No Trespassing

I suppose I should have read the sign posted on the fence...but I could not resist pulling off the road to see these beauties. As soon as I was out of my car they all came running over to the fence. They gave me the once over and a good sniff and I was good, only wish I had some peppermints. As usual I did all the talking and petting . This is what I love about Tennessee, horses everywhere!! On this particular road only a few miles from my house I bet there were close to 50 horses in various farms and pastures, oh so beautiful!


This beautiful paint was definetly low on the totem pole, the others pushed him off easily. How handsome is he?? Can't you just see a red plaid blanket under a saddle and that white haired gentleman we know as Mr. Americana sitting on him...I am speaking of Ralph Lauren.


If I only had my shedder blade...that mane needs some attention. Can you imagine the owner seeing me brushing his horses, you'd read about me the next day in the paper...Loony jewelry designer arrested for trespassing and grooming horses. Hey it could happen!

Girlfriends & Horses

The last 5 days have been super busy with my friend Eileen visiting. We always have such a wonderful time together as we love all the same things. We love beads, antiquing , eating, dancing and horses. Today we visited the Wild Horse & Burro Center in Cross Plains Tennessee. The center is about 15 minutes from my house and I like to visit whenever I can. Today much to our surprise " squeal, squeal ", there were three little foals! I just love foals and it was so hard not to be in the pen with them. As you will see in the next photos, one little foal was very interested in us, his Mama was watching out for him.

Saturday night we hit Broadway for some Country Music...a must in Nashville and you are never disappointed! Legends is always a fun place!

...can't go out without my boots!

Thanks Ei...come back soon!

Giddy Up

Today I have started a process of fulfilling my hearts desire, and that is of owning a horse. A year and half ago I was helping care for several horses,, my friend passed away and after a few months the horses were moved to Ohio. I have missed them terribly and still miss them like they just left yesterday. Since the big "F" birthday is approaching I feel as though it is one thing on my bucket list I need to fulfill. Sounds crazy huh, well it gets better...I do not ride nor have I ever been on a horse, but I can muck a barn and brush a horse until he shines. So, I stopped by a farm called "Charlie Horse",that boards horses to start my inquiry, it's a new facility not to far from my home. A beautiful facility, small enough and clean,clean, clean. Ok, so I fell in love. I nearly fell over when I learned what the boarding fees were, I really had no idea so I was shocked. So now I am bummed....but I am not giving up I will still keep looking, but in the meantime I believe some horsemanship (not sure it that is the right word) lessons are in my future. I will be the oldest lady in the class!

Green Amethyst

Last week I had purchased these stunning green amethyst gems from Mary my "bead lady". I knew I wanted to make something simple to showcase the gems. I wire wrapped them in sterling and oxidized them to give them an aged look. For the earrings I made some sterling links to make them dangle nicely. Although the green color did not photograph well, they are a soft green. You can find these beauties on my new website.

Don't forget about signing up for my giveaway it ends Sunday. You can enter here to win a custom initial Typewriter key pendant.

I am feeling a little "horsey" today and am missing these gals and little guy. Just wanted to share a favorite picture of mine. Although I look like a wreck, it's all about the horses.

All snowed in!

A view from my front porch

Schools are closed, the grocery store shelves are empty and we are snowed in!! Yeah, right! Yesterday everyone was all a buzz about the snow that we were suppose to get today. Here in Tennessee schools are closed in advance of such news and people flock to stock up on groceries. It was predicted that we were going to get 2-3 inches, as you can see we did not get that much. I just chuckle. I am treating this day like any other snow day we use to have in Massachusetts....but thankfully no need to shovel!

Sam
The kitties do not like the snow or the cold. They have turned into true Southerners.

I want to share with you a little gift that feel from the tree. I have a passion for birds nests and have a sweet little collection. When I picked this one up it just made me smile so much, it is constructed of the usual twigs but this one also has horse hair in it. There are two horses that live a few house away from me, a chestnut mare and a gray pony. Their mane and tail hairs are so evident. I love horses so this is even more special.

What warms your heart or brings a smile to your face, is it the simpler things in life?

Just a reminder I have a great winter giveaway going on.
Enter here to win a $25 Artbeads gift certificate.

Heart of a Cowgirl

Since my post yesterday of Susan Boyle's haunting rendition of The Rolling Stones "Wild Horses", (which by the way I can not stop listening too), I am continuing with this horse theme.


I want to share with you this wonderful blog called "Heart of a Cowgirl". Every time I read Bridget's blog it brings a smile to my face...she has the best pictures and cute stories. She is a jewelry designer and a supporter of Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary as well as Heartland Rabitt rescue. Besides having horses she has lots of bunnies...just wait until you see those pictures! She lives a true cowgirl life. What is a cowgirl?...well I think Dale Evans put it best-

"Cowgirl is an attitude, really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut." - Dale Evans Rogers, Los Angeles, 1992


Also in Bridget's spare time she helps her good friend Marjorie embellish cowgirl aprons and purses, they are just awesome and you can check them out on Etsy at Cowgirl Goods.... So hop on over (no pun intended) to check out "The Heart of a Cowgirl", you will be so glad you did.

Blog Giveaway and a new look......

I just finished redecorating my blog....how do you like my new Banner and blog background? I needed a more cohesive look and Renee at Thompson Designs helped me accomplish this. I have had Renee design my business cards, jewelry tags, thank-you cards, and both banners for my JudithBDesigns.etsy and my Flapyourwings.etsy shops. She is great to work with so please check her out for all your design needs.

To celebrate my new "Look" I am going to have a sweet little giveaway. Since a lot of my blog friends have horses I was thinking of them when I picked this out. Letterpress Stationery by Dauphinepress.com. Marrying graphic design, modern technology and vintage printing presses, Dauphine Press is committed to preserving the rich legacy of the printing trade through the resurrection of artisan techniques and heritage craftsmanship that might otherwise be lost in time.

A package of 6 Note cards with a handsome horse motif will go to the winner. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment and share my giveaway on your blog or twitter or facebook and let me know where you shared the love. That's all....Good luck!
I will pick one lucky winner on Saturday Aug.22.

New Look with a Giveaway!!

I just finished redecorating my blog....how do you like my new Banner and blog background? I needed a more cohesive look and Renee at Thompson Designs helped me accomplish this. I have had Renee design my business cards, jewelry tags, thank-you cards, and both banners for my JudithBDesigns.etsy and my Flapyourwings.etsy shops. She is great to work with so please check her out for all your design needs.

To celebrate my new "Look" I am going to have a sweet little giveaway. Since a lot of my blog friends have horses I was thinking of them when I picked this out. Letterpress Stationery by Dauphinepress.com. Marrying graphic design, modern technology and vintage printing presses, Dauphine Press is committed to preserving the rich legacy of the printing trade through the resurrection of artisan techniques and heritage craftsmanship that might otherwise be lost in time.

A package of 6 Note cards with a handsome horse motif will go to the winner. To enter all you have to do is leave a comment and share my giveaway on your blog or twitter or facebook and let me know where you shared the love. That's all....Good luck!
I will pick one lucky winner on Saturday Aug.22.

Name that Horse

I came across this blog today Woolies ...and guess... what she is a knitter, cute name.
... Anyway, she is having a "name that horse" contest. She recently adopted/rescued a horse and she needs a new name. Check out her blog and see if you can come up with something fitting for her new girl. I suggested "Lilly Belle".

Today's the day

Today is the day....I received a call from the horse haulers and they were to arrive at Johnny's around 6pm. I knew there was no way that I wanted to be there, it would be too emotional for me. I spent a lot of time with the horses that day and said my goodbyes, it was so hard knowing I would not see them again. Since our last attempt to get them in the barn went sour we left them in the pasture and let the handlers get them.

Around 10:30 pm the phone rang and it was Olivia, Johnny's neighbor called me to tell me there was someone in the pasture with the horses and there was a trailer in the yard. I told her I knew and it was ok. She let on that it was not a pretty site. Johnny always said that Olivia exaggerated too much but I knew she may be right, especially trying to get that little filly who had a mind of her own. I got very upset and sent Ed to the farm to see what was going on, and told him if it was bad I did not want to know a thing. I just could not handle anyone bad news.

Ed went to the farm and this is what he told me.
He said when he arrived one man was throwing up because the filly had kicked him in the gut. They had the mare in the stall and were trying to get the filly in too. They had managed to get two leads on her and she giving them a run for their money. Ed was relieved to see that they were very patient with her and were not being rough at all. They would get her to move forward a few inches at a time and then she would rare up and go back , they kept doing this for an hour hoping to tire her out. They finally decided that one guy would take the mare into the trailer and Ed would stay on the side of the ramp. Finally they managed to get her up the ramp and then she ran full throttle into the trailer. Now, the other guy was stuck in the trailer with the mare on one side of him and a wild filly and a wall on the other. Thankfully the trailer had a trap door above the mare leading into another stall so he was able to climb through. The two men collapsed after loading them. They said in the 15 years they have been hauling horses they had never seen a filly so tough. They had already loaded Salina and her foal Bucky with no problem at all, (I like to think that my good training helped there...lol). Ed said the trailer was beautiful and the horses had lots of room. I was worried about the long trip in the heat but it too was air conditioned.
The horses were on their way to Ohio to Mr. Hunt's farm were he would now care for them.

Mr. Hunt still had plans to sell Lady Gelaine after this last foal was weaned, and he would let me know when that would be. He made it sound like I would be able to get her and bring her back to Tennessee. I had some hope. I called him a few times after the horses got to Ohio to see how they were and all was fine.
My life changed...for the last year I was at Johnny's several times a week and sometimes every day. After Johnny's death I was there twice a day and enjoyed every second of it. I felt so empty and missed them so much, this is when I started getting more involved with my jewelry to fill that space.

Travis and I continue to stay in touch, he designed my website Judith B. Designs for me. I spoke with Trav last week and told him I wanted to call Mr. Hunt to see how the horses were but did not want to hear any bad news ( I am such a coward!). Anyway, I called Mr. Hunt and we talked for a bit. Salina had her foal and she had a filly this time and was doing well. Artic Roll miscarried her foal at 4 months. Lady Gelaine was due any day with her second foal. He also told me he was not going to sell Lady he was going to keep her, my heart sank as I have been holding on to the hopes of getting her. He also told me he was done breeding and would just train the ones he kept.

I still hope one day to get a horse, I would love to learn how to ride. I have seen lots of advertised horse camps lately, Ed says I should go. I would be the old lady with all the 12 year old girls! But seriously, I just may!! I had the most amazing year with Johnny and his horses and add that wonderful experience to the journey in my life. Next month will be a year that Johnny died...it is so hard to believe, I still miss him so much. I know there will be something around the next corner for me....I am still looking for the right yard to walk into.

Saying Goodbye.

Getting back to my horse "story"....

The summer was hot as usual in Tennesee and I continued to care for the horses. I worked with "Bucky" with the lead and he was doing pretty well. I at least felt like I was accomplishing something.
John (the ex-jockey/horse trainer) was called to look at the horses hooves. I felt like they were splitting more than usual and wanted them checked. John was also a farrier. He did a little trimming and filing but said they were not bad. I was not having anything go wrong on my watch! Corn syrup and corn oil was added to their diet, as recommend by John's girlfriend that also cared for horses. The horses seemed to like it and it could only help. I later would see a nice improvement with their coats.
One morning when I went to feed the horses I noticed Lady Gelaine limping. She seemed to be dragging her back right hoof. I went to to check it out and noticed some raised red areas scattered on her lower leg and open red spots under her hoof, it looked like eczema. I got on my cell and called Travis and he was going to call Mr. Hunt. I also called Julie in Louisiana to see if she knew what this was. She did not but later spoke with someone and thought it was Dew poisioning. The vet came the next day and treated her and sure enough it was. Some blood work was done to rule out anything else. It slowly improved and she started to walk better.

Since Johnny's death Mr. Hunt had decided to stop breeding and wanted to sell the mares and their foals. Since he was unable to do so he decided to have them shipped up to Ohio to his farm. I knew this day was coming and did not look forward to it. Originally it was going to be sometime in the fall but later changed his mind to end of August.

Mr. Hunt called me on a Monday and told me the haulers were coming Wednesday and asked if on Tuesday I could get the horses in the barn. Ed and I were not use to this and Travis did not handle the horses either. We tried to get ahold of John to help but could not.

Ed and I decided to put Salina and her foal Bucky in the barn first. No problem....Ed took Salina and I had a lead on Bucky. It went pretty good until we got close to the barn Bucky no way wanted to go in and started to pull back on me, Ed got Salina in and then she started making a racket! Her whole docile demeanor changed and she started flaring and pacing...we finally got Bucky in the stall with her thinking this would solve her anxiety but she actually got worse. I was afraid she would hurt Bucky, she started to sweat and would not calm down. At this point we knew it was going to be impossible to move the other two, Lady Gelaine no problem but her filly, that was the tough one. We realized this was not going to work. Salina was not all worked up because she was in the stall it's because we separated her from Lady Gelaine. Now Salina started to roll in the stall and really sweat out, I called Julie because I was not sure what to do. She said we would have to put her back in the pasture, and then Julie was worried about colic. Now I'm thinking holy crap what the hell did we do?? Heck with the haulers let them get the horses from the pasture themselves. Ed took Salina out first and I followed with Bucky, right back out to the pasture with no problems. Salina started rolling and rolling, all the while I had Julie on my cell. She then went to the water and started drinking and stuck to Lady's side like glue. She was fine, thank God. I could not believe the change in her. She was not worried about her foal she was worried about her good friend Lady. Needless to say the horses stayed in the pasture and thankfully so because the hauler did not show up on Wednesday.

Too be continued.....