Disney Vacation October 2010!

Disney Vacation October 2010!

Namaste.

Disney Vacation October 2010!

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Namaste!

Disney Vacation October 2010!

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Namaste!

Secretariat and his Preakness win!

Dig it!

June Gardens and Violet

Here are photos taken of my June 2009 garden -- doesn't it look spectacular!  I really love gardening and I love learning how to ride Violet better.  I am hoping one day to be able to have her bred to a stallion from Adena Springs or Claiborne Farms.  I think that would be tremendously fun to see how she mothers her foal and to see her all fat and sassy and bossy.  And it would be nice to tie myself to the history of either one of those farms -- though probably Claiborne Farms would be cool, since so many of her relations are buried there!

Violet and All Her Firsts!

Here is a photo and video from November 15, 2009, the middle of my last month at Showgate Stables.  I was miserable in this time period, but I knew I was gearing up for changes.  I was steadily moving my gear out of the barn and just taking care of my herd.  Two weeks earlier, I had overheard news and had an interaction which changed my life there permanently.  Little did I know that I was definitely on to a new wonderful adventure.

Anyway, I am writing this entry about Violet, though the picture and video are of baby Renny.  In this past year 2010 at St. George, Violet and I have had many wonderful firsts -- our first group lessons, our first private lessons, our first lessons with famous A-circuit hunter/jumper judges, dressage coaches, and many other excellent teachers.  We had our first trail ride and first horse show.  We jumped for the first time, jumped at the canter, jumped courses, jumped oxers, jumped bounces, jumped lines, jumped rollbacks, jumped bending lines -- all obviously firsts! We had our first fall (my fault)!  We had our first inkling about what it will be like when we become a true melded Team Tenderness.  We are really coming along!

We are firsts in each other's books!

Violet and the Show

Here's a photo from 3 years ago, January 2008, showing my beautiful girl in her brand new black and purple-lined fleece cooler.  She likes that cooler -- makes her look beautiful and special.  Anyway, I am writing this entry on January 11, 2011 and I have to just repeat how proud I was of her at the schooling show at St. George last October.  She'd had a week off because I was in Florida with family.  I arrived back on Saturday and the show was Sunday morning.  I arrived early on Sunday to take her over the jumps and practice and the jumps were verticals with straw bales beneath them!  We'd never jumped straw bales before.  She was a little uncertain at first, but once we got over the first one, she never gave them another thought afterwards.  We trotted and cantered our jumping courses (because I was super new to the cantering over fences) and we were quiet, relaxed, happy and smooth.  And we won our flat classes in equitation and hunter-under-saddle!  But the biggest kick for me, by far, was the fact that Violet knew what was going on.  I could feel her mental wheels turning, as she sorted out why all the horses were out, all the people were in the stands.  She knew that it was all about her and her beautifulness.  And when she lined up to get her ribbons, she was happy to receive pats and kisses from Jennifer from the BGSU Equestrian Team.  That first show was amazing, as was our first trail ride!

Violet's Trail Ride

I can't believe I haven't posted about this earlier, so it just goes to show you how great my life has been.  I am writing this entry on January 11, 2011 and this photo is from New Year's Day of my sweet good girl.  Last Fall, Violet and I went on our first trail ride with Ellen and Gunnar.  It was such a cool experience.  I was all nervous about everything, as you can imagine.  Nervous she'd get hurt on the trailer, nervous she'd run away, nervous she'd throw me, nervous that it'd be miserable because she'd want to run and be disobedient.  So, I planned it out in my head like a military expedition. 

But it went off without a hitch.  I met Ellen at the barn at noon after I was done teaching.  Violet loaded quietly and sweetly though she sure let out some querying stallion shouts before we drove off.  She backed off the trailer quietly, she let me lunge her quietly.  And boy, she was looking around and interested, but she knew she had to be a good solid girl and she wanted to join up with me.  She loved the trail.  She wanted to walk beside or slightly in front of Gunnar, but she was not afraid of anything.  She was interested but not nervous about people walking on the trails, the workers who were doing construction at the path entrance.  She was happy happy about the other horses on the trail.  She stepped lively but solidly without any goosing around.  She was an intelligent sweet mare.  When we got back, she loaded onto the trailer.  And the funniest thing of all is that when we got home and she loaded quietly off the trailer, she was so relieved to be home -- St. George! - that she shook like a dog in the cross ties and then when I released her back into her pasture -- she galloped like she was Secretariat  while roaring like a stallion to shout out her relief to be home and her happiness at her big adventures.  She thought trail riding was a hoot.  And I was so so so proud of her!

Violet and the Outdoor Arena

Okay, so here is a photo of Violet on New Year's Day and I am writing this entry on January 11, 2011.  Today I want to write about our late summer and early fall rides in the big outdoor arenas.  Violet was amazing.  She was big, loose, relaxed, eager.  She worked on getting lighter and having balanced gaits.  She would travel around and I could just feel her mellow happiness.  We would ride at sunset in the purpling sky.  We would ride in the blaze of sun. We had a really terrific time.  And we really enjoyed popping around the jumps.  We learned how to canter the jumps for the first time, during these relaxed sessions.  I just loved those days.  We did our first flying lead changes at the end of the summer in a private lesson.  I think those twilight of summer days in the outdoor arena are when Violet  and I truly became Team Tenderness.

Violet and Jumping

I am writing this entry on January 11, 2011 and here's a photo of Violet taken on New Year's Day.  I am so happy to report that Violet and I have made real progress in becoming a team.  This week's entries will be about her wonderfulness in 2010, since we moved to St. George.  The first big thing I want to discuss is jumping.  Violet has a little hunter heart -- she wants to bring her best heart to the fences.  She travels true and straight and clean to them and she never knocks a rail down.  I know that we are just jumping small little crossrails and verticals, but still I am just so proud of her eager relaxed movement to the jumps.  We have been jumping courses with 5-8 jumps, rollbacks, oxers, triple lines, bounces.  We've jumped bounces with a diagonal twist to the left or right.  We've jumped bending lines with ease.  Violet has shown a natural ease about changing her leads.  And so I have confidence and happiness in my heart that we'll be a happy hunting team and that I'll be able to teach her how to confidently consistently give her lead changes.  You would not believe it, if you saw us jumping! 

Hailee's Baby

This photo of beautiful Renny was taken on January 3, 2011.  Hailee's firstborn son is truly spectacular. 

Hailee's New Life

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the weeks after the terrible news that Hailee had ended up at auction because of an unscrupulous man, Hailee's new owner and I corresponded via phone and email.  She sent a photo of Hailee's new companions -- she has two geldings and a Paint stallion at her new farm and a family who will love her.  And the new owner said that she and her husband were brought together because of their love for horses and that they are committed to horse rescuing.  That she will be patient with Hailee and help Hailee tell her what she'd like to do.  She sent me a photo in early January of Hailee done up in western gear with a patriotic saddle pad and looking happy on a trail ride with one of her new pals.  She hopes to breed her to her Paint stallion.  And she's working thoughtfully at restoring Hailee's weight and health. 

 

And she's going to permit me to visit Hailee at her farm.  I am grateful beyond expression.  I am writing this note on January 10th and I will visit Hailee on Saturday, January 22nd.  Namate and peace and love to the caretakers, the guardian angels.  I am so glad, so glad to know that there are more people like me and her then there are like the horse thief from Tennessee.

Day of Great Gratitude

Here is an April 15, 2008 photo of Hailee, three weeks before Renny's arrival.  This photo was taken when we were calling him Nitro.  So, why do I post this photo?  Because this photo shows love and great expectations.  I sent Hailee to Tennesse with great hope and great love and great expectations.  It was an unspeakable nightmare to learn that she'd been so mistreated and that she'd been sold at auction.  I never in a million years would have wanted that for Hailee, particularly because she is a special though troubled girl. 

But G*d passed his hand over this horrible situation and sent an earthbound angel -- the woman who purchased Hailee.  She was sent to rescue Hailee.  And she was guided to reach out to me.  I will forever celebrate the day before Thanksgiving as the Namesake Day of this great woman and samaritan.  And this day will forever be celebrated by me as a day meaning the core values in my life -- that we are supposed to be guardians over our creatures, care for them, and look out for each other.  I am grateful to this woman for seeing the beauty in Hailee, purchasing her, and having compassion on me.

And so guess what happened next?

Insult to Injury

So, I called and emailed that physician on the day I discovered he sold Hailee  at auction without even calling me.  And it took 2-3 days before he deigned to email me.  He said he wouldn't waste his time calling me.  I won't bother with the full details, but basically in his very condescending, sanctimonious emails, he said that he did me a favor by starving Hailee, stealing from her, and selling her at auction.  In a nutshell, he said that I'm a poor stupid liar -- too ignorant to know that Hailee is not worth anything, too much of a liar to admit that she was mismatched to me and that I misrepresented her to him, and too poor to take care of her.  I can honestly say that I've never been more insulted in my life.  It was impressive.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am an interesting mix of chutzpah and insecurity.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I cut myself down terribly, feel that I'm a bad person, and don't have a whole lot of love for myself.  I am willing to lead the parade on the "what's wrong with Laura" festival.  But even I am not able to believe that I'm a poor dumb liar. 

But I have to say when he sent me those emails on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it was hard to even care.  I mean, he'd already done his worst to me -- I learned that I had sent my beloved foundation mare to a man who would abuse her and sell her -- a man who wanted to hurt her and me so deeply.  I learned that my carelessness led to Hailee being hurt and unsafe.

So, though I'm not a poor dumb liar, I am something far worse.  But you know, at least I won't be going to my grave an abusive unrepentant horse thief.

And so now what...

A Day of Great Pain

On the day before Thanksgiving, I was preparing for my parents to come and visit me.  We were going to spend Thanksgiving at Jane's and then my parents would spend the weekend with me, visiting and relaxing.  So, on that Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was cleaning my house and planning, and thinking about shopping.  And I went to get my mail in the mid-afternoon.  There was a stationary envelope addressed to me at Laurel Wreath Farm and the stationary was from Georgia and had a beautiful horse motif.  I opened the letter which would change my life.  The letter was from a woman who had purchased Hailee at a large livestock auction in Cleveland Tennessee, not two full weeks since I had sent her to that physician in Tennessee.  She said that Hailee had found her forever home and that she wanted to know about her pet name and about her vet information.  She gave me her email address and answered my desperate email very quickly.  She called me right away and she told me that she had rescued Hailee who she knew immediately didn't belong there and that when they handed her all of Hailee's association materials, she wanted to reach out to me because she knew the parting must have been painful -- she thought maybe I had lost my farm.  She said that Hailee was underweight at auction and that she would now get her back to weight, nurse her, and give her blankets. 

So, inside of two weeks, the man had starved Hailee, stole her blankets and sold her at a livestock auction. 

Words cannot describe the hours and days as this information sunk into my heart.  And words cannot describe the nightmarish story that I made Coy tell me about Hailee's days with that man.

And then to add insult to injury, guess what happened...

Hailee's "Story"

So, on Friday, November 5th, Coy loaded Hailee into the trailer with her belongings and my good wishes and took her to Tennessee.  And how I cried in the days before and how I prayed for her safe travels.  I will never forget getting the text that she'd arrived safely.  And I will never forget being so hopeful for her happiness.  In the days immediately after her arrival, Coy said that the trainers and her new owner were so impressed with her aggression towards cows.  That when she was put in a pen next to cows that she pinned her ears and tried to get at them.  The owner was supposedly thrilled with her native talent.  The trainers said that she was good under saddle and that she had shied with one of them while he was cantering, but that he called Coy while riding her and said that he was impressed that she could shy so big while still cantering.  All reports were good.  And Coy showed me so many pictures of her beautiful new home.

So, I let my heart be happy.  I put down my load and thought I would just quietly let it be, would let Hailee enjoy her new home and be thankful.

Guess what happened...

Where to Begin...

Okay, so I don't even really know where to begin with this true story, but the basic truth is that I ran into an unrepentant abusive horse thief.  Hailee and I had a high adventure.  If you've been following my posts, you know that I love my horses and feel like we are the Sanchez family herd.  And you know that I've been feeling badly that I don't have a job for my beautiful Hailee and I know that I won't be breeding her again, though she clearly makes exceptional, talented, kind, and smart ponies.  So, I wanted to find a home and job for her, preferably one where she could contribute to her heritage and pedigree.  As an Easy Jet mare with the very best cutting and reining on her bottom, I wanted her to breed talented Western horses.  So, Coy Moyers arranged for her to go to a home in Tennessee with a physician who trains, shows and breeds cutting and reining horses.  Coy said that this new home was with a sentimental man who would take care of her, allow me to visit her, and she'd have a chance to breed to the very best reining stallions in the industry.  He said that he'd never take her anywhere that wasn't as good or better than her current home.  And if you know St. George, you know that her home was good.

So, I spoke with this physician on the phone and he told me that he had a sensible plan for her -- that she'd spend several months off at pasture, relaxing and decompressing.  She'd be with weanlings and geldings at first because the broodmares might be mean.  Then she'd have desensitization training followed by regular training.  He'd work patiently with her to find her a job and discover her talents. 

So, I had her trimmed, floated, and got her new blankets and new halter in order.  I had her vaccinated.  And all of these things I did within a single week to ready her for her new journey.  I prepared an agreement which said that I would be willing to have her back under any circumstance or condition at any point in her career -- when she first got off the trailer to her old age or other retirement.  And I sent her with contact information for me, my parents and sister. 

I grieved and grieved about sending her.  I cried continually.  I leaned on friends.  I spoke with Coy and he told me it was the right thing to do.  And he told me to please not cry because it hurt him.  I prayed on it.  I carried her picture.  I thought deeply about this change.

Guess what happened....

Learning about the World, by Chewing on the World, May 17, 2008

Baby, smart smart baby!

Having a Scratch, May 16, 2008

Baby, darling darling baby.

My Perfect Halloween Pals

Namaste.

My Little Soccer Buddy, June 4, 2008

f Namaste.

Breaking News! Violet's Wonderful Birthday!

Yesterday Violet celebrated her 8th birthday.  I made apple, carrot, peppermint, oats, and flax seed headbobbers and surprised her and Renny.  Over the past few days, she's been hilarious and wonderful.  She's in a big bouncy Spring mood and really enjoying jumping.  Kelsey worked with her over the weekend, so she knows she's supposed to be working on being lighter and in frame.  And she and I have moved up a little, so that we're now jumping 2'3" which is the third hole.  In fact, last night on her birthday, she jumped a wide oxer at the 2'3" several times with great joy.  After her lesson, the gentleman who provides hay to St. George stopped specifically to talk and pet her.  He said she looked just great and Violet  gave him her best, "I love petting" routine.  And I complimented him and said that she should look great -- he provides amazingly high quality hay.  Which is true.  Violet truly is blessed in the food department! I love this birthday girl!

A June 4th, 2008 Breakfast with My Favorites!

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Okay, so here is a blast from the past...a video from June 4, 2008 when Renny was a month old and just learning how to eat his baby grain!  You can see my itty bitty guy liked baby grain!

Happy Birthday, Violet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are photos taken on March 7, 2008, a single day before Violet's birthday while Hailee was busy making Renny.  I still can't believe that they only had indoor dirt turnout for an hour a day.  But they sure had a happy life together then.  Violet was so happy to have a pal!  Now, Violet is friends with a new pasturemate, Molly, and she's enjoying pulling carts, jumping, and participating in the very busy life at St. George!

Zenyatta Retired to Lane's End

Click here to see Zenyatta's New Home

I am writing this entry on November 18th and just yesterday, the Moss Family announced that Zenyatta would retire to Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky to begin her career as a broodmare.  She will move in early December.  I am sure she will be pretty surpirsed by the change in her life.  I wonder how long it will take for her to slow down and smell the roses.  They haven't announced who she will breed to at first, but this farm includes the likes of Curlin, War Pass, A.P. Indy and Candy Ride! 

A Happy Moment

Namaste.  Photos and video from early November 2010.

Happy Christmas

So this is Christmas
And what have you done

Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over Now...

Spring Break Kiss

Here is a photo taken March 3, 2008 when we were at Breezy Acres down the road.  Violet was so happy to have befriended Hailee and Hailee was busy making Renny who you can see in this photo taking up space!! 

Anyway, I am writing this entry almost exactly 3 years later than this photo because I had a wonderful week of riding this week, February 28th through March 3rd so far.  Renny went quietly over his first higher stepping cavaletti.  Violet got to go out regularly after many weeks stall rest, so she was in a wonderful mood and didn't mind trotting big, cantering lightly, going by the gates like they didn't matter, and jumping a course with lots of turns, different-strided combinations and an odd oxer.  She was just Miss Thing about it all.  And I even got to jump a little higher this week.  I am really loving riding because every day it is something new and I truly mean something new and different. 

Equine-Assisted Learning

Okay, so I am writing this entry on Thursday, November 11th and on Tuesday of this week, I had a truly interesting adventure.  I was invited to go to a farm to meet two women who are trained EAGALA equine specialists.  EAGALA is the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association. These ambitious women are working hard to turn their learning sessions into a 501 non-profit group, so that they can provide learning, healing and growth sessions to special populations.  They are working with Iraq veterans and are reaching out to bible youth groups, etc.  Anyway, when I got to the farm, I had a wonderful time because it's a very friendly place.  But they honored me by actually doing a session with me -- one which gets me to use horses to explore the "blocks" or "problems" in my life.  It was really a special magical healing moment, but also was just plain old fun.  It's not often that I get to meet truly spectacularly talented intelligent ambitious people who are working with horses to bring love and healing to the world.  I really dug it!  And it got me enthusiastic about my research! 

March Reality

I'm writing this entry on March 3rd and using a February winter photo of Hailee's firstborn colt, Renny to make my point.  As I was writing that previous entry, Hailee was not having a good time.  She had fallen through the safety net and I had put her in the hands of two people who would do her harm. In February, my brother-in-law tried to joke with me about this horrible event, saying that he couldn't believe the odds that I would find the two people who would so violate my beliefs about how to be honest and true and caring.  He was impressed with how spectacularly I failed in my care of Hailee.  And I had to agree, though I wasn't laughing.  I was not laughing.  Today I have problems -- I'm worried about Renny's  training and finding him a home and Violet has a coronary band injury which she reopened a bit earlier this week.  I have my trials, but I have such good wonderful blessings.  Renny is an absolute joy to ride and willing and kind and quiet.  And he works hard on his groundwork lessons and giving his feet, so he is always fun to share time with.  And Violet just cracks me up with her desire to learn and please and do good work -- after a princess fashion.  She was just super duper at a long-lining lesson this Tuesday and then jumped a course which was set higher then normal for me with interesting turns, varied distances in the combinations, and an unusual oxer!  We had fun.

So, this past year, I have had spectacular failures at living my core values, but then some routine small mundane victories.  Each day is a blessed grind.

Life Plans

Here is a photo of Hailee and Tracy and Coy on a beautiful Fall day when Tracy came to visit her.  You can see from her expression that Hailee just loves Tracy and wants to touch her and be with her.  I am hoping as I write this within the week of Hailee leaving for Tennessee that she's having a really nice time.

Renny and His Vet

I'm writing this entry on November 11th, 2010.  Last night when I went out to the stable for my riding lesson with Renny, Ricky told me that Dr. Z had been out to give Violet and Renny their intranasal flu vaccination.  The medicine had been back-ordered when he had been out earlier in October.  Anyway, Ricky had to go get Renny and Violet for me which was very nice.  And Ricky reported to me that Dr. Z had said that Renny was a great pony.  Apparently, he didn't even flinch when Dr. Z handled him and gave him that wretched intranasal.  He is a completely good quiet boy.  All he did was give a sneeze!  And who can blame him!

My Beautiful Jackass after the Storm

Okay, so I am writing this entry on March 1st and this photo is from yesterday.  We had an enormous scary lightning, thunder and hard rain storm on Sunday night and so Jackass was nervous and restless as he tried to guard his family/hide.  And so here you see him getting some much-needed rest the beautiful morning after.  He showed up, kissed me, got his breakfast, handled some tasks, and then took a delicious restful morning nap.  I'm posting this entry because I need to modify today's current post about his aging.  As it turned out, my own stress levels, possibly from all the changes in my life during that time period and my travels and Hailee leaving for what turned out to be a nightmare trip (which I didn't know at that time) made me a little crazy.  I got to the vet and even I could see that Jack hadn't lost a single tooth -- I was just crazy.  But his bloodwork did come back with a little bit higher values for kidney troubles and we do make bigger pee pees and he is the skinniest he's ever been.  BUT, his aging is going beautifully.  He is still the king of the family, warrior of the household, guard and protector and disciplinarian.  And we love him, love him, love him for his beneficience in that work.

Jackass and Aging

 

I am writing this entry on November 11th and in a few minutes, I'm going to leave to take Jack to his vet.  When I returned from my conference, I noticed that he couldn't even make noises.  He had a hoarse sore throat or a lost voice.  And he was skinnier than when I left.  So, I looked him over and discovered that most of his teeth except for the fangs had fallen out of his mouth.  So, I am worried about my aging fellow.  I'm going to take him to visit with Dr. Amanda, so he can explain his position on his physician.  I want to chat with her about how to keep him enticed with food and how to care for my aging treasure.  I love this cat.