Clinics, cuties, charity and fantastic art!

I went to Mark Rashid's clinic at Bernadette's, in Littleton, last week. I was still on crutches--and I should be back on them, but more on that later.

Mark brought some new ideas about softness, as well as continued with his established ideas of better communication with your horse. He brought up a good point for riders--there is a difference between how soft you WANT to be, and how soft you CAN be. What that means is that although you might want your horse to move out at a thought, or a breath, you might have to use leg, or even a tap with a crop to get the movement. Sometimes the softest you can be is all out, and sometimes it's a whisper. Horsepeople forget that in our quest to be super-soft--that sometimes "soft" doesn't look like it.

I didn't get any good pics of anyone at the clinic other than Ring, Mark's dog. She's a darling, isn't she?I finally had my yard sale last weekend. I sat out on the retaining wall with a book and a cup of hot tea, enjoying the sunshine. Temps were brisk, but bearable, and it was very relaxing. I didn't sell much, so all of the stuff went to Goodwill. Getting rid of the excess STUFF in my life feels so good, so freeing.

How long do you keep things around in case you "might" need them, or "might" use them again? What is the longest something has been packed away at your house, in a closet, or attic..for just in case? If it left, would you miss it? Would you even know it was gone? Have you kept stuff out of guilt, because someone gave it to you? Do they remember that they gave it to you?

I certainly don't remember every gift I've given, and I hope that if I've given you something that you don't cherish or don't use, that you will set it free--give it a new life somewhere else. Take the charitable tax deduction--that's a gift that gives twice, isn't it?

Trish & I went shopping last Saturday night. I was still on crutches, so Trish was my sherpa. We bought boots for winter. You should have seen how funny it was to try on boots without bending my leg at all. Trish and the shoe salesman put them on and took them off for me. I'm not certain if I felt pampered or pathetic, but we did find some cute boots!

I spotted this little girl at the Disney store. Isn't she darling? She perfectly matches the doll, doesn't she?

My friend Andi has put together a book called "Oregon's Living Legends." It documents Oregon's wild horses, of which Ranger is one. She's got stories and submissions from a lot of owners, including me. Her friend Michelle is doing the artwork. The piece below is one of the really special ones--look at the two horses on the right side of the painting. Look familiar?

Yes, that's Ranger and his mama during the round-up.

Andi & Michelle have worked really hard on the book. If you'd like to order it (Ranger & I will be in it), it's $50 and available at www.oregonslivinglegends.com

Speaking of being on crutches again, I went back to work on Sunday. Bad decision. I didn't take into account that there are THRUST LEVERS in the middle of the Thrust Lever quadrant (it's in the center pedestal between the two pilot's seats, and we actually have to climb over part of it to get into our seats!).

That meant that I had to either somehow swing my leg up and over them, then maneuver it below the instrument panel, or bend it in front of them--and that wasn't happening.

I also didn't take into account that I would have to be using toe brakes, and that they take a lot of quadricep strength. I don't have much quadricep strength in my right leg, because the muscle and tendon are damaged. I gritted through it, as I usually do, but realized last night that I WAAAAAY overdid it. I opened the cut again, and my leg is pretty sore & swollen.

Wish I still had those crutches....

Tomorrow is the Halloween gymkhana and costume contest at the barn. Kenny is riding Beau for the Gymkhana, and Trish is going to enter him in the costume contest. We'd better pick a costume, I guess!

After that, Margaret, Trish and I are going to see a horse in Sedalia. Margaret is looking for a nice quiet gelding for VRH.

Ranger had his second sound wave therapy on Tuesday. He'll have a re-evaluation for lameness in mid-November. I sure hope that the therapy has been working. I don't want to think about the choices I'll have to make if it doesn't.