In Recovery

Mother was gone a lot last week. I'm not sure whether I should be mad at her for abandoning me like that, or just be glad she's back.

She says Wi-Fi doesn't work when she's sick. Doesn't work when she's sick, doesn't work when she's busy, doesn't work when... I wish I was a human. I'd do things so much better!!

I had the farrier out today. I just don't trust those guys. Mother makes sure she is around when I am getting worked on, 'cause, well, that one time she wasn't ... henhenhehnehenh.

But I was good, and afterwards got to handgraze, which was really just a lot of work, pushing the snow out of the way so I could eat. Mother has a cruel sense of humor.

Ohh, and I got a peppermint, too. Christamas candy canes, yummy.

Mother croaked... at me

I've been a little concerned... I haven't seen Mother since... Friday? I wasn't super worried, there've been cookies in my grain so I figured her absences were intentional, but I must admit I was relieved when I saw her car pull in today. She was in the barn for 5 minutes, then she came out to the fence. She didn't even call my name, just held up a cookie...

I came over to visit. She said "Hi", but it sounded like a horrible frog, not Mother's voice at all. She handed me two cookies, then turned and walked to the car, coughing horribly.

I'm torn. On the one hand, ew, that's just gross, disease disease disease STAY AWAY FROM THE HERD! But part of me still loves her.. she is the cookie and care human.

I hope she'll be OK. I don't want to have to train a new cookie and care human.

Thippers

Hello, my name ith Thipperth. I mean CH-ippers. Thometimeth it ith hard for me to pronounth thingth, if I don't take my time. I livth where Boyfriend livth.

He thaid mean thingth about me to the thychic lady, that I wath thometimeth mean. He just thinkth that becauthe I bite him if I can when he goeth through the gate. Hey, I'm a little on the thmall thide, if you want to win thometimeth, you gotta be thneaky!

Acthually, I am not tho thmall anymore... I'm only an inth thorther than Bif now, tho ha! I'll be four thith thpring. Tho maybe I'll th-till grow enough to catcth him.

Hith Mother really likth me, the doeth nithe thingth for me all the time. THAT'TH why Boyfriend lied about me!!

Oooh, dinner time... Bye! It wath nithe meeting you!

The cookies are HERE!

They're here!! The famine is over! OK, I never ran out, but it was a possibility.

I was outside, waiting for Mother to bring me in for dinner, like any other day. I had to wait longer than usual... I was actually the last gelding, the last horse, even. That's not right! I am more important than that...

Turns out, Mother was weighing out cookies! The cookies have arrived, and she needed to divide them for Magnum and me. I don't think Magnum deserves as many cookies as I do, but Mother says it doesn't work like that. I got a few more cookies in my dinner, and of course my good night cookies. What a wonderful, wonderful day.

Oh, and the snow came the other day, but it wasn't enough to really roll and enjoy, just a few inches. And it seems to be going away really fast, even though it hasn't gotten warm. Oh well, maybe there'll be more soon.

Nothing can ruin my happiness... COOKIES!!

BFF is really BFFAW (best friend for a while)

hi. i'm jay. that's my head you see, right there to the left of Bif. he's my friend. we used to be really, really good friends for months and months and months. until when he had some joints "injected" and we stayed in for a few days together. i am "the companion horse", it seems... sigh... i am often left in the field or somewhere to keep another horse happy until it is time to go wherever. but that horse goes first, then i am very unhappy until i get to go wherever, too.

it was great, in a way, being in with Bif while he was recovering. i like going out in the field, but it was so nice to have his undivided attention to just talk and talk and talk...

i guess my talking got to Bif, because after we spent all that time together, he doesn't have much to do with me anymore. i still nicker to him when he comes in at night; he doesn't nicker back. why must it all be so one sided?

before, we were inseparable. well, i didn't like being separated. Bif is a good friend to have. he's not abusive, and he knows where all the best grass spots are. i forget... there are so many other things to keep track of.

see? clearly, in this picture, we are good friends

after the "time together", thing, though, he would walk away if i tried to go visit him in the field. that's not like him. he used to low speed push me around - the humans called it "OJ chase" - because Bif was my friend and i was his and that's what a horse does to show you're his friend, right? since our talks, though, he would just... walk away. i would follow him, but he never stopped. i don't understand.

fortunately, i have good friends still, like Chippers, he's in that picture, too, and Sonney is a good friend. we play chewy face. his face tastes like molasses and grain from his chewy toy in his stall...

and i have human friends. they call me judas horse because i like to come when i'm called. i don't know what the judas part means, but if i come i get grain or pet or whatever, so of course i would come if they call. Bif's person sometimes calls me a special way, she goes LALALALALALALALALA. the other humans say that's not right. but they ask her to do it for them sometimes, because i always come running (so to speak), so i guess it is right.

Rosey mentioned she found the Wi-Fi... now we're passing it around. maybe, if i give it back to him, Bif will be my good friend like we used to be....

Hijacked!

*

Ha! I found Bif's Wi-Fi and keyboard!

Hi, I'm Rosey. I'm sort of a friend of Boyfriend. Well, really, a friend of Boyfriend's person.  Boyfriend is an idiot. Damn boys.

I am the best horse in the whole world. Some people try to call me a pony, but, yeah, whatever. I am a PUREBRED Halflinger, which means people, who don't really have a grasp of what's important anyway, can name all of my ancestors. I know who I am, and I am the best. That's what's important.

I have my own person, two actually, so I don't really need Boyfriend's person, too, but I find her useful. She brings me in from the field sometimes, throws me hay, gives me grain, good things, you know?

Take the other night. I'm rearing and bucking in my stall. Why? BECAUSE I CAN! Stop asking questions, I'm telling my story here. And, yeah, maybe I was doing that the night before, too. (Safe Choice is not really a safe choice.) Bif's person noticed my, uh, agitation, and called my real person to let her know we were going to have a party in the indoor!! The footing in there is better than outside, where it's frozen. I can not run around on that frozen pasture ground! Well, not how I need to run...

So, it was nice of her to take me over... I exorcised the demon horse.

Oh, shoot, Boyfriend's coming in. Better sneak that keyboard back over... maybe later.

*Photo originally taken by Nan Rawlins... I think... Please don't sue us.

I smell snow

I can't wait! I smell snow! I love snow!!! Yeah!!
Think snowy thoughts, think snowy thoughts, think snowy... cookies... cookies...

It's been really frozen here lately. I'm wondering if I should have grown more coat after all. Still not cold like back in North Dakota; we haven't even dipped below zero here yet. But the winter is still early. Hmmm... do I have time to grow more coat? Do I need more coat? Mother says I need to burn a few calories I already have...

Speaking of calories, I want a cookie. Why isn't Mother here now, when I need her? Why can't I have a cookie dispenser available in the stall at all times? She could paint it to look like her, if that makes her feel better.  And one in the field, but only I can use it. But I want cookies!

Am I addicted?

Can I survive without cookies?

Would I want to?

Trail Riding

I remember the first time Mother and I went on a trail ride.

I had been under saddle a few rides. Actually, it took three or four times just standing with her on me before I was ok with walking. (After my mountain lion experience, we worked with ground driving, and I went for surgery on my face and stayed at Uncle Jeff's for weeks and then came to the barn I live now, and we started the saddle riding thing over again.) She had been trying to teach me things, in the arena, like steering. I didn't see the point of steering, in the arena. Mother started riding me outside the ring, and with things to go around, I figured out what she meant right away.

One day, we started up the trail. I'd been led on it before, and had walked it with Mother on me once or twice up the hill, but we went UP up the hill, down the other side, out of sight of all my friends. I was on high alert. Although Mother was there, she wasn't in front. I was leading the way. And bringing up the rear. Like I said, high alert.

Mother was nice, and always let me remember she was there. She knows when I get nervous, and just remembering that she is there means someone else is looking for predators, too. I've never been eaten or attacked with her around, so I think her judgment is pretty good.

At one point, a horrible swishing and skittering occurred, and something small and sinister scuttled in front of me and crashed to the side. I leapt forward, but Mother reminded me with the reins that she was there and that there was no reason to panic. In retrospect, that squirrel was just afraid and trying to get back to its tree, but at the time... That was the only time I've spooked on the trail. Three little steps. I am a good horse.

We went out a few more times, just me and Mother, and one time with Aunt Margie and Magnum, once with Erin and Sunman, and once with Jeanie and Thippers. I made him cross the scary things first, and followed exactly in his footprints, where it must be safe because he made it through unhurt. I am a very logical horse.

Those were fun times. When my leg bothered me so much I couldn't hide it from Mother, she stopped riding me. The night before I went down south for surgery, she hopped on me, bareback with my halter and one rope; I started up the trail. She let me walk a little bit, but then she sighed, had me stop, and she slid off. She said maybe when I came back from my surgery. But we never do any of that stuff anymore.

Oh, well, I still get brushed and lots of hay and good cookies every night. Cookies are what it's all about!