NWBuckskinLvr:

Spragolina, it was definitely the wet ooozing up between his toes.

 No Sillys, imagine coming round a bend and seeing enormous tractor hooked up to equally enomous manure spreader and the EMS is dangling in a ditch trying to pull  ET in with it.  I stop and at a good spot in the bend of the road and turn on my warning lights and approach my friend who is BEET RED and saying all sorts of things into his cell phone(we can all imagine.)  One by one, enormous tractors appear from side roads and glen and dale and start trying to pull/hoist EMS out of ditch while still attached to my friend's ET(friend is no longer speaking furiously into cell phone but is still VERY RED.)

I am just directing traffic, seeing people I havn't seen in months, and some other fellow's wife with some other fellow, all par for the course out here in the Norman Countryside.  Also had one carload of Brits asked me where something was in French you could have cut up with a chain saw.  I replied, " two kms and hang a right at the big dead oak with six mailboxes."  They looked at me funny and I quiped "Invasion Baby, never went home..."

Then the Gendarmes showed up and took all our fun away, placing flashy  orange neon triangles and speaking to each other with walkie-talkies; I mean they do this when they're only two yards appart.  The gendarmes in these parts are a bit starved for action.  A classmate's father who drives an ambulance showed up in the ambulance with siren a blazing.  He spots me and comes over to say hello.  I asked him who called an ambulance?  We then looked over at all these clownish gendarmes standing inches appart and all talking to each other on their walkie-talkies...

"Do they always do that," I ask him?

"Ya, he replies."  And on a really slow day in a really slow week they even call for a helicopter," scratching his head and looking at the horizen .

One of the gendarmes told me that my presence was no longer needed so I left what was quickly becoming a crime scene all for a couple of tons of cow manure.  Apparently the collected farmers with their Enormous Tractors had just about got the Manure spreader out of the ditch when the local newspaper's photo reporter showed up and wanted a picture...

It was severly "staged" and the time to get everyone into frame the Enormous Manure Spreader slipped back into the ditch...

 The copter never showed, which dissappointed many and when finally Enormous Manure Spreader was removed from the ditch it was lunch time.  Well, and everyone knows what lunch is like in France ...

...rr

omg, rr!!!!    What a fabulous story.   I love it.

I hope everyone is doing well?   All trucks and cars repaired.... dryers too?   Injured, lame horses doing better?   Injured, lame, sore, bruised people healing nicely?

Tomorrow is the barn's "fun" show.   Both girls are really looking foward to it.   We took the ever trusty Po over this evening.  Both girls are going to ride her tomorrow.   One English on the flat & jumping, the other in a western walk/jog class.    Our injured hateful witch *said ever so lovingly* is healing nicely.   The vet changed her bandage 2 weeks ago... took a twitch, chain, and sedative, DH did it last week.   I was pretty impressed.   It's time to change it again, I guess he'll do it.?!    I had a jump lesson yesterday.   Man, that was an off day.   Too many "almost" falls to count (& I 'bout peed my breeches over 1 jump  .....LOL ).   Hope everyone's weekend is as beautiful as ours is here.    Have a great one everybody

 When you guys have the time please take a look at "chomping the bit" under the English area and tell me what you think, please.  Blue is a chomper but he goes along well for the most part, he readily accepts the bit (as in lowers his head and opens his mouth as soon as it gets anywhere near him), follows rein cues or follows leg cues.  He also likes to chew on the leadrope or the reins -  he isn't allowed todo that but he does grab them occassionally. Some days it is more pronounced than others...he has done it since I've had him so I'm thinking that the 1st responder isn't necessarily right that something is bothering the horse.

SH, I think the OP in "chomping the bit" has a totally different scenario than you have with Blue.  Her issue seems to be a "constant" chomping on the bit.  I'm sure Blue doesn't do that.  Some horses  are just mouthier than others.  Sheik is that way.  I have to remind him not to be.  Occassional playing with the lead rope or reins is probably due to boredom or curiosity, or just playfulness.  Not to worry, my friend.

rr, fun story and insight into the French countryside way of life.  Wish you'd had your camera handy.

 I did forget to mention that Blue doesn't let go of the bit when I unbridle him - he chews on it for awhile and finally drops it as I sstand there waiting so as not to yank it out of his mouth.  He is just weird - but then I have told you all that before.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We had perfect temps and I got a nice 2 hr ride in and Glis even got a nice hosing down when we got home. Today is darn near 70 and I'm stuck here in the office. Uhg.

RC - Did you ride your new boy this weekend?

Amm - How is everything with your neck? Will your DH be planning a big "5-0" party for ya?

Squeak - How is are your stiff legs doing? Both you and the horse. LOL

Solo - Whats the scoop on Solo? Still lame?

rr - Only you can come up with a story like that, that is so full of Shhhhh...manure. LOL

7 - How did the girls show go this weekend?

SH - Glis will chew/chomp on a bit that has a broken mouth piece. I have her in a medium port with a roller and she loves it.

I will let holcomb7 tell the story, but I will say that her girls kicked butt at their show and brought home good ribbons!  Because she has the awesomest pony ever!

Farrier came out Friday and made an educated guess, but I think he is right -- the wedge pads, even with the keyhole cut out, are trapping moisture on the frog (why I hate pads) as it has been VERY wet here for the past week.  They are pressing into the frog and it's all squishy under there, yuck.  So it's making him sensitive, especially going downhill (why I think farrier is right).  He's ok on level arena footing, but I'm not riding him till we fix it just in case.

We're going to switch him over to aluminum wedge shoes (farrier asks, do I have any objections to AL, I say, I have no objections whatsoever to what keeps my horse comfy) so there will be no more pads, yay!  He just didn't have Solo's size in the truck so he is ordering and we should be able to put them on in the next couple days.  Then, if the stars are aligned, we can go back to work and get ready for our big HT coming up on the 22nd.

Solaris:

I will let holcomb7 tell the story, but I will say that her girls kicked butt at their show and brought home good ribbons!  Because she has the awesomest pony ever!

AAWWW  thanks Solo :-).     Po is the awesome-est pony ever!!!!!!    I had more than 2 people want to know how much I would sell her for.   ROFL .... that horse is SO not for sale.    My oldest brought home 1st in her jump class (intermediate) and 2nd on the flat.  In her jump class, she had 2 refusals, but worked thru them beautifully, then ended up jumping an oxer that was part of the advanced course.  She was told that she got the 1st for the way she showed great horsemanship working through the refusals and showing such courage on the "advanced" jump.   She started out great, then let her elbows straighten and broke her straight line at her wrist.   My youngest, well she rode Po in Western pleasure walk/jog, and Po was perfect.   They also got a 1st place and a 2nd.  My youngest (getting ready to be 5) was rather peeved that there was no loping in her class.   It was a great day for both my girls and Po!!   Plus we had perfect weather, definitely not Novemberish.   We sold no coffee or hot cocoa @ the concession stand LOL. 

 Hey 7 sounds like a fantastic day was had by all!

Sorry about Solo any word yet  - have the shoes been changed?

rr that was quite the story! 

I had a particularly nice ride today. Iil horse was all in! We worked on a little bit of everything ( including my elbows and position - ack -  recent pictures were enlightening ) leg yields, shoulder in, spiral circles, turn on the haunches and turn on the fore ( that was the weak spot for her today?) She was very lite and responsive and really tried hard. What a nice lil horse!

7, sounds like a great day of showing for your kids and the pony!  Congrats!

Solo, how goes the shoe situation?  Hope the new shoes help.

SS, sounds like a nice ride yesterday!  I have my trial ride on the potential lease horse tonight so I'll have to let you know how it goes.

Veterans Day greetings and thanks to all our service men, woman and their families!

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That's beautiful SS and I will be sure to pass it along to my son.

a horse that is afraid of pigs?

We have wild pigs, feral pigs and hobo pigs down here. This one appears to be a hobo (domestic escapee). It showed up this morning and immediately buddied-up with Jewel, much to her chagrin. She just couldn't find a way to escape it. Scratch one remaining desensitization project! And also scratch holiday dinner shopping. I'm calling this one Christmas Ham. ~FH

That's hilarious!  Where I used to board Annapolis they had a huge pot bellied pig named Pork Chop.

 The one in your pic is way too cute to end up on the dinner table.

Lovely SS. 

Heartfelt thanks to all of our dedicated servicemen and women.