Midnight Magnolia aka "Maggie"

It seemed like time to do another post on a beloved horse. Meet Midnight Magnolia, loving called Maggie. She is a registered Quarter Horse and is now 31 years old. I first met Maggie back in 1985 when a friend (Horse Crazy Girl #1 from an earlier post) owned her. She had several horses and would let me ride Maggie since my pony Buck was too much to handle at the time. This little mare was the gentlest, most level headed horse I have ever been around...and thank goodness for that because we did A LOT of stupid stuff with our horses when we were younger....

HCG#1 decided to sell Maggie in March of 1986. I had become so attached to her, I couldn't bear the thought of someone else owning her. My parents were kind enough to buy Maggie for me on March 22, 1986. That was the same day HCG#1 rode my pony Buck for me and got bucked off, breaking the growth plate in her ankle (I think that is why I can so easily remember the date...it was one of the greatest days and worst days of my life!). The break required several surgeries, then the doctors decided to take the growth plates out of both ankles. Poor girl, she was in 2 leg casts and a wheel chair for several months recovering from that ride.

Below is a photo of Maggie about 2 months after purchasing her. Not very conformationally desirable, but she made up for those conformation flaws with her kindness and sanity. She was exactly what a idiotic 12 year old needed and every parents' dream horse for their child.

Here is a photo of Maggie in December of 1987. I had brushed an incredible amount of prairie mud off of her and was so pleased with myself, made my Dad take some photos of a cleaner Maggie. I should have had him take "before" and "after" photos! Don't you love how I put her in a leather halter with a stud chain for her photo shoot? (what was I thinking??) Poor girl - if you need an example of "sickle hocks" or "long back," she is the poster child...

Here we are at HCG#1's barn in December 1987, getting ready for one of many trail rides. I must have lived in that sweatshirt...it is in several of these old photos!

Ready for another trail ride - HCG#1 and her big grey Jesse. That's HCG#2 riding double. We were all close friends and it wasn't until a little later HCG#2 got her own horse.


Here we are at our first horse show. I believe this was the summer of 1987, but can't remember exactly. I still have and use all of that tack!!!

Ready for our Hunter Under Saddle class!

(I wish I had realized my saddle pad was too far forward...)

A photo my Dad took in the fall of 1987:

Riding in HCG#2's future pasture early one fall morning:

In April 1988, I was preparing Maggie for another little open show in our area. As I wrote in an earlier post, I had bathed her and staked her out on a long rope to graze in the yard while she dried. I learned a hard lesson that day - you never stake a horse on a long nylon rope. They are not like dogs. Maggie got the rope wrapped around her back right pastern and just about sawed her foot off. I was heart broken and poor Maggie was in a lot of pain. Our wonderful vet came and cleaned the wound, wrapped it and taught me how to care for her. It took over a year for the wound to heal.

While Maggie was healing, I focused on riding my pony Buck. We figured out he bucked because he loved to jump. Once we concentrated on jumping, he never bucked again, and so began his show career in hunters and Pony Club.

Once Maggie healed up enough to ride, I decided it was time to find another horse. It was so hard making the decision to sell her, but my Mom knew a little girl who was looking for her first horse. Maggie was the perfect one for this little girl. So, in 1989, I sold Maggie. She changed ownership many times after that, but thankfully stayed in the Pike Road area, so I was able to keep track of her.

The girl I sold her to outgrew the "horsey" thing after a little while and decided to put Mags up for sale again. Another horse friend of mine bought Mags and didn't have a place to keep her, so we boarded Maggie for her for a while. It was nice to have her back "home" for a short time. When this friend got busy with school activities, once again Mags went up for sale. Another horse friend bought her for her daughter and Maggie went to live at the training/boarding barn where I worked. Once her children outgrew Maggie, she was sold to the lady who owned the barn for a lesson horse. Maggie stayed at this farm for several years, living a wonderful life getting loved on and teaching kids how to ride. Some how she bowed a tendon and had to retire.

It wasn't long after Maggie's retirement in 1996 that my shetland pony, Amber, was bitten by a snake and passed away. Buck was alone again, so the barn owner asked if I'd like to have Maggie back. It wasn't hard to answer that question! Since the barn was right behind our house, I walked over that afternoon and got Maggie. I put her in the pasture with Buck, they sniffed noses, sighed heavily and started grazing nose to nose. It was like Maggie never left our place. I was honored to be able to retire Maggie at our place. She deserved to live out her days in a forever home.

Every spring, once Maggie's winter coat had shed out, she broke out in the most amazing dapples!

Buck and Maggie were inseparable:

The below photo was taken after Buck lost his right eye to an injury:

Below is Maggie after her bowed tendon healed, approximately 1998. She was sound enough for some light riding and was kind enough to cart my son around, even when he was being a comedian. (and now I see what a bad Mom I am! No hard hat and no shoes on my kid!)

D all dressed up in his cowboy garb, loving on Maggie:

(the hotwire was off in case you were wondering...)

Maggie never gets a break - below she allows my daughter to sit on her.

She doesn't seem to mind as long as grass is involved.

The below photos were taken in 2007. Maggie was still up to light riding then, so D and I would ride around the pasture on occasion. (Look how short D's legs are compared to the last post!)

Maggie on her 29th birthday, May 8, 2007:

Photo of Maggie taken in summer of 2007:

The below photos were taken on Maggie's 30th birthday, May 8, 2008:

My son, B giving Maggie her birthday carrot:

She looks pretty good for 30!

More recent photos taken in February 2009:

Maggie and her little herd. She is still alpha mare (although it is hard to tell from this photo....)

Maggie and Filly staring at my children running through the pasture:

Occasionally Maggie has a burst of energy and takes of trotting. Her body sags a lot and she is thinner than I would like her to be, but overall she seems happy and healthy.

Most recent photo from a couple of weeks ago after spa day (Labor Day):

At 31, Maggie is doing surprisingly well. It seems as if her hearing and eye sight aren't what they used to be, but hey, for being 93 in "horse years," (according to our farrier) I guess it's to be expected.

Maggie used to be THE horse to trail ride on. I can't remember her ever spooking at anything. She was a fast walker and loved to go. She didn't care what direction you pointed her in, she was willing to go anywhere. Swimming was one of her favorite things, too. We used to swim in all of the local ponds during the hot summers. Several of us crazy horse girls would line our horses up in the water and swim circles around them. Like idiots, we used them as diving boards, but they stood there, so patiently, seeming to enjoy it. Thankfully my parents have been kind enough to keep Maggie all of these years later. Since she returned to our Pike Road farm in 1996, I have married and had 3 children. We all love Maggie so much and it will be hard to say good-bye when it is time. In the meantime though, Maggie deserves a special retirement home - and it's our turn to take care of her.

Time Sure Flies

Goodness, time flies. The below photo was taken March 7, 2009. This was the last time D rode his pony, Tonto. Finally, this past Saturday, D decided he wanted to ride, so we pulled the poor pony out, cleaned him up and got ready to ride. :)

I longed Tonto for about 10 minutes just to be sure he was not too full of himself. He appeased me by walking, trotting and halting on command, like he never missed a day of work. He sighed heavily each time we stopped as if to say, "Can we please get on with it?" Since he didn't so much as bat an eyelash wrong, I let D climb on. "Keep him at a walk," I said. "It's been months since you rode him last." D smiled.

Old Tonto marched off like a pro. It seemed as if he missed being ridden. The two walked in lots of circles and changed directions a bunch. We worked on halting, sitting up straight, quiet hands, heels down, straight line from bit to elbow. Check, check, check.

Now, looking at the photos, I should have dropped his stirrups a hole or two. The problem is, D's legs are getting so long that longer stirrups will let his legs hang below Tonto's belly!

Yep, it is hard to believe D is finally outgrowing Tonto. I guess it doesn't take too long to outgrow an 11.2 hh pony though...

The photo below made me laugh. D and Tonto hid behind my Mom's garden of zinnias. It is the end of their growing season and they are dying off. They sure were amazing this summer.

D and Tonto moved out to the front yard. There is more room to trot and they didn't have to avoid Maggie and Filly who were enjoying being loose in the yard.

The photo below shows how badly he needed his stirrups dropped. *Sigh.* My baby is growing up. And rounding his shoulders. He sure sits great in that saddle though - thanks a MILLION Horse Crazy Girl #1. (I loves you bunches.)

A couple of times around the front yard and a few short trots. They were both getting tired.

Too cute for words.

Look out Tonto...there is a little girl in line for you.....


I also worked Filly on Saturday. After longing her for a while, I decided I needed to climb on her. I climbed on, laid over the saddle, then got off. She turned her head around and looked at me as if to say, "Boy, it's been a while!" So, I climbed back on and rode her in a few circles. We didn't do much as I lost my nerve. We ended on a good note with no injuries. Maybe we'll do more next weekend. :0) (Dang, I've become a big Chicken.)

Maybe D is going to have train her afterall.

Well, Shucks

Do you ever feel like this?

Well, shoot. We've had to delay the landscaper for a bit, but hopefully we can get the hill work done soon. I want that grass to start growing before winter! I'll keep everyone posted.

Thanks so much S for the barn tips. I am making my list - stall mats are a definite need and at the top of my list.

I'll post more later when I have more time. Off to work now!

More Progress!

My dear hubby finished the wooden part of the fence on Sunday.

It looks awesome!!

The tree house got fenced in, but I believe we can make the slide go over the fence so the kids can still play in it. :)

Below is the view coming in our driveway.

I can just imagine Tonto and Filly's heads poking over the fence.

The gap is for a gate of coarse.

Below is a view from inside the pasture.

Up to the far right is the barn, but the house is in the way, so you can't see it...



Another view of the pasture. I'm loving it!

One more pasture shot...grass!
We have fenced approximately 3 acres.

Now the dreaded hill. We had a professional landscaper come out to share his advice and give us an estimate. He begins work on Friday!!!!!!
The plan is to terrace the hill with railroad ties and create a gradual slope so the water doesn't just rush over the hill as it has been doing.

No grass!

Daisy is standing in the majorly eroded part of the hill.

The photos don't really show the extent of the damage.


The two pieces of metal you can barely make out in the photo are part of a drain.

The landscaper is going to fix it so it will drain properly.

Below you can see where the erosion caused ruts in the dirt.

More photos of the ruts:

More bare dirt/gravel/exposed tree roots:

I can't wait to see what it looks like in a few days!

Next: the BARN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The plan is to make this into a 2 stall barn (approx. 14x14 stalls), with a center aisle and feed/tack room. (The ladder to the loft is removable.)

If you were making this into your dream barn, please share your "must haves!"

It is time to make my list so I will be ready when it is time to finish this baby!

Happy Labor Day! Bath Day for us!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day holiday! I enjoyed the day off from work - it was much needed!

Saturday was another bath day for the ponies. It has rained a lot the last few weeks, which is kind of strange for August/early September. Usually it is hot as hell and so humid it is hard to breathe. Not so lately! I'll take the rain and cooler weather any day over that hot, humid, sticky stuff! However, it makes for muddy ponies....and children...

This was my audience - they were wonderful helpers going to retrieve needed items from the garage. They also pointed out spots I missed on the horses, so they got to help scrub, too. :)

Filly; pre-bath: (looks a little less than thrilled)

Filly, post-bath: ("Okay, all clean lady. May I get back to the grass now?")

"What?! Another photo? How do you like this?"

"BOR-ing"

Filly's face. Besides the rubbed areas on her face, she now has a bunch of small bumps all over her cheek and part of her neck. It looked and felt like possible fire ant bites. I think she may have put her face in an ant bed while rolling or laying down.

I treated the whole area with TriCare. Poor girl.

After her bath, I tacked her up and lunged her in the pasture. No side reins again, but we worked on walk/trot/canter/halt transitions both ways for about 30 minutes. I didn't put D on her today. They were both too tired for extra work.

Tonto enjoyed his bath and his treats - my mom loves to ruin the ponies! :)

Clean and shiny pony - I didn't get any pre-bath photos.

I was trying to hurry as another rain cloud moved in.

You can tell it is getting dark from the photo. This was about 4 in the afternoon, but it was getting dark! (Should have used my flash.)

This one was so dark I highlighted it and changed the tone to sepia so you could see Tonto!

And last, but not least - old Maggie. (Pre-bath photo)

Her poor pasterns...I guess 31 years has put a lot of stress on them.

Does she remind you of a dachshund?

Post-bath. You can tell she feels better!

I am going to miss the warm weather - I love bathing the ponies. Too bad they don't stay clean for long. As soon as I turned them out, they all rolled and looked like pigs again!

Tomorrow I'll post an update about the fence and dreadful hill! Stay tuned!

Fun with the Ponies

We spent some time at my parents' house yesterday messing around with the ponies. The weather has been unusually cool lately, so I had the energy to get Filly out and work with her. We began by having a long brushing session, then I tacked her up and walked her around the yard. She is a bit spooky, so desensitizing is something she desperately needs. She was able to sniff the big blue tarp covering the lawn mower, then she spent some time checking out the big silver gas tank in the side yard. Filly relaxed and seemed to enjoy the attention once she realized the odd objects weren't going to eat her. Once she settled, I longed her for about 30 minutes. We worked on walk, trot, halt transitions; no side reins and no cantering this time.

She was very well behaved and quiet, so I put my oldest child on her, still on the lunge line. I had him work on walk/halt transitions and change of direction. They both did great and there was no silly stuff from Filly. After about 15 minutes, we called it a day.

Next, it was spa time. D and I gave Filly a good bath and painted her face and ears with Swat. Her sweet itch is at a minimum, and she didn't seem too miserable and itchy this time. I read an on-line article recently about putting a mixture of baby oil and scarlet oil on the mane and tail of horses suffering from sweet itch to prevent the midges from biting them. It sure seems to work! Below is a photo of her tail which has been treated with the mixture. She has not been rubbing in the last week, so her tail is growing back nicely.

Filly has rubbed her mane only a little bit - you can see how it is thin near her shoulders:



She has no sores or bare patches on her ears, shoulders and croup as she did before:

The dogs were in the woods, so Filly is in her alert stance:

A little more relaxed:



Close-up of her sweet face:

Once I turned Filly back out with Tonto, it started to rain.

Tonto playing in the rain:

He and Filly started running around like crazies as the rain came down harder.

They were too funny playing.

Had to take a break to graze:

Tonto checking D and me out to see what we were up to:

I didn't snap any photos of Maggie this time. Once it started to rain she was off to the barn.

All three are doing well, fat and happy.

Wasps!

We were out in the pole barn the other day and realized there were several BIG wasp nests. With lots of kids and animals around our place, someone was bound to get stung.

My dear husband took on the task of eliminating the buggers. He dawned full gear to prevent getting stung:

You should have seen our dogs disappear when he walked out of the house. Sam couldn't get out of there fast enough! I guess we can't count on them as being good watchdogs. It's a wonder he didn't just scare the wasps to death as well...

Anyway, B successfully took out all of the wasps - I believe there were around seven nests total - and didn't get stung one time, which I don't think would have been possible anyway with all of the wasp gear he had on....