One of my other hobbies

[Willy]

Actually, my main other hobby. And it's Mrs Willy's fault. I got started messing with horses helping her last year and they kinda grew on me. We've got three now. My bay mare Ruby, her 5 week old colt Chief and Mrs Willy's paint Buddy.

We just ride them around on farm roads and into town and back. But a good ride has become very relaxing for me. I just wish I'd gotten into them sooner.

[Snuffy]

Just horsin around I see! :bump:

[Willy]

Just horsin around I see! :bump:

Yup, that'd be me! :d

[Collin]

What a lovely hobby, expensive at the end of the year?

regards Collin:ernae:

[Willy]

Once we got the pasture worked out, it's not that bad. Some grain year round and hay for the winter. They're easy keepers. Although the way Buddy keeps losing horseshoes, I've got the farrier on speed dial ;).

Only thing is that it's been so hot here the past week or so, we hate to ride them in the heat.

[OBIO]

Horses are amazing animals. A few years back, I had a little side job out at the county fair grounds, working for one of the horse trainers out there....he trained the horses for racing...the kind were they pull the little cart thingie. I got paid $20 cash per day to muck the stalls. Once I got the stalls in proper condition after the two guys before me failed to do the job properly, it only took an hour and a half to muck the 20 stalls...but I would hang around for 4 hours or so just to spend some time with the horses. There was one horse in the stables that no one had been able to work with...a real A hole of a horse. Even Rich, the trainer, could not really work with Smoke Stack Lightning (name came from a rock song)...and Rich had been working with horses for 40 years. But for some reason, Smoke Stack took to me like I was his Mamma, and was the easiest horse for me to deal with. Anytime Vickie, the gal who groomed the horses and got their tac put on, needed to work with Smoke Stack she would as me to come and stand in the door way of his stall. Smoke Stack would stand were I told him to stand, would not budge a foot as long as he could press his nose against my chest.

OBIO

[Willy]

If I'd have been a hair slower the first time I saw Ruby last summer, she'd have flattened me trying to get out of the barn. As it was, I just barely got out of her way. For the first couple of months we had her, I didn't want much to do with her because of that. With time, patience and my feeding her every day for months though we've become buddies.

I fully trust Ruby now and know what she'll put up with and have learned how to get her to accept something that she's not wanting anything to do with. Right now we're working on spray bottles and water hoses. She don't like either, but she's starting to come around to them as she knows I won't hurt her. Like I said above, time and patience.

We're lucky in that all our horses like people. Ruby can be a bit standoffish with people she don't know. But once she sees that they aren't going to hurt her, she'll come right up. She'd spent a few years before we got her with minimal human contact being used as a brood mare. With me and Mrs Willy, she's good as gold now. Buddy is a big "moose". He's not he sharpest knife in the drawer, but at the same time he's a big baby, always looking for attention and to please. Chief's just 7 weeks old now, but he's learning. He'll halter lead some now and the next lesson is how to get through the "evil" gate when he's being led. His trust isn't there yet, but he's still young too.

Horses know who likes 'em.