Settling Into A Routine!

We are finally moved and getting settled in. Well, we've technically been moved for about a month and a half, but have been swamped with getting new furniture, decorating and getting the horse facility set up. Between all that, working horses between both here and the barn, more training and lesson inquiries as well as getting ready to hit the show ring again soon, there has hardly been time to breathe!!

This week I hope to embark on another update of my website in the late evenings when I have time before falling asleep, and I plan to make time for regular blog posting like last year again. There are so many topics I want to cover, many of them are already started, I'm simply chomping at the bit.

ETI Corral 88 is having our next meeting right here in Pinon Hills, for details if you're local see our website at Corral88.org. Two outstanding veterinarians will be discussing hot weather issues with horses, and we will be presenting a mini-clinic on the [un]Extreme Cowboy Course at the ranch. We'd love to have anyone close enough drop on by! There is no cost, just come on down ~ everyone is welcome.

That's all until tomorrow...

~SFTS

RIP, Beautiful Lady

Yesterday one of my favorite horses on planet Earth was laid to rest. Her devoted owners have spent untold thousands of dollars over the past five years doing everything in their power to avoid the inevitable, making sure she had the best possible life any horse could ask for. This wasn't the return to blogging I had hoped for, and the topic I was working on for today will have to wait.

Rest in peace, lovely girl...

Ravishing Ruby GA
(GA Suede X GA Estrella)
Chestnut Arabian Mare
1994 - 2010

~SFTS

What A Great Weekend!

This past weekend several of us from ETI Corral 88 went to the poker ride hosted by local gymkhana club the Dusty Spurs in Phelan. We had a blast! Even though the weather was not so great, being breezy and a little bit cooler than ideal we just bundled up and enjoyed a nice ride.

My daughter had the 5th best hand out of probably close to 100 hands and won an Outback Steakhouse gift certificate!! Woohoo, we're going to dinner! :) I was on down the list somewhere and brought home a huge jar of Mrs Pastures horse cookies which all the horsey kids here love.

Yesterday the weather deteriorated and it was really cold, so cold that we actually had brief snow flurries here! Can you imagine, late May?! After stacking hay and tending to some basics like cleaning stalls (one of my favorite things, sarcastically speaking of course :P) and scrubbing/re-filling water barrels, it was time for some good old fashioned hot cocoa inside.

This coming weekend is our ETI Corral 88 tack sale in Phelan at White Shadow Ranch (Saturday May 29th) and the following weekend is the fundraiser trail ride in Llano at Bill & Susie Figley's ranch. Check out our website, there are flyers available with all the information you need to know!

That's all for now...busy, busy, busy!!

~SFTS

Milestones

This isn't going to be at all horse related, just to let you all know. :)

My daughter turned 18 years old today ~ talk about a milestone!! And here I thought Sweet 16 was something to attain.

She aspires to become a fighter pilot in the US Air Force. This has been a dream of hers for a very long time now, and we are going full bore to make it happen for her. Not sure what a parent can do, other than teach the child right from wrong, good from bad and so on.

Other than that, she is an incredible artist and writer, does amazing website and coding work plus she's an exceptionally talented horsewoman.

Her dad and I could not be more proud of this beautiful young lady. Here's to hoping ALL of her dreams come true.

Happy Birthday sweetheart!! We love you more than anything in this world!!

~SFTS

Good News...And Other Things

Yes, because of my schedule lately I have been lax again about the blog. There's another week or this and then I should have more time...maybe.

First up, we are moving!! The most wonderful thing happened, and we could not be more thrilled. Not moving far away, simply further into lovely Pinon Hills. Nothing could have made us happier! We have been given a golden opportunity of a lifetime.

Then, Ruby's eye treatment: Her ulcer is getting a whole lot smaller, it's a fraction of the size it was and she is really getting around well. With any luck, she will be fully recovered and bred to Magic Aulrab later this Summer.

Next, today several new horses come into training. Business just continues to increase and I'm feeling so blessed.

Also, yesterday the Andalusian/TB filly wore a saddle for the first time. She was a champ!! Then we led her through some of the elements on the Cowboy Course at the ranch and she dealt with it like she was an old hand. What a good girl!

Finally, we are thoroughly busy with ETI Corral 88, the Tri-Community Horsemen. The club continues to welcome new members which is awesome. Our used tack sale will be on Saturday, May 29th and our first trail ride will be on Sunday, June 6th. Flyers for the events are on the Corral 88 website at www.corral88.org.

Thanks to you all for hanging in there and sticking with reading the blog. We're maintaining our readership numbers even with a lack of posts. Hopefully once we get settled into our beautiful new home I can rest a bit and feel like I can stay awake long enough to give ya'll some great reading material.

Until then...

~SFTS

Just A Little Update...

Hopefully everyone had a really terrific Mother's Day. I certainly did! Doing what I love ~ riding, training, hanging out with good friends and talking horses, then my wonderful husband made me an amazing steak dinner. What a perfect day!

Unfortunately, I missed a blog post for yesterday, and it could be spotty for the next week because of the treatment schedule for little Ravishing Ruby's eye. I'm just almost never around and have zero time in front of the computer. I didn't even have a chance to peek at the computer yesterday morning before heading out to the barn! By the time my day was done, I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to type anything. And so it goes...

Ruby is doing better, the corneal ulcer is getting smaller. I have such a soft spot in my heart for this mare!! She's a trooper for getting poked and prodded, and having so much put into/onto her eye.

We've all been having fantastic rides, getting many of the horses more exposure to cattle and the cowboy course, the barn owner's TB gelding is also getting back to work after recovering from an injury and there is a gorgeous Andalusian/TB cross filly who's getting put to work and will be an incredible Dressage prospect.

Life is good!

~SFTS

Safety First, ALWAYS Safety First!

As horse owners, riders, handlers and trainers, one of the most basic tenets of good horsemanship is safety. I preach to my students and clients how important it is to pay attention to what the horse is doing, to what is going on around you and your horse, and think ahead. I had a whole blog post I'd wanted to write on safety as it pertains and relates to horses and horsemanship but like every other night so far this week, I am just too exhausted to finish it. That I will get to later on.

Today my husband and his helper, a young man of just 27 years old, were at a jobsite working on installing some flooring. This was to have been just about a wrap on this particular job, when suddenly something went horribly wrong. Brandon, the helper, nearly lost several fingers on his right hand in a freak accident with the table saw. Tonight he is in the hospital where he will hopefully be able to have them reattached surgically.

Things can happen SO fast. Tragedy can occur in a blink of an eye. That goes for just about every aspect of our lives. Please say a prayer tonight for Brandon and keep in him your thoughts.

~SFTS