I am still trying to get a good photo of Berry since I clipped her a couple weeks ago. She did really good, even let me clip her ears without so much as a twitch or anyone else to hold her. She did however sit back on the rope about 5 times before breaking the snap, flipping over and heading out the driveway gates, half done. I had reached up to finish clipping her head. For whatever reason- she sat back on the rope. Lather, rinse, repeat until something breaks.
JR had been out back with me and had left to run up to the store. As he left, he had not closed the gates or chained them. As she trotted out the gates and up to the street, I called him on my cell phone. I thanked him for leaving the gates open, told him she was out in the street and then it happened. My voice dropped about 10 octaves and I blurted out, "I'm not real happy with you right now!" and hung up on him. I had a horse to catch.
I was able to get around her, get her headed back into the yard and finally walked up and grabbed her halter. I had her out back, a new rope on her and was clipping away at the rest of the hair on her head when hubby pulled into the yard. He had to stop because the driveway gates were closed. I finished clipping her and hosed her off. She managed to skin herself up a little in a few spots, nothing big and of course once she was loose, she rolled.
That weekend we also went to the open house at the Williams Gateway airport and seen the ai'planes. The girls had a blast and there was plenty to see. They also got to ride on a bus for the first time. Lots of excitement there for them.
Then we went to the CDE in Coolidge on Sunday. Lots of horses to be seen there. The hay cart pulled double duty as a stroller and the girls thought that was just great. We found a good spot with shade where we could watch 3-4 obstacles and watched the horses go through. There were a few Freisians, some Haflingers, a few Arabs & Arab crosses, a couple of Fjords, plenty of minis and just about everything in between. There were singles, pairs and a four up hitch.
So I went online to Engles Coach Shop in Montana and ordered new shafts for the meadowbrook. I had them on Wednesday and brought them home. I had hoped to have them on it and be able to put Kat to the cart last weekend. Yeah, it didn't happen.
What looked like a reasonably easy job, 5 bolts and a few screws on each shaft-----> turned into a major project. One which has my cart in several pieces. The axle and wheels over there, seats and spares box stacked over here, basket and undercarriage sitting on a pallet... A trip to the local hardware store for new nuts, bolts and screws and hopefully, (hopefully!) I can get it all put back together and hitch the little man this weekend. There are a few ADT's coming up and I would like to be competing in them... but I'm not going to rush things along either.
10 comments:
Well the point in having gates is???Sorry, it has happened a time or two here with much the same reaction, amazing how a gal with a pretty light voice overall can be heard over 100 head of bawling calves saying "I need some help NOW!!!" (this was years ago when we had the big herd) MAn I never saw 5 guys jump so fast!!!lol
Too bad the cart project is such a flustercluk, hop e you get it sorted out soon
Ahhh-I have had those moments. Watching a horse go running off is really, really annoying.
Dave isn't really good about closing gates either. I have never had a horse on the road because of it but I have had horses loose and nearly broke my own neck trying to get to the gate before them. Not fun. Similiar conversation on the phone. Glad the horse only has scrapes.
I hate it when a project looks simple and turns out to be major. It happens too often for me. Hope you get yours finished up soon.
Bus rides are REALLY cool for little kids. As are airports - my dad and his friend have restored a couple of WWII biplanes, and it's fun to hang out at the airport and let the kids ride their bikes and bigwheels. Too bad the skydiver club moved out. That was pretty awesome.
Driving is a very neat spectator sport, and wouldn't your little Kat just look SPIFFY, trottin' along to beat the band... oh wait, man, I feel for you that your cart is out of commission!!
Glad you caught your mare. My old mare used to do that from time to time, for no apparent reason, just sit back on the rope untill something broke. Charming habit, couldn't break her of it because her triggers were... nonexistent as far as I could tell, and I was only a teenager after all.
So whats the major issue with the cart?
Hiya Catty! Wow, biplanes are so beautiful.
I hate it when snaps break, and have been known to beat people who leave gates open. Glad there were only a few scrapes, who knows why some horses pull back like that!
Can't wait to see cute little Cat in harness. You've done an awesome job with him.
Howdy Kestrel - yup, the biplanes are fun, though one is out of commission with a broken wing right now and fuel prices and Indiana spring weather keep the other on the ground for now.
Heh. Last time Dad flew was last fall, when a family friend called to ask him to fly around and look for her Houdini horse!! They found it, eventually... from the ground, not the air.
I don't have a real good Bitch Voice - I'm a soprano and tend toward shrillness. When I get nervous and try to make people do what they're supposed to be doing, my sister tells me to quit being a damn Sheltie.
So don't you love it when you have to tidy up after a stupid man mistake, and then the man gets all like "what did I DO????" and then makes YOU the bad guy? Nah, it's much much MUCH better when they totally GET the "you'd better be walking on some eggshells, pal" vibe.
I have to say, I have left the gates unlatched a fair number of times, myself. When I hosed her off a couple weeks ago... after getting the pics of her running around and rolling, I forgot to chain the pasture gate shut. At least the driveway gates were shut though!
We left to run some errands and come home to a black horse, loose in the dark, out back. She was hanging out over by Kat and teasing the poor little guy beyond belief.
Her be caught easily? Hahaha no. Not until she ran around the barn a few times getting Everyone stirred up,before heading back to the pasture where she looked all innocent... "I dunno why they are all bouncing off the walls. I really, really don't." Her being true to her Crazy Old Bat self.
The cart is coming along and I am taking pics as we go. Last night I managed to get the seat brackets moved back, the shafts drilled for the singletree and the basket, found out we had to cut off some of the bow, redrill the shafts for those... yeah, it's a work in progress. I may keep it after all of this. Just not sure yet.
There's no telling what sets some of them off. They just do it and eventually something breaks. This time it was the snap. I have had one horse break the ring in the bottom of his halter though. That was a first for me.
The snap on her rope has now been replaced with a bull snap. I have yet to see one of those give. Not saying it can't or doesn't happen, but I have yet to see it. This is why I love the cotton leads. Replacing a snap is no big deal.
And the older they get...the more they still pull stuff! My old guy is still hot. There goes the 'old gentle horse' theory!
Not all of us are going to be sweet as sugar in our old age. Some of us aren't, even now. Glad all the mare got was a few scapes. Maybe next time she won't be as quick to blow?
Post a Comment