Manure: Renewable and Renewing Resource

My town friends feel a little sorry for me at times, like when I have to leave (or can't attend) social events because I have horse chores to do at home.

But then, come spring and summer, I make it onto their envy list, because of my jurassic garden. My secret for lush and explosive growth? That very substance that gets pitched and hauled from the barn twice a day: horse manure.

In its well-composted state, it's the equivalent of garden gold. I layer an inch or two of it on our landscaped areas early every spring, and am rewarded with happy, thriving plants.

Let the city gals have the stuff that comes in 2-cubic-foot bags with price tags. I've got an endless supply of super-charged plant food, deliverable by the tractor bucket load, and already paid for by twice-daily toil.

See those happily supercharged plants? They're my version of getting my poop in a group!

Summer Weekends: How Will You Use Yours?

Ah, summer weekends. Their promise/potential is pretty much what keeps me going through the drudgery of winter...you, too? Between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, we get 15 of them this year--and the countdown is underway, with 14 left to use and enjoy as we will.

What'll you do with yours?

I have two blocked out for annual campout trail rides that take place in my neck of the woods. I set another two aside for horse shows. Two more go to family gatherings--one for my side, one for Ed's. One weekend goes to horse-related volunteer work. Two will be gobbled up by travel on behalf of Horse & Rider. I know we'll need to devote at least two of the remaining five weekends to our never-ending rounds of annual painting projects.

Wow--only three left free between now and Labor Day? No wonder summer goes too fast, and winter returns too soon!

My Ride With a Pro: Al Dunning of Team H&R

At right: Team H&R's Al Dunning gives me a riding lesson at his ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. Photo by Cappy Jackson.

June's issue of Horse & Rider includes an article about my opportunity to take a riding lesson from Team H&R's Al Dunning, at his ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. One of our blog-buddies inquired about what it was like to ride with Al, so I'll share a few things.

As an instructor, Al is PRESENT. You get his full attention, and he mentally rides with you, and coaches you, at every stride. He puts a lot of emphasis on the technical aspects of your riding skills--in particular, body position and balance. He can spot little things in an instant, like the fact that I tend to ride with a few more pounds of weight in my left stirrup than in my right, a result of my being stronger on the left side than the right. (I was not aware of this until Al zeroed in on it.)

Al assumes that you are there to RIDE, and to get better at it, not to talk, socialize, or theorize about riding. He does the talking (instructing, that is), you do the riding. He's not afraid to yell at you if your mind starts to drift, but he's not abusive about it--and he's generous with praise when you've earned it.

During my lesson, I rode a horse of Al's that I had never been on or around before. I was a tad tentative about that at first, but pretty soon I was so occupied by keeping up with Al's running-commentary style of instruction that I forgot all about the fact that I was on a horse that was new to me. Once I got home, I found that the improvements I got from Al translated very well to my own horse, Riley. I'm sure he would say "thanks, Al!" if he could!

Expressions That Came From Horse People

Yesterday, while driving through an older part of our nearby town, I noted little alley-side garages originally built as backyard stables for the horses and carriages that once served as family transportation. And I got to thinking about expressions that entered our language back when almost everyone had some kind of connection to horses--even it was just from the passenger seat of a horse-drawn mode of getting from here to there. (Heck--a hundred years ago, it was impossible NOT to have the smell of horse manure be part of everyday life.)

A few horse-esque expressions that come to mind:

* Don't put the cart before the horse.
* That's a horse of a different color.
* There's no point in beating a dead horse.
* Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
* She's gotten a little long in the tooth.
* Got a burr under your saddle?
* Stop all that horsin' around!

The typical citizen understands the metaphoric meaning of these phrases. But I'm left to wonder how many folks are left who can relate to their LITERAL meanings. (How many "civilians" do you know who've ever peered into a horse's mouth, or who know that only OLD horses have long teeth?)

Feel free to toss out any horse-related expressions that come to mind for you. I'll bet we can get a pretty good list going without having to try too hard.

Mission Accomplished: Mister Goes to the Museum

The Appaloosa makeover mission has been accom- plished. The project and I posed for a few pictures, just to prove it.

Yesterday, after getting a bath and some final primping, Mister (registered as E Arrow Paha) got trailered to the Appaloosa Museum & Heritage Center in Moscow, Idaho, where he'll be on display through the summer and early fall. The museum maintains a small pasture behind its headquarters, where Mister and a 20-year-old Appaloosa companion horse are now available for visitors to view.

To get him there, we had to put a few unanticipated trailer miles on That 70s Horse, 29-year-old Tank. Mister balked at the idea of getting in until we put Old Faithful into the trailer first. Having been hauled a million and one rodeo miles, Tank was happy to jump in and show the lil' buddy how it's done. (He rode so happily that we almost forgot he was in there, and started to park the trailer before remembering to unload him!)

The barn seemed pretty empty after we got home from dropping Mister off. Funny how horses can grow on you in just a few weeks' time!

Back Home and Back to (Almost) Normal

Hi, all,

I'm checking back in after my return from nearly a week in Texas, and after the resulting mad hustle to write and slip a major feature article in under the deadline wire for Horse & Rider's July issue. Huff, puff, huff, puff, and we'll get over the jet-lag/sleep-lag later!

A few observations:

* Texas highway design takes a little getting used to. It's been a while since I made that many U-turns.

* You can get just about any meal with a side of fried okra. Assuming you would want to (I did try it).

* In early May, Texas' nighttime lows are higher than the daytime highs back in Idaho.

* It takes about half a day for "y'all" to enter a visiting northerner's vocabulary. As pronouns go, it's about as ubiquitous as the fried okra.

Now, how about dishing what y'all were up to while I was gone?

On H&R Assignment This Week

Popping up a note to let you all know I'll be in Texas all this coming week, doing conducting photo shoots and interviews on behalf of Horse & Rider. So--you'll have to talk amongst yourselves! (Or something.)

My first stop: a shopping visit at a major western store. Then photo shoots with Carol Metcalf, Andrea Simons, and Charlie Cole. All are members of Team H&R, and when you see their articles in the magazine, it's because yours truly and/or other staffers were on location at their training operations.

("Tough job," I'm hearing you say.)

If there's anything you'd like to know about these projects, or about the major talents I'm about to go visit, post here. I'll be back--eventually!

Extreme Makeover, Appaloosa Edition

Here's yesterday's photo of Mister (click to enlarge), the yearling Appaloosa who's at our place for a spruce-up before becoming the summer live exhibit at the Appaloosa Museum & Heritage Center in my hometown of Moscow, Idaho. He's come a long way in about 15 days!

* First and foremost, he's now a gelding--with no complications from last week's surgery. He's also gotten all his needed shots.

* He's learned to be tied, to be free-longed in a round-pen-type setting, and to have his legs and feet handled. He's gotten a good start on knowing what "whoa" means.

* He's been exposed to all kinds of new stimuli, including being blanketed (handy for keeping clean that white blanket of his own).

* Cosmetically, he's been clipped from head to toe, and has had enough daily grooming to get all his "dingleberries" removed--those caked-on balls of dried mud 'n' crud that accumulate on a horse who lives outdoors in a Northwest winter. He's had his mane and tail conditioned. Next up: His first bath (if we ever get a day warm enough to do it!)

For comparison's sake, I'll also include a "before" photo (again, click to enlarge). Let's hear it for elbow grease!