To Be A Horseman

JD and I have had many discussions over the past couple of years about the path we are taking with our horses.  We both came from similar backgrounds and grew up riding similar types of horses.  Both of us didn't want to be anything but a cowboy.  We really thought we could ride and after taking a step back these past few years, what we learned was, we could "stay on" just about anything but learning to "ride" is still a work in progress.

Our goal has changed over the years from wanting to be a cowboy, to wanting to become horsemen.  To us, a horseman is many things.  Like...that guy that steps on your horse and makes the bugger look better than you ever did.  He turns around better, backs up faster, and "Hey, I didn't know he could do that."  Then that same guy has the nerve to step on some other guy's horse later in the day and do the same thing to him.  A horseman is capable of getting the best out of every horse he throws a leg over.

My dad always used to tell me that the more horses I rode, the better mine would feel.  At the time, I was pretty sure that was an old horse traders trick to get me to ride a corral-full a day.  Only recently have I come to realize that riding a pile of horses really does teach you more than you can ever teach them.  The variety makes you comfortable with the rough ones, lazy, hyper, one that is better to the left, the stubborn lead changer, the fancy spinner, the rope shy, etc.  Riding lots of critters also makes you more at ease in a variety of situations.  I used to get very nervous before I showed, but in the past couple of years, I have spent enough butt time in the saddle that I have become more comfortable with whatever is thrown my direction.  "Hey I've seen this before on a cow... I know what to do when my horse does this."

So...this weekend the family spent the rainy weekend riding in an indoor arena doing a little ranch roping.  We traded our trusty steeds around amongst us and took another baby step closer to becoming horsemen.

Wiley on Ferrari.

 

JD on Bo.

Abby on Lou.  JD on Bo.

JD on Lou.

JD on Ferrari, Wiley's pony.

I think this is one of those, what to do if your steer is bigger than your horse, situations.

Another big steer situation.  Abby on Bo.

They said getting on different HORSES....Weirdo....

Holy Cow! It Was A Busy Summer!

We say this every fall but this year, I really feel it was more true than ever.  My last post was the first week in August, after the Hog Wrestling at the County Fair. 
Since then we have:

• Showed in the reined cowhorse show at the Fremont County fair. JD, Abby and I showed and Wiley gave pony rides.  JD won the very competitive Rancher competition.  Upon seeing JD's new belt buckle, Wiley asked if he could share it with Dad.  JD said, "No, I won't share it...you can have it."  "For me?  All my own?"  He still shows it to everyone he meets.

JD on Lou.

Sam on Hippie.

• Practiced, a lot.

Some friends who came over to practice herdwork (cutting).

JD on Bullseye

• JD and I showed in the AQHA show at the Wyoming State Fair in the Reined Cowhorse and I also entered the Reining.  We tied for first in the Cowhorse, (which made for a nice ride home) and I was third in the Reining.

Whoa.

 

Bullseye realizes this isn't just "a stinkin' reining", "there's cows here!"

•  Practiced, a lot.

My Pardner.

Wiley on Ferrari and Abs on Bullseye.

• Abby and Wiley participated in the Pavillion Youth Rodeo Association rodeos.

My Girl.

My Boys.

Abby on Hippie, Wiley on Lou.

Big Weiners...er, I mean Winners.

•  We decided to sell Hippie and begin the search for a new horse for Abby.  She is ready to move up to something more finished to show in the cowhorse shows.  I could already see where this was headed and I could feel My Pardner slipping away. 

The Hipster.

• I decided to share My Pardner, Lou, with some punk kid for the 2012 show season.

Punk Kid.

•  JD bought his 2013 futurity prospect, Peptos Boon Buggy.

This photo was taken by Nicole Bruner of Bruner Quarter Horses, but don't go to their website or anything, we'd like to keep all of their colts for ourselves.  We're getting pretty selfish with them that way.

• The WHOLE family showed in a two day cowhorse show sponsored by the Cowboy State Stock Horse Association.  Yes, Wiley too and yes, I'm a terrible mother because I didn't get any pictures or video from his first show.  It was sort of impromptu and we were all laughing too hard to get a good shot anyway.  He did a sort of freestyle reining pattern with a trot in followed by spins in each direction and then said, "Hey Bryan, give me a cow!"  Wiley and Ferrari did a really good job of boxing the cow and marked a 70 on each side.  Whew!  What a start to what is sure to be a long career.  All this after the wreck he had Saturday trying to give the neighbor kid a pony ride which resulted in a big, fat lip.  The crash did win him the Hard Luck Award for the weekend though.  After the wreck he turned down a million dollars for the pony but did offer to sell him for 34 cents.  By Sunday, Ferrari was back in his good graces and was again, priceless.  There aren't many ponies in the NRCHA so at some point, I'm sure Wiley will be stealing our horses too.  I think he and I will be fighting over Bo in the very near future.

Pony anyone?  He was cheap, one day only.

Maybe Ferrari will be handed down to Dad.  We know you're short JD, but this is ridiculous.

  

• In true "keeping up with the Jones" fashion, JD bought me an even smaller ass this year.  I didn't even have to go under the knife.  It turns out you can buy them at the Snaffle Bit Ranch. 

Meet Penelope

•  I showed in the Wild Wyoming Amateur Derby in Glenrock and placed second, winning both the reining and cow work.  My herdwork was a disaster.

JD showing Bullseye in the Rancher Cutting.  Abby took the photo.

•  Abby and I took an all-girl trip up to Rapid City for the Road To Reno NRCHA show.  I didn't place in the derby but we had a really fun weekend and saw tons of really spectacular horses and great riders.

Abby making friends at Reptile Gardens in Rapid City.

•  And finally, we practiced a little more...

Showoff.

A family affair.

 More adventures are headed our way for this fall and winter.  We will all be showing in the Bond Ranch Cowhorse Series in Thermopolis this winter and also cutting in the Central Wyoming Cutting Club shows.

I am currently overwhelmed with canning and fall cleanup.  I'd better get back into the kitchen and finish up the salsa and roasted chiles.  I have already canned peaches, peach jam, pears, raspberry jam, green beans, dilly beans and carrots.

The kids and I are super excited to have our pumpkin patch bursting at the seems.  We are loaded with goards and squash too and I'm looking forward to working with the birdhouse gourds for winter projects.

I have been taking pictures along the way this fall and have lots of recipes and funny stories to share....soon!

Happy Fall!

Was There Ever Any Doubt?

WFO Welding...2011 Fremont County Fair Hog Wrestling Champions!!!

The Team: JD Philleo, Cort Eppler, Matt Howard & Ryan Harrington

Was there ever any doubt that this team would take home the win?  Not from me, there wasn't.  JD asked me last night if I thought they'd win and and I said, "yeah, that's why I entered you".  It never crossed my mind that they wouldn't.

Hog wrestling is right up these boys' alley.  Three guys in their twenties paired with their crazy-ass, never say die, always looking for a wrestling match boss.  Who else had a chance?  I bet that hog is still dazed by the "hot tamale" he took!

The "before" shot.  A pre-game dinner of champions: Indian tacos and beer.

During the calcutta, I missed Ryan and Cort's cart wheels.  I think cart wheels really intimidated the competition.

One of the moments when I told JD, "that is your kid".  I caught him peeing under the bucking chutes.

And here's another classy family photo.  Abby showing me that she was the designated holder of the Copenhagen, sunglasses and cell phones.  The cans are in her back pockets.

"I'm so excited about the pigs.  Can I ride one?"

The start, all hands on the fence boys.

Hot tamale!

Teamwork, transport.

Victory!

Boys.

Now that Wiley is big enough to participate in all of our activities, I am realizing that when he was born, I basically had twins.  Some days he and JD are men and some days they're little kids. 

Wiley often talks just like a man.  Tonight, he asked to drive the pickup out of the pasture, exclaiming, "I'm a drivin' son-of-a-gun".  Really?  You can't see over the steering wheel or reach the pedals, thankfully.  And JD plays a mean game of hide and seek and runs through the sprinklers with the best of 'em. 

One of the things common to both men and boys is their sense of competitiveness and their need to one up each other.  It really started to appear in Wiley this spring.  He's a Philleo with a little bit of Buzzard thrown in; very little Buzzard though.  Some days I wonder if he's even mine.

Anyway, here's how the night played out...

"Hey, I thought you said Bullseye is fast.  I'm riding a Ferrari."

"Well he goes over the bridge."

"But can he go over it sideways?"

"My horse really watches a cow."

"What do you call this?  He's locked on."

"My two year old crossed water with no problem."

"Get in line Dad."

"Alright Hot Shot, get your horse on this tilt trailer."

"You mean like this?!"

Abby and I just sat back and watched.  They're pretty good entertainment.  Boys are weird.

Estoy Hecho!

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, I'm all done pulling weeds.  

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, why did I ever plant those seeds?

Well its official, the garden is weed-free!  And it only took me two weeks...

And when I say me, I mean we...as I often mean around here.  That's how chores usually are done right?  About day five into the weed pulling misery, I decided that Abby would have to step up to the "country kid" plate and help out.  I have had her help me in the years past but, this year, since she has other chores she already does everyday, I thought I would let her skip most of the weeding duties and help with the harvest and canning instead.  I thought that...in the beginning...when I still had a good attitude, a pretty manicure, wasn't sunburnt and my quads weren't cramped.  I figured that since Oprah is now off the air, she won't have anywhere to bash me publicly for her tortured childhood when she's famous.

Child labor victim...I mean "country kid".

She really was a ton of help everyday and worked right alongside me.  We got up at 4:30 each morning, ate breakfast, did the chores and then went to work in the garden.  We pulled weeds until noon each day, when it got too hot.

So...now its time for that margarita and pico!  Except I don't have any tequila...or limes...or triple sec, or however you make them.  I made them here at home once.  Pitchers of them.  Hmmm...how could I have forgotten the recipe?