Miss you little man!

One year ago today we said good bye.  Can't believe it's really been a year already.  Just doesn't seem possible.  I still miss you like it was yesterday.  I miss you every day.  Rest in peace sweet boy.

Wayne - Haflinger Stallion - 1986-2010

Wayne - 11-19-10






Let's call today "Hug your ponies" day.  They're never with us long enough.

Step Back In Time

So this past weekend, I took a step back in time.....in a couple of ways......  Back to the Renaissance, and back to when I could still ride my Cody girl.....  Well, in pictures anyway......

 

I started making this dress a few years ago.  I picked out the fabrics specifically because the colors would go so well with Cody's beautiful red dun coat.  And I was going to get pictures riding Cody in it when it was done!

I had a few pictures taken on Cody in it a couple years ago, but it was still very much a work in progress at the time.  It was wearable, that was about it.  The bodice didn't come out right and needed to be remade, sleeves weren't done yet, beadwork was only half done, still needed to make the partlet and the caul for my hair.  So we had work in progress pictures, but I wanted pictures on Cody with the finished product.

And finally this summer, just in time for the festival season, I sewed on the last of the beadwork, tied on the bejeweled sleeves, put everything together, and after literally hours upon hours of sewing and hand beading, declared my first court gown officially complete!

And I can no longer ride my Cody girl........

Cody's knee never completely fused after her surgery like it should have.  She's pasture sound, but not rideable sound.  At least not yet......  After going back to see the surgeon and find out our options, I think we're going to try the surgery again.  Dr. Caron has never had one of these fail before, unfortunately Cody had to be the first.  But she is in great health and of sound body, the rest of her joints are fine, if we can just get the rest of that knee joint to fuse, she should be sound enough to ride again.  As soon as finances allow, we'll try the surgery again (thankfully at a reduced cost).  Probably end of this month, or first of next month. 

So here I am with my dress finally done, and I can't ride my girl.  Yes, I have sweet Lady (and I did get some pictures riding her in the dress as well and will post some when I get them from the photographer), but this dress was made for Cody.

I finally decided I was getting on my girl, even if only for a few minutes, and even if all we did was just stand there.  I wasn't sure how it would go, she hasn't had anyone or even a saddle on her back in a year and a half since she first got hurt.  And here I am climbing on her back in 10+ yards and several pounds of court gown.  Maybe that was wrong of me, but she showed no signs of concern as I carefully climbed on her back off the mounting block.  She honestly could have cared less. 

She even willingly walked off on her own without my asking and was happy to walk around, even if just slow and easy.  And she hasn't forgotten a thing.  She collected up so nice and light in the bridle.  Even did some leg yield and side passing, remembered how to turn on the haunches and forehand with light aids.  She was an absolute angel.  I nearly cried.  Heck, I am crying right now.  I miss riding her so much!

Thank you Cody girl!  It might have only been a 15 minute ride, but it was worth every second of it!  You have no idea how much you made my day! 

And how much I love that beautifully expressive face of yours.  A noble steed indeed, befitting of the Duchess stature of that dress.

  

Thanks big girl!  I needed that.

And if all goes well, we'll do this again in the spring....in more appropriate riding gear, out on the trails, with Lady as the pony and you as my mount.  I hope and pray.

Yes, you can have some grass now!  You deserve it beautiful!

All photos (c) New Age Duchess Designs

Beware of Soapy Tails!

The other day I was washing Lady and Cody's tails, and of course they're swatting flies and leaving soap suds and conditioner here and there on their legs and coats and me in the process.  And it brought back a funny story about Wayne......

I took Wayne to a CMHA show up at the fairgrounds, and had him in the wash rack getting him all squeaky clean for the show the next day.  And with that long thick flaxen mane and tail of his and those flaxen feathers on his feet, it took a few shampooings and some elbow grease to get him show ready.  So there I am standing behind him, scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing and his entire tail in a full soapy lather, and one of those ginormous pontiac horse flies lands right on top of his butt!  You know, those giant one inch bombers that the horses go bananas about?

Wayne's tail went flying back and forth just as fast as it could go trying to swat that thing, and his back feet were doing the "get it off, get it off, get it off" dance!  When it was all said and done, and the fly was finally dead, he was covered in soap, I was covered in soap (and spitting out soap), everybody around us got a little soap, and my glasses were stuck in his tail.

Beware of soapy tails during fly season!

I sure do miss my little man......

Wayne babysitting a friends yearling colt, Summer 2003

Room with a view?

A little post I had written on my lunch hour at work back in November.  I had intended to post it after I got home from the barn that night, but that was the night I discovered Wayne's knee was giving out, and I knew I had to put him down.  So I was far too upset to even think about posting.  I found it while cleaning out my email today, so thought that I would share.  I still miss that little bugger........

Room with a view?

Unfortunately, no, Wayne's stall doesn't have a window to the outside world. The only stalls with windows are the ones across the aisle from him, and the windows are a little too high up for him to see out anyway.


Airs above the ground?

Not that that would stop him from looking out it, if his behavior in the past is any indication! The window in his stall when we boarded at Scheid's was too high for him to look out, but that didn't matter. If the window's too high, just stand up to look out it! I can't count the number of times he'd hear something outside, and go check his window, which gave him a nice view of the pasture. It was a pretty comical sight to see Wayne standing on his hind legs, front legs tucked and resting against the wall for balance, while he peered out the window to keep tabs on things. Of course, I never had a camera handy when I needed it.

But I guess when you're short, you find ways to make up for it. A little too smart for his own good at times. When he was stuck inside because somebody was turned out in the pasture at Scheid's that he couldn't be out with, it wasn't uncommon for him to stand straight up and pop his head up over the top of the wall to try to see what was going on in the pasture from time to time. Or, since they had open front stalls, he'd stand up on his hind legs, rest his tucked front legs against the top of the stall front, and hang his head out into the aisle to try to get a better look outside. Use the window to check one side of the pasture, hang out into the aisle to check the other side of the pasture. That one used to freak people out, because they always thought he was trying to jump out of his stall! Freaked me out the first few times too, till I figured out he was just having a look outside, then going back about his business.


Two step anyone?



I should have made him a trick pony. He can do a pretty nice Levade, just not on cue. Not only is he good at standing up, but he used to be good at kneeling down too. I haven't seen him do it much in the past 3 or 4 years, I think because of his bad knee, but in the past it wasn't uncommon to see him kneeling all the way down on his knees and reaching his head as far under the fence as possible to eat, because the grass is always greener on the other side! When his previous owner still had him and kept him in a tie stall, Wayne discovered the hole in the front of his stall under his manger by the floor, and we often caught him kneeling down and reaching through that hole to help himself to the hay on the other side. There was never any chaff laying on the floor in front of his stall. It was always licked clean in a nice little semi circle around that hole!

So probably a good thing he doesn't have a window in his stall right now! Just the hay door in the bars so he can hang his head out in the aisle to see what's going on.

I didn't do anything.....

Cutiest Christmas Present

Cutiest Christmas present ever.  This little guy was on my totes in the tack room at the barn when I went down to see the girls Christmas day.  I grinned like an idiot and cried all at the same time.  Thank you Sarah!  A plushie Wayne couldn't be more fitting! 

He even has feathers on his feet!!

May 2010



Merry Christmas

A little something.....

A little something on my tree for my little man. 

I miss you sweet boy!