This has been the worst winter for me ever... had major depression issues (it's a chronic problem for me and has been for years - Mother Nature or the great Creator created me with parts leftover on the shelf and sometimes they just don't work)
that required more meds and counseling and sunshine... and in upstate NY in winter we don't see a lot of it.
Decided early on that I am holding off on knee surgery #5 to repair what is left of my ACL so that I can work and show... last summer's knee surgery ended up being 2 surgeries and a nasty staph infection (that the doc said could have killed me) and I had a PICC line from my right arm to my heart from July to October for the antibiotics I needed... tough to experience (coupled with the depression and type 1 diabetes but I believe I am too tough to die just yet). My work review was stellar except for the problem with the knee surgery - my boss was understanding but her higher-ups are making her toe the line.
Fuel prices being what they are, I chose to take some time for me and do what I love best - service work with Mercy and showing. We had to borrow a truck and trailer to get Mercy to her latest service event and a tire exploded (not due to Mercy's winter weight gain - she was on the opposite side of the huge stock trailer - ironically, the same truck and trailer that brought my late Belgian Liberty to me) but we made it there and Mercy delighted many spectators with her painting ability - she loves to paint with her nose and she made a bunch of paintings to help the humane society where we adopted Libby from and our pot bellied pigs, Fern and Cider.
First show for us is the NYS Horse Breeders but instead of minis, Weatherly, my Morgan is going into the ring. It should be humorous as I haven't shown a big horse in, um, 16+ years and never in hand.... and Weatherly is as green as they get but she was so good for me tonight with the clippers....
She has not shed her coat out all the way and I hate to give her a full clip as she will be "pale" and what has come in of her natural summer coat is black as black can be and oh-so shiny...yet she has spots on her that make her look like an eggplant...
I grabbed my clippers, expecting the worst from a green two-year old and she was so good for me - I trimmed the "eggplant" colored coat by going with the nap of her coat and she just stood and watched me, giving me a nuzzle every so often. I also took care of her ankle "feathers" and she was good for that, too. She had her pair bond buddies (Enterprise the Morgan and Nefertiti, my high-octane Modern Shetland) with her, watching what I was doing and it was the most stress-free clipping session I have ever had with any horse.
No guarantees we will do well in the ring but I feel if she listens to me and can be a lady and trust me, we will certainly be on our way!
And, cows must be giving beer as my seven-year old mini, Freedom, is now jumping willingly at home. For her, I think it was a maturity thing and to see her give it all she has, of her own free will, makes me optimistic for a new generation to follow in Mercy's footsteps! Time will tell when we get to a show, but I feel we are finally working together. It is tough when you have an equine prodigy who performs well early on and then have to work with normal horses but I am enriched by the experience and am still and always will be the perpetual student.
I am so lucky to have horses willing to teach me....
Denise
Silversong Farm
Decided early on that I am holding off on knee surgery #5 to repair what is left of my ACL so that I can work and show... last summer's knee surgery ended up being 2 surgeries and a nasty staph infection (that the doc said could have killed me) and I had a PICC line from my right arm to my heart from July to October for the antibiotics I needed... tough to experience (coupled with the depression and type 1 diabetes but I believe I am too tough to die just yet). My work review was stellar except for the problem with the knee surgery - my boss was understanding but her higher-ups are making her toe the line.
Fuel prices being what they are, I chose to take some time for me and do what I love best - service work with Mercy and showing. We had to borrow a truck and trailer to get Mercy to her latest service event and a tire exploded (not due to Mercy's winter weight gain - she was on the opposite side of the huge stock trailer - ironically, the same truck and trailer that brought my late Belgian Liberty to me) but we made it there and Mercy delighted many spectators with her painting ability - she loves to paint with her nose and she made a bunch of paintings to help the humane society where we adopted Libby from and our pot bellied pigs, Fern and Cider.
First show for us is the NYS Horse Breeders but instead of minis, Weatherly, my Morgan is going into the ring. It should be humorous as I haven't shown a big horse in, um, 16+ years and never in hand.... and Weatherly is as green as they get but she was so good for me tonight with the clippers....
She has not shed her coat out all the way and I hate to give her a full clip as she will be "pale" and what has come in of her natural summer coat is black as black can be and oh-so shiny...yet she has spots on her that make her look like an eggplant...
I grabbed my clippers, expecting the worst from a green two-year old and she was so good for me - I trimmed the "eggplant" colored coat by going with the nap of her coat and she just stood and watched me, giving me a nuzzle every so often. I also took care of her ankle "feathers" and she was good for that, too. She had her pair bond buddies (Enterprise the Morgan and Nefertiti, my high-octane Modern Shetland) with her, watching what I was doing and it was the most stress-free clipping session I have ever had with any horse.
No guarantees we will do well in the ring but I feel if she listens to me and can be a lady and trust me, we will certainly be on our way!
And, cows must be giving beer as my seven-year old mini, Freedom, is now jumping willingly at home. For her, I think it was a maturity thing and to see her give it all she has, of her own free will, makes me optimistic for a new generation to follow in Mercy's footsteps! Time will tell when we get to a show, but I feel we are finally working together. It is tough when you have an equine prodigy who performs well early on and then have to work with normal horses but I am enriched by the experience and am still and always will be the perpetual student.
I am so lucky to have horses willing to teach me....
Denise
Silversong Farm
