My 3 Trick Pony!

It didn't take me long to realize what a smart horse Sadie is.  She definitely has her stubborn streak (just like her mother!), but she's a horse that definitely wants to please.  The willingness combined with her intelligence makes her a very quick learner.  

During our time working with our trainer (we love you, Jess!), I tried to give Sadie plenty of fun days where we would either have an easy day doing some light exercise in the arena or just do some groundwork followed by play time.  

These days were a really fun bonding time, even when we had the whole arena to ourselves Sadie would often opt to hang right with me.  Often as close as she could possibly get!  :)

During one of these fun days when Sadie was basically in my back pocket, I decided to grab a small bucket of feed and see if I could teach her some tricks.  

The first trick I taught Sadie was how to give a kiss.  This is a bit of a dangerous one to teach because their enthusiasm often puts your nose, mouth, entire face at risk!  I was shocked at how quickly she learned it.  The hardest part was training her that not everyone wants a kiss all of the time!  She finally learned that constantly trying to give kisses did not result in treats and she had to wait for someone to ask for one.  

After she had perfected the kiss I decided to teach her how to give hugs.  Once again she learned this trick incredibly fast.  The hardest part about teaching a horse to give a hug is that horses are always trained to move away from pressure. When you go to stand and put pressure at their side it is natural for them to move away. Once she caught on and realized the difference, she loved to give hugs!

With the move and the chaos of getting settled in it had been a while since Sadie and I had tried out a new trick.   I decided today would be a good day to attempt one. In honor of one of our favorite horses, Stormin' Norman, I decided to teach Sadie how to beg.  In less than an hour this was our result...

Here is Sadie doing all three tricks, as you can see, she's especially enthusiastic about her newest trick :)

Now we just have to decide what trick to work on next...

The Missing Link?

Every little girl has their dream horse, and pretty much every dream horse has one thing in common.   

You got it, an amazing mane and tail...the longer the better.

Just look at these My Little Pony toys.

My sister and I had countless horse toys growing up and most of them came with a brush and comb to keep your ponies groomed to perfection!

Some horses are lucky enough to grow long, healthy manes and tails naturally, but for most owners it's a constant effort to keep them growing out and looking nice.   

Many factors work against this effort...horses rubbing their manes out (ahem, Rowdy!), rolling (Sadie ALWAYS rolls on her mane side!), other horses chewing on their mane and tail, weather causing dryness, mud etc. which leads to breakage. The list goes on!  

There are countless hair products for horses, seriously, Sadie has more hair products than I do!  From shampoos, conditioners, detangling products, miracle products meant to grow faster and thicker hair.   One Google search for "growing out your horses mane" brings thousands and thousands of results...forums, videos, home remedies.  

I was one of those searchers, Sadie has a long gorgeous tail, but I couldn't resist the urge to try and get a long and flowing mane to match that tail!  

Horse lovers just love spending time with their horses, whether it's grooming them, riding them, just hanging out in the barn, and when you're not with them you are probably online researching something to do with them.  This is a perfect example of that!

Sadie shortly after I bought her

I did my homework and it seemed that Shapley's MTG product was a crowd favorite. It was reported to be a bit greasy with a weird smell, but the results were well worth it.  

Now, I'm sure this product is fantastic for horses with a dark mane, I've used it on Rowdy since he rubbed his mane out, but for Sadie this is what we ended up with...

It was terrible, her greasy mane was dirt brown within a day of using it.  

After ruling out MTG I decided to just keep Sadie's mane braided regularly and always use a conditioner and detangler to eliminate as much breakage as possible.

Sadie will probably never have the long flowing mane, but we definitely seemed to be making progress!

When we moved to Colorado I now had a partner in crime to obsess over details such as these, my Mom :)

As Penny was shedding out her winter coat, we expected to see the nice shiny coat emerge that comes with summer and the loss of that shaggy winter coat.   With Penny that didn't happen, so my Mom went to work researching skin and coat products.   

Penny in January 2014

We ended up trying Ultimate Equine Skin & Coat by Missing Link.  This product not only promotes healthy skin and coat, but also lists the following benefits:

- Omega fatty acids help the absorption of fat soluble vitamins which nutritionally        support: intercellular health, energy levels, the immune system, and muscle,            tendon and ligament function.

- Nutrients work together to grow strong, tough hooves.

- Dietary fiber to promote a healthy digestive system.

- Photo (plant) nutrients to support general health and nutrition.

After just a couple weeks we saw a big difference in Penny.  Her coat shined up and looked much healthier.  I also noticed her mane was growing like crazy.  

After seeing what a positive impact it had for Penny I decided to start giving it to Sadie as well.  

The girls have been on it for about 2 months and we have definitely been happy with the results! If their manes are any indicator, this product does it's job!  Not only are we seeing a lot of growth, but Sadie's mane is coming in much thicker and healthier.  

Penny this evening

Sadie this evening

Sadie may not have a mane down to her hooves, but even as a little girl I couldn't have envisioned a more perfect dream horse :)

Time away from my herd...

I've always had pets and I've always traveled a lot, so I'm used to the challenges of going out of town when you have animals.  That being said, I'm usually leaving just 2 dogs, not the menagerie of animals we now have.  4 horses, 2 rabbits, 4 chickens and 3 dogs to be exact.  

Thankfully my parents are here to take on the extra work and make sure that my animals are just as loved and well-cared for as they are when I'm home.  That certainly makes travel easier, but I still obsess about the details and stress about being away.  Not to mention, I miss them terribly!

This was the longest I had been away from all of the animals and it was a great weekend to realize that I not only need a vacation now and then, but my animals are in good hands and Sadie Acres can run just fine without me for a few days!

I left Friday afternoon and despite trying to wrap up work calls and deal with construction issues I made no less than 5 trips to the barn just to make sure everyone was good and make sure everyone got plenty of attention before I left.   Sadie has been known to give me the cold shoulder when I don't see her for a few days so I made sure to spend extra time with her :)  

The trip was incredible, we stayed at the Hilton Buffalo Thunder just outside of Santa Fe.  It has a great pool, beautiful rooms, incredible dining, casino, golf courses, spa.   We went to Old Town Santa Fe one afternoon, but you could definitely stay at this resort and have a full vacation without ever leaving!

The first time we visited this hotel we had dined at Red Sage, the meal was absolutely delicious and we couldn't wait to go back!  

Despite getting in close to 9pm, that was our first stop after checking in.  We were a bit worried when we saw the menu had changed, but this amazing restaurant did not disappoint!

The highlights of the meal included the "Cream of “elote” Soup"  (Chipotle, Corn, Avocado, Cotija, Vegetable Ash, Cilantro)  AMAZING!! 

The NY Strip was cooked perfectly and was huge, we actually split it and it was more than enough.

Our favorite side was the Mac n’ Cheese (Bechamel, Applewood Smoked Cheddar)...YUM!

Needless to say, the meal was incredible and a perfect way to wrap up the first day of vacation.

With taking care of the animals, working 40+ hours and dealing with construction chaos, I don't have a lot of time for myself.  Saturday reminded me that it's necessary to make time for yourself and for relaxing.  

The morning was spent at the spa getting a manicure, pedicure and haircut.  All things that have definitely been neglected recently!   

The afternoon was spent sipping cocktails at the pool under the cabana and reading a great book!   Soooo relaxing!

We wrapped up the day with another amazing meal, this time at Gabriel's.  They are known for their tableside guacamole and it did not disappoint!   As a matter of fact, we enjoyed it so much, especially on the lovely patio, we went back on Sunday night!  

Come to find out I wasn't the only one eating well over the weekend.  When I checked in on Sunday to find out how everyone was doing, I found out that Schumi had helped himself to an entire loaf of zucchini bread!   

Beagles are known for being "counter surfers" and while my parents were out feeding the horses Schumi surfed his way to the delicious zucchini bread my Aunt had baked for them!  Saran wrap and all!  I felt terrible, but probably not as bad as Schumi.  My Mom said he looked more like a Basset Hound than a Beagle his belly was so huge!  

The rest of the weekend was wonderful, we ate more great food, explored the Old Town Plaza in Santa Fe, had some luck in the casino and were ready to head back home to Sadie Acres!  

Schumi's belly had returned to normal size and Sadie greeted me as if I had seen her that morning, no cold shoulder :)  

Vacations are wonderful and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful place that I'm always excited to come home to.

Thank you to my parents for holding down the fort and thank you to "Mum" Cathy for an amazing and much needed birthday trip!

We have Manners. We're Polite.

I just recently finished up Season 2 of "Orange is the New Black", the final episode is titled "We have Manners. We're Polite".  It seemed like a very fitting theme for tonight's blog post.

For the horses of Sadie Acres, life is pretty darn good.   They have a cozy brand new barn with large runs, jolly balls and treat balls to entertain them, 10 acres to graze on and enjoy turnout, their stalls are cleaned daily, they all have diets and supplements customized to their exact needs, treats at least twice daily (for my horse friends, we are such huge fans of Probios, the horses love them and they help keep a healthy digestive system), their "work" consists of trail rides in the shady woods and splashing through the river, and they receive a TON of attention each day with grooming and pampering.   So, to put it bluntly, our horses are quite spoiled!  

Now that being said, we have been extremely diligent with keeping a healthy amount of discipline as well.  At 1,000 lbs + you have to set certain guidelines to keep everyone involved safe.   Since we moved them into the barn, Sadie, Penny and Rowdy have been trained that when food comes into their stall they don't receive one bite until they politely take a least one step back and give us room to fill their feeders.  

Similar rules apply when being taken in and out of their stalls.  After some bad habits developed, Sadie, Penny and Rowdy all now know that when their stall doors open they don't make a move out the door until we have secured their halters and we lead them out quietly, same rules apply coming in.  It makes for a much safer and more pleasant experience for everyone involved.   

You'll notice there was one Sadie Acres resident that was left off that list...our mini, Dolly.  We've been guilty of being a bit lax with her, she has so much personality and is so darn cute that it's easy to forget that although she is a mini she still weighs about 350 pounds and it can be a handful keeping control of her!    
Taking her in and out of her stall and leading her anywhere was not quite the quiet, controlled experience we have demanded from the other horses.  Nope, Dolly typically pushes her way out the door, does her famous head toss, then makes a dash to the big pile of hay.   It's hard not to laugh, her big Tina Turner mane bouncing up and down as she trots her dainty little trot to get a HUGE bite of hay before we wrangle her back to where she's supposed to be.    

So, last night I decided it was time to get to work and teach Dolly some manners.  
She is definitely as smart as she is cute, last night we did about 3 laps in the barn focusing on stopping the head toss, the pulling and the fixation on the hay.   I was curious to try a bit more tonight and see how much she remembered.  

Our first attempt was not bad! She was very respectful with my pace and only struggled when she got near the hay.  It was just too tempting for her so we had some head tossing and she struggled a bit to get back focused.

Our second attempt: 

She did so much better this time, even when one of the other horses spooked!

So proud of Dolly and excited to keep working with her to have even better manners and be more polite :)

If Dolly was on OITNB, she would definitely be Crazy Eyes!

  

Did we pass the bunny test?

Since we had so much fun baking the horse treats we decided to try our skills at bunny and dog treats!  

We were especially excited about the treats for Chloe and Oscar, while the dogs are spoiled daily with various milk bones, chew sticks, bacon strips and bacon poppers (can you tell there are two Grandma's here in town? :)), the bunnies have never had a treat!   

Since Oscar and Chloe turn 5 months old tomorrow we decided they were old enough to branch out from their normal diet which consists of of Purina Complete pellets, timothy hay and oatmeal.  We started with a simple recipe to ease the bunnies into some new foods.  

  

Simple Cookie Ingredients:

1 mashed banana

1/2 of a large carrot shredded (we used a small carrot)

2-3 Tbs of Oats










This is a quick and easy recipe, our awesome bakers had these put together in no time!

We baked them for 15 minutes on 350 and our simple cookies were done!

Now the fun part, it was time to put our treats to the ultimate test...

We got some good cuddle time, but they had no interest in the treats!  As a matter of fact, they opted to chew on the blanket instead :)

We weren't ready to give up yet though, since even the most gentle bunnies can get nervous when being held, we decided to get out their favorite plate and just put the treats on the floor with them so they could explore on their own in the open hallway.

We waited patiently while they sniffed around the plate and checked out the mysterious treats.

Turns out they were still more interested in hanging with us!

I think the kids were just as happy with the outcome.

In a final effort to encourage them to try their cookies, we left the plate in their rabbit hutch overnight.  

It appears that Chloe and Oscar enjoyed a midnight snack, this morning the plate was licked clean!  We didn't witness it, but we are going to call this recipe a success!

Carrot and Apple Horse Cakes AKA Horse Crack!!

With the temps close to 100 degrees it was a good day to stay inside and enjoy the nice cool A/C.  

Since we couldn't be outside riding or hanging out with the horses, and we happen to have some excellent little helpers visiting this weekend, we decided we would bake the horses some homemade treats.  

We decided on Carrot and Apple Horse Cakes!

Our ingredients:

1 apple, grated

1 carrot, grated

1 cup of molasses

2 1/2 cups of oats

2 Tbsp oil

My niece, Caroline, started off grating the apple while my nephew, Jonny handled the molasses and the oil.

I grated the carrot while C & J measured out the oats.

The sticky molasses made for a tough job mixing it all together, but Jonny and Caroline got the job done!

We flattened our horse cakes onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet... now that was a messy job!

Teamwork!

Now they were ready for the oven.  We baked them for 35 minutes at 300 degrees.

They came out golden brown and smelling pretty delicious!  Now we just had to wait for them to cool before they were to pass the ultimate test.

It was finally time to let the horses sample their homemade treats...

The results were pretty clear, we had created horse crack!!  None of them could get enough.  

Rowdy, to be expected, was especially animated when it came to his excitement about this new delicious treat.  

   

The horses were very appreciative of all our hard work, Sadie even gave Jonny a hug to thank him :)

Celebrating our success!  

Stay tuned, we were on such a roll we also baked bunny treats and dog biscuits! We'll share our recipes and find out if they were as well received as the Carrot and Apple Horse Cakes.

Sadie's First Colorado Bath

Those of you that knew me and Sadie in AZ, know that I'm obsessive about keeping her clean.  Some people whiten their teeth and clothes, me, I whiten my horse!  

I really had no idea how hard it would be to keep a horse with a white mane and tail clean.  Thankfully I discovered purple shampoo and pretty religiously, once a week Sadie would get her bath and purple shampoo treatment.  Once a week seems like a lot, but anybody that knows horses knows that they have no interest in staying clean! 

I also always enjoy this time with Sadie, she loves being brushed and groomed and aside from getting her face washed and having to be patient while waiting to dry, she has always enjoyed bath day as well. 

It was a beautiful day in AZ when we packed up and headed for Colorado, well into the 90's.  Sadie of course was nice and clean for the journey to her new home.

Making our way from AZ to CO!

We had no idea we would be coming home to this...

Look at that mud!  Her normally bright white legs and tail now brown!

With the colder weather and the delays with the barn construction I accepted that Sadie is going to be a rugged Colorado horse and we'd just have to make do with brushing, her natural beauty and an occasional "spa" day :)  

We went on a nice trail ride this morning with Mom and Penny, and as I looked at her slightly yellow mane I decided today was a perfect day for her first Colorado bath!

Such a perfect day for a ride!

I know, her mane looks pretty white, but trust me, it wasn't!

 So, we went to work!  

Getting the full purple shampoo treatment!

The best part about Colorado baths is having Grandma here to help!

When I designed the barn it was a high priority to have a wash bay, not only is it perfect for giving baths, but for tacking up and having a safe place to secure the horses.  We still have to add some mats and adjust the cross ties, but we are so pleased with how the barn is coming together.

Sadie LOVED getting pampered today, you could tell she had missed it!  Here she is sparkling clean...look at that white!

We'll see how clean she is by morning :)