horseshoer's Blog

Its been about a month now, more or less, since the horse wreck at a local trail ride.  For weeks i couldn't  decide if i wanted to blog about this accident  or now, but today i made my decision to after hearing about the horse wreck from another client of mine.  Funny how about half the details are ever told and how the injurys of an animal always seem to out weigh those of a human.

The trailride was in held to raise money for a scholarship fund in honor of a local horseshoer that had passed away a year this past october.   It was one of those super weekends with perfect weather for trailriding.   Somewhere in number there was 150 head of horses with riders there.  Normally, for personally reasons i never attend trailrides of this size and i think a lot of the people hosting the ride were even shocked by the amount of riders that showed up.  Myself and a friend decide to take a team and wagon, my wife, son, and daughter in law decided to ride.   There were quarter horses, gaited horses, mules, and teams and wagons.....and just horses there, with every calibur of rider you can image. 

Acutually we arrived early for a change, mainly takes a bit longer to get a team harnessed and a wagon hitched. And to visit a bit with other folks we knew. Another horseshoer joined us on the wagon,  makes ya think tho 3 horseshoers in one wagon but lots of years of experience.  As the day progessed only a few minor incidents occured.   First off, a young rider  backed his horse into my team right off.  I'm usually a bit on defense on these rides, been on too many over the years, but keeping my cool.   Later in the ride after passing a draft horse in a cart that had stopped off to the side of the road, i got one of those flag feelings about that horse.  Just a feeling but i didn't say anything to anybody...all seemed to be enjoying a good afternoon.  2nd little thing was when stopping for a break....folks (kids & some young adults) alike began racing their horses in a long field.  Still i'm being cool but keeping an eye on everything.  Til one just about run full tilt into my team again.....the guy i was talking to could tell someone was just about to get a butt chewing but the owner of the property beat me to it.   After the break , riders and drivers had the choice to either take a short route back or a longer road.  Most took the long way back.

The rest of the afternoon when well til about a 1/2 mile from where we started when my friend shouted "there's a run away horse." I couldnt' spot it, but noticed two riders way up front of me ver off to the left trying to get out of the way of something.  When the draft horse and cart smashed into one of the riders.  My friend kept shouting there's a runaway horse.   When i did notice it i shouted  "it hit kate's horse."  It had plowed or should said frieghttrained my daughter-in-laws horse, knocking both of them to the road!  The other horseshoer took the lines of our team while we both run the distance to my daughter-in-law.  Looking back all that really saved her is the fact that her horse was knocked into my son's big 1300 pound roping horse , breaking their fall.

Not the reason for this blog.  Not to vent but to raise awareness of horsemanship ethics that seem to be lost in todays horse people.   At first we thougth Kate had broke her leg, just badly brusied and hurting....but later we found out the whole details of the accident.  Supposely someone had pulled the bridle with blinders off the horse without unhooking the cart, no other lead rope on the horse, supposely a young horse.  The horse had spooked and took off, boucing off several trucks and trailers, even hitting one horse, running the shaft thru that horse and kept going, evenutally hitting my daughter in law.   The horse it hit  had to be put down .   What bothers me to this day...this woman who owned this horse has never called and asked about my daughter in law or apologized.  Only 3 people have inquiried about her.  Ironically the first person to call was the man's horse that had to be put down.  A client , whos horses i had shoed a few days earlier, also who's 8 year old daughter saw it coming and dove under a big horse trailer, a smart country kid she was, and my son't previous employer.  I still here about the run away wreck but only about the horse getting killed.  I realize there are a lot of novice riders and drivers out there today, and i've had my share of bang ups too.  But folks need to get back to basic horsemanship and safety again.  I have seen more than my share of horror stories over the years...this just adding to it.    Maybe some day this woman will inquiry but i doubt it.  Has ethics been lost in everything, what ever happened to the cowboy way?  So folks ride smart and above all ride SAFE.  Kate is still riding,  and we're working with her team of spotted draft yearlings.  Maybe you just got a be tough to live around here.   We keep saying it could have been worse, since a group of 8 to 10 young girls were riding together ranging in ages from 7 to 14,  what it that horse had run into them....yep...it could have been a lot worse!

Tomorrow will be the 1st day of November and the weather is suppose to be awesome too!    As always it'll be busy around here....hopefully tonite we'll get to go fish gigging and add to what we got on tuesday nite.   So that we can have a horse-drawn hayride and fish fry for our neighbors and friends once on Saturday evening.  Sunday we plan on weaning our spring calves , sorting out yearlings to sell and old cull cows.  Maybe get time to ride a few young colts that we're starting to train.  And drive the young team of spotted drafts. 

So what's everybody else planning on doing on this great 1st weekend of November?   And you can't beat the weather.

Wow....gotta love this cool October weather. We've already had a morning or two of light frost.  What perfect days to be out and about ....just like yesterday.  A morning of shoeing horses for clients, then home to saddle up and move the cow-calf herd home from a leased pasture a mile away.  With fall comes calf weaning time soon, nice set of fat calves and a good selection of awesome heifers to choose from to keep as new mother cows, thus replacing their aged mothers.  Have to sort off a group of yearling steers next week , to tip their horns back before they're hauled off to the auction barn.  After moving the cattle back home, still time to harness a team and haul up a couple loads of firewood for the stove.  Alto cloudy by now....still a great feeling, with the cooler air the team really steps out and moves along.  They (Rueben & Rosie) have been working together for a couple years now and  working well together.  Soon be shoeing the older team ( Racheal & Ruby) and with the help of friends , will haul the rest of the firewood up for the winter as well as start to cut next winters supply.  I am always told i could my work faster with a tractor, but they will never know the inner self satisfaction of working a good team and feeling them become a seasoned team as the years go on!  Its something money cannot and will never buy.  Where else could a old cowboy accomplish as many things at one time by working a good team----your getting your work done, working your horses, heating your home or feeding (whatever your chore is that day),  to some  I'm playing cowboy with your horses, getting great exercise, and enjoying the out doors too....all at the same time!   Just awesome when you look at it like that!

And yet October is going by too fast, seems the weeks just fly by.  Hard some days or weeks to figure out what to do first.  But a friend and I did take a whole day and a half off to go to a draft horse sale in Waverly, Iowa.  Yep a whole day and a half.  One of those fast trips...leaving about 6 one evening, getting to our motel room at 2 in the morning.  Almost no directions, got lost twice, no spare tires, just didn't have my game on for this trip.   But hey we got the wagon we wanted.  And a dang fine one at that, been looking for a couple years.  So maybe sometimes one does plan too much....lol.  Didn't stay to watch the draft horses sell tho, my friend wouldn't let me.  Heck we'd had to go back to bring a load of horses home.  I found another black team i like and he found some roan weanling draft colts.  So----- us cowboys had to go...LOL.  But all in all it was a fun trip.  Fun and Fast.  Just like the rest of the month.   Seems we always have 2, 3, or maybe even 4 places to go on the weekends or things to do.  Believe me BORED is not in our vocabulary around here. The work list of "TO DO" is still long around here.  And deer season is just right around the corner too.  With our cooler weather , the deer have really been moving lately.  Have spotted several nice bucks and different groups of does on the ranch.  Won't be long October be gone but we're enjoying it right now.  Soon colder air be here in November and December and with it starts the daily routine of feeding.  But those months too will be busy and move fast and 2009 be here before we all  know it.  I guess all in all when your busy.....time does fly!

A friend sent me this....we all need a bit of humor now and then.  But in truth it would be something i would do or be expected from those folks that know me.  So i had to past it on to you bloggers.

Near Fredericksburg, Texas where there is a large German-speaking population, a farmer walking down a country road notices a man drinking from his pond with his hand.

The Amish man shouts:  Trink das wasser nicht.  Die kuhen haben dahin gesheissen."   Which means: " Don't drink the water, the cows had (pooped) in it."

The man shouts back: " I'm from New York and just down here campaigning for Obama, I can't understand you.  Please speak in English."  The Amish man says:  "Use two hands, you'll get more."

The beginning of Autumn is always a welcome here.  Life is somewhat routine with each season, but yet each season brings  change to the type of work needing to be done.  With spring it is a renewal of life where as Fall is a celebration of havest, shipping calves, and taking pride in what was accomplished during the previous months. 

While some folks start to slow down during the Fall season , work seems to pick up around the ranch.  But the cool crisp mornings, gives one the little extra bit of go power to start the Fall work projects. Mornings where a long sleeve shirt feels good,  the saddle horses become a bit cold backed when saddle(especially mine) in the morning, the end of horseflys and the changing of colors in the surrounding woods.  What a better place could one ask to work at?  What an office i have to work in , one full of God's ever changing colors.

Soon we'll be shipping yearlings, weaning calves, and older cows.  Start riding some new colts that we both raised and purchased.  Always a new end to fence to start on.  Firewood to haul up with the teams for heating our homes during the winter.  Maybe start to cut firewood for next year. Getting that time to start to feed out next years steers so we can have our own home-grown beef. Still several hundred round bales to haul home from another ranch. All inbetween having guest here and doing horse-drawn hayrides  and clients calling to have their horses shoed.  While trying to work in a few days here and there to attend draft horse sales in other states and maybe even get away for a week or two to help a friend with fall gather (maybe get to help with the buffalo roundup this year) in colorado. Not complaining about the work load...in my simple logical mine....work is good and good work makes life great!  Even at one time had people come out to pay  to work and enjoy part of my type of life style.  They'd learn to drive a team, do everyday chores and a good home cooked meal at the end of the day. 

Maybe even get an evening to go fishing again or a weekend to go riding and campout.  Sitting around a campfire at nite, drinking a few beers and telling a few lies.  Not fancy camping either, no motor home here..just a range teepee. And time to start planning for deer season and gigging season right behind it.  Yep...lots to do...both work and play.  Life is good folks  take time to enjoy it....even the  simple things of Fall like the changing color of leaves and soon the smell of pumpkin pie.  So bloggers what do you enjoy most about the coming of Fall?  And don't forget my predication of an early snow!

Last week a friend of mine asked if i was going to take any time off this year, since its been such a busy shoeing and haying year.  I replied with the old saying "Come Hell or High Water" i'm going to the draft horse sale next week at Columbia.  Well , we've had hell of a lot of high water from all the rain over the weekend.  Out in this area with a large amount of rainfall in a short period of time also comes a lot of flash flooding in the small creeks and rivers.  Three Mile Creek and the Little Bourbeuse River both run thru and border our ranch.  Both went out of their banks....hadn't been this high since 1993.  The road in had washed out at spots and had about 2 feet of water at spots, but still passable to get thru.   The North pasture (half bottom ground was under water, lucking the other half is a hii side where all the cattle were.  Unlike a neighbor in 1993 had over a 100 head of cows and calves caught up in high water and swept away in the current in Brush Creek.  Luckily he only lost 3 head.  Sunday afternoon was mostly spent blading the road to make it as passable as possible before any of the county roads crews can get to it (usually a couple weeks in my area anyway).  Today between horseshoeing, i started to replace water gaps in pastures where the creeks flow thru them, the water finally low enough to work on them.  Still about a 1/4 mile of fence to pull back up and repair that was flattern in the east pasture by the river water.  Lake dams to repair and other damage here and there.  No city crews, sewer districts or anybody else, all repair work done ourselves when time allows , the most urgent first.. No needing to complain or whine, its just part of ranch life and having to deal with what mother nature sends your way.  But hey it could have been worst!!!!!   But come hell or high water i will be at the horse sale on wednesday. and thursday.  Tomorrow a busy day shoeing and i'm not answering either phone, its time for a couple days off,  to visit and just be a bum.   If you folks never been to one of these draft horses sale, take some time and go...the big horses sell on thursday.  They're something to see and fun to watch them sell.  But a word of caution...once these gentle giants get in your blood, your hooked and theres no known cure!

Have you even said I'll Never own that, wear that, say that etc.  Do we as we go thru life mellow or mature?  In my young days i've had a lot of nevers, seems time , things , or situations change and i've had to eat my I'll never's a lot over the years.  Below are a few of my nevers......

I'll never own a horse with a docked tail!  Well i own one...Rueben's one of my main draft horses in the young team.

I'll never shoe gaited horses!  Not sure the percent but i bet i shoe at least 70 percent gaited horses (foxtrotters or walking horses) now.

I'll never ride or own a gaited horse!  This was said before marriage and in my early cowboy days.   Now one of my main saddle horses is a sorrel walking horse (but his comformation looks like a quarter horse).  And half our horse herd are gaited.

I'll never wear flat sole boots or ball caps!  Well with horseshoeing all these years, it has become more for comfort and not style.  But i usually do have a pair of riding boots and hat in my shoeing truck at all times.

I'll never live here!  Said years ago, when passing thru this area and i stopped to it.  About 5 years later found this ranch and loved it here ever since.

And my best i'll Never is...i'll never cut my hair short!  Well over the years with thinning hair.....i've finally cut my hair short, just a tab bit longer than a buzz cut. 

These are just a few of my I'll never, so confess bloggers what are some of your i'll nevers in life?  Don't be shy....fess up now!

September is here and with it a good amount of rainfall.  We should have some amazing if not stunning fall folage color this year on the trees.  I have noticed that several are already changing huges of color in their leaves.  The hickory  and persimmon trees  are loaded right now.  The horses have started to shed their burnt summer coats and growing dark rich hair coats for winter.  Its that time of year for horse drawn hayrides, bon fires, hot dogs , draft horse sales, working cattle, and weaning calves.  Won't be long we'll be hauling in the winter supply of firewood and start cutting for next year.

Which brings me to my winter prediction!  I cut open several persimmons the other day to see what winter might bring.   The first seed had one spoon in it.  So i opened another, it had two spoons in it.  Well, i decided to try a 3rd and much to my surprise it had  snow plow in it!   Just kidding, but i have been offered a job driving a snow plow this winter.  But i do think we'll have  a large of amount of snow.  Be great for those horse drawn sleigh rides.  And all the catapillers i've seen are black.  Think i'll just haul up a couple extra loads of wood while i'm at it.  Gotta love that wood heat...stay warm this winter folks!

Been some time since i wrote a post.  Just been a busy summer out here on the ranch and about.   Hay season drug on longer than usually with the rain and the addition of extra acreage.  Number of horseshoeing clients has increase and with it the number of horses to work on.   Most days even weeks not seeing a client or bascially driving around in circles in the hay field making hay, gives a person a lot of time to think...especially  if your up and going at 5 in the morning and not getting in maybe for supper til 10 that evening.  On several such days i get to thinking about the life of city folks and their daily routines and rush to go here and there.  And in my opinion their lives seems too easy to me.  No hay to bale, equipment breakdowns,  wood to cut and haul in for next winter, etc , etc.  Now don't get me wrong...i'm not complaining about my type of life, i wouldn't trade it for living in the city or even a small town for that matter.   Just there is such a difference in the way rural folks and city folks live, do things , and even think .  I'm the happiest when i have the biggest work load and seem to get more done in a shorter period of time.  There's no 4 o'clock quitting time here.  Always a horse to shoe, colt to ride and the list goes on.  Even at times i think the work i do is really taken for granted and folks either don't realize what goes into producing the food that we eat or even thankful to those who produce it or the services we provide.   They seem to complain more about the cost of food and services more and more.   Being self employed can be a real roller coaster ride all in it self.  So could you city folk bloggers do it?   Maybe we could get a new reality show going here...just my thoughts folks..thats all.

Once again its that time of year of unwanted puppies and kittens .  A problem that is both in towns and in rural areas everywhere.   Last friday coming in from the gravel road from the highway , quarter mile before my son and daughter in laws house i noticed the little eyes poking thru the weeds and grass , another darted across the road, after passing another darted across behind the truck.  YES, unwanted puppies, abondened puppies....left without food or water by someone or something hoping i guess they'd go to my son's house and they'd give them a new home.  Not wanting to find them a home themselves or take them to a shelter.  Well, being extra busy this time of year,  the thought of more dogs on the place and or disposing of someone elses problem, was placed in the back of my mine and i had forgetten them,, (and not wanting any more dogs either) already blessed with too many here.

Well my daughter in law spotted them yesterday, and rounded them up...OMG there were 8 of them....some already thin , some in good shape, almost looking like they were from two different litters.  Kinda beagle-aussie crosses.....and joking we said we had some blue eyed beagles.  Only words out of my mouth were "we're not keeping any of them"!   But the goodness of her heart the pups will either find homes or placed in a no kill shelter.

Now....folks.....not all dumped pets are so lucky.  People think just because farmers and ranchers have lots of acres they can take in everyone's unwanted pets or even their old horses when they can't or won't find a home for them.  No we can't, people need to quit pushing their problem on to someone else and stand up to the plate and take some responsible for their own pets.  Most of the unwanted puppies and kittens dumped in the country never survive.....some are killed and eaten by coyotes or other wild animals, some starve to death, some become wild and kill a lot of wildlife, and some are disposed of the the farmers or ranchers whose property they were dumped off at.  These pups so far have been given a second chance because of my daugther in law's good heart.....but the answer here is still NO , we're not keeping any.  So anybody want a blue eyed beagle , let me know...they need homes and NOW.

And encourage friends and neighbors not to take their unwanted pets to the country to dump them off in rural areas.

Howdy everyone...yep this old horseshoer is till alive and shoeing.  Just been busy lately.  Thought i'd write a short blog tonite and let everyone know what's going on out here in the country.   Pondered on several titles for the blog but with the new avitar i thought the title "Cowboys Can Fish" would be the most appropriate one.     Most folks that know me , know that i have never been much of a person to either hunt or fish.  Well that all changed a while back, call it a change of life or whatever....but most to do with a good friend.     So last friday morning  ( a misty rainy morning at that) my cell phone rings about 6:30 and this cheery voice on the other end goes" Hey what ya doing today?  We're going fishing!"  And that we did.   This is also our guest season here at the ranch so we told the guest at breakfast that we'd have the fresh catch of the day and have a fish fry that evening!   Some folks just don't have faith in us cowboys....LOL.  As i heard them talking to each other discussing what type of left overs there was and they could eat that evening after their ride.      Well , we had a good catch that day as you can see in the pic.....even with the yucky weather we had a great time and a few beers too.   And to much of a surprise to the guest we had a great fish fry that evening around the camp fire....our guest from German was greatly impressed how the american cowboys could fish and cook!!! 

Which brings me to another point....how come americans have gotten so busy that there is no room for any simple fun in life any more?   It doesn't take a lot of money....just an open heart and kindness.   What happen to neighbors getting together for a fish fry or maybe to just fish and enjoy life?  Have we become so selfness in ourselves to let others into our lives?   Life is so good and great.  We have so much in this country to see and do yet very few seem to enjoy it and are happy any more.  Maybe i don't take life so serious any more, but i have learned to enjoy things i have worked so hard to have.  Like a wet damp day of fishing with a friend.  Seeing the sun rise in the morning or going camping.    Yes life is busy....one don't have to tell me that....i've been trying to keep shoeing current all week to take some time off next week to visit a friend in colorado and help with spring branding.  Yep a working vacation.....the best kind with some of the greatest people to work with.   I'm hoping either my youngest son can go again or a good friend of mine that helps me shoe at times.   A great chance to share a terrific experience with either one of these young men.   So folks.......i hope everyone just takes some time to enjoy what we have here and ever better to enjoy it with someone thats either a family member or a good friend.   Smile....Be Happy...."It'll be alright  to show another side for a while...a good side of life.   And remember....."Cowboys Can Fish" 

And the rains came...heavy rains that lasted all night. Even tho we're in the country and away from some of the major rivers and streams....we not immune from the effects of such downpours. I think we had in excess of 4 or more inches of rain....the pastures being short this time of year, the run off was fast, forcing the flash flooding of even the smallest of creeks. I still have a large group of horses to bring home this afternoon across Three Mile Creek., since the water gaps are washed out. Water levels now being low enough they'll cross this afternoon, but i have seen them cross in 3 to 4 feet of swift moving water already. Yesterday you could have shot the rapids on Three Mile.

Along with the heavy rains, there is also the mud and soft ground. Adding a little extra time and efford to feeding. With the tractor still in the shop and too muddy for the feed truck....its was down to option number 3 and feeding with a draft team yesterday. Since the older team was across Three Mile and not being able to cross and come home. I had the young them up and fed with them all the while it was raining. But even with my hat starting to smell mossy and soggy coat from the rain (more like soaked to the bone)...there is just something unique about feeding with those big horses. Yes more time, but in a way more time to enjoy, see , and smell even the smallest of things while unrolling hay. Even in the pouring rain....the newborn calves don't seem depressed as people get....running and bouncing about. Each morning there's new arrivals, and its about like easter egg hunting...just not knowing what color the old mama cows will come out of the woods with each year. And there's sometime about that wet damp sweaty horse smell too, with their winter coats...just about to shed. And the feeling of that inner pride and satisfaction on how well my teams are working....and the fact that by using them...i'm not rutting the pastures up with a big tractor or using almost $4 per gallon disel fuel. Yes it was a good feeling on second thought it was an awesome feeling....one that money can't buy. I only wish more people could experience that type of feeling in their lifes from their work.

I'll try to have some pics soon of feeding with the team and especially of some of the newborn calves. And i'd like to wish everyone a Happy Easter and don't eat too many black jelly beans!