Happy birthday to Dude!

Twenty years ago today our guy Dude was born in Pilot Point, Texas, which strikes me as sounding like a perfect place for a quarter horse to be from. Dude's papers, unlike Bestie's, do not have a photo of him as a baby. We would have loved to see Heza Flashy Dude Mr. as a youngster; I can't imagine his stocky self cavorting as a long-legged colt.

Today was celebration day. I brought an extra large helping of carrot chunks for him, and barn owner Julie said they sang to him earlier in the day. He got a special sign on his stall ...

Other than that, the day went pretty much as usual, which is just as he likes it. Well, except that there was no turnout because the temperatures went from freezing to 59 to freezing with accompanying wind, rain, and snow - pretty much every weather pattern that could happen happened in the last 48 hours. He got a birthday walk in the indoor to stretch his legs and a nuzzle from his friend Buddy and that was it.

A few photos from our 12 years with Dude...

When we first met him, he was stall bound, hyped up on way too much grain, and very angry. Only adults were allowed in his stall. Here he is with the girls, posing for our Christmas card that year. Turnout, less grain, different horse.

Over the years, he's been Mr. Obliging when it's come to dress-up, whether for barn Halloween extravaganzas or 4H costume class. One year he and Katie went tropical for Halloween and Dude wore giant-sized floral surfer trunks. Here he is napping as Katie weaves flowers into his forelock and mane prior to a 4H costume class. He was a garden (he wore a green sheet painted with a rock walkway and flowers and greens stitched onto it) and Katie was the gardener.

Everything was fine until Dude got a look at a rider in the same class dressed in a fancy Victorian riding outfit (think "My Fair Lady"), with a huge bouffant skirt and flappy hat. He couldn't get over it. Katie had to hang on to her "garden" pretty tightly.

Below, decked out for club class at the State Show ... Men in Black ... our club won. He's got Ray Bans and a tie on.

One year at the Vermont State 4H Show, Kris participated in parent leadline - with his chain saw helmet on for head protection. Dude: Hey, whatever makes you people happy.

Ahh, another Christmas picture. The concept this particular year was to pose the dogs as elves and the horses as reindeer. I must've been drinking when I thought up that one. First, it was hard enough to get the horses to keep their antlers on. Second, while Dude was happy to hang out next to Bestie, she kept trying to bite him (note the glowing devil eyes!). In the photo, Maddie is trying to lure her to the front of the stall so I could snap the photo quickly. The card ended up being a cut-and-paste job as it became clear there was no way we were gonna get all the reindeer and elves to cooperate and happily pose together.

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And last but not least, this is one of my favorite photos of Dude and Katie. I'm pretty sure this is the last 4H show they did together. Dude was coming off extended lameness, and was really happy to be back in the show ring - we have another shot from this showmanship class where he is trotting happily (and a bit too enthusiastically) in hand with his forelock blowing in the wind and Katie running alongside. 

So many good memories. Happy birthday, Dudie!

"...more like a blissful coexistence for which I am deeply grateful."

When I heard that phrase on Vermont Public Radio tonight during a commentator's essay about interacting with his Shetland pony, it made me smile. I know that feeling of being in the barn and sensing all is right in that little world. I've used the full presence required by horses to shut the door on the outside world for a bit. I feel like I've done that (and valued it) even more this fall and early winter, when there have been so many tremendously sad news stories. The VPR story, In the Winter Stable, can be read or listened to here.

Bits and pieces

Time for a bunch of random items.

I just realized I never posted these photos of our beautiful tree in the tack room and the horses' stockings. Every horse in the barn had a stocking; super cute. Christmas already seems ages ago. I still have their candy canes; maybe I'll break them up in a bran mash.

My winter resolution is to do a bran mash for them each week until late March when the weather warms. New Year's Day was mash #1. It was enthusiastically received. :)

My other resolution is to work with Dude on core exercises. We started tonight with carrot stretches. I'm using the book Activate Your Horse's Core, which comes with a DVD - very useful to see the exercises demonstrated.

Dude lost a shoe in the snow this week. I'm debating whether to leave him shoeless for the winter as he's still rehabbing and I won't be riding him. He's only got front shoes. Farrier Scott will check him out on Tuesday and we'll see what he thinks.