Living and loving life.

River is settling into his new home beautifully. A friend and co-worker, Brittney, encouraged me to consider boarding River at her barn. She has two horses, Jack and Toby, who both enjoy trails. The moment River entered his new pasture he and Jack (Brittney's older Quarter horse) became instant buddies. It warmed both of our hearts as Jack has always been a bit of a loaner and River is low-man in the pecking order of the herd.

Another blessing of boarding with Brittney is that Hannah has the opportunity to ride Jack which allows the three of us to ride the trails together. Our first time out was last Sunday afternoon and it was also the first ride I'd had on River on actual trails. Everyone had a blast, horses and humans! It was a "pinch me" afternoon as I had a hard time believing that my dream of having my own horse...of riding with Hannah...and friends...has finally come true.

River is a super-star on the trails. He has a lot of energy but is controllable and he is very "looky" without being a spook. He genuinely enjoys going out and discovering new things, which is exactly what I want in a horse.

That first ride was followed up two days later with another ride out with Brittney and Toby. The horses get along great and we enjoyed trotting out side-by-side for an extended distance and then we gave the boys a good workout by trotting up a long, steep hill. Poor River was quick tuckered out after our ride.

I have started sacking River out to all kinds of objects and sounds. He is cautious without being a loon and very curious and quick to accept new things. It is alot of fun working with him and I will attempt to take him out on the trail solo this coming week.

That's MY Boy!!

WARNING! PROUD-MAMA ALERT!

I could just eat this kid up! He is taking his first year of High School like he does all of life: in stride. (But his "stride" is changing and he's trying out a strut. It's the cutest thing!)

His accomplisments to date are:

*Honor Roll

(maintaining 2 hrs of homework nightly)

*Captain of his JV Football Team

(practicing until 6 pm every night)

*Leading his team in QB Sacs

(we heard is name mentioned six times during his homecoming, winning game)

*Works every week to complete his requirements for Eagle Scout

(we can't wait for this to be DONE)

And his best? His SMILE!

But don't let that grin fool you....he's really a BAD boy at heart.

Everything went very smooth for River's homecoming. He walked onto the trailer without hesitation and came off just as nice.

His new field is 30 acres large and he will share it with up to 8 other geldings. The farm has an indoor and outdoor arena, a heated wash stall and miles of trails. The best part for me is sharing the barn with my good friend, Brittney and her two horses. We are going to be riding buddies and there will be opportunities for Hannah to ride one of Brittney's horses so we can all go out together. We plan on checking out the pond soon to see if River likes to swim!

Home coming

Today is River's home coming. I leave shortly to pick Hannah up from school: I could possibly go through this day without her (and she'd never forgive me if I didn't include her).

My wait is finally over and I'm excited to see what the future holds for this new relationship. Now all I need is for my friends and family to meet him, so, WHEN ARE YOU COMING??

Meet River, Part 2

Here's River today!! Isn't it amazing what food, a vet, farrier and lots of TLC will do?

River is a barn favorite. He's always happy to meet new people and is a cheerful, cheeky guy.

He is curious and playful. When he's done eating he will chew on his tie rope or a forgotten lead rope left draped on fence. He thinks it's especially cool to pull the whole rope into his mouth and bite on the metal clasp.

He LOVES his food and is motivated by his stomach. Grass, grain, hay, it doesn't matter. If it tastes good, he's all for it!

This is our staff trainer, Sara. She was the first to ride River after his rehabilitation was complete.

This guy is unflappable! Children 3-feet tall can lead and groom him. Any level of rider can ride him, although he is on the lazy side and is a bit of a "noodle" (his body wiggles around and is not always straight). Hannah rode him bareback last week and tried a trot. Due to him becoming a noodle and the fact that it's been 6 years since Hannah has ridden bareback, she fell off. River stopped dead and stayed with Hannah while she dusted herself off, gave him a kiss and remounted. This boy won't leave you in a heap to return to the gate or barn!

River has 20 years of riding ahead of him. I think I can go in any direction I want with him: Trails, Dressage, some jumping. I'll stick with trails for the present. My dream is to do competitive trail which consists of 10 - 20 miles of riding with judged obstacles along the way. River is very curious and trusting and I think we'd do well after some work at exposing him to a variety of objects, sounds and challenges.

I have met with the barn owner of a boarding facility just minutes from work. One of our staff members has her two horses there which provides a riding buddy for Hannah and I. The cost is affordable and the ammenities are great: an indoor and outdoor riding ring, full turnout (River lives outside 24/7) and MILES of trails. Heated wash stall, once-a-day feeding, hay in the winter and the opportunity to see River every day are all in the offer.

I am filling out the adoption application today and will be working out the details of bringing River to his new home within the next couple of weeks.

Have a mentioned how excited I am? My dream of having a horse is finally coming true and River was well worth the wait!

Meet River, Part 1

In Dec. '07, Days End received an impoundment of four horses suffering from neglect. One of them was a six year old Appolossa gelding whom we named River.

Because we only take horses who have been siezed by Animal Control over 90% of them are arrive starved and emaciated. Authorities use the Henneke body condition chart to score the severity of the starvation with a "1" being described as a horse who has no fat or muscle over the skelton. The horse is in eminant danger of dieing and is often afflicted with skin funguses and infections. Of the four horses we received, River was the worst at a "one".

Horses in this condition have little interaction with the world around them. River was lethargic and depressed.

It takes months, maybe even years for a young, healthy horse like River to reach this condition. It is a deliberate choice to withhold food and water, shelter and care. River and his herd mates lived in a small, dirt enclosure and were fed just enough to keep them alive. If that were not enough, Animal Control agents learned that the horses were ridden on a three hour trail ride the day before the impoundment.

But Days End is all about new beginnings. It's one of the reasons I believe in this organization and why I love my job so much. There are so many rewards in saving a life, in helping a horse regain faith and trust in humans and learn to anticipate good things coming from our relationship.

I didn't spend a lot of personal time with River for the first two months of his recovery. Days End was in the middle of moving to a new farm and I was lucky to have 10 minutes a day kissing on a horse's muzzle, but today he eats right outside my office window. I get to see, and touch, and kiss and visit with him every day. He' a wonderful boy and I can't wait for you to see him now.....

Busy is as busy does

There seems to be less and less time spent together as a family of late. Having both kids in High School has brought a bigger change than I imagined.

For Joshua, besides the increased work load that comes from seven classes each day (different from 4 in Jr. High), he is playing on the JV Football team, as well as continueing his pursuit of Eagle Scout. Practices last until 7 pm every week night with games on a week night or weekend. There are some evenings that Josh doesn't sit down to eat until 8:00 or start his homework until 10!

Hannah's Junior year started off fast and furious. She has three AP classes and SAT prep, which she'll sit for in January. She averages 3-5 hours of homework a night. Add to that this week's theatre tryouts and this girl is maxed! She had her first stress-related cry tonight in worry over the four hours of homework and not having a dialog prepared for tomorrow's call backs.

Steve has been in his new job for nearly a month and is working hard each day to learn the ropes. It is a totally new department and his boss's managing style leaves Steve to figure things out himself. Though it is not typical for this new position, he has been traveling and is currently in Michigan. He enjoys the days out of the office but it sure puts an added strain on the household management.

With the busy dynamics we find ourselves needing to be more purposeful in finding time together. Hannah and I do daily walks...5 minutes...15....30, whatever time or energy will allow (this is also our way of keeping the dogs off the couches!). I spend a few moments every day with Josh in the car as I pick him up from practice. It's a good time to connect as the events of his day are still fresh in his mind and he's more prone to share. Steve and I have found a monthly dinner-deal that offers coupons/certificates for a different resturante of our chosing. We also belong to a monthly Wine Club which keeps us connected to our closest friends.

The scariest part of all of this busyness is that time seems to be travelling as double speed. Before I know it the kids will be out on their own...and time will feel like it's stopped. What a scarey thought!