing my horses (we have 5) or when asked what I’m doing for the weekend and I respond by saying I’m getting hay in. I get the usual blank look and then the question comes…. So that takes all weekend. Well, Yea! Putting up hay for the entire year accounts for 2 or 3 weekends. I mean were talking about 400 small 70lb square bales and just under 100 large 800lb round bales. I never in a million years would have thought 15 years ago that I would be so concerned about the weather and crops. But I do now because it effects how much I have to pay for feed and the quality of that feed. It’s amazing to me how obvious we can be when we have horses in boarding situations. Did you know that Legumes (leafy plants such as alfalfa, clover and lespedeza) hays are considered to be better for your horses due to higher nutritional value than grass(fescue, blue grass, orchard grass, timothy, and Bermuda grass) hays. Did you know that the leaves contain two-thirds of the protein found in hay? Outside factors like when a field is cut and the weather conditions can greatly impact the quality of hay. So many farmers wait till late June to take off 1st cutting and they are loosing so much in quality of their hay by doing so. It further effects 2nd cuttings value as well because now your talking about a very stemmy hay which reduces the number of leaves further. The following is a widely accepted method of grading hay. If you use the numbers as a ranking system the lower the total number the higher quality the hay is.Stage of Harvest
- 1. Before heading or bloom 0-5% of leaves are old and brown
- 2. Early heading or bloom 6-15% of leaves are old and brown
- 3. Mid-to late-heading or bloom 16-30% of leaves are old and brown
- 4. Seed stage (stemmy) >30% of leaves are old and brown
Leafiness
- 1. Very leafy
- 2. Leafy
- 3. Not leafy
- 4. Few leaves
Steminess
- 1. None or only small diameter stems
- 2. Few or medium diameter stems
- 3. Many or large diameter stems
- 4. Mostly stems or very coarse diameter stems
Color
- 1. Natural green color of crop
- 2. Light green to slightly brownish
- 3. Yellow to straw to brownish
- 4. Brown or black
Odor
- 1. Clean
- 2. Dusty
- 3. Moldy - Musty
- 4. Burnt
Softness
- 1. Very soft and pliable
- 2. Soft
- 3. Slightly harsh
- 4. Harsh and brittle
Also remember to penalize hay with foreign objects and insects.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:33 AM
0 comments
Sunday, June 20, 2004
New Layout & Todays Events Finally got it done. Wish that I had a picture that was was based in purple and silver to match our show colors but I didnt and I liked this one.We worked the geldings today as per usual and its obvious that Doug is very unfit. His injury sure has us at a dissadvantage right now. Its going to be slow going getting him up to speed. Lots of slower conditioning. Duane is going to ride him to strengthin his back and encourage him to step under himself. He gets so excited in harness that the riding should be more benificial at this point since he will relax.
Barney was Unfreaking believable in cart. Our blacksmith has him shod perfectly and his condition/training level is right on the money. Hank is sitting right there with Barney as well but he just isnt as great a mover naturally. He is moving the best that he ever has so I'm estatic about that.
Last but not least Happy Fathers Day to all the Dad's out there
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 7:39 PM
1 comments
Friday, June 18, 2004
The Wagon Ride Here is everyone who came out on Thursday. Doug and Barney pulled the wagon with all the kids loaded up and of course grandma on Hank.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:21 PM
Go Granny Go
This is grandma on Hank on Thursday. I think she looks great up there on that big white beast!
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:18 PM
Murphy’s Law
This whole week has been total chaos. Seems like we have been a day behind from the get go and just cant make up the difference. Yesterday was supposed to be the first show of the season for us. Notice I said “was supposed to be” instead of just plain ole “was”. We didn’t make it. We were late getting out and then had a couple flats on the trailer and with only one spare and time not in our favor we ended up staying home. Of course the tire problem was found out the morning of the show after we had busted our butts all week long and had got our sorry butts out of bed at 6am to feed the horses and wash the white one (Hank). Of course its easy to place blame but darn it Duane – that stuff is your domain and I cant believe that you didn’t get the truck and trailer checked out a couple days prior to the blasted show, because it could have been avoided. Then again, looking back the whole week was a series of mishaps so it just wasn’t meant to be.
The day was not lost even though we missed the show. Grandma came to get our youngin for a summer visit and she brought some other youngsters over with her to enjoy the horses. We went for a wagon ride and grandma even had enough gumption to ride Hank while the rest of us went along in the wagon. Go Granny Go!!! The kids all got to ride Hank a bit too so they really enjoyed the down time to be able to mess around with our big guys.
While it was nice to take things slower and relax from the crazy week, it was a crush to see the boys work so well while on our wagon ride. They were so perfectly prancing and I had been so worried about Doug due to the cut on his ankle a month ago but it didn’t bother him one bit and he moved out enjoying being out on the road. It’s a shame that they didn’t get the chance to show off in front of a judge.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 1:10 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Crunch Time
Tomorrow is show day and there still is so much left to do. The horse’s feet were reset last night. Didn’t get done till midnight and I’m pooped. I didn’t get to finish trim anyone because of that. Their feet were supposed to be done in the morning but Duane changed it to afternoon, which became evening. Boy did that throw a wrench into things for me. So tonight I have a meeting after work which will get me home at between 7 and 8pm and then I have the task of getting everyone’s show clothes, grooming supplies and meals into the truck and trailer as well as finish trim the boys. I can see a long night ahead of me and I’m not looking forward to it. We were in good shape till yesterday, funny how one day going awry can really mess up the best laid plans. It’s always a struggle getting into the groove for shows the first show of the season but this time it feels like a battle.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:06 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 14, 2004
Countdown – 3 days
3 more days to the first show of the season. We are taking 3 horses to Marion county fair show on Thursday. Its disappointing to me because we will not be able to do out best since Doug is not 100%. The cut on his ankle really has hurt his conditioning (he was off for almost 3 weeks) and while we could push him to do all 3 harness classes I don’t think that it is the right thing to do. Then again on the other hand we are showing another horse that is new to us and I’m confident that he is new to showing as well so perhaps its all for the best because he will be getting all of Doug’s scratched classes. It kind of bums me out because I know that Hank isn’t ½ the horse that Doug is and I can’t see him placing as well but it will be excellent experience for Hank to get the ring time prior to the larger shows.
Our little (not so little anymore) Barney sure has grown up and we had to make a trip to the harness makers this weekend to get him a larger collar. He is 5 now and it’s hard to imagine him as the small mud caked 3 yr old we purchased 2 years ago. He sure has come round full circle. We purchased him purely on his kind eye and inquisitive nature never imaging that he would be our star cart horse. I would have been happy with him as a plain jane trail horse and to date he is everyone’s favorite mount for trail riding. He loves the show ring and is a totally different animal in the ring then on the trail. He really has versatility and is a joy to own and work with. We are fortunate to have him.
We sure have been busy around the farm with getting all the equipment spit shined and ready to show. There still is a bunch of work to do in getting the camper and its related equipment ready for the overnight shows but at least we have another 4 weeks to get that in order. It seems like a mad scramble at this point. I’m sure that once we get into the season we will get more into our routine which will make things so much smoother. The first show always seems to be a mad dash getting things in order.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:48 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Just Relax!
People just amaze me. Always in such a hurry and aggravated, at least that’s how it appears to me. I base my opinion on events that occur to me on my daily one and a half hour drive into the city to work my day job that supports my horse “habit”. Yesterday on my way home I reached my boiling point with the chaos that these hurry up and wait people cause. For reference, I work in a very busy city area and the traffic during rush is stop and go. There are a large number of corporate offices and the majority of the traffic is white collar workers. As I left yesterday a plain jane Toyota midsized car with a 40ish well dressed woman driving it, pulled up behind me. Traffic was typical for the time of day and traffic was moving along but it was slow. What’s interesting is that the woman behind me kept pulling out to the left of the lane edging into the turn lane, trying to see past me in my large 4X4 ¾ ton truck. Then the antics began. This woman laid on her horn 3 times in a 4 mile stretch for no apparent reason. We were all in rush hour grid lock with no where to go and an accident ahead that blocked ½ of the road had us all down to a crawl. The third time she did it I lost it as we pulled up to a light and stopped, she laid on her horn again and as I was watching her in my rear view mirror threw her arms up in the air. I now know what provokes road rage and never before would have thought that I would be such a position. I saw red! I threw the truck into park and stepped out of the truck. Panic was visible on her face as I pointed at her and bellowed a stream of obscenities about her horn blowing antics. As luck would have it, the light turned green and I scurried into my truck to move forward another ½ mile and at least the woman stopped laying on the horn. I just don’t get what drives people to be so inconsiderate. I’m sure if this woman would have had a tank she would flattened us all in her attempt to race to her destination. What I don’t understand is what’s the hurry? Everyone who lives and works in the area knows and has to live with the traffic situation. It’s a choice we all made of our own free will. This is no new situation. Then again I guess there is always someone that has to act like a fool, it makes the world go round and it makes me cherish even more my time in my rural community where things don’t move at the city pace.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:31 AM
0 comments
Friday, June 04, 2004
So what’s the draw with hitching horses?
I'm writing this tonight because its 2 weeks out to our first show of the season. As I'm sitting here winding down for the evening I am reflecting on all the chaos that has been going on around here while we scurry to get all the unending equipment out, repaired and cleaned. I'm so exhausted that I ask myself, why am I doing this? Even as I think it, I know the answer all to well....It’s all about family, good friends and of course draft horses.
I use to show light horses in my younger years. Showing light horses was very competitive both in and out of the ring. Having the latest fashions, equipment or horse in vogue played a roll in doing well there. You wont find that holding true with drafts. Clean, safe equipment and well-trained quality animals are what counts in the draft horse ring. But thats not the reason behind all the work required to get to the show ring.
I much prefer draft horses because of their power, grace and kindness which is reflected in the people that love them. The comradely between draft horse competitors is one that I frankly have not ever come across in light horse competitions. It’s all business in the ring but outside it’s a different story. Families gathering around campers (some with 3 generations representing their clan), sharing dinner while chatting about horses, showing and catching up in general. It’s a relaxed environment that feels more like camping then showing. Everyone is friendly and all the kids play and enjoy the company of other draft horse family’s kids. Good hearted teasing and boasting about ones animals and respective placings are common. Then there is the tomfoolery that runs ramped as one day turns into the next. Draft horse people in general are outgoing, generous and caring people. The good friends that I have made by being involved with draft horses are people that I am proud to call friends. I value their friendship and cherish the time that we are able to spend together sharing our love of horses. The wholesome environment has made a significant impact on our family by keeping our child busy enjoying the outdoors and engaged with caring for the horses and helping out in the barn. It has also taught her that hard work put in training and working with the horses at home is required to be able to do good at shows. I can’t imagine our lives without our draft horses and I look forward to the impending show season as it draws closer even if it means that I'm exhausted at the end of the day. The hard work put in is well worth the return that is received by the enrichment that it brings to our lives and thats what hitching horses is all about.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:38 PM
0 comments
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Its the Show Season...again
Its hard to believe that it is already upon us. Just 2 weeks till our first show and our August and September show schedule is still not confirmed but the following is our schedule at this point.
Marion County Fair
Marion, MI
June 17, 2004
Livingston County Fair
Fowlerville, MI
July 10 - 14, 2004
Sanilac County Fair
Sandusky, MI
July 30, 2004
Ingham County Fair
Mason, MI
August 1st - 4th, 2004
Saginaw County Fair
Chesaning, MI
August 5th - 7th, 2004
Huron County Fair
Bad Axe, MI
August 11th - 14th, 2004
Michigan State Fair
Detroit, MI
August 19th - 22nd
Saline Fair
Saline, MI
September 7th - 8th
Michigan Great Lakes International
Lansing, MI
October 14th - 17th, 2004
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:24 AM
0 comments
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:18 PM
Murphy’s Law
This whole week has been total chaos. Seems like we have been a day behind from the get go and just cant make up the difference. Yesterday was supposed to be the first show of the season for us. Notice I said “was supposed to be” instead of just plain ole “was”. We didn’t make it. We were late getting out and then had a couple flats on the trailer and with only one spare and time not in our favor we ended up staying home. Of course the tire problem was found out the morning of the show after we had busted our butts all week long and had got our sorry butts out of bed at 6am to feed the horses and wash the white one (Hank). Of course its easy to place blame but darn it Duane – that stuff is your domain and I cant believe that you didn’t get the truck and trailer checked out a couple days prior to the blasted show, because it could have been avoided. Then again, looking back the whole week was a series of mishaps so it just wasn’t meant to be.
The day was not lost even though we missed the show. Grandma came to get our youngin for a summer visit and she brought some other youngsters over with her to enjoy the horses. We went for a wagon ride and grandma even had enough gumption to ride Hank while the rest of us went along in the wagon. Go Granny Go!!! The kids all got to ride Hank a bit too so they really enjoyed the down time to be able to mess around with our big guys.
While it was nice to take things slower and relax from the crazy week, it was a crush to see the boys work so well while on our wagon ride. They were so perfectly prancing and I had been so worried about Doug due to the cut on his ankle a month ago but it didn’t bother him one bit and he moved out enjoying being out on the road. It’s a shame that they didn’t get the chance to show off in front of a judge.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 1:10 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Crunch Time
Tomorrow is show day and there still is so much left to do. The horse’s feet were reset last night. Didn’t get done till midnight and I’m pooped. I didn’t get to finish trim anyone because of that. Their feet were supposed to be done in the morning but Duane changed it to afternoon, which became evening. Boy did that throw a wrench into things for me. So tonight I have a meeting after work which will get me home at between 7 and 8pm and then I have the task of getting everyone’s show clothes, grooming supplies and meals into the truck and trailer as well as finish trim the boys. I can see a long night ahead of me and I’m not looking forward to it. We were in good shape till yesterday, funny how one day going awry can really mess up the best laid plans. It’s always a struggle getting into the groove for shows the first show of the season but this time it feels like a battle.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:06 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 14, 2004
Countdown – 3 days
3 more days to the first show of the season. We are taking 3 horses to Marion county fair show on Thursday. Its disappointing to me because we will not be able to do out best since Doug is not 100%. The cut on his ankle really has hurt his conditioning (he was off for almost 3 weeks) and while we could push him to do all 3 harness classes I don’t think that it is the right thing to do. Then again on the other hand we are showing another horse that is new to us and I’m confident that he is new to showing as well so perhaps its all for the best because he will be getting all of Doug’s scratched classes. It kind of bums me out because I know that Hank isn’t ½ the horse that Doug is and I can’t see him placing as well but it will be excellent experience for Hank to get the ring time prior to the larger shows.
Our little (not so little anymore) Barney sure has grown up and we had to make a trip to the harness makers this weekend to get him a larger collar. He is 5 now and it’s hard to imagine him as the small mud caked 3 yr old we purchased 2 years ago. He sure has come round full circle. We purchased him purely on his kind eye and inquisitive nature never imaging that he would be our star cart horse. I would have been happy with him as a plain jane trail horse and to date he is everyone’s favorite mount for trail riding. He loves the show ring and is a totally different animal in the ring then on the trail. He really has versatility and is a joy to own and work with. We are fortunate to have him.
We sure have been busy around the farm with getting all the equipment spit shined and ready to show. There still is a bunch of work to do in getting the camper and its related equipment ready for the overnight shows but at least we have another 4 weeks to get that in order. It seems like a mad scramble at this point. I’m sure that once we get into the season we will get more into our routine which will make things so much smoother. The first show always seems to be a mad dash getting things in order.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:48 AM
0 comments
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Just Relax!
People just amaze me. Always in such a hurry and aggravated, at least that’s how it appears to me. I base my opinion on events that occur to me on my daily one and a half hour drive into the city to work my day job that supports my horse “habit”. Yesterday on my way home I reached my boiling point with the chaos that these hurry up and wait people cause. For reference, I work in a very busy city area and the traffic during rush is stop and go. There are a large number of corporate offices and the majority of the traffic is white collar workers. As I left yesterday a plain jane Toyota midsized car with a 40ish well dressed woman driving it, pulled up behind me. Traffic was typical for the time of day and traffic was moving along but it was slow. What’s interesting is that the woman behind me kept pulling out to the left of the lane edging into the turn lane, trying to see past me in my large 4X4 ¾ ton truck. Then the antics began. This woman laid on her horn 3 times in a 4 mile stretch for no apparent reason. We were all in rush hour grid lock with no where to go and an accident ahead that blocked ½ of the road had us all down to a crawl. The third time she did it I lost it as we pulled up to a light and stopped, she laid on her horn again and as I was watching her in my rear view mirror threw her arms up in the air. I now know what provokes road rage and never before would have thought that I would be such a position. I saw red! I threw the truck into park and stepped out of the truck. Panic was visible on her face as I pointed at her and bellowed a stream of obscenities about her horn blowing antics. As luck would have it, the light turned green and I scurried into my truck to move forward another ½ mile and at least the woman stopped laying on the horn. I just don’t get what drives people to be so inconsiderate. I’m sure if this woman would have had a tank she would flattened us all in her attempt to race to her destination. What I don’t understand is what’s the hurry? Everyone who lives and works in the area knows and has to live with the traffic situation. It’s a choice we all made of our own free will. This is no new situation. Then again I guess there is always someone that has to act like a fool, it makes the world go round and it makes me cherish even more my time in my rural community where things don’t move at the city pace.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:31 AM
0 comments
Friday, June 04, 2004
So what’s the draw with hitching horses?
I'm writing this tonight because its 2 weeks out to our first show of the season. As I'm sitting here winding down for the evening I am reflecting on all the chaos that has been going on around here while we scurry to get all the unending equipment out, repaired and cleaned. I'm so exhausted that I ask myself, why am I doing this? Even as I think it, I know the answer all to well....It’s all about family, good friends and of course draft horses.
I use to show light horses in my younger years. Showing light horses was very competitive both in and out of the ring. Having the latest fashions, equipment or horse in vogue played a roll in doing well there. You wont find that holding true with drafts. Clean, safe equipment and well-trained quality animals are what counts in the draft horse ring. But thats not the reason behind all the work required to get to the show ring.
I much prefer draft horses because of their power, grace and kindness which is reflected in the people that love them. The comradely between draft horse competitors is one that I frankly have not ever come across in light horse competitions. It’s all business in the ring but outside it’s a different story. Families gathering around campers (some with 3 generations representing their clan), sharing dinner while chatting about horses, showing and catching up in general. It’s a relaxed environment that feels more like camping then showing. Everyone is friendly and all the kids play and enjoy the company of other draft horse family’s kids. Good hearted teasing and boasting about ones animals and respective placings are common. Then there is the tomfoolery that runs ramped as one day turns into the next. Draft horse people in general are outgoing, generous and caring people. The good friends that I have made by being involved with draft horses are people that I am proud to call friends. I value their friendship and cherish the time that we are able to spend together sharing our love of horses. The wholesome environment has made a significant impact on our family by keeping our child busy enjoying the outdoors and engaged with caring for the horses and helping out in the barn. It has also taught her that hard work put in training and working with the horses at home is required to be able to do good at shows. I can’t imagine our lives without our draft horses and I look forward to the impending show season as it draws closer even if it means that I'm exhausted at the end of the day. The hard work put in is well worth the return that is received by the enrichment that it brings to our lives and thats what hitching horses is all about.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:38 PM
0 comments
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Its the Show Season...again
Its hard to believe that it is already upon us. Just 2 weeks till our first show and our August and September show schedule is still not confirmed but the following is our schedule at this point.
Marion County Fair
Marion, MI
June 17, 2004
Livingston County Fair
Fowlerville, MI
July 10 - 14, 2004
Sanilac County Fair
Sandusky, MI
July 30, 2004
Ingham County Fair
Mason, MI
August 1st - 4th, 2004
Saginaw County Fair
Chesaning, MI
August 5th - 7th, 2004
Huron County Fair
Bad Axe, MI
August 11th - 14th, 2004
Michigan State Fair
Detroit, MI
August 19th - 22nd
Saline Fair
Saline, MI
September 7th - 8th
Michigan Great Lakes International
Lansing, MI
October 14th - 17th, 2004
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:24 AM
0 comments
The day was not lost even though we missed the show. Grandma came to get our youngin for a summer visit and she brought some other youngsters over with her to enjoy the horses. We went for a wagon ride and grandma even had enough gumption to ride Hank while the rest of us went along in the wagon. Go Granny Go!!! The kids all got to ride Hank a bit too so they really enjoyed the down time to be able to mess around with our big guys.
While it was nice to take things slower and relax from the crazy week, it was a crush to see the boys work so well while on our wagon ride. They were so perfectly prancing and I had been so worried about Doug due to the cut on his ankle a month ago but it didn’t bother him one bit and he moved out enjoying being out on the road. It’s a shame that they didn’t get the chance to show off in front of a judge.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 1:10 PM
0 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Crunch Time Tomorrow is show day and there still is so much left to do. The horse’s feet were reset last night. Didn’t get done till midnight and I’m pooped. I didn’t get to finish trim anyone because of that. Their feet were supposed to be done in the morning but Duane changed it to afternoon, which became evening. Boy did that throw a wrench into things for me. So tonight I have a meeting after work which will get me home at between 7 and 8pm and then I have the task of getting everyone’s show clothes, grooming supplies and meals into the truck and trailer as well as finish trim the boys. I can see a long night ahead of me and I’m not looking forward to it. We were in good shape till yesterday, funny how one day going awry can really mess up the best laid plans. It’s always a struggle getting into the groove for shows the first show of the season but this time it feels like a battle.posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:06 AM
0 comments
Monday, June 14, 2004
Countdown – 3 days 3 more days to the first show of the season. We are taking 3 horses to Marion county fair show on Thursday. Its disappointing to me because we will not be able to do out best since Doug is not 100%. The cut on his ankle really has hurt his conditioning (he was off for almost 3 weeks) and while we could push him to do all 3 harness classes I don’t think that it is the right thing to do. Then again on the other hand we are showing another horse that is new to us and I’m confident that he is new to showing as well so perhaps its all for the best because he will be getting all of Doug’s scratched classes. It kind of bums me out because I know that Hank isn’t ½ the horse that Doug is and I can’t see him placing as well but it will be excellent experience for Hank to get the ring time prior to the larger shows.Our little (not so little anymore) Barney sure has grown up and we had to make a trip to the harness makers this weekend to get him a larger collar. He is 5 now and it’s hard to imagine him as the small mud caked 3 yr old we purchased 2 years ago. He sure has come round full circle. We purchased him purely on his kind eye and inquisitive nature never imaging that he would be our star cart horse. I would have been happy with him as a plain jane trail horse and to date he is everyone’s favorite mount for trail riding. He loves the show ring and is a totally different animal in the ring then on the trail. He really has versatility and is a joy to own and work with. We are fortunate to have him.
We sure have been busy around the farm with getting all the equipment spit shined and ready to show. There still is a bunch of work to do in getting the camper and its related equipment ready for the overnight shows but at least we have another 4 weeks to get that in order. It seems like a mad scramble at this point. I’m sure that once we get into the season we will get more into our routine which will make things so much smoother. The first show always seems to be a mad dash getting things in order.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:48 AM
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Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Just Relax! People just amaze me. Always in such a hurry and aggravated, at least that’s how it appears to me. I base my opinion on events that occur to me on my daily one and a half hour drive into the city to work my day job that supports my horse “habit”. Yesterday on my way home I reached my boiling point with the chaos that these hurry up and wait people cause. For reference, I work in a very busy city area and the traffic during rush is stop and go. There are a large number of corporate offices and the majority of the traffic is white collar workers. As I left yesterday a plain jane Toyota midsized car with a 40ish well dressed woman driving it, pulled up behind me. Traffic was typical for the time of day and traffic was moving along but it was slow. What’s interesting is that the woman behind me kept pulling out to the left of the lane edging into the turn lane, trying to see past me in my large 4X4 ¾ ton truck. Then the antics began. This woman laid on her horn 3 times in a 4 mile stretch for no apparent reason. We were all in rush hour grid lock with no where to go and an accident ahead that blocked ½ of the road had us all down to a crawl. The third time she did it I lost it as we pulled up to a light and stopped, she laid on her horn again and as I was watching her in my rear view mirror threw her arms up in the air. I now know what provokes road rage and never before would have thought that I would be such a position. I saw red! I threw the truck into park and stepped out of the truck. Panic was visible on her face as I pointed at her and bellowed a stream of obscenities about her horn blowing antics. As luck would have it, the light turned green and I scurried into my truck to move forward another ½ mile and at least the woman stopped laying on the horn. I just don’t get what drives people to be so inconsiderate. I’m sure if this woman would have had a tank she would flattened us all in her attempt to race to her destination. What I don’t understand is what’s the hurry? Everyone who lives and works in the area knows and has to live with the traffic situation. It’s a choice we all made of our own free will. This is no new situation. Then again I guess there is always someone that has to act like a fool, it makes the world go round and it makes me cherish even more my time in my rural community where things don’t move at the city pace.posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 8:31 AM
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Friday, June 04, 2004
So what’s the draw with hitching horses? I'm writing this tonight because its 2 weeks out to our first show of the season. As I'm sitting here winding down for the evening I am reflecting on all the chaos that has been going on around here while we scurry to get all the unending equipment out, repaired and cleaned. I'm so exhausted that I ask myself, why am I doing this? Even as I think it, I know the answer all to well....It’s all about family, good friends and of course draft horses.I use to show light horses in my younger years. Showing light horses was very competitive both in and out of the ring. Having the latest fashions, equipment or horse in vogue played a roll in doing well there. You wont find that holding true with drafts. Clean, safe equipment and well-trained quality animals are what counts in the draft horse ring. But thats not the reason behind all the work required to get to the show ring.
I much prefer draft horses because of their power, grace and kindness which is reflected in the people that love them. The comradely between draft horse competitors is one that I frankly have not ever come across in light horse competitions. It’s all business in the ring but outside it’s a different story. Families gathering around campers (some with 3 generations representing their clan), sharing dinner while chatting about horses, showing and catching up in general. It’s a relaxed environment that feels more like camping then showing. Everyone is friendly and all the kids play and enjoy the company of other draft horse family’s kids. Good hearted teasing and boasting about ones animals and respective placings are common. Then there is the tomfoolery that runs ramped as one day turns into the next. Draft horse people in general are outgoing, generous and caring people. The good friends that I have made by being involved with draft horses are people that I am proud to call friends. I value their friendship and cherish the time that we are able to spend together sharing our love of horses. The wholesome environment has made a significant impact on our family by keeping our child busy enjoying the outdoors and engaged with caring for the horses and helping out in the barn. It has also taught her that hard work put in training and working with the horses at home is required to be able to do good at shows. I can’t imagine our lives without our draft horses and I look forward to the impending show season as it draws closer even if it means that I'm exhausted at the end of the day. The hard work put in is well worth the return that is received by the enrichment that it brings to our lives and thats what hitching horses is all about.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:38 PM
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Thursday, June 03, 2004
Its the Show Season...again Its hard to believe that it is already upon us. Just 2 weeks till our first show and our August and September show schedule is still not confirmed but the following is our schedule at this point.|
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Marion County Fair Marion, MI June 17, 2004 Livingston County Fair Fowlerville, MI July 10 - 14, 2004 Sanilac County Fair Sandusky, MI July 30, 2004 Ingham County Fair Mason, MI August 1st - 4th, 2004 Saginaw County Fair Chesaning, MI August 5th - 7th, 2004 Huron County Fair Bad Axe, MI August 11th - 14th, 2004 Michigan State Fair Detroit, MI August 19th - 22nd Saline Fair Saline, MI September 7th - 8th Michigan Great Lakes International Lansing, MI October 14th - 17th, 2004 |