The Dreaded Measuring Stick

We have a "stick" for measuring horse's height.  It resembles those things that they have in a doctors office or school -- a tall vertical stick with a horizontal piece at the top that they rest on top of your head. The horse version has the same horizontal piece but you rest it on top of the withers instead of on top of the head.  None of our horses like the contraption.  There is something about putting a big stick next to them with a pointy top piece jutting across to their withers that just freaks them out.

Tex is no exception.

I worked with him a bit this afternoon.  I didn't ride; we just worked on grooming and bonding.  I told Brett that my goal with Tex is to achieve harmony and I want that solid on the ground first.  He was stellar at the tie rail (ground tied) for grooming.  I tried a different saddle pad with my western saddle and it worked much better.  Then I walked him around and let him munch on the grass.

Brett found the measuring stick in the barn and brought it out.  We've been curious about how tall he is; he feels huge.  Tex was fine until I extended the stick and flipped out the top part.  Then he was in constant motion, avoiding the stick at all costs, but not pulling on me.  He circled around me - and I let him.  I gradually made the circle smaller and asked him to sniff the stick.  He was okay with a good sniff but didn't want me near his withers with the thing.

I stuck with it; I stuck with him.  I didn't get mad or push it.  I just stayed.  Eventually, he realized it wasn't going away and it wasn't going to eat him.  I was able to measure him.  He's a smidge over 16h.  Most quarter horses are in the 15h range so he's a tall specimen for his breed.

Brett put the stick away and we continued grazing around and just hanging out together.  We've really come a long way, Tex and me.  I can groom him all over his body; today I even brushed his forelock. I can rub his forehead and his neck on the right side.  He's still not sure about the kissing business but that will come.

Random Friday

1.  We had a hum-dinger of a storm come through Wednesday night.  During the day, it was breezy with brief spats of rain filled wind gusts, followed by relative calm.  That all changed in the evening.  The wind began howling through the trees, whistling around the corners of the house, and shaking the windows.  At 8pm, we lost power.  I lit some candles and sat on the couch with my iPad, playing solitaire in the dark.  I did not light the wood-stove because I didn't want sparks flying out the chimney - even with a spark arrester, I wasn't taking chances.  So, I sat under two blankets.  Brett sat in his recliner and worried, with no TV to distract him.  The wind died down an hour later and then the skies opened and buckets of water were dumped over us.  Kersey refused to go outside and pee before bed -- and she's a lab, she loves water.  No power meant no well pump and no water. Fortunately, we had already taken our showers but we worried about the horses getting water in the barn since they have automatic waterers there.  There were about 4500 residences that lost power so we were not alone.  We woke up 3am when the lights came on.  

2.  Someone left a comment asking how tall Tex is.  Good question.  I looked at his papers but they don't give his height.  We have never measured him.  My guess is that he is about 16h.  Flash and Jackson are both 15.3 and Tex is definitely taller than both of them.

3.  I'm feeling a little blue today.  My mom died on this day in 2014.  I think about her all the time; I miss being able to tell her about this-or-that.  Some days are harder than others.  Today is a hard one.  FB did a flash back yesterday; you know... the ones that start with "here are some memories from this date in past years"... and there it was, a post from 2.18.14, the day before mom died. I had posted a status of how she was doing and seeing the post took me straight back to that hospital room and the yo-yo, up-and-down of rallying and failing that happened that week.  I'm going to take Kersey for a long walk when I get home tonight (if it isn't raining too hard) and that should help.

4.  We do have a good weekend on tap.  Kyle and Ana are coming up tonight so they can ski in Tahoe tomorrow.  We will have Brett's birthday dinner tomorrow night and are going to a wine-pairing dinner Sunday.  In less than a week, we will be at Alisal for our annual vacation there.

5.  I've been thinking about bucket-lists lately.  You know, that list of things you want to do or accomplish before you die.  Brett and I have been working on our respective lists over the years and we don't really have much "big" left to accomplish.  I would like to complete the training to become a master gardener but I'm guessing that won't happen until I retire -- since it is a large time commitment.  The two activities that bring me the most peace, that put me in a place where I completely lose track of time, are riding and gardening.  What's on your bucket list?  Where do you find solace?