Swanton Storms

The tornado warnings of friday night were incredibly frightening for me. As I explain in one of the stories in The Horses We Love, The Lessons We Learn, my family suffered a direct hit from a rather large tornado when I was quite young. The fear of that experience has stayed with me.

I have a routine. The sirens go off, I quickly gather all the animals in the house, my favorite blanket, a flashlight and my cell phone and sit on the bathroom floor. This has been my routine since we built this house 18 years ago. However, we have recently replaced the large sturdy tub with a standing glass shower. Now I am surrounded by glass and I am sure it isn't as safe as it once was. It is familiar to me so there is safety in familiarity regardless of how dumb it might be. So here is the thing. A new client was supposed to bring his dog at 3:00 in the afternoon. We close at 4:00 on friday but I waited. He was three doors down all day and never bothered to call to say he would be late. 6:00 rolls around and still no word. So I called a client on the waiting list and rented his run to them. Cut to 8:30 pm on a firday night and the tornado sirens are blaring and I am sitting in my safe place and my cell phone rings. Now he is telling me that he is a little late but would like to come now. I explain that is not an option and ask if he sees the funnel cloud in the field across the street that my hubby is describing to me. He says no. I say good bye and hang up the phone and he continued to call me back four times! I finally turned off the phone.

I am willing to go the extra mile for a client however this was about 20 miles and it had been a long week. I told him he could come in the morning at 8:30 when we opened and we would make some changes to accomodate him. He was a no show.

So after the friday night storms, I mowed the grass and finished yard work thinking that more rain was coming and the lawn would look wonderful for the entire week. Wrong! More storms blew through last night and mother nature decided that the large maple tree would look lovely on my fence, our big cherry would be better on the neighbors fence and our sassafras tree fit perfectly across our driveway. Trees take up less space when they are standing upright, don't they? So the view from the back of my horse (and the neighbors horses who were enjoying the leaves off the downed tree) is whomever invented the chainsaw because ours is going to be used a lot over the next few days. Oh happy days. I hope everyone survived the storms.

Blessings
Tena

The Triple Crown and Big Brown

Like so many of you, I love horseracing. I always have but lately it seems that the tragedy that comes with the sport has been more at the center of our focus than the excitement. It has been so long since a horse has won the coveted Triple Crown which consists of The Preakness, The Kentucky Derby and the Belmont. It would have been nice to see Big Brown run his way into the history books but alas he fell short. He was beaten by a horse that in a previous race, was left 38 lengths behind when BigBrown passed him. It just goes to show us that nothing is a sure bet. I think in part, thats what makes the sport so appealing.

After Barbaros tragic death last year and then Eight Belles breaking both of her front legs and having to be euthanized, we now sit with a knot in our stomachs during a big race praying that these beautiful athletes come out of the race in one piece. Horses are no different than any other athlete in any other sport in that they give their all in their bid for a win and running is in their blood. Most owners and trainers truly love their horses and would never do anything to cause them harm but there are always some who would do anything to win. These are the ones that give racing a bad name. It isnt as though a horse breaking down on the track is a new thing, certainly not. It happens all the time however not all races are as publicized as the triple crown.

I am not a big fan of PETA and their radical tactics I will admit however that the sport needs to be monitored because it is driven by money and money makes some people do things that they would not normally do. From everything I seen, Big Brown ran a clean race and I was pleased to hear that he didnt lose due to any physical issues but the Belmont is the longest race of the three and he was just not up to the challenge in that sweltering heat. My admiration to the jockey for recognizing this and pulling up the horse to avoid injury.

So the view from the back of my horse is Big Brown and his jockey, both true athletes in every sense of the term. Maybe not the winners of the triple crown but winners in my eyes. What a race!

Blessings
Tena

America's Horse Magazine

It is 121 feet from my barn to the mailbox and I must say that today was definately worth the trip. I was out brushing Hootie, the buckskin when the dogs alerted me that the mailman had come. The kennel blocks my view so like any horsewoman, I count on the dogs to alert me to anything.

As I am every month at this time, I was pleased to see the latest issue of America's Horse in my box. For those of you that don't have Quarter Horses (and I can't imagine why you wouldn't) it is the AQHA magazine that goes out to all members. To me, the best form of flattery is to be quoted from one of my books. To be quoted in the Sage Remarks section of this publication is something that I used to say I would give hell and half of Georgia for. The first time I actually saw that they decided that something I said was worth repeating, I was so excited that I showed everyone I knew including the horses who were impressed enough to try to eat the issue! The second time, I put the issue with the first one in a box of special things that I keep for Garrett, my grandson. The third time, I just smiled that smile and kept it to myself. Now I can't remember exactly how many times I have been honored with this distinction but today was the best one of them all. Here is why.

When I wrote Tips and Tidbits For The Horse Lover, I was on a deadline and needed just three more pieces of original wisdom to balance out the various categories and came up with the one they quoted at 3 am the morning of my deadline. I was quite proud of it and thought it was appropriate for all horse people whether they are smart enough to own a Quarter Horse or not. It says "You break your nose, you break a window, you break a promise - all of which prove to be a negative experience, so why would you break a horse? A horse is started on a journey of a lifetime of learning. He is your partner and once he is broken, you may never be able to fix him." It is to date, my personal favorite thing I have ever written. So the view from my horse is America's Horse magazine for choosing my little sage remark and priniting it in this months issue. Thanks!

Blessings
Tena

Harry Hughes memories

Greetings,
Yesterday was a really nice day so Bear and I decided to take a run over to Harry Hughes Equestrian center and watch some of the fun show. We have spent most of our years together showing horses over there. In the past three years since dealing with his illness, we havent gone. Not much has changed aside from some new faces. Congrats to Grace Schumaker for a good ride. There are quite a few less faces and a lot of new ones. Back when I was on the board of directors there, we raised money to build a concession stand and it looks wonderful! Jen had just gotten released from the hospital so she and her hubby Mike met us there. Jen literally grew up at HH. We were reminded of a lot of good times back when our 4h group used to have our annual May fun show and all of the horses that we knew and loved and rode were still with us. In the book, The Horses We Love, The Lessons We Learn, I talk quite a bit about HH and the fun we had. Our economy has allowed less and less people to have the pleasure of a life with horses and it was evident by the attendance there yesterday. I for one am grateful that we raised our kids in that environment as they turned out pretty good adults as a result. I think we will just take the time from now on to stop by every weekend we can and say hello. I have missed it more than I even realized. The view from the back of my horse is Harry Hughes Equestrian Haven on Route 64 in Swanton. Free horse show every weekend, stop by and grab a hot dog from the pretty little concession stand and make it a good day.
Blessings
Tena

Ahhhh, summer!

Greetings!
Well it is Memorial Day weekend which marks the unofficial first days of summer. The grass is finally green, the trees are no longer bare and the coldest, longest winter is finally behind us. Our summer started with a bang as our daughter Jen has been in thehospital again. Jen has Crohns disease and with the medication comes a depleted immune system which leads to infections. She was admitted to the same hospital in which I have lost my dad and my brother in thelast year and that makes it difficult to even walk in the front door. Even the most beautiful summer day turns ugly when I enter those doors. The good news is that she was released last night and today I plan on cooking on the grill, getting out my flip flops and tank tops, slowing down the pace of everyday tasks and enjoying the horses a bit more. I am looking forward to a book signing this month at TSC in Wauseon and then on to the Kentucky Horse Park to present some seminars for the Bashkir Curly association in July. In between, keep that sunshine and warm air coming and allow us to be outdoors more and NOT at the hospital. The view from the back of my horse is all of you that I havent seen in a while just stopping by the barn and kennel to say hello and visit.
Blessings
Tena

Working on the new kennel

Here is hoping this workd. Ive enclosed a link to those of you that have asked how the building of the dog boarding kennel is going. We are not completely finsihed yet however we are almost there. For those of you that havent seen us lately and have wondered what we have been up to, here is the answer. The concrete was poured in the old barn last July and Bear and I have been working our fingers to the bone to finish it. In September, I was using a router (scarey power tool) and routed my index finger to the bone. Had to have skin graft surgery and after a long recovery, this is where we are with it. If by chance the link does not work, you can also go to aol video and type in Ohio kennel or Bear Back Ranch and kennel and get the video. The view from the back of my horse is all the months we worked and I for one can say that we are happy it is behind us and we can actually put the finishing touches on it and open! Yeah!
Blessings
Tena

Mothers Day

I called my mother in law to invite her to a cookout at our place and she declined. She said she had issues with this day because it was just a day designed by the retail market to sell cards and gifts. Hmmm. At first, I had to agree with her but then I got to thinking, who cares! Whether it is a commercialized day created for whatever reason, it still has merit. Mothers still should have at least one day a year that honorsthehard work they do. I didnt want to celebrate the daybut rather celebrate who she is and all she has done where her children are concerned. I for one as a mother enjoy this day. My two girls and my husband and new son in law go out of their wayto cook me dinner and spend time with me and they bring me cards and I love it! I am celebrated by people who care about me. I am thanked for those sleepless nights when my kids were little and sick and I sat up with them all night. I am thanked for all the cookies I baked and the field trips I went on because the other parents were too busy. The lilacs are in bloom, the cold weather has finally left us and I cant think of a better reason to celebrate. So today, the view from the back of my horse are those capitalist card manufacturers that created a day just for us mothers because I would like to thank them for giving us a day of our own. Celebrate your mom today and go buy her a card. If you are a mom yourself, sit back and enjoy it. Happy Mothers Day.

Blessings
Tena