These are frightening times for Florida horse owners. I see several new stolen/missing horse posts come across my FB feed every week. And some of them are ending like this:
Three-year-old QH removed from stall, slaughtered nearby
Show horse slaughtered
This is the latest one that I've seen. Thunder has been missing for a few days and was recently discovered slaughtered: 23-year old STB, Thunder
Horse theft is nothing new, but for Florida horse owners it now means wondering if your friend was incapacitated and butchered while he/she was still alive. Keep us in your thoughts. These people are very bold, and I don't believe they will stop until they're in custody.
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Barn Drama
But first, a pic of The Mare, approaching me in the pasture Saturday morning <3
The worst part about boarding, besides the expense and the drive, is barn drama. I have been lucky at this barn - there is very little drama, and what there has been in the past has been extinguished quickly. *Warning: rant post ahead*
Last night, I went out to the barn to clean Ruby's stall, reset her feed, and just in general hang out with my horse for a while. I wasn't the only one there, and could hear laughter on the other side of the barn so I went to see who was there.
As I walked around the corner of the barn, I saw three ladies sitting at the picnic table and two dogs running towards me. A lot of people bring their dogs out, and there is always a sprint to see who the new person is and get some pets, so I didn't do more than glance at them.
Mistake. Both dogs ran at me as the folks at the table yelled greetings to me, one on my left, one on the right. The one on my right kept running full speed and bit me on the leg HARD. It didn't feel like a bite so much as like I'd been kicked by a horse or hit by something equally solid. I stood there, shocked for a second, then told them the dog bit me as he ran off.
I tried not to make a big deal about it for several reasons. First, I was still a little bewildered that it even happened: I wasn't being aggressive with my body language, I didn't yell a greeting at them, etc. Second, I was wearing jeans and the dog was fairly small (40 pounds or so?). The owner told me that he didn't have many teeth and I checked my leg, which wasn't bleeding. And, in general, I don't try to instigate drama. The dogs came over to smell me while I helped these ladies pack up their stuff, and it was no big deal. I wasn't worried about these dogs because due to their size and my background, I could have handled it if they decided to be aggressive again. I could have handled it if I'd recognized the situation for what it was before I was bitten, but I digress. It happened fast and I wasn't prepared.
Heather (barn owner and a very good friend of mine), pulled in as they were leaving. I went into the tack room to check my leg in the light, and told her what happened. I had two almost puncture wounds and big welt forming near my shin. Heather was pissed and switched to barn owner mode. I realized my mistake as this was happening. But, as she was telling me that she'd let the owner know the dog wasn't allowed on the property anymore, I realized that was probably best. People bring kids out there, and a child would have been hurt much more seriously.
Fast forward to this morning, I get a message from Heather stating that the dog belongs to a breed rescue and is going to be put down. I felt horrible. Yes, the owner needs to learn about dog training and behavior (and horse training and behavior, for that matter!), but the situation could have been completely avoided if the owner had kept the dog on a leash. I messaged the owner to express my condolences for everything and received a nasty text in return. She called me a liar and accused me of 'running to Heather.' HA! OMG...I'm honestly still pissed about this (obviously, or I wouldn't be ranting on the internet!). I think I handled the situation with as much class as I was able to muster, while still telling her not to call me a liar and informing her that I don't need anyone to fight my battles. If I had been pissed last night, she would have known it.
Anyways, fast forward a bit. I called the rescue that was supposedly going to put the dog down to plead his case a bit...and they didn't know what I was talking about. Nice. It was obvious that the lady I talked to was trying not to say that I'd been the one lied to, while still saying that they have no record of the phone call that the owner made - and she is the coordinator for this county. She said she would call the owner and they would work closely with a dog behaviorist to see if the dog was, essentially, savable. The rescue coordinator thanked me several times for calling them and promised to keep me informed on the dog's situation.
So, I've done my good deed but I'm not looking forward to the escalating drama. I have a hellacious temper that I've had to work hard to control, but a person can only take so much. That being said, this person is considering selling her horse, whom she also cannot control, so maybe the drama will be short-lived.
UGH, I'm still so pissed about her nasty texts. I would not have handled this situation by blaming the person who was bitten by my dog. I understand, kind of, that she's probably just lashing out because she's upset about the dog but GROW UP ALREADY. We'll see what happens. I'm not one of those sue-happy people and it shouldn't get infected since the skin isn't really broken and I was wearing jeans - those two spots are almost like blood blisters. Hopefully by the time it heals the drama will be over.
The worst part about boarding, besides the expense and the drive, is barn drama. I have been lucky at this barn - there is very little drama, and what there has been in the past has been extinguished quickly. *Warning: rant post ahead*
Last night, I went out to the barn to clean Ruby's stall, reset her feed, and just in general hang out with my horse for a while. I wasn't the only one there, and could hear laughter on the other side of the barn so I went to see who was there.
As I walked around the corner of the barn, I saw three ladies sitting at the picnic table and two dogs running towards me. A lot of people bring their dogs out, and there is always a sprint to see who the new person is and get some pets, so I didn't do more than glance at them.
Mistake. Both dogs ran at me as the folks at the table yelled greetings to me, one on my left, one on the right. The one on my right kept running full speed and bit me on the leg HARD. It didn't feel like a bite so much as like I'd been kicked by a horse or hit by something equally solid. I stood there, shocked for a second, then told them the dog bit me as he ran off.
I tried not to make a big deal about it for several reasons. First, I was still a little bewildered that it even happened: I wasn't being aggressive with my body language, I didn't yell a greeting at them, etc. Second, I was wearing jeans and the dog was fairly small (40 pounds or so?). The owner told me that he didn't have many teeth and I checked my leg, which wasn't bleeding. And, in general, I don't try to instigate drama. The dogs came over to smell me while I helped these ladies pack up their stuff, and it was no big deal. I wasn't worried about these dogs because due to their size and my background, I could have handled it if they decided to be aggressive again. I could have handled it if I'd recognized the situation for what it was before I was bitten, but I digress. It happened fast and I wasn't prepared.
Heather (barn owner and a very good friend of mine), pulled in as they were leaving. I went into the tack room to check my leg in the light, and told her what happened. I had two almost puncture wounds and big welt forming near my shin. Heather was pissed and switched to barn owner mode. I realized my mistake as this was happening. But, as she was telling me that she'd let the owner know the dog wasn't allowed on the property anymore, I realized that was probably best. People bring kids out there, and a child would have been hurt much more seriously.
Fast forward to this morning, I get a message from Heather stating that the dog belongs to a breed rescue and is going to be put down. I felt horrible. Yes, the owner needs to learn about dog training and behavior (and horse training and behavior, for that matter!), but the situation could have been completely avoided if the owner had kept the dog on a leash. I messaged the owner to express my condolences for everything and received a nasty text in return. She called me a liar and accused me of 'running to Heather.' HA! OMG...I'm honestly still pissed about this (obviously, or I wouldn't be ranting on the internet!). I think I handled the situation with as much class as I was able to muster, while still telling her not to call me a liar and informing her that I don't need anyone to fight my battles. If I had been pissed last night, she would have known it.
Anyways, fast forward a bit. I called the rescue that was supposedly going to put the dog down to plead his case a bit...and they didn't know what I was talking about. Nice. It was obvious that the lady I talked to was trying not to say that I'd been the one lied to, while still saying that they have no record of the phone call that the owner made - and she is the coordinator for this county. She said she would call the owner and they would work closely with a dog behaviorist to see if the dog was, essentially, savable. The rescue coordinator thanked me several times for calling them and promised to keep me informed on the dog's situation.
So, I've done my good deed but I'm not looking forward to the escalating drama. I have a hellacious temper that I've had to work hard to control, but a person can only take so much. That being said, this person is considering selling her horse, whom she also cannot control, so maybe the drama will be short-lived.
 |
| Yes, yes, I do need a tan. |
Monday, February 16, 2015
A Day in the Life
So, I don't know how to do the fancy-shmancy linking-of-the-blog-hops thing, so I'll do this the traditional way. I first learned of this blog hop from Saiph, but the post that started it all belongs to Fly on Over.
No, my life is not that interesting but I do wonder where the heck all of my time goes! In days gone by, I could get amazing things done in very little time...a product of deadlines, I suppose. If you give me a deadline, I will nearly kill myself to get that XYZ project done 30 minutes before it's due. So I guess you could say that this post will be more of a time management exercise for myself.
What do I 'do' currently? Technically, I'm a stay-at-home mom and full-time college student. Here goes.
M-F
0530 - Alarm goes off for the first time. I usually hit snooze at least once.
0545 - Force my lazy arse out of bed, stumble bleary-eyed to the coffee maker and turn it on. Bathroom stop then boot up computer.
0600 - Coffee is (mercifully) ready for consumption. Start waking up while catching up on blogs, checking the weather, etc.
0615 - Start to wake munchkins up, fix their breakfast, finish second cup of coffee, get dressed, brush teeth and hair, etc.
0700 - Doggie potty-break time.
0715 - Start yelling at children for 'forgetting' to brush their teeth, put their shoes on, brush their teeth or hair, etc. Help them find missing shoes/book bags/homework/belts.
0725 - Warm up the truck. Find out that there is a permission slip to sign that was supposed to be turned in yesterday. Scrounge for pen, sign form, tell them to make sure they don't forget to turn it in.
0740 - Drop kids off at school with 5 minutes to spare, phew!
0815 - Pull into barn, thanking the Lord above that the crazy Florida drivers haven't yet managed to take me out. I remember being shocked when our car insurance jumped by nearly 75% when we moved from CA...I understand completely now.
0830 - Help Heather feed all 17 horses. Manage to get them all into their respective pastures. Reset Ruby and Abby's feed.
0915 - 1130 - Groom both mares, work with Abby, clean both stalls, throw hay, run to feed store if needed, sometimes take Ruby for a walk on the road in an effort to create more concavity in those front feet (horses here are surprisingly flat-footed due to the soft ground - unfortunately, I haven't been able to get on a schedule with these road walks so they just end up being a time for us to hang out and not actually beneficial to her tootsies).
1200 - On Mondays, I make sure to stop by my grandmother's house to check up on her and see if she has any appointments scheduled for the week - if so, I enter reminders in my phone because I drive her to all appointments. All other days: grocery shop if needed, head home, do dishes, take dogs outside, start laundry, quick-clean the house, figure out what to cook for dinner, take shower, take out trash, take dogs to neighborhood dog park, do other random stuff.
1430 - Pick kids up from school. Talk about their day on the drive home.
1515 - Get home, make snacks for munchkins, help them with their homework, hound them to get their chores done, more laundry if needed, more cleaning, start dinner.
1615 (Wednesdays) - Head back to school to pick up daughter after chorus practice.
1730 - Greet hubby as he walks through the door after work.
1800 - Serve dinner. Listen to kids grumble if it's not pizza, hotdogs, etc.
1830 - Tell kids to pick up dinner dishes. Make sure they are done with their homework.
1900 - Start running shower for kids (one at a time, of course).
1945 - Tell kids to pick out clothes for tomorrow, ask if they've put their homework into their book bags, remind them again to pick up their dinner dishes, ask them if their shoes are where they're supposed to be, listen to grumbling as they brush their teeth about how they aren't tired. Quick note here: my kids are 11 and 9 years old and know that they wouldn't have such an early bedtime if they'd get themselves up on time. Some mornings it takes a good 20-30 minutes to get them moving.
2000 - Kids tucked in, log back into school in an attempt to at least start on homework.
2005 - First kid gets up and asks for glass of water.
2010 - Second kid gets up and asks for glass of water.
2020 - Child comes into the living room to tell us that they are still hungry...Remind them that they should have eaten more dinner now go to bed.
2030 - Begin threatening children with bodily harm if they get out of bed ONE MORE TIME.
2035 - Realize that I'm too dog-tired to get any homework done. Give up and watch Netflix with the hubs while knitting/crocheting/reading horse stuff on the computer. Pick up the kids' dinner dishes *ahem!* pile dinner dishes into sink, fill with hot water and dish soap. Plan to do dishes before I go to bed, but tell myself they need to soak first. Riiiiiiight....
2100 - Bleary-eyed but still watching shows...damn you Netflix!
2215 - Finally go to bed.
Saturday and Sunday generally consist of getting out to the barn at 9 am, getting home at 11 am, and frantically trying to finish all of my homework before midnight on Sunday.
Things get a little crazier if my daughter has a choir performance, my grandmother has appointments, or I have to run errands, but this a usual week. On days that the kids get out early (a surprising number) or have the day off, we try to do something special like go fishing or bake a special treat together.
So, why stay home? When I worked, my kids really got the short end of the stick. I worked long hours, in rotating shifts, was constantly on-call and had to go back to work; my husband's job was similar. This left very little time for helping with homework (my husband is a great dad, but does not have the patience for this), cooking healthy meals, keeping the house clean, etc. On work days, we got to see our kids for around two hours total. So now, I go to school, take care of the home and kids, and my husband is cool enough to not give me any grief for having an expensive manure-machine of my very own. And as much as I joke about the grief my kids give me, which is ALL true lol, they are the best part of my life. I will never have a job more important than being their mom.
No, my life is not that interesting but I do wonder where the heck all of my time goes! In days gone by, I could get amazing things done in very little time...a product of deadlines, I suppose. If you give me a deadline, I will nearly kill myself to get that XYZ project done 30 minutes before it's due. So I guess you could say that this post will be more of a time management exercise for myself.
What do I 'do' currently? Technically, I'm a stay-at-home mom and full-time college student. Here goes.
M-F
0530 - Alarm goes off for the first time. I usually hit snooze at least once.
0545 - Force my lazy arse out of bed, stumble bleary-eyed to the coffee maker and turn it on. Bathroom stop then boot up computer.
0600 - Coffee is (mercifully) ready for consumption. Start waking up while catching up on blogs, checking the weather, etc.
0615 - Start to wake munchkins up, fix their breakfast, finish second cup of coffee, get dressed, brush teeth and hair, etc.
0700 - Doggie potty-break time.
0715 - Start yelling at children for 'forgetting' to brush their teeth, put their shoes on, brush their teeth or hair, etc. Help them find missing shoes/book bags/homework/belts.
0725 - Warm up the truck. Find out that there is a permission slip to sign that was supposed to be turned in yesterday. Scrounge for pen, sign form, tell them to make sure they don't forget to turn it in.
0740 - Drop kids off at school with 5 minutes to spare, phew!
0815 - Pull into barn, thanking the Lord above that the crazy Florida drivers haven't yet managed to take me out. I remember being shocked when our car insurance jumped by nearly 75% when we moved from CA...I understand completely now.
0830 - Help Heather feed all 17 horses. Manage to get them all into their respective pastures. Reset Ruby and Abby's feed.
0915 - 1130 - Groom both mares, work with Abby, clean both stalls, throw hay, run to feed store if needed, sometimes take Ruby for a walk on the road in an effort to create more concavity in those front feet (horses here are surprisingly flat-footed due to the soft ground - unfortunately, I haven't been able to get on a schedule with these road walks so they just end up being a time for us to hang out and not actually beneficial to her tootsies).
1200 - On Mondays, I make sure to stop by my grandmother's house to check up on her and see if she has any appointments scheduled for the week - if so, I enter reminders in my phone because I drive her to all appointments. All other days: grocery shop if needed, head home, do dishes, take dogs outside, start laundry, quick-clean the house, figure out what to cook for dinner, take shower, take out trash, take dogs to neighborhood dog park, do other random stuff.
1430 - Pick kids up from school. Talk about their day on the drive home.
1515 - Get home, make snacks for munchkins, help them with their homework, hound them to get their chores done, more laundry if needed, more cleaning, start dinner.
1615 (Wednesdays) - Head back to school to pick up daughter after chorus practice.
1730 - Greet hubby as he walks through the door after work.
1800 - Serve dinner. Listen to kids grumble if it's not pizza, hotdogs, etc.
1830 - Tell kids to pick up dinner dishes. Make sure they are done with their homework.
1900 - Start running shower for kids (one at a time, of course).
1945 - Tell kids to pick out clothes for tomorrow, ask if they've put their homework into their book bags, remind them again to pick up their dinner dishes, ask them if their shoes are where they're supposed to be, listen to grumbling as they brush their teeth about how they aren't tired. Quick note here: my kids are 11 and 9 years old and know that they wouldn't have such an early bedtime if they'd get themselves up on time. Some mornings it takes a good 20-30 minutes to get them moving.
2000 - Kids tucked in, log back into school in an attempt to at least start on homework.
2005 - First kid gets up and asks for glass of water.
2010 - Second kid gets up and asks for glass of water.
2020 - Child comes into the living room to tell us that they are still hungry...Remind them that they should have eaten more dinner now go to bed.
2030 - Begin threatening children with bodily harm if they get out of bed ONE MORE TIME.
2035 - Realize that I'm too dog-tired to get any homework done. Give up and watch Netflix with the hubs while knitting/crocheting/reading horse stuff on the computer. Pick up the kids' dinner dishes *ahem!* pile dinner dishes into sink, fill with hot water and dish soap. Plan to do dishes before I go to bed, but tell myself they need to soak first. Riiiiiiight....
2100 - Bleary-eyed but still watching shows...damn you Netflix!
2215 - Finally go to bed.
Saturday and Sunday generally consist of getting out to the barn at 9 am, getting home at 11 am, and frantically trying to finish all of my homework before midnight on Sunday.
Things get a little crazier if my daughter has a choir performance, my grandmother has appointments, or I have to run errands, but this a usual week. On days that the kids get out early (a surprising number) or have the day off, we try to do something special like go fishing or bake a special treat together.
So, why stay home? When I worked, my kids really got the short end of the stick. I worked long hours, in rotating shifts, was constantly on-call and had to go back to work; my husband's job was similar. This left very little time for helping with homework (my husband is a great dad, but does not have the patience for this), cooking healthy meals, keeping the house clean, etc. On work days, we got to see our kids for around two hours total. So now, I go to school, take care of the home and kids, and my husband is cool enough to not give me any grief for having an expensive manure-machine of my very own. And as much as I joke about the grief my kids give me, which is ALL true lol, they are the best part of my life. I will never have a job more important than being their mom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)