Snoopy: I almost died today.
Gayle: You didn't almost die. Although I thought you were going to kill me.
Snoopy: Well, you didn't protect me. All those little bugs were running up my nose.
Gayle: I am sorry about that, but they weren't little bugs. They were little fluffy seed pods from the field of weeds next door. You had fly spray on, but there's no repellent for flying plants. I know they were uncomfortable.
Snoopy: They wouldn't get out of my nose.
Gayle: I know. You kept stopping to shake your head all around.
Snoopy: And then the hurricane came!
Gayle: It wasn't a hurricane.
Snoopy: The tornado came!
Gayle: It wasn't a tornado. It was a miniature whirlwind that picked up the dust and leaves, kind of like a waterspout with dirt, and blew across the arena.
Snoopy: It came right at me. I thought it was going to pick me up and carry me somewhere! It was scary and awful and I wanted to run away! You wouldn't let me run away!
Gayle: Well, no, I don't like being run away with. Not my favorite thing.
Snoopy: But I would have run where it was safe.
Gayle: Doubtful. I know you. You would have run some distance, stopped and looked at the wind, snorted, then run some more. Then repeated that until the wind died down.
Snoopy: You didn't have to grab me and pull me backward.
Gayle: True, and for that I am sorry. It's just, when you do your "I'm spooking" thing, you dip your butt and bring your front end up. It makes me feel like I'm going to fall off backward, so I lean forward and pull the reins. Then Niki starts yelling at me not to do that, but all I can think is, "What language is she using? Put my hands forward? What are hands? Sit back? Am I sitting at all?" It's hard to learn to do the right thing.
Snoopy: It's okay. I forgive you.
Gayle: I forgive you, too, Snoopy. Let's not do that again, okay?
Snoopy: Not making any promises.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Glasses half empty. Glasses half full.
I haven't posted in a while. Here's the thing: Snoopy's been going through some issues with his legs. At first, we thought he had tweaked his left hind flexor tendon (I always want to call it a tendor flexon). We treated it with drugs and walking and it seemed to get much better.
Except that when we started riding him again, his left lead suddenly felt different, as in, riding an off-kilter washing machine. His left hind leg just wasn't advancing enough to round his back and smooth the ride. Niki tried to push him into the right physical frame and he actually got mad at her, something he never does.
We thought it was up in his stifle, so we had Dr. Pollard out to watch him being ridden. The doctor was surprised, only in that what we saw wasn't what he saw. He did a flex test - this is where he holds a foot up for an extended period, then has the person lead the horse off at an immediate trot. He flexed all four feet, and what do you think he found?
It's Snoopy's front feet.
According to the doctor, Snoopy's showing the kind of stress on his front feet that jumpers show, from hitting the ground over jumps. This is all part of his ongoing need to compensate for a fused joint, a metal plate, and six screws.
Anti-inflammatory drugs seem to be working. If they don't, then we'll go to injecting the hocks, then who knows? We're also going to talk to the farrier to see if there's anything we could do to his shoeing to help him out.
So why wasn't I detailing this excruciating process? Because Snoopy is 11 and has so far led a miraculous life. I keep telling myself that every day with him is a blessing, but the truth is, I want the blessings to continue. I want him to be the same horse he was last year, when I took him to shows and participated in the three-day trail challenge at the Pink Show.
I don't want him to show any signs of age, because I suspect he will not live as long as most horses.
The result is that I stayed under the radar, giving him drugs and walking him and denying that perhaps there are changes in his body that we have to adjust to, and some of those changes may mean the end of his riding and showing career.
We are taking him to his first show this weekend. It will be fairly low key, as he and I are both out of shape, and plan to just have fun and see what we can still do. If it works out, we will plan for the one in April.
One day at a time, one blessing at a time.
Except that when we started riding him again, his left lead suddenly felt different, as in, riding an off-kilter washing machine. His left hind leg just wasn't advancing enough to round his back and smooth the ride. Niki tried to push him into the right physical frame and he actually got mad at her, something he never does.
We thought it was up in his stifle, so we had Dr. Pollard out to watch him being ridden. The doctor was surprised, only in that what we saw wasn't what he saw. He did a flex test - this is where he holds a foot up for an extended period, then has the person lead the horse off at an immediate trot. He flexed all four feet, and what do you think he found?
It's Snoopy's front feet.
According to the doctor, Snoopy's showing the kind of stress on his front feet that jumpers show, from hitting the ground over jumps. This is all part of his ongoing need to compensate for a fused joint, a metal plate, and six screws.
Anti-inflammatory drugs seem to be working. If they don't, then we'll go to injecting the hocks, then who knows? We're also going to talk to the farrier to see if there's anything we could do to his shoeing to help him out.
So why wasn't I detailing this excruciating process? Because Snoopy is 11 and has so far led a miraculous life. I keep telling myself that every day with him is a blessing, but the truth is, I want the blessings to continue. I want him to be the same horse he was last year, when I took him to shows and participated in the three-day trail challenge at the Pink Show.
I don't want him to show any signs of age, because I suspect he will not live as long as most horses.
The result is that I stayed under the radar, giving him drugs and walking him and denying that perhaps there are changes in his body that we have to adjust to, and some of those changes may mean the end of his riding and showing career.
We are taking him to his first show this weekend. It will be fairly low key, as he and I are both out of shape, and plan to just have fun and see what we can still do. If it works out, we will plan for the one in April.
One day at a time, one blessing at a time.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
I got mail.
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a very nice holiday. I'm not really sure what a holiday is, but last month, MomToo brought me candy canes and carrots and apples, more than usual. So I guess holidays mean treats.
I like holidays.
Now that it is the new year, I am another year older. I don't understand this, either. My birthday is April 28, but MomToo says all Quarter horses have their birthdays on January 1. I didn't get a cake or anything.
But I did get one thing new: a little metal box for my lunch.
Every day, Raul gives me a very special lunch. It's sweet, and salty, and kind of stinky. My MomToo tells me it's my supple mints. (MomToo's note: Snoopy is referring to his supplements of glucosamine, electrolytes, and garlic, all hidden in alfalfa & molasses.) I like my lunch, and whinny for it when I see Raul. I like Raul.
But one day, MomToo came out of the lunch room holding a box and saying bad words. We had a rat in the lunch room. Jet's mom said it was a big rat. MomToo said it had eaten my supple mints. She was mad.
"That stupid rat chewed completely through both plastic bins and ate their supplements."
Then she went away.
When she came back the next morning, she brought two new boxes. She was smiling. Auntie Niki was laughing a little.
"What?" MomToo said. "It's metal."
"It's a mailbox," said Auntie Niki.
"Well if a rat chews through this, then I surrender."
I don't know what MomToo meant by that, but I'm happy to have a new metal box for my lunch. Rats don't share.
I hope you all had a very nice holiday. I'm not really sure what a holiday is, but last month, MomToo brought me candy canes and carrots and apples, more than usual. So I guess holidays mean treats.
I like holidays.
Now that it is the new year, I am another year older. I don't understand this, either. My birthday is April 28, but MomToo says all Quarter horses have their birthdays on January 1. I didn't get a cake or anything.
But I did get one thing new: a little metal box for my lunch.
Every day, Raul gives me a very special lunch. It's sweet, and salty, and kind of stinky. My MomToo tells me it's my supple mints. (MomToo's note: Snoopy is referring to his supplements of glucosamine, electrolytes, and garlic, all hidden in alfalfa & molasses.) I like my lunch, and whinny for it when I see Raul. I like Raul.
But one day, MomToo came out of the lunch room holding a box and saying bad words. We had a rat in the lunch room. Jet's mom said it was a big rat. MomToo said it had eaten my supple mints. She was mad.
"That stupid rat chewed completely through both plastic bins and ate their supplements."
Then she went away.
When she came back the next morning, she brought two new boxes. She was smiling. Auntie Niki was laughing a little.
"What?" MomToo said. "It's metal."
"It's a mailbox," said Auntie Niki.
"Well if a rat chews through this, then I surrender."
I don't know what MomToo meant by that, but I'm happy to have a new metal box for my lunch. Rats don't share.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
We did it!
I like to take Snoopy to horse shows and compete in trail. He seems to love being there, judging by what I'd call his "happy energy" level, and believe it or not, I like that feeling of stepping into the arena in front of the judges and trying to do well.
No, I'm not a masochist.
Still, knowing Snoopy's limitations, I don't take him to a lot of shows. Four to five a year is all, once a month from February through August. Because we're both kind of newbies, we both perform at the novice level, which means relatively easy courses with poles on the ground.
I say "relatively easy" because they're still hard for us. We do all right, and it's tremendous fun, but we don't win a lot.
In August, the local AQHA division hosts "The Pink Show", to honor those we've lost and those who have survived cancer. As a matter of fact, my main character's horse trainer in MURDER ON THE HOOF, is named after one of the wonderful women we lost to breast cancer, Emily Jungers.
The PCHA Trail Classic is held at the Pink Show. It's three days of really hard trail courses (for amateurs only), and you don't know your placing until they give out the awards on the last day. Each day you get a little gift with your draw. The courses are designed by Tim "the Trail Man" Kimura, who designs all the trail courses for all of the top shows in the country.
I've never been in a place, skill-wise, to compete in this. It's entirely possible that I'm still not at that level. But for the first time, I wanted to try it.
I discussed it with Niki. The courses would have lots of twists and turns and raised poles - all potentially hard on a horse's body. I never want to hurt Snoopy. We developed a strategy that involved the chiropractor, liniment, warm-ups, and lots of rest afterward.
I won't lie, those courses were brutal. So many transitions from the jog to the lope and back again. Intricate slow moves like side-passing on a pole and backing around a corner into a chute. Here's one of the patterns.
"All I want you to aim for is consistency," Niki told me. She prepared us both as much as she could, then turned us loose on the course.
Well, we were consistent all right. Each time, Snoopy broke from one of the lope-overs for at least one step. Each time, our back-ups got done by the skin of our teeth. Each time, I had to ride every inch of ground and could not let Snoopy take charge of what we were doing.
On Sunday, after the last horse left the course, we all lined up and waited for the results. Forty horses had entered the competition. I thought we'd be somewhere in the mid-twenties. Names kept being called. None of them were mine.
At 19th place, we were finally called. TOP TWENTY! In addition to a bucket of supplements for Snoopy, I won a really pretty pair of spurs.
So I spent a day to prepare my horse, then three days at a show, getting up early to drive for an hour to the venue and working outside in hellish heat. Every day I dressed up in jeans, suede chaps, a long-sleeved shirt, and a cowboy hat to do this. My internal organs felt like they were melting and sticking together. My eyebrows sweated.
It was so much fun, I want to do it again. Hmm... maybe I am a masochist.
No, I'm not a masochist.
Still, knowing Snoopy's limitations, I don't take him to a lot of shows. Four to five a year is all, once a month from February through August. Because we're both kind of newbies, we both perform at the novice level, which means relatively easy courses with poles on the ground.
I say "relatively easy" because they're still hard for us. We do all right, and it's tremendous fun, but we don't win a lot.
In August, the local AQHA division hosts "The Pink Show", to honor those we've lost and those who have survived cancer. As a matter of fact, my main character's horse trainer in MURDER ON THE HOOF, is named after one of the wonderful women we lost to breast cancer, Emily Jungers.
The PCHA Trail Classic is held at the Pink Show. It's three days of really hard trail courses (for amateurs only), and you don't know your placing until they give out the awards on the last day. Each day you get a little gift with your draw. The courses are designed by Tim "the Trail Man" Kimura, who designs all the trail courses for all of the top shows in the country.
I've never been in a place, skill-wise, to compete in this. It's entirely possible that I'm still not at that level. But for the first time, I wanted to try it.
I discussed it with Niki. The courses would have lots of twists and turns and raised poles - all potentially hard on a horse's body. I never want to hurt Snoopy. We developed a strategy that involved the chiropractor, liniment, warm-ups, and lots of rest afterward.
I won't lie, those courses were brutal. So many transitions from the jog to the lope and back again. Intricate slow moves like side-passing on a pole and backing around a corner into a chute. Here's one of the patterns.
"All I want you to aim for is consistency," Niki told me. She prepared us both as much as she could, then turned us loose on the course.
Well, we were consistent all right. Each time, Snoopy broke from one of the lope-overs for at least one step. Each time, our back-ups got done by the skin of our teeth. Each time, I had to ride every inch of ground and could not let Snoopy take charge of what we were doing.
On Sunday, after the last horse left the course, we all lined up and waited for the results. Forty horses had entered the competition. I thought we'd be somewhere in the mid-twenties. Names kept being called. None of them were mine.
At 19th place, we were finally called. TOP TWENTY! In addition to a bucket of supplements for Snoopy, I won a really pretty pair of spurs.
So I spent a day to prepare my horse, then three days at a show, getting up early to drive for an hour to the venue and working outside in hellish heat. Every day I dressed up in jeans, suede chaps, a long-sleeved shirt, and a cowboy hat to do this. My internal organs felt like they were melting and sticking together. My eyebrows sweated.
It was so much fun, I want to do it again. Hmm... maybe I am a masochist.
Friday, June 6, 2014
I have a good time everywhere!
Dear Diary,
We went to another horse show last week. I had such a good time. There's always interesting things to see. Before we went, I got a bath.
Once we got there, Auntie Niki took me out for a nice run. Golly it felt good!
I love horse shows. I get a nice cushy stall and room service!
I tried to be a good horse on the trail course, but sometimes it was hard to do. They stuck lots of yummy plants around - what's a guy to do when he's hungry? MomToo tugged on my face and wouldn't let me eat, though. And the judges looked so friendly, I wanted to go over and talk to them. MomToo and Auntie Niki both said no.
Auntie Niki and I did really well. MomToo and I did some things well and some things not so well. Every time she asked me to turn around in the box, I got stuck. I wasn't moving fast enough and keeping my feet going, so my hurt foot would get stuck under my hip and make MomToo stop and push me to make my hip scoot over.
I guess we're gonna work on boxes at home now.
But we still had fun!
While we were there, Auntie Niki told MomToo that someone had asked if I was for sale. For SALE?!?!? I couldn't be for sale! MomToo and I still have to work on our boxes! I was a little nervous for a moment, but MomToo just laughed.
"His user's manual is way too big," she said, then petted me. "Snoop, your fate was sealed when I pulled you out of your mom. You're mine."
It was a good show.
We went to another horse show last week. I had such a good time. There's always interesting things to see. Before we went, I got a bath.
Once we got there, Auntie Niki took me out for a nice run. Golly it felt good!
I love horse shows. I get a nice cushy stall and room service!
I tried to be a good horse on the trail course, but sometimes it was hard to do. They stuck lots of yummy plants around - what's a guy to do when he's hungry? MomToo tugged on my face and wouldn't let me eat, though. And the judges looked so friendly, I wanted to go over and talk to them. MomToo and Auntie Niki both said no.
Auntie Niki and I did really well. MomToo and I did some things well and some things not so well. Every time she asked me to turn around in the box, I got stuck. I wasn't moving fast enough and keeping my feet going, so my hurt foot would get stuck under my hip and make MomToo stop and push me to make my hip scoot over.
I guess we're gonna work on boxes at home now.
But we still had fun!
While we were there, Auntie Niki told MomToo that someone had asked if I was for sale. For SALE?!?!? I couldn't be for sale! MomToo and I still have to work on our boxes! I was a little nervous for a moment, but MomToo just laughed.
"His user's manual is way too big," she said, then petted me. "Snoop, your fate was sealed when I pulled you out of your mom. You're mine."
It was a good show.
Friday, May 16, 2014
My book is on sale!
MomToo is in charge of everything, including me. She wrote another book, but I'm not in it. To celebrate, she's offering my book for sale. Only 99 cents, she says. Regularly $3.99.
I don't know what these numbers mean. Or "sale". I just know she's pretty excited about the new book and wants to let everyone know that she writes good books about horses.
Of course, we know I really wrote my book, right?
Here's where you go to get my book. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D0HDYRQ
It's only 99 cents until May 21.
Try it. You'll like it.
I don't know what these numbers mean. Or "sale". I just know she's pretty excited about the new book and wants to let everyone know that she writes good books about horses.
Of course, we know I really wrote my book, right?
Here's where you go to get my book. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D0HDYRQ
It's only 99 cents until May 21.
Try it. You'll like it.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Hurray for Hollywood!
Back in February, Snoopy and I were all set to go to Burbank to the "Show Me the Money" horse show. Then it rained and a bunch of people pulled their entries so they postponed the event. (Note: who are they kidding? It will take coordination between the AQHA, the LA Equestrian Center and possibly the Pope to get this rescheduled.)
So I kept practicing and Snoopy kept being his goofy self and finally-finally-finally we were able to go to the Hollywood Charity Horse Show. The show is a pretty big deal - William Shatner hosts a concert/event on Saturday night to raise funds for a therapeutic riding program. It's all well and good, but frankly, I just want to ride.
We usually get the horses and our gear loaded in on Wednesday afternoon, then Niki and Christine and I head to Viva's on the corner for some Mexican food. I'm always wishing I could have one of Viva's mammoth margaritas, but I'm exhausted and have to drive at least an hour to get home, so I have to pass.
Viva's has live music on certain nights. On Wednesdays, it's Glen Roberts' 17-Piece Big Band, which is a mouthful to say. It's comprised of a bunch of elderly musicians (17 of them, I guess). Each time we hear them, one of us says, "I thought these guys performed on Thursdays," and another of us says, "No, it's always Wednesdays." Because we're all that tired.
One of the things I hate most about showing up in Burbank is that I have to get up at o'dark-thirty to get to the center by 6:30. Still, once I'm there, I admit I love the solitude.
Snoopy gets his ya-yas worked every morning. Sometimes I longe him, but most of the time, Niki does it.
On Thursday, Niki rode Snoop in the Green Trail class. They were okay, but not exactly superstars, which is okay with me. Snoopy only has a couple of points left before they kick him out of Green. Once that happens, there's no class for Niki to take him in before I ride him. I like that she schools him before I ride. It gives me confidence.
I rode the Novice Amateur. We did most of the obstacles pretty well, and two of them pretty awful. I was loping a kind of a U-turn and I knew to use all the space. I had practiced using the space. It was easy. Until I was out there, saw where I needed to ride and... turned early.
Snoopy chipped in and split his stride over the pole. He recovered, but it looked ugly.
Then at the end, we had to turn around in the box. We'd practiced it. We knew how to do it. All I had to do was keep tapping his side to keep his feet moving forward, from corner to corner. Well, I kept his feet moving forward all right. Right out of the box. I pulled him back in and finished.
The thing is, I felt good about the stuff I did well, and promised to do better on the stuff I messed up, and I still had fun.
On Saturday, we tried it all again. He was tired, so I had to ride him aggressively, which I did. By the time we were finished, I felt like I had pushed him around the course. Fortunately, it didn't look that bad, and we got a 3rd and 4th place from the two judges.
All in all, I had fun, and so did Snoopy, I think.
He seems to love horse shows.
P.S. Remember this horse show when you're reading my latest book, MURDER ON THE HOOF. Just saying.
So I kept practicing and Snoopy kept being his goofy self and finally-finally-finally we were able to go to the Hollywood Charity Horse Show. The show is a pretty big deal - William Shatner hosts a concert/event on Saturday night to raise funds for a therapeutic riding program. It's all well and good, but frankly, I just want to ride.
We usually get the horses and our gear loaded in on Wednesday afternoon, then Niki and Christine and I head to Viva's on the corner for some Mexican food. I'm always wishing I could have one of Viva's mammoth margaritas, but I'm exhausted and have to drive at least an hour to get home, so I have to pass.
Viva's has live music on certain nights. On Wednesdays, it's Glen Roberts' 17-Piece Big Band, which is a mouthful to say. It's comprised of a bunch of elderly musicians (17 of them, I guess). Each time we hear them, one of us says, "I thought these guys performed on Thursdays," and another of us says, "No, it's always Wednesdays." Because we're all that tired.
One of the things I hate most about showing up in Burbank is that I have to get up at o'dark-thirty to get to the center by 6:30. Still, once I'm there, I admit I love the solitude.
Snoopy gets his ya-yas worked every morning. Sometimes I longe him, but most of the time, Niki does it.
On Thursday, Niki rode Snoop in the Green Trail class. They were okay, but not exactly superstars, which is okay with me. Snoopy only has a couple of points left before they kick him out of Green. Once that happens, there's no class for Niki to take him in before I ride him. I like that she schools him before I ride. It gives me confidence.
I rode the Novice Amateur. We did most of the obstacles pretty well, and two of them pretty awful. I was loping a kind of a U-turn and I knew to use all the space. I had practiced using the space. It was easy. Until I was out there, saw where I needed to ride and... turned early.
Snoopy chipped in and split his stride over the pole. He recovered, but it looked ugly.
Then at the end, we had to turn around in the box. We'd practiced it. We knew how to do it. All I had to do was keep tapping his side to keep his feet moving forward, from corner to corner. Well, I kept his feet moving forward all right. Right out of the box. I pulled him back in and finished.
The thing is, I felt good about the stuff I did well, and promised to do better on the stuff I messed up, and I still had fun.
On Saturday, we tried it all again. He was tired, so I had to ride him aggressively, which I did. By the time we were finished, I felt like I had pushed him around the course. Fortunately, it didn't look that bad, and we got a 3rd and 4th place from the two judges.
All in all, I had fun, and so did Snoopy, I think.
He seems to love horse shows.
P.S. Remember this horse show when you're reading my latest book, MURDER ON THE HOOF. Just saying.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)