Waiting. . .

Doug and I are in the process of getting our house ready for sale so we can purchase property where I can keep horses. I've always wanted a home where I can keep my horses on my own place. We've seen some beautiful homes. Waiting is the hard part.

The Bible has a lot to say about waiting. Psalm 14:17 tells us to wait on the Lord and He will strengthen our hearts. Daniel 6 tells of a long night in a lion's den as Daniel waited on God. I choose to trust Him and wait for His answer. I must remember that waiting is GOOD for me because it reminds me I'm not in charge. God is. No one was ever disappointed while waiting and trusting in God. Why, Abraham waited decades for the promise of Isaac's birth to happen! And it did happen, just as God said it would.

God is never late. So I'll wait.

Where has the summer gone?

September is here (actually over half-way to October). Summer just flew by! We had our hot days, our rainy days, our floods and our mosquitoe plagues! But I enjoy every day I can be out at the barn with my horse. I'll tell you, though, I can't wait for "fly season" to be over. The cooler days of Fall are just right for riding! Soon the colors will change and the trees will be awash in reds, golds, and browns.

The last week of August my husband and I took a vacation to the Grand Canyon. Once I can get my computer and my digital camera to cooperate, I'll have some pics to post. We had a great time in Arizona! Flagstaff is a beautiful town with warm sunny days and cool nights. The Canyon itself was breath-taking! We went out and back by train and that was a lot of fun! I'd like to travel by train again sometime. Everyone at Amtrak was so nice and helpful! Sleeping on the train was very different! (My advice -- the lower bunk is more comfortable!)
So is trying to brush your teeth, take a shower, wash your face, etc...

They fed us very well on Amtrak. The food was excellent and lots of it! Every meal we got to meet someone new. We talked with fellow travellers from all over! That was wonderful!

I enjoyed my vacation very much but missed my horse, too. Rusty was glad to see me when I got home.

Expect the Unexpected

Hi, All!

I just spent an anxious weekend. I had gone out to ride Saturday after work and found that Rusty's left eye had swollen almost completely shut. I showed this to Marie and after she had examined the eye said it was a vet call. She told me you should never take chances when the eyes are concerned.

I borrowed Marie's cell phone and called the vet. Praise God my vet was on call that Saturday afternoon. (The office was closed for the day.) Dr. Kevin said he'd be out so I waited... and paced...and waited... and brushed Rusty... and waited... ( you get the idea). Actually Dr. Kevin came out rather quickly but to a nervous horse-lover it seemed like a loooooooong time.

Dr. Kevin gave Rusty an injection of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory medicine and gave me some ointment to apply to the eye twice a day. I'm very fortunate that Marie will do this (for a small charge) because I cannot get out to the barn twice a day. So, this was on Saturday.

Today, Monday, I went out at my usual time and lo and behold, Rusty's eye looked great! I was so happy and relieved to see both eyes shining brightly at me! I had done a lot of praying over the weekend and Marie applied the ointment twice a day.

Having something wrong with your horse is like having a sick child. You do all you can and you pray a LOT. I still don't know how his eye got injured in the first place. These things happen. But I'm very grateful to Dr. Kevin, Marie and of course to God for being with Rusty and me at this time.

Brandie and Rusty

Brandie visits Rusty with me

My friend, Brandie, spent the day with Rusty and me this past July 4. We had such a fun day with the horses and went out to eat afterward. Brandie loves horses, too and I was happy to have her come out to the stables with me. Rusty really likes her, too.

Well, its been over a month. Sorry for lack of postings.

I want to tell you that the Bug Check is making a difference now. I give Rusty two scoops in his feed every day and I'm noticing an improvement. One scoop was not enough. Today we rode outside and the flies were not as bothersome as they had been before. It used to be that the flies would bother Rusty so badly that he couldn't concentrate on what I was asking him to do. He'd stamp and dance around. Today we even went out in the field for a while and he was great.

July 4th my good friend Brandie came out to the stables with me and helped me with Rusty. We also saw the new babies (a couple of real cuties). It was a fun day and I was glad Brandie could share it with me.

I look forward to the times I can spend with my horse. As we get to know each other better, our rapport is really growing. I can only thank God for this wonderful privilege.

Power Struggles

Horses have a way of testing their boundaries. They're very much like children in this regard. My horse wants to know that I'm consistent when I ask something from him.

In our early days, the power struggle was over cleaning his feet. I'd ask him to lift his hoof and he'd give me trouble about it. With my instructor's help, I gradually got him to realize that I was going to persist in asking for his hoof until he gave it to me. When he did, I praised him. I told him what a good boy he is. We are doing well with his feet now.

Recently, Rusty and I had a power struggle about the bridle. Formerly, he had been very good about being bridled. Then, out of the blue, he began to throw his head up in the air trying to avoid the bridle. Once I knew that the bridle itself was not the problem -- it was adjusted correctly and the bit was not hurting him -- I had to be persistent with my behavior. Once Rusty realized I wasn't going to give up, the head-tossing stopped. Today, he submitted to having the bridle put on without a problem.

So, just like with children, we have to work patiently and consistently with our horses letting them know we won't tolerate bad behavior. Rusty needs me to be consistent with him. If I send him mixed signals I'm creating a problem and confusing my horse.

As we get to know each other, Rusty and I are developing a good relationship. He needs me to take the lead and set the limits. Our times together can only get better with patience and consistency.