About damned time

My lawyers finally got their shit together. After sending it to the wrong address, stalling for two weeks, and getting the acct number wrong, my lawsuit is finally over and done with. We've paid Steve for Benjamin. Got Andrea taken care of for the fence. My truck is not in danger of being repoed anymore. The guy from Idaho Power came out this morning and did all the final work for the estimate on what it's going to take and cost to get power out to the house. The building inspector was out this morning and we are offically approved to build. The foundation is all dug out, the forms set for the concrete, and they started pouring the footings today. Of course I had my camera out there, but not the chip inside to store the damned pics once I took them. I bought myself my first new pair of boots in years. I haven't had a pair of cowboy boots in so long. It's the first thing I've bought myself that cost more than a hundred dollars in so long. Now I just need some jean, as I split the inside of the thigh of the one pairof  jeans I had left.Tomorrow Scott takes the deposite to Idaho Power so they can get started putting in poles. Steve wants us to come look at a red dun gelding tomorrow afternoon. Benjamin and Patches are getting fat and happy out in the pasture.

Big Ben

I took the kids out to play with Ben the day before Honey Joe and Andrea got there with the trailer to take them down to the ranch for the cattle drive. They got to throw a saddle on him and ride him around. But here is some shots of them just riding around in the pasture. He was so funny. He won't neck rein unless he wants too, and that neck is so thick he just walks where he wants to no matter how hard you pull on the lead rope tied to his halter. I had to give the kids a stick to tap him on the ass with to make him go. The other horses would run off, then tap tap tap on the butt and he'd mosey on over to where they'd run to. They run off, and tap tap tap. They had a good time. We took him to Niagra Springs Canyon today. I got a Tom Thumb bit for him with copper rollers. We rode in that today and he was great. Started out trotting and cantering down the trail for a far bit. He rides in the front, middle, back of the pack. He doesn't have a smooth right lead canter, and a horrible left lead. Both leads are pretty smooth. Nice slow comfy lope. I can get him to switch leads fairly easy when he wants to neck rein. Sometimes he doesn't. He crossed into water and walked down the creek and back out the other side, no issues. We crossed back over and took the mountian trail back instead of the bottoms. He went up and down hills, jumped into ditches and back out. Picked his way neatly through the rocks. He's barefoot right now, and never took a tender step. Huge hard feet. The saddle he came with is terrible for mountian trails. Feels like it wants to tip me forwards too much, so I didn't take the really steep downs. I went around and met back up with Kurt and his two. But he went all day and just wanted more. I'm really happy with my big ugly gelding

Benjamin Brown

The ugly horse has a name. A little forlorne doggie came in, matted to heck and back, for an emergency haircut yesterday, and I decided I loved the name. Doggie's name was Benjamin. It seemed to fit my big ugly horse.  My big ugly horse that is turning out to be everything I was looking for in a flashy pretty horse and wans't finding. He still needs work, but he's been a pasture ornament for two years.

Wednesday we took Minnesota, Cadilac, and Ben to my first cattle drive. Cadilac is an old pro now, and Sota's been to them before. Benjamin did fantastic. I didn't know what to expect out of him. He didn't seem to be bothered by the dairy cows up the street, but I wasn't riding into the middle of them and getting all up in their business either. Honey Jo and Andrea loaded up horses Tues night and slept out in the bunkhouse. I met them about 8:30 Wed morning. They took Ben with them overnight. Saddled him up Wed morning and he was eager to go. I think he's just happy to be out doing anything. We road right up to those scary, horse eating cows, and he didn't even snort or flick an ear at them. He wasn't right on some cows behind following her every move, but we got into the middle of them, and made them go where we wanted to. He's very buddy sour with Soda. He called out and fussed like a weeney when Soda rode off into the fog. It was really foggy Wed morning. So we worked on making it work to act like a weeney. Every time he started to jig and dance we either rode tight fast circles or rode off away from the herd untill he walked. Then he got the oportunity to walk calmly back. We did it alot. lol. He still has issues with not neck reining when he doesn't want to. We got the cows down to the next ranch with sorting pens and a loading/doctoring shoot. Our job was pretty much over at that point. I sat there on him and finally got cold enough to put on my jacket. Did I mention all the clothes I was wearing when we headed out? Big woolen socks that went clear up to my knees. My smaller socks on over that. I didn't want my toesies to get cold and numb. I put on a nylon something long sleeve turtleneck from stateline tack. Over this and underthings went Scott's red unionsuit. Think  old time cowboy under clothes with the trap door and everything. I had a heavy tee shirt and gloves on over top of everything. I wanted to be warm. Ben did better than I thought with all the mooing cows and all the silly thingsI did with him. I rode him right up against the fence into the shoot. I was swinging the end of my mecate reins and smacking the fence, hooting and hollering for the cows to, "Git in there, come on cow!"  I was leaning over the fence and swatting the cows on the butt. Ben just stood there like a trooper.                                     

I bought the ugly one

So I bought the ugly one. He's so not what I was looking for.He's an older gelding. 16 or so. A friend of mine said a horse trainer friend of hers picked up a gelding on consignment last night, maybe we would like to go out and see him. He's ugly as sin Steve said. No idea of his breeding. I think, and so does everyone who's looked at him, that he has some drafty in him. He's not real tall. Maybe just pushing 15 hands if that. Thick neck, big solid legs. I took him for a test spin in the round pen. He hasn't been ridden in two years. The older guy who owned him didn't ride him. When the owner died, the kids didn't know what to do with him, so they called Steve to sell him. He kinda neck reined. He wanted to turn back to the gate the whole time. Nice slow jog though. Steve told me to take him out in the dessert across the street. He'd ridden him earlier that day. He wasn't thrilled to walk out. He kicked out with his right hind to tell me he wasn't happy. That was the biggest temper tantrum he was capable of it seemed. He necked reined when he wanted to. Walked through anything I wanted him to. I couldn't make him spook even though I tried. I took my feet out of the stirrups, swung them around, kicked him in the flanks. I reached around and pulled his tail, swung the reins around. Honey Jo rode him, Andrea rode him. Each time he want back across the desert he got better. Less of a fit going out, nicer walk on the way back. The girls got up on him double.
We all tried to spook him. Steve got back on him, from the wrong side, nice lope away from the farm. When he came back Steve was standing up on his back for about 100 yards, across the road and back into the yard.

Steve got back up standing on his ass this time. Even crawled underneath him. The longer we hung out with him, the more he was growing on us. Steve told us he'd take $500 for him, throw in the saddle he came with, and let me take him home for a few days for a test spin. We were sold. For that kind of money I can still get the horse of my dreams later on if something falls in my lap and I have to have it. Kurt came out with his rig to pick him up for us. Us girls went back to get Honey Jo's horse, and get Patches and Soda caught up. We were going to go for a ride. It was getting late when the guys finally pulled into the yard. We decided to still go out. He stood next to a strange horse horse tied to the trailer with no worries. We went down the road to the dirt road a little bit down. He didn't care. He walked out really nice. Liked being out front. Didn't care about the dairy cows. He road nice in the middle of the pack. Didn't care about being in the back. Ears up looking around. Trotted down the gravel road, no shoes, not a single flinch or misstep. Road back along the railroad tracks. The train never came by, but I was curious what might happen. It got dark and didn't worry him. Ears still up. Came past another dairy, the cows spooked and ran off, and he still didn't care. We road back down the main road to the house in the dark. A truck came by as we came up to our pasture. He was more interested in the girls we left behind than the traffic that went by. I was so happy with him. More longer I road him, the bigger my smile got. We turned him, Patches, and Soda back out in the pasture with Illusion and Roxy. A few squeals and all he really wanted to do was eat grass. I'm so happy with him.

Saw a man about a horse

Beautiful sunset today.

So this is where the house is going to go. Yesterday Paul had a guy out all day digging out where we're going to set the house. It's moved a little bit from where we originally planned. They were digging and hit allot of rock. It's still back by the trees, just moved over a little.

We went out yesterday and wormed Patch and Rox. Scott rode Patches around bareback for a bit. All over the back eight acres.

Jesse so wanted to get on, and I like to encourage her to ride. She gets frusrtated easily. Still with just a halter and lead rope, we sent her off. Scott had reservations. Patches is still green and he doesn't like her to get conflicting signals while we're still learning her everything. So Jess wasn't doing everything right. Her hands her way too high, and Patches was taking advantage of her. Jess got her out back behind the other set of trees. I wasn't worried, but I guess I should have been. Just after Scott asked where did those girls go, Patches comes tearing out from behind the stand of trees at mach 1o. Head and tail in the air running like her tail was on fire. No Jesse. Patch made it through the break in the fence and up to where the small pasture is going to be. She thankfully didn't go through the fence and Scott was able to catch her up, while I went looking for Jess. The guy digging for the foundation with the back hoe was still out there working, and he went off in the tractor to look for her too. She came hobbling up, waved off the guy in the tractor and walked to me. She wasn't hurt badly. Twisted her ankle pretty good though. Patches was giving her a hard time about wanting to turn back to the front of the property and Jess did like we told her. Shortened up on the reins and circled her. Well I guess Patches knew who was in charge and after circling start to buck a little bit, and backing up. Jess got into the trees, and she hopped again. Jess came off her back, and tried to land on her feet. She said she held onto the reins till Patches was jumping around and reared up a little. Then she lost them. So Jess's ankle is swelled up some, and he can't walk on it well. Scott back up on Patches to put her through her paces, and not let her get away with stuff like that. On a good note, he rode her up to where Jess and I were walking back to the front of the property and the back hoe guy was back to work digging and moving dirt. Patches could have cared less. Walked right up there and didn't even twitch an ear in his direction.

We drove up to Mackay today to look at a paint gelding. We was beautiful. Pretty color dunskin paint. Nicely parked. Built well. I rode him around. Banged the stirrups into while I was on the ground. Swung my feet all over out of the stirrups while I was on him. Waved my hands around. Patted his butt. He was a little skitzy with my feet near his flanks. His owner warned me ahead of time he doesn't like it, especially with you on the ground. He's a little hot. Didn't want to stay down to a walk. They had him already caught and saddled when we got there. I know there were just trying to save time, as we got out there a little late. But I didn't like that I didn't see him caught up or saddled. He was a gentleman for being bridled though, and for taking off the saddle. Scott got on a rode him bareback. Bow didn't care for that at all. All this I prolly could have dealt with. Round pen him, gain some respect on the ground. He'd loose the spookiness, and the skitters once he had some respect and confidence in his rider. I really want something I don't have to put too much work into though.

He looks like a pony here, but Scott is a pretty tall guy.

You can kinda see in this pic he's holding his head a little funny. He had an incident, and no one knows what, as a youngster, and has an indent on both sides of his neck behind his ears. He's been vetted and the vet says he's fine. Perfectly sound. He moves though like a person with a bad crick in their neck. Instead of just moving the head to look, he moves his whole neck, without moving the head. He just kinda tilts his head. Bows his head around, as they call it. I think that's why he's so skitterish. He knows he can't get his head around fast enough to see what's going on. He's iffy about anything from the flanks back because he can't see it well. That's the only thing I have an issue with. If he didn't have that neck thing, I would buy him in an instant. Of course if he didn't he would have prolly settled down already and wouldn't be for sale. But that neck thing is prolly going to kill the deal for me. Again, he's a horse that my kids could get into trouble with I think, same as with the Buck horse I looked at, and obviously with Patches. I just need something a little more sane.

God loves stupid people

And for some reason wants to send them all into my grooming shop. Two days ago I had a new customer with two little dogs. She was referred by some one she saw walking down the road. I always want to do a really good job on referrals. Not that I don't always try and do a good job, but I like to really make sure on a referral. Her first words when she walked in weren't hi, nice to meet you. She said, "I'm going to trust you to good job, and if I don't like it, I'm not coming back." I just stood there staring at her. Now I'm nervous as all get out. I kept trying to get precise directions. What kind of length did she want on the body. Were we going to take any of the length off the ears. Did she want the second dog's face short and round like the first? She just kept telling me she trusted me, but damn if she didn't like it was all I could think of. She did tell me she wanted their head pretty short so she could see their eyes.

Of course two days later she has a problem with the eyes. On just one. The dog she gushed over how nice it looked, How the haircut was finally evened out. How her little face was so nice. The hair was thinner on this one than the other. The first thing she did when the lady put her down on the floor after inspection was sit and itch her face. Now she doesn't remember seeing this. I must have cut her. How could I not have known? It must have been incredibly painful when I did it, so why didn't I tell her when she picked them up? Not that she actually saw anything until later that night. Now she has carpet burn on her nose from rubbing it on the floor. But she's not mad at me. Oh no. She just wanted to bring the dog in so I could see it. o.O uh.... And just my luck, she loved the job I did so she's gonna come back. again... o.O Why oh why did I not do a terrible job so she would go back to her old groomer? sigh

It's official. The build is getting started. Paul came out and put his sign at the end of the road. I was hoping to see the road graded today after I got off work and went and checked progress. Nos such luck though. We had rain all night last night. The land drains really well though. Oct 5th we had over an inch of rain and snow.I was expecting a muddy mess out at the property. Nope. We were able to drive right up on the dirt road. Where the irrigation ditch has been for the last few years is boggy, muddy, but that's it. Tomorrow plans for the grader again. We're going to round off the pull in to the drive off the road, and angle back away from the house some. That'll put the driveway in front of the garage instead of up to it. Paul is hoping to start pouring concrete by Friday.

I went out and rode Patches yesterday. She is such a bitch to catch. The pasture is just a little to big to keep her running every time she walks away from me. Fine, you want to run, then we are going to Work. Once we have a round pen we'll be able to break her of it. Andrea took pity on me and caught up her to horses. Of course they would both walk right up to me. Then she found me a rubber pan and threw a handful of chicken scratch in it. Finally Patch let me catch her. I know It's payback for all the times I gave Heather ahard time about not being able to catch Bullitt right up. We rode in the back of our property, and the eight acres behind us. We went a little up on the canal some. Mostly I wanted to work on walking out away from the herd. The one time we tried to ride her and Joy out down the road was a disaster. Patch wouldn't walk out, just kept stopping and refusing to move. Joy danced and sidled around and tried to jump out from undeneath me. Then the trash truck came by. We also worked on tracking in a straight line. Every time she wanted to veer off back towards the front of the property we did two circles towards the way she was veering and then gave her the option to walk fowards. They were small, very fast, get your ass around Now circles. We also walked out to the road and just sat there and watched the traffic go by. No worries. She was doing a ton better after an hour. We were only bareback, but I got to go ride!

Today I just went out in the pasture and sat. I watched the horses eat and meander around. I layed back in the grass and listenid to them munch. Soda thought maybe I turned into a pony eating monster laying there in the grass. That is untill he decided my shoe might taste good.




Roxy decided to see how the tree tasted.

I caught a neat pic of Soda staring off into space. And a kitty in the tree.

Looking at ponies

So the hunt is on. The money is almost here ,and I have been looking like crazy over the internet for just the right horse. The requirements are: gelding, between 4-10, broke, walks out on his own, not too spooky, built well. I've found two so far. Last week I went out and met Buck. Buck belongs to Randy, a guy Scott works with. I love him. I love the way he looks I should say. Buckskin, 9 years old, 14.2h. One white sock, huge white blaze. He was gelded late so he still has the big stud jowls. He seemed a little too hot to me. He's a roping horse, I have no use for that. Randy uses a pretty harsh curb type bit on him to make his sit down and stop Now. I rope him in just a simple snaffle. He doesn't want to stop and stand. He walked off when I got on. Bad pony, no cookie. I can work on both of those. He's built like a tank and could go through the mountians all damned day. I loved how when the younger son took him back to the pasture he tugged on the lead rope and Buck put his nose down almost to the dirt so the kid could wrestle with the buckle on the halter. The little kids ride him around the pasture alot, so they say.

Then there is Bow.I'm trying to make plans to go and see this handsome guy. I came across his add on craigslist, and emailed the owner for a better pic than the one in the add. I recognized the email addy as the last name of a friend of mine from the games I play on the computer. So I meailed him and asked if it was the horse I saw pics of from when he was just here in Idaho over the summer. Yup, same horse. It's his Mom's. She sent me some pics and his pedigree. I think he's beautiful. Heather wants to know why I haven't already bought him. Both of them are more money than I can really wrap my brain around paying since my first horse was $150, and the next two were free. Bow is up for sale because his mom is getting a little older, and he's just a little too much horse for her. They don't ride enough to put the kind of miles on him to work the willies out of him. I don't see that happening around here with the way Kurt likes to head out into the mountians, and being able to ride out the back of our property along the canal forever. I don't think Bow is built as nice as Buck, but gosh he's got some color.

I went the day I rode Buck to check out two paints. A tobi mare and a frame gelding. I didn't even bother to try and get ahold of the owner. I didn't like either of them looking at them over the fence. The mare had a huge crest neck, very fat. Kurt said it could be a sign of her foundering. They both had horrible steep, upright shoulder. That doesn't make for a smooth ride. She was pushy to the other horses. We just got Patches off Tim's property away from mares like that. Pass. The gelding was pretty. Color. That's about it. I'm not a huge fan of bald faces where one of the eyes are white. Bow has a bald face, but both his eyes have color around them.

The black and white frame gelding had green goobers on the bald eye, and scaley flacky skin all over that side of his face. So I passed on both of them.

Ponies on my property and we got a road

A few days ago we finally got Patches over to our place. We bought a Gallagher Solar Fence Charger. There is no electricity out there yet. Andrea has her two horses out there already and had electric fence up, even though it wasn't hot. We borrowed a truck and trailer from our friend Kurt. He's the one who takes out riding all the time, and we bought Patches from. We brought over a horse from his place as a friend for Patches. She's a 3 year old, appy, curly mare. Part of the road back to the irrigation ditch had been cleared out, so we were able to pull right up on the property for the first time. Got the charger up and running, hooked up the fence and we were ready. Patches came out first, then Roxy. Soda, the mustang gelding, and Illusion, buckin groing grey paint mare were nosey and wanting to see waht we brought. Patch and Rox both decided to be in heat Right now, and are peeing every time Soda comes near them. There was some general running around the pasture. Soda like to try and run Roxy off. She's the low man on the totem pole. It doesn't look like anyone is bothering with the fence. Andrea is making sure water stays full in the tub in the pasture. Her hose from the house reaches out there.

Yesterday I stopped to check on the ponies, and we had a ROAD!!! Juan had come out lastweek and cleared where the road is going to go back to the irrigation ditch. Well yesterday he came out and worked on the road all day. It goes clear back to the back of the property now. He took out all the grass and piled it up. He'll haul it off later. We walked out over to where we want the house, and I showed him the stakes that Paul and Scott had placed for the house. When we were leaving lastnight he was out the with the headlights on the tractor digging out the driveway.

Here's the view from the main road.

Back to the back of the property