6/411: I decided that I might not get out to any shows this year. I'm a dressage rider and the thought of not showing is life-altering. Add to that the fact that I have 2 young horses who need to get out to see the sights. It may not happen. So I accepted that and rode "just for fun" yesterday. And did my first quarter turn of a pirouette in canter! It's amazing what you can do when you just relax!

2/10/11: I'm a native Floridian who loves Michigan, all year round...except maybe this year! I like a little snow. I don't mind a couple of weeks of really cold, single digit weather. I don't expect to get through the season without ice. BUT. I have NEVER experienced a winter which started with snow in December, the snow stayed and more snow after more snow after more snow came on top of that. And cold temperatures week after grinding week! Whine, whine, whine! It's almost over, thank goodness! Our boarders are wonderful, our barn helpers are doing an incredible job in this weather, and the horses are fat and well behaved for the most part (some of them have chewed a few fences because the cold is squeezing the sugar and sap right out of the wood...and they're bored since they can't even get down to the grass below the snow anymore). The barn stays warm because we close the doors before sunset. The buckets hardly ever freeze. Sigh. What am I whining about? All is well!
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
* Walking through the arena, looking at hoofprints and smiling because I see that horses hooves make peace signs wherever they walk.
* I love the sound a happy horse makes when it blows softly through the nostrils while eating hay. It's kind of a bubbly noise.
* I also love the sound water makes running from the hose into their waterbuckets.
* I love a freshly cleaned, well-bedded stall.
* I love the exceptional efforts my partner Mike makes when things need repairing in the middle of a blizzard or a thunderstorm. He amazes me.
* I love watching a horse develop: whether it's a horse who came into our barn undernourished and became healthy or a young horse who grew up in our barn going through basic training and becoming a riding horse.
* Then there are the horses we've "rescued" over the years. It's wonderful to see them turn corners in their training, in their health and find new, loving homes...
* I love watching the young people in our barn grow up. It's a gift to be able to share their life in a small way, through our barn. It's fun to experience their hair colors, clothing choices, boyfriends and girlfriends and interesting to watch how they handle the problems life brings. Our young people have taught me a lot. And Zoe said something the other day that is soooo true: "When you don't expect kids to be little adults, you can really enjoy them!" And learn from them. Like horses, they teach us patience, forgiveness and each day is a gift!
...enough for now. TTYL!

10/21/10: On taking your horses home:
Congratulations! You are about to get closer to your horses than ever possible in a boarding stable! You will be able to know them as you never knew them before!
Unlike keeping your horses at a boarding stable, your horses will probably be out most of the day and only visit the stall when you come home from schooll, to be grained. That's wonderful for them and easy on your mind when you're busy.
Make sure your pastures are big enough to accomodate 2 horses. Otherwise, your beautiful green pasture will turn to dirt or mud. And always pick up the manure in your pasture, not only for the unsightliness of large piles of poop laying around everywhere but, if you don't remove the manure, you will find that your horses won't eat the grass that grows there next year! It will be bitter from the manure and the bitterness takes a while to leave the ground. If you'e lucky and your horses are neatnicks, they will help you by placing their manure in only one area area of their pasture, but don't count on it. Neatness is pretty rare in these beasts!
In addition to cleaning pastures and stalls, you will be washing water buckets (and thumping out ice in the waterbuckets in the winter), hauling in hay, feed, and shavings (didn't know those little bags were so expensive, did you?), constantly fixing stall matts, cleaning the fly poop off those beautifully painted stall walls and mowing the weeds down in the pastures in the summertime (because horses don't eat weeds and if you don't mow the weeds, the grass they love won't grow). You'll have to spray your horses throughout the day in the summer, if you don't use fly sheets, because those 7-day sprays last about 4 hours in real life!
After you've cleaied the stalls and pasture, gone to the local feed store for grain and 10 different varieties of supplements and treats, gone to the local hay farmer for hay and held your horses for the farrier and vet, you have time to ride. But it's raining. Or it's too hot. Or it's too cold. Or no one is around to ride with you.
So you sit on your lawnchair and watch the horses eat grass or hay, lazily switching flies or ducking thier heads behind their rumps to avoid the cold winter winds and try to track down your riding buddies by cell phone. Someone's gotta be itching to ride, right?
But no one's home or answering their cell. Humm. I'll bet they're riding at the boarding stable. You could trailer out for a lesson, but you don't have a trailer yet...or you have one, but it has a flat tire.
Nevermind: Dobbin just cracked the lower board on the fence and it has to be repaired. Then it will be time to grain. Ride tomorrow. Maybe.
THIS PIECE WAS WRITTEN TO TEASE 2 OF OUR BOARDERS WHO ARE TAKING THEIR HORSES HOME: JERALYN AND KELLY! CONGRATULATIONS, GIRLS! YOU'RE IN FOR A GREAT TIME IN YOUR LIFE, ALTHOUGH IT WON'T BE AS YOU IMAGINED IT! (BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!) Seriously, you will love it! But you will miss us!!! You'd better because we will miss you! :-(

9/28/10: Imagine being so hungry that your body has eaten most of your muscles to stay alive. Imagine the dull ache of hunger that is with you every minute and has become all that you feel. Your eyes have sunk into their sockets and are grey and unseeing. You cannot breathe deeply and there is no reason to. There is no joy in the sunshine, even though it is warm and your body is cold. There is only the contant hunger that is a pain you cannot escape. You do not understand what you have done to deserve this constant torture.

Sorry. I had to write that. I recently re-claimed a walking skeleton of a horse who had been a hero in his lifetime. He had patroled the streets of Detroit and given joyful, safe rides to children after his retirement from police work. He deserved to be treated as a king in his last years. Now he is fatter, but his hips are weak and his hearing is gone. He's happy. He jogs in his tottering old man way and sometimes scares us with a canter. He is turned out with the minature and the pony. The pony loves him and tries to play halter tag! He rolls in the dirt and struggles to get back up. No shaking off the dust, though. When the weather gets cruel and Bubba's bones ache, we will probably lay him down to rest. He had a good summer.

7/28/10: The horse world is such an emotional place! The wrong word or the wrong move at the wrong time can cause horsepeople to "loose it". I've experienced 2 instances of huge emotional reactions to small actions in the last 2 days and it's making me wonder why some horsepeople have such a reactive nature. I think back to other incidences of emotional over reactions and I am reminded of the time when a boarder actually fainted when another boarder pounced on her, yelling . Experiences like these leave you stunned at the sudden and intense reaction to what was a simple and ordinary event. I don't think that the "outside world" is that intense, but I could be wrong. Anyway, it's probably no accident that my dressage trainer is also a pschiatric nurse!

7/5/10: Just a word about the point system vs percentages, as in dressage shows:
We know that the most talented or the smartest don't always succeed in their endeavors in life. It's the most stubborn, nose-to-the-grindstone, enduring souls are the ones who succeed and take home all the rewards, while the talented, smart ones are out there loafing somewhere. Well, the point system in dressage shows is like that. Points are earned by placings ate each show. Percentages are earned by one a few placings at one or a few shows. The person who shows at every show will succeed! They are showing in hot weather, cold weather, rainstorm or wind. They will be the ones who learn the most, earn the most and move on to the next level. Hooray for the point system! It makes us better!

6/18/10: Warm, breezy, sometimes wet or humid anhot summertime! Welcome, summer!

6/2/10: Look at that: 5 months since I've blogged! Did you miss me? Needless to say, (but I'll say it anyway) we've been busy. We added 5 stalls and re-modeled what used to be our hay storage area. Now that area is almost a barn itself! - It stores hay, sawdust, tack lockers and is home to 5 horses...I'd tell you more, but, you need to come for a visit!

As always, we are full! Our boarders range from folks with retired horses who are pets, trail riders, 4-H kids, young people in their twenties, women raising children, avid dressage riders, intense western/all-around show folks, and retired (who are they kidding?) folks pursuing their passion with horses. With all this diversity, we don't have time for cliques, drama queens or rumours. But we DO have NUTS like the owner, who think that life revolves around the HORSE. Granted, sometimes "real" life happens, but we just say "Thank goodness I have a horse!" Be sure to check out our show results page for this year!

1/118/10: Wow! So much has happened since we wrote here last! We've been so busy that we've been too tired at night to blog! That's gotta stop! We need to talk!!! Okay: I'll get everyone caught up on the news at GEC!

Our high school students didn't last! The first one quit a few weeks into the course, saying that she wasn't about to clean a sheath (She wasn't asked to - wej ust thought they should know about it. It's part of the horse's care, if you have a gelding. You can certainly let the vet do it, but you SHOULD KNOW about it!) and that she wanted to train and ride, not learn about hay, bedding, feed, daily care and maintainance.We told them when they came here that it was a BOARDING STABLE and that people pay us to care for their horses so THEY can ride them! We promised them a thorough education in the many types of hays available and their benefits/drawbacks, the kinds of feeds and the advantages/disadvantages of each, how to run a stable, what your business plan should include, how to maintain safety, and so on. Our point was that, even if they wound up as the "trainer" and rider, they need to know the difference between good and inadequate care. It will make or break them as trainers, we told them!

The second girl hung on for another month, but thought her abilities were being wasted. She was asked to leave...Sigh.

We had our Fun Freestyle show and it was a blast! You can see clips from it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQNiq6f6dnE
We will do it again in October, 2010! Some of the girls are picking out new songs already!

In January, Jack and Megan returned. We are SO happy they are back with us! You will meet Megan and Jack when we create our "Meet the Boarders" pages. We are also working on our "Meet the Trainers" pages...

Our second book: Learn to Ride! came out in late 2009. Learn to Ride! is a workbook aide for teaching kids ages 6-12 to ride, but adults say they enjoy it too! You can buy it here at Amazon.com or from us!

Thanks for checking up on us...We promise to blog a bit more often in 2010!

9/23/09: I never really thought about a "career"...I just do the things I love. But we have 2 high school students who work with us for classroom credits and I found myself defining the difference between “work” and “career” for them,.

I told them: “Work” is effort applied to accomplish a task or produce a product in exchange for a compensation. “Career” as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is an individual’s “course or progress through life...” I think the keyword is “life” in this distinction between the words “work” and “career”. Work can be left at the place where it is accomplished by punching a “clock”, closing a door or by exchanging a product or labor for compensation. A career is a passion carried inside a person as a part of their personality and life-history. It defines how they think, act and live and is so persistent that the person cannot be defined without the career. Work, on the other hand, can take many forms and is inconsistent, though often life-long.

“Work” is dictated by necessity, whereas “career” is dictated by passion. “Career” is the seed of greatness in our cultural heros and superstars. if the seed germinates and matures, it defines our leaders and superstars. If the seed is not present, or fails to flourish, there is only “work”. “Work” is finished when the task is done or the hours accomplished.

“Career” carries with it a passion that's hungry for knowledge and development. It never rests and any opportunity to enhance itself is seized. It is never finished.

At GEC, we will always be passionate about the care of our horses. Our motto and the sign that hangs on our feedroom door says:

EXCELLENCE can be attained if you...
CARE more than others think is wise...
RISK more than others think is safe...
DREAM more than others think is practical...
EXPECT more than others think is possible.

That's my life-motto and the way GEC is operated!

8/09: Maria returned. She is so different. She is out-going, smiling, but still works hard and has many problems. The horses are her peace. She spent 3 weeks with us and was a lot of help and created a lot of worry. At 15, life is not easy. Even if you have 2 parents and a great family behind you, sometimes life is just plain hard. M has a lot of relationship and emotional problems. She is a good student, a pretty girl, and a quiet, patient rider. Hang in there, M! Life can be so good and happy. Make the right choices, Avoid trouble and anger. Don't be tempted by drugs and alcohol. Be honest and laugh a lot. Don't be a follower...do only those things that you know in your heart are right.

7/7/09: Our boarders often visit other boarding stables. They are often surprised at the difference between farms. Some say there is no pasture left at other farms. Some report that they pastures are over-grown with weeds. Some say the flys are bad.
* We brush-hog our pastures a couple of times a year to keep the tall grass and weeds down. Horses prefer short, new grass. Also, we try to keep the horses off muddy ground. It's not good for the pastures or their legs (and the loss of shoes and the problems that brings).
* We use Fly Predators to control the smaller fly population. It works!) But I was puzzled to learn that the green-eyes are bad at other farms, but not so bad at our farm...
* So I was thinking about that. At most farms, the horses are out most daylight hours. At our farm the horses are out longer if it is cool and windy and shorter times when it is hot, sunny and they are more prone to bugs. Well, there's the answer! Most farms are hreeding horseflys! Yep, by keeping the horses out and exposed to the horseflys, they are actually feeding and breeding horseflys. Dang. And the fact that we are willing to put on fly sheets and fly masks and use fly spray...It helps!

*** It'a all about the horses. We have a great stalff who do a wonderful job! Thanks to them, the horses are comfortable and happy. Thanks to our boarders for caring!***

5/11/09: Announcing plans for a Musical Ride Exhibition! Our boarders and trainers will put together rides to music and perform in a public exhibition at GEC! The public is invited to come and enjoy the rides for a small fee, which will be used as paybacks to the winning riders! The public will also be the judge and will cast votes for riders! There will be musical rides in English and Western disciplines and all will be in costume! We will be doing this in August, so stay tuned!

6/1/09: Spring is here! Our Spring Warm-Up Shows are concluding this Sunday. Our Spring Fun Show was so much fun that we will be having another Fun Show soon. We haven't been able to keep up with the blog because we have been so busy! Our stalls are full, hay is available at a high, but not outrageous price, grain has increased in price and so on... We've decided to start a GEC News page to keep boarders and the public informed of happenings at GEC.

2/5/09: It was 15 degrees below zero this morning...It was 5 degrees when I gave last hay at 10 PM last night and I doubled the amount fed. This morning only the pony nickered "FEED ME!" when I got to the barn! Some of the horses took a long time to finish their morning hay, so I guess they had enough fiber. I always increase fiber consumption in cold weather because I know that fiber digestion is what keeps horses warm. And that means more water. And more poop. And more sawdust to be brought in...Oh, well. Work keeps us warm!

2/1/09: This is definately the worst winter I have ever experienced in Michigan. I've been here since 1979. I can't remember a more trying winter. The snow has been beautiful, but the cold and the wind are hard on the workers. They, on the other hand, have been wonderful! No horse can be happy without good care. Our help is the best!
...Owners have'nt been able to come out as often as they would like and the horses miss their company. But, on the other hand, horses don't know about "ownership" and they think: "That's the person who feeds me, that's the person who cleans my stall, that's the person who rides me, that's (oh, no!) the vet!" Or maybe horses think they own us! After all, they get meals served to them, their room cleaned, we groom them, massage them, parade them in front of our friends...certainly...they own us!

1/17/09: After several days of below zero temperatures, now they are telling us we can expect 8 inches of snow! This winter has been a trial. In late December and early January, we had problems with turnout because there was so much ice in the pastures. Then we had snow and a few days when half the pastures were safe for turnout. Now this. The horses, of course, don't know anything except that it's cold and they're getting more hay and some wonderful timothy pellets too! Their owners can't get out to see them as much, so I tell the help that they are probably the most important person in that horse's day and to make sure that they say "hi" and give them a scratch. During the week, Monday through Friday, we make sure the horses get out in the arena to play. But when the boarders come to ride, they have first priority. So some nights, we're still turning out horses after midnight! Don't visit the barn, though, if you see they lights on. Remember that the guard dog is out, doing it's job.

1/7/09: Happy New Year! It feels like it's gonna be a good year! Our barn is full, the horses are fat and warm. Our boarders are the best! However, I have to admit that this winter has been the worst that I can remember for a long time! Because of the ice in the pastures, we are afraid to put horses outside (a neighbor had a horse down on the ice for 8 hours. Why 8 hours? I don't know. There was an army of us ready to help when we finally heard about it and within an hour, the horse was up. Please don't hesitate to ask for help. Everyone wants to help an animal in need...) and spend all arena free time getting horses out in pairs to exercise and have a little horsey social life. It works well for us.

12/5/08: Well, back to the blog...after spending more time than imagined on our first book (RoadApples... buy it on Amazon.com soon) I am back to normal - which means still busy with other things, that's all: time for Christmas portraits to be completed, taxes to be computerized, websites to be updated and corrected and website jobs to be completed. And the horses are inside more often now and need more attention!
Happily, our barn is full. Three area barns have gone back to the bank within the last year. It's a tough business. There is a lot of competition. Location is crucial. Care is usually the breaking point. At GEC we feed horses like horses are made: small meals throughout the day. That's a lot of labor. It's a labor of love. We do other things not usually found at boarding stables: blanket and un-blanket, according to the weather, shoe check, free fly spray, etc. We will always think of the horses first. That's a promise! More later...

10/2/08: We gave inhalation strangles innoculations on Tuesday. Some of our horses became cranky or nervous and one had loose poops and was lethargic.

9/29/08: Sometimes "real" life takes over. We can't ride our horses enough...we can't even go see them often enough. It's frustrating. We feel guilty: we've let ourselves and our dependent animals down. It happens to everyone. Just remember this: no one is perfect and no one's life is perfect. Do the best you can and enjoy whatever you are obligated to do, whether it's housework or homework, fixing the car or mowing the lawn...or worse. All we really have in life is the moment we live in. Don't waste it with guilt and frustration. Let yourself relax and live! It's all there is! (Consider the alternative?)

8/28/08: Did you ever smell the color of horses? Seriously. A grey horse smells one way and a bay horse smells another way...a red bay horse smells different than a brown bay horse. A pinto smells different in the different colors...maybe that's why flys seem to gravitate to dark horses - they have a stronger smell. Try it. When no one is looking, smell your horse. Then go smell a different color horse. Interesting...

7/26/08: Some people say horses mirror your soul or project your personality.
Hummmm...Well...
My first dressage horse, Abe, was spooky and insecure. Maybe I was. My 2nd dressage horse was anxious and sweet. Maybe I was. My 3rd dressage horse takes no flack from anyone. He's the boss. Well, I run the farm. I guess I'm the boss. Hummm...My young horse is beautiful and energetic, elegant and happy. Hummm...I'm old, tired and...happy. Okay.

7/26/08: Things a boarder might never know:
How it feels to constantly have hay embedded in your underwear and socks...
How it feels when you feed, do turnout and clean 34 stalls and a boarder asks: "Are you gonna ride?"
It's ironic how you work hard to become successful so you can get the things (horses) you want and then you are so busy being successful (working hard) that you don't have time to enjoy them...I
wonder how much time Martha Stewart has to spend with her beautiful Friesians...

Young Job Applicant: "I'd LOVE to work with horses! Do you need any help?"
Me: "Sure! I need fences painted and a whole lot of weed whacking done!"
Silence. Then: "Oh. Do you need any help in the BARN?"
Me: "Sure! I have 34 stalls to clean every day and all the rubber mats in the stalls need to be removed so we can put in pea gravel to level the floors!"
"Oh." Then: "Do any horses need to be ridden?"
Me: "No. These horses are owned by boarders who are working hard all day long so they can come out in the evening and on weekends to enjoy them."
"Oh."

7/25/08: Now that I'm old (That's anyone over 50, folks!) Summer is an event to be relished. When I was a kid, summer was long hot days of boredom...

7/24/08: Attitude. It's everything. Amazing how one person's attitude can affect everyone. We are looking forward to September when someone very special will come to board with us. Her positive attitude and energetic nature will make everyday better for all of us! Stay tuned!

7/21/08: Today Misty ate a banana. She thought it was a carrot, I'm sure, because her mouth was FULL of carrot, so she grabbed the banana and gave it a bite. And chewed it up! The owner, Matt and his friends tried to give Misty more of the banana, but she spit it out. And dived in for more carrots. Thank you, Matt, for loving Misty, and Thank you Sam for giving her a home with us, even though you live 2 hours away.

7/14/08: There are 2 types of horsemen: Those who love horses and those who love riding. Most of us are a blend of both. If you love horses, you will study the discipline your horse prefers. If you love riding, you will sell an unsuitable horse and get one who can fulfill your ambitions.

7/01/08: About turnout. Of course we want the horses turned out. Every day. But the reality is that the bugs are bad in July and August and this year is full of rain and thunderstorms. Turnout is good for their minds, legs and for the budget...It cost more in sawdust, hay and labor if they are inside all day. But the reality is that the horses are miserable in heat and buggy conditions and prefer their stalls and fans! So we limit turnout time on somedays. We get them out early and in early.

No boarding situation is ideal. If we had our horses at home, we could cater to their needs in our own way. And we could do all the work ourselves. And not ride. That is the way it becomes when people get their own farm and ride according to the weather and on the roads...and they miss their friends at the boarding stable.

6/15/08: Every spring everyone worries about hay. It's too wet, it's too dry, there wasn't enough cold weather to grow the alfalfa...But this year there's a new reason to worry: gas prices...