Talk about lives turned upside down and we’ll talk about a day at For the Horse Ranch! Firstly, Lucky Star had his life upturned just a couple of times since his amazing birth survival story. He did go away for training when he was younger. That was his first time. After that, he settled in to be a friendly pasture horse for about two years. Nothing was required from him. Suddenly his life was turned around when he got into my trailer and was inserted into a pasture with Velvet, Goldie and Sage. Sage left him shortly after that to live at For the Horse Ranch in the hopes of becoming in foal to JJ. So, he’s lived with me, bossed around by Goldie and Velvet. I’ve been taking him over to Pine Dell Farm for his training sessions and once to Kitty Hawk. He’s been traveling.
Now he wakes up, gets deposited into the trailer with Velvet and is unloaded into an entirely new life. He has new pasture mates Lucky Star is the little brown horse in the middle of this photo. His new spotted friend, Caddy is way taller. Monday, 1/2/12, he gets to be a training horse with Tony and Jenny Vaught.
(Just so you know, Tony and Jenny have introduced a $500 winter training rate. So we are all jumping on the band wagon to get our horses in at this rate…plus the weather is being good!)
While at the ranch, I met Jedi. His life hadn’t changed drastically that day, but in the last week. He is a Missouri Fox Trotter rescue horse. He was too much horse for his owner and falling on hard times. His prior trainer told the owner that the only thing that could save him was natural horsemanship. When they picked him up, he was showing his rib bones and his hip bones. In about 3-4 days, he’s gained 75 lbs. and looks to be at peace with his pasture world. He’s worried about the humans, but at peace with the non human part of it. I got to watch him in the round pen show off his magnificent natural fox trot. Hi many sisters and brothers are World Celebration World Champions and World Grand Champions. He was given to Tony and Jenny, but papers have not yet been transferred.
Jenny asks me if I have time after the group lesson to go with her and pick up a fox trotter for her at Margaret Brown’s house. I ask, “For you?” Jenny replies, “Yes, for me I have to plan for the future.” Certainly, you do!” I reply. I am delighted. Since I love the fox trotter horse and I love the fun we have at the World Celebration, I never want this life to end. Jedi and the new horse are going to make certain that life at the World Celebration never ends. Jenny, Tony, Nichole and Caitlyn will be riding!
Firstly, the entire group lesson people descend upon Hannah’s. It’s a convenience store with a little restaurant. They serve yummy homemade food and they have everything to sell that one would need…gas, candy bars, drinks, Starbucks coffee, pizza and ice cream. I went into Hannah’s carrying my keys. We talked for a long time as we ate our lunch. When we were ready to leave, I had lost my pickup keys. WHAT! I know I had them at the cash register. I know I carried them away from the cash register. I set my drink down at the table. I took off my sweat shirt. I went to the restroom. I came back to the table and decided it was too shaky, so I moved my sweatshirt and drink to the new table. That’s all I did. We searched everywhere for my keys except the restroom trash. Luckily, I have woke up in night sweats about losing my truck keys when I’m out in the world with horses in the trailer. I have keys hidden all over the truck and trailer. Even more luck, I remembered where one of the keys was and found it. Glory Be… It caught a little bit, but finally turned and the truck started! After that, the key stayed in the ignition until I got home. Thank You Lord for giving me night sweats worrying about losing the truck key!
Later Jenny mentioned the restroom trash. hmmmm
Margaret Brown, long time breeder of Missouri Fox Trotters, is next door neighbor to Tony and Jenny. She’s been telling Jenny to come over and look at a horse. Just a few days ago, Jenny did just that and tried to shake that horse out of her mind. Unsuccessfully. She tried to shake a vision out of her mind. The vision is Dazzled. She is a dappled buckskin with a blaze, one white foot and black racing strips up her legs. She is a looker! Her conformation is excellent. She has big darn soulful eyes. I can’t even get her out of my mind, she is that good looking. Well, we picked up Dazzle from Margaret. Dazzle was not exactly ready to leave Margaret and we got to have fun watching a Jenny trailer loading demonstration. I love trailer loading demonstrations!
We brought Dazzle back to the ranch and let her out in Lucky Star’s pen. Lucky Star looked like a truck ran over him and he puffed up into his best imitation of a stallion. He pranced around after Dazzle. He tried to keep the other gelding away from Dazzle. Dazzle did a few laps of the pasture. She floated around like an Arabian. She cantered. She was gorgeous.
Margaret has another horse to sell. A red and white mare that is been there and done that. If you are interested in a fox trotter been there done that mare, let me know and I’ll get you in contact with Margaret Brown in Fair Play.
We were back at the ranch marveling over all the horses and suddenly I sensed darkness. I looked at my timekeeper and it was nearly 5:30! How had it gotten that late without me knowing it!
Hope and I left For the Horse Ranch. We stopped back in at Hannah’s to look at the trash, but they were preparing to close early for New Year’s Eve and thrown the trash away.
We barely got home before the New Year’s Eve crowd got on the road. The group lesson was from 11:00 to 1:00. Never did we think it would be nearly 8:00 in the evening when we got home!
This was a big Big day!