The Evening's Sampler

Work is gearing up into our busy season, which means lots of meetings, so I got home a bit late by the time I stopped and got Samson the biggest bag of dog food I could find (sure hope it lasts him the weekend :) Anyway, by the time I got home, I just wanted peace, and of course I can always find that at home, with my animals. I feel so truly blessed to have this lovely place with horses and dogs who I adore.

So, being the lazy bum that I am, all I did was take the curry, brush, and camera out with me and gave everyone a good rubdown, and took a few snapshots along the way.

The girls....


All I have to do is watch them graze peacefully in the setting sun, and I can feel my heart slow down, my breath deepen, and all becomes right with the world...

Yes, that is Empress in the foreground. I say goodbye to this amazing, grand lady Monday morning. I don't have the talent to articulate how much she's given to me in the short time I've had her. Selfishly I don't want to let her go--I will miss her terribly, but she's let me know, in her own way, that she's ready. I've turned her out to live with the girls, graze on fresh, green grass, eat alfalfa and grain for the rest of her days (something I've not done before due to her lameness), but I've decided to put her on pain meds and let her really enjoy her final days.

Her back is finally almost completely filled in, but unfortunately her feet can no longer bear her weight, so while she's looking almost completely recovered, she'll never truly be a recovered horse. She's as good as she'll ever get from this point on, so she'll be sent off on a high note, with a full stomach, surrounded by her buddies, before the heat and her added weight start causing her to go into another downward spiral.

Doesn't her coat just glow? She has the prettiest, softest coat....

Then the kids (Fabian and Bambi) came moseying on up, looking for their dinner.

JJ was standing near the fence, waiting his turn for attention. He's so demanding (and spoiled, which is not the least bit my fault at all... I won't admit to it and you can't make me)!

He needs sooooo much more weight. He's such an awkward teenager. Laramie and him will be getting power pacs--MUST get power pacs soon! JJ's coat could be looking so much better, so I'm pretty sure that while he's gone through a rotation of wormer, he needs that extra boost to get really cleaned out and fully utilize his feed.

Then Sophie comes running around the corner and these two start in on it....again. The show they put on cracks me up everytime....

And after a couple of short, playful bursts, JJ says enough.

Well, ok....one more....

Laramie spotted some deer in the distance. I tried to get a picture, but my camera sucks. It's not its fault. It was never meant to do these things I ask it to. It tries, and it often exceeds my expectations, but it's a $120 little pocket Sony, so as hard as it tries, it just wasn't able to capture the deer. I do believe you can imagine them from Laramie's expression, though.... Just use your imagination.

Laramie is gaining better than JJ, but I'm still not really happy--her coat is better but not good enough, as well, so power pac for this girlie girl, too.

Notice her mane? Yeah... maybe better not to... I've pulled...and shortened...and pulled...and shortened...and pulled.... Like the rest of her, still a long ways to go (but I KNOW we'll get there--I just love her and we are going to have a blast in September--I KNOW it! :)

Of course I have to include a picture of Paula.

She's been Empress's pasture buddy and therefore has shared her diet. After Monday, she'll be pumped up on a high-calorie diet to get enough weight on her to begin her training. She doesn't look bad, by any means, but if we're working, she'll need those extra calories.

Plus, it gives me a good excuse to spoil her some more. Poor Paula will loose another pasture friend. She gets so attached to other horses that I do worry about her. She's the only foal I ever weaned that after 4 months of not seeing their momma at all immediately remembered her when I put them back in together. She has an amazing memory, which makes her easy to train, but then it's harder on her than the others, I think, to lose her friends.

Last, but not least, Hope. She's not mine, but I really like her. She's so very easy on the eyes.

I've got to get this picture into photoshop and play around with it--there is so much to try here, with Hope being so photogenic and all the color and glow...Even as it is, straight out of my cheap little camera, I really like this picture. But then again, if it has a horse in it, I'm bound to like any picture. :)