Jigs

Linus and I attended The Bay State Trail Riders Associations’ Spirit of America Ride at Upton State Forest yesterday. It was his first official organized ride! Sleep was fleeting the night before the ride; I was nervous. Although one of my friends borrowed him to help mark trails the day before (I rode Jigs). Linus was good for my friend until around mile 5. He was tired. After being hand-walked…

My mother would have been 93 today, our nation’s 250th birthday. First generation American courtesy of the 14th Amendment. A true Yankee Doodle Dandy. She loved that movie; proud she was born on the 4th of July. Smack in the middle of ten children, she grew up in a small protestant town. School was painful. She remembered being called “Spanish Dog” by classmates. She learned of her brother’s…

I’ve been riding Linus in the ring and on the trail.  With the greening of June, trail time is riddled with grass diving. In the arena he strategically moves toward the fence to attempt a mouthful or two. He’s a forager, true to his mustang heritage. Yum, Daisies. Heading toward Rabbit Run Trail There is a pond where we board and Linus can play in water. Splash Pony Water Pony I think he…

It has been two days since the last of my cats returned from their adventure. Everyone has settled in but show signs of exhaustion. I woke last Sunday morning to Lola’s cries. She was nowhere to be seen, nor were Poquito or Ash. Jumping out of bed I followed her cries. She was sitting outside my window beneath the holly bush waiting for rescue. How did she get there? I brought her in.  Not an…

Over the last three years, I’ve reduced acquisition of decorative things. I pay for what I deem necessary- car, truck repairs, groceries, medicine, animal essentials, grain and supplements. I no longer surf for horse statues, lithographs, or other trinkets I used to buy to quench my thirst for horses. My house is full of this stuff bought before getting back into horses and unwanted knickknacks…

Online Merriam-Webster’s simple definition of static electricity: noun : electricity that collects on the surface of something and does not flow as a current and can cause a mild shock if you touch it In dry weather, static electricity can cause clothes to cling. During dry, cold months, Jigs does not want to be brushed. The action of our colliding particles creates small shocks that terrify…

Ah, first world problems… Big Blue is still in the shop and will be until the middle of next week, maybe longer. Root cause of the check engine light has been more difficult to diagnose than first thought. Replacing the faulty evaporative system monitor/sensor did not clear the error. Several smoke tests did not reveal an “evap” leak, so they need to see if there is an internal leak of the fuel…

My truck registered 85 degrees yesterday as we returned from an off-property ride- touch of summer to be. Earlier in the week Jigs and I met up with a friend who boards at another barn. The trails between us connect. Fun ride. Linus and I have been exploring the trails too. This week we encountered a herd of deer in the back woods. I saw them fly by in the distance before he noticed them and…

May is full of pollen and promise. Jigs and I complete two organized rides in the past few weeks. Linus has even been ridden! Fort Hill Farm Ride: New England Equestrian Center of Athol Poker Ride: My friend had Linus cantering down the trail. Tucker out after three and a half miles, he napped complete with snores. The next day, I rode him solo one and a half miles through the trails.

I groaned when I saw someone waiting outside the ATM lobby and a car parked in the fire zone. “Really,” I said to no one. Hurry is my default. I parked my truck in a proper parking space and took my place behind a gentleman waiting for his turn in the vestibule. He appeared undisturbed by the light rain falling on us. The young woman in front of the ATM alternately tapped on its screen and her…

Linus had a session with his original owners. Considering he had not been ridden since a short ride in December, he was good. The sheep in the small field next to the ring terrify him. The trainer worked through it, although Linus remained suspicious of the vicious wooly creatures, especially when his rump was to them. Under saddle, Linus had a few sheep related spooks, but nothing big. He…

Eliot wrote: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. I think April is fickle. What else to expect from a month that starts with April Fools’ Day? Last week it was in the 80s, today it is gray and 30 degrees cooler. Rain expected tomorrow. I finally got on Linus. A friend came to lend me enough moral…

I’m Capricorn. Dr. Goggle says that is an earth sign with a hint of water (fish tailed goat). But I’ve never held much with astrology. I’m more the Shakespeare’s Helena in All’s Well that Ends Well type: Our remedies oft in ourselves do lieWhich we ascribe to heaven. The fated skyGives us free scope, only doth backward pullOur slow designs when we ourselves are dull. Admittedly, most of my…

Sun will warm the day, but the car is frosted over this morning. Cold stubbornly holds on. Yesterday I put my handsaw and clippers in the saddle bag and tackled a bit of trail cleaning. Jigs was annoyed but stayed beside me. He didn’t get jiggy on the way back to the barn, although he called to Linus twice. My best friend is slowing down. His hind end slipped a lot on the trail yesterday. I’m…