My Horses & Me.

I figured I'd better start a journal, even if nobody ever reads it. My journal is going to include everything horsey that happens in my life.. Including my job at Jack Pine Stables & the related drama, as well as updates on my five rescued horses: Tahlula, Kidd, Roxy, Clairabelle, and Quincy; who all live a simple but happy life at The Rising Sun-... (I say 'stables', Marshall says 'ranch'... We'll never agree). I also plan to catalog my never-ending search for a suitable pre-beginner level Dressage instructor, and anything else that pops into my head, relevent or not.

I really have nothing to report today, other than the fact that Quincy scraped his cornea and needs ointment smeared in his eye every few hours. Poor big boy!

Quincy has been very cooperative with his ongoing eye treatment.. Which consists of smearing ointment on the scrape every few hours. He's getting a calming supplement twice a day to keep him in an uncharacteristicly sleepy state, and I hate seeing him like that, but it's helped tremendously as far as the head-flinging goes. I feel like nobody else cares about him or what happens to him, but why should they? Nobody knows him like I do, and nobody here has a clue what we went through together, and all of the horrible trials he has endured in his short life. To everyone else, he is just another horse. To me, he is everything. It is my duty to worry about him. That's what I am supposed to do. He's my whole world, and he doesn't have anyone else to look to for support. It's all up to me.

Looks like more drama at JPS this year... Fortunately, this time, it's relatively benign. Amber has started riding Ides, the horse CJ has always ridden and loved. I'm glad she has, because before, Ides wasn't getting worked nearly often enough, and it's good for him to be ridden differently every now and then. It keeps him from getting bored. CJ and Amber are both the same age and riding ability. CJ is a little bolder, and Amber is a little lovier. CJ likes English, Amber likes western. CJ does more excersize work with him, and Amber does more calming work... Both things Ides needs regular doses of. They both balance eachother out as far as horsemanship goes, and they both do wonderful on Ides, who is not an easy horse to ride. They've had a couple minor disagreements so far, and I don't think it will be long before a regular rivalry develops. I hope they just learn to share Ides and get along. We've all made such a great team so far, I'd hate for us to get broken up because of a fight over a horse. And I really don't want to choose sides either... How could I when they both do equally well with Ides? I almost hope we get a chance to settle this the dramatic way... Though it will be very tricky and dangerous, not to mention it could spell disaster... Here's how: Kris is thinking about sending Ides to live with Laurel (aka Yanky McYankyank) in California because he is too hot for most of the students to handle. I brought up the idea with CJ, Amber, and Mikayla that maybe we could all chip in and buy Ides from Kris so that she can't send him away. It would mean we'd have to work together as a team, and Ides would belong to all of us. Thing is, I can't say I'd ever want to ride him, and Mikayla has only ridden him once, so there's a chance that plan may not work... It would still come down to CJ and Amber having to share Ides. Maybe we'd have to make up a schedule where Ides belongs to Amber on Saturday, and CJ on Sunday, back and forth every other day. Ides is 18 years old already, so I'm sure old age will catch up with him soon, and maybe then he will be calm enough for Mikayla and I to ride.

Life is never dull here. Something is always going on. I really should write a novel about it... It would make a great teen drama book.

Well.. I'm off to take care of Quincy again, and Roxy is due for a trim. Happy Horsing!

Quincy's eye is healed, so (Marshall says that: ) the vet says... I say it still looks squintier than it should, but what do I know?

With our ongoing fence rennovations, The Three Troublemakers keep getting out :( so Marshall has decided they need to stay penned up at night. Poor babies! Atleast they won't run away, though.

Kris has decided that Dimma's insect allergies aren't important enough to warrant special care. She still puts minimal traces of corona on most of the worst spots, but that's about it. I offered my help and she declined. She has some insane belief that horse fly repellant, which is intended for horses, is toxic to horses. I don't know where it came from, but I can't do anything about it. You can't give her advice on anything or even begin to change her mind, because she has been doing things the same (wrong) way for fifteen years and she's right about everything. Dandy's retirement didn't last very long either. I knew it wouldn't. Big people are bounce-trotting all over creation on her just like they were before. Judy says that Dandy used to be a really well-trained, sensitive horse. I wonder how long it took them to turn her into a butt-following deadhead. I wonder how much longer she'll last. Splash has lost alot of weight. Ides has lost some too, but not nearly as quickly as Splash. Nobody really seems to notice, either. Or care.

Amber got her own horse (her first horse, yay! :)) and trailered her to JPS. She's a high-white tobiano with some black spots, and her name is Kaiya. She seems pretty good so far, but they always do in the beginning. I hate to be so pessimistic about it, but every horse in 'The Eighth Stall' always ends up getting overloaded and over-stimulated and eventually sent away as emotional trainwrecks. I can easily see that happening here. Why not? It has happened EVERY time before. Maybe it will help that Diane The Destroyer isn't around anymore... She was the main destroyer of horses. My, did she do a number on Dakota before leaving. I can just imagine the look on his owner's face when he goes back home. :( Poor woman. Anywho, keep your fingers crossed for Kaiya, that she makes it through this nightmare.

Someday I'm going to become a millionaire and rescue them all.