Of Horse shoeing, Riding, Driving and the Flute

Irish Flute
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Ya know, as I humbly and pleedingly search for the magic spot on the blow hole of my beloved rosewood Dixon tonight I cant help but ponder that age old question of why do you never hear of a flute playing cowboy. In the last 3 weeks I have been trying to get other peoples horses ready for two different auctions Now other peoples horses usualy means other peoples other peoples horses. They are usualy the ones that are "broke to death" or the ones that "oh my 2 year old child can ride him just fine" or " sure she works fine in harness, both single or 2 up". Tonight I am trying to play my flute, and right in front of my eyes my right hand is slowley taking on the shape of the handle of my rasp, while my left hand is locking up in a double raned deathgrip while my lips are forming the word WHOO!!!. As I am typing this, yes I can type without looking, one of the few valuable things I learned in my 15 year studential career, I am looking at my right foot and indeed it is broken. Stomped on today by Mag, a 2400 pound Belgian who I will be loading on a trailer tomorrow morning at 5 am along with 4 other drafts that I have had the pleasure of getting aquainted with in the last couple of weeks. Last week it was JB. Now JB came out of the bucking pins, so I found out, and is a huge quarter horse whose only speed is "look out kids", I mean this guy was more horse then I have ever ridden and I had exactly 2 hours on him before I had to show him last week. Well he brought good money for the owner, and I was even asked by quite a few folks there if I could show their horses. Course they couldnt see the inside of my underwear when I was done with JB. But I think the question about cowboy flute players is becomeing plain to me now. I had 3 trainwrecks last week. A trainwreck in draft horse speak is when one or more of the team decide to blow up. One never realy gets the gist of the power of a draft horse unless he is holding the ranes when one or two decides to blow up. You are literaly just along for the ride and the horse decides where were going. In two of these cases it was through the middle of a 6 foot high pile of horse dung. Great fun. So with the auction tomorrow I may finaly have a little time to delve back into flutedum though I still have to figure out a way to play the darn thing with my elbows as they seem to be about the only parts of my body that still seem to do what they are suppose to do. Right now if I could only find that bottle of scotch I had around here somewhere I could maybe soke my foot or something.

Tom

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Wow, you know I was wondering where you’d gone off to - if you were heading to Alaska yet or what, but now I know. My wife sends her condolences - she had a Clydsdale step on her foot when she was a teenager, and it still bothers her 20 odd years later (doctor said there’s some nerve damage). I hope your foot heals up normally.

Right through two manure piles, huh?

Hang in there!

Eric

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Tom, I’d wondered what the locals said the first time they met a flute playin’ cowboy. While I doubt if I could come anywhere near the experiances you’ve had lately, I served {and survived } an apprenticeship to an old Tennessee muleskinner about 20 years ago that lasted several years.I’m sure you are aware a mule is somewhat less likely to hurt himself than a horse, but I’ve never met one that would hesitate to hurt you.Ever try to work around an ‘uncut’ horsemule? I really don’t envy the way you earn yer beans but I hope it leads to more flutes! Best wishes, Bruce

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Still here Eric, I leave for Ketchican on the 29 of April. 14 more Belgians that belong to someone else. It looks to me that there are only maybe 2 broken bones in the foot so it just means I wont be able to wear my fancy boots tomorrow. Its funny but most of the people I ride for are so crippled up they cant ride anymore and they are all at least 10 years younger than I am. I wounder what the lesson is there?

Ive never gotten into mules that much though I was dealing with a team of Draft mules at a thrashing bee last year and was pretty impressed but I just cant relate to them much nor them to me. I like the mule skinners I have met though. Time for bed for this old body. I did manage to get through an hour of playing tonight so maybe there is hope.

Tom

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I have just been to a flute auction with around a hundred antique flutes in it .Some of these bidders are as mean as mules ,and I felt a wreck when I left without the choice items , having been kicked about by the opposition .Another day when I should have stayed in bed , or played footsie with horses .

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dag-blast it, too bad you’re way out there in WAAA; I’ve a need for a good farrier & whistle pardner. My beast foundered last summer (from hypothyroidism) & seems all the farriers & vets here in Akron tend to consistently disagree on proper angling. There’s hardly any rotation of the coffin & although she’s still a tad lame, I’m no longer worried about having her put down.

Candi

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:laughing:

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I should have known youd get a kick out of that glauber, just remember, my little brother lives in your neighborhood; http://www.aikidoconnection.com :smiley: Sorry candi I aint no farrier, just a horse guy. The only reason I work on feet is because you cant get a farrier to mess with draft horses around here. But I have noticed what you are talking about as far as all the different opinions amongst vets and farmers and farriers. It realy ticks me off. The way I look at it is simple, make the horse comfortable. I dont trim their feet to look cool or to impress some judge, I trim them so they work right. The farrier that does my morgans feet drives 25 miles to my place and I would pay him extra for that if he wanted it but he doesnt. If and when you find the right guy dont let him go. If you cant find the right guy then learn to do it yourself. It is just to important to take what you can get. And it aint rocket science. Sorry to here about your horse, just don`t ask her for to much for a while and maybe she will come back.
Well the push is over and everyone is happy and I made enough to pay the rent. What a business. Today I will reaquaint myself with my horse and play the flute all day, and wounder why I do this to myself. Horse addiction and flute addiction do not walk hand in hand.

Tom

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He looks well!

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:laughing:
God I`d like to share a few sips of blarney with you sometime glauber.

Tom

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In high school and college, and a little while after college I used to ride rodeo. Does that count? :slight_smile:

Grixxly

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OT. My dog, picture showed (that’s a smile, not a snarl), died last night. Haven’t found the energy to practice. I’m a mess.

Candi

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God Im so sorry to hear that candi. It is so hard to loose a friend. I will be leaving for Alaska at the end of the month and they wont let me take Hank the wounder dog with me. I can`t even think about it. He is my shadow, my other self. It is driving me crazy. Anyway I feel your pain. I hope you can spend the day thinking of the wounderful memories you must have of him, maybe play him a tune, take care;

Tom

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Blackbeer,

Love and sympathy and etc. from the farm. Keep writing.

– Your pal Cathy, who just got kicked in the kneecap AGAIN by a pissed-off Paint with a hoof abcess. At least he didn’t step on my hand like our old Perch cross did.

P.S. In KY, “Kid broke” means “Kid broke, won’t ride anymore” i.e. My crazy 10-year-old is so busted up by this horse even SHE won’t get on his evil butt again"

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Hi Tom. I didn’t know you had a Morgan – I thought it was just big draft horses. Did you know Joy Platz? She was my wife’s grandmother, and was very active in the American Morgan Horse Association for many years.

Sorry to hear about your foot! I don’t suppose you’re going to do anything like see a doctor… I hope you get healed up soon.

Steven

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Ya Steven I have had Molly Morgan for about 3 years now. A lot of people dont like them because they think their a little hot but heck she only bucks a few times in every ride and I just wouldnt change one thing about her attitude. I let her get away with a lot of things I couldnt with other peoples horses but she does what I want when I want and the way she does it is her business. She is not an advertisement for my training ability thats for sure. But I sure like her. I have heard of Joy but dont know her. When I first got Molly I studied up a little on Morgans but that was all. Shes an old style Morgan, not very big but can go all day. I had to get a cushen for my saddle because I just couldnt last as long as she can. I do have my radar on big time for a big young quarter horse, maybe 16 hands 1300 pounds. That would be my choice for a perfect workiing horse. Ive gotten a few ready for sale that scared me enough to make me want one. I just started 4 young drafts this mourning and have them tied up all over the place with their harness on. I better get back to it before they think I abandend them. Sure is a trip to find so many horse lovers here. Oh and no, no doctor for my foot. If I went to a saw bones every time I got a bone broke in my foot there wouldn`t be any profit left. Theres lots of bones down there and they are all used to getten broke.
Cathy maybe you should look into getting some stocks to work on those kids with. What color are your paints eyes. Never get a paint with a white eye. :slight_smile:

Tom

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I’ve discovered you can’t play a note if you have a painful lump in your throat -
Tom, I’m so sorry you can’t take your dog with you. Do you have someone you trust to keep it? I have 2 horses, 2 chickens, 4 cats & 3 dogs & they’re all rescues. I live for my animals, which is why I’m so torn up over my Smiling Ike. I would gladly take your dog & give him(her) a really great & loving home but you’re awfully far away. Ten yrs ago I adopted a friend’s cat from the lupus board & they lived 3 states away, but they brought her to me & she lived to a ripe old age of 13. I’d rather be around animals than people.

I’ll still try to flute tonite.

Candi

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Well, unfortunately it’s too late to get to know her, because she died in January very suddenly. Heck of a lady, and boy did she love Morgans! She was very active in showing them (even after she didn’t have any of her own) and in helping raise funds so other people could go to competitions all over the world. I had never heard of a Morgan horse until I met the woman who is now my wife, but knowing Joy and meeting some of her friends, I see there’s a very strong and impressive community of people who love them. Kinda like this crowd and our whistles!

:slight_smile:
Steven

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Candi, I’m so sorry about your pup. I lost my 15-year-old cat in July (he lived through both my parents’ deaths) and I was almost as torn up about him going as I was my mom & dad. Even worse, my old mare tried to head off to the Great Pasture in the Sky last spring – daggonit, AFTER I went broke buying her a farm to retire her on! (Not to mention two young horses, 20 some-odd-chickens, a coupla-three dogs, and a few barn cats to keep her company)

Anyway, I’m with you on the animals – most of the time, that is, except when they do rude things like eat my tractor seat or knock over the soaking tub in 10 degree weather and I have to trudge back to the house for more hot water … TWICE. (my paint and his hoof abcess again)

Tom, you’ll like this – about a year ago, my neighbor’s calves got out and found their way into my pasture (there went that section of fence). I walked out the door and found my unbroke Arab filly heading them. This went on for about five minutes (until my heeler decided to get into the game, which naturally ruined everything, including more fence), and it was amazing!

(But I still wouldn’t put a kid on that filly, though :wink: )

My paint’s eyes are brown, although one’s a little “wally.” Two socks in front, two stockings in back, big blaze & a snowball on his belly, but otherwise pretty plain but for his one cool feature: what looks like a script number 3 on his left barrel. (Convenient since he’s horse #3)

My best friend bought his half brother who has not one, but TWO white eyes. Creepiest thing I ever saw.

Anyway, that’s life on the farm, and I (mostly) wouldn’t trade it for anything – Candi, I hope you’re feeling better today. And Tom, take it easy on the hoof (yours, not the babies), okay?

xo,
cat.

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Man - and I though I was the one speaking a foreign language!
Cat, I did understand “barrel” and I think you said something about - head,and I definitely understand the love for animals,
and the pain in the loss.

So Candi, I hope things would start looking a bit OK in a day or two.
Tom, I know you’ll recover, and cat - your hopeless :wink: .

(kind of like the rest of us)