Do I Dare to Let Hope Flicker?

In the continuing saga of our yearling filly who needed joint surgery last December, and who didn't get a great prognosis for soundness after it was over, here's what's up with Tiffany.

She's gone from total stall rest, to being allowed out into a small run, to finally being allowed to have full turnout. Naturally, she's run, bucked, squealed, and carried on the way you'd expect a yearling to carry on after months of being confined. And naturally, I have held my breath and scrutinized her every move for signs of lameness.

And...I haven't seen any. She moves normally at all gaits. At least so far.

This, I realize, is a long way from being sound under saddle, and from having anything that resembles an athletic career. But it's way more success than I was given reason to hope for, so for now, I'll gladly take it.

Tiffany's been "my girl" ever since she fell asleep in my lap shortly after birth. I want so badly for her to have a comfortable, pain-free life. I also know that hope can sometimes be a cruel visitor, dumping you hard when its light goes back out.

For now, I guess I'll just warm myself over its little flame. And keep taking things one day at a time.

The Latest Style: Tighter Belts

In April's issue of Horse & Rider--which came out last week--I used my "Just Between Us" column to openly discuss how the current economy's affecting my horse-related spending. Then I invited readers to tell me their own stories.

I've been doing little but fielding their e-mails ever since. That sound we're hearing? It's that of belts being cinched tighter all across the country. That sloshing sensation we're detecting at our ankles? It's from the ripple effects flowing from one pond of activity to the next.

Something I found especially interesting: The way in which my respondents equated the prices of non-horse purchases to ones related to their horses. Such as:

"I quit having my hair colored for $40, and put the $$ toward five extra bales of hay instead."

"I cancelled cable TV service in order to pay the farrier on time."

*I stretch the time between farrier visits so I can afford to drive to work."

"We've cancelled our weekly dinners out in order to save for hay."

If you would like to contribute to this discussion, feel free to do so here. With a tighter belt now very much in style, how are you wearing yours?

We All Have Our Vices...This Is One of Mine

As cowboy humorist Baxter Black puts it, "We all have our vices--to chocolate, chewing tobacco, horse-training clinics...."

I can exercise restraint over the vices named by Baxter. But the one I don't seem able to control is the urge to collect vintage paint-by-number horse pictures. I started with a 99-cent one scored at the local Goodwill store, and the next thing I knew, I was stalking them at yard sales, flea markets, estate sales, and on eBay.

It's probably a good thing I have a large, rambling ranch-style house, with plenty of wall space. Otherwise, my hoarded PBNs would be stacked many feet deep. These things are addictive!

I love not just the subject matter, but the colors, the variety of images available, the old-style framing that many come with, and the sheer nostalgic aura they give off. My grandparents had horsehead PBNS in their living room in the 50s and 60s, and I remember spending many hours engrossed in painting the ones I received as Christmas and birthday gifts way back when.

(Amazing how kids used to occupy themselves before electronic devices took over their entertainment worlds, huh?)

The View Out My Back Door

Earlier, when I made some posts about the extraordinary winter we experienced in my part of Idaho, a blog reader or two responded by asking WHY anyone would want to live in such a place.

Perhaps this photo will serve as a partial answer. It's of the view out my back door, looking north to some of the acreage we ride on.

No houses, no roads, no fences, no developed culdesacs lined with McMansions. Just the rolling hills that are characteristic of the Palouse country, bordered by the low. timbered mountains forming the foothills of the Rockies.

Does the area get snow in some winters? Yup. Does that add up to some wintertime work and vexation? 'fraid so. And is the tradeoff worth it? To me and mine...no question!

Thanks For All The Great Questions!

OK, that May '08 issue of Horse & Rider is out the door, and before I stop to catch my breath, gotta thank everyone for all their questions in response to the last post.

The door's still open to further Q's. If I can come up with the A's, I'll post 'em right back at ya!

Meanwhile....TGIF!!

Let's Make This a Q&A Day

Ordinarily, I'm the one in this blog-relationship who gets to ask all the questions.

Today, to celebrate the official last day of winter (BIG CHEER!!!), I'm reversing the tables--YOU get to ask ME the questions.

About horse stuff. About magazine stuff. About personal stuff. Or about any other subject of your choosing, as long as it's not politics or religion.

So. We're seated across the table from one another at a social function, and you decide to ask me about......

Backstage at Horse & Rider

It's a regular work day at Horse & Rider magazine, with the intensity dial turned to High. Our May issue's in its final production throes, which means all staff members are at screen and keyboard, trying to help the process along.

I have no way of knowing what you picture in your mind's eye when you imagine us getting the magazine out, but I'll bet it doesn't match the reality.

A maybe-surprising fact: Two-thirds of our staff members aren't in the same room--no, make that the same state--more than once or twice a year. Instead, all but a couple of us work from home offices that are in Texas, Colorado, California, and Idaho. We report to someone in Maryland. And cooperate with other colleagues in Pennsylvania. We operate on an e-mail lifeline, and a be-at-work timeline that's not quite 24/7, but close.

Office hours...what are those? Two of us West Coasters, for instance, are regularly up and e-mailing one another by 4:30 or 5 a.m. That's how we get ready to meet the needs of co-workers in two later time zones. (The tradeoff: By 2 p.m., one of us is ready for her daily nap, and the other one is usually out saddling up her horse--who's visible all day long from the kitchen window.)

Right now, I'm standing by to receive digital layouts for proofing. It's my first chance to see how the words I sat here to write a couple of weeks ago will look in the published magazine itself. Once upon a time, I walked across the room or down a hall to get that first look at what an art director did with my words.

Now I just count on my high-speed Internet connection.

Not something I could have imagined in 1975, when I first got the notion to go into the nag-mag business!

As Our Glaciers Recede

I did a bit of ranch patrolling yesterday, soaking up a little vitamin D from sunshine, and discovered a souvenir from the record-snowfall winter we had. Snow and gravity seem to have had their way with several sections of the pasture's board fence. I guess we'll be going to the lumberyard before turning any horses out for the season.

Naturally, the fence-busting drift didn't land on the section of fence that needs repair and painting anyway. Nope--it had to take out a part of the section that was fixed and facelifted just last fall.

Winter is a lot of things, but "fair" isn't one of them!

The Life of Riley, part 1 (end of winter!)

Since Saturday was the last day before this year's early start of daylight savings time, I designated it as the Unofficial End of Winter, and celebrated by taking my Quarter Horse gelding, Riley to a local horse show. (Riley's real name is All American Choice--note his American-themed horse blanket hanging over nearby stall door.)

Ordinarily, I don't go to horse shows unless I'm figuring on being competitive--which we aren't at this point. He's green, and I'm rusty. Not a good combination if points and ribbons are your objective.

But this time, all I really wanted to do was get out and ride my horse in a different place than home--one with more riding areas, different footing, unfamiliar horses (always a challenge for the equine brain), and some people to talk to other than myself. There's a lot to be said for just going out and spending a day somewhere with your horse, and for going to the trouble of getting him spiffed up, your tack cleaned and organized, and so forth. (Biggest challenge: Seeing if the chaps still zip!)

As a bonus for the good of the order, I got to support my local event by contributing some entry fees (and enthusiasm), and that's important to me these days. Because the way I see it, we can either sit back and bemoan the state of a horse industry in flux, or we can do something that adds up to some kind of active contribution.

Even if it's just to be points fodder for the other guys on a winter's-waning day in March.

Riley took the season's first trip to town well in stride--so much so that he was a real joy to me. He was curious but not spooky, green but willing to try. He earned my trust and confidence by offering up the same to me. If we just keep at it--which involves more DOING IT, instead of just sitting at home thinking about it--he'll get better at this public arena-work stuff, and I'll get my rusty spots sanded down and shined back up.

The life of Riley involves working steadily toward becoming a solid all-around using horse. Some days--show horse. Other days--trail horse, or photo-shoot model, or just the pal who lives in the barn.

Here's to the extra hour of daylight for doing all the above!

A Spring-Cleaning Storage Tip

Here's a spring-cleaning storage tip I thought I'd pass along:

Use Zip-Lok's super-sized see-through bags to store horse blankets after you've laundered them.

These giant bags will hold a quilted horse-sized blanket (that's a lot of bulk), and have a carry-handle for ease of transport. They come four to a box, and of course can be used to store/transport any number of other things. Like flakes of hay, for instance, or dirty horse blankets going TO the laundry or mender.

Seeing as how I accumulate horse clothing the way some other women accumulate shoes, this big-bag storage idea is a real clutter-tamer for my barn. To keep track of my horses' wardrobes, I use a permanent maker to write each blanket's size on a sheet of paper that I slip inside the bag before zipping it up. And I love the way the bags keep blankets dust-free until it's time to use them again.

A related tip: When you buy new bedding for your home, save the zippered, see-through bags that bedding often comes in. They're great for storing all kinds of barn items. For example, I use the smaller ones for storing sets of clippers and their blades.