Mike Fell Down the Hay Hole

This is my daughter, Mary Engle. This was her first ride on Tennessee Revelation aka Blue Jean.

In the life of a family there is many fun times. We probably had more than our share but also the usual amount of hardships and grief that goes with everyday life. It was one of those times the day Mike fell down the hay hole in my Dad's loafing shed. For those not familiar with the term, attached to the dairy barn was a big open barn that the milk cows could go into on cold winter nights.

I remember as a young girl growing up that we also had calf stalls in part of the loafing shed. The manure would continue to get deeper and deeper as winter continued its long journey to spring. In the spring the stalls would be cleaned by hand and hard work but the rest of the barn would be cleaned out with the tractor and loader. The manure spreaders would make trip after trip to the fields with the accumulated manure mixed with straw that was used for bedding.

The fields would be fertilized by the use of the manure and bedding mixture. For those of you who like your food grown without use of chemical fertilizers there it is. As natural as it gets.

As one drove in the spring with their windows rolled down (cars didn't have air conditioning)the rich smell of naturally fertilized fields would fill their acute sense of smell. It was not a bad smell to me. I guess I was accustomed to the smell of manure. It smelled like spring to me and the promise of the new growing season.

Soon the smell of manure would turn into the smell of new mown hay. If you ride through the country in hay cutting season the air around you will be filled with the sweet smell of newly cut hay. It is a scent that can't be reproduced by all the candle makers or the air fresheners in the world.

The barren ground would soon be springing to life with the fresh green sprouts of corn stalks sticking their heads up from the soil as they seemed to be testing the weather to decide whether to pop up or stay put. Of course with the laws of nature, they had no choice. They popped through the soil and started to grow as if they already knew they only had a short time to reproduce. Of course, with the way God created the plants they do know without knowing they only have a short time.

My cousin once said that on a hot summer night you could hear corn growing. I never tested that theory to see if it was fact but I liked the idea.

The newly planted gardens one would see would be springing to life as well. It was a time of planting and growing and keeping the garden free of weeds. That would soon give way to harvesting green beans and all the other produce in the garden. The kitchen would become hot and steamy with the kettles on the stove cooking the vegetable of the day. Soon jars of freshly canned vegetables would make their way to the shelves in the basement to wait for the winter months when no fresh vegetables were available. The freezer would start to fill up with corn, strawberries and peaches as well as many other fruits and vegetables. We were getting ready for winter.

Meanwhile in the fields food for the winter was being prepared for the numerous heads of livestock we had on our farm. Corn was harvested on the cob into the corn cribs for the hogs. The silos had already been filled with the whole stalk of corn to ferment for the winter into the nice smell of silage for the dairy cows. Alfalfa was cut and baled into small square bales weighing probably 80 lbs each. The barns were beginning to fill to the rafters with that sweet smelling alfalfa for the milk cows for the winter as well as for the beef cows we raised.

The barn was designed for ease of feeding. The aforementioned loafing shed had a big hay loft above it. It held thousands of those square bales of hay. It had an earthen ramp leading into the loft. The big trucks mounded with their precious cargo would back into the barn where the hay was unloaded and stacked high until no more could be stacked in the barn. Every available space had a protein rich bale of milk producing hay.

In the loft there were hay sized holes that we would carry the hay to, cut the strings and drop it into hay racks below where the cows would reach up and grab big bits of delicious forage.

My mother was sick and dying with cancer the summer of 1970. My sisters, brother and sister in law helped take care of her. The girls cleaned house, provided the meals, did laundry and kept mom clean and comfortable. Bob and my husband did the heavy lifting. We would call Bob or Bill if he was there and one of them would come in and lift our Mom for us to move her around when necessary.

Let me say this about our Mother. She was the sweetest kindest person I have ever known. She suffered but she did not complain about her suffering. Her only complaint was that she was causing us a lot of work. It was a labor of love on our part and a privilege to take care of our mother. She was a good woman and a picture of the saint waiting for the reward of heaven to come.

It was at this time that our boys learned to love the farm. We lived in the city, Jeffersonville Indiana in a house on a small lot. Although it was a big double lot it was still small to a girl that grew up on over 500 acres. We were frequently at Dad's farm caring for Mom. The boys were out with the men most of the time. They played in the hay loft, rode in the big trucks and helped in the fields where they could.

They loved going into the hay loft and helping throw hay down to the cows. They were young. Mike was 7 and Steve was barely 6 but they were big when they could help on the farm. It was in that setting that they were helping feed the cows.

My brother Bob was coming out of the dairy barn into the loafing shed ready to go to the loft to put down hay when Steve came down the stairs. Curious, Bob asked Steve where Mike was since they were always together. It was then the Steve proclaimed, "Uncle Bobby, Mike fell down the hay hole." Bob looked over to the hay racks and sure enough there was Mike setting on top of the loose hay with several startled cows wondering why he was sitting in their hay and disturbing their dinner.

There were many times we had funny stories to share after a visit to the farm. Kids can always add spice to any gathering.

The next January Bill and I fulfilled our dream of owning a farm when we bought the original farm from my Father. He and his brother had farmed together all their lives. My uncle had died a little over a year before and my Dad was ready to retire from farming. Everything had changed. In the space of nine months, he had lost his only brother and his wife. He was tired.

The next years of our children's lives were lived growing up on the farm I own .

We were feeding our cows in the field one afternoon in the spring. We were hurrying. The kids had a function at school. I saw a cow whom I had been watching for several days. I knew she was due to calve any time and that day she looked like she had calved. But we couldn't see her calf anywhere. She kept running around like she knew she was missing her calf but she didn't really know where it was. We looked and looked. She was distressed and we started to get frustrated the longer we looked.

Finally one of the boys spotted the calf in a sink hole. We walked all around that hole and didn't see it until we were right there. We had to be standing on the edge of it before we could even see it. There the little calf laid waiting patiently to be rescued. We pulled the calf out of the hole and finished feeding and got to school on time.

To me that is a picture of our lives at times. We unexpectedly fall through the hay hole or into a sink hole. Little by little we have positioned ourselves closer and closer to an unseen hole and we fall into it. What we do in those times tell the story of where are hearts are and where we go for rescue. Actually it is not the going, it is the waiting for the rescue. It is in those time we learn some of the most valuable lessons in our lives. The waiting patiently for God to rescue us. We stumble and we fall. Despite our best efforts. We pray and then we wait. In God's time and in His own way He comes to our rescue. There we wait, in the hole for our deliverance. Suddenly we smell the sweet smell of his presence. A smell sweeter than the smell of new mown hay. Our hearts are souls are filled with His presence more fully than the barn filled with stored hay. Filled with His loving presence.

Filled with His love and mercy. Filled with the joy of our deliverance from all the world puts upon us. Oh we are not delivered from the cares of the world by any means. Not until that day when we see his glorious face. But we become full of his grace and knowledge that he is our deliverer and the one who carries our burdens.

May you bask in His glorious presence this Christmas season and always. The season of celebrating God coming to earth to rescue us from our sinful natures. May He keep you in His loving care and surround you and those you love with the sweetness of His presence.

And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger"because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2: 7

Regards and Merry Christmas

With love in Christ

Mary Lipginski

I Know I Am in Trouble

I know I am in trouble with some of my followers for my absence from the blog for the last two months. No excuses. But I do apologize to those of you who tell me you enjoy my blog.

There is always something going on around this farm. We have been hauling horses home from the trainers. We have been hauling horses to the breeding shed. We have been doctoring horses. There is always something going on with the horses. The better they are the more likely they are to get into trouble or hurt themselves.

Case in point..... Yesterday David went to feed the horses. We have two weanlings in the lower barn. It is a tobacco barn we have been remodeling. Of course, I am the gofer. Go for this and go for that. That has been my main job for several months now as we were getting ready for the ACTHA CTC. For those of you who don't know that is the American Competitive Trail Horse Association and CTC stands for Competitive Trail Competition.

But I am off track. All of that really has nothing to do with David going to feed the horses. Except we have two weanlings in the remodeled tobacco barn and two at the stock barn. The two at the stock barn were nowhere to be seen when David walked into the barn to feed yesterday morning. The gate was wide open and the two weanlings had escaped. One we have named WOF Watch Me Go. Melissa calls him "Phoenix".. The other is his sister WOF Whispering Hope.

David called me in some what of a panic telling me he had looked in all the usual places the horses go when they escape. He had looked in Mike's yard, in my yard and around the barn. I told him he needed to looked in the woods below the barn. It is right next to the fence that runs below the barn. He had looked there. So he hung up and went back to looking for them.

A couple of hours later, I received the following text message on my phone:

"BREAKING NEWS:

This just in, in a major horse hunt taking place in Spencer Co Ky, two suspects were just apprehended in the southern region of the Whispering Oaks Farm near a horse pasture. When asked why they attempted their daring escape, Watch Me Go aka Phoenix replied, 'we just wanted to see our mommies.'

I am David Luttrell reporting for WOF News."

Tell me this place isn't a million laughs a day.

But sometimes things are not so funny on the farm.

There was the day we went to feed in the morning and I noticed a terrible cut on Phoenix's leg. The only thing we could think that could have caused a cut such as that was that he cut it on the tin on the sliding door that opened into the barn. We have not used that door for years and it had rusted on the bottom. He must have laid down and when he got up he caught it under the door. It was a little thing that we had not noticed and it caused a big problem. We are still doctoring his leg. David changes the bandages every few days. We have had the vet with him several times. The first thing he did was stitch it up. It hurt me to look at it. But after several weeks we can see he is healing and will probably not have a scar.

Another happy experience we had lately was Flair for Fury's homecoming. This story will be in the next issue of the UMH magazine. You will be able to read that magazine on line when you go to www.unitedmountainhorse.org. The publication date is sometime after Christmas.

Bob backed the trailer up to the end of the barn and backed her off of the trailer. You could tell when the door swung open that she was excited. She was excited because she was home. She knew it in every fiber of her body. Bob led her to her stall and she didn't want in there. She called to the other horses. She paced, she jumped and she was ready to go out because she had been away from home since last March and she was ready to run free.

But we didn't let her out until the next morning. She was almost trembling with excitement when David led her out of the barn and removed her halter. She didn't run right away. She stood in the field for a brief moment and then she ran. She ran, she bucked, she jumped and then she would stand in the field and her nostrils would flare. She was smelling the sweet smells of home.

It is rather strange in a way that she considers this home. She was raised and trained at Van Bert Farms until after her second show season. It wasn't until the end of her Yearling Show Year that she was brought here. Then we brought her home and turned her out for the winter. It was just before her second birthday that we loaded her up and took her back to Van Bert's to put her under saddle.

She has freedom here that she doesn't have there. She surprised me this last spring when Brandon rode her down to the arena and she bucked some. It was still cool and she was feeling good but I really didn't expect her to do it. She didn't buck when the saddle went on her the first time and Brandon climbed into it. But last spring she had the winter off and now she had to go back to work. And she was feeling good. No big bucks just a few little hops. I suppose you couldn't really call it bucking.

So Flair is home again and enjoying her turn out time. She is looking nice and shabby. Her coat is getting thick ready for winter.

Code of Honor is also home and ready to be turned out. He now has four colts on the ground. The last one is a filly out of a mare named Dock's Darling. I think the filly's name will be WOF Bill's Lil Darlin. I have had several suggestions. Tell me which one you like best. WOF Bill's Lil Darlin(she was born on my late husband's birthday) WOF Code's Lil Darlin, WOF Maid of Honor, WOF Code's Hello Dolly, WOF's Code's Hello Darlin. All good names if you ask me.

Well it all starts me thinking of the homecoming that awaits us at the end of our life on earth. I think we will probably be like Flair. We will be so happy to meet Jesus face to face that we may jump for joy as Flair did when she got home. As we get older I think our thoughts turn more toward Heaven than we ever think about it in our youth. Why should we. We are young, we are full of life, we have so much energy and so much to which we look forward as we face the future. We are eager to see what life has in store for us.

As I get older, my body is tired, my feet hurt and my bones ache. Now more and more I look forward to rest. It is God's way of preparing us for our homecoming. We will be free of the worldly trails and tribulations. We won't have to go to the funerals of people who have died too young. We won't have to say good-bye to old friends. We won't have to worry about our future health. Will our minds leave us before our body gives up?

Those are questions for another day but today I am enjoying the thoughts of my family being here Sunday as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Today I am thanking God for the safe return of my son Steve who has been in Guam for several months and just landed in Gulf Port just hours ago.

God bless you Steve for your service to our country in these very trying times. Welcome home and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I love you all dearly. I have missed you.

Also Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families. May God bless and keep each of you in His loving care. May He place his hedge of protection around you and those you love.

Regards

Mary

From Dear Abby (years ago)

God bless these dirty dishes

they have a tale to tell

While other folks may go hungry

We're eating mighty well

With home and health and happiness

We shouldn't want to fuss

For by this stack of evidence

We see God is very good to us.

Horse Shows

David and Rockin Andi are ready for the World Show



Vanessa and Welcome to Paris





David is READY to show



 Thanks  to Kelvin Robbins for the lovely picture and his permission to use it.  Paris won 2nd in the Breeder's Cup and then went on to win first in the weanling fillies conformation class and then to the weanling championship where she won by unanimous decision.  She is a beautiful red chocolate filly by Sam I Am owned by Carol Woods  and Clint Morrow.  Her dam is Tobet owned by Van Bert Farms of Stanton Ky.                                                                                                                                                           

Paris is leaving for New York where she will be making her residence. I am looking forward to seeing her in the show ring in the future.  She will make a beautiful mare.                                         

Two more shows to go this year.  We still have the Mountain Pleasure show later this month and then the KMSHA show in October.  It has been a intense show season and the last two weeks of the World and International Shows have been back to back and now for a full week we have to get back to the real world and do the real world things of weanling the babies, preparing for our upcoming trail ride that will happen November 5 and 6.  Hope you can all join us.  I am looking forward to seeing Kelvin and Dolly at my trail ride this time around.

 But back to the recent shows. The world championship classes were really great and the show was a great success although the weather was not.  The first of the week found competitors, spectators and horses wading in mud.  It was rainy, cold and of course everything any of us owned was wet and muddy. 

We did get some clearing in the middle of the week and by the end of the week the weather was really nice for the grand finale.  I can't name all the winners in the show but Van Bert Stables that train most of my horses were in the fore front with trophies and ribbons.  Flair for Fury did the usual good job she is well known for.  She gave my grandson, David a good ride in the pro/am class.  Venture's Golden SATIN gave Bob and David a good ride in the pro/am Trail Pleasure Class.                                                                    

I am so proud of David and Bob for the way they have worked together to get the horses ready to go from my farm in Taylorsville.  They have worked to get the horses ridden and keep them looking great for the shows that we have been participating in this year.                                                                                      

This post looks odd.  I am not on to the new format yet so I apologize for the odd way it may look when I post it.

Then on from there to the Rocky Mountain International Show.  I think my favorite part of the week, besides Flair first two good classes in which she won the first place ribbons and ttrophies was the Celebration of Champions.  No Celebration could ever be complete without mention Paula Morgan's great stallion, Choco Dock.  Paula was there to see him make his grand entrance into the show ring as the first of the Parade of Champions.  Many of his get were there to represent him in the Parade.  I was pleased to see the sires of so many of my herd represented there.  I had never seen Shepherd's Snowy River and I got to see him for the first time.  My mare VBF's Once a Hobo is by Snowy and she looks just like him conformation wise and in fact her markings are very similar to him.  Jason Stefanic had several champions represented that he has trained over the years as well as the Brummer's from EmDee's Mountain Horses with Chris and Stacy and Judy riding.  Just too many great champions to remember and name but was an amazing parade of great horses. 

My congratulations to all of the owners, trainers and grooms of all the the magnificent horses that showed this past week in the Rocky Mountain International Show.  It was a great week with many fine competitors and champions riding into the winner's circle.                                                                  

Of course H T Derickson and Blue on Black won more than a few of their classes and then the Rea Swan Award.  Congratulations to all the Van Bert Farm riders and trainers for a job well done.  I was proud of all of our horses.

You know as I often think of these wonderful horses God has blessed us with, I am in awe that I am allowed by  God to own,ride and show these wonderful horses.  All are so unique in their own way but also so much alike in temperament, ability and willingness to please their owner and trainers.   

We should all take time out of our busy days and nights to ponder the wonder of it all.  The earth and the beauty it holds.  For the double rainbow in the sky that Leslie and I saw on our way to the horse show on Saturday morning.  For the awesome things we see everyday and often see but done really look at.  The beauty of the sunrise, the beauty of the sunset, the rainbows, the trees, the flowers, the horses.  It is such an awesome world we live in.  And most of all created by such an awesome God.  Thank you Lord for allowing me to live in this time.

And may God who created the earth, hung the moon and stars in the sky and created our wonderful mountain horses bless and keep you in his loving care.

Genesis 1:1  In the beginning, God created the earth.  

Regards and best wishes for the next shows 

Mary

mary@marysmountainhorses.com  

                   http://www.marysmountainhorses.com/                        

                                         

To Grandparents Everywhere

Kailey with Uncle Bobby's cowboy hat. She has such a sweet face. The poem I wrote was about her sister, Stephanie when she was even younger than Kailey

Stephanie

by Mary Lipginski

for Steve

She runs in,

with face all smiles and says,

"Hi, Pa"

Her blue eyes widen

over peach jello

and pineapple bits,

She sits on books to make her

taller at the table,

and rides in Daddy's lap

to drive his blue truck.

Her curls bounce as she

searches the house

for Nanna and Daddy,

playing hide and seek.

Her laughter breaks the silence

of an empty house

as she echoes her Daddy's voice

of twenty years ago.

"Bye, Pa," she says

The door closes,

the house sighs,

and quiet settles once again

into the corners of the rooms.

A poem I wrote for creative writing class in 1987.

It's Almost Show Time

The first picture is Butteryfly Kisses with Brandon in the stirrups. The second is WOF's Whispering Hope. She is out of VBF Blue Ridge Mt Girl and by SC Code of Honor.

For those of you raised in a good ole Baptist Church you will recognize the name as the name of a popular song out of the Baptist Hymnal. Maybe other churches had it in their hymnal as well but I was raised Baptist and I sang a duet with my best friend and we sang Whispering Hope.

It is just about time for the UMH World Show once again and it is an exciting time for competitors. One show at a time and class after class we have been showing what our horses can do. Sometimes we win and get to go to center ring to get pictures made and sometimes we congratulate others as they do their victory lap. It is all educational and an opportunity to show off our beautiful horses to other competitors as well as show what our horses can do.

Of course there are the friends we have made and the friends we don't know yet. The World Show offers an opportunity to see friends we may only see once or twice a year.

Last year for the first time we had a progressive dinner. Every barn had an assigned dish to prepare. It started with drinks and ended with the dessert table. Yum yum.. It was also a poker run with a very nice prize at the end for the best hand. I started out strong with an ace but it went downhill from there.

The Breeder's Cup Classes is always a class everyone wants to see and especially to win. Last year my two year old filly, CGH Flair for Fury won the 2 year old trail pleasure class. For those who don't know how that works my trainer, Stanley Tipton, rode Flair in under saddle. He showed her just like a regular under saddle class. He rode her both ways of the ring at a walk and show gait. He then dismounted and his groom pulled the saddle off, brushed her out and then Stanley showed her like any halter class would be shown. It is an awesome feeling to have your horse win. It is not easy for a horse to be both good under saddle and conformation as well.

This year I will have a weanling showing in the Breeder's Cup. She is red chocolate and barn name Paris. Paris has already won two classes in conformation and we are hoping to keep the string going.

The first year I was involved in showing, I bought a weanling filly from Van Bert Farms named VBF Butterfly Kisses. I saw her on their website and I liked her immediately. She is a chestnut and that is not a well favored color in the mountain horses right now. It is all about chocolate with white mane and tail. That is fine but this filly is awesome regardless of her color.

Butterfly Kisses won her Breeder's Cup Class and then went on the win her regular conformation class. Stanley competed with her in trail obstacles where she placed 2nd. She made one mistake and lost to a colt that made no mistakes.

I sold her the night she won it all in the open conformation class. I made a nice profit on a horse I had owned only three weeks. I followed her scanty career and always admired her from a distance. I often asked her owner how she was doing under saddle and didn't really get much information.

Recently Larry Patterson called me and asked me if I wanted to buy her back. I said yes immediately. She is four years old now and she is almost full grown. She will be at the World Show is year. Let's see if the judges still like her conformation despite her color.

I don't get the big deal about color. Many owners advertise their stallions as having no red gene. It is necessary to give people the options they want. The option in many cases is no red horse. I understand the necessity of that since chocolate is the color buyers want. But the core problem is why do the buyers want chocolate and only chocolate too often? If one has a chocolate gelding it is worth more? Why not buy according to the way the horse goes and what the disposition is like?

Why are we breeding for color and not for all the other good qualities that a mountain horse has. I have a chestnut mare that I don't mind putting any child on. She is sweet and very forgiving. She will carry her young charges where ever they want to go and take care of them all the way.

I also have a chocolate gelding. He is everything a person would want in a mountain horse. He is chocolate, he has a sweet disposition and he has a smooth gait. My friends who ride him call him "the Cadillac ride". But I don't put children on him or riders who may not be able to handle him.

Whatever you want in a mountain horse, it is there. Why start out eliminating a horse just because of color?

It is my opinion as well as people I consider really smart that once you start eliminating color in mountain horses you may be inviting other problems in. For instance it is now known that breeding chocolate to chocolate will probably get a really white mane and tail but it also may get a blindness in horses. Do we want to make that sacrifice for the sake of a color?

What else are we breeding into the herd besides blindness? It is the law of unintended consequences.

I have been seeing chestnut horses in the show ring this year and I do hope Butterfly Kisses will once again make people set up and take notice of what she is and not her color.

Martin Luther King once lamented that he hoped "some day men would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin."

I want that as well but can't we judge our mountain horses by the same criteria. Isn't there room for outstanding chestnuts and sorrels the same as chocolates?

I hope to see you all at the World Show. The theme this year is "Light up the World" It is always interesting to see what various barns come up with for decorations to carry out that theme and who wins the competition for best decorated barn.

So be careful on the way to during and from the show. Good luck and best wishes to all of the competitors. I will try to keep you posted with blogs from the show.

May God bless you and keep you in his loving care. My prayer is that God will keep each and every rider surrounded by his hedge of protection. May you each do your very best and may each horse behave in a way that brings honor to their trainers and riders.

And most of all may our humble efforts bring glory and honor to God who made us all and who created these awesome horses for our use and care.

Regards,

Mary

Back in the Saddle Again

In the picture is CGH Flair for Fury. She is a three year old and has burned up the show ring every year she has shown. This is a post mark to my blog this time. I just rode Flair at last week ends show. Not as a competitor but practicing for another time out. Thanks to S T for this nice picture of Flair and me just after she won the CTP class at the Gaited Jubilee.

I can't wait to ride again. I still haven't gotten to ride. We have been busy getting the hay crop in for next winter. It is always a struggle. Our equipment always seems to break down when we need it most. Thank God for David, Bob and Mike that are keeping things going. I am pretty much the gofer. Go for this part and go for that part. The bush hog is a constant struggle. But we are making progress.

I was at the Doctor's office about a week ago and he said, "You can ride but BE CAREFUL". I really think he thinks I am accident prone. Why would he think that? I was dismissed from rehab last Wednesday with the caution to not come back.

Anyway it feels good to know that I can ride again and I know that Blue Jean is waiting for me. She is really a sweet mare. She is so calm and willing. She sometimes has a little stubborn streak such as when she wanted to keep taking Kailey to the gate. Kailey wasn't willing or able to get her to stay on the track.

Maybe the best horse I have for the children is Rosie. Her name is actually Blooming Rose but we call her Rosie. My grandchildren from Mississippi always want to ride Rosie when they come to see me. She is very willing to take care of the little ones. I trust her with them.

I have bought a lot of horses and we have several that have been born on the farm. Sometimes people will ask me what is my favorite horse. I try not to play favorites. I always like the one I am with at the time the most. Each one is a favorite for different reasons. Satin is so beautiful. She loves Bob and most of the time will work for him really well. Recently was an exception. She started out with a bang on trail obstacles but her performance soon fell apart. She was on her maiden run in the show obstacle class but has done exceptionally well in the Rocky Mountain Rated Trail Program. She also does well in the ACTHA CTC rides.

I love SC Code of Honor. He is really beautiful with a great conformation. He has been winning a lot in conformation classes. He has such a presence about him. His demeanor says "Look at me." And the judges do.

Flair for Fury is another conformation horse that has really done well under saddle. She thinks when they announce the winner in a class, she should be heading to get her picture taken with the blue ribbon. She is often right.

But honestly, the second horse I bought is probably my favorite. Her name is VBF Butterfly Kisses. I bought her as a weanling. Three weeks later she showed in the UMH World Show in my name and won everything she entered except for trail obstacles and she came in a close second.

I sold her at the end of the show on Friday night that year and have loved her and followed her scanty career ever since. I often thought I shouldn't have sold her but I did and I have tried not to look back. I really loved that filly. She was sweet and had a wonderful conformation as a weanling.

The next time I saw her was at the World Show. I think she was a yearling. She won third but had some of the other exhibitors looking a little worried. She still had a great conformation.

Recently Larry Patterson called me and told me he was with Butterfly Kisses. I thought he meant he was in Missouri but he said that he had her on his horse trailer heading to Kentucky. He asked if I wanted to buy her back. He was willing to meet me on I-64 and load her on my trailer.

I bought her on the spot. I also ask him to take her on back to their stable and put her back in training with them.

I got to see Butterfly Kisses the next day. Larry put a halter on her and she parked out like she had done it everyday of her life. He threw the rope over her neck and walked away. I hurried up to her and put my arms around her neck and loved on her and she stood there like she knew that she was not to move until Larry told her to move.

She is the same sweet horse that she was when she was a weanling in 2007. She has grown out with that same wonderful conformation. She has several months of training and S T tells me that she has a very nice gait. I am so excited to have her back.

I love every one of my horses. I am excited when they do well. I worry over them when they are sick or injured. My vets loves me because they know I will take care of my horses like they were my babies. It is not that I won't or can't sell them but as long as they are in my care, I think I should do the very best I can by them.

Our Heavenly Father entrusted animals to our care. He gave them to us for our use. He did not give them to us to abuse them or mistreat them. I think that as long as I own an animal it is my duty given to me by God to care for them and treat them well just as we care for and love our children. Of course, our children are much more important than any animal.

I read the sad story of a child that was locked in the truck of a car recently and died. Initially the grandmother, the aunt and uncle told the police that she was playing in the truck of the car and they didn't know she was there until it was too late. Later the story came out that they locked her in the truck to punish her. What did she do so wrong? She got a Popsicle out of the freezer without permission.

More and more we hear and read of children and animals that are mistreated and abused. It is unthinkable that people could be so evil as to take that which God has entrusted to us and misuse it in such tragic ways.

I suppose that I have really strayed from the main subject of how Butterfly Kisses has come back into my life but often I start thinking of one thing and my thoughts trail off in a direction that I often wonder "How did I get here from there". I suppose that many people do the same thing.

My point today is that we who have been entrusted by our Lord with much, have a duty to Him to care for what we have and do the best we can with our resources. Whether those resources is land, animals or goods. The Bible tells us that we are stewards of the land. It doesn't mean we should put animals over people but that we take care of it. It is our God given duty and right to use it for the benefit of people.

May the God who formed you in your mother's womb bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary Lipginski

Trail Riding

The first picture is of S T and Code of Honor. They were in the practice arena. S T had been giving him a work out and he had dismounted to let my niece ride him. She loved the ride.

It is just one week until I will have the official word from my Orthopedic Surgeon that I can get back into the saddle. Then I will be riding Blue Jean.

This is my horse Blue Jean with Vanessa Crowe as she gets ready to give my daughter Mary Engle her first riding lesson.

Here it is once again time for the horse shows in White Pine Tennessee and I will not be going again. I have not been since 2008. I really like the White Pine show. It is fun. The facilities are really nice. I especially like the practice arena.

In 2009 my son, Steve and his family were here from Mississippi so I did not get to go to Tn. In 2010 I was still recovering from a broken arm and this year I will be going to Lawrenceburg to take Bob and Leigh to the KMSHA State Show. It is a good show but I will miss going to Tn. I will really miss seeing my stallion, SC Code of Honor and Flair for Fury showing. I love watching the two of them show. I will really miss seeing all of the people I know from showing with UMH.

I really like seeing all the horses, owners and trainers. I will miss getting to cheer on my favorite horse that isn't mine, Mercy Me. And of course watch H T and that beautiful stallion that he rides.

Once again I am nursing a broken bone. When I first noticed the stable name, Broken Bones Farms, I got the wrong idea about how the name came about. Of course, now I know it is owned by an Orthopedic Surgeon and thus the name Broken Bones Farm. I can surely relate to that.

My Orthopedic Surgeon sees too much of me. Or rather, I see too much of him. I always think that my doctor must like people who ride horses and those who are accident prone. I believe he thinks I am in the latter category. Really I am not accident prone. I don't think he will believe that however. He tells me very seriously every time I see him, "Be careful" as he finishes his examination of my latest injury. Then again as he walks out the door, he turns around and says, "Be careful".

Actually the last time I was at the Tn show, I had decided I would ride Mt Girl in a novice class. I was in the practice arena and having a really good ride. Mt Girl was giving me the best ride I had ever had on her. All of the sudden, she spooked at something. I don't know what. She jumped sideways and she went one way and I went the other. Some say the hardest thing about riding a horse is the ground. I can relate to that. However, that day the ground wasn't hard in the arena.

The footing in the arena was very fine rock and it was very wet. It was a soft landing. When I got up, I was pretty much covered with wet rocks. Jamie helped me up and walked me to the wash bay where they wash the horses and hosed me off. I then got into my truck, went to the motel and took a good shower. I had to wash my hair and of course put on a whole new outfit because I was pretty well covered from head to toe with that fine gravel.

So I watched from the spectator chairs as the rest of the show went on without me participating. It has been a struggle to get where I have enough confidence to ride and enjoy the ride. I am always thinking I will get thrown off again. And I have had an unscheduled dismount on three more occasions since then.

The next dismount was from my mare, Blooming Rose. Now, the children can get on Rosie and have the best ride ever. My grandson Stephen loves to ride Rosie and I think when he gets just a little older he will get to leave the arena and ride the trails. Right now he is only seven and really doesn't ride very much but he sits good on a horse and he is very confident. I am very proud of him.

That same year, 2010, I was riding J R, my sister's horse. I had been riding him in the winter and had a wonderful time on him. We rode a lot of days in the snow and it was really fun. I was getting more confident. I had ridden him on the trails through the woods as well. Sometimes he would do little crow hops and scare me some but all in all I was more confident on him than any of the other horses. I knew what to expect from him.

We participated in the trail ride on the Van Bert Farm last fall just after I was able to ride again after my broken arm. Which by the way was not from falling from a horse. There was a mud hole the horses had to walk through to continue on the trail. I was the last to go through with J R. Poor J R was struggling to get through the hole that had been churned up all day by horse after horse going through it. It was too much for him and he went down.

Of course, I went off once again and this time it was in a mud puddle. I was wet and muddy but I got up and got back on J R with Doug Spier's help and finished the ride.

I said at the beginning of the ride I had two goals for the ride. One was to stay warm and the other was to finish the ride. I am proud to say, I finished the ride and my score wasn't too bad. I had by passed one obstacle and I did come in dead last on the scores but I had pretty good scores on the obstacles I did complete.

My last unscheduled dismount was from Blue Jean. It happened like this. We had all gone out to supper after the last Van Bert CTC. There was about 15 of us and it was agreed that there would be a trail ride in the mountains the next day. Everyone was very excited about the prospect of riding in the mountains. Jamie ask me if I would be going and I said, "No I don't have a horse to ride." Jamie ask me if I would go I had a horse that was bomb proof. I don't believe such a horse exists but he offered me Blue Jean and I do know she is a very good horse.

So I somewhat reluctantly agreed to go. But as I got on Blue Jean and we started riding in the mountains I was glad I had agreed to go. The mountain ride was spectacular and scary all at the same time. We rode down some trails that was uncomfortable for me but all in all the ride was really good.

All went well until the very late in the ride. I could tell Blue Jean was getting tired. After all I am heavier than the children who had been getting riding lessons on her. She had been on a longer ride than she had been on in a long time. We were within fifteen minutes of being back at the trucks and trailers when Blue Jean went down on her front knees. I didn't know she was going down until I felt myself land on the hard ground.

Vicky, another rider, was off of her horse in a flash and telling me not to move. I looked up and there stood Blue Jean, patiently waiting for me to get back on her. What a sweet mare. Vicky checked me over and finally allowed me to get up. I didn't feel like I had any bad injuries but to make my brother happy and set his mind at ease, I went to the hospital emergency room on Monday, Memorial Day, and was xrayed. I had a broken collar bone.

So in just seven more days, I can once again get on Blue Jean and ride the trails. I have had a lot of suggestions. Bubble wrap, training wheels, an air bag and stay off of all horses are just some of them. I am really looking forward to getting back on a horse for the first time in a long time. It has been a struggle to get my confidence back but I know Blue Jean to be a horse that will not run off with me and I know what to expect from her. But thinking about it, bubble wrap does not sound like such a bad idea.

It is all about trust and confidence. I have not had those feelings on a horse since I was 18 years old but I have wanted to have them and ride like I couldn't possibly fall off. I can relate that to my spiritual life. I believe that I have that kind of faith and trust in God. I know I can fall and I can fail but God will never let me go through anything without his being there with me. I can fail but God has already forgiven me for my failures.

I have trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and thus I can never fail. Do you have that kind of relationship with Christ? If you don't, why not?

May the Lord bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

I hope Vera will forgive me for lifting her picture from her blog but I am so impressed with H T and Blue on Black. I am thrilled I have a colt by Blue on Black in my herd. He is a yearling now and beautiful with a great conformation.

Blue on Black has recently been to Texas where he and H T competed in the ACTHA greatest trail horse competition. This September we will have a chance to see and voter for our favorite of the 100 competitors and their horses that competed for the title of America's greatest trail horse. I am so pleased that three of those horses and riders are people I know from showing in the UMH shows. Besides H T, there is Judy Brummer riding Legendary Lady and Mike Butler riding MX Wrangler. All three are Mountain Horses.

Why are the Rocky Mountain horses becoming so popular, you may ask? Think of the baby boomers that are starting to retire and many who are either thinking of an easier horse to ride or just now starting or going back to riding.

When I started thinking about buying a horse, I started doing research on the Rocky Mountain breed of horses. The first time I ever knew about that particular breed was reading a horse magazine. There was a nice article about Rocky Mountain horses and all the wonderful attributes they have. The article mentioned in detail about their smooth ride. They do not get to be overly large. 16hh is usually the tallest a Mountain Horse gets. Their wonderful disposition is another of their great attributes. They are intelligent and willing to please their riders. They are eager to learn.

I am what you may call vertically challenged (short). I do not want a horse that I have to hire a cherry picker to get on it's back. I do not want to bounce up and down, aka post. I do not have the energy for such things. I have old bones and old muscles and don't think I could ever get the hang of that posting thing.

So pretty soon I was looking for a stable that trained and sold Rocky Mountain horses. I googled the term and started looking. The first thing I knew I was on the Van Bert web site looking at their beautiful horses. Soon I was on the way to Stanton Kentucky to check out those horses. As it happened, the Stanton horse show was being held the very day I was at the farm. There I saw the most beautiful horse I have ever seen in my whole like. Her name is VBF Blue Ridge Mt Girl. I was hooked and it didn't take me many days to make up my mind that I wanted to own that horse.

I was taking riding lessons at a stable near home and my instructor was trying to teach me how to post. Ever once in awhile I would get in time with the horse and would actually post for a few steps but invariably I would get into the horse's mouth and he would slow down or stop. I never did get the hang of that posting but it was not for lack of Lisa trying.

One day I went to my riding lesson and told Lisa I had bought a horse. She had been looking for me a nice Quarter Horse so she was disappointed that I went out on my own and bought a horse. When I told her my new horse was two years old, I thought she would have a heart attack. She told me I was crazy and I actually thought she might contact my family to have me committed. I suppose I did pick up some helpful hints through my riding lessons with Lisa but I'm not sure. She was committed to teaching me to post and I was committed to riding a gaited horse.

So we parted ways after it became clear it was not going to work out. She and I didn't have the same goals in mind for my riding experience.

Mt Girl won trophies two years in a row as the High Point Country Trail Pleasure horse for the year in the UMH show circuit. I still love that horse as much as any horse I own. I have now had two foals from her and they are both really nice. The first was a colt by Venture's Black Fury and this year's filly was by my stallion SC Code of Honor. She is a black filly with very little white on her anywhere.

Mt Girl and I have had some pretty cool adventures together. She spooked when Chris (her trainer) nearly fell over the fence in front of her and she went one way and I went the other. It was a young horse thing. She spooked in the practice arena in Tennessee during my practice on her and she went one way and I went the other. I landed in some really soft rock. It was all wet and mushy and Jamie helped me wash a lot of it off at the wash bay they have for the horses.

I quit riding Mt Girl for a couple of years and last year I was determined I wanted to ride her again. So I did. We didn't go out of the arena but I rode her. She was just as sweet as ever and didn't do anything foolish. She had grown up and raised a colt and had matured. She is a wonderful horse and beautiful too. I always say the most beautiful horse in the world. Michael Brummer disagrees with me.

My new horse is a 19 year old gray mare called Blue Jean. She was Al Pruitt's favorite riding horse. I came to appreciate her when I rode the mountains on her back at the end of May. Now many of you may remember that is about the time I broke my collar bone. Well, I was riding Blue Jean when that happened.

I felt no concern that she would do something foolish and get me hurt. I did have a anxious moment on the trail when we encountered a switchback. I did dismount and walk down. But Blue Jean did nothing at all foolish. I do not count it her fault that later in the ride she went down and I fell off. She is a very sweet mare that took such good care of me. She tiptoed down the steep hills and picked her way up the hills. She was gaiting like a show horse and was kind and gentle all the four hours we rode.

Blue Jean has been giving lessons to young riders lately and she was not accustomed to carrying people that weight over a hundred pounds. I am not saying how much over. She was also not accustomed to being out on that long of a ride. So it was not her fault and it wasn't my fault that I lost my balance and fell. I can hardly wait to get back on Blue Jean. She has completely restored my confidence. I have a saddle that has a deep seat and I feel good about riding her.

God certainly does answer prayers. I have been praying for, God has given me. I have been praying I would have the courage to ride and not be afraid. I sort of got cornered into riding in the mountains. Not really but in a way I did too if that makes any sense.

Sometimes God has to corner me into doing what I should be doing anyway. The times I do not listen to his voice, I regret it but I do know he is with me through whatever trials that I may encounter. I know he will bring me to the other side of trouble, even that of my own making, a better and wiser person.

I know that God is with me throughout whatever comes in my life. He promised that in his word. He told us to go and make disciples of all nations and that he is with us always. I believe that is not only a promise that he gives when we are out in strange lands preaching the gospel, but where ever we are living by his promises to us as believers.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care and may you learn as I have that he is with you in all the things in your life. I asked Bill one time if he thought God cared about the little things in our life. He told me that of course he is. Our lives are mostly made up of little things.

May all the little things in your life bring blessings to you and may you be blessed beyond all measure.

Regards

Mary

Horse Shows

The first picture is of Chester Hale on his pony named Jocko. He has participated in the ACTHA trail rides we have hosted and rides we have been a part of. The second is of Melissa riding Blue Jean. Blue Jean's actual registered name is Tennessee Revelation but Connor started calling her Blue Jean and it has stuck.

My horses, Code of Honor, Flair for Fury, Ann's Mt Treasure and Rockin Andi are off to the show in Prestonburg this week end. I am at home once again. Broken bones and this year the hay has interferred with my fun at horse shows.

As of this morning the hay is baled. We have had a hundred different issues it seems. It is never easy to get the crops in without having a break down of some sort. It seems like we have had more than our share. The tie rod on the White, blades on the mower, a flat tire, and tractors that won't start. The level of frustration rises with every new problem. But yet the men here have perservered and the hay is baled. Praise the Lord God.

Even the man who does my custom baling has had his share of problems with his baler. But as of this morning we have about 150 big round bales of hay ready for winter. God is good and God is faithful to provide.

My mother, Lucy Rogers, used to always say, "God provides for the birds of the air but he doesn't throw it in their nests". She was telling her children that God provides but we must do our part.

Just a little wrap up. I started this blog last week end and didn't get it finished. My horses did pretty well at the horse show last week end. I would have liked them to do better but I thank God for what he blesses me with.

My sister, Eleanor who was here through her air conditioner crisis is home once again and seems to have her affairs in order for a while right now. I have my own bed back. Hurray. I do miss my bed after a week or so. I don't mind giving it up for a little while but I begin to hate the couch after about a week.

The hay is all moved off of the ground and the grass is growing again for the next crop. We had a nice rain this morning although it could have rained longer and it would have been appreciated.

So that is how it all is on the home front. We are getting ready for the next horse show tomorrow night. Bob is riding Satin today and getting her ready.

Until next time, God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards,

Mary

A New Rider in the Family

This is my oldest daughter, Mary Engle rider the gray mare, Blue Jean and in the first picture the other rider on the chestnut mare is my other daughter, Debbie Zinsius. This is the first time Mary has been on a horse that she has actually ridden. Debbie grew up riding a sweet little pony named Tony. She and her brother Steve who rode a painted pony named Chico loved riding those ponies together. They rode all over the farm on those two ponies.

They showed them in the 4-H shows at the Spencer County Fair. We didn't have a fancy trailer to load them on so we put the cattle racks on the pick up truck and put both of them on the truck and off we went to the horse and pony club meetings and the fairs. They were not fancy but the children had more fun than you could imagine.

The Rocky Mountain Horses the farm owns these days are very nice horses with pedigrees that trace back to the original horses in the breed. They are beautiful slick animals that get shots on a regular basis, get wormed and seen by the vet on a regular basis.

God has blessed me and my farm with these wonderful horses. He has blessed the world with horses that are easy to be around and easy to handle. They are sweet and kind hearted.

I thank the Lord for all the blessing of this day.

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

Blue Jean and Melissa

Melissa is riding the new horse I recently bought. Her name is Blue Jean. When I told her that I bought Blue Jean, she gave me the biggest hug I have ever had from Melissa. Sometimes she is a little stingy with her hugs but she was thrilled with Blue Jean. She had ridden her for a lesson with Vanessa.

Vanessa is like everyone else a Van Berts. She is very generous with her time and yesterday was really a busy day for all of them. They are not only getting ready for the big show in Prestonburg but they are also entertaining clients that come every day to buy horses. It is a wonderful vacation for the girls and me.

Today we are getting ready to go to the Stable. Guess who is taking a riding lesson today? The girl who said she would never get on a horse ever. It is Melissa's Granny aka known as my daughter Mary Engle.

I will write more on that later. There will be pictures to follow.

May the Lord bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary

The first picture is my dog Erica and she is the ultimate trail riding dog. She loves to go on every trail ride with anyone that mounts a horse on the farm.

The second is of WOF Saga of Snowy River. He is a yearling colt that is really showing up his beautiful color. This was one of his first bathes in a 7 months and it was no problem for him.

Just some thoughts for the day. we are hanging out at the Van Bert Farm in Stanton Kentucky. Do not worry, I am not riding. We are having the family girls vacation. We got as many as could get off from work for a couple of days and we are staying in the Van Bert cottage. It is beautiful. It is peaceful and I love being here with my girls. I wish Natalie and Chrissy could have been here with us.

I hope you are able to get your family together for such a time together.

Regards,

Mary

Riding the Trails

The first picture is one of the first colts born on the farm this year. He is a colt out of Once a Hobo by SC Code of Honor. He is displaying the natural curiosity of a young colt checking out the big bale of hay that is in the barn to feed the horses that we keep inside. Second picture is a herd mate out of a mare VBF Rocky Top Rebel by SC Code of Honor. He too is displaying a natural curiosity. Momma is outside waiting for him to come out of the trailer but he is checking it out. The third picture is a filly out of VBF Blue Ridge Mt Girl and also by SC Code of Honor. She is just hours old in this picture so she is curious but staying very close to momma.

Ever since I bought my first horse from Van Bert Farms I have wanted to go on a trail ride with H T and Wilda. They bring back some of the most amazing pictures and stories of their trail rides. Bob went with them last year after their Memorial Day ACTHA ride and talked on and on about the beauty of the mountain and the babbling brooks that hurry down the mountains on the way to the Red River.

I was at the time in the cottage popping pain pills and nursing my broken arm. Don't pity me. If there was any place to be with a broken arm the Van Bert Cottage is the best. I had friends stopping by having coffee with me and Connor and Larry stopped by with flowers. Everyone was so nice and I hated to leave the cottage on Monday to go back home with what I knew would be facing me. Somehow at the cottage it didn't seem like the break was so bad but once I got home, I almost knew that I would be facing surgery although I hoped and prayed that it would just heal.

This year I once again did not ride in the Ride for the Cure that Van Berts sponsored. I helped out the best I could with the ride. I really didn't have a horse to ride. We took VBF Venture's Golden Satin for Bob to ride. We took Chocolate Amigo for Vickie to ride and we took Hoosier for Leigh and that was it for my three horse trailer.

Bob came in second on the ride. Vickie did really well for her first ride. I am not taking anything away from Vickie but Amigo is so trail savvy that he can almost do the obstacle without much guidance. Leigh was racking up some good scores on the obstacles but Hoosier started having some problems so she took her back to the barn. So really Whispering Oaks Farm turned in a good ride even if we didn't take but one ribbon home.

On Saturday night we went to Cathy's for some of her wonderful food including fried green tomatoes. If you have ever been to Cathy's you will know what I am talking about. We were in a group of about 15 people and having a wonderful time when the subject of a trail ride in Wolf County came up. The group was all in favor of going to the mountains for a ride the next day. Jamie ask me if I would go too. I didn't have a horse I wanted to ride in the mountains so he offered Blue Jean. Blue Jean is/was Conner's horse. I was assured she was sweet, would take care of me and was sure footed.

I should have known better. May has not been a good month for me in recent years. Bill died in May, I had pneumonia in May and broke my arm last May. But I am not superstitious so I said OK.

The next day we awoke to a bright sun beaming down on us. The temperatures were to be 90 or above but heck we were going to be in the mountains with plenty of shade and babbling brooks. We got over to the barn with the two horses we were taking and found that my little mare Blue Jean was all saddled and ready to go.

We headed up to the mountains. We were on the Mt Parkway climbing the hills when we heard a really loud pop like a rock had been thrown down on the windshield or had hit the back glass. But we couldn't see anything so we thought we had blown a tire. We had to keep going. We were climbing the mountains and had no signal on our phones. We really thought it was a trailer tire but we couldn't tell.

We finally got a signal and let the others know we were getting off on Exit 40 to check it out. When we got out of the truck, there was no flat tire and it took a minute to discover what had actually happened. I carry tie downs in the back of my truck to use when necessary and one of the had somehow gotten wind born and hit the back glass by my ear. It was a wonder that it didn't break the glass. It was still lodged between the front of the truck bed and the back of the cab.

We continued our journey on to Wolf County and was looking forward to a day of riding. We all unloaded horses and those who needed to do so saddled up. There was by now 18 of us in the group. It was a fun group of people to be with. Carol and Phyllis were along and they are always a lot of fun. Of course, H T, Wilda and Jamie and Bob and Vickie. We were all looking forward to a wonderful ride and it was wonderful.

The trails were more than I had ever ridden but Blue Jean was really taking good care of me. She is sure footed and ever so careful about how she goes up and down hills. I feel in love with that mare within minutes of getting on her back. She does not do anything stupid at all.

Lunch was wonderful. We had stopped for drinks and sandwiches. We dismounted which worried me. I looked around and could not see a dead fall or a stump to help me remount but Jamie assured me I would get back on and he kept his word.

After lunch we continued down the trail with Blue Jean taking extra good care of me. There were steep hills to go down and a variety of switch backs to negotiate. And it was all going really well. We did come to one switchback that Vickie and I didn't feel comfortable with so we dismounted and Kaylee Tipton rode Blue Jean down. Bob ponied Amigo and we remounted and rode on. There were lots of places that when we looked to the left or right, it looked straight down. The scenery was stunning.

We crossed streams that were dancing their way down the mountain. The birds were singing their springtime songs and the trees were decked out in their best spring time finery. It was a beautiful ride. It was a beautiful day. I loved the ride and I think I will ride it again for sure. But only if I can ride it on Blue Jean.

Many of the horses had not been out on a long ride this year and all of them were getting tired. Blue Jean had a shoe that came loose and Jamie took it off. The next hill we rode up I could see Blue Jean was really tired. But we were now close to getting back to the trucks. We rode some more narrow trails and switch backs. We were close to our destination.

All of the sudden I hit the ground. I didn't feel her stumble, I didn't feel her going down. All I felt was me hitting the ground. Vickie was off of Amigo before I was hardly aware I was on the ground. She was telling me to not get up. I wasn't about to get up. I laid there while Vickie, a former EMT, checked me out. By now Blue Jean was up and standing there waiting for me to get back on. I love that mare. Bob was standing there holding the horse and looking like he was devastated. Vickie didn't find anything that felt broken and Bob helped me get up off of the ground.

I was perfectly fine to walk but I was not getting back on poor little Blue Jean. She had had all she could take for the day. H T and Jamie brought a truck up to where we were and rode me back to the camp. I would have been fine walking. But they wouldn't hear of it.

Monday I had xrays made and my collar bone is broken. It is a clean break and in alignment so surgery will not be necessary. I am tired and don't feel like doing a lot but I will heal quickly. Judy Brummer told me to drink plenty of milk and I do that.

So that is my mountain trail riding experience. Will I ride again? Of course. Will I ride that mountain trail again. I have no doubt. I will be riding my new horse, Blue Jean. Did I mention that I love that mare? We bonded right off. Connor is ready to move on to something else so as luck would have it, I was able to purchase Blue Jean. You may be seeing the two of us riding the rails this year.

God does work in mysterious ways, his wonders to behold. Does God have to prove that to us over and over? I have struggled with fears of riding. A friend of mine says I make the same mistake over and over but God has provided a horse for me that I can trust completely. I will bring Blue Jean home with me. I can't wait to get back on her. When I am able to ride again we will ride my trails here. We will go up hills and down hills and she will develop the strength and stamina that she needs to tackle the rails and the big trails. God has answered my prayers in the form of a little mare called Blue Jean.

What is it you desire or need? Go to the one who owns those mountains we were riding in. Go to the one who owns those wonderful animals--the horses. Go to the one who created all of it. It is all his and by his love and grace he has provided it for our use and to care for. Most of all he has through the sacrifice of his only begotten son given us the grace and forgiveness that is necessary to gain entrance into heaven. Not through our works or efforts but through Jesus and Jesus alone.

I will see you at the State Show. The Prestonburg show is out again this year because of another broken bone. But some of my horses will be there. So watch for SC Code of Honor, Flair for Fury, Rockin Andi, Ann's Mt Treasure and Lady Ace. They will be there giving the competition some anxious moments. (I hope)

May God bless and keep you in his loving care.

Regards

Mary