Our First Horse

A very happy birthday horse

First of all…HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOONSHINE! My beautiful horse just turned 9 years old. Sniff, sniff, they grow up so fast. Mikki made a birthday “cake” and I dragged everyone up to the barn to sing Happy Birthday to my favorite horse. She made a mess but ate it all. Mikki also made one for her horse Valentine because, she figured, he wouldn’t understand why he didn’t get any treats, too. He pretty much inhaled his. We missed both of their birthdays last year but wanted to make sure we made it a tradition of it, much like we do our own birthdays. After all, at our house our animals are pretty much part of the family and we love any opportunity to do something fun.

If you’re like that, why not celebrate your horse’s birthday? If you don’t know the exact date, make one up. I’m sure there are other recipes out there but Mikki came up with a simple recipe for a do-it-yourself horse birthday cake using oats, carrots, molasses and a sugar cube. No horse can resist this treat and there’s no reason why you can’t make your own in 3 minutes or less.

When it’s time to celebrate, put on a party hat, light a candle and sing happy birthday to your horse. Those neighbors that point and giggle are only jealous so never mind them. Just make sure to remove the candle before handing over the cake.

Do you have any fun horse birthday traditions?

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A man in Tempe, Arizona was arrested for slapping the rump of a police horse. Mounted police were there to help control a crowd of 200 people, several of which were being rowdy. The Arizona Republic reports that the man “admitted to knowing that horses jump or run when slapped, but told the officer that it was ‘no big deal,’ according to police.” There is no word on what the horse did upon being slapped but I’m guessing police horses are very well trained. Even so, THAT WAS STUPID. I’d be surprised if alcohol wasn’t involved.

That same night in Tempe, a more violent attack against a horse led to another mans arrest. Police were called to a club where a fight was taking place. An officer tried to detain the man but he didn’t want to be detained and “began violently swinging at the officer and his horse, according to a report”, the Arizona Republic says.

I’ve been in crowds where mounted police were riding around to keep the peace. I’d say in most cases, horses are quite intimidating and do a good job of peacekeeping by presence. I can’t imagine walking up to a horse and attacking it. Both of these guys, especially the last one, are lucky they weren’t on the receiving end of some equine panic.

Sources: Arizona Republic - Article 1 - Article 2

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It’s time to deal with the clay and mud mess we have in front of our barn. We’ve written about this mud before, back in October as we were preparing for the winter mud. Over the past year we’ve tried a few things and are finally starting to see some results. The best thing would probably be paving the area we have trouble with, but we just don’t have the $2,000 or so in our budget. In looking for inexpensive solutions, here’s what we’ve tried so far:

1. Sand amendment.

Our “soil” is mostly clay here and when it gets wet, it’s a goopy mess. Because clay doesn’t drain well, the goopy mess sticks around for several days after a rain. In fact, some pockets of water are around for weeks after a rain. We’ve accidentally stepped in these pockets and had old smelly water spray all over. Ick. So it seems to us that the key to improving this situation is to amend the soil so that it drains better. We’re not going to stop the mud when it rains but we want it to dry up as quickly as possible.

Since this is an experiment, we’ve selected a section of our barn entrance and every couple of weeks or so we poured and spread a 50 pound bag of play sand, purchased inexpensively at our local hardware store. Each 50 pound bag cost around $5. And even though fifty pounds sounds like a lot, each bag only covered an area about 3 foot square. Over the last 6 months, we’ve added about 200 pounds of sand to a six foot square area. Now obviously for a large area, the best way to bring in sand would be by truck and not by bag. But this was an experiment.

2. Organic material amendment (mostly hay).

Adjacent to the 6 foot square area we used for the sand amendment experiment, we selected a larger 10 foot square area for our organic material experiment. Sometimes our horses don’t eat all their hay and when it’s left on the ground we don’t like to use it for feed anymore. Cost is zero. So we scoop it over the gate and gradually the horses walk on it so the hay gets mixed in with the clay. And sometimes we throw some grass clippings on top, too. In nature, all this organic stuff breaks down slowly and it seems logical that eventually this material will improve the soil composition.
Six Month Results - what’s working?

It’s been about six months since we started this little mud abatement experiment and we have some interesting results to share. Surprisingly, the sand has worked very well. Take a look at the before and after pictures:

To the left is before and on the right is after. The “after” picture was taken a few days after rain. The “before” picture is obviously a muddy mess. Six months later, the area closer to the bottom of the “after” picture isn’t as muddy and is much smoother than the area towards the top of the picture. Below is a picture from the side:

Organic material amendment is represented on the left and sand amendment is on the right. It may not be so obvious in the picture but the difference is huge. A nice benefit of the smoother soil on the right is that the horses don’t trip on it like they do the area to the left. When the clay dries it hardens, creating rock-like clumps next to hoof-sized holes filled with stagnant water. Smooth is the way to go.

The experiment continues but sand is winning so far. We’re going to step up our sand amendment effort and expand it to a wider area. I titled this post “Barn Entry Mud Abatement - Part 1″ because I intend to continue reporting on this experiment. I’ve posted in a few online horse forums about our mud problem and quickly learned barn entrance mud is universal and no one seems to have a good solution beyond paving. I hope this information helps those of you who are in “low budget” mode like us.

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I just got back from another great trip from Arizona. My last trip there was in January when it was quite a bit colder. Even so, the quick horseback riding trip I took back then made all the shivering worthwhile. On this recent trip, my new friends Gary and Jennifer once again invited me over, this time for a much warmer horseback ride. My equine host was Buck, the same horse I rode last time. I feel like I’m getting to know him. We rode off into the sunset again, for a leisurely stroll around rural Maricopa, Arizona. It was a beautiful ride, with the sun setting over the mountains nearby. Gary and my stepson Chris, more skilled than I at riding, both piloted more spirited horses. Old Buck and I held back a little and enjoyed the view…and entertainment. Buck seems like a great horse but every once and a while trips or stumbles so I held the saddle horn with a ninja death grip.

I was having such a great time, a thought occurred to me. This would be a great place to call Mikki (she didn’t come with me on this trip), as part of my ongoing “call people from cool places” project. I’ve called from beside a track at a Nascar race, from an aircraft carrier and from the top of a few mountains, so why not while horseback riding into the warm desert sunset in Arizona? I whipped out my phone with one hand and opened the cover with my thumb. It would be so easy to drop the phone to it’s destruction from that height. I had to try a few times punching buttons. It’s a little bouncy up there. Finally I got the right number, pushed send and held the phone up to my ear. Since Buck neck reigns, it was difficult to do this because one hand held the steering wheel (the reigns) and the other hand didn’t want to let go of the ninja death grip it had on the saddle horn. My plan was simple. “Hi honey, calling you from on top of a horse. Gotta go, bye!” The phone rang and rang and rang…I try again. Same thing. I never did get through so I can’t prove I actually made the call but I swear I really did make a scary, dangerous cell phone call from atop a horse!

With more confidence, I’m sure I could have pulled it off more gracefully but making cell phone calls from horseback doesn’t seem like a great idea, at least for new riders. For me it was just a novelty but I wonder if experienced riders and real cowboys do it these days.

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This was submitted to us via contact form - I thought it should be shared with the class. I bet it would be a lot of fun, and of course it’s for a good cause!

First Annual VSMCRF Ride Against Cancer
Benefit Trail ride to raise funds for cancer research

On May 5th, 2007, friends of BlackHawk will host the First Annual Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Research Fund Ride Against Cancer benefit horseback trail ride at scenic Long C Trails in Westmoreland, Tennnessee.

The ride will take place from 10am-4pm, with a silent auction, raffle, and campfire sing-a-long as added events. Light refreshments will be provided, as will special pins commemorating the ride. Trail maps are available for those who have not ridden at Long C in the past, and all trails are well-marked with signs and colored tape. A $20 donation is requested for participation.

Long C Trails will have breakfast and supper available in their kitchen for an additional fee. Unlimited primitive camping is available; stalls and picketing for horses, and some campsites with RV hookups are also available with reservations recommended one week in advance. Additional fees apply to all camping.

Country music fans may remember Van Stephenson as the high harmony singer from the band BlackHawk, or as the hit songwriter behind many of their hits - and other bands’ hits like Restless Heart’s “Bluest Eyes in Texas” and “Big Dreams in a Small Town.” Van enjoyed cuts by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Reba, Kenny Rogers, and Eric Clapton in his twenty-year career as a writer. Van lost his battle with Melanoma in 2001, and the memorial fund was one of his last wishes - that his friends help find a cure for cancer. 100% of the profits from the charity go directly to the Vanderbilt University Cancer Research Labs in Nashville.

For more information on the First Annual VSMCRF Ride Against Cancer, please call the hotline at 615-884-0276 or email littlebayroan@netzero.com.

For more information on Long C Trails, please visit www.longctrails.com.

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