Roo Droppings

Another Mule article from Amy Nagler

2012-01-19T18:25:00.002-07:00

Amy has her two mules here at OAS. She's been here for years and we love her. Ronnie

Happiness is Mind-numbing Routine

My daily riding routine is streamlined, every motion repeated exactly as the day before. I already know which saddle I will use, which pad, girth, and bridle—down to the exact hole that every buckle prong belongs in.

My biggest decision is mule selection and in my way to the tack room I’m thinking it over: one mule or two? Which to ride and which to pony?

After I’ve made my choice I head to the corral with a halter and lead. I yell “MULE!” and as I reach the gate usually I am rewarded by a double-barrel bray. The hardest part inside of the gate is fighting off the errant mule who doesn’t get to go.

As I emphasize each time I introduce a new recruit to the back of a mule, equine safety is built around detailed habits and routines. All of these rules and procedures seem inane to the uninitiated. There is a “near side” and an “off side,” I proclaim, and we mount and dismount from the near side. Yes, it matters that the girth is attached before the breast collar. No, you should never tie a mule by the reins. And so on.

My saddling routine, which only takes two or three minutes if I’m motivated to maximize my riding time, goes as follows:

I run a brush quickly over where the saddle and girth will go. Next I peek at each hoof, clean out stones if I see any, and run my hand down each leg to check for any bump or hot spot hidden under the thick coat of hair. If all is well I can do this from the near side, saving an extra trip around the mule. Next I set a thick felt pad on the chosen mule’s withers. I set my saddle on the pad then slide them both back with my left hand until I can feel my right hand fit between the mule’s shoulder bump and the front line of the saddle. Then buckle the girth and move back to the crupper. It is polite to take time and generously scratch a mule’s tail base before slapping a cold crupper under it. It is also polite to carefully guide the bit around his teeth and gently tuck his ears between the crown and the browband, giving them each a scratch as well.

Once my mule is tacked up I tack myself up—a helmet and chaps, a reflective vest if I think I’ll be heading back to the barn on the road after dark. In the summer I put a water bottle in my saddlebag and in the fall I don a tasteful amount of blaze orange. During our glorious nine-month winter I add an ear band, balaclava, thin and thick gloves, a silk neck scarf, and, if it is exceptionally wild out, ski goggles. This is Wyoming, after all. We have the lowest population density in the lower forty-eight for a reason.

On my way out of the barn I pocket some mule treats, an emergency cell phone, and a collar-controller for my enthusiastic canine companion. Before I hop on I loop the lead line twice around my mule’s neck, tie the end off, and snug up the girth. I hold a dressage whip in my right hand if I’m riding solo or a cotton lead attached to mule #2 if I’m taking a buddy along.

I can get from the driver’s seat of my truck to the driver’s seat of my mule in less than 10 minutes. This is no haphazard procedure, however. Each element has been carefully chosen, modified, and maintained. I have made the mistake of leaving off the crupper on flat rides, for example, only to find that working mule tails, like hard working hands, need to callus up. After a precipitous ride last spring in the Nebraska sand hills my poor mule, Max, had a nasty raw spot under his tail for a week. Now I buckle on the cupper for every ride. The girth I use has a similar chronicle—it was preceded by a series of girths, not all necessarily inexpensive, that rubbed, pinched, and prematurely wore out. The girth I use now is field-tested to the max. It may not be the girth for everyone but it is the girth for me.

Our kitchen is commonly strewn with an accretion of mule attire and an arsenal of hot water, murphy’s oil soap, sponges, rags, and saddle butter. There is nothing so comforting to me as the smell of freshly oiled leather and nothing more pleasing to my eye as a clean, shiny bridle. But more importantly, all of this fussing and polishing is another essential part of my equine routine.

After high school I worked a few seasons grooming race horses. As a groom at the horse track I was the fall guy for every dirty, repetitive chore imaginable. The one thing I was never asked to do, however, was to clean riding tack. Saddles, girths, bits, and bridles are the sole responsibility of those who depend on them. At the racetrack jockeys and exercise riders, who would never deign to touch a halter, are nonetheless seen after their morning rides oiling up a row of bridles. This is the equine equivalent of “always pack your own parachute.”

Cleaning tack serves the same purpose as running a hand down every mule leg before every ride. It not only makes your expensive treasure trove of tack last longer and look better, it makes you slow down and inspect every little strap. Chances are that little loose screw that attaches your cheekpiece to the bit is going to pop apart when you are most counting on it being there.

Good daily habits; clean, serviceable tack: these are necessary but not sufficient. Between your mule’s ears is the most important item you will need to maintain in order to ride safely and have fun. Training and maintaining mule brains, especially for those of us who are not natural-born mule whisperers, can be a tedious process. Progress comes in tiny increments. It is easy to get fired up sitting on the couch watching do-it-yourself training videos. I visualize myself—the next Buck Brannaman or Brad Cameron—subtlety indicating which way my studious mule should turn with a shift in my position, reacting perfectly to every glint in his attentive eye. Out in the round pen, though, I am very glad that no one is watching me as I fumble around trying to get my act together. I whisper mostly under my breath and often measure my progress in not losing ground.

Eventually, though, matched with the right mule, and not too proud to acquire some professional help from time to time, I have made progress. My mules and I have agreed on some ground rules—no pushing or shoving, move nicely away from pressure, stand still as I mount. We practice our one-rein stop until it is second nature. Nothing too highflalutin here, just polite hard-won good habits.

A few years ago watched a fellow boarder jump bareback onto his prancing horse and ride off across the sunlit prairie, blithely holding just the end of a lead rope. Such a lovely sight, I thought; horse and rider, casual, unencumbered, and free. I envied him as I tacked up and headed to the arena to work my mule through a lesson. The same repetitive, seemingly-simple lesson we had been working on for what felt like a very long, boring time. How unsexy, I thought.

As I was walking back to the corral a riderless horse flashed by, leadline flying as he careened around the corner of the barn. I drove my old Toyota Camry out onto the prairie and eventually found our Xenophon lying among the sage. I scraped his unencumbered butt off the ground and drove him to the E.R. Like me, he probably watched too many Pat Parelli videos on Youtube—he just missed the golden rule of “proper prior preparation.”

Good riders make cantering off into the sunset look effortless. But behind every happy, fun, safe ride is an accumulation of mind-numbing routine.

Amy Nagler

Xmas/ New Years letter

2011-12-03T10:27:00.200-07:00

MAY YOUR GIFTS BE PLENTY AND YOUR TROUBLES BE 'WEE' ONES!

The Year 2011 (see past entries for more details and pics!)
Spent a lot of quality time in my studio producing work more on a realistic side than usual. Discovered the beauty in coffee washes.This was a result of accidentally sticking my brush into my coffee!
   Started a blog just for arty stuff see http://rondaeden.blogspot.com Cut and paste or click on the horse painting down to the right.This burst of creativity lasted until March when i decided to do the Ozark 100 with the precious help of Yvette Haeberle. What an adventure! Did it.!Got the buckle. Yvette lived through it and i am so grateful for her help. People who crew for me deserve the buckle much more than i do! Would i do it again.....You bet ya!
   In May Cormey and I embarked on a promotion for 'The Brothers Foot', the kiddie's book we put together. It was hosted by VS Grenier of Children's Books Online fame and it went really well. The phone interview was very special. Doing anything creative with such a gifted artist as Steve Cormey is always a great privilege. Especially as no one will ever get this privilege again.(See November news) We touched briefly on the second book, The Brothers Foot and the Rabbit Proof Fence during the interview.Now it has become my mission to complete this sequel. In fact, it has just moved to the top of my list of NY resolutions.
   Having spent a lot of money getting to the Ozark trail 100 in Missouri i found it necessary to trim my endurance ride list some what. Still, I managed 15 rides (with one pull), 460miles , and 170 LD miles.For our local ride Happy Jack, 2011 saw the Athersons handing over the reins to the Haeberles after many memorable and highly successful ride seasons. I'm sure Bob and Mary Jo will still be around to enjoy many more from the back seat. It will be their turn to just have fun.
    Earlier this year (April) Mernie and I purchased some property in Wellington, Nevada. A lovely( although somewhat unconventional) dome house in Smith Valley on five acres. Horse property of course! The plan is to some day move there but until that time, we can look forward to' fixer-upper' vacations. We did one of these in October but we came home early due to the well crapping out on us. Mernie had hurt his leg (just when i thought my Mern was invincible) so he couldn't do too much anyway and, as things always come in threes, the truck broke down in the middle of nowhere on the way home. So much for our little get away! Oh well.
   Mernie bought me my 100 mile endurance horse, Kipling 'the Silver bullet' for my birthday on October 1st. Kipling and i had already begun a successful endurance career together a few years ago and we make a good team. Now we are both learning to slow down, take it easy and set our sights on the Tevis!
   On November 18th my dear friend Steve Cormey passed away after only a short battle with cancer. He was diagnosed only a few weeks before. He died peaceful in his bed in the mountains that he loved. To say he was very much loved and will be missed is a gross understatement. His memory and beautiful music lives on forever; as will 'The rambuctious 'Brothers Foot!'
   My goodness it is now December and we are close to turning the page to a new year. It was a year of beginnings and ends, firsts and lasts. My Mum use to say, 'time waits for nobody'. How true! Enjoy the time you have and embrace the adventures that lay waiting for you and yours in 2012. For me, I'd like to take the experiences of 2011 and use them as spring boards for the events of 2012.It was a good year! Happy New One!
Ronnie xxoo

Last years little blurb!
2010
Time to contemplate the New year. As you can see from the top picture here taken from our back door, the first couple of days into 2011 gave us blizzard conditions here on the ranch.See actually blog for pics) Mernie is currently outside moving snow. Not snow which has fallen, but snow blown in from elsewhere. They didn't want it either! Our well went out on New Year's day and the pumped stopped leaving 64 equines, three people and a fat barn cat without water.Lots of ice, but no water. Mern had to haul in water from Rod and Beth's place over the road to tide us over until the water situation was fixed. All is 'well' now but it's still cold. See the picture below. If you can make this bigger you will see the thermometer has no mercury. It's down as far as it can go.Well below freezing.
As for NY resolutions, yes i have given it some thought. I think this will be a year of change. Or at least the beginning of some changes. I want to revive my studio practice and have started already with new media and style ( see http://rondaeden.blogspot.com ) . I want to slow down, do more yoga and meditation, read more and talk less. I'd like to spend more time with Mernie and start planning the rest of our lives together. We are approaching retirement. Whatever that means! I think 2011 being the beginning of a new decade, will see changes or new beginnings for many of us. I know they'll be good ones. Happy New Year. Ronnie

RIP CORM with NEVER EVER DYING LOVE

2011-11-21T11:02:00.008-07:00

RIP me mate Corm.

We were married for a while but that was a bit silly. With the years and some maturity I have come to realize our relationship was more of a brother and sister thing.A solid ever lasting friendship (Corm, being much brighter than me, figured that out much sooner than I did.)

Steve Cormey, much better known as Cormey passed away peacefully in the place he loved on 19th November. Just last Saturday. I spoke to him on the phone Wednesday and he sounded weak but quietly happy. I made some silly jokes, whinged about the wind in Wyoming and blabbered on while he politely listened and laughed at my nonsense. Somehow, I knew the end was near and could sense the peaceful fading away of this great spirit cherished by so, so many.
To know him was to love him. He touch the hearts of people he never even knew with his music, his smile and the light in his eyes. His talent as a musician, writer and visual artist was astonishing and yet you'd have been hard stretched to find a more kind and humble human being on the face of the earth. He spent more time praising the talents of those around than giving himself any sort of credit for his own wonderful achievements.
He excelled at giving but failed hopelessly at receiving. He only knew how to give. He enjoyed life to the fullest and graciously accepted responsibility for his downfalls.He never wanted to hurt anyone. He was a good, gentle and kind soul to everyone except himself . He chose to live the rigorous life he lived, knew the consequences and enjoyed his life to the fullest. He was who he was and we all loved him. He filled so many lives with joy and laughter and yes.......broke a few hearts.
Don't feel sad for Cormey, he's at peace now. He did it right! He died with no fuss and bother. He died in his beloved Grand Lake warm and safe in his bed. He died without a long and drawn out suffering and without the need for charity. I really believe this is how he would have chosen to do it. He did it right! Like a painting, its never really finished, just stops in a right place.
Corm's Ok now. My heart goes out to those left behind, particularly his family and of course Shelley. I can't find the words to describe the pain she must be feeling now. Shelley, if you are reading this, please know you are constantly in my thoughts right now and my shoulder, amongst many, is waiting here to try to help you through this. Please don't hesitate to call. 307 399 9435. Be strong my dear!
And Corm, if you are watching and listening, watch over her will you. See the big hole you have left to be filled only so much by your music.
Oh, and thanks for listening to my whinging and turning off the wind for us here in Wyoming!
With Never Ever Dying Love, Ronnie Roo.
Cormey's advice to others....DON'T PAT THE DOG!!! see video......
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1231895565 may have to cut paste and scroll down for these links...

Cormey.m4v

www.youtube.com Love this!

Mules for sale in Nevada

2011-10-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

Lovely mules for sale.

Mule team for sale in Nevada. Pair of molly mules, Susie and Melissa, 16.1 hands, both 10 years old, brown and out of Percheron cross mare. Mules go as a team, or single, ride and pack. Mules have been used for farming and pleasure driving. They have been in a four-up and were part of the 33 mule team at the Best Show in Woodland, Ca in July 2011. Mules are easy to catch, very friendly, clip and trailer and shoe. $4000.00 OBO. Please contact Cub Wolfe at 775-465-9099

(If you are interested we may be able to help you get them here too.Ronnie)

New 100 mile Endurance horse

2011-10-03T06:10:00.000-06:00

Meet Kipling my new Endurance horse. Another grey, part Arabian gelding around the same age as Flambeau. I rode this guy in a few rides in 2009 and he did really well.He just flies! This picture was taken at the Shamrock ride in 2009. He hasn't done anything since 2009 and you can add a big belly to the picture if you want to know what he looks like now. We bought him last week and i am starting him on a slow conditioning routine aiming toward him becoming my 100 mile horse. I've promised Mernie I'll stay away from the front runners for a couple of years. I've learned my lesson about running too fast too early and my goal is longevity now. This guy has a great personality abet a little on the arrogant side! You can see that can't you? So now i have a couple of book ends i will be seen to be riding my own horses more next season.

Elk Creek, Basin Wyoming

2011-09-11T17:24:00.000-06:00

Did a 50 and a 25 on Flambeau at Elk Creek in Basin Wyoming. Turtled it both days but ended the week end with a healthy, sound horse. What more could a girl want. Love the Tolman rides. They feed you so much that although I'm a light weight at the beginning, by the time i go home I'm a middle weight. Any more of these rides and I'd be a heavy weight in no time. LOL!!!
(More commentary to come)
Photo by Karl Creations click to enlarge.

Rushcreek Reunions's last ride...or NOT!

2011-09-06T15:32:00.005-06:00

Photo by Karl Creation! Mule at sunrise in Nebraska

Maximilian Mule. Photos by Karl Creation.
First day rode the 55 on Flambeau with friend Julie and we managed to turn before we got to the 'emphasized' PIE PLATE designating loop 1. So as it was we did loop 3 backwards. Lovely benevolent management let us go ahead and do the other loops out of order for a completion only which is all we wanted. It worked out well as i managed to take away the best award of all which is of course 'the turtle'. Rushcreek has the best turtles! And i got another complimentary one when i whinged about my turtle from last year falling of his block and breaking to bits. They also gave the pie plate I (we) missed on day one. Smart farts!! LOL
Oh and a really lovely rope basket from Max Tack for ride three days after a mishap which left me with a bruised ribs and swollen knee. Love a sport where you get an award for being totally nuts!
I rode the Holly Kennedy's Mule, Maximilian, on 30's the other two days and he did great! Love that mule!He now has 90 miles under his ears and is off to a promising career running with the fancy Arabians. There was another mule called Francis on the trail. I really thought she was beautiful but Max told me later he didn't think much of her because....he said........"she's got big ears!"
Yvette, Sue, Herb, Gary and Dale rode 3 days of 55's and finished with no problem. They did us proud! Dorothy Sue rode her lovely Foxtrotter mare Foxy for the first time in an LD and did great and Leeda rode Larka ( DS Montana Skylark ) fabulously to a top ten finish and did it again with no hitches on Sunday. Yeehah. Those two make a good team.
It was a really fantastic week end with lots of laughs and good stories to tell. Theresa and Lyle and all their crowd are the most helpful and friendly folks you will find and we hope they change there mind about making this the last Rushcreek reunion.

Finally found it!! What a Dork!

Happy Jack ER 2011

2011-08-23T21:14:00.002-06:00

Great Ride!
Our local ride, Happy Jack up in the scenic mountains just above where we live and have our boarding stable in Laramie, Wyoming is always a blast. I love helping out as much as i like riding ( well almost!)but this year there was a lot of help as it was Bob Atherton's last year as manager and the Haeberle family was weaning their way in to take over next year when I'm sure they will work my butt hard!
I rode Flambeau on the 50 the first day and we came in on a wing and a prayer. He was pooped on loop 3 where we were passed and beaten by a little girl in running shoes! My friend Leeda rode the 25 on Larka and i rode Larka on a 25 on Sunday sharing a good part of the trail with 'the Fisher gang' which is always a blast. That was 50 miles for Larka in her hardy bare feet!
There was an accident early on Saturday and a shameful 'race in' through the vetting in the afternoon but otherwise a fairly uneventful week end.
Oh i did get stung by a horse fly that entered my shirt and made I everyone on the trail stop while i stripped and danced. Always happy to provide a bit of free entertainment on the trail.
R

Photos by Karl Creations. Click to enlarge.

Thoughts on Twitter

2011-08-12T09:18:00.000-06:00

Hmm! So far I've landed in the middle of someone's heated relationship argument and received a couple of sales pitches. Is this just a new way to get and give junk mail! ?
Maybe its just for Twits!

Head and Shoulders ..and 'Other Things' Shampoo ! Re Tweet

2011-08-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

R: Tweet Aug 10
A friend I was talking to at an endurance ride mentioned how effective Head and Shoulders Shampoo was for removing the crud that builds up infront of a gelding's sheath because he doesn't let down when peeing. My gelding Flambeau is a prime example of one with this dirty habit and I have to scub the area to get it clean. Of course I went straight out and got some Head and shoulders shampoo and was amazed at how easily the crude came off. That night while showering I happen to notice a bottle the same shape but with Equate as the name. On closer inspection it turns out to be the generic, and half the price version of Head and Shoulders. So there you have it! We get the brand name for our horses and let the husband do with the cheaper generic form. Typical!
But now i'm wondering.... does he have the same problem?
LOL

I KNOW YOU RIDER

2011-07-26T16:53:00.005-06:00

See Commentary below photos! Click on photos to enlarge.

Crockett clogging to The Wyoming Wind!Yee Hah! See the aspens behind. Ride camp was set in a meadow surrounded by aspen groves! Truly beautiful!

Taylor Fisher with one of her awards. See Cheyenne there in front with the 'Cousin It' hairdo!!

Gracie our Curly Pinto!

Flambeau on the 50 first day. Photo by Pascal Karl or Karl's creations. ( Any blurriness is due to my rotten scanner!)
I Know You Rider Endurance Ride held on spectacular Forest and BLM land near Mountain View, Wyoming is another ride not to be missed for great fun and magnificent scenery. This is the first time this ride has been put on and it went exceptionally well thanks to Beth and John Buzis, volunteers and Vets. The bugs were bad but they are everywhere right now due to so much moisture so it's a matter of lathering up with bug spray, covering up and keeping on the move! Now i know what the Aussie expression "No flys on me mate!" really means). I made a niffty and very effective fly slapper from a crop and a bunch of leather strips. Flambeau is quite used to being whacked about the head (LOL only joking) and I'm sure really appreciated the beating!
I got there early and helped to set up and mark trail. My special job was to hide bears in the woods! Tie dyed beanie bears in keeping with the 60's tie dye theme of the ride which was named after a song by the Grateful Dead. There was a lively foot stompin' blue grass band call The Wyoming Wind on Saturday night. They really added a festive feel to an already up-beat week-end and we were graced with a performance of clogging and jigging by none other than Crockett Dumas!
The kids had a ball galloping around ( and even changing leads) on their stick ponies and splashing about in the water troughs.(Gotta love a sport that has everything for ages 4 - 80 and beyond)
We did have a couple of potential disasters that were thankfully averted. Gracie our Curlie Pinto that I brought along only as a companion for Flambeau and to maybe ride the fun ride on choked badly on a packer cube on Thursday evening and had to be trailered 20 miles to Dr Ben Osbourne's clinic in Ft Bridger. His partner worked on her for almost 3hrs to get her unblocked. A lovely man and dedicated vet who was, I'm certain, dragged away from a social event to attend to this. I am soooooo grateful! And to Beth also who in the middle of managing the huge event, chose to come along. Gracie is fine now thanks to these dedicated souls.
On Friday, John's big beautiful Paint Conan managed somehow to get his halter wedged into his rear shoe (yes go figure that one ) and then cast himself against the trailer. Little me and little Beth rolled him over thanks to Mernie educating me on a trick to do this some weeks before. Other than a few scrapes Conan it doing fine also. In fact I had a super time on him Monday helping to take down ribbons with Beth. Yes I got to ride up the pipeline again!
Great Ride guys! Especially for the first time ever. Imagine how great it will be next year! See you there where I can ride up to you and say," Hey, ......... I know You Rider!"
Peace!!! R

Shamrock 2011

2011-07-07T21:10:00.004-06:00

Shamrock 3 day Pioneer, really hard to beat for pure enjoyment with the works.
See here yours truly on Montana Skylark (Larka) on the first day 55 mile.

An excellent week end! The first day was great on Larka and the second day I rode Maximilian Mule and the third day Larka again.

Mule and sunset photo by Cheryl Winters. Big Thanks.

ding the super mule Max on his first LD ever was sooooooo much fun. I rode with Martha De Rio and Amy Nager. We really booked along on the first lap but had to pedal hard on the last lap in the heat. All finished well.
Shamrock is one of the best rides in the region for fun, beauty, good food and hospitality plus. Not to be missed!

Photo by Karl's Creations. I don't bother even taking a camera when the Karls are at a ride. Love their work!

Dorsey Creek, Otto, Wy

2011-06-22T09:15:00.002-06:00

Montana Skylark (Larka) Super Mare got a perfect vet score the second day.( Photo by Ross Tolman)
Love the Tolman rides!!!! The Tolman's are the ones who run several rides up in the Big Horn area including the Big Horn 100. They are super friendly, well planned and affordable rides. The Dorsey Creek ride is held in the 'badlands' around Otto, Wyoming very close to where the Tolmans live.
I drove our rig with

three horses ( Desi for Dorothy Sue, Gunny for a boarder Jill Kristensen to pick up and of course Montana Skylark( Larka) for me to ride 100 miles) on Thursday and spent a leisurely day on Friday riding DS Desperado (Desi) around the badlands and napping in the afternoon. The only other Larrikin there was Bonnie S who came with Don. Don Golfed while Bonnie rode like the wind as usual! Us Larrikins did very well!! Others were not so lucky. Mary R fell and broke a wrist and Vicky W fell and knock her head but is thankfully OK.The horses went whoopy all over the badlands before they were caught.
The second day was windy so the horses were all a little stir crazy. The best thing is ... THE RAIN held off. No trudging and sliding sideways through wet bentonite. Nothing worse!! I rode with Beth on her fantastic Phantom the second day and had a great time. Got to catch up( and make silly bird calls )with a good friend. Rode a good part of the way with Sue Lyke the first day so got to catch up and have fun with two good friends! This is what it is all about.Or should be methinks. Sometimes the rides are not what you would call enjoyable so we describe them more as adventurous instead. This is OK, but sometimes we forget the importance of enjoyment. This week end was pure enjoyment! Tim French marked the trail magnificently so i didn't get lost( getting lost is hardly enjoyable) and i got to spend some time with him taking down trail and going for a ride on Monday.More catching up with a good friend .We laughed at the tracks the runaway horses left the day before. Holy Cow!! Some tracks went straight up and down places you wouldn't dare to ride. Crazy animals!!
Next ride is Shamrock on July 4th week end, then the Bighorn 100 on July 16 th. Gosh has it been a year since i camped out up on the mountain in the dark. Guess so!
Click on images to make bigger.
Cheers R

dome house pictures

2011-06-05T06:57:00.003-06:00

Dome house from the outside. Fenced yard, big deck, some landscaping. Sort of cute. Total disaster inside!

Double garage with loft (to be apartment) above. In great condition. Upstairs will be the living space while we work on the Dome.

Upstairs inside the dome. Smells marginally better now the carpet has been ripped out.

The loft apartment. This will be really neat once it is insulated, dry walled, has floor covering and furnished.Right now it makes an ideal camping spot! See below

OMG what's that living in there?

Now for the BEST. This is our back yard. The property of 5 acres backs up to BLM land with lots of riding trails right out our back door! We are surrounded by lovely horse friendly neighbors like Jim and Georgia Kinninger who loaned me their handsome TWH, Boojoe (phonetic Sp?) to go tour the area. At the back is Jim on his TWH Blue, an equally handsome blue roan.As you can see I'm in Heaven!!!
CLICK ON IMAGES FOR A BETTER LOOK.

Maximillian Mule

2011-06-02T09:41:00.000-06:00

Got Maximilian in training for a 100 mule endurance ride somewhere. Piece of cake for a mule.(Although he's prefer a carrot). Nothin' like a good mule.Well here's one and he has a good mule buddy called Emanuel Notoriass. Amy Nagler, super mule girl has not one, but TWO good mules here at OAS. You may not know when you've got yourself a good mule but you'll sure as 'ell know when you've got a bad ass one.

Still here Nevada somewhere in the future

2011-06-01T07:08:00.001-06:00

Almost looks like life just stopped after the Ozark. Well it was an event hard to top! But yes I'm still here doing this and that and a few other things. Sometimes ( actually a lot of times) its difficult to sit down and write a blog after a hard day on the ranch. It can and will happen though.
Life is good here. No traveling with horses due to an outbreak of a deadly disease spreading throughout the states. We are staying put until we know its contained. It's just not worth the risk when you have 70 + equines under your professional care.
The big news is we have purchased a property in Wellington, Nevada. This 5 acre former horse boarding facility sits in a little oasis surrounded by mountains and settled sparsely by equine friendly folks. The house itself is a total disaster so only working vacations are being planned for now. It will be a while until we move there. I've asked Mernie to send over a picture from his file but that may take 'a while' also so stay tuned. Ronnie.
Oh and it's less than 100 miles from the Tevis!!

Some pics from before the Ozark compliments of Weiwen

2011-05-01T14:17:00.002-06:00

Eating eyeballs Weiwen prepared.Washing down with Mernie beer!

From left to right Larka ( DS Montana Skylark), Ronnie and beautiful Weiwen.
See next post for commentary on an incredible ride.

OZARK 100. It CAN be done!!! 23rd April 2011

2011-04-29T07:24:00.002-06:00

Rough draft, Pictures to come

This 100 mile ride through the beautiful Ozark Mountains of Missouri has been off and on my list since the middle of last year. The one in September that i almost went to saw NO completions. The trail was in bad shape thanks to Mother Nature's wrath and needed a ton of work. Since then it has received a great deal of sweat and attention from to Barry Cole, Paul Sidio, the Forest Service and other folks donating there precious time and toil.
Well, there were still people warning me not to attempt it but i needed a 100 under my belt to qualify for the 2011 Quilty to be held in my home town of Adelaide in Australia. So I roped Endurance Rider and good friend Yvette Haeberle and her trust little dog Pip into going with me. It sure doesn't hurt to have a doctor along although thankfully those services were not required. Yvette was also there at the Big Horn last year (see older posts) so she was aware these rides are not without drama.
We met riders Kerry Greear, Marirose and their trusty crew Colleen at Bass River Resort and set up camp. Actually Yvette set up camp in the pouring rain for everyone while K and M went for a pre ride and i went off to visit with my good friend Weiwen. Weiwen now lives in St Louis and agreed to meet us there and rent a cabin for everyone to share. It was soooooooo nice to see Weiwen she is as beautiful as ever.
Yvette and i arrived a day early so i took a pre ride to check out the trail that, as it turned out we would not be on. Poor Yvette was waiting at the southern trail head but in true form yours truly went in the wrong direction and ended up about 18 miles north. Heart attack no 1 for crew! It was getting dark so i headed down county rd 78 and found a farm house. "Yoo Hoo, i think i'm lost" i called out! To which a reply came " come in and have some birthday cake." So a little girl held onto Larka while she demolish their lawn and i sat on the veranda eating chocolate ice cream cake. They called for help which took about an hour so i just joined the family celebrations.
That was a lovely ride in spite of the mix up as the weather was pleasant for the only time of the trip. The rest of the time is was stormy with torrential downpour.
The ride didn't start until 7.35am Saturday morning and was almost canceled due to severe flooding. Luckily Paul knew the trail well enough to figure an alternative route. We had to repeat sections of trail and road to give us our miles and still sloshed in water in total darkness most of the way. We were going well will Paul's horses General Lee and Piper leading. His friend Todd ( lovely guy) was riding Lee and both horse knew the trail well. It was scary but an incredible experience to be trusting the horses in the darkness moving at a good clip while riders blindly hung on.No light were used as it messes with the horses' night vision.If it hadn't been for a wreck i got into when Larka got tangled in something all would have been fine. I came off lost a stirrup and thought it was all over red rover. Anyway all i got was a bruise to my knee and nose, Larka returned promptly to the herd and we were off again. Only now i had no stirrups and was a bit banged up so the next twenty miles was sort of painful. BUT WE FINISHED!!!
23 something hours on flooded trails in pouring rain, lightning and thunder. We had the best crew friendship can buy but guess what, they could get to us due to flooding. They were stranded on the hwy praying we we OK. Heart attack no 19!
No one went for BC as we were all pooped! Larka, Dorothy Sue's mare other than leg weary and ravenously hungry look like she could go another hundred. Actually all horses (and Nelly the mule) looked pretty darn good. The order we came in was Paul, Todd, Kerry, Marirose, me and a rider called Keith who was on his own and constantly lost. He made it in time tho.
I've miss a bunch of things out as i know this is going on and on and on. We have to ask Yvette and Colleen to tell us about their "Children of the Corn experience another time!
Cheers for now and thanks to all the wonderful management volunteers, vets for proving THIS CAN BE DONE!!!!
Yee Hah! Quilty Bound!

DS Desperado, Desi

2011-04-03T20:10:00.002-06:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Manny, Notoriass Manuel

2011-03-18T07:32:00.002-06:00

It's 7.30 am and I'm thinking the mule would rather me go feed him and his buddies than sit here and finish his portrait. So I'm leaving it here at this point.Scroll down to see another pic and Info on Desi.

This weeks OAS featured equine/Desi for sale

2011-03-17T20:37:00.001-06:00

Manny Mule (Notoriass Manuel) Endurance mule extraordinaire! owned by Amy Nagler.
Sprinkled with a little snow frosting!
Portrait to come.

Here is a flyer from when we were trying to sell Desi last year.Click to enlarge.

this weeks featured equine

2011-03-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

Angel's Grace aka The Curly Paint is a part Bashkir Curly and part Morgan mare belonging to OAS. I am adding portraits to the weekly photos as a way of practicing painting in Photoshop. Lots to learn! Cheers Ronnie.

This weeks OAS featured equines

2011-03-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Photo by Chris Compton bottom photo shopped by yours truly.

This weeks's OAS featured horse.

2011-02-25T09:21:00.001-07:00

Big ole gentle giant. Myles, owned by Marjorie Daley.Click to enlarge.
For this week's featured equines go to http://rondaeden.blogspot.com or click on painting of Arabian horse down and to the right.
Thanks Dawn!!!

where to get my prints

2011-02-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints
contact me for originals
ronnieroo@hotmail.com

www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints

2011-02-22T06:51:00.001-07:00

How long do you persevere with a project? I have this site www.cafepress.com/ronniesprints out there to sell my artwork and seem to be flogging a dead horse.Pun! To me it seems just perfect but i don't seem to be getting anywhere with it.( To go to this site from here scroll down to see the links,cafepress). I have prints and mouse pads and cards then a link to my other cafepress site that has all kinds of other stuff. I have to say i thought it would go better than this. Should i just stick at it or go in another direction.I welcome any ideas and feedback. Just a little bummed i suppose. To get to my 'artwork in progress' site go down and find the image like the one above and click on that.
Cheers for now Ronnie.

Bloody cold

2011-02-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

The top picture is of the temperature this morning. The last time i saw F and C degrees come together like this was when i first arrive in the USA. I came from 104 F in Adelaide Australia to 42 below in Fraser, Co. This place was once considered 'Ice Box of Colorado until contested. I guess there's always somewhere hotter or colder than where you are! Click on images to see better. The pic at the bottom was yesterday and we don't know by that how cold it was as the mercury on the thermometer had disappeared! It hasn't been above 0 since Monday!

New Year Blizzard and Resolutions

2011-01-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Time to contemplate the New year. As you can see from the top picture here taken from our back door, the first couple of days into 2011 gave us blizzard conditions here on the ranch. Mernie is currently outside moving snow. Not snow which has fallen, but snow blown in from elsewhere. They didn't want it either! Our well went out on New Year's day and the pumped stopped leaving 64 equines, three people and a fat barn cat without water.Lots of ice, but no water. Mern had to haul in water from Rod and Beth's place over the road to tide us over until the water situation was fixed. All is 'well' now but it's still cold. See the picture below. If you can make this bigger you will see the thermometer has no mercury. It's down as far as it can go.Well below freezing.
As for NY resolutions, yes i have given it some thought. I think this will be a year of change. Or at least the beginning of some changes. I want to revive my studio practice and have started already with new media and style ( see http://rondaeden.blogspot.com ) . I want to slow down, do more yoga and meditation, read more and talk less. I'd like to spend more time with Mernie and start planning the rest of our lives together. We are approaching retirement. Whatever that means! I think 2011 being the beginning of a new decade, will see changes or new beginnigs for many of us. I know they'll be good ones. Happy New Year. Ronnie

New Years Eve in Laramie Wyoming

2010-12-31T11:02:00.001-07:00

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Laramie&state=WY&site=CYS&textField1=41.3109&textField2=-105.583&e=0

Cut and paste in your address bar.

If you can access this link you will know why I'm thinking I might just sit in my studio and contemplate New Year's resolutions today!!

http://rondaeden.blogspot.com my second blog

2010-12-28T07:15:00.001-07:00

Hey there y'all, i now have a second blog dedicated to artwork only. Please book mark the following to keep up with what i'm doing. My goal is to make daily additions. http://rondaeden.blogspot.com
Cheers R

Merry Christmas everyone.

2010-12-25T11:28:00.004-07:00

To my friends and family all over the world, have a safe and happy holiday season.

A Dwawing Fool! That's me!

2010-12-16T18:55:00.004-07:00

Wild horses, pencil sketch.
Trying to think of a name for my new series of drawings and watercolors. Any suggestions?

Welsh 8 x 10"
Ink and coffee washes on bristol board. Draw Draw Draw Draw!!!

Drawings

2010-12-10T20:46:00.006-07:00

Now I'm not sure what has gotten into me! I studied drawing for my BFA and started my artist journey taking drawing classes at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver. I drew every day. Tons of drawings mostly tossed out now. I thought I'd left it all behind but lately I've been picking up a pencil and drawing off of photographs. Not so much a change in style as a revisiting of the past. I still think it's sort of cheating. After all it's just a matter of putting all the lines in the right spot. Lot easier than abstract work where you really have nothing but your inner creativity to go by. I wonder how long this phase will last.
R

Coffee Tumeric and watercolor, new work heading into 2011

2010-12-08T07:29:00.006-07:00

Media...Turmeric, Coffee and a little watercolor.Love experimental media. Don't ask me about the permanency of the first two but anyone who has ever accidentally spilled either of those substances on their favorite shirt might know more about that!LOL
Take a look at the style of the first painting and ask 'what's wrong with this picture? It's loose and splashy but a little more on the 'normal side of what i usually do. Maybe due to a possibly dislocated thumb, picking up a brush instead of using my fingers (and other parts of my body) has taken me back to my roots which was fairly traditional watercolor. Have i gone backward ? Perhaps i just needed to revisit or perhaps i was going too far on the 'wild side' and needed to create some balance. Anyhow, there it is. Scroll down to see more typical Ronnie Roo wild stuff. Doesn't get much wilder that 'WILD WILLY!!

R

Whoa boy! It's Wild Willy!

And then there's GEORGE!

www.cafepress.com/rondaeden

2010-11-27T19:50:00.005-07:00

Ok, i think one shop is enough at Cafe Press so it
www.cafepress.com/rondaeden
I closed the giddyup shop. I still have a webpage at www.northernfront.net/ronnieroo/artwall9/htm and it's soon to have a face lift.
I may do a Steve Cormey and blow off the blog for a while too. I don't think anyone's reading it!
Yoo Hoo, anyone out there?!!

www.cafepress.com/rondaeden and giddyupartworks

2010-11-17T21:21:00.005-07:00

Ok, Endurance season is officially over and i'm planning on hibernating in my studio for the winter.(After 2 years of just galloping all over the place). Go to the following links to see the beginnings of my Art Stores. Feed back PLEASE!
Click on image to enlarge.

http://www.cafepress/rondaeden
http://www.cafepress/giddyupartworks May need to be cut and pasted. Any of the images can be put onto any of the products. Cheers R
Or just click on the link under LINKS to the right of this page.

Moab, Halloween,2010 last ride for the season

2010-11-01T09:42:00.013-06:00

Amy Nagler on Manny the Super Mule.....Nice Ass!!

Gary Brown riding his lovely mare Duna. Go Gazza!
Dr Yvette Haeberle lookin' good on Roscoe! Three pics above taken by Karl's Creations.
Nice view aye Larka. Scroll down for more. Click to enlarge.

Last ride of the season and one not to be missed! Even if you do have to spend 3 extra hours crawling through ice packed roads to get there! The trick is to go a week early and take in a vacation in Moab at the same time. This year i had the LQ. I have an entry for this time last year when Chris and i braved sleeping in the back of the stock trailer 'IN THE SNOW!!!!'( Nov 3rd 2009 archives)
This year I went with Jeanette Flaig and Amy Nagler and their equine partners Marty, and Manny the Mule. We all did LD's. Them because their equines are new to the game and me because I'm sort of running on one cylinder right now. Flambeau and i had a wreck the first day (of course we did!) Unlike me he's had an easy season and is revved up to go. At one point i tried to slow him down by pointing him into a large boulder.Instead of slowing down he climbed up on top of the boulder and fell off the other side catapulting me over his ears. He left a couple of little caterpillars of knee hair on the rock but was otherwise fine. I gathered a few 'I'm lucky to be here' bruises and continued and finished all three days. One on Flambeau and two on Dorothy Sue's mare Larka (Montana Skylark).
The Halloween costumes on the final day were hilarious! Our group were butterflies and naturalists except for Amy who rode with 'NICE ASS' written with white cattle marker across her mule's butt! That mule rocks! Jeanette's Polish Arabian Marty did really well too. Just took the whole thing in his big beautiful stride.
Yep, this ride is one not to miss. Manager Sheri Griffith sure knows how to run an endurance ride and knows how to encourage good horsemanship and care of our equines while providing the means for us all to have a fantastic riding experience. Thanks Sheri, your vets and volunteers. See you next year........hopefully a week early!!
Oh and I came home with 2 free Renegade hoof boots! I'm sure you'll hear more about this in blogs to come!

Susie Basham from Cheyenne. Oh i love riding with Susie!

Meanwhile back at the ranch..... Chris and Daisy knocked 'em dead at the Halloween schooling show at the Hansen Arena in West Laramie. Steph did really well with Bud.....something about first prize i hear! And Marjorie Daley bought home some placings too. Most importantly, they all had a great time with no injuries. Much smarter than yours truly. Oh well!

Kipling....seeya later!

2010-10-19T20:17:00.003-06:00

See here Chris's Grey Anglo Arab Kipling, at Rushcreek Arabians in Lisco Nebraska where he is 'out to pasture' for a lameness problem. Not a problem right now it seems! I'm looking forward to hitting the trails on him next year. Great horse........ with just a bit of an attitude!!

Kenlyn Urban Challenge, Aurora, Co 2010

2010-10-04T11:51:00.008-06:00

Look over there. It's a flasher. oooooo!!
Chris riding Miss Daisy!
See commentary below.
Yours truly riding Kenlyn Rangler. Nice horse. You should have seen him all collected!!!! Lovely!!! And for sale. Just let me know if you're interested and I'll put you in touch with Linda.
ronnieroo@hotmail.com

Another one of my very favorites for different reasons. It's definitely an 'Urban Challenge'! You get to see EVERYTHING city living has to offer. And i mean everything!! Last year we had a woman lying stretched out on the trail. She wasn't happy about the thundering horses disturbing her nap and and told us so in no uncertain teams.This year we had a happy 'flasher' right on the trail. He was wearing only a t-shirt and holding his shorts in his hand. If you don't believe me ask Lynn Williams. She saw him too. Said "that's disgusting!"
Chris Compton did her super crew act for me and was brilliant as usual. Flambeau got pulled unfortunately with only 7 miles to go but i did the ACTHA ride the following day on Linda Fisher's beautiful gelding Rangler (for sale/comes highly recommended by me) so I guess i got my 50. Chris rode her baby paint filly Daisy on the 7 mile trail and did great! Daisy started off as a non-water crosser but grew webbed feet as the ride progress and it's no longer a problem. They are a great team embarking on a rosy future methinks!
Yvette Haeberle and Susie Schomberg hit the dust but are OK abet a little sore. Those girls are tough cookies!
Last ride for the season will be next, Moab Canyons! Yeehah!

Sangre Scenic, Westcliffe, CO

2010-09-22T06:38:00.007-06:00

This ride has moved up to one of my absolute favorites!
For some reason I assumed the ride was Fri, Sat, Sun. I was wrong! The above is a picture of ride camp when i got there. So I helped Linda Hardeman set trail (in a niffty little Trekker vehicle) on Friday which was nice. When we returned at the end of the day all the neighbors had moved in and were busily setting up for the rides on Sat, Sun and Monday.
I rode 55/35/50 completed all three days on two horses. I took it easy and was only about 4 hours behind Crockett Dumas on day three! The weather was warm apart from a couple of quick squalls and little friendly breeze to keep both riders and horses in good shape. Although the loops repeat themselves ! never get tired of the scenery which is just gorgeous especially with the leaves beginning to turn.

The ride meetings were brightened up by a happy crowd and a blue grass band on Sunday evening. I didn't even get the name of this trio but here is a picture of them playing. They are just starting up and you may just see them somewhere else some day.
The food was freshly prepared and presented by the ranch owner/manager and her crew. It was delicious and plenty of it. Another extra 5 lbs brought home around the belly of yours truly as I make my way toward heavy weight!
The Sangre Scenic ride is usually held twice a year at Music Meadows Ranch nestled at the base of the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains of South Central Colorado. The ranch covers 4000 acres and is beautifully run by lovely Elin Rusher. To find out more go to http://musicmeadows.com or call 719 783 2222. 'Itellya,' it's well worth a visit.
Big thanks to Elin and co, the ride manager Linda Hardeman and her volunteers and Vets for making this an enjoyable 'top of the list' ride.
Oh and getting to see Crockett do a jig to the music was absolutely precious! Didn't have my camera then DARN IT!

Rushcreek Reunion, 2010

2010-09-06T19:20:00.011-06:00

Rushcreek Reunion in Lisco NE is a very special ride held every Labor day week end. Thanks to Rushcreek Land and Live Stock we get to ride the beautiful open rolling hills of Nebraska among grazing cattle, chugging windmills and meadows of smiling sunflowers. Lyle and Teresa along with Lynn Jones and all the cowboys and friendly volunteers combine to produce an atmosphere of good ole down home ranch hospitality, great food and fun all week end! I've been taking things easy with my horses as of late so my goal has been the turtle award. Jack Evers got it on Saturday but i snagged it on Sunday. My second this year following the Zucchini at Happy Jack. I could really get into this turtle thing especially when it always seems to come with a completion and a sound horse!!
I'm looking forward to next year as Lyle announced his plan to make it a three day ride with a possible 75 mile trail! Stay tuned. Hey and if you want to ride your horse barefoot and have a horse with even half way decent hooves, this is an excellent ride to do. The footing is very soft. I did a 50 and a 25 barefoot no worries!
Timbo French helping out Lyle at the awards banquet Sunday night. He was in top form wearing the sexy little crew apon he and Lyle bidded up to and bought for $800 at the conference in February. They will be kindly donating it back to be auctioned again next year. A chance for other generous and good humored ride managers get into and look equally sexy in at their awards and briefings!!!
Flamboyant Beau (Flambeau). Quite a Novelty to be riding my own horse for a change!
Photo by Karl Creations
Chris Compton showing Rushcreek Theo 'Teddy' the way. He's really listening too."Yes i see that ribbon" says he! The sun flower is a nice touch too. Chris's birthday is Sept 5th and it has become a tradition for us to ride a 25 together. Lyle loaned her this lovely Rush Creek horse for the ride. He's for sale and a real sweet heart!

This was actually taken at Happy Jack by Pascal Karl. See here Tim French's Walkin' horse 'TROUBLE' sticking out his tongue at the photographer. Trouble is adorable but certainly lives up to his name! See also my foot in a brace.

Red Hills 50 mile, Otto Wyoming Aug 28th

2010-08-29T19:29:00.002-06:00

Haven't been able to get to this ride as it's usually held in the Spring and i get snowed in this end. Well this year mother nature did a number on them at their end (up North West of the state )and it got canceled.However it was rescheduled for this week end so i got to go. I just drove up in my little car as Dorothy Sue lives close by in Powell and i rode her Pinto Dandy Fella again. Love that horse! It was hot but the footing was great! No rain until after the ride so no bentonite mud to slip and slide in. Yay! Sort of warm so i ended up with a weird heat rash on my leg. Saw a rattler REAL close (almost ran right over it) and a funny little thorny toad reptile. Rode through the spectacular bad land country in constant awe! Sort of a stark beauty. Not many riders but a lovely laid back, enjoyable time had by those who were there.Recommended ride!

Happy Jack 2010

2010-08-25T06:58:00.008-06:00

My Turtle award for Sunday.

Happy Jack is our local ride and it's a good one. This year the weather was perfect. We often get four seasons in one weekend including hail and snow. In August! There were lots of riders. I'm thinking over 60 on Saturday and at least 30 on Sunday. I am in 'easy mode' right now, broken foot and all, so i got to take lots of pictures and goof around a bit. I rode with Mernie on the Sat LD. Flambeau was wound up at the beginning but chilled out pretty quickly when he realized how much grass was to be had for the back runners. I took it even easier on Sunday riding Tim's youngster Trouble (Got A Copy) He did really well with all A's and we even received the coveted Turtle award which this year was...... a big zucchini! See above. BIG thanks to Bob and all his volunteers for putting on an excellent ride yet again.
Sara on Flirt. Great pair. First ride for both them. Actually second. Saturday with Tim and Junior was the first. Now look at them go!
Mernie riding high on Ice. See her ear in the left corner.
Mernie on Ice. Yes i got to ride and complete with my hubby buddy!

Horse and Rider 2010

2010-08-25T06:31:00.007-06:00

Goofin' around on the trail!
Joe looking his early morning best!
Bonnie on Baracha (Rocket) only her 4th/ 5th ride done totally barefoot and BC ed 2nd day. What a little ripper!!!!

Gosh i need to catch up on two rides. I thought i'd have plenty of time to do indoor things when i broke my foot but alas i found devious ways to get outside and keep going with what i love best. Riding and horsin' around.
Horse and Rider, Carbondale Co 14th and 15th of August. Went with Bonnie and Joe, my team we call the Borojoes. We had a lovely time though the course was difficult, rocky and at 10,000 + feet. It took most of the allotted time to do it. Bonnie and Joe brought home BC and first prizes and me and my broken foot were thoroughly happy with completions both days on Flambeau and Junior. Thank yous go to Carol with a name i can never pronoun for a great week end.

New work, Horsin' around and cavorting

2010-07-30T20:30:00.008-06:00

As I have a broken my foot and have been grounded from riding for a few weeks .......... what's there to do? Have some fun in the studio of course. Cards and prints available. Click on to enlarge.

ouch

2010-07-20T09:57:00.003-06:00

Broke me foot!
"There's........ One Foot and Foot Foot and stupid one called Broken Foot.......

I tend to get lots of knocks and bumps given the work i do with equines and they are obviously warnings ignored. Well this time i didn't get away with it......stupid, stupid, stupid!
Thought I'd help out one of our borders with her unbroken three year old. A lovely lady who warned me repeatedly she'd probably blow up when saddled. I don't know where my brain was last Thursday. Probably hiding in my butt! It does that sometimes.I ignored all the golden rules for working with an unknown horse. Normally i would put the critter in the round pen and run it thought my personal check list to see where it was at. Find a safe starting point and work from there. Or at least see whether it has enough respect to back briskly down the isle of the portastall in a "yes ma'am" kid of manner. Something i did after the bugger broke my foot.Derr! (Adrenaline is an amazing thing!) But nooooo, my brain finds it hard to work properly while squashed up between the cheeks of my butt.
Well she blew, not away from me as i expected (stupid,stupid,stupid) but toward me knocking me down and stomping on my foot. This might explain why my brain was hiding in the most padded refuge. You all probably know the rest.......emergency room, exrays, narcotics, R.I.C.E and six to eight weeks driving everyone crazy trying to do things i can't! Oh well there's a 100 mile ER in Missouri on September 18 so if you see me galloping around on my crutches tell be to get that brain out of my butt or i may not be doing that 100.
Luv ya all xxx

Hop-a-long Roo

Big Horn Adventure! 2010

2010-07-13T15:12:00.003-06:00

It was quite the drama.Many were lost, wet, cold and bedraggled on weary horses. Miraculously, no once was hurt and all ended well.I had to spend the night between my saddle and saddle rug in a sage bush while most of the other lost riders somehow fumbled their way through the darkness on an unmarked section of trail. We all suffered but experienced nothing like what Cindy Collins went through. As a result of vertigo she started vomiting as soon as darkness fell. This went on for hours until she became so weak she could no longer stay on her horse. Walt and I got her down and stayed with her while the others continued on in hope of somehow finding their way down. It would have been senseless for everyone to stay. Cindy was lying on the trail shivering uncontrollably. We covered her with my driz-a -bone coat and set our brains to work juggling the options. Walt tried to make a fire to mark where she was so we might be able to leave her and go for help but everything we could find to burn was wet. Cindy was far too sick to get back on a horse so eventually Walt, a diabetic and at risk of getting ill himself prompt her up and walk her out while I tried to find my way down ponying Jack, Cindy's horse. I got off trail more than once until finally deciding to follow a fence line quietly sneaking around giant sleeping bulls back to a gate where there was one flashing light. This is where I made myself into a saddle and saddle blanket sandwich and waited it out until enough light would help me to find my way out. A few miles down i did find some Big Horn flags and managed to follow them out with only one hitch. There were three flags which turned me up to someone's campsite!?? I didn't wake them up. I find it hard to explain why I would choose maybe being lost in the vast wilderness over simple embarrassment. I knew I'd find my way out now it was light and I'd spotted at least a few flags. Wow! Up and over the mountain way up in the sky looking over that vast panorama took my breathe away. The road felt to me like just a ledge but off course it was much wider. I dismounted and walked both horses down to carefully negotiate the next danger:Slick rock! Yep this is what they were talking about. Nasty stuff! The horses were slipping and sliding on the big slabs of it while i was rollerskating on the loose rocks around them.I was on my bum a few times too many. Just as well it was numb from so many hours in the saddle. Naturally, my crew Chris Compton was relieved to see me ( an understatement of course) as were Dr Haeberle and Callie Bermann. Chris wouldn't let me ride the rest of the way in.She didn't want to let me out of her site.Tim French was there also helping everyone as usual.These people are THE BEST! They were there for us, lots of tired people and muddy vehicles as testament to a long and anxious night. Jeanette had her own set of terrible mishaps to report and coupled with the difficult weather and terrain conditions found it impossible to get the trail marked out there. There are a lot of angry people as a result of this ordeal. I know those who were on the rescue end, the friends and families left not knowing what condition we and our horses were in would have been sick with worry and very upset. There may even be a protest I suspect. For myself I do not want to spend the energy in that direction. I do know that we all need to think seriously about all this and offer help to the Tolman's to ensure we have better emergency operations in place to ensure this doesn't happen again. (Yes i know it's happened before) My plea is to Jeanette to graciously accept the help I know is going to be offered. Its an incredibly spectacular ride but this debacle surely will hurt its future attendance.We all need to put our heads together and figure something else.
I'm so relieved to know Cindy is home safe and we can thank Walt for that. People like him those angels at the bottom of the mountain is what it's all about.

Ft Howes, Montana 2010

2010-06-18T07:35:00.002-06:00

Lots of mud but a lovely ride.An FEI ride so all the big wigs were there and the vetting was strict. Completed in top 10 on Montana Skylark (Larka) with Joe H on Saturday but was pulled for Lameness on Sunday with a bunch of other people. Very hard going in the mud. Should have known better and taken Dandy Fella on the second day. Darn it! Will learn one day. More to come

Basin May 2010

2010-06-04T06:16:00.005-06:00

Really nice ride in Basin, WY put on by Jeanette Tolman and family of Big Horn 100 fame.
See here Mernie on Ice. She did GREAT!Her first LD completion. Yours truly on Montana Skylark (Larka) and also on Dandy Fella(Pinto Bean) for a Best Condition Award. YEE HAH!
We had gumbo mud at the end so he really earned his stripes! This is a perfect ride to go barefoot. Next ride Ashland Montana.

Beautiful horse for sale

2010-05-15T21:30:00.006-06:00

This is Dandy Fella's Half brother Desi. Dorothy Sue will be sending him down here to OAS for me to ride and sell. She has way too many horses right now! Apparently he is a really quiet and reliable horse. He has a lot going for him so I don't think he will be hard to sell. If you are at all interested please email me at ronnie@onastring.com .I'd love to tell you more.
See here his papers. He is also registered with the American Pinto Association.
Click on images to make larger.
Oh and wasn't he a beautiful baby!!

Tristan's back

2010-05-12T14:39:00.004-06:00

Tristan is back causing havoc. About 8 months ago he broke one of he back legs. Hard to believe now. See him here moving so fast i almost didn't catch him in the frame. Its nice to have the little guy back again. His big girlfriends think so too!

Kenlyn Urban Challenge, Spring 2010

2010-04-26T20:27:00.004-06:00

No, this is not at the Kenlyn as I don't have a picture yet. Hey Chris send me a pic will ya. Then i wil lpost some sort of commentary about how it i escaped being snowed in in Laramie and rained out on Saturday in Denver. There's a happy ending though as the ride finally took place under blue skies on Sunday. More to come.

Color Country Hurricane Utah

2010-04-16T19:43:00.009-06:00

After being snowed in in Laramie for a week Dorothy Sue, Timbo and I finally got away to this gorgeous ride in the Utahian Desert. I rode DS's mare 'Larka' ( Montana Skylark) on the Friday 55miles, Dandy Fella on Saturday 50 miles and Larka again on Sunday 50miles . Where did we come? Don't know don't care. This is going to be my motto for this season. I just want completions and SOUND horses. I think i might be growing up Mum!

Click the pic with the horse trailer to get an idea of why they call this color country. Thanks for the picture Tracy!

Check out the Pinto Beans foot wear. Renegades. I was impressed!

Dorothy Sue on Montana Flyer and Karl on Bubba. I can't tell you how honored i feel to ride with such wonderful Veteran riders. Good stories too!

Good endurance horses don't care what they have to climb up on to get a well deserved drink!

We've come a long way

2010-03-17T05:40:00.002-06:00

Here is the horse trailer (horse float) we had in Australia.It was quite a popular model over there at the time, ah due to the heat and all. Great flow through ventilation system and what's more the equines can climb in from which ever side they please. See them making their choices here. Looks much better with the horses inside as that's what actually holds the thing together as it's going down the road. This is actually the deluxe model. It is super light to save enormously on high Australia gas prices and see it's special feature ..........it has a built in window! It's hard to believe we could actually up grade from here but scroll down to see our latest purchase. ............

New Trailer with Living Quarters

2010-03-14T07:23:00.005-06:00

This is great! We weren't planning on getting one for a while but a great deal came up and we grabbed it. Not as big and luxurious as some I've seen but to me it's an absolute palace!! Especially after years of camping in the back of a stock trailer. Thanks Mernie!!!

Yes and LOO too!!

lyin' around

2010-02-06T20:27:00.002-07:00

Lying around soakin' up the sun. Just another quiet day at the ranch. Photo taken from our bedroom balcony! Life is good!

....and today's forecast

2009-12-28T06:59:00.003-07:00

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Laramie&state=WY&site=CYS&textField1=41.3109&textField2=-105.583&e=0

go to this site to see our lovely weather after the blizzard http://s302.photobucket.com/albums/nn96/oneicepony/December%202009%20at%20OAS/?albumview=slideshow

Oh and take a look at this slide show compliments of our cheap and much appreciated help, the lovely Chris Compton

The weather outside is fright ful!

2009-12-26T06:33:00.006-07:00

A cold winter blizzard for Christmas here at OAS. Actually i think a good part of the United States was cover in snow. The temperature was in single digits ( well below O in Celsius) and the wind was blowing at over 40miles per hour! Providing the horses get plenty of hay and have fresh water they do fine. See Mernie starting one of three daily deliveries to the 62 equines on the property. See Domingo here say "bloody hurry up will ya!" And Flambeau saying " this is not happening!"
For those of you in Australia i hear it is going to be over 100 F in Adelaide on Thursday. Somewhere between the two places would be just right! We were planning on a Christmas dinner with our good friends Rod and Beth but we couldn't get there due to white out visibility and drifts of snow. They live....ACROSS THE ROAD!!!!! Happy New Year. Ronnie! ((Scroll down for an account of 2009)

New Years Roodroppings

2009-12-22T06:26:00.014-07:00

(Click on images to make larger)

It's been a great year among the 60 horses, one mule and one mini donkey. I don't think I've ever been happier or in such good health. What ever I'm doing I'd better keep it up. Mernie is also doing just dandy. I think it has something to do with all the earth moving equipment we have here now. The little boy in him keeps youth alive. For me i think its horses, endurance riding, a little dressage and the yoga classes we have been having right here at the house under the gentle guidance of our good friend Jeanette Flaig. Good energy abounds. Also our best buddies Rod and Beth live across the road and i get to spend a few days a month with their precious little bundle of joy, Cole James Kelly. Oh and there's another little Keller on the way!
Mernie's Mom was here for the beginning of the Summer. Her memory is slipping but she still gets around well and has a delightful array of stories to share with everyone she meets. The altitude bothers her a bit however!
It was nice to have Chester, Mernie's youngest, visit again this Summer. He is becoming quite the ranch hand and is growing like a bean sprout.Oh and he can sure play a mean guitar!
Whoa ......A..C...D...C!!!
The Endurance season was a full one. I rode over 1000 miles of mainly 50 mile rides. Thanks to my super crew and much appreciated cheap help Chris Compton I lived through it. Chris has been a real help to us here on the ranch this year too. Help like hers is as scarce as rocking horse poop I'd say!
On a sad note, our lovely veterinarian, Kelly Palm lost her battle to Cancer this year and we all miss her terribly. We also lost one of our old Arabs Embassy, also to cancer. He survived with it to 26. A good innings for a horse. Kelly was only 38. Cut down in her prime.There were over 1000 people at her service!At least we know that where ever Embassy is he will be getting excellent veterinary care!
We now have Dr Ruthie Sorensen taking care of our horses. And thanks to a wonderful equine first aid course she ran here some of us are now certified in Equine First Aid. Ginny's little donkey Tristan broke his leg and we have had a few cases of pigeon fever here so we need all the knowledge we can get. Tristan is well on the way to recovery and cuter than ever in his dinosaur print cast!
In July Steve Cormey and I launched our children's book/DVD/CD The Brothers Foot in Grand County Colorado. Mernie and I turned this into a mini Vacation and I re visited my past a little. The book is getting rave reviews from all those little sprogs. Check it out at www.footfootsong.com
Speaking of Vacations Mernie actually took one. He went bird hunting with Rod and bird dog Ginger. He was like a little boy going off to camp with his best buddy, which is actually what he was doing. He had a great time and we have a lots of birds in the freezer keeping the goat, sheep and Llama company!
As for 2010, bring on more of the same please. For resolutions I'm going to try to live by the words of a song sung (don't know whether she wrote it) by Jana Stanfield called STOP LOOK AND LISTEN..........

I'm gonna stop reading other people's minds
I'm gonna look at the good that surrounds me
I'm gonna listen to my heart when it tells me what to do
I'm gonna notice every time a little dream comes true
I'll do all the livin' I've been missing
When.... I STOP LOOK AND LISTEN
STOP LOOK AND LISTEN

May you all have a happy, peaceful and safe 2010.
Cheers from Ronnie. Stay tuned to my blog!

Not your average Dressage Teacher!

2009-12-08T06:02:00.005-07:00

OAS Christmas Party 09

Yes there were a lot more people. In fact, at one stage there was standing room only! I guess we cleared the place out when we started the the belly dancing and general silliness. Great party! Thank you Steve Cormey for the get ya goin' music.
See here Jessica Ford, life of the party and dancing queen. Not your average 'dressage teacher'!!

SOLDIER BOLD!

2009-12-02T06:44:00.003-07:00

As my ole Dad would say in his Aussie rhyming slang " Its bloody soldier bold outside"! See above Mernie's mare living up to her name, 'ICE' !!

Moab Canyon Endurance ride

2009-11-03T06:13:00.004-07:00

MOAB???
So much for sunny Moab. Last year heat was the problem. This year the times were fast. horses love the cold. Not so much us humans. Yes Chris and i slept in the stock trailer. Brrrrrr!
It was Halloween. Chris took shots for me as i mascaraed as sleeping beauty back in the trailer.See here Bonnie Swiatek in Pepto bismol pink with Sheik John. His wife Beth was off belly dancing somewhere!
Chris the 'cheap and much appreciated help', was supposed to ride Kip on Friday but as he was lame she got to take a jaunt on this spunky little Morgan stallion instead. As happy as a pig in Poop!
Kipling
(an aside)I guess MJ and i were the only ones brave enough to poke at the Cormous. We both agree it was fun while it lasted. Thanks MJ.Yes this is the Silver Bullet!
Now back to the Equines for a while.

Last Endurance Ride for the season.
We might have missed the storm in Laramie but it was bloody cold even in Moab. Note the layers of clothing.
The silver bullet flew for the first 25 miles. We took a wrong turn at one stage so it was more like 32 miles. Unfortunately he came up lame and we pulled him at the vet stop. He was going sooooo well but this is something in his right leg we have been seeing for a while and hopefully now we can get it fixed. Luckily the Dorothy Sue's pinto was there so i put the remaining 100 miles on him.I love riding with Dorothy sue and flyer and Kerry Greear was there too making for a really fabulous time. We truly were in 'John Wayne' country riding through red dirt, sand, towering fins and balancing rocks under a deep blue sky. Next year we plan on going early and doing some extra sight seeing around the area. R

Great moments in the life of the emormous!

2009-10-22T17:34:00.005-06:00

Here we go!! Please feel free to comment, snicker or just fall down laughing.
Keep 'em coming. Maybe my blog will become as popular as Corm's and I'll be able to disappear to 'somewhere with a beach!' R

The missing Cormous

2009-10-22T06:24:00.006-06:00

Ok, Steve Cormey has disappeared! His blog posting has been neglected and we are all worried sick about him. However here is where he's spending his time while we are all fretting over his disappearance from our lives! He's not going to get away with it!! I'm calling for all of his 'acquaintances' to send some dirty rotten, totally unflattering shots of him to this blog for posting. Stay tuned. This could be fun!!
( send pics to ronnie@onastring.com jpeg not too large)
R

Sangre Scenic, Westcliffe Co

2009-10-12T06:57:00.003-06:00

Here's me mate, Timbo on Junior at the Sangre Scenic. I'm hiding behind the camera on his other T W H Trouble. We had a great ride completing the 35 on day two. Tim completed all three days on 'Junior the Wonder Walker' and I completed the other two days on 'Pinto Bean' Dandy Fella. 135 mls in all. Dorothy Sue completed 160 miles on the magnificent Montana Flyer. Flyer has over 6000 miles and DS some 15,000; so a piece of cake for them! It is truly a scenic ride but the camping fee has tipped it out of my budget for next year.
Oh and it was my b/day week end with a surprise cake and singing card plus a fun crowd to share it with.
Thanks Timbo!

Kenlyn, Fall 09

2009-09-28T06:59:00.001-06:00

Here I am aboard the Silver Bullet, Kipling followed close behind by Joe, the Junior i was sponsoring. Joe's only 14 so legally he needs a sponsor but in reality he can ride the pants off of any of us! I love Linda Fisher's ride 'The Kenlyn Urban Challenge'. It is held twice per year in May and in September and i try to get to both events. Kip was in fine form and ploughed gallantly through all the monsters lurking in the city to win the 50 mile. Joe and i decided to tie for first and Joe's horse Scooter also earned the best condition award. That was one happy kid. Well deserved!

Rushcreek Reunion, Lisco, Nebraska

2009-09-08T11:12:00.008-06:00

If i could only do one ride per season it would be this one! I've always loved it but the new base camp makes it even better. The trail was sooooooo well marked even i didn't get lost.I'd say they even got somewhat carried away with those ribbons!

This was the our 'cheap and much appreciated help', Chris Compton's first 25 mile and she had a fantastic time on her graffitied horse Kipling. She came in 9th so top tenned it! She beat me too. That's a wine glass symbol painted there under the numbers. It was her birthday week end so the festive motif was most appropriate! I wont say how old she turned but i will tell you her age is the meaning of Life the Universe and Everything!
Now there's a happy little boithday gal!
And here's me trying to wear 'The Silver Bullet' Kipling out on a 50 miler the day before. Fat Chance!! Came in Second!
Oh I'm Soooooo pleased with myself and that wacko silver bullet!!!
(Timbo in the background engrossed in his camera!)
Thank you Lyle, Teressa and Rush Creek Land and Livestock for a great time had by all.
Just ask Tim!!
R

Happy Jack Ride 09

2009-08-31T21:35:00.003-06:00

A great ride although not without incident (as usual). Flambeau came twelfth on Saturday. Think the boy is getting a little tired. Kip came second in-spite of a tumble at the beginning on Sunday. Great horse. Mernie rode Ice her first 50 on Sunday. He pulled her at 15 as her feet we a little tender. It was nice to have Mern there. Jeanette completed her first 25 on Marty. He did really well.
Flambeau and I with Dorothy Sue on Montana Flyer. Always a great privilege to ride with DS!

Kelly Lorraine Palm

2009-08-27T05:41:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, the world lost a competent, thoroughly dedicated Veterinarian and all around fantastic person. Her Memorial was held at the fair grounds yesterday and I'm sure it was better attended than the Albany County Fair. Kelly will be remain in our hearts and minds wearing the sparkling smile pictured above. She lost her courageous battle with cancer and the age of only 38. To say she will be sadly missed is an understatement.

Horse and Rider, Glenwood Springs

2009-08-19T06:48:00.004-06:00

Dork by a stump!
Horse and rider in Glenwood Springs this week end was a gorgeous but pretty tough ride. I traveled with Bonnie, Gary and Mary ( the Onnies and the Arys) and had the usual laughs and adventures. They're terrific people to be around.
I was more than happy with a completion on the fifty. I did the 25 the next day and we came in overtime. We had a nice 'trail ride' and I got acquainted with Wendy Brookes a lovely competitive trail rider and learned lots about that sport along the way. She is a nurse. It's always good to have one of them around!
In true form, Flambeau and I took 'the scenic route' on the fifty, so he was dead tired and very hungry on Sunday.He was sucking up to the vets and trying to tell them what a nasty person i was for getting us lost and putting an extra 15 miles on him! LOL.
The ride was way under staffed but they did the best they could with what they had, were friendly and professional and pulled it off nicely in the end. There were lots of laughs! I hope Carol (the Manager) is able to get much more support so she can put it on again next year. Pics to come!
If i get time I'll tell you about the sheep and killer dogs and falling flat on my face on the mogul course! R LOL

The Passing of Embassy

2009-08-12T07:00:00.005-06:00

Our 25 year old grey Arabian gelding Embassy was euthanized last night due to a bout of something yet to be determine by a Necropsy. His bouncy character and antics will be sadly missed here at OAS. I'm sure going to miss that goofy little guy.
Update... the Necropsy found him to have many Melanomas. All internal. He was otherwise in exceptional health for his age.We have a mare his age with external Melanomas and she still going strong.She's had them most of her life and is now on Cimetidine to hopefully shrink them some. Both are/were grey Arabians and this is very common.

Mojo sticks his head in it

2009-08-09T21:38:00.006-06:00

Talk about having a 'bad hair day!' I put up a post a while back(Dec 2008) titled 'Casino puts his foot in it' and now i have a post 'Mojo sticks his head in it!' Or should it be called 'no fly's on me mate!' Anyway, i never know what i'm going to find when i enter the barn each morning. I guess i hung the sticky fly tapes a little too low!
Click on image to enlarge.

Ft Mead Re Mount, Sturgis SD

2009-07-28T06:55:00.009-06:00

Kerry Greear and her super family and friends put on a fabulous ride in the Ft Meade Recreation area this week end. They are super organized have lot of smiling volunteers and are a hoot to boot!The kids are fantastic and constantly asking if they can help you in anyway. AND they have special magic. Some of them whispered something in my horses ear to make him drink!! Now that's a handy talent to have.
Bonnie Swiatek (BC on second day) and beautiful Marlina in background. Both are on horses called Sky Lark!! I travelled with Bonnie in her trailer and we had a great time.She's quite a gal.
Marlina is from Germany and has been staying with Dorothy Sue and ridin' her pants off. They completed the Big horn one hundred together a few week ago. We are really going to miss her when she leaves. Her presence is like a breath of fresh air.
Can I open my eyes now Mom? See below Sheri going in!
Would you go in there?
Ride Manager of Moab ride and all round lovely lady Sheri Griffith entering the 'dark hole!'
One of the best parts of these rides is getting to know people and having wonderful conversations about all things horsey. It was Sheri's birthday and i got to spend most of it with her in this piece of paradise. How old is she? My lips are sealed. As another new friend Eric put it, she's plenty 9!
Dorothy Sue's Dandy Fella.This horse really turns heads!
Both horses did really well in spite of heat being in the mid 90's. We spent a lot of time drenching them at the many water tanks along the way. Flambeau wanted me to carry him up the big mountain on the final loop but i compromised by leading him. Both Sheri and i did some coaxing with snacks of grass all the way up. It was a long way and i'm sorry i didn't snatch a pic of the breath taking view at the top.
A big hanks to Kerry and all her crew for a memorable experience. We love you all!
R

Kipling, Shamrock and Big Horn

2009-07-13T10:45:00.005-06:00

Hello, I'm Kipling. Anyone in there? Got a carrot?
Here's Kip coming home from the Big Horn 55 in my painted trailer. Looks like Flambeau doesn't he? I refer to them as book ends!
Chris Compton's Kipling above at the Big Horn 55 mile and below at Shamrock. He did us proud at both rides. His first two ever! More commentary to come.
I'm Kipling and I'm the greatest!!!

The only thing better than the trail is grass and there's grass on the trail so what are we waiting for. Let's GO!!

Strawberry Fields Forever/Easy Boot Gloves

2009-06-22T06:28:00.010-06:00

Howard Kent and his terrific volunteers and vets put on a fabulous ride in the picturesque mountains near Heber City, Utah every year. I would have to say it's quite a difficult course but well worth the effort. The scenery is hard to beat! This year it rained heavily making it particularly hard going. As usual Flambeau and I encountered those challenges that always teach us invaluable lessons. As usual I met old and new friends to share special moments with and create the many stories I bring home with me. And as usual many strange things happened! Here is just one.

My Opportune Meeting with 'Mr. Easyboot' Right on the Trail at just the Right Time!!

I'm obviously passionate about Endurance Riding. Apart from meeting my husband Mernie, it's the best thing that's happened to my equine orientated existence. However, I'm happy to say that I'm even more passionate about keeping my horses barefoot and healthy right from the ground up. I trim my own horses and use Easy Boots to help protect their hooves; those precious structures that faithfully carry both of us everywhere we want to go. Flambeau is a hot- headed, easily wound up racing machine. We refer tosome of his gymnastic maneuvers as "the Flambeau Flip!" I'll have to admit I too can get pretty competitive and loopy at times. So I've had a love hate relationship with hoof boots and their tendency to be launched into orbit by my plunging and lunging Flamboyant Arab. Thankfully, trial and error has led me to the Easy Boot Glove. Flambeau is a great test pilot for hoof boots or anything else us humans try to attach to him. He can throw a boot so far off the trail you'll need an aircraft or maybe a sniffer dog to retrieve it! He takes off so fast he leaves a hole in the ground. Strawberry Fields Forever Endurance Ride in Utah this year was the real test. Mud, slush, rocks, rocks and mud, slushy, rocky water crossings, straight up, straight down, bogs left right and in between. Did they stay on? Almost! His back left popped off right when he was really wound up and racing with the hot shots. Bummer! I stopped to get off and fix it and, with riders going passed him, you can imagine just what a rodeo that was! Flambeau was spinning around with me chasing this near back hoof in a futile effort to remove the boot when a voice call out,
" Need help?"
"Yes", I replied, "this bloody boot has come off!"
Can you believe it, it was Garrett Ford, Mr Easyboot himself,
He kindly and expertly put the boot back on and advised me i needed a size smaller.He then ensured me he'd fix that problem back in camp; which he did. Off I rode through the muck .
I ended up riding one hundred miles with ones on the front and 0s on the rear through the most horrendous mud you can ever image and they DID NOT BUDGE! I was starting to think Flambeau was simply a horse impossible to keep booted. I now know that's not true.
Garrett showed me he how it requires technique rather than strength to apply the boot and how important it is to have a really snug fit in such adverse conditions.
I love the Easyboot Glove. They're light, durable, easy to apply and remove and they look great! Thank you Garrett for coming to my rescue and providing me with a product I can depend on through hell and high water!

Wyoming Pioneer 2009

2009-05-27T06:08:00.002-06:00

Flambeau won both his rides in Basin Wyoming this week end. See him here showing off for the cameraman Ross Tolman (son of Jeanette the ride manager). I rode all three days (125 miles). Friday saw me aboard Dorothy Sue's handsome pinto, Dandy Fella coming 3rd in the 50. Flambeau did a 50 and a 25 miler. It rained and the last 8 or so miles of the 25 had us wallowing in (bentonite ) mud. Really snotty stuff. The horse were sliding around like drunken sailors!
I travelled with Bonnie Swiatek, Gary Brown and his lovely wife Mary. Gary and Bonnie rode all three days and snagged all the best condition awards. Yay!
I adore the Tolman rides! They are super friendly, well organised and a ton of fun!
Flambeau liked the grass!!!

The Kenlyn Urban Challenge, 2009

2009-05-04T14:46:00.009-06:00

Hey, I'd love to get some comments just so i know people are reading my blog.And don't forget to click on images to enlarge them. R
Super Crewer Chris Compton took these photos. Here I am just changing the oil and doing regular maintenance after a long ride. Everything seems to be in good order. The blanky was a big hit and serves to conceal nicely what I'm really doing!!
Looking and moving out nicely at the end of 50 miles plus probably more than that the night before! Scroll down for more details about the latter!! Don't forget to comment and click on images to make them larger.
Quietly standing the evening before the ride minding his own business.

This year's Kenlyn Urban challenge Endurance Ride in Aurora Colorado was fantastic as usual but certainly not uneventful. Well not the evening before anyway. I arrived Friday about 2.30 pm with plenty of time to set up and relax. Bonnie Swiatek arrived around the same time and we hung out together before each returning to our trailers to endure the damp cold night. I finally got warm by pretending to tread water in my sleeping bag and nodded off around 10pm about the same time I heard a CRASH! I leaped up and looked out not fast enough to see what had happened.Through the darkness i thought i saw some horses racing off and know i saw........NO FLAMBEAU and a torn down electric pen. There was to be no sleep tonight! I grabbed a halter and some grain and trekked off meeting a few others and Tennessee Mahoney, the other marauding horses' owner. We headed off down the road and found her electric coral strewn along the road by the golf course. Bad sign! That horse was probably frenzied. No horses insight but more bad signs. A heavy cable fence had been practically ripped out of the ground and knocked over with horse hair all over the place. Grey horse hair!!! Someone said there was blood but it was dark and i was hoping that information was erroneous.
Ken Fisher came along on his four wheeler ( Linda was convinced this was all a horrible dream so thought it best to stay in bed and send Ken instead .Good thinking on Linda's part.) I hopped on the four wheeler then Sophie, a Kenlyn trainer hopped on and we searched the area along with Dave in his vehicle and I think a lady called Karen was kindly helping too. Remember it's dark and everyone is dressed for the cold so excuse me if i get the names and faces mixed up.
So we all wandered around walking, wheeling, whistling and wailing in the darkness. Within two hours we found one of Tenny's horses and Flambeau amazingly in one piece. I was expecting to pick up all the pieces and take him home in plastic bags. Tenny's horse was lame with road rash and her one other horse Magnum was still at large.The police were informed and apparently alerts and road blocks set up. By this time four of us had saddled up horses and were riding in the darkness. It was passed midnight. The weird think is, they had split up. Flambeau was spotted racing up and down a fence line whooping it up in true Falmbeau style while the other horse was found somewhere else. Goodness knows where the third horse was! We rode for hours with no sign of him. At around 2.30am we called it quits. (Oh and somewhere in there the lovely big horse Gus, I was riding got caught in barbed wire but was sensible enough to let me untangle him diverting another potential wreck. Lovely well behaved horse in spite of the fact he could knock your fillings out with his trot. ) I went and collected my wayward Arab and tied him to the trailer where he happily, and noisily ate for the small remaining hours before daylight. It was around 3am by this time and I dosed off thinking there's no way we are going on the 50 tomorrow.
Then as i tried hard to sleep though the bumping of Flambeau's big nose on the trailer as he savaged his hay I thought, ya know that bugger is doing that 50 miles and if he tells me he's tired i don't want ta hear it!!
The vet passed him and we went, had a fantastic ride, came in 2nd in my division and 4th over all. The best news is Tennessee's horse was found during the ride and although lame I don't think it was seriously injured. I need to find out more.
As for what started it, it's still a mystery. One person thought they saw two horse plough through, or at least come very close to ploughing through, Flambeau's coral and the rambunctious Arab went whoopee!
Someone else said they saw a grey horse plough through Tennessee's horses' coral and they all went whoopee!! Anyway, they ran amok and any one who has horses knows to expect the unexpected at any minute.Poor Tennessee, she's really had her fair share of incidents lately and I'm wishing for a big change in her luck for the better here on. (I emailed T and her horses are fine and she's off to the next ride. She actually considers herself 'lucky' under the circumstances and would like her luck to stay where it is. Good way of looking at it)
As Mernie has always said horses, from the time they are born they are bent on committing suicide. We just have to make sure they don't take us with them!

All this aside. Thanks to those people who helped us find our horses and thanks to Linda, Denise, her family, the vets and all those volunteers for putting on a great ride as always. See y'all in September.

More pics and editing to come.
Leg injury. Only took the hair off.
Shoulders . Not much more than scratches.And he has a few more little nicks and bumps.NO BLOOD!

Flamingo

2009-04-28T09:07:00.004-06:00

Flambeau and Domingo = Flamingo. See them with their new toy.

more cartoon commissions

2009-04-19T16:53:00.002-06:00

The same mob who had me do the award cartoons are putting together a set of four anagrammed mugs. They send me the anagram and I (with the witty assistance of hubby ) think of an image. I love this kind of work. It's quick and doesn't take me away from horse work for too long.
YEE HAH!!!

Finley the Foot Foot Fan

2009-04-16T09:48:00.002-06:00

This is Finley Cole Younger. A most satisfied customer intensely watching the Brothers Foot for the umpteen time. He also has the CD and the Book and is driving everyone crazy with it. It the nicest way of course. To see and hear it for yourself go to www.footfootsong.com

IT'S OUT

2009-04-01T06:19:00.004-06:00

Yay!!!! The Brothers Foot BOOK just became available yesterday!! Here's how to order. Go to any of these websites.
http://www.authorhouse.com/bookstore/ItemDetail.aspx?bookid=58833

www.stevecormeymusic.com
www.footfootsong.com
www.stevecormey.blogspot.com
Stay tuned for 'The Dance!'
I can't think of a better gift for Easter and its 'calorie free!'
And NO this is not an April Fool's Joke!!!

PNER commission

2009-02-08T19:27:00.006-07:00

I just recently completed a really neat commission for the Pacific North Endurance Riders Association. They sent me 14 pictures of some of their more successful riders and had me do caricatures of them and their horses to give to them as awards.Here a just a few of them. The one at the top is me on Flambeau . I thought I'd throw that in while I was at it. Happy trails!

2009-02-01T18:21:00.004-07:00

Ya bedda go to www.footfootsong.com OR ELSE!

The DVD is Done and available

2009-01-17T06:58:00.003-07:00

I See Dead Rabbits

I nicked this from Steve's Blog.I know he wont mind. Anything to promote our project. (Call it 'artistic license' if you like!) He has finished his part of the Brother's Foot and we are waiting for Authorhouse to publish the book. It's a 'must have' for children from 0-110. Good work Steve!Go to www.footfootsong.com to find out all about it and buy a copy at a bargain price!

I see rabbits everywhere. In my dreams, in the yard, they even hop, skip and thump in front of my car on my way home from work at 2:00 in the morning! I see a sign post up ahead and I can't control the horizontal or the vertical anymore.....AAARRRGGG!!!!!! I wonder if Rod Serling or Stephen King ever saw rabbits? I believe Elmer Fudd experienced this same trauma but he had a shotgun and that great hunter hat with the ear flaps. I only have a stack of DVD cases full of six rabbit feet. I hope that's good luck!! Stay tuned for more info as the singing bunnies prepare to invade your home too. Even those of you in 'The Beave"!! An alligator has no chance against these devils(remember Monty Python and the Holy Grail?) They haunt me as they sing..one foot, and two foot and the brother they call OOOOOOHHHHH!!!

posted by Steve Cormey @ 8:36 PM 4 Comments

From wild west to island Paradise

2009-01-09T19:24:00.004-07:00

Our very good friend Weiwen has taken a position at the Cancer Research Department at the University of Hawaii. What a change of lifestyle from the wild, wild west to an Island paradise in the balmy Pacific. People think I'm nuts but to me its Wyoming that I consider paradise. So the weather presents a few challenges but hey, as Mernie says, it keeps out the riff raff! Good Luck to Weiwen, I'll be coming to visit her sometime but my heart's here in the wild, wild west.

Casino puts his foot in it

2008-12-23T11:57:00.006-07:00

See the hole in this feed bin. There was a mule stuck in it this morning!
Mernie returned from feeding the horses and told me to go fetch a halter, a bucket of grain, some tin snips and a camera! They're for Casino the mule he said. I thought Casino must have jumped the fence 'again' and we'd have to go get him but when I glanced over there I saw him eating contentedly.He looks OK to me i said. You'll see said Mernie, and don't forget to bring your camera!
Click on images to enlarge thm.
The mule impaled his foot right through the little plastic feeder and had probably been wearing it all night.He didn't hurt himself and seem to view the whole ordeal as an inconvenience more than anything else.
Mern made the hole bigger with the tin snips and eventually got his hoof out while I kept him busy with the bucket of grain. There's never a dull moment here on the ranch!

winter starts.....tomorrow!!!

2008-12-20T15:26:00.008-07:00

Hey 'ang on! If winter starts tomorrow why have we been dressing like this for several weeks? I tell ya, you sure want to make sure you've 'been' before you get into all these clothes!!

Fashion statement!
An extra 15-20lbs of clothing. Here's what I'm wearing.
:one pair of mens bonds underwear (much tougher and warmerthan womens and you can easily see which way they go on because of the neat little cell phone pocket in front)
:Sports bra.
:cotton tank top
:merino wool under top
:second thin wool top
:sweat shirt with hood
:down filled vest
:wind breaker with hood
:silk balaklava
:wool balaklava
:ski googles
:thick panthose (sometimes)
:merino wool long underwear
:denim jeans
:carthart bib overalls
:smart wool socks
:heavy lacross snow boots
:woollen glove liners
:disposable hand warmers......AND ITS NOT WINTER YET!

Flambeau......one very heavy and effective winter coat!

party 08

2008-12-14T06:43:00.015-07:00

Ok, here are some pics from this years OAS Christmas party.They're not too bad when you consider one of the photographers was Weiwen (see picture above, that's her own foot) and the other one was me!( See Brad semi decapitated) It was a great party!
The Band. They were called the Ozark Mountain Boys and are now calling themselves The Zarks. From left, Daryl, Stevo, Kelly, Guest harmonica player Scott and Brian.They're a lot of fun and have become a fixture at our once a year big Xmas bash. Pity the mic wasn't down just a little lower so you could see more of the beautiful Kelly.
We had a good turn out considering this.

Weiwen, drinking champagne punch. Weiwen doesn't drink!
Belly dancing Brad. Go Brad. Top pic with Chrissy and without most of his head. What did I tell you about the photographers!

Uri's owner Danya with boyfriend Mike quietly watching the silliness.
Mein host Mernie.Singing? Sneezing? Someone just gave him a wedgy. You decide.
Cole with his Dad Rod. Chip off the ole block!

bike

2008-12-11T10:23:00.003-07:00

Here is the bike I'm selling. Its in good nick and comes with a bag to bag to put things in which goes on the back. There are some small tools also. The numbers on the tires say 700 x 38C ???. Click to see close ups. Call me if interested 399 9435 Ronnie

Happy Holidays

2008-12-11T06:22:00.006-07:00

Ronnie and Mernie at On A String Ranch.

Another bloody Xmas letter!
Another year gone by
Year by year time just keeps rollin
Until the day we die
Some one’s born
Someone’s gone
There’s cause to laugh and cry
But now its time to sing and dance
And tell those blues goodbye!

G’day, and what of 2008.
January the 11th marked the first year of no alcohol for this little black duck. Probably my greatest achievement. Who would have thunk!! I guess this shows that anything is possible!
February 10th I spent $3000+ on arthroscopic surgery for my endurance horse Flambeau., (Flamboyant Beau). I had a sort of fundraiser that really helped. Thanks to all those who contributed, Flambeau is doing great coming in 6th at the Kenlyn Challege 50 mile ride this October and top tenning all but the first ride where naturally we took it easy.
On the 10th June our best and dearest friends Beth and Rod had a bouncing baby boy, Cole James Keller. He has added a little ray of sunshine to our extended family here and I’m already trying to figure out which horse would be best for him to ride.
In June Mernie’s Family visited.Chester, Corky, Marston, Maeline, Cindy, Finley and Mernie’s Mum Sue. They range in age from 2 to 83. It was so nice having them here. They just hung out have a great time always adding cheer to the household. Mernie’s youngest son Chester stayed the on and really help us out on our busy horse ranch which now houses around 60 horses. Actually 57 horses, 2 mules and a miniature donkey.
July saw me going back to Adelaide for a week to visit my ailing Dad. I am soooooooo thankful I did this as he died only a few weeks later. No money can buy the look on his face and the way he perked up, as weak as he was, when I entered his hospital room. He is at peace now and hopefully backing winners and drinking beer with Mum and his mates in greener pastures.
In June I also ran a small class on Children’s book illustration at the University of Wyoming. I met some lovely people and it has inspired me to really work at getting my work published. Around this time Cormey emailed with a ‘hare brain’ idea for a children’s book based on the Foot Foot song. If you don’t know the song you will soon as we are getting a book published through Authorhouse and Corm is working on a CD and DVD. You’ll just have to follow my blog to find out more. http://roodroppings.blogspot.com
Sometime in August or maybe September we purchased a new horse (As if we need another one) a young Tennessee walking horse called Ice. Walking horses are really smooth and comfortable to ride. He decided to buy her when he was told he could ride her at a fast pace and still drink a beer without spilling a drop. LOL.

Throughout the summer I competed in several endurance rides sometimes riding Flambeau and at other times Dorothy Sue Phillips horses. Dorothy Sue is an exceptionally accomplished endurance rider with about 15,000 miles under her belt. I think I did about 250 miles and hope to do much more than that next year. Wow I’ve got a long way to catch up with Dorothy Sue.
Mernie has worked harder than ever (I think) this summer completing a wonderful mud room( that I wonder how we ever did without ) and re siding the entire house! He had some cheap help along the way of which he was really thankful but most of the credit goes to him. Check out his blog http://wyofool.blogspot.com for pics and more details.
Rod and Mernie have been partners in crime brewing beer in our kitchen. I don’t know too much about it but they make it look like very serious stuff. I call it their ‘secret mens business.’ At the end of October Rod says that they made the best stout ever. They’d been at it for one year in November.
In October our good friends, who already have two horses here brought in two adorable little fillies 4 and 5 month old. This was around the same time Tristan the mini donkey came to stay with us. On A String has a lot of cute going on these days.
In December Mernie’s very good friend Frank died after a long battle with Cancer. Mernie went to Kansas for the funeral. Fitting the trip into his busy schedule was very much appreciated by Frank’s loved ones.

Our birthdays came and went
Peaceful, Sane and sober
Turned 62 and 52
In November and October

Have a delightful, glorious, safe, fun filled Holiday Season.
Keep on keeping on, and “don’t fret the small stuff”
Love from Ronnie and Mernie.

Winter

2008-12-09T19:42:00.001-07:00

It's winter again!!

I've got 'em!

2008-11-25T18:27:00.004-07:00

Here are the original Foot, Foot Bunnies.They're in safe hands. See Steve Cormey's blog (right and scroll down) to find out more.
Hey Cormey if I'd thought of it earlier I could have got them to you for Thanksgiving.

New Look Brothers Foot

2008-11-22T19:24:00.005-07:00

Big guns.
Here are some new look illustrations for the Brother's Foot. Stay Tuned.

Ronnie's green thumb experience

2008-11-15T06:15:00.002-07:00

And who said I didn't have a green thumb!I grew this potato didn't I ? I did! I did! But the truth is I didn't know I was growing it. Isn't that just how some of the best things in life turn out.You try and you try and just when you are about to give up something just happens.
Mernie discovered this giant spud while moving my compost pile to position the scaffolding for the final part of the siding he's been working on all Summer. My idea of composting is to chuck the scraps out the back door and throw a little horse manure on top occasionally. Of that we have plenty! I guess there must have been some old spudos in there somewhere and as a testomony to 'survival of the fittest' an extremely health fellow manifested himself. So there you have it. We haven't tried it yet and who knows, maybe it'll just sit on the counter and grow appendages like its parents and I'll just toss it out and start the whole serendipity thing all over again.

Tristan

2008-11-08T20:24:00.002-07:00

Meet Tristan, our latest addition to the ranch. He came a couple of weeks ago from Colorado with his buddy, a beautiful Morgan mare called Bay. As you can see he's rather...small. That's a tractor tire in front of him and he's not lying down! Needless to say he has the run of the entire ranch as he can walk under all the fences.Yep we have them all here from Belgiums to miniature donkeys. Gotta love it!

Kenlyn Challenge 50 mile ER

2008-09-29T07:28:00.005-06:00

G'day, Flambeau and I successfully completed the 50 mile course and came in 8th. So we top tenned again and Beau de doe is well and truly back on track. I rode with Dorothy Sue and Sue Lyke who both did very well also. Linda put on a great ride as usual. We had pizza for the awards dinner with left over pizza delivered to the trailer later by Linda herself! That's service. See here I finally have a picture taken by TWS photos.

Kerry Greear on Hawk, Pioneer Cabin, MT 2008

2008-09-18T06:50:00.006-06:00

IT CAN BE DONE!!!!
Kerry Greear on Silverhawk
Pioneer Cabin, Helena, MT 2008

Kerry wanted to do the 75 mile, a tough ride, to get her 2000 points on her lovely moorab (Morgan Arabian).Not wanting her to have to endure it alone I said, what the heck, I'll come along. I could tell it was a ride noone seemed to take seriously from the moment we signed up. We were the only two doing it and the others sort of looked at us as if we were a little loony. It was a difficult ride marked diligently but confusing none the less. The 'IN' 'OUT' 'IN' 'OUT signs made us crazy! Especially Dorothy Sue who was doing the 50 on Montana Flyer and went miles out of her way in the attemped to figure it all out.
Well I thought, so what we'll just take it easy. After all we had 18 hours to complete it.WRONG! Theoretically we had 18 hours. In reality, after subtracting hold times, we had about 10! I forgot about the sun. Minor detail! This wasn't the type of trail to be negotiated in the dark. As it turns out I was pulled for lameness at the 65mile hold at around six oclock. Just 10 miles to go .Oh well. Kerry trooped on alone and came in at 8.20 pm in the dark. The 25 and 50 mile riders appeared oblivious of her entry but she had a small but wildly excited cheering committee ( lead by her sister Colleen our 5 star super crew girl) to greet her. In spite of being pulled I was really pleased with my ride on Montana Skylark, Dorothy-Sue's super little Arabian mare. I felt extremely priveleged to ride with a competent well seasoned competitor like Kerry which to me was worth tons more than the official points. A fantastic time was had by all. Hopefullly we'll come in together next year.

Rushcreek Reunion 08 Nebraska

2008-09-01T07:40:00.006-06:00

Flambeau's back! Did two 25 milers back to back and completed in 6th place both days.Rush Creek hosts a great ride set in the rolling hills of Lisco, Nebraska. I love this ride! The people are super friendly and helpful and the trails are extremely well marked. As they say, "Stevie Wonder could find his way!
"Here I am with 'me mate' Sue Basham on Nick. The horses buddied up well together and set a nice pace while we had a relaxed ride 'chin waggin' all the way. It was hot but I was finished by 10am each day. Sue did two days of 50's so she can tell you more about how hot it really was. The wind was a blessing. Next year we will be doing the 50's together and I'm going to try to get more of my endurance mates to come along and support this ride.
The footing is way on the soft side so putting 50 miles on a conditioned barefoot horse is ....no worries!
It's Sassy Sue and Ronnie Roo!
Photos by Karl Creations Paschal and Deb Karl.

2008-08-20T05:45:00.002-06:00

The second day at Happy Jack I rode Flambeau on his first 25 mile since his operation in February. Don't know where we placed but it doesn't matter. My objective was, as it should be, to get a completion on a sound horse. He did very well with all A's on his vet card. Yay!

Happy Jack Ride 2008

2008-08-14T06:32:00.005-06:00

(Rode this one for Dad)
Dandy Fella and yours truly. We look like we really mean business don't we! Took 8th out of 26. NTB!
Dorothy Sue greating ready for a great day. See her here in the process of brushing her teeth.
How's this for a great shot by Gary Eugen. Michael on Mystral (the blonde) and Amy on Ginger (the super mule) not having any fun at all! Click to enlarge.
Pictures by Jarvis Images