Ranch Life, Gratitude and The Tevis

The most disgusting smell woke me up at 2am this morning. It was impossible to go back to sleep no matter how hard I tried. I thought there might be bears nearby. They really have a bad smell.  After reading in bed for three hours the smell continues to be as strong as in the beginning. I went out to feed the animals earlier than usual. It was clearly a skunk that made a visit. The smell in the yard was so strong, I felt sorry for the horses that have to be outside all the time! My dog Neikka most likely chased the skunk who decided to spray her. All the dogs rolled around on the worst places. I gave them baths today but they still stink. I guess they will continue to be smelly for some days.

After all .. some inconvenience is a small price to pay for living in the wilderness. I´m learning more about wildlife every day and I am grateful for that.

 Stella chased the goats today and pulled one of them to the ground, luckily the goat got away with just a minor shock. She´s been chasing Trigger too but I figure he´s not nearly as fun to chase as the goats. He´s not that impressed by a puppy. Even if it´s a huge puppy like Stella. Philip started her training yesterday and she is improving. Everything here is new to her, she´s never seen farm animals before or had this much space to play on. I´m sure she will settle in fine in a few weeks.

I was reading about gratitude today and how many of our world’s biggest achiever have a great sense of gratitude in common. According to history Einstein thanked people over a hundred times a day for work they had done. Newton gave thanks to all who lived before him and said that they were the cause of his discoveries “I´m standing on the shoulder of giants.” Gratitude is power! Feeling a little frustrated by my physical limitations for the moment this was excellent reading for me J I´m a very independent woman that likes to get things done. Now there are thousands of things that I want to do but I simply can´t right now. I have to focus on being grateful for all the wonderful things I have and use my time as wisely as I can, not letting myself be to frustrated. Some day’s it´s easier said than done!

One of the things I am really looking forward to doing later this summer is getting a horse suitable for Tevis and join Philip and Wrangle on their adventures. I had a great deal of time to figure out exactly what qualities I want in that horse. I already have a nice trail horse or two that I can ride so this horse has to have that little extra. This is what I want:

·       I would love it to be an Icelandic Horse.

·       He/She have to have a big heart.

·       Perfect conformation, good hooves, strong legs and preferably around or over 14hh.

·       Potential to complete the Tevis in top ten.

·       Between 5-12 years of age.

·       Willingness to go everywhere!

·       Love the trails as much as I do.

·       Enjoy the trails with and without other horses (I don´t want our training to depend on other people).

·       Preferably with some trail/endurance experience.

·       Good ground manners.

·       Lots of go but still with breaks.

Philip gave me a book yesterday about a girl who rode across the continent 1976 and her experiences. It´s very exciting reading! In the book it´s a picture of an Icelandic Horse that also did that ride J