Welcome 2009!

It is hard to believe I'm writing my first post of 2009. Time really does fly when you are having fun. First I would like to thank everyone who sent me the wonderful Christmas cards with all of your lovely notes inside them. I feel terrible that I did not send out cards this year. I like to send out cards each year as a way of saying thank you for my wonderful life. Things were simply so busy around the farm in the last three months or so that I never had time to even think about Christmas cards. I feel much better now that I have gotten that off my chest!

As I reflect on 2008 there are so many wonderful memories. As with any year there are a few you would like to forget. We had to say goodbye to two residents in 2008. In the spring we had to let go of Magick, a beautiful gray arabian gelding. Magick had a nice life and lived well into his late 20's. We had to let him go when what appeared to be colic actually turned out that his intestines were being squeezed shut by a tumor that had wrapped around them. At his advanced age surgery was not a kind option for him so I held him in my arms as we let him go. Then in July we lost Mable, the sweetest, gentlest chestnut mare who had such a sad story but ended up having a wonderful last 10 years thanks to her owner/rescuer Miranda.

2008 was also full of a lot of wonderful memories. We had many new residents join us on the farm. Nothing is more fun than a new horse to play with and we had the pleasure of adding several new horses to our lives this year! Believe me I KNOW how blessed I am to combine my passion and my work and to be with the horses every day. All of you who read that sentence with envy, I'm not trying to rub it in but doing something you truly enjoy every day is a blessing. In my former life I owned a very successful corporate recruiting company. I learned for myself that money and success don't equal happiness. I'm not saying I don't miss driving my BMW some days as I am tooling around in a diesel truck but all in all I can't imagine going back to my former life.

Now that I am finished waxing philosophical I will finish up by saying that I started out 2009 in the best possible way. I RODE ONE OF MY HORSES!! I am too lazy to dig up the post where I mentioned the trailer incident I was involved in with Bonnie and Lexi over five months ago. After being out of the saddle due to the retirement of my mare for a few years nothing was more frustrating than being out of the saddle AGAIN thanks to a stupid driver. I am happy to say that as of this moment Bonnie and Lexi are both back in work. Bonnie has been back in work for a few weeks with my trainer as I've been to busy to think about riding. I've been doing some groundwork this week and very light longing with Lexi to evaluate her soundness and finally was convinced after a few days that she really was fine. I decided to get on today and she was an absolute star. I could not believe she was a 4 year old that hadn't been ridden in 5 months. I was only on her a few minutes and we walked with a couple of laps of trot around the arena but she felt fantastic and remembered what we had been working on before our unplanned vacation. For an extremely green four year old to be like that I was a very proud and happy mom if you hadn't already determined that for yourself.

I will wrap this post up with some pictures. The pictures are all from 2008 in late October. If you hang in there with me you'll probably see some pictures taken in 2009 in . . . June?? Nah, I'll throw a few 2009 pictures in for teasers before then.

Ogie, Sebastian and Faune - do you think they might have rolled in the mud? Trillion and Faune There was just a lot going on in this picture. Trillion is sticking out his tongue and Faune has his head over Sebastian

Faune and Sebastian grooming each other

Trillion and Sebastian

The goats wandering in one of the horses pastures

Trillion, Sebastian and Ogie

Some of the chicks I rescued (part I and part II) and their ungrateful mother

Leo, Homer and Apollo

Chance

Apollo, Ivan and Elfin

Asterik

Trillion and Asterik taking a drink while Poco watches from the other side of the fence

Sparky

Teddy, Buffy and Harmony

Spread out and peacefully grazing

Chance and Homer

Buffy

Teddy and Harmony