January---The month I could skip.

I think it is a general feeling that most people just don't like winter. When I worked at the post office occassionaly I would have some one tell me that it couldn't get too cold for them and that winter was their favorite time of the year. I always wondered what else they lied about. I guess it is possible to like winter but I wondered why they didn't just move further north if they liked winter so much and it didn't get too cold. Alaska might be a good choice.

I think most of them don't live on farms and have animals to care for. If they had to break ice several times a day and go out in the cold wind to feed hay and make sure all the horses or cows were there perhaps they wouldn't have such a romantic view of winter. The yearlings have to have their grain to keep them growing and of course a good supply of hay so they generate enough heat to keep warm.

But I am grateful for winter is some respects. It does the ground good to freeze and thaw. The snow covers the ground and makes a nice blanket for the grass underneath. The cold weather cuts down on the bug population. But my view of winter is that we should have some cold weather and two or three days should be enough.

Enough rambling. I will close out now and quit rambleing about winter. I think winter in the southern hemisphere would be very appealing but I sure would miss my home and horses.

Winter in the Bluegrass

It is all we are hearing about on the news. Cold cold cold every where. Where is this global warming when we need it? Seriously, I know all of you are having your share of winter weather so I just couldn't help mentioning it here too.

My horses seem to be taking it all in better than what I am. They are always by the hay stacks eating and eating. It takes extra this kind of weather for them to produce enough heat to keep warm. So keep that hay out there and don't forget the water. Hopefully winter will break early and the hay will not be gone before winter is.

I know it is cold when the Mississippi daughter-in-law is talking about tempertures in the 20s and the son lets the dog in the house. Mine stay in every night winter and summer but my son just doesn't like his dog in the house. To each his own. But they are all in these kind of nights.

I hope you are staying warm where you are. The only noise I hear right now is the dogs snoring Yes they snore. And the furnace is running frequently. It sounds like a cash register ringing up a bigger bill every minute. So we will just all have to hang in there. The weather in Kentucky changes frequently so we can probably expect higher tempertures soon along with the higher heat bills.

It sounds like I am doing a lot of complaining tonight but I am not really. I love this farm and my country. I know I am so much better off here than most of the rest of the world. I have a warm bed and a warm house. I am thankful for my beautiful and cozy life. God has blessed me so much. Yes it is bitter cold out there but I drive the block and a half to the barn in my warm truck and when I get cold, I get back in the truck and warm up and then get back out and feed some more. Soon I am finished and back into the warm house.

So God bless and keep each of you safe and warm this cold weather. In addition to caring for your animals don't forget to keep yourself safe and warm as possible.

See you soon.

The Second Ride

Referring to Vera's Blog. I sure hope that her dad takes pencil and paper in hand and will write many of his experiences. H T Derickson has forgotten more about horses than most of us will ever know. When he does open up: sit back, shut up and take notes.

I took things that I have learned at the Van Bert Farm from the Tiptons, Dericksons and Pattersons and have applied it to my horse ownership. When I arrived at the Van Bert Farm almost two years ago to buy a horse, my life with horses was nearly a clean slate. I could not have found a better place to start learning about horses and especially about Mountain Horses. H T has contributed a lot to what I know about horses now as has all the others at Van Berts.

I want to tell you about a young lady I met at Van Berts in one of my early visits there. I counted her as one of my first friends at the stable. Not that everyone else hadn't been super nice to me but Kaylee Tipton took me under her wing and offered me her friendship. Kaylee was only eight years old when I first met her. I had seen her on the web site and I was assured that Mt Girl had been ridden on trail rides by the 8 year old Kaylee Tipton.

She has been an inspiration in my riding and taught me just how good a child could ride. It then became my ambition for my grandchildren to learn to ride and maybe someday ride in the show ring too if they found they loved that. I started with the little five year old great granddaughter that lived closest to me and this time last year she started taking riding lessons. Over the summer as the Mississippi grandchildren came to visit me, I learned just how much the three of them enjoyed being on horses too. Melissa (the great granddaughter) started riding in the UMH horse shows over the summer on lead line and is looking foward to riding alone in the arena in the coming year as an under eleven rider. So my hopes for my grandchildren are becoming a reality. It has been a great family time for all of us. Melissa's grandparents and Aunts and Uncles has joined me at the horse shows to watch her ride and we have had some very enjoyable times together as a result.

And so that is how a little sweet bay pony ended up on my trailer for the long ride to Mississippi. As I said in yesterday's blog, the children rode Lilly the first night that we arrived in Ms. The next morning Kailey (my granddaughter) had to go to school but Stephen didn't have to. So he was on the pony pretty early on Tuesday morning. I used the knowledge that I had gained at Van Berts in my riding and watching others ride there to start to teach Stephen how to make his pony walk on and more important to stop. So that was the first lessons the two smallest grandchildren learned.

Stephen we learned was a natural and he will not be long before it won't be enough to ride a pony that doesn't want to run. But for a small child that is good for now. So he learned the phrase "Walk on Lilly" to let his pony know he wanted her to walk forward. Of course, she thought he really didn't know what he was doing so she stood there. Next I told him to kiss at her to let her know he really meant to move forward. She still stood there not taking him too seriously at first. Then I told him to give her a kick in the side if she still ignored him and soon he had her moving forward. After he did that several times that morning, she soon started listening to him when he said "Walk on Lilly". Then we went through the exercises to teach her to stop on command. She liked that right off so that was no problem. Next was showing him how to dismount. He really didn't want to do that because he was having too much fun riding.

After school that afternoon when Kailey came home, she got her turn learning the same lessons. We also added in the steering with the reins. Both of them are such naturals they will soon be riding that little mare all over the fields and enjoying the thrill of riding alone. Their big brother Dalton will also enjoy that pony long enough he too will get comfortable on horseback and soon move up to a bigger horse.

So the grandchildren and I share a love for this little pony and I believe all horses in general. They will learn many lessons from the bay pony. They will learn that she must have hay and water and she will like brushing and having those itchy spots scratched. They will learn that she will be a good friend to them but to have a friend they must also be a friend. Perhaps they too will learn that T V is not nearly as much fun as being able to go out and work and play with their pony. They will soon know that with ownership there comes responsibility. Lessons children have to learn anyway and why not with a pony that teaches them all these things without them really thinking of it as learning. After all, isn't that the best way to learn.

A Pony for the Grandchildren

Well it has certainly been busy this past several days. Saturday night was the annual Awards Banquet for the United Mountain Horse Association. Congratulations to all the winners of those awards. I attended almost every UMH horse show this year and I know how much hard work the competitors do to get their horses ready to show and durings the shows too.

So that kept us busy over the weekend. I want to congratulate my Great granddaughter Melissa Cooper for her trophy. I was so proud of her. Next year she will riding alone and be a really big girl. Five year olds go on lead line. Six year olds ride in the arena alone with them and the horse working as a team.

We had just returned home from Lexington when we turned around, hooked up the horse trailer, loaded a pony named Lilly and headed to Lumberton Mississippi. I have three grandchildren living there so you know why I was heading to Ms with a bay pony named Lilly. The children knew that Grandma was coming with a surprise but they did not know what the surprise was going to be.

It is a 10 hour trip and the 10 year old pony travelled like she did it on a regular basis. I know I was ready to be out of the truck and stretch my legs when we arrived at their small farm so I was sure my two passengers were as well. My oldest daughter rode along with me to "keep Mom out of trouble" and she was really glad to be at our distination too. I know Lilly, our other passenger was also glad to be off the trailer and on solid ground with water and hay in front of her but first it was time to surprise the two little ones. Kailey 5 and Stephen 4 had been sent on an errand with their Mom until we pulled in, unloaded, the pony and got her safely tucked away for the big moment.

I was standing in the shadows with Lilly when the car turned into the drive and headed toward the house. I knew the big moment was at hand. The children got out of the car overjoyed to see Aunt Mary Beth. Then they started looking for Grandma with the surprise. It was my cue to walk out of the shadows into the light with the surprise.

My two little grandchildren stood there with eyes that were getting bigger all the time. Kailey was the first to express her feeling. In her most excited little girl voice she exclaimed, " I didn't know our surpirse was an animal."

Amidst hugs and loves and laughter they petted their new pony and was soon sitting on her back with no saddle or bridle just holding onto her mane and riding Lilly around in the back yard led by the hero of the day. Grandma.

Now if you have never presented a child with a horse or pony, you have missed one of the most awesome experiences of a lifetime. And it was all of that and more for me.

Remember I said there were three grandchildren in Mississippi. The third is a teenager, Dalton. I could tell by his face that he was also excited by the pony but being the big brother he let the little ones ride and have their fun. He is the big brother. He is early teens and he is too big to get all exctied over a pony but he was pleased. And the next day he also rode and was happy to have a horse they could all ride. But he is about to outgrow Lilly so I think there will soon have to be a friend for Lilly that is more geared to a boy that is about the make a big growth spurt.

So it is Wednesday night. I am just getting home from Ms and getting things done here and getting ready for the big chill that is hitting tonight. It was a long trip and lasted for only three days but I wouldn't have missed it for the world. My son offered to make the trip to get the pony but I couldn't miss that moment.

Tune in for the next installment. Tomorrow I will describe, the second ride.

Lessons my Rocky have taught me

Here goes, day two. I'm not sure if anyone is reading. But here it is.

First my Rockies have taught me the importance of staying in the saddle. I am speaking of my first mare. She is the only one I have fallen off of. when I took up riding again, I thought with these horses it would just come back to me naturally. I had done a little riding in my twenties and it didn't seem so hard then. But this is oh shall we say some years later. So when I started riding Mt Girl I soon began to feel very confident in the saddle. Sadly too much so. I learned quickly that I didn't know she was better at reading me than I was at reading her.

So she taught me a number of very valuable lessons. The first is to get to understand your horse. She understands what my nervous voice means and it means to her that it is time to run for her life and her rider needed to reassure her and let her know all is well with her world and I am not going to let anything happen to her. I learned that when I didn't give her this reassurance she would react the only way she knew and go into the flight mode. I hadn't refined my seat in the saddle enough to know how to ride through that. So three times on the ground later, I have rethought my approach to her.

I have learned the best way to reassure my young horse is to get to know her. This winter she has been hanging out on the farm in the pasture in the back of the house. We have gotten to know and hopefully respect each other. I am more relaxed and calmer when I approach her and she is responding very positively to me. Now she comes to me in the field and I scratch her all over and she is beginning to know me and enjoy my company more. Plus she is getting to be a horse for the winter.

I am learning from my youngsters now. Since January the 1st they are yearlings. December the 31 they were weanlings and all of the sudden now they are yearlings. I have learned to really relax around them although I do take care of the back feet always and especially at feeding time.
I held all of the horses while the farrier was working on them. He did a total of 14 and I learned a lot from that. I learned how to use my body and voice to get them to remain still and calm. I have learned that the more time I spend with my horses this winter the more relaxed I am around them. I am becoming cofident and more sure of myself.

To all of you horse people out there, you are probably laughing a bit to yourself. But I am a older woman and short on experience. If you haven't had experience with horses and want to learn, first find a good horse to get to know. Take riding lessons. Develope a good seat in the saddle and practice, practice, practice.

Mountain Horses

Hi, I'm new to this blogging stuff so I am trying my wings tonight. It is winter in Kentucky and there is no blue grass to be seen now. Today we have had a Kentucky winter day. We have had a mist of rain and snow and then the snow disappeared and then we had another dusting of snow. As the dark closed it the dusting of snow was visiable on the truck sitting by my back door but there were no horses to be seen in the pasture. They had all disappeared down over the hill to the grove of trees that offer them shelter and a break from the wind.

Now you may think that I am not a good horse owner to allow my horses to stay out in this weather. But we are talking horses here and most specifically Rocky Mountain Horses. I have come to love the Rocky Mountain Horses and most of all to respect them.

I was introduced to the Rocky Mountain Horse by Horse Illustrated and knew that when I bought a horse it would be a Rocky Mountain. More later.