Happy Birthday to you!

Morrissey turned 15 on April 21st. Next year she'll be driving! (once I buy a buggy! haha) I haven't addressed this officially on the blog, but I'm really starting to change my mind about selling Morrissey. She's still on the market, but it would have to be quite an offer for me to accept. Check out the photo taken on her birthday by my Brother-in-law Richard.

Dupree, our most sinister yet lovable pug, turned 9 on April 22nd. She is quite heavy right now, so we're going to hold off on her birthday picture. It never fails with that girl. Her weight yo-yos every year. With the goats, maybe I'm just being a bad dog mom right now.

My two new doelings were born. I have photos of them over at gray stables.

Bitter Sweet

I decided to sell Morrissey. Her ads have been posted for a few days. I showed her to some potential buyers this morning. They were very nice. I'm not sure how they felt about her, it is hard to tell. It was very hard showing her to people, but I do feel confident that I'm making the right choice. It will be better for her to have owners who will ride and drive her. She seems happier when she is working.

I'm lucky I have these little sweeties to cheer me up. To hear more about Leda and Valencia check out my goat blog.

Pony Keg

Morrissey is fat. She has always been a big girl, but she seems to be getting bigger. I'm really trying to focus on all of my animals' nutritional needs. Just because I have cookies and junk food on occasion doesn't mean I'll feed them that way too.

The pugs are all pretty fit and trim, Coli is underweight because of her Cushings disease. The goats are going to have every nutritional need they could ever even think of having met. But Morrissey is the one I can't seem to figure out. I already feed her practically nothing. She gets free choice pasture, two flakes of grass hay, 1 cup of rolled oats, minerals and water each day.

 I can't take her oats away or she'll throw a fit when the other horses get fed. I don't want to take her hay... that leaves pasture. I'm thinking of getting a grazing muzzle. Horse people out there, especially haflinger people. What are your thoughts?

This post is part of Farm Friends Friday! Check out all the other fun farm blogs!

Spa Day

After what seems like months (or at least a couple of weeks) of freezing cold temperatures, it finally warmed up enough for me to bathe Morrissey yesterday. She is a shaggy beast right now, so the bath was pretty time consuming. She was not a huge fan of the process. Months ago, her fidgeting would have scared me to death, but it didn't phase me at all. I really love this wonderful level of comfort that she and I have developed. We really enjoy each other's company. She is such a sweet girl!

Morrissey inspecting her former mane

While I had her hair wet, I decided to trim her bridle path. I haven't bought clippers yet, so I used scissors. It was nerve wracking sitting there looking at her gorgeous mane and thinking about taking scissors to it. I'm happy with the end result though and it is much easier to tack her up without her thick mane in the way. I also think it makes her look much more sleek.

I used a sweat scraper on her for at least an hour trying to get her dry, but it wasn't happening. As soon as I put her into her paddock, she promptly rolled in the dirt. It is ok though, because when I checked on her today she looked great. I can't believe how soft and silky her mane looked. I can't wait to see my girl in her sleek summer coat.

Farmish and Coldish

I don't know how people handle actual winters.  In Houston, we don't really have winter, therefore we don't have winter infrastructure. Every few years we'll get a cold front, but this year is like nothing I've seen before. We didn't get snow here, but we did get ice. Even Morrissey's water keeps freezing over. I would have taken a picture of her 50 gallon, hay infused, water flavored slushie but my hand was too cold after breaking it up for her.

My suburban side is coming out, I feel like a frozen fish out of water. The more farmish people in my life are constantly reassuring me that chubby, shaggy, draft horses can handle this weather. They must be right because Morrissey looks thoroughly unimpressed by the whole ordeal. I promise I'll try to update with a photo, the next time I venture out to check on her. 

My goats are due this month. I can't wait to meet them! I feel for the goat farmers delivering in this weather. Hopefully, it will warm up in time for them! I joined a Farmish Link List! Check it out!

Extra Sauce

Just a few more pics from today, enjoy my orange beauty...

Working It

Last week I got to go to the barn all of zero times between the weather and grades being due. To make up for it, Morrissey and I worked out Saturday and Sunday. Chris came along Sunday to document both of us chubby girls doing something active. 

First, we got in a lot of leading practice. She's doing really well with respecting my space, and following my cues. I am still having a lot of trouble with backing up. I shake the lead and she looks at me. I shake it more and she looks some more. I flap my elbows and chicken walk, she seems to want to rear. I can easily get her to back up, by pushing her chest or just applying backward pressure with the lead, but I'd rather do it with more distance between us. Morrissey is a good horse and I know she wants to do what I ask. That leads me to believe that I am asking incorrectly.  I've decided to just lay off on the shaking to back up thing until I can get Dot out to show me my mistake. Hopefully I can have her out in February.

Now that Morrissey respects me, the lunging is going really well. I suspected that she knew voice commands, and today this was confirmed. She walks when I say walk, she trots when I say trot. Canter didn't work, but lope did. Like many drafty horses, Morrissey is a reluctant loper. If I ask, I'm guaranteed to get some attitude. Being the chicken that I am, I rarely ask. Today I was feeling confident so I asked. She bucked, I continued to ask and she cantered quite a bit. I left feeling exhilarated! I love this pony so much!

Mouth Sores?!?

In this shot, you can see one by her nose.

A few days ago I noticed a little sore on Morrissey's lip. Today there were more. I have no idea what this could be. Does anyone have any ideas? It is on both sides of her mouth. They don't seem to be bothering her. Nothing in her diet has changed recently. The weather has gotten much colder, but I don't see how it could be related.

Today we worked on moving away from pressure and general ground manners. She was amazing! I've been meaning to work on how mouthy she is, but it is hard to tell her no. She constantly wants my hands in or near her mouth, but she never bites. She reminds me of a goat. She tried to bite the button off my jacket. When I told her no she let it go. Who knows what she is getting into in her pasture that is causing the sores. I've looked at all the plants in her pasture. They look the pretty normal... dead, but normal. Maybe it is something in her round bale? I'll have to check it out.

Pony Rides

She had matching antlers, but they wouldn't stay on.

A few days ago a couple of my friends brought their kids over to ride Morrissey. Of course, since the children are all young, the plan was to have me lead them around. I was confident enough doing this because her former owners used Morrissey for their small children pretty  often. When they brought her to me, they had the kids crawling all over her and sliding off of her backwards. As a very cautious person, I won't let anyone interact with her that way, but it did happen safely on at least one occasion.

Just to be safe, we had an adult walking next to the kids or riding with the kids the entire time. Everything went perfectly for the majority of the day. I led Morrissey around in wide circles in the arena for at least 45 minutes. The kids all got several turns, then of course there was a spooking incident. I can't imagine what it was that scared her. We were passing the same roping dummy we'd passed each time, but this time it was scary. She did two little fat-horse hops, one in each direction. One of the kids on her back was slipping so I grabbed her off and got her out of the hoof zone. The other kid held on like a champ. His father got him off quickly. I was really upset. One of my biggest fears is my horse hurting someone, especially a child. I didn't let the spook end the day. I lunged her without incident by the scary dummy several times and made sure the kids weren't too afraid to pet and interact with her. Both of them want to come back and ride again, so thank goodness they aren't scarred for life.  I know that no horse can ever be completely bomb-proof, but I really want Morrissey to be as close as possible.

Happy Christmas

Happy Holidays everyone! My break has been great so far. When I've had time, I've been at the barn working with Morrissey on ground manners. She is a smart girl, because she's got most of it down. Backing up has been the hardest thing for her. She still doesn't do it in a straight line, but at least she is going backwards.

At first, I was afraid that the training was hurting our relationship a little. She wasn't as eager to see me as she used to be, and she seemed quite a bit less affectionate. Regardless of her pouting, I stuck to my guns and I'm glad I did. Today when I was with her, she was her normal sweet self, as affectionate as ever. I can tell that my new leadership role is earning her respect and her trust. I was leading her by the terror-pigs and one of them snorted loudly. She normally would have jumped a mile, but I placed my hand on her and she barely even flinched. I left feeling accomplished!

In goaty news, I've decided to start making handmade goat-milk soap. My doelings still aren't born, much less in milk, but I'm going to start none the less. My first batches will be made with water. When I get the hang of that, I'm moving on to milk. My dry, itchy, winter skin can't wait!

Lesson Success

Today was my first lesson with Morrissey. It was so fun. My instructor's name is Dot. I can't say enough positive things about her. She really took her time with both of us until we really understood. It was such a relief to have someone there to help me. I realized for the first time just how often I have felt lost when handling Morrissey. She is such a different horse than my last horse (thank goodness) but she tends to throw me for a loop. For example, the door on Morrissey's stall is tricky. When I lead her into the barn, I always feel like I'm fumbling. She is usually a bit spooky because of the low roof and the proximity of the piglets and I'm usually trying to get her to position herself correctly to get her in the door safely. It is difficult to explain, but it has been a slight point of frustration for us both. Dot watched me fumble through it and within seconds had the whole situation fixed. All I had to do was switch sides and have her back down the hall a few steps. Something so simple, and yet it never dawned on me.

Dot uses Natural Horsemanship and Centered Riding. I have a book on Natural Horsemanship that I've been reading and working on pretty often, but apparently I'm a visual learner, because having Dot show me really helped.We spent most of the time teaching Morrissey to respect my space and to pay attention to my cues. Dot and I both agree that Morrissey is a left-brain extrovert. I don't know much about Parelli, but I'm really interested in what the program will suggest for her in the future. For now I'm going to get her some toys for her paddock and work with her daily for half hour sessions until Dot and I have another lesson.

Winter Break Here I Come!

Preparing Misty for a Show

Winter break is only a day away! I'm so happy to be wrapping this semester up, that I'm celebrating with a riding lesson. My new instructor's name is Dot. She is very affordable, and she'll come to my barn for the lesson. You can't beat that! I am really looking forward to actually riding my wonderful horse. All we've done lately is ground work and lunging. I haven't decided if I'm going to document the first lesson with photos yet. I'm not sure if I want anyone there watching during the lesson. I tend to have stage fright about riding in front of people. I don't know how I stand in front of 30 students each day and talk for hours, but I don't want to ride in front of even my closest friends and family. So crazy! I could take the photos myself, but I need to pay attention to my lesson more. Either way, I'll post how it went.

My First Set of Triplets

I have officially sent in the deposits on my new dairy goats. One of the doelings will be coming from Brushy Creek Farms and the other from TLC Farms. Both are local farms with wonderful animals. I have a list of 3 or 4 does at each farm that could potentially be my goats' dam. I'm so curious about which one I'll get.  I joined the South Central Texas Goat Club, and as soon as the girls arrive I will be joining the American Dairy Goat Association. My first Goat Club meeting is in January. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm very excited. I found some fun old pictures of my first herd of goats to share. Enjoy!

Problems with Piglets

Morrissey has moved. I love the new stable, but she's not so sure. Since the move, she's been pretty spooky. It all started with the piglets. Two adorable piglets live in a pen near her stall. Morrissey is not a fan of piglets, or the mare in the pasture next to her, or the barn, or the water hose, or the arena... but we're working on it. She is so afraid of the pigs that her front legs quiver when they snort. Sixty percent of the time she stands alert with her nostrils flared and then snorts as loud as she can in their general direction. I managed to capture a minor example for you. The video doesn't do it justice.The noise reminds me and my husband Chris of a scene from  Jurassic Park.

 It has been strange for my usually reasonable mare to spook at everything. Last week was a week a frustration for us both. Having her jump around while I was leading her that first day really shook my confidence. Luckily, the owners at the stable are so helpful and encouraging. Mike, one of the owners, has gone above and beyond and really helped build my confidence back. Today I lunged her on my own and then groomed her and had a great day. Hopefully there will be many more to come.

Putting my deposit down on goats has been a definite step in the farmish direction for me. Horses seem to be very suburbia- friendly, goats are not. I've been researching goat nutrition for days and it looks like I'll have to eat my words about Tractor Supply. Apparently they have the best free choice minerals in town. The suburban girl in me can't believe I'm going to be preparing my own feed mix one day, but if it is best for my goats, I'm willing to do it.

Happy Trails and Happy Tails

My Future Baby Goat's Mama

I've decided to move Morrissey to a different stable. It was a really hard decision to make, and hopefully I've made the right one. The new barn is more affordable in the long run, and closer to my house. I will also have much less competition for the resources available (the arena.) There are things I will miss at my current stable, but I think moving is the best plan for now.

In dairy goat news, the new stable has a perfect goat pen that I can afford to rent. So I've selected two different Nubian breeders in my area and I'm putting reservations down on two doelings. They should be here by summer. I'd like to get a milker as well, but having a goat to milk every morning and night is a big commitment. I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet.


My family was with me on the horse, but they all think I'm nuts to be looking at goats as well. What can I say? Teachers can be goat showing horse riders on the side... can't they?

Blankets and Manners

Today is a cold day in Houston. Morrissey is toasty warm in her new blanket. I got it on sale from State Line Tack with free shipping. It is water proof and medium weight and so far I like it. I really wish they had cuter things for horses though. I'm not a complete girly-girl, but when it comes to horse accessories you've got prim and proper English or rough and tumble western. I'm neither, but I usually go towards prim and proper. The plaid is cute enough.

I've been off of work for Thanksgiving break, and I've taken the opportunity to work with Morrissey on her ground manners. This is both good and bad. She needs the work, she can be a little pushy on the ground, but I need to work on riding her. I've only mounted twice and now I'm avoiding even trying. I bought a mounting block and I haven't even saddled her up since it came in. I'm ashamed to even type that out! I tried lunging her with my new lunge line and whip. It didn't go great. She bucked and kept making her circles smaller. She knows she can get one over on me. I've got to get my confidence back up for sure. I've contacted a few people about lessons. We'll see if I can afford them.

I really love Morrissey, she's got such a sweet personality. She is so different from my last horse. I love her meeting me at the gate when I come to see her. She doesn't love to work, but she does love to interact. The one thing I learned with my first horse KK is that you can fix bad manners, but you can't make a horse like people. I'm so glad that isn't what I'm up against with Morrissey.

Things at the boarding stable have been so-so. The young man who runs the place is awesome, but he has a lot of friends around constantly. One of them made a rude comment the other day. I'm a teacher and I'm used to the way that some young people can act, but the stable isn't work. It is the place I go to relax and enjoy myself. It is really important that I can do those things there for the money I pay. Also I'm wondering about the care that Morrissey is getting when the young man is out of town at rodeos, the past two days she was turned out in the cold with no blanket. I have a sneaking suspicion that the bucking situation on the lunge line may have had to do with her being fed sweet feed instead of her very small portion of oats.  I've spent the break shopping around to see the stables in my area. I think I've found a good one. More on that later...

Muddy Riding

Living in Houston, you never know what the weather is going to do. Two days ago, it felt like the middle of summer. Today could only be described as a soggy winter day. Winter or not, I headed out to the barn after work with guests in tow. My father, my sister and a family friend all wanted to ride Morrissey and I was happy to take them.

I was a little nervous when I felt how cold it was this morning. Horses tend to get pretty frisky when it gets cold, especially on the first cold day. I had nothing to worry about though, she behaved perfectly. The only issue was her saddle slipping. It was so hard to find a saddle that fit her, in the first place. Now the saddle fits fine, but I can't seem to keep it in place. You can see it slipping a little in the photo. If anyone knows any tricks for keeping it in place let me know!

I didn't ride today. I'm still too nervous. When I

was in high school, my horse bolted and I fell off. It was one of my first riding experiences, and it

scared me pretty badly. The horse wasn't well-trained and I was too inexperienced to handle her. I ended up becoming phobic about riding. Thankfully, I'm no longer phobic, but I'm still really nervous. So far, I've been able to mount and dismount Morrissey while she was being held, but I haven't done much more than that. I've only had her for 3 weeks and the first week we didn't have a saddle that fit her. I'm working on it slowly but surely.

I think I'd be able to move forward with my riding if I had an experienced horse person there to help. I took a lesson before I bought Morrissey just to make sure that I could get on a horse without freaking out. It really reassured me to have someone there who had control of the situation. Being a suburban girl, I don't really have friends with horse experience. When I get the money together, I'll get more lessons for sure! You might think that buying a horse is a bad idea for someone who is pretty afraid of riding, but I'm so glad I did. I love having a horse. I'm having so much fun!

In other news, I found out that one of the horses at my boarding stable is a stallion. Maybe I can talk Chris into letting me breed Morrissey after all!