The story of a girl who bought the farm, the horses and a backhoe.
by Billie on May 27th, 2008 • 2 Comments »
Yesterday, a woman from Milwaukee drove up to ride one of my sale horses (Ashton, the one who just is not a good match for my riding/personality type). A trial ride is something like a blind date. You may have seen photos and/or video footage of the horse, have spoken with trainer/owner/rider, but you really have no idea what to expect until you meet the horse face to face.
Ashton put on quite a show before I arrived at Malinda’s barn… he ate a pair of reins, which had to be quickly replaced before he could be ridden. He also decided that he should take a fast lap around the field sans personal attendant. His buddies in the adjacent pasture did the same, so there was some excitement all around. Fortunately, Ashton came over to Malinda after his romp and was beautifully behaved under saddle.
When the prospective buyer climbed aboard, Ashton did his very best to listen to her direction and she had quite a lovely ride. We pulled out some 55 gallon barrels to use as a jump in addition to several regular fences, and he quietly went over everything in his path in a most gentlemanly fashion. What a character this horse is.
All went well, and the woman will be back in a couple of weeks for a second ride. If all continues to go well, the next step will be a pre-purchase exam (this means the horse is subjected to all sorts of flexion tests, a score or so of x-rays are taken of the various joints, and an overall check-up is done by the vet).
Buying a horse really is like attempting to find a life partner. We spend a great deal of time and energy, in addition to copious amounts of money on our equine companions so decisions such as this are not made lightly. Plus, they cost about as much as a car… it really is a huge decision to make.
I will be sad if Ashton is sold, but since I don’t enjoy riding him (too boring for me) and have loaned him out for my friend to ride over the past couple of years, it won’t be too big of a personal loss. I have a couple of other horses that Malinda can ride and continue to learn on, so she won’t be too disappointed either.
The other horses are in the clear for now. Actually, Mirelle is on my naughty list as she has learned how to escape from her new paddock. Last night, before feeding time, she was out wandering around the property eating grass. Fortunately for her, she came to me when called (so I didn’t get too bent out of shape) and I moved her to yet another pasture in the hope of containing her properly. The fence gives a powerful zap, so I am optimisitic that she will stay in for a day or two. I just don’t know how she continues to escape, she must have a special gift.
Today entailed running all kinds of errands. The Lad and I spent a couple of minutes together today, sharing a pizza and catching up. Since he has returned to town, we have spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone. The teenage phase has clearly not passed me by as I had hoped.
The dogs and I played hard in the yard when I returned home, then they helped me to feed the horses. Interior work on the house was on hold today as I am getting burned out again - at least I have finished pulling up all of the carpeting in the dressing room and hallway. It took several hours to pull all of the dumb staples out of the hardwood floor yesterday, but I like the tangible evidence of a job properly completed.
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by Billie on May 25th, 2008 • One Comment »
The last couple of days have been filled by chore-completion and a touch of going out into the world.
I had a date wit Kevin (gag - I hate the phrase dating) on Friday. It was not stellar, but not too bad. We went to dinner then to the new Indiana Jones movie. I like Indy, really I do, but this movie was just over the top with cartoonish CGI and aliens. Is this what we have come to??
I spent most of my day yesterday being a big person. I really wasn’t sure that I wanted to, but did anyway.
There is a series of local Dressage (horse) shows that I started 4 years ago. I organized and ran everything, conscripted friends and family to volunteer, some coming from as far as Chicago just to help out. The organization that I ran this for was in favor of holding the shows (they made a great deal of money for the club) for the most part, the club members wanted to ride, which is understandable. Since I was hiring the judges and running the events, I did not ride but did coach some students as time allowed.
After three years, I got burned out. I passed the torch to two ladies in the club who picked up where I left off.
My gripe? Both of these ladies show their own horses on show day (at times they have brought multiple horses to show) and leave the volunteer staff on their own. This is just wrong. Many of the volunteers have no idea what happens at this kind of show and serious technical knowledge is required for many of the jobs. It makes me crazy. If you want to run a horse show just so you can collect ribbons from the judges you hand pick and pay, there is something wrong.
My dilemma is that I truly want to support the sport and help to encourage growth in the local Dressage community. I don’t support what these women are doing per se, but I do support the sport. Damn.
So, I spent the day volunteering for the most technical jobs that I could find. I was a scribe for the in-hand classes (where the horse’s conformation and movement are judged without a rider on them - the judge has a score card with lots of little boxes that need to be filled out with scores and relevant comment, the scribe scribbles furiously into the boxes so the judge can do her job). I scored the in-hand and Dressage tests (it sounds easy, but there are collective marks, error deductions and coefficients to take into account, then everything needs to be tallied correctly so a percentage score can be arrived at).
The huge benefit of doing this is that I was able to spend time with my client Barb, who happened to be the judge. She is a riot!
Only one of my students (9 year old Kiersten) was participating, but she won a bevy of ribbons, even beating the two ladies who ran the show in her Dressage Equitation classes. She earned Reserve Grand Champion Equitation rider, which was a huge honor, especially as she was one of the youngest riders in attendance.
Another friend, Christel, who is a professional photographer was at the show doing her job. I haven’t seen her for months, so it gave me a great opportunity to catch up. She had been at the Rolex 3-Day Event in Kentucky a few weeks back (I have never been to this American pinnacle event, this year because of all of the travel to Chicago and responsibilities that entails). I am so jealous! She goes every year to work on her craft and just have some fun watching the world’s top riders tackle the incredible cross country course.
One of my favorite riders, Olympian Darren Chiacchia had been very badly injured in a fall while on the cross country course at the Reed Hill Horse Trials back in March when his horse took a misstep, catapulting him into a jump. He spent 42 days in a coma. In my former life, as the advertising director of a national horse publication, I spent a great deal of time working with Darren and his Olympic horse’s owner Tim Holekamp. I have been closely watching his recovery and in regular communication with Tim and his wife Cheryl receiving updates.
(learn more about Darren here: http://www.eventrider.com )
The nice thing about the equestrian community, is that there actually is a sense of community when things like this happen. There have been fund raising events across the country, including several activities at Rolex. Knowing I am a fan and acquaintance of Darren’s, Christel purchased some items that were being sold as a benefit to help with his medical expenses. Hoping that I might be there, she brought them along to the show for me. What a considerate and thoughtful friend!
Back in the real world, my client/friend stopped by after the show to pick asparagus, see the new baby and do some catching up. We started planning for our trip to Devon in September, which is exciting as it may be where Darren’s horse Windfall makes his Grand Prix Dressage debut under fellow Olympian Robert Dover. Barb’s horse Sandor is also scheduled to make his GP debut with rider Patti Becker, so it is heady stuff. I will be showing 3 or 4 young horses in-hand, vying for the Born In the USA award, which honors the top American-bred Warmblood horses.
Dinner took a group of us, including the ever-traveling Jeff, to dinner then on to see Michael Murphy and the Mob at a local tavern. The music was good, the company very nice, the bar on the seedy side. I miss the pub.
Next Saturday is Ballyhoo’s to see Sunspot. I love seeing these fine folks perform (especially without having to travel to do so). To support the local music scene, I think everyone who reads this blog should bring a few friends and come out to see Sunspot with us.
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by Billie on May 22nd, 2008 • No Comments »
As you may have guessed, I have been dealing with some depression type issues of late. Today, instead of worrying if I am bipolar, I decided to do something life-affirming.
My friend Malinda has a tree. An American Chestnut tree.
This is a wonder in and of itself as the early part of the 20th century brought with it a blight that wiped out native chestnut populations throughout most of the country. The blight was though to have been brought here in the late 1800’s on Japanese chestnut trees. The result is that There are some naturalized American chestnut populations in Canada, and the northwestern U. S. that were established from seeds that the settlers took with them as they migrated. These trees are not resistant to the blight, but they thus far have been sufficiently geographically isolated from the blight fungus in the East that they have attained large size and are reproducing by seeds. There are some populations in Wisconsin (outside of the chestnut’s original range), but in recent years the blight has found them and many of these trees are falling despite efforts to check the disease.
Malinda has an American Chestnut tree. Amazing. It is glorious.
The tree began to blossom this morning. I know, this is what happens with trees in the spring, but this particular tree shared with me the most ethereal experience several years ago. An experience that I will literally drop everything to revisit.
Standing under the tree I heard incredibly loud buzzing. I thought I had angered a nest of bees and was a bit fearful. What I saw, amazed me. Hundreds of hummingbirds danced their way between the leaves high above my head, sipping nectar from the slowly opening blossoms as evening set in.
It is an other-worldly experience. It defies any real description.
The message came that today was the day.
I spent several hours with the tree and the hummingbirds. I lay in the grass and was amazed all over again.
Definitely hedonistic.
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by Billie on May 21st, 2008 • No Comments »
Today was productive. I did lots of chores, including mowing the lawn. The horses remained in their respective paddocks. I had several good rides.
Then the good bit.
After running several errands, I stopped in at The Lad’s place to congratulate him in person on the job offer that he received and accepted this afternoon.
He looked very debonair - some would say downright dashing. I left after playing an obnoxiously happy tune and forcing a ridiculous issue that I had brought up some days ago. Got a mile or two down the road, remembered that I had to go back to the west side to pick something up from my mother and made an executive decision.
Turning around, I stopped back at The Lad’s, made sure he was decent and told him that I was taking him to a celebratory dinner.
So, that is what happened. We had a glass of wine, ate, and enjoyed one another’s company.
Not much else needs to happen. I am content. And the horses are still in.
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by Billie on May 21st, 2008 • One Comment »
Ramses, my Great Dane is extremely flatulent tonight. I may need to rethink putting his dog bed in my bedroom. A gas mask would be helpful.
I am suffering from insomnia yet again. It seems to come and go, tonight it arrived in full force. Usually sleep meditation works for me, but that has not been the case of late. My chiropractor encouraged me to take a magnesium supplement late in the evening, which helped for a while too. Since I refuse to resort to pills here I am, at 3:00 am, blogging of all things.
Today was a pretty decent day, all told. I completed the construction of a new paddock for Duncan and Lerus and moved them into it. (They stayed in which is a bonus). I played with the dogs and explored the woods at the back of our property. Rode 3 horses and then spent some quality time with my old Thoroughbred, Mr. Forbes. Took a few pictures. Picked asparagus. Put a coat of varnish on the bathroom vanity.
Talked to my equine chiropractor for a good bit. She is coming to do adjustments on three horses this Sunday. One of my favorite clients called to schedule lessons and gear up for the show season. Another client called to invite me to a horsey ladies day at her farm at the end of the month (the wine flows quite freely on these days and we have a great time). The Lad phoned and we had a good chat.
The existential crisis is on hold for now.
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by Billie on May 19th, 2008 • No Comments »
Yep, that says it all.
I am out of sorts this evening. WAY out. Cranky as hell. No real reason, just the cumulative effect of life in general.
The trip back from Chicago was unspectacular. I drove and listened to Sunspot most of the way while drinking far too much iced coffee and Mountain Dew. Kevin was a pill. Thankfully, he slept the majority of the way back north. Thank you, thank you, thank you Sunspot for Scott Bakula! It always makes me laugh. Step On It describes my feelings toward my roommate pretty accurately…
I delivered goodies (tiramisu, gelato and sushi) to various friends, then went and picked up my dogs and home to bed. Actually, I spent a few unexpected hours at the home of The Lad - not in my plan, but pleasant anyway. I am really not sure why I am drawn to his company, but there it is.
This afternoon I met up with some friends for coffee, then The Lad for lunch and yet more coffee. I really had no desire to come home. The workload is overwhelming right now. My optimism is wearing thin.
So, I took some photos of baby Joey (cute and charming as always). Then took a long, hot bath and read a book about WWII submarines instead of accomplishing anything tangible. Keeping the little grey cells working seems productive enough.
I am continually disturbed by a conversation that I have had far too many times with The Lad. He constantly tells me that I speak too much like a professor and need to lighten up. Honestly. This is coming from a certifiable crumudgeon (OK , I use the term, but have no idea how to spell it). Do speech patterns really determine a person’s ability to apprecite life?
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by Billie on May 17th, 2008 • No Comments »
The ex and I arrived in Chicago around 11:00 am yesterday. His father cried as we walked in. I guess this is really where I need to be right now.
Kevin’s off-of-the-boat Italian mom has been shoving copious amounts of food in front of our faces. Actually, I like being mothered from time to time, and I love the various gastronomic delights available in the city. Pete’s for gyros and some of the best chili dogs on the planet. DeNico’s or Connie’s for pizza. Gelato Uno for extremely handsome Italian waiters and fantastic pistachio gelato. Papaspiro’s for moussaka… I could go on and on.
As it turns out, Roger (the dad) is in fairly good spirits and is hanging in there gamely. He is exceptionally weak, has been bedridden since November and now looks like a concentration camp survivor. It is really difficult to see such a robust man now in this condition.
My major contribution to his well being has been feeding him literally anything that he can dream up, running here and there to see that his wishes are fulfilled. His appetite is waning, so the leftovers are quickly filling the refrigerator. I have also been giving him light massages to help keep his circulation going. He is very delicate, all ofthe fat on his body is gone and the muscle is slowly melting away, so I have to be as gentle as with a newborn child. I have given him a manicure and picked lilacs and irises from the backyard to put near his bed.
Roger used to spend most evenings on his back deck which overlooks the yard and street. Since he took ill, he has not even been able to sit up. His hospital bed is in the living room, so he is not even able to see much outside. Working out in the garden this afternoon, mowing the grass and trimming the shrubbery, at least a dozen people stopped to ask after Roger. There is something to be said about community.
Just being here to provide conversation and company seems to be providing a boost to his morale. I am very happy that I was able to come.
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by Billie on May 15th, 2008 • No Comments »
I just got off of the phone with the lad formerly known as my crushee. The ridiculous stage is now history. One of my friends had emailed me last night, stating that he did not approve of my having a crush on someone and wanting to know who the fellow was (since it seemingly was not him). I realized that I do not approve of my having a crush on anyone either, especially as the timing could not possibly be worse. So, that is that. He will remain a friend. I will be his sounding-board. It is a good fit.
Today I worked 3 horses in the early hours of the morning, then received a call from work. Celebrating the facility’s last day, everyone was gathered for a picnic, to which I was invited. It was somewhat depressing to say goodbye to the people that I had seen every day - even those that I was not particularly close to. My former crushee was one of the few not in attendance. That was most disappointing. One of the other fellows decided that we should have a grope session in one of the offices. Not a good idea. His most unwelcome advances left me utterly pissed (sorry for the language, that was the most benign turn of phrase that I could use). He is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Good luck to his next employer as well as to his wife and female colleagues. Seriously, what a distasteful train wreck.
So, I promptly left and ran a few errands. The first of which was going to the feed store to buy some grain (I forgot to phone in my order yet again). Happily, my friend Adam works at this particular store so we had a good chat and made plans to meet up in a couple of weeks. It has been a couple of years since we last did anything together, which is another sad fact of adult life.
I feel compelled to insert my new big idea here. Simply, to reconnect with friends, spend quality time with people whose company I enjoy and even (gasp) get out there and meet some new people. The hermetic life can be overrated. The farm will always be my first priority, but I do plan on going up north to do some hiking in between shows and other related commitments. Perhaps I will find other interests to occupy some of my time, rather than being so obsessed with work. That may be a stretch, but sometimes stretching is good.
At any rate, I picked about 6 or 8 pounds of asparagus, which are now clean and bagged in the refrigerator. I just need to get diesel fuel for the tractor and drop some asparagus off at my neighbor’s, then feed the animals, and the night is mine! Hooray for Thursday. I love The Office. Really, I was resistant at first being a huge fan of the British version, but our version is nearly as good. It is a little, pleasant something to look forward to mid-week. The call back from my former crushee will be nice too.
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by Billie on May 14th, 2008 • One Comment »
I woke obnoxiously early this morning, and decided to put a saddle on Duncan for the first time. He was not amused. Fortunately, he was cooperative, but after jumping around and getting a few good bucks out, he decided that it was no longer prudent to move. At all. I literally had to take the saddle off to put him back into his turnout. Never in my years have I come across this response in any horse!
Mirelle and I went for our first ride of the season (I have been working her on the line and in-hand). She was a bit pushy and determined to get her way, but we worked through her tantrums and had a fairly nice hack. Real work won’t start for several weeks, as I need to do tons of trot sets to get her back into some semblance of shape. My goal is to get her out to a couple of Dressage shows in July/August and to the Otter Creek horse trials this fall.
Two client-owned horses will be arriving within the next week or so, which is exciting. One is a coming 3 year old filly with a very challenging personality. The other is a yearling that I will be taking out on the circuit to qualifying for the biggest of the big shows - Dressage at Devon.
My summer is taking shape at last! The other two yearlings that I will be campaigning should be here by month’s end.
So, after working a few horses I went into town (Wausau of course) to pick up my lovely tile.
They did not have enough of the tile that I want, so my purchase will be delayed by several days. In the meantime, I have decided that I will put radiant heat into the bathroom floor, so another large hunk of cash will be spent on making my bathroom the height of luxury. If only one room is going to be finished in the near future, I plan on going a bit overboard.
Instead of stewing, I went to pay a call to my favorite florist. The ladies at this particular shop are supportive of my ridiculous attention to detail, and essentially let me into the back room to design my own pieces and obsess over vessel choices. I bought arrangements for my friend Katrina, my mother and my crushee (strictly as a friendly/supportive gesture). To my way of thinking, it is cool to give man-flowers. I like clean, strong lines with little fluff or filler, which often works for men anyway.
For his birthday last month, I gave my brother a floral arrangement. He was quite surprised and pleased. No one had ever given him flowers before. I find that sad. He displays the vase in a prominent position in his dining room.
After delivering flowers around town, I went to dinner with a group of friends. Our plan had been to go to ladies’ night at Bullshooters (egads - Wranglers make me want to run screaming into the night, cowboy hats and boots elicit an even stronger response). I do admit that the mechanical bull is really fun to ride. If I could justify it, I think I would buy a mechanical bull for my own amusement. Our plan is to show up in breeches and tall boots some night just to see how the good western folks respond. At any rate, tonight was a wash as one of the gang had a sick child and couldn’t make it. Instead I picked up a couple of grown-up style pizzas and salad, and met everyone at Katrina’s house.
Ladies night at home is much more relaxing than ladies night at a bar. The one weapon that I have recently added to my going out arsenal are stickers from work… they have a large red field with “rejected” written in white. They are about 3 x 6″ and I am not afraid to stick them on the annoying, groping, ogling men that swarm women in bars. All womankind should carry a roll of these in their handbags at all times.
I guess that summarizes my wisdom for the day.
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by Billie on May 13th, 2008 • One Comment »
The good news.
I went shopping for tile yet again, and found the most gorgeous travertine… once I have a friend check my math, I will be plunking down a fairly hefty chunk of change to get the tile. Oh, and of course all of the materials needed for setting tile. That includes grout. I hate grouting. It is one hell of a mess. Oh well, in due time I will have one room in my house that is in what I consider livable condition. Oh, and I found some very awesome light fixtures that will have to come home with me. I will have a really cool bathroom soon! Guests will be forced to use the upstairs bath.
In a veritable fit of ambition, I worked 4 horses today and took a brief ride on my pony. It is nice to get back into the swing of things, and to have not been killed, maimed or even injured in the process. Duncan (who is turning 3 and is as full of testosterone as a horse can be) has been trying on all sorts of naughty behavior of late, but he does try to listen in between temper tantrums. I am both extremely excited and nervous as hell to start his training under saddle. I take solace in knowing that he still has a great deal of growing to do, so it is actually good for him physically if I wait to start him.
I am trying to motivate myself to get back into fencing mode (day two that all of the horses stayed where they belong). There are 6 horses on the waiting list to come here from various long-term clients. I should really get my bum into gear. Facing the fence by myself has been an exercise in futility over the past couple of months, so I procrastinate. It is pretty shameful of me, I know.
The really crap news.
This weekend, I am going to Chicago with Kevin (the “ex”). His father’s health is deteriorating rapidly. So much so, that he is now in a hospice facility, rather than at home with hospice staffers in attendance. The doctors believe that he will not be with us for longer than a month, at best. I love this man dearly, and have a closer relationship with him than with my own father. I need to be there. I wish the situation were different. I would prefer struggling with the fence.
My plan is to drive down with Kevin and stay at my aunt’s house, which is less than an hour from the city. At least it will minimize the discomfort on both of our parts. His father will never know the reality of the situation. It would only cause him pain. Subterfuge is tiresome, but sometimes necessary.
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