Photos from the Pasture and Feed Store

This place is a bad bad place-many extra dollars spent here....LOL.

It was windy and the mares were being silly-cow hopping and acting the fool.  This is Casper's girlfriend Dazzle-at least HE thinks so.

In his dreams, she runs to him, nostrils flaring, mane flying.  In reality......

She gives him the cold shoulder-LOOK, but don't touch or I'll kick you in the teeth bad boy!

More mare nonsense-just running cause they can!

Casper has a girlfriend, a pretty lass if I do say so myself.


She's with the mares, he with the geldings, but they spend part of each day nuzzling.


Maybe I should change his name to Casper-nova.

A New Door Opens

I've been holding off blogging about this because I didn't want anything else going on in my life to color this -the announcement I've waited my entire conscious life for. Casper is mine.

One day a couple of weeks ago I blogged about how my life was working, yadda, yadda, I enjoyed my riding but lessons were enough (I deleted that) and I was convincing myself yet again not to have my own horse. Then someone gave me a horse. And not just any horse-this horse.

Now, I'm not being subjective when I say that anyone can see at one glance what an absolute dream of a horse he is. LOOK at this horse!!! Look at those eyes. Look at the color. A non-horse lover would want this horse.

Due to some family illnesses, he's been a pasture ornament for a few years, and when he gets the notion, he breaks out and comes into the front yard for pets and carrots. He LIKES to be fussed over, have his mane brushed and baths, etc. I would love him even if he was an ugly horse, but he's not-he's drop dead gorgeous.

Shelly and Kim Harris are angels. They did for me what I couldn't or wouldn't do for myself. They gave me a wonderful horse, and now it's up to me to take this gift and make the most of it.

Casper is going to my riding instructor for a tune up-then we'll work together with the instructor to become a team. He's almost identical in size and build to Bailey-the lesson horse, so moving over to Casper will not be as much of a stretch. Even his name is special-the "horse that got away" in my youth-her name was Spook. Don't you just love it when something happens and you KNOW it's ok to say "yes?"

I'm not telling my folks until after Casper has his tune up and we are working together. Part of this is that I don't want any raining on my parade, and part of it is that I hope to work with the trainer on the process-to learn to train as well as ride (within my abilities). I want to give Mom time to heal before I give her something else to worry about.

I'm going to trade my travel trailer for a horse trailer with small living quarters-it looks like there'll be one more going on the road for any adventures, and I couldn't be happier about that.

My Virtual Pony

Red Mojogave me a pony for Christmas. I've always wanted one-I mean always. And finally, one is mine.

Thanks ever so much!

Much Ado

Nothing more was said about the horse. I took Dottie over last night (I try to take a dog over every night) and was invited to lunch today. Mom is too distracted with my brother coming to visit and our plans to leave a day before HE leaves. He knows about our plans and has plans of his own, but the overlap is making her nuts.

I'm sure there was some discussion along the vein of "she'll do what she pleases" but nothing more was said...OH JOY JOY JOY. Before I actually BUY the horse I will tell her about my plans to go Shark Diving next fall-that should provide a tidy diversion.

I'm bored with not weighing, but I am not going to weigh until I get my band filled. The early days are too up/down all around and it's very tempting to want to keep up the same rate of loss as on the liquid diet-so I really just try not to think about it (weight loss) and focus on what I need to do right now.

I want it all

I decided that I would finally get a horse-since dog sports are now out. The dog sport was something I could do and still keep the animal at my house-but the horse is what I've always wanted. So, the first thing I did was google dog-carting.

What's up with that? Am I so afraid of getting what I want? Of course, I was raised with "You can't have a horse in the city" but why do I choose to listen to my parents on this particular thing and not anything else?

Sue and I had one of those "what's it all about" conversations. And I really don't understand why we don't give ourselves permission to have what we want. We really do keep ourselves in our own cages.

I did join the yahoo group galloping grannies and I've posed the question "how do you keep a horse in the city without going completely bankrupt".

It's funny, for some people "it all" means a big house, fine car, lovely child and plenty of leisure time. Me, I just want a job and a horse.

Pathetic story: During my early years I put a down payment on a horse knowing I would not have the money to pick up the horse, but I wanted one so badly that at least for a week I had a horse. But I don't want a false thing this time, I want the real deal-all four hooves and a saddle.