Got Wood?

Today Tessa said, "You know how our horses were listed at the SPCA as a Morgan cross and a Quarter Horse cross?"

"Yes...."

"Well, I figured out the other part of the mix."

"Yes?"

"Termite."

She's right.  Our horses are into really into wood.  Mouthing, nibbling, chewing, gnawing, splintering, savoring.....

The corral started out really nice and unblemished.  Considering that over 50% of the wood is salvaged/repurposed lumber, we were pleased with how it ended up looking.  Vintage.  Seasoned.  Au natural.

Tasty.

It begins like this:

And deteriorates to this:

 Then this:

 UNITL...

(crumbs),

and finally, freedom.

Not to worry, they came home for breakfast.  Sadly, there was only hay.

Paris

This is my new horse, Paris.  She is a 5 year-old Morgan, and has utterly stolen my heart.  Looking at her today, you'd never guess that she spent 2 weeks in Equine ICU following her rescue from dire circumstances.

This is how she looked when she was found with 18 other horses who were without food or water.

Here are links to a couple stories about the rescue.

19 Abandoned Horses Rescued
http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12920685

Red Cross Hero:  Woman Rescues Horse Near Death
http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/14621156/red-cross-hero-woman-rescues-horse-near-death?

Paris was so weak when she was found that she could hardly walk onto the trailer.  At the shelter, she collapsed.  Larry Carr, Barn Supervisor at the SPCA told me that when a horse goes down like that, they don't often get back up.  Her chance of survival was slim.

When I met Paris at the trainer's, about 17 months after her rescue, I worried that she'd be too much horse for me.  She is young and still fairly green; at the time she could hardly stand still to be tacked up.  But the moment I got on her, I fell in love.  I love the way she moves, I love the way she responds to the lightest cue.  She wants to do the right thing, even if she isn't completely sure what it is you are asking of her. Everyone who meets her comments on how sociable and curious she is.

We hadn't planned on adopting two horses.  But one day my husband said, "If you want to bring two horses home, you should."  And everything fell into place.  Paris and Nutmeg had become solid friends while they were at the trainer's, so keeping them together allowed them to emotionally support each through their transition to their new home.  They give each other confidence when we go out on the trail.

Another surprise has been what a natural leader Paris is.  She always wants to go first on the trail (or at least, ahead of Nutmeg).  If we encounter something dodgy (which for a horse can be pretty much anything), she is more easily convinced to approach it, explore it,  and let go of her fear.  Nutmeg takes her cues from Paris;  it's all good.  Hooray for the brave young horse!

I would again like to thank Larry Carr, Stephanie Nicora, Stacy Sanders, and everyone at the SPCA who helped bring Paris back from the brink of death.  And I think I could never say enough about the horse trainer, Kristi Fredrickson, who starts these green horses from the SPCA with so much patience, intuition, intelligence, dedication, and plain old hard work, giving them the best possible foundation for their future relationships with humans.  

You are, each of you, profoundly inspiring, largely unsung heroes, and you have our eternal gratitude and admiration.

Nutmeg

This is Tessa's horse, Nutmeg.  She's a 10 year-old quarter horse, and she is the perfect horse for my girl, calm and collected, but still eager to go out and see the world.  

Here is the story of her rescue.  http://www.kionrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13805271

Most of you know all this, because I've told you or posted about our new horses on FB; this is mainly for me, and for the record.

I cannot adequately express my admiration for the work the folks at the SPCA for Monterey County do, and also the trainer, Kristi Fredrickson who started both Nutmeg and Paris, and turned them into the friendly, dependable, sensible, and trustworthy horses they are today.

Missed Moments

Life is hurtling by and I have missed many, many bloggable moments.  Argh.

There was a buck killed by a mountain lion in the open space just a stone's throw from here.  On a hot August day, we smelled it.  The following day, we followed our noses and found it.  We have watched the carcass decompose; it's been real.  Chigiy is waiting for the skull to be revealed.  We check on it periodically.

We granted temporary asylum to a couple roosters that Chigiy's husband Rich found on Old Santa Cruz Highway.  Thank goodness for Chigiy, she blogs all the important stuff.  The story begins here,     http://www.chigiy.com/the_gardeners_anonymous_b/2011/10/roadsi.html
and wraps up here.
http://www.chigiy.com/the_gardeners_anonymous_b/2011/10/happy-ending-for-lunch-and-dinner.html

A big rattlesnake came to visit one day this summer.  He was hanging out in the shrubbery, pretending to be a sprinkler.  I am very much a live-and-let-live type, but unfortunately, this snake was just too close for comfort; a non-negotiating hazard to cats and dogs and kids and horses.  So my husband dispatched it with a .22.  He then skinned it and cooked it up.  Everyone tried the meat, even my vegetarian son.  We thought it tasted somewhere between chicken and calamari.  I don't crave it.  Ever.  But my husband had a very nice belt made.

My daughter watched a Sharp Shin hawk take down a crow directly in front of our house.  An entire murder of crows set to dive-bombing and cussing out the hawk.  Undeterred, hawk merely spread his wings like a vampire's cloak, covering his victim.  Not one to let nature run its course, my daughter flung open the sliding glass door through which we watched this spectacle, and she and the dog exploded onto the crime scene.  The hawk attempted to lift off with its prey, but the crow was too heavy.  Outnumbered, and beleagured by crows, a dog, and an outraged 11 year-old, the poor hawk abandoned his efforts.  The crow, meanwhile, flipped himself over and flew off in the opposite direction.

And, finally, my daughter has been obsessed with horses pretty much since we arrived here about 6 years ago.  While she has leased various horses over the years, she has always longed for a horse of her own.  I was stalling and dragging my feet to the best of my ability, when alas, one day she discovered the web site for the SPCA for Monterey County.  Shortly thereafter, we adopted not one, but TWO horses.  I won't elaborate now because I have no doubt that the hijinks of these two equines will henceforth dominate the pages of this would-be blog.  Suffice it to say they are wonderful, adorable, beautiful, delightful, marvelous . . . and a dream come true.