My draft horse, Olaf, has become extremely attached to my half blind mule, Ellie. More accurately, she is attached to him, and he is more than happy to comply. Ellie still has one perfectly good eye but, since going blind in the other, she’s let Olaf become her security blanket in life. They are sweet… Continue reading Night Walk with Olaf
For my 40th birthday, I bought myself an expensive piece of outdoor gear, an Arctic Horse riding skirt. I spend a lot of time outdoors caring for the horses in all kinds of weather, and I usually wear a combination of flannel pajama pants, waterproof boots, and some form of rain jacket or winter coat… Continue reading My riding skirt came… and it’s wonderful!
As you know, Miss Mule went mysteriously blind in one eye this summer. What started as a cloudy film over half her eye now covers the entire thing, and has left her with no vision on her left side. She may see shadows. It’s hard to tell exactly what she sees, but she is most… Continue reading Lessons from a Mule #12- Going Blind is Scary.
I took Olaf on his first off property ride last weekend. I got him 9 months ago, but for the first few months I didn’t ride him at all and let him work on gaining weight. This summer I started riding him on short little hacks around the barn property to let him start building… Continue reading Olaf’s First Field Trip
If you’re an equestrian, you’ve no doubt heard of No Stirrup November. It’s when riders all over the globe try riding without stirrups. Some of them go bareback and some remove the stirrups leathers and irons from their saddles. The goal is to improve your riding by forcing yourself to use your seat and not… Continue reading I rode bareback for a year and this is what happened…
I really hate spending money, especially on clothes, because they are such a poor investment. I do like clothes though; I am a girl, after all. I buy nearly of my clothing at Goodwill because I can’t stand to pay what the retail stores are asking. Every now and then though, I see an article… Continue reading I bought an expensive thing.
My friend Teri is in the process of setting up a 501c3 non-profit called Breezy Meadow Horse Rescue. Teri’s been rescuing horses for years on her own dime. I’ve lost count of the number of horses she’s picked up, rehabbed, and either kept or found homes for. She is one of the most generous people… Continue reading This is horse rescue.
About two weeks ago I showed up to the barn to feed and noticed that my mule had a whitish-blue film covering half of one eye. As horse owners do, I flipped out, had a panic attack, called the vet and starting mourning what I was sure was cancer or moon blindness or something equally… Continue reading Poor Miss Mule…
Olaf came to live with me in February of 2019. He was skinny and not looking his best back then. It is now July and he’s put on about 150 lbs, his coat has shed out to a beautiful champagne color, and he continues to be the sweetest horse in all the land. I didn’t… Continue reading Update on Olaf the Gentle Giant, July 2019
Overall, Olaf is doing very well. He is gaining weight steadily, although not as quickly as I’d like, and he has the most delightful personality of any horse I’ve ever owned. He is a sweet horse with a heart of gold. He seems to be filling out from the bottom up. His belly is nice… Continue reading Update #2 on Olaf the Gentle Giant
