Fun with Tonto

Saturday we had extraordinarily beautiful weather and extra time to play, so I pulled little Tonto out of the pasture. He wasn't sure what to think of that, it had been so long! He certainly enjoyed the long grooming session - hair was flying everywhere and there must have been at least a hundred hair packed wads from the curry comb surrounding him. It is definitely shedding season and this little guy has A LOT of hair to shed. I should have hosed his feet off - the mud sticks so badly. I look foward to warmer weather when I can wash his tail again, too.


Since we had a few hours to enjoy, I tacked Tonto up and the kids and I walked down the gravel road to the little creek that flows under the road to the front of the neighbor's property. I just led Tonto and let him get a good look at everything. He stood fairly patiently while the kids threw rocks into the water for about 30 minutes or so.

Once we were back home, I longed him for a while. He was very well mannered, remembering his walk, trot, and halt commands. He still doesn't know how to canter on the longe, something I hope I can teach him when we have more time to spend together...anyway, once he'd been worked and I felt he had all the bugs out, my daughter wanted to get on.

Tonto was very good and I was so proud of A! I led her around for at least 20 minutes or so, working on sitting up, soft hands and elbows, stopping, turning. This is the longest she has ever ridden and she truly showed an interest. She turns 5 tomorrow, so maybe she is finally maturing enough to focus longer than just a few minutes. I wanted to keep it fun and not bore her, so we stopped when she wanted to. Her little legs are so short, they don't reach below the saddle flaps!

It's time to get her some paddock boots and jodhpurs, it looks like! :)

I think it will be a few years before she outgrows Tonto...and that is a really good thing!

Tonto will be 14 this year, so as he ages, he continues to get better. He was quite green when we bought him over 7 years ago and rather skittish. He's had ample time to settle over the past several years.

I think they make a cute pair!

Tonto was enjoying a good neck scratch while Ashlee put her head on his neck. Mom snapped the photo as Ashlee was sitting up -

A is very proud of herself!


Then it was B's turn to ride. Yes, the shorts and dairy boots make a funny combo, but hey, he wanted to ride and I wasn't turning him down!

It's time for him to start riding Tonto regularly, too!

B had so much more confidence this time and wanted me to turn him loose. I still don't quite trust Tonto in the pasture and we don't have an arena, so I ended up putting him on the longe line so we could work on walk/halt transitions.

B is focusing on learning to turn:

(I wish I had been able to upload the videos. I believe the files were too large.)

It will be so nice to have the ponies in the back yard so we can play with them more than once every few months. I was thrilled that both A and B wanted to ride this time...and I was proud of them for listening to instructions. They tried so hard to catch on to what I was trying to explain. Maybe there is hope? :)

Happy Spring and Happy Riding!

March 22, 1986 (When Maggie came to live with us)

Today, 24 years ago, my parents bought my friend's horse, Midnight Magnolia aka "Maggie" for me. She was a registered QH mare, solid bay, 7 years old. Little did I know how much I would come to love this little mare.

Here are some photos of Maggie through the years.

1986

1987

(Later I learned how important a hard hat was)

The girl on the gray (in the saddle) is who I bought Maggie from (we just re-connected recently after many years!). The girl riding double in back is now a Nationally Ranked Arabian Sporthorse competitor (and still one of my VERY best friends of all time).

One of the few open shows I attended on Maggie. We did everything from English classes to ride-a-buck, to the arena race. She was game for anything!

Ha - I didn't have nice leather boots until the later years. These old rubber boots were great though! (and I still have that saddle and bridle...)

One of our many early morning rides:

I sold Maggie in 1989 to move to a bigger horse who I thought would take me through the ranks of Pony Club. He was wonderful, but proved to be a bit too much horse for me. I'll have to blog about him one day...

Thankfully, after I sold Maggie, she stayed in the area where I lived, so I was able to keep track of her. She changed hands several times and ended up at an eventing barn behind our house where I worked. She was a wonderful lesson pony and taught so many people how to ride. Once Maggie got older and it was time to retire her from teaching, the barn owner kindly gave her back to me so I could retire her.

1998

These photos were taken after Maggie came back home:

(I love, love, love her dapples every spring)

Here she is grazing with her best buddy, Buck. Buck and Maggie were the first 2 horses I ever owned. Buck was very sad when Maggie left in 1989. I still had Buck when Maggie came home in 1998. I led her into the pasture and just unclipped her leadrope. She and Buck ran up to each other, sniffed noses and Maggie sighed a huge sigh. They immediately dropped their noses and began grazing together. It was like Maggie had never left.

Here they are waiting on dinner:

Maggie being a trooper and graciously giving rides to my oldest:

(I know - no hard hat or shoes...He got a hard hat and paddock boots soon after he decided he wanted to start riding!)

2007

I believe this is about the last time anyone rode Maggie. Her eyesight and hearing are fading, so she is just a pasture pet now. This is her little buddy Tonto. Buck passed in 2001 and we went 2 years before buying Tonto. Maggie needed a buddy because she was getting lonely.

The photos below were taken on Maggie's 29th birthday:

2008

Maggie's 30th birthday:

2009

After her bath:

Winter 2009:

Maggie is one of those "special ones" that folks talk about. She has always been such a kind and gentle soul, never balking at anything I asked of her. She was never fancy, or had the best conformation, but the lessons she taught me growing up were priceless. She taught me patience, trust, kindness and gentleness.

Maggie is really beginning to show her age now. Amazingly, she will be 32 years old on May 8. She spends a lot of time sleeping, frequently laying flat out on her side. My poor Mom fears she is going to find Maggie dead any time now. But you know, that's the way I had rather her go. I'd rather not have to make the tough decision of putting her down, I had rather her pass peacefully in her sleep. Our wonderful vets check on her regularly and they always say the same thing, "You will know when it is time." I know I will, but again, I just really hope I don't have to make that decision.

Maggie was certainly one of the best decisions our family ever made.

Trip to Providence Canyon

Our kids were out of school on spring break this past week, so we took a day trip to beautiful Providence Canyon in Georgia. It is hard to believe this gorge was caused by poor farming practices in the 1800s. The layers of soil in the canyon walls were gorgeous. There were all kinds of colors - red, white, orange, pink, purple, gray...it was so beautiful, but a grand reminder of what poor erosion control can cause.





The trails were basically paths of water that seep out of the canyon. It was was sandy and the water was shallow. It made for fun hiking. B began collecting white balls of clay that had washed out of the canyon walls. He made a large ball of clay, then formed it into a mug!

Taking a rest after climbing the hills!

Before heading to the canyon, we visited a little town called Westville. I didn't post any photos, but basically it is a small town that has been recreated to reflect life and buildings of the 1800's. The mules were used as the part of the tour around the outside of the town. A and I both had to pose with them. (The poor mules needed a good brushing!)



The weather was absolutely gorgeous, perfect for being outside. There were some tired kiddos on the ride home!



I saw this house on the way to Westville, so we took a photo when we were heading back home. I thought it was beautiful, but I sure wouldn't want the job of cleaning it!


We actually had some horse time on Saturday and I'll post some photos and maybe a video or two if I can get blogger to work for me.

Mystery Saddle

This saddle was given to my Mother by my Grandfather many, many years ago. I believe he either bought it somewhere or it came with one of the horses he owned years ago. He always called it a WWII Japanese Calvary Saddle, but I have no idea what it is.

I am guessing the horn is either for a crouper or for a pack or something:

A photo of the underside of the "horn." Not sure what the square keeper is for.

Underside of the saddle. I wonder if it is stuffed with horsehair?

The billets have dry rotted. I am the one who broke them, unfortunately...I actually rode in this saddle a few times until we realized the tree was broken. My poor pony.


Below is one of the stirrups that was on the saddle when my Mom got it. I don't know if these were the original stirrups or ones added later. The detail is very simple, yet very beautiful.

Another photo of the back of the saddle:

This is one of those times I wish I had asked my Grandfather more about the saddle before he passed. I never asked where it came from or when he got it. He just always called it the "Japanese Calvary Saddle" and said it was used in WWII. There is no stamp or anything to even indicate what it is or when it was made.

If any of you know anything about this saddle or have seen one similar, would you please let me know? I've googled it, but haven't been able to come up with any info. yet.

Quick Update

Well, things are okay here, sorry for the last post being so cryptic. I've gone back to work full-time and hubby is pursuing new job interests; therefore, we are putting the barn on hold and other things that we can live without right now. With one child playing soccer and our other two playing baseball, things are really hectic (but fun!) right now.

I spent some time with the ponies this past Sunday, just brushing them and loving on them. I longed Tonto for a little while and he was fantastic. Even though I haven't worked with him in months, he still remembered all the walk, trot, halt commands and was a little super star. I am dying to work with him, especially since spring is approaching. Maybe by next spring he will be home.

Hubby has put lime on the pasture and has done small things to help improve the pasture, so there is a little progress. The longer the new grass has to establish, the better the field will be.

I hope all of you are finding the time to ride and enjoy spring! I am so ready for some warmer temps!