Women's Boerne Ranch Ride

Ladies, I am really excited and ready to get to Boerne to ride in "Equestrian Fantasy Land." Thank you for the internet detour to get more information. Now I can post as much as I want.

Please go google maps. This is a map to the nursery next door, but the driveway beside the nursery with the rock pillars and automated gate is the entrance to the ranch. When we get there, Kyla and I will tie balloons to the entrance.


You may spend a lot of time out camping with your horses, but here is what I have found necessary:
Water and feed bins for your horses
Double the necessary feed
Horse gear (saddles, tack, etc)

Fire starter logs (HEB Jumbo logs work best)
Toilet paper and paper towel (one roll each)
Paper plates, cups, plastic utensils
Trash bags and zip lock bags

Blankets, bedding, air mattress, sleeping bags, etc
Towels and washrags
Warm weather/cold weather clothing
Long sleeve shirts for protection from the sun and brush
Warm weather/cold weather night clothes
House shoes
Sun screen, aloe, allergy and pain meds, first aid kit

Breakfast and lunch to go
Water/drinks

I wanted to talk with everyone today about meals and transportation, but I didn't get to visit with many of you. I wanted to see if everyone has a ride and if anyone has room for a 4-wheeler, or can take their 4-wheeler.

Also, we are not planning on taking supper food with us from Bremond, but if you want to cook something special, feel free to take it or you can buy it there. We are 5 miles from HEB and Wal-Mart.

Extreme Cowboy Race

this winter has been crazy! We've had So much rain that riding has been difficult. About the time I get my horse together on a beautiful day, The ground's too swampy to ride or something comes up.

So to Summarize the winter so far, We got rid of the donkey, all the goats are gone, and the cat died. We hare a New dog (probably why the cat's dead). She's a 1 yr old great dane. In exchange for the donkey, I got 3 saddles. One fits my daughter, one is busted, and the other fits me mostly. I sent it to a saddle shop to get the length of the stirrup fender fixed. I have been doing some riding with a friend. She's encouraging me to expand my riding horizons. I am now trotting on a regular basis and cantering some. I don't carter a lot because I seem to lose my stirrups when I try. My church friends have diagnosed the problem. The stirrups are too low. I can't shorten them because they are as short as they will go. That's why the new saddle is at the shop.

The Extreme Cowboy Race was hosted by my church. My friend designed it and several of the church members helped build the course. It was a pretty good course. we had a creek crossing , natural log jumps, a bridge, moguls, and a reining pattern in the arena. There was also a cowboy curtain and the pony to put in the pen. I helped work the event Saturday (I had to handoff the pony) and after the event, we played. I went through the course, convincing Koda to cross the creek, climb up and over the bridge, and doing all the other obstacles.

Sunday, someone sponsored me to compete in the Novice event. I competed against 7 other people, 3 ranch hands, a ranchers daughter, o drill team member, an experienced trail rider and a 7 yr old with his riding instructor walking beside him. I would say he was the only other true novice. I placed 8th out of 8. I tried hard and had fun. I know there's a lot I still need to learn, but my confidence and abilities have improved so much. I was dumbfounded with how far we've Come. Last year, I would have taken as much time loading the horse in the trader as I did running (trotting) the whole course.I don't think I could have gotten her through the cowboy curtain last year. I have an amazing horse, and she'll be perfect when I learn how to ride. :)

The STINKer

Our house stinks. Man does it stink. Here's why (and I have to back up and give you a little history).

The weekend before Thanksgiving, my in-laws were in town and we discovered a stray dog. It's a blue Australian cattle dog and my father-in-law fed it. It never left. He's really a happy go-lucky dog. He's always excited to see us, jumping up and down, tail-waggin' kinda happy. We set up a dog bed in our garage (which cannot be closed - the door's busted). He's free to come and go, preferably go.
So we're watching a Christmas movie this afternoon, around 3pm, and he starts barking. We ignored him a while, and soon realized that it was more than just boredom. Hubby got up and looked out the window and said something like "O crap, don't go outside." He stood there and watched, getting our (My kid's and my) curiosity up. We 'ran' to the window to see what was the matter. The dog was very concerned with something in the far corner of the garage. After a while, I saw a very large skunk! about 5 feet from the door. The dog decided to remind it that it was leaving. The skunk said "bite me" and lifted its tail to give him access. Uggghh! Did you know that skunk spray is yellowish-green. It went outside the garage and my husband, not thinking, opened the door and went out after it. Luckily, we have a side door out of the garage that he could go through to go shoot the skunk. The smell swarmed into the house. Uggghhhh!

Hubby shot it (we have a great suspicion that he's rabid) and I went out with my gun to help. Hubby's gun has a bad set of sights. I got 3 shots out. The 1st shot missed. I hit him with my second. I thought he would be dead (hubby hit him a few times also) but he was still getting up, so I shot a 3rd time. He quit moving.

We tried to call the game warden. You know they don't answer on Sundays? Then the sheriff. The sheriff's deputy called back and said in essence, that he wanted nothing to do with this stinky mess. I thought that the county was supposed to be notified of rabid creatures. We buried him about a foot from where he died.

After burying him, we went for a walk in the pasture. It was getting dark so we weren't going far. We got to the pond pasture and stopped. The rabid skunk isn't the only new varmint to our property. We've lived here for almost 4 years and haven't seen even one little piggy. There is a large section of our pasture that has been shredded. In addition to their rooting around and tearing up several square yards, they have wallowed out a large deal of the pasture. The area torn up is larger than my house. Fortunately they can get under the fence and didn't bother tearing that up.

I'm sorry I haven't been posting news about the ranch and my riding. There has been very little to talk about and I have been really busy with school. I'll tell you soon about my trail ride and saddle issues.

Way, Completely, and Totally off topic!

I just got an update on my sister and her doctor's visit. Thank you for praying for a resolution for this. God has allowed the doctors to find that Tanya has MS before the symptoms are too far along. The doctors were happy that they were able to catch it this early. Right now, they are planning to treat the MS symptoms with injections. These will not cure her or stop the disease but will slow the progression. We now have a hard road ahead. The doctors believe that even though she has caught the disease early, she will still eventually have to go on disability.

This means that one day, Tanya will need to quit her job. Someone will need to take care of her. She is not married and has no prospects. She's in her 30's and my dad is in his 60's. If it takes 15 years for her disease to progress, I may be taking care of my dad and my sis at the same time.

In addition, this also now means that I have two immediate family members that have been diagnosed with MS. My mom was diagnosed when I was 1. She was 28. and she was 48 when she died. I am now 32 and my sister is 34. Since my mom had MS, I had a 1 in 40 chance of getting it. If my sis was a twin, I would have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it. She's not a twin, but I think my chances are now going to be between the two. My sis's doc said it isn't more than 1 in 40.

I also am very concerned about my daughter. She now has 2 close blood relatives that have MS.

I am not looking for sympathy. I am asking for people who pray to say a prayer now and then for my sis and for our family. I also just wanted to be able to verbalize this somewhere besides my family and torturing the poor souls at church about it.

Back on to ranch business. I'm still trying to get rid of the donkey (anyone want it?). I'm still riding at least 1 time a week, usually on Sundays and/or Thursdays. We have finally had a good amount of rain. Our rain gauge has been full several times. I have not had to fill the horse tank lately. It has kept full from the rain. Of course, the horse now has a touch of thrush (but what horse in central Texas doesn't right now?) On the plus side, I went out to give her a carrot, and she RAN to the fence to visit with me. And, my kid's riding again. Every time I have ridden lately, so has she.

Wow!

First I want to ask, does anyone know what the stuff on my window in the picture is? I think I've seen it in a dream before, but that was a long time ago. Whatever it is left 1 mm of water in our fence measuring cup. Weird.

Anyway, if you didn't notice by my lack of blog posts, school started. Between gone until 5:30 pm at the earliest, the kids band practice, our homework, and so on, i have not had time to ride or posts blogs. Not to mention, school's started so our home internet goes down!

I'll try to catch up on everything this weekend.

Day 5...Kinda

I did say that Monday would cause an issue with riding. There it was. I predicted it. I left the house at 7 am-ish. We had all kinds of meetings with for the first day of teacher inservice. I got kind of concerned when they said that I had a math department meeting at 2, another one with a principal at 3, and another with our new "instructional coach" after the principal's meeting. They told us at 4 that the coach was in another meeting until 4 so she would be late - should be there about 4:10 or so. Understand that I have an hour drive, and my kid's in band until 7 and hubby's an hour another direction at an eye appointment at 6. The coach and algebra lead talked at us until 5:45 when I asked if we could continue the discussion tomorrow, that I HAD to go. When I got to the school to get my kid at almost 7, it started raining. I thought it might rain at my house 2 miles away, so I dodn't get the horse out. No such luck with the rain, and my chance to ride was gone.

That was then. Today, I got home at 6 and called to Koda. She came to the fence! So I got her out and brushed her down. I let her graze in the front yard until it was time to get the kid. I tied her in the pasture and didn't really want to ride when I got back. I sucked it up and rode on though. I just rode down the road 1/2 mile and back. I didn't feel like arguing with the bullito (little bull). It was dark when I put her back in the pasture. I took the halter off and she started to walk away, but I grabbed her mane and she hung out a few minutes and let me scratch her all over.

So my week of riding isn't going too well. I didn't get the ride on day 5, but I rode today. I guess if I ride on Wednesday and Thursday, I could maybe fudge the rules a little.

Gotta go, have school work to do.
Enjoy your rides.

Day 4

Success! I rode before church today. The church's ranch rodeo team was practicing in the arena, so I went across the creekbed into the "obstacle course." There are trees and limbs down everywhere there, spooks - you know those scary vines that hang down, and dips and turns. Not to mention the deep creekbed that you have to cross to get there. It's a good 45 degree angle on one side and a little steeper on the other. Koda's doing great! No hesitation over the logs and trees, walked down the creek sides, and was relaxed enough to munch tall grass bits she could reach without stretching.

At church, my hubby preached his first sermon. He is working towards getting a preaching license. I am proud of him. His sermon was called "When you Pray..." and is on the internet on our church's website. The church voted today to sponsor us in the licensing process.

Because hubby was preaching, My dad and Hubby's parents came to town for the church service. They stayed after for dinner and then my kid and I left (we had an 'eat and run') for a back to school party at our church's sponsor church. There was a ton of activities for the kids and one of my best friends came from near San Antonio (a 2.5 hour drive) to bring her kid. Her's and mine went camp together and this was a 'reunion' for those who went. After the games, devotional, door prizes and dinner, the kids went swimming. We got home about 9:45.

Now, it's off to bed. I have to (excuse my language:) work (sorry for that) tomorrow! Good night ya'll .