Vet Day

Open wide.

It was vaccination and dental work day for several of our horses...Phantom included. So we had several horses doing the "drunken sailor" walk back to their stalls following their session with the vet.

Phantom's mouth was in pretty good shape. He's had an annual dental visit for the past 2-3 years. I've been using my income tax refund to cover the bill, which works out well for the spring visit.

Abigail, our favorite cocker, was at the barn this morning, so Indy and she had some play time. Both puppies had a blast.

The good news was, Bay's ringworm is gone and he can leave the "leper colony" (round pen) to rejoin his pasture pals.

Genevieve popped in to wave hello to Zorro. She was looking much more chipper today since last week's close encounter with Zorro's foot. While tending his abscessed hoof, the pair experienced a gravity issue that resulted in his foot impacting her head. Eighteen stitches later.... The good news is, the stitches come out tomorrow.

You aren't a true horse person unless you've had something broken, stitched or relocated by a horse. Honestly, you've got to have SOMETHING to discuss when the horse folks start talking "war wounds."

I hung around the barn after Phantom returned to his stall just to make sure he emerged from his stupor in good shape. When I wasn't catching up on news, I managed to add a couple of paragraphs to "Wizard."

Spring Cleaning

Provide pizza and they will come.

Today was our annual clean-up day at the barn. Over the past 2-3 years we've hosted the Purina Horse Owners Workshop for the local feed store. In preparation for hosting workshop attendees, the barn bunch gave the little barn and arena barn the once over. This year, Wilco is conducting the HOW in their big, new store. Owner Susan decided that we should give the barn the once over anyway.

So...with the offer of free food, the barn bunch showed up en masse.

Kudos to all, but a special tip of the cowboy hat to Mick who scaled a ladder to give the dust and cobwebs the heave ho!

The wash rack looks amazing. Both barns are cobwebless (if it isn't a word it should be). The tack rooms and feed room are all spiffed up. We even had a shop vac to give the job that professional touch!

I left Phantom his usual treat of sliced carrots and apple, so he'll get a surprise when he comes in, since I didn't ride. (I got into the habit of slicing the treats when I was making bran mashes for Kiyara...I still slice and dice.)

Interesting. I'll go to the barn to sweep up heaven-knows-what and get coated with dust, but I'll be d____ed if I'll do housework at home. :-)

Character Study

Most fiction writers are amateur psychologists (some are genuine). We create our story characters out of thin air. We give them pasts that have shaped the character as he or she appears in the story. We give them goals and fears, strengths and foibles, friends and enemies. Writers observe the world around them with a slightly different viewpoint than "normal" folks. :-)

Which brings me to...

I started reading a blog written by a fascinating character. The blogger appears to be misleading readers through omission. I find this interesting because when reading the blog as written, one assumes the blogger has a particular set of skills, knowledge and abilities. However, when you are aware of facts that the blogger omitted, you realize the blogger is not only receiving assistance with the reported accomplishments, but paying a professional to achieve the stated goals.

When I first started reading the blog, I thought the writer had chutzpah to spare. Now I think it may be the opposite. What would motivate a person to mislead others into thinking the blogger is more accomplished than the writer actually is? Low self esteem? Was the blogger raised with expectations that the writer fears are not achievable? Is the blogger intimidated by others who demonstrate competance with the desired skills? Hmmm.

Pondering the blogger's method of misleading through omission may provide the starting point to develop the antagonist in one of my stories. The protagonist is a student worker at a training stable who has no horse of her own. She's a talented rider, but is limited to showing school horses. Onto the scene arrives the spoiled girl with the obscenely expensive horse. As they say in the writing business -- complications ensue.

Where do writers get their ideas for characters? Everywhere!

Ride-itude

Good ride in spite of the wind and rattling arena. Makes for a good ride-itude.

Owed Phantom profuse apologies. I put his turnout sheet on him when I left on Friday. A little premature on my part. The medium weight turnout went back on him today. He felt warm under the sheet, but given the wind and cold rain, I think he deserved the warmer turnout.

Active day at the barn today. Young Trainer Kelly was riding Boarder Kim's youngster Finn when I arrived. Kim made the wise choice to have someone younger (not that Kim is ancient) make the early rides on Finn while the big kid is figuring out where his feet are. He's doing very well and seems to have a good mind.

Boarders Char and Genevieve arrived about the same time followed by Trainer Tracey. The bad news is, Zorro has an abscess. The good news is, it's only an abscess. The bad news was...it was COLD waiting for the vet to arrive!

It was young horse day, as Trainer Tracey longed her Friesian/Arab guy and worked with Zoe.

Char and I shared the arena. She did her pre-ride ground work while I longed Phantom. I KNEW, given the whistling wind, that Phantom would be wired -- but he wasn't giving me much on the longe line. Finally, after reversing direction once again, he blasted off. Yes! Get it out of your system on the longe, not under me! After ten minutes of running in circles on the longe line, Phantom was a gentleman under saddle. Pugsley tap danced once and Phantom did a brief boot scoot on at least one occasion. Otherwise, both guys did well given the weather.

Indy and Breeze had recess in the arena, but didn't play much. Since Breeze gets a little assertive, Indy kept near the mounting block or humans as safe havens -- although he really wanted to run in circles around imaginary sheep.

Saw the entire Critter Control Crew today. Romeo and Moe came around in search of scratches and pets. On Friday I noticed mousey remains near the parking area, indicating they've been at work.

Wizard

I added a few paragraphs to "Legacy," but this weekend I made the most progress on "Wizard's Window."

This is a story that I've revived, since I conceived it years ago. I've been using my cobbled together outlining method that combines several sources for organizing a story arc.

Zoe, my 14-year-old protagonist, just stepped from her life into the fantasy realm. She will spend the rest of the book trying to return home with the assistance of Merritt, a wizard in training.

Zoe is very unhappy about the family's move from the Seattle area to a suburb south of Portland. She's had difficulty making new friends, and she's anxious about beginning high school in the fall. Both of her parents have been busy with a new job and settling in to their new house. Most irritating of all, her younger brother immediately made new friends. Plus, Zoe is upset about leaving behind the boarding stable where she was taking riding lessons. When her mother is too busy to check out a nearby stable, Zoe stomps upstairs to her room where she gets a big surprise.

I'm writing this story in first person, and it seems to be flowing more easily at the moment than "Legacy," which is written in third person. I may need to revisit POV for Legacy.

Anyway...feeling good about making progress on at least one of my projects.

Frogs in Love

Indy and I set out for our morning walk the other day and were met by a chorus of croaking. Ah, frogs in love!

One of the neighborhood homes has a fountain and tiny pond in the front yard where a couple of frogs were in full operatic voice. The catch basin near the park where we usually walk was a caucophony of froggy pick-up lines.

Must be spring!

TACK SALE

Finally made it to the touted 4-H tack sale at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds in Canby. It was a wonderland for the western folks. Not so much for hunter/jumper or dressage enthusiasts. Although, there were generic horse care items aplenty. Nothing I needed, and I didn't see any of the specific items on my list.

For someone decorating a home or business in an equestrian theme, it was a gold mine. Especially anyone going for an Old West look.

NATIVE AMERICAN NAME

So he's a Sheltie and by lineage a Scotsman. I have decided that Indy's Native American name definitely must be "Pees Like a Horse."

Now he's even beginning a mini stretch before he pees with four on the floor.

Helmets

By now most folks have heard about the untimely death of Natasha Richardson resulting from a fall on the ski slopes. Media reports indicate that her spill was nothing spectacular and that she was quickly back on her feet -- appearing to be fine. Except she wasn't okay.


Back in the olden days when I was boarding Kiyara at a hunter barn, our practice was to line up our helmets and crops along the top of the gate while we did our "flat" work. When it was time to begin the jumping phase of the lesson, we migrated to the gate to put on our helmets and pick up our "persuader" of choice. Then Trainer Janet had a bad accident while training a young horse. Alone in the arena, she suffered a concussion and a serious back injury. She recovered -- but from that point on we all began wearing our helmets when in the saddle, whether warming up on the flat or working over fences. A few years later when we hosted a US Pony Club chapter, we adults believed it was wise to set an example by wearing our helmets when riding. Plus, it was the smart thing to do.

I have a young friend whose life was saved by his motorcycle helmet.

I do not understand any adult who allows their child to go without a helmet on horseback, bicycle, ATV, skiing, etc.

"It's my personal choice whether or not I wear a helmet," counter some adults.

Well, actually, it isn't. It's my health insurance premium that goes up when benefits are paid out to non-helmet folks who file a claim for injuries that could have been prevented or reduced. It's my tax money that goes into the pool for state and federal disability benefits. It's society as a whole that suffers when people are permanently disabled mentally and physically by brain injuries that could have been avoided by the use of a helmet (not to mention the devastation to the affected family).

Natasha Richardson didn't expect to die from her skiing lesson on the beginner slope. No one expects to end up a "vegetable" when they set out on their motorcycle, bike, ATV, skateboard, horse, etc. Devastating, life-changing accidents happen to other people, not me. Until it is you.

When we know better, we do better. So many sporting activities now have lightweight, approved helmets at a reasonable price that there's no reason to go without one.

When PRCA bull riders start wearing helmets, neck rolls and crash vests...you know it's approved "macho" attire!