Horsey Love!

Growing up I was never the kind of girl who just loved animals...didn't like for dogs to lick on me, was scared to death of chickens, could not stand the smell of poop in any form or variety...so, having horses is rather a big deal for me.

I adore my horses! The smell of their bodies, breath, feed, hay, and even the poop I can handle. Yes, I am a conformist! I saw a t-shirt the other day that said, "Yes, I smell like a horse. No, I don't consider that a problem." That is so ME! The boots I wear to feed and work with my horses I wear to the grocery store and even to work...Shhh! Don't tell, Lord knows there's probably some rule against that!

I am/can be rather OCD about things, but as I get older, I do feel myself relaxing a bit in my compulsions. (Maybe it's the 3 boys and husband who are responsible for this.) Who has time to make sure the pantry is organized when there are horses to hang out with?!

I wipe horse snot and slobber on my jeans. I have had, on most days, said bodily fluids in my hair. Horse farts no longer phase me, and I find myself checking out their poop to make sure it is firm enough, but with the right amount of moisture. Good Lord, who am I?!

These sweet horses are a calm for me in my crazy, hectic life. They have given me something to do with my children. They have given my children a sense of responsibility and pride. I am thankful for these wonderful creatures and that God has blessed my family with the opportunity to work for these demanding babies. :)

Whoop! Whoop! Look who's gonna be haulin' horses!

Okay, so after checking out a lot of used trailers and not finding just what we were looking for, we decided to check out some new ones. We got this baby in Cordele at the BigTex dealer. I am very happy with it and cannot wait to load it up!

Cinnamon and Stormy

Okay, so one horse wasn't enough, so I bought two more. The top picture is Cinnamon. She is a Tennessee Walker and is about 15 years old. Stormy is an Arabian cross (looks to be QH) and is about 5 years old. We bought these babies from a precious lady who had rescued both of them, so we don't know a whole lot about their history. Cinnamon is for our middle son, 14, D. She has been ridden, and when we tried her out, she saddled up very well. She is very calm and sweet, but gets a bit aggressive at feeding time. Stormy was pretty much given to us. He is a very sweet boy, but tries to boss Cinnamon around at feeding time. I think Big Mama will straighten him out when we get them all together at our house. I can get my hands pretty much all over him, but until we move them to our house, I don't have a whole lot of time to work with him. (Yeah, they are waiting for the fencing too.) 

I mean, look at this face! He's adorable!

So, you all have my my new babies. I am relearning a lot about horses, so if you have any advice, bring it on! I won't take offense at anything that can help me. :)

The Story of Big Mama

This is Big Mama. We bought her on January 26, 2014 for our youngest son, 7. She is 15 years old, and has been hauling little boys around. We tried her out and felt that she would be a just right starter horse for T. She is neck reined, which was a little different for T., considering the horse he has been taking lessons on is not neck reined. She trailered perfectly. She takes a bit very well, but does not like for you to mess with her mouth. We took her to my cousin's house to stay until we get our fence up. Doesn't everyone buy horses before they have fencing up? We've since had her feet done, which she was not too fond of. The farrier certainly earned his pay on her that day! We had her teeth floated last week (02/27/2014). That was quite an experience! T. has not ridden her in a show yet, but we have taken her to the arena to work once. Now that we have a trailer, we will be able to do that more often to get her ready for shows. My precious cousin is also building an arena at her house, so we will have a closer place to work out very soon. I'm happy to say that Big Mama is filling out; she was a little hollow in spots when we got her. I can't wait to see how this horse works out for Cowboy T.

Why am I doing this?

My purpose for this new blog is to share my family's adventures as new horse owners. I grew up having horses, but have just recently been able to get back into horses. My youngest son rides in our local saddle club, and my middle son is trying to get into roping. I am sure this will be both entertaining and educational for us. My hope is that we will be able to enjoy these wonderful animals together as a family and with our friends.