New Kids On The Block

Back in the end of August we took a ride into Corrales (small town near ABQ) to see about a horse. (Say that in a Good Will Hunting kind of way--I love that line where Matt Damon's character goes to see about a girl.) Back to my babble. We went to see about two horses Cowgirl Erin's neighbor wanted to donate to Galloping Grace. Erin knew these horses and thought they'd make good additions to our herd.

Darren, our trusty security expert, was very interested in whether or not GG would be getting these geldings. Darren has had his heart set on getting "his very own horse" for a couple months now. In Darren's mind, he needs his own horse to be able to ride. He has been trying to get up his confidence to get back in the saddle. He has only ridden one other time which was on his 41st birthday. This day Max convinced Darren to try out the horse bareback. Darren did great! He was impressed with "his horse" and has been anxious to get him to the ranch ever since.
Cowgirl Erin tries to corrupt my children every chance she gets! I hear, "Hi Mommy, look at me!" Clever Erin. That's the perfect trick to teach Grant! With friends like Erin... Erin and Max (and Darren and Grant) agreed that the horses seemed great and told Tom (far right) we'd love to have them. Doesn't the man look nice? He is. He really is. He, his wife Cinda, and their two boys donated both horses to GG! I guess their boys are no longer interested in horses because of their love of soccer. (Yes, just like the sweet girl who donated Cheyenne.) Tom thought the horses should be used for something besides just eating hay.
Tom, Cinda, and boys--thank you so much!!!

Monday was the day we headed back out to claim our new buddies.

I get a little choked up at times like these. That doesn't mean much--I used to cry on the last day of school...even in college! I hate thinking things are final and over forever! Do the horses feel sad they left the people they knew? Yes, I'm silly. I just can't help myself. I'm so glad Tom and Cinda's boys weren't home. Cinda told me her younger son was taking it pretty hard. Ugh! What a rude after school surprise to find the horses gone FOR-EV-ER! I don't think Erin shared my sappy sentiments. What a cold-hearted chick! Maybe it's all that tractor driving that has hardened her heart. What do I know? She might have gone home and wept. Darren didn't care either. He is just happy he now has his "very own horse." Here they are arriving at Galloping Grace. Please take a moment and admire the beautifully spread mulch from the Second Saturday work crew. You can just barely make out the new gravel road and the rail road ties.

I proudly present...

Seabiscuit! Please do not get confused with the speedy racehorse. This Seabiscuit is little long in the tooth and swayed in the back.
Darren thinks he is absolutely perfect! We couldn't agree more. Seabiscuit spent his life as a pack horse in the mountains of Colorado with Tom's uncle, a forest ranger. Tom said he brought him back to NM to give him a proper retirement.

The next new love is...
Hondo! Since Seabiscuit was already claimed, Grant, our two year old, logically gets to have Hondo. "That's my new horse." I think he's really pretty. Horse people out there---is he lovely? I should tell you that he has a bowed tendon, but Tom assures us that he is fine to be ridden. The people that owned him before Tom used him for roping a lot. When Hondo bowed that tendon, they were going to have him killed, possibly a comestible death. Tom asked if he could have him back, and the people agreed. (Tom originally owned the horse.) Tom said he has come a long way since returning to him. He said as long as we don't rope off him daily, he should be fine. Check out that bulging vein on his belly--that means he's really smart.
The herd eagerly checked out the newbies. Blue always seems to be the first one on the scene. Either he's really welcoming or very curious. I'm going with the latter. As much as I love assigning human emotions to animals, I will not do it this time.

New BFFs! We'll keep you posted on how their arrival is tolerated.

Hondo and Seabiscuit, welcome home!

Healing Power Of Horses

Do The Hustle

What a sweet looking woman, huh? She really is. She's soft spoken, friendly--just one of those people you meet and think, "I'm sure she'd make a nice friend." I met Keri when her daughter Aubrey and Brooke were in the same kindergarten class. After kinder, they had the nerve to up and transfer to another school. How could I possibly foster a friendship with a person who is no longer around? Well, they came back to our school last year. Brooke and Aubrey were again together for third grade. Brooke asked Aubrey to come to her rather small, rather tame birthday party last week. Keri and Aubrey both came out with only about 12 hours notice. (I am notorious for not planning parties. I like to spring things on my unlucky guests. I'm not proud. It's just how I roll.)
Keri was so complimentary of GG and asked all kinds of questions about horse care, volunteer opportunities, etc. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that I have limited knowledge of most things horse related. I tried to impart what small amount I could, and that isn't saying much at all. Keri took it all in. I felt good sharing what I could. I thought, maybe, just maybe, I can be of use to this ranch. There are people out there who need me. There are people that I can inform and inspire. (Time to defenestrate that idea!) I got Keri set up with a brush and turned her loose.

Later when I noticed there was a horse not being used, I graciously asked my "student" if she wanted to try riding. Keri made sure there were no children wanting a turn before she accepted my offer. Because I'm so good at adjusting stirrups and the like, I attempted to adjust them for Keri. Sadly, it was an older type stirrup and I had to call in my beastly strong sis-in-law, Carla, to give us a hand. (Carla has real knowledge of horses, not the fake kind I dish out.)

Once Keri was comfortably aboard, I nervously held my breath and hoped and prayed she would have a safe, easy ride.

What I didn't expect was that Keri was a master rider! A galloper. A loper. Whatever you call the different speeds--Keri was doing them! If you can get past my camera malfunction, please note that she is not even hanging on for dear life. (Not that I do that.)

Not clueless Keri. Nope. In fact, she didn't look scared at all. She looked like she frequently takes 1000 pound animals on high speed jaunts. She looked ultra comfy in that saddle with incredible posture. (Yep--faking knowledge again.)

Easy cheesy! Look at her smile when she finally came to a stop. I was flabbergasted at her performance. I asked her where in the world she learned to ride like that. She down played her showing. She told me that when she was young, she and her friend used to ride every day during the summer but it has been a looong, long time. Yeah, it hasn't been that long and I don't think she forgot a bit.

From now on I am sharing with no one. Do not talk to the picture taker, folks. She cannot be disturbed. Besides, she hasn't a clue. Go ask Cowboy Max or Trish or even Claire. They might be able to help you. Michelle is out of commission.

Word to the wise--I wouldn't challenge Ms. Keri to a game of pool or cards or even basketball. I'm sure she'll hustle you out of your britches if given the chance!

Hope

This is Max posting.

I am moved in many ways each time I pair a child with a horse. Most times, I do not even know what it is the child needs or for what she is searching. My belief is that every child needs something. No matter how adjusted or well off we may think that she is, there is always something. It is also my belief that neither I nor some renowned psychologist has the ability to target what that need is and to actually fulfill it. We, as people, lack the ability to set aside our own views, prejudices, and judgements. Sure, we may act as if we can, but it is all just an act. I have seen, however, a true counselor in action. He does not care about her past or what she looks like, he is simply there to love and to be loved. That counselor is the horse.

Every Thursday, we are blessed to have a group of troubled and at risk teenage girls spend the day at Galloping Grace. I do not know the details of their situations, but it is easy to see that in their short lives they have experienced life in a much darker world than I care to imagine. This past Thursday, the director of the program informed me of one girl in the group for whom she was particularly concerned. In order to keep her identity confidential, I will refer to her as Kim. Before I go on, I want you to know that I do not believe in coincidences, but rather that God has a purpose and a plan for all things. On Wednesday night, the director had informed me that there would be four girls visiting on Thursday. As I made the count during my introduction and safety speech, I realized that there were actually five girls in attendance. Kim was the fifth girl. After we began our work project, the director pulled me aside to tell me about Kim. Late the night before, Kim attempted to take her own life. Her mother contacted the treatment center and they were able to safely take her in.

To look at her, Kim looks like an average teenage girl. Even talking to her, I would not have thought that she had lost all hope. My only indication was the occasional glimpse of the many scars and fresh cuts that peaked out from between the mass of bracelets on each arm.

Many of you may have read that our horses have been a little sick lately. I had taken the girls into the pen to show them the swelling on the horse's throats. Kim immediately took to Blue. I noticed her petting his cheek and putting her head against his neck. I could even hear her say, "I love you Blue." This is not that uncommon an occurrence when children get around the horses, but in this situation I was taken a back. You see, Blue is not one of our more social horses. Typically he walks or even trots away when we try to approach him. For Kim, however, he simply stood still and let her love on him. Another very uncommon occurrence is for anyone to be able to pet one of the horses while it is lying on the ground. For more than ten minutes, I watched Kim sit by, lay on, and pet Cruz while he was lying down. I do not know what kind of impact her visit to Galloping Grace had on her but at that moment, Kim's smile let me know that she was at peace with the world.

God has a plan for all things! I know that the horses of Galloping Grace Youth Ranch are there for a purpose. I can only pray that the smile that Kim had on that day will continue on for her.

Oh Yeah!

Wanna know why Ol' Blue's so happy?

He heard the news that the Las Cruces Lady Dawgs, coached by our great friend Matt Abney, have advanced to the semi-finals of The New Mexico State Basketball Tournament.

Way to go Team! What an exciting game you played this morning! We can't wait to see you in action Thursday morning.