Story courtesy of Chronicle of the Horse. 
Cat running through the jump ring at WEF
See more stories at http://www.chronofhorse.com/
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News flash –
Great story tomorrow. I thought Sims was a big yearling wait until I saw this. Spoiler alert – he’s amazing!
As always, thanks for riding along.
Kendyll and Jordyn Easter egg hunting
Ally and her girls
Well I was messing up eggs and eating less than perfect pies, my daughter Amber in Denver, was making these beautiful little bird nest with Robin’s eggs in them. Like the candy Robin eggs not the real ones. That would be messy. Clearly, somebody has skills I do not.
Jordyn was so excited to go out after dinner and show us all how she could canter Snowboy. But my neighbors chose just that moment to start a giant shooting competition, as in with shotguns, obliterating any chance of the horses or dogs having a sane moment from there on. A little disappointing but I guess it’s life in the country.
Today Lauren had the day off at home and called breathlessly to tell me that she had just killed a snake in the backyard. So I complain about the neighbors shooting their guns and then my daughter takes nine shots to kill one snake. Her dogs maybe traumatized for life (and the snake definitely is!). I told her she could’ve just taken the shovel to the snake’s head but she did not think that was the way to go.
She also thought it was a good idea for me to have to clean up the body and get rid of the snake when I got home. What is that about?
Then she sent me a text to let me know she was about to get on Betty Sue. We do this as a safety measure to make sure one of us is always aware of the other is riding we are alone. In fact, just today I saw an IT presentation about these new bands that are not unlike the thing that old lady wears (could be me!) and acts out the part of “I have fallen but can’t get up!” but much smaller and more efficient. I couldn’t help but think how wonderful they would be if you were riding a horse or hiking by yourself. But in the meantime I gave Lauren 45 minutes to ride Betty Sue before I would call Life Flight. Fortunately that went well. Betty Sue did her first set of trot poles.
Doberman Kena says she’s just pretty tired of the whole thing. In fact she’s just pretty tired.
It has been a wonderful time for me to establish being a writer again. When I left high school, I rushed off to college, as some of you may remember, just 17, because I wanted to go to journalism school. And I did! Just one tricky thing, I didn’t realize I’d actually have to live in New York City to to be a journalist. At least for the most part anyway.
My heart was never in the city. That certainly has not changed.
I did a stent in radio broadcasting short-lived while I was in college, but an on the air personality nonetheless. I even had my own show on national public radio (NPR). It was called “People, Places and Issues”.
I love that stuff. I like the sound of my own voice. Who doesn’t. But I like to write and I’m glad I found a few of you, maybe four or five, that actually like to hear what I have to say so this will not be the end. I’ll try, no, no I will write four times a week. And keep you up to date with everything that is Cindy and Six Meadow Farm.
Wishing you a fond farewell tonight and a wonderful Easter morning tomorrow or just a beautiful day if Easter is not your holiday. May you feel the resurrection of life as spring makes its way forward on the east coast and Midwest. Summer is already well entrenched here in Texas.
Hail the festival day!!
And thanks for riding along for Lent and beyond.
Dawn and a John Deere.
Camille and I getting ready to leave for my mothers funeral Denver Colorado 2014
One thing I could always count on with Camille was that she would tell me the truth. Like it or not, and I came up with some pretty crazy schemes back then like let’s jump on the sled triple, one laying on top of another and go down the steepest hill at night without lights!! Yikes that was brilliant. Like the Times I suggested we walk miles in the woods with no clear idea where we were. We were lucky we were never killed. Couple of years ago when my mother died Camille spontaneously decided to show up at my mother’s funeral in Colorado. My daughters thought I was nuts to have just invited someone that I hadn’t seen for 30 or 40 years to stay at the house with us but I knew it would be OK and it was. She was the first one to see Betty Sue, riding along with me bringing some sunshine to Colorado in the horribly dark days of my mother’s death.
And this morning I got a message from Camille. I thought I would share with you. Here it is.
Hi!
So I have read all of your Lenten posts. Lots of soul searching going on. Your cruise seems like it became an opportunity for your girls to love you and be “helpful” by pointing out your flaws and life errors. Our adult children like to do that… I think they feel that talking about our errors of the past, will get fixed in conversation. No. Stop beating yourself up. Do you know what I admire about you? You have raised three girls into lovely women, almost singlehandedly! You have followed your dreams. You have horses and animals and a home. You are extremely successful at your job. You are not afraid to share some of your innermost fears do feelings and analyze yourself in a public forum. I couldn’t do that.
Ok, so you had to stop having boarders. I know a big disappointment, but you can only do so much, especially when you are alone. Good decision, but a tough one, I’m sure.
Your health issues have me concerned… medication, blood pressure… your thumbs, your back. Please take care of yourself and stop doing too much. I plan on our friendship continuing to last a very long time!
So today as the days of Lent come to a close I pray for the sanity to listen to Camille and all those that wish me well. I am, I know, my own worst enemy.
Thank you for riding along. You all mean the world to me. God bless.
Kid, my poodle and I circa 2013
Three years ago today in the little front range mountain town of Longmont, a perfect buckskin pinto filly was born. This town, miles from where I went to college at Colorado State and an even shorter disxtance from my daughter’s home in Brighton was just the right sort of coincidence I love and cannot refuse.
From the moment this baby caught my eye, I was gone. Buckskin being my favorite color and having the breeding and movement to really be a contender for Lauren. We bought her sight unseen.
Today, exactly three years to the day, Betty Sue came home from her first trainer. First, Lauren under Trapp’s tutelage is a more confident, precise rider and second Betty Sue while quick and handy was not silly or difficult. Watching Lauren take the mare to the mounting block for the first time and quietly lift over herself over the baby’s back was awesome. I was holding back tears.
Huge points to Kurt Kelso the perfect cowboy to start a perfect girl towards her dream job of competing her way through the young jumpers across United States. We are so excited to be putting this horse on track for future development
Betty Sue was lunged and ready to go
It’s a big ring for a little girl!
And they are off
Beautiful Canter!
Big dreams in a small town
HUGE DAY FOR US!!! SO GLAD YOU COULD BE A PART OF IT,
Thanks for riding along!
No horse show is complete without one last look at the horse show photos. A team of photographers has spent the entire show; running from ring to ring, catching rider after rider, and jump after jump, riders in their best clothes, in their best position, for their best hopes of winning.
And part of the Horseshow tradition is to be inside the trailer where the horse show photos are being exhibited on a computer and picking out your favorites. While I have personally never had the money to buy all the photos of my horse in a given show I know there are a lot of riders that do.
Lauren and I pick out one or two maybe three at a really big show and we really gotta love the photo to get it. An individual photo may cost $40 or $50 minimally. So here are our two first pics from the Pin Oak show -this is Lauren Davis and Stanislaus otherwise known as my Lauren and her Ky.
Thanks as always for riding along.
I have seriously tried four, unique, different approaches to writing tonight. Nothing is working. Either from a technical standpoint or from a Cindy’s head standpoint, nothing is going right.
I went with plan number five. That was a blog I had read Monday and thought was pretty terrific. After watching NBC telecast the world cup from last week, I was amazed again at the grit and determination of the riders to win. Competitiveness fosters a lot of things for us. Many times, it is innovation.
Here is tonight’s blog. Enjoy.
by Sunil Bali, 26-03-2017
Rucci was born into a family of grape farmers, but was always much more interested in mechanics and engines.
Rucci realized that the productivity of his farm would be far higher if he had a better, more reliable tractor. So he decided to build one.
His tractor was so good that other farmers wanted one. Rucci’s tractor business grew quickly bringing him considerable wealth. So much so that Rucci treated himself to a very expensive sports car.
Although he loved his sports car, it frustrated Rucci, as he found the ride unnecessarily rough and the transmission unreliable.
Given his expertise of building tractors which were reliable, robust and more comfortable than any other tractors, Rucci wrote to the owner of the luxury sports car firm offering his advice.
A few days later, Rucci received a very curt and dismissive reply from Enzo Ferrari telling him that he should keep his advice to himself and stick to building tractors.
Angered by Ferrari’s response, Ferruccio “Rucci” Lamborghini decided to grab his bull by the horns and design his own car.
The horse and the bull have been rivals ever since.
ps. The tractor in the photo is a Lamborghini tractor. And One I would be proud to drive.
Lauren headed down our driveway as she made her way over to Nancy’s house. We had determined Nancy had a better location for the photo shoot then we did.
Lauren still dressed in her whites from the horse show classic she did earlier in the day with Snowboy, Kendyll and Jordyn
I swear Lauren has been at a horse show for the last 100 years. I am very proud of the progress she and Ky have made as they have scampered up through the divisions. But I also often feel like the wife whose husband is off traveling to the grand destinations while the wife’s is left at home to cook, clean, mow, and care for the animals. And the days Lauren shows here in town just complicate things further as I desperately want to be watching her and the rest of the TKO team, but need to be doing my chores, too.
Anyway, what this is all leading up to is that Ally planned for her photographer and friend, Elvia, to come take some pictures of the girls with spring in the air. Ally and I had talked about using Snowboy as we had used big Bruno for pictures back in 2014.
Jordyn was about six years old and Kendall had just turned two years old. These pictures ended up being our memories of the last days of Bruno’s life. Our wonderful, brave, strong, stoic, giant thoroughbred would die just days after these pictures were taken.
And while I was aware of that yesterday, knowing that Snowboy had not been in the best health, never did it stop me from wanting him to be part of the girl’s pictures. And as things sometimes happen he completely brought his best gameface for his photo shoot.
Likewise, it didn’t take long for Kendyll and Jordyn to be posing smiling and genuinely enjoying their afternoon.
And what we’re left with after our Sunday at Nancy’s house (she graciously allowed us on her property to take the Snowboy pictures) is a print, a simple snapshot of the moment in time. A moment that would be too quickly replaced by little girls were not so innocent and not so easy to giggle at silly things. Right now, they are happier on the back of the horse than anywhere else.
Big, big thank you to Elvia for these tremendous pictures. And also to my special, wonderful daughter Ally who just does so much for so many of us so often. Thank you Ally for the special day in the sun.
As always, thank you for riding along.
The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas
One of my best friends, Gaylyn, had been lamenting to me earlier that day about when her baby horse would show up. I was reminded of the piece I had written earlier this season about the remarkardly obstinent donkey momma. Babies; human, horse or otherwise do exactly what they want to do! Years working for an OB taught me that. But, with that said, babies; human, horse or otherwise, seem to love the full moon. I don’t know what it is about it.
When I worked at the hospital we would staff up on the nights of the full moon. We knew the ER would be the repository for many fights, heart attacks, mental breakdowns and of course, new babies.
Last night when I was already off to bed, exhausted after a busy weekend still trying to get all my meds straightened out, Lauren called me from the show to tell me my friend Gaylyn was looking for me.
And the baby had landed. For those of you who don’t get the reference, originally it was the eagle has landed. But anyway…
I snagged up my remaining boarder Lisa from in front of the barn and all but threw her into the front seat of my car so she could drive. We headed off to Wharton to help out my friend. I don’t know that we were really a great deal of help, in situations like new babies, just having moral support is pretty important.
And the minute we arrived our eyes feasted on the sight of the new baby girl. She looked to be a little bay with few white marks. Perfectly proportioned, strong and determined. She was up nursing and just darling.
Picture perfect!! Could this be a grey? I say yea!
The Momma, never, broke a sweat through the entire delivery. In fact, she looked like she was one of those rich socialites who decided to just adopt a baby instead of ruining her beautiful coat and figure. She was absolutely stunning, markedly kind and wonderful for a first-time mother. She looked like she had just stepped out of the beauty parlor not from delivering a baby.
Gaylyn is still working on the names and I suspect it will be something wonderful. This baby is a lovely Quarter Horse by the top-reining sire Conquistador Whiz out of Shes Dashin For Love (Annie) by Terribly Wicked. I could have a lot of fun making a baby name out of all that. For those of you not in the know-they like to take pieces of the ancestor’s name to make the baby’s name.
So how about this one:
Wicked Love
Or here are a few others-
Shes dashing 2 take a whiz (fortunately, this can never happen because you are held 22 total letters and spaces).
Terribly Wicked Sugar (there’s a Sugarita horse involved )
Dashing Wicked Whizzard
Finally, (wait for it) Dash2Whiz
I know, it is a gift!
Happy Palm Sunday. May you be blessed in the knowledge that you are blessed. Sometimes just remembering it is important. And I am also blessed to have you all riding along!
Thank you!
A piece of Iris Art
The pink and yellow plumeria
Me carrying a bouquet of fresh cut Irises circa 1984
I grew irises very successfully while in Kansas City. I think I had literally hundreds of them. When they were all in bloom it was a glorious thing to see. But my ability to grow them in either Florida or Texas has not been successful. I’ve seen others grow irises in Texas but try as I did I could not make it happen.
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I have continued to struggle, struggle mightily, with some crossing of drug interactions between the need to keep my blood pressure low and my blood sugar contained and a few other issues. It has been very, very difficult for me. And it is a struggle that while my family supports me it is I that must fight the side effects is they rage on in me.
The last 24 hours have been some of the worst times of my life in terms of feeling miserable and struggling to find a bright spot. And I guess in this time of Lent, struggle and adversity are what it is all about.
But how gloriously pleased I was to see this little miracle occur right in my own garden. You see, while I had given up on thinking the iris would come to Texas for me, I had not given up trying. And yesterday, when I saw a hint of purple out of the corner of my eye, I thought it must be a mistake. I thought it could not be the glorious Iris opening to the sun on a spectacular Texas day.
But indeed the irises opened its bloom to me in Texas. And I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t part and parcel of what I have called the 100 hours of frozen hell that we had this year which successfully killed so many of my other tropical plants. Perhaps, the sturdy, hearty, northern Iris needed that cold to set it’s buds in motion.
I am rejoicing in the light of the Lord. I am grateful for the sign of resurrection, a new life, as there are just days left before Easter. And it is the perfect reminder for me to keep trying, to keep my chin up and know that this too will pass.
As always, thank you for riding along.
Exechorseluver 