Flower Fields

 On Wed my dear sister came and picked me up and drove us to the Flower Fields in Carlsbad! The hills and fields on the drive down there were covered in tall waving grass and bright gold poppies and yellow mustard and many other wild flowers. The parking lot was full of geraniums and flowers arrangements so beautiful we had fun just walking to the entrance. We came in to a rainbow of flower displays with a riot of colors so bright and spectacular that the sun shone seemed to glow from within each flower! It dazzled your eyes! We wondered thru the many colorful displays and took pictures of the different ways they set up the plantings and got many great ideas for how to maybe copy them in our yards! They had a special greenhouse filled with many types of poinsettia's, next we got lost for a short time in a sweet pea maze, then off the the antique tractor pull ride out to the many fields full of beautiful flowers. A recording explained the history of the fields and how the planting , weeding and recovery of the tubers was done during the different seasons. There was a steep hill to go down and the tractor driver had a hard time with the gears, so we had a few nervous smiles as we made our way to the end of the ride. We had fun shopping and picking out many items and flowers we would love to buy, then putting them all back and then had a good laugh at how we saved money and a ton of work by not buying more garden plants! We both have more than enough yard and garden work to keep us busy for weeks on end without buying more stuff to have to tend to! Susan did a great job finding our way to a great place to sit and eat a wonderful lunch of grilled shrimp tacos, beans and chips and salsa, fresh squeezed lime topped of a nice lunch we both needed. The world was looking 10 times better now that we had lunch and we enjoyed a nice drive thru the fields back to my house. Bob came home and was delighted to get a  chicken statue and not a live chicken from Susan. We visited the horses and drank a blended ice coffee and Susan left for home. I went out and cleaned and fed horses, we had a nice dinner of left overs and watched Survivior. 

Last day of March

Facebook I have been trying to get up by 6A.M. and getting out back everyday. It is suppose to get to 92 today! I took a panel out of the round pen, I want to get it back to 50 ft. I let the horses graze around the outside of it to clear out the grass and pulled a lot of tall stick type weeds. I cleaned and dumped stalls. I cleaned and filled water barrels and buckets. Next I watered the back flowers and put shade up for the tender new plants. Out front I pulled weeds along front walk way and cleaned out a pot and planted my Birthday mini rose and another flower. That led to general clean up of front porch and more weeding and a rinse off of whole area and my truck! All this before 9A.M.

Mar 19, Sat

  Yesterday was a long day for us. We went to my sisters home and took her to the service to celebrate her husbands life. They would have been married 37 years this August. Bob and I always went to a nice dinner together and exchanged gifts, as our anniversary was in August too. Susan has told me a lot about "pastor Koe" and now I know why. His message was of hope and was comforting to us all. We went up to Rose Hills, where my Mom and Dad, Grandmother and sister are, and now Paul is there too. The airforce cadets, in full uniform did a flag service and played taps. It was very nice, and Susan will give the flag to Paul's daughter, Shelia. We went back to Susan's home and stayed and visited with friends, and we left around 5:30pm. Due to traffic and a stop for a soda we got home about 7pm. I had fed the horses so much hay in the morning I thought there would be some left until the next morning, but all was gone and I was met with whinny's from both. I fed more hay and went almost into the house when the mare, followed by the colt ,stormed into the arena, bucking and thundering in anger! She again called out, demanding her supplement bucket!! I was put off and came into the house and told my husband the horses where having a tantrum. He turned on backyard lights and watched her pace the fence line with the colt leaping and bucking behind her!He kept making comments about her being upset until I turned the lights off and closed the slider and curtains. I realized how much they depended on things being the same all the time. I did feel bad for the mare, she is a real chow hound, 9 I am too)the colt just does what she does, like a good baby. So today at lunch time I did separate them and fed them the supplements. While I raked the arena the mare opened her stall door(I had not locked it) and strolled out to eat the knee high grass growing around the barn area. I finished up and went to the barn and got her bucket and put 1 cup of soybean pellets into it. I showed her the bucket and shook it so she knew something was in it and her eyes lit up and with a mouthful of grass she trotted happily into her stall and gobbled up the extra treat. I patted and scratched her shoulder. She was such a good horse, no trouble at all. I have always been able to get her to go back into her stall after an escape, by placing something nice to eat in it. She caught on to this real fast, and has sometimes, when I have found her loose, hurried back to her stall and stood inside it, peeking out the wide open door, waiting for me to bring her special treat to her! They really want to cooperate with us, they only time problems happen is when we go too fast or do not make it clear who is in charge. All horses must know who is the leader. Once they know this they relax and go with the flow. It is very simple to them, we are the ones that make it blurry and confusing to them. Tonight when I feed dinner, they will get another small treat of supplements, just like the expect, I will keep the routine.

Mar. 15, Zues work

    Got Zues out and did round pen work, he is so much better and stays on rail and does not turn in to me anymore. I practice yielding shoulders away, and backing thru the door ways, one step at a time, he was really good. We went out to front yard and watched the big dump truck lift the dumpster up and then followed the truck down the street, Zues was snorty and interested but not real reactive or scared.A couple of friendly neighbors came out to admire him and pet and visit. It was fun and he was very good. Geertsje was having a cow, crying and running around the arena, I was so proud of Zues, he heard her but never talked back to her. The ground work exercises are really paying off with him. We got home and I foam bathed him and then he was tied on pole. I relaxed for about an hour and watched TV. Then put both up and cleaned and fed and cleaned barn water buckets and filled arena tub.It was a good day for both of us and I was tired. Poor Geertsje was covered in dirt from sweating up and rolling! 

Mar. 11,12,13

     I was feeling tired and sad the last 3 days. Sat. we visited my sister with our truck and took a lot of things to the Goodwill drop off. Her husband passed away recently. He was much loved and will be missed. On Sunday I  cleaned up some int the back yard, pulled weeds and planted cuttings from my sisters gift of cuttings from her plants. I always put my hands on each horse at least 2 times a day when I fed and clean around them, it is a great comfort to me to touch them. The mare is watching and relaxes after I touch her, the colt seeks my touch and enjoys it. The difference between a horse I bought as a 4YO, and a foal I raised.to the age of 4.I love them both so much.

Thursday 03-10-11 Zues today lounge with line on and it went much better. We did walk and trot transitions both directions. He is still trying to turn and face me when he halts, so I yield shoulders away(good practice anyway) and back until he is standing the way I wanted him to and praise him. By the end of the lesson I think he was catching on. I also use the smb boots on front legs and they worked just fine. I do need to buy a good leather surcingle, the cheap one I have is just a pain to tighten up. I gave him a nice brush off and put some oil in his mane and tail then put him up after the lesson. He is getting very nice to bridle, now that I am expecting him to do it the way it has been demonstrated by the trainers I like to follow. I had a big "ah ha" moment about this. I find myself having emotional reactions to some new training ideas I see/read about, this should be a flag to me to look deeply at whatever triggers this in me! I was very put off watching the tall cowboys with the tiny little Q

Tuesday horsework

On Tue, the 8th, I got Geertsje,(pronounced Geert-cha)out to work with. I put the Zilco harnes on her, just the saddle and full britching, and breast collar, and the too big Davis splint boots. I put the chain link drag in the arena with the big heavy truck tire on top of it, along with the blinker bridle, dressage whip, driving lines and gloves. I wanted to work with her as we walked thru the stall doorways. She can be a bit clostruphobic about tight spots, and one time we went thru a narrow gate and the western saddle stirrups banged and she spooked forward, slightly paniced, toward me. I stopped her and had her back thru the gate(this took some time) and walk one step forward with lots of control.( I had a big Morgan I bought years ago,that would leap thru all gates and run you down, so I am very cautious about this). She always tries so hard to understand what I want, and picked it up, after a few quick steps with the hind legs. I did notice that she tends to get MENTALLY stuck, and so do her legs, if she knows there is a step behind her hind legs. The front legs move back, and the worried face and raised head do not help her to coordinate and lift her hind feet AND move them backwards!She is so much like me!I am not a natural dancer or cook! I must study and practice and follow the directions! I was struck again that I must do more gymnastick type exercises with her to help her unstick her feet. I hooked and drove her all around, smoothing the arena and steering her into the little dips, it was harder for me to smoothly handle the reins and whip when we were off the fence line, but we did do several figure eights fairly nice. Back in the barn way I had her ground tied,(I am trying this with both horses) and went to pick her left hind foot up. (when I first got her she had almost kicked my then trainer a few times with her hind feet!)and she was jerking away from me and stomping it down! I smacked her for it and she trotted off across the yard into a corner!I forgot about the ground tie! Zues, tied on the pole snorted and trotted around as I went and caught her and put her back with cross ties on and cleaned all feet with no trouble. I put her in the wash rack and stood on a stool to treat her ears for dry itchy spots from nats and that too became a point of "no your not! and Oh yes I am" We had such a great time driving and yet it ended on a those 2 things. I tied her up to blanket her( I usually don't but taking no chances!) and put Zues away and fed them and came in the house.I was very happy with the work I just wished I understood why sometimes things are hard. Note to self: be more observant, maybe ground tie should be saved for a lesson on it's own.