OUR EXTREME DREAM

     Well, it's done. Faith is home. Yesterday, the neighbor and I had a few words, and I decided enough was enough. I am through being the middle man between them and Suzanne. Since my phone calls were not working, Erik and I decided to drive over to Suzanne's house and give her the news. She has till the end of July to move her horses.

     This morning Erik got the flatbed trailer, and we loaded up the round pen panels. We brought them home and used them close off the side paddock. Then we took out all of the old electric fence and put up all new stuff. I can tell you from personal experience that it REALLY works well. LOL, I thought the power was off while I was tying the panel to the fence. NOT! It zapped me on the head. I was angry, laughing, and almost crying at the same time. Hurt like hell!

     Anyway, I locked Rocky (aka pitbull) in the stall, and we to get Faith from next door. She was so excited. Before we got through the first gate, she and Izzy were talking back and forth. It's almost like they instinctively know they are a herd of mustangs. So strange.... I put Faith in the little paddock be herself. She immediately tested the electric wire multiple times. My heart was pounding each time she did it. I was waiting for the PITA to do something stupid, but thankfully she didn't. She did rear, buck, and run circles though. She eventually found her limits and decided to pick through some weeds. OMG, she must have gotten a hold of some fireweed because all of a sudden she was running and trying to rub her nose at the same time with her front feet (the weed still in her mouth). All Erik could say is "Your horse is retarded." I hate to admit it, but I think he's right.

     Once I felt she was safe enough to walk away from for a minute, we went back over to get the rest of my stuff. Everything from there is nasty and dirty, so tomorrow I will be cleaning tack. Guess I will have to ride another weekend.

     Rocky was let out after a few hours in solitary confinement. He of course headed straight for the fence to show Faith who's the man around here. He's hysterical to watch. He gets right up on the electric but never hits it. Between charging at Faith and running off Izzy and Linc, Rocky is getting some exercise. He'll have himself in shape in no time. Such an idiot!

     Faith's paddock

    Rocky running himself ragged

     She's such a tease

     Cory's swimming has still got us on the go. Her meet on Saturday was in Fernandina. Cory has improved tremendously. She brought home two ribbons, both for 5th place.

     On Sunday, we had to catch up on things around the house.  We had two weeks of laundry to do.  It piles ups so fast.  Doesn't it?  In between loads, I washed horses.  My goal was to get all eight done, but I only got through five before the rain forced me to quit.

     Skylar

     Marco

     Beauty

   Linc & Faith

     Thankfully, Erik did manage to cut the grass. You can see how tired he and Dasiy are. 

     HERE are the rest of the pics.

I was feeding Faith tonight.  As usual, I let her have a few bites from the bucket before I dumped it.  I noticed she was chewing funny.  I looked in the bucket and found this.

Just thought I would share a pic of Cory's new doo.  Swim practice was cancelled on Monday, so she and I went and chopped off all our hair.

LMAO!  I have been singing this song in my head for days.  I forgot to mention on Saturday that Faith has lost her baby teeth on the top, and the bottom ones are hanging on by a thread.  Bless her heart, she looks so silly right now.

     So much for sleeping in... Cory had me up by 10:00. Coffee was my friend. After a few cups, I felt motivated enough to get moving and feed the horses. It was a gorgeous day, and I wasn't about to spend it sitting in the couch resting. Instead, I headed next door.

     I locked Skylar and the stallion, Michael, in their stalls. Then, I let Faith out. She was too funny. She spent her first 20 minutes of freedom running, bucking, and farting. Once she slowed down enough for me to get her attention, I reassured her she was not alone. It was then that she put her head down to eat some grass.

     The barn was disgusting. I hadn't hosed the isle or cleaned the fans in a very long time. It took me most of the day, but it felt great when I was done. I managed to get some of the broken fans down from the ceiling. Now, I just need to get Faith a new one for her stall. There's no shade in her run out and there's not much of a breeze through the barn.

     Cory spent the afternoon playing on her slip and slide while I cleaned. LOL, I wish I had brought the camera. What is it about water that it can keep a kid occupied for HOURS?

     After cleaning the barn, I hosed and fly sprayed Marco, Skylar, and Faith. I have to say - Faith is much more relaxed these days and is allowing me in her space without being tense. It's nice to see her come around. I can't wait for the day that I can really bring her home and see her out my back window. Marco is still lame. His feet desperately need to be trimmed (just like all of Susan's horses). I may break down one day this summer and just pay for it myself. Skylar is still hanging in there At 31 years old. I have increased his alfalfa pellets again. I don't know if it will do any good, but it worries me that he is so thin. His coat is slick and shiny, and you can tell he is not malnourished. It's just hell watching him grow old. One weekend, I will have to take Michael out and bathe him. I just don't want to tackle him alone. He can be quite a handful (ass). I wouldn't want to get hurt and no one knows it.

     Erik went racing, so Cory and I had the house to ourselves. We got some take out and enjoyed a movie together. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.

     Cory was such a big help today. First, she helped me find the bottom of our office. Then, we got laundry started. Unfortunately, we always have Mount Clothesmore. It seems like I can stay caught up for a day, and that's it.

     As soon as we could, we headed next door. We started with Marco (Suzanne's big gray horse). He desperately needed a bath. He was filthy, had a HUGE knot in his tail, and needed his sheath cleaned. The poor guy had a bean the size of a lima. I know he feels better now. Skylar (Suzanne's old thorobred) was next. He was not as bad. I think Maria came out the other day and cleaned him up a little. He really needed his sheath cleaned though. He was not very cooperative. Even with the twitch, he managed to kick me in the shin. A few "words" later, he decided it was better to be still. After Sky, we washed Faith. She was thrilled to be out and getting attention. I put her in the back with Skylar when we were done. She was a hoot to watch. She was running around, bucking, farting, and jumping the downed trees. Linc also got a bath. He was even happier than Faith to get some lovin.

     Cory decided she wanted to wash the dogs. LOL, she had them in the cross ties and washed them all by herself. She's such a great kid!

     I took Faith and Izzy down to Coral's for Easter.  They both needed baths desperately.  Faith still had the number 29 on her hip, and Izzy's skin was all irritated from bug bites (she's very sensitive).

    For those of you who don't know Izzy's story, she was a rescue I adopted  from Morgan at HPAF at the end of July 2008.  She was VERY underweight.  Here is a picture of her in June when Morgan got her..

     Here she is almost a month later when we picked her up.

     We gave her lots of TLC and groceries.  Now, she looks great and is ready for the next steps in her training..

     I turned both girls out in Coral's paddock.  I was surprised how well they got along.  Faith was following Izzy like a lost puppy.

     HERE are the rest of the pictures.