Fire

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Fire is one of the biggest drawbacks to living out West because it takes so little to set one off.  A live cigarette butt carelessly tossed out of a car window.  A not-quite-OSHA-approved lawnmower and a stray spark.  A little kid playing with matches, as most little kids like to do.  In the 14 years John and I have lived here, we’ve been evacuated twice, and believe me, it’s not fun—especially when there’s no guarantee that you will ever see your home again.

Watching the fire approach our house.

Watching the fire approach our house.

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The Weather-Wise Horse Owner

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If you’re lucky enough to have purchased property with no horse-related improvements on it—such as a barn, a pipe corral or two, a tackroom, and a hay shed—you can design and build nearly anything you want to.  (Be sure to check with local ordinances regarding size, etc. before you start.)  You can also build it any where you want to.

I was trying to clean Prim’s feet but her tail kept blowing in my face.  So I knotted it.  Her tail, not her feet.

I was trying to clean Prim’s feet but her tail kept blowing in my face. So I knotted it. Her tail, not her feet.

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Kids and Horses

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Evelyn, the granddaughter of a friend of mine, began riding when she was five—she absolutely insisted on it, and Grandma, who taught grade school for many years, helped her mother vet the riding instructors until all three of them agreed on one.  If you Google horse breeds, most will say the horses are suitable for children.  Not so.

These two children have a babysitter, and he´s an Arabian.

These two children have a babysitter, and he´s an Arabian.

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A “Child-Proof” Horse

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Most parents and all riding-lesson givers want a dependable, somewhat lazy (one with more whoa than go) horse for their children.  Such horses are also called “bomb-proof” because if something startles them, they won’t shy, rear, buck, or run away.  Nothing startles them, not even a bomb.

Prim, my fraidy-cat trail horse.  In 22 years she has only dumped me once, and it was my fault.  Not hers.

Prim, my fraidy-cat trail horse. In 22 years she has only dumped me once, and it was my fault. Not hers.

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Solo Trail Riding

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Trail dogs are good company, especially for somebody who rides alone, as I do most of the time.  They let me know when I need to be aware of something—a strange animal, a strange vehicle, a strange person.  In magazine articles, total strangers insist that riding alone is not safe, and that people ought to ride with other people.

image of Jesse

Jesse was the perfect trail dog—with one exception. She attracted coyotes, who mistook her for one of them.

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