Rest in Peace, Maggie. You will be forever in my heart.

Midnight Magnolia

May 8, 1978 - May 28, 2010

Thank you for all the wonderful memories, Maggie, and for the many times you saved my butt when you should have bucked me off and run away. You had tremendous patience with all of us young, dumb kids, and you never put a foot wrong. Your sweet, soft nickers of greeting, now quieted, will be greatly missed. Everyone who knew you loved you - the kind, gentle, bay mare Maggie. You can now rest in peace and no longer be in pain. God speed, Maggie. I love you.

With Dignity

This is a very hard post to write. At this point, I am struggling with saying good-bye to a very dear friend. My beloved Maggie turned 32 years old on May 8th. These photos were taken on her birthday. She still has a spark in her eye, yet she is in immense pain.


Mags never had the best conformation, and you can see how it caught up with her in age. She had a very long back and sickle hocks...but what she lacked in conformation, she made up for in brains and kindness. Maggie always knew we were stupid kids doing stupid things, so she took care of me. I don't recall her ever spooking at anything, other than a frisbee that was thrown over her head during a crazy grand entry of the rodeo one year. She had the right to spook at that...


From the photos, you can see she is wispy looking - much thinner than this time last year. She has slowed down so much, laying down a lot, getting the weight off her front legs. And you can see why:

Maggie bowed a tendon many years ago and strained the other tendons and ligaments in her front legs. You can see the swelling in both legs and how her fetlocks are almost touching the ground. Sometimes they do when she walks. Her back end is getting incredibly weak, so much so that she will walk sideways to keep from falling. So, after having our very compassionate veterinarian out to look Maggie over, we agreed it was time to allow Maggie to cross the rainbow bridge with dignity, rather than waiting for her to get down and not be able to get back up. Maggie is in so much pain, even with the doses of bute and Corta-Flex RX, there is no reason to make her continue to exist. She has out lived her body. However, this is still no easy decision to make.

Maggie has been a part of my life for a long time.

But it is time to let her go on to a place of rest, free from pain. She has had a wonderful life of 32 years and I am so blessed that she has been my friend for what seems like a very short time.

We will be saying good-bye this week, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Skippin Brandy

After we sold Maggie, we purchased Skippin Brandy (Brandy), April 4, 1989. He was a 16.1 hh, 4 year old registered Quarter Horse, with tons of chrome. Brandy had originally been bred to run barrels and had been trained on barrels up to the point we got him. He belonged to a friend of my trainer's. My trainer adored Brandy and loved working with him.



Here are some photos on the day we bought him. Not sure why my Dad used black and white film, but they are pretty cool. I'm 14 years old.

I'm still kind of in shock, as you can see from my facial expression. I can't believe I have this big gorgeous guy to call my own!

Notice the scar on Brandy's side, just above my ankle? A microburst (mini tornado) hit the barn Brandy was stabled in as a youngster and tore the barn to pieces. A piece of sheet metal cut his side wide open and he had to be stitched up. You could feel the stitch marks, even years later. It almost felt like a zipper in his side.

Brandy was by far the tallest horse I had ever owned. Buck was all of 12.2 hands and Maggie was 14.3. I remember feeling like I was sitting on a mountain, even though he really wasn't all that big!

I believe these next photos were taken about a week after he had been at the house.

His long bridle path was growing out, so he had a nice mohawk.

This was our favorite thing to do: ride the trails with my best friends!

After a bath:

Posing with another one of my wonderful horse buddies and her pony Sassy before the Jimmy Woffard clinic ~ approximately 1990.

(Ha! Here's a photo of my obnoxious pink and green cross country colors! I wonder what Mr. Woffard thought of my colors? :) It might be good I didn't know.) I enjoyed riding with him though and rode in a second Woffard clinic the following year.

Brandy was a trooper at this clinic. He was never really the best jumper and kind of just hurled himself over the fences. I wasn't good enough to make him get better, either. My leg was a bit short on him, too. :)

The cross country portion of the clinic:

The coffin didn't seem to bother Brandy at all.

The above photos were taken at the original Felicidad Farms in Pike Road. I LOVED this place and worked there for several years before this farm was sold and we moved to an incredible new facility closer to my home in Pike Road (like right in our back yard!).


These photos were taken at the 4H Open Show in either 1990 or 1991.

In the line-up with my great friend and her pony Sassy. I think we ended up with 2 seconds and a third in the hunter under saddle and over fences classes.

Below are photos from the only Pony Club Combined Training Rally I competed Brandy in ~ 1991:

Warming up with my friend for cross country.

Brandy did great on the cross country course. I can't find any photos of it though. I know I had some! He didn't trot out sound before the stadium phase, so we didn't get to finish the Rally.

He ended up with an abscess in one of his feet.

The photo below was taken with my beloved team mates during the awards ceremony at the end of the Rally.

I can't remember where the below photo was taken.

It must have been at a Pony Club meeting or something like that.

This photo was taken during a Pony Club show jumping clinic ~ 1992.

Brandy was a really nice horse, just the two of us never really clicked. One of the worst memories I have of him is taking him to hill top with the Midland Foxhounds with our Pony Club and he got so excited, he jigged the entire hunt. He got so wound up towards the end of the hunt that he began running backwards and ran over my trainer's huge 16.3 hand QH. It scared the mess out of me. I got off and lead him for the rest of the hunt. Poor thing - he was just so excited and wanted to run!

I ended up selling him to a fellow Pony Clubber in 1992, not long after the above photo was taken. They clicked well and she Pony Clubbed him successfully for many years. As far as I know, he is still in the Pike Road area. If I remember, I'll ask my farrier the next time he is out so I can give you an update!

After Brandy, we bought a fabulous guy named Hamlet. I can't wait to tell you about him!

For S (Horse Crazy Girl #1)

I know you are missing spring in the South, especially from the days of your roots,

so these are for you, Girl.

D and Sally with the azaleas

Photos of Dr. Thompson's old pasture:

The gravel road towards your old place:

The road to the big hay field:





I think they still store hay in this old building for the cows:



I was in Pike Road on Saturday and actually rode Tonto for a bit. As I was riding, it all felt so familiar; like when I used to ride Buck. The only thing missing from a perfect day were my horse friends, and I missed you greatly.

I noticed the field of buttercups and had to snap some photos for you.

Please come back and visit soon.

Love and Hugs.

Thank you Work in Progress

A fellow blogger, http://www.fyyahchild.blogspot.com/, was kind enough to share this award with me a few weeks ago.

I am very honored!

Work in Progress was a featured blogger on mugwump chronicles (http://mugwumpchronicles.blogspot.com/) and that is how I was introduced to her blog. I love Work in Progress, as we are similar in that we both have children, work full time, and both have a strong desire to continue riding. However, she has lived through some really rough times in her childhood and young adult life; things I could not even imagine. She has survived them and become a stronger, even more beautiful person. Fyyahchild blogs about her horses, her dreams, and sometimes her past, in a way that makes for a great and very interesting read. I can't wait to see how she succeeds with her beautiful new paint mare she is sharing with her niece.



For the privilege of receiving the award, I am supposed to tell you 7 things about me that you don't already know and pass the award on to 15 other beautiful bloggers. (I don't read 15 other blogs, but I'll share it with the ones I do read!)



Hum, 7 things you don't already know about me....or maybe you do. :)



1) My favorite color is green, yet I despise the color neon green. I love various shades of green, and Hunter green is a fav. When I was Pony Clubbing, my event colors were Kelly green and pink. They were obnoxious, but I liked them! :)



2) I am a graduate B from Pinchona Pony Club.


3) My favorite food is fried chicken, rice and gravy. The way my Momma makes it.



4) I love fresh vegetables. I have been known to sit down and polish off a whole head of Romaine lettuce by myself. No salad dressing required.


5) I love ponies. Don't get me wrong, I love horses, too, but there is just something about ponies...that strong-willed, often stubborn personality, makes me smile. As a short person, their small size is a plus for me. There is nothing that compares to a bond with a pony that "gets" you. Buck "got" me and we had an incredible partnership.



I have always admired Emerson Burr's ponies and grew up reading "The Pony Book, The World of Emerson Burr." Please forgive the ripped cover. It is very loved. :)





6) If I could have two wishes granted, they would be to own a pony farm as Mr. Burr did and never sell the ponies, only lease them to kids. I would also open a pony rescue. I feel ponies are often misunderstood. I think they are just a whole lot smarter than we are. :)




7) My dream is to ride again, without fear, with confidence and as an effective rider. Dressage.

Now to share this Beautiful Blogger award. The following are the blogs I visit on a regular basis because I enjoy them:

1) A Southern Girl in Vegas: http://vegasgrits.wordpress.com/. I read this one daily because we grew up together and I want to know what she's up to. Plus she is living her dream of owning and successfully competing her gorgeous Arabian in Dressage. She is also known to post some rather thought-provoking posts. :)

2) Braymere Custom Saddlery: http://braymere.blogspot.com/. This is another one I read daily. Jennifer makes custom tack for model horses and her work is exquisite. Oh, to own one of her tiny English saddles (and a bridle...girth, a complete set!)!! You must check out her blog whether or not you are a model horse enthusiast. You will be amazed.

3) It's Sunny in SD: http://fssunnysd.blogspot.com/. Sunny has a new job and doesn't have as much time to post as she used to, but I love her book reviews and the way she talks about her daily life with horses in South Dakota. She has a precious Arabian named Sunny, and cares for a whole herd that is bound to get into something interesting, fairly often. They recently purchased a horse for her husband, too. I have to thank Sunny for introducing me to Braymere Custom Saddlery.

4) Growing up in the Farmhouse: http://www.growingupinthefarmhouse.blogspot.com/. A fellow Pony Clubber who still rides and has a precious daughter who just got her own pony. I love to see what my friend is up to...right now she's in the midst of building a new house!

5) Dressage Mom: http://dressagemom.blogspot.com/. I admire this Dressage Mom. She has her goals set and is able to balance her riding with her family and work. She shares how she has been able to maintain this balance, which I really appreciate. Her Arabians are beautiful, and she is such a lovely rider.

6) Notes from the Squirrel Nest: http://buttercupgurl.blogspot.com/. I love this blog because she blogs about her older palomino, Buttercup, along with her wonderful menagerie of animals. They are all loved and so well cared for.

So, there we are, the Beautiful Blogger award has been passed on, to some very deserving blogs. :) I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I have. You may learn a thing or two from them as well!

Thank you for stopping by - Happy Riding!