New Page 2

JULY 2007

{

July 29 PM

Hither and yon, hither and yon... here I am, finally back at home. So, first stop of the day was the horse in Middleburg. While he was plenty fancy, I still love the chestnut better. But, one never knows -- so, if the chestnut does not vet, I'll need to start going thru my second, third and fourth choice list.

After that, I went out to Dave's barn and rode a little and helped a the young lady who owns Andy, the pony I've been riding so I could share with her some ideas to fix some of the problems she's been having on the pony. That was fun -- I do love to teach so that gave me my teaching fix. Afterwards, Dave and I went to lunch, then came back and messed with two other horses. All in all, a pretty mellow day -- I really needed to take it easy because last week, I could not seem to catch up on rest -- I'd just pushed it a little too hard. So, I'm happy to say, I don't feel beaten down and now, I'm going to take a shower and de-stinkify myself.

Tomorrow, I'll be calling the vet to try to set up an appointment for the pre-purchase exam. Which I won't even be able to do until the third week in August. Bob and I have some time away coming up and Lori is still trying a horse so she needs that second stall. So, better my thing doesn't happen for a few weeks anyway. Fingers crossed!!!

July 29 AM

Rain was forecasted for the whole weekend and we've been so lucky that it has only rained during the night.

Yesterday morning, after breakfast with Bob, I met Liz at the Dover Tent Sale and Leah came a little afterwards. As much as I wanted to find something to spend money on, I really didn't need anything. And, since I'm saving for a new horse, that was my incentive to hold off. Once I get the new horse, I'm going to need to buy new blankets a new bridle and so on. Other than that, there's hardly a piece of equipment that I don't already have.

Leah and I drove out to Rixeyville, where we met Lori, to look at a horse. A very nice prospect that if Lori didn't like him, I'd put him at number 2 or 3 on my list. He's only been off the track for two months, he's a nice mover, attractive and quiet. I hopped up while Lori videoed. Leah and I had to scoot on to our next stop and later, Lori called to say that the owner is going to let her take the horse on trial for a week, which would be neat!

Finally, I got to try my number one pic in Free Union. As I probably already mentioned here, I could only look at him at the property where he lives now, due to insurance. Since I couldn't get him out of my mind, I asked the seller if there was a nearby farm where I could try him. So, yesterday, we walked him and his bay buddy to the farm and I got to ride both. While I like both, I LOVE the chestnut. He is easily 17.1. I actually think he's 17.2 and could possibly be bigger. He's such a good, quiet boy, has already gone out on trails and I got to try him over a little crossrail which he jumped like a good boy.

Anyway, when it was all done, I decided he is the one. While I've been looking at a lot of horses that I like (and certainly saw some I didn't), I haven't had that connection like I have with this one. So, we just need to settle on the price and then he has to vet. And I really, really hope he vets.

Today, I am headed to have a second look at one I couldn't ride due to its having lost two shoes. After that, I head out to see Dave and ride there. I have about a half hour to get rolling so I better run!

July 26

Rode Mr. Andy last night. Definitely getting better. I don't need to keep after him as much anymore to keep him in gear. We kept the session short and light, as he had just gotten back from the show the day before. Granted, he had a few days off from actual work but needed a light work due to the travel. Andy is a big strided pony and we are working on collection to teach Andy to add in the lines, as he is a Short Stirrup pony and the ponies are expected to add. While we are teaching him to add, of course, we are also keeping up with lengthening.

I worked him through some cavaletti -- a four stride line and worked back and forth doing it in both four and five strides. I also worked at the canter, spiraling in and back out on a circle. At the end, I popped him over the roll top a few times to work on my eye and my position. I really need to get someone to video me because I never feel like my back and shoulders are where I want them. Leg, no problem but the other things, I need to see. How did I do this for years without a camera and someone to watch me? I just don't know....

Tomorrow is Friday and quite frankly, it seems like it was Monday just a few days ago. I'm glad the weekend is here but the horse shopping is getting exhausting. And I'm getting impatient. I'm excited, though, because I'll finally get to try the one horse that I like the most out of the bunch. Have a new one lined up to check out and possibly a third that I got to look at but didn't get to try since it had pulled its front shoes playing in the field. I've lined all that up for Saturday. Bob has a race on Sunday which I didn't realize so I kind of scheduled things backwards. Oh well... Soon, all of this mess will be over with and we'll be back on schedule.

July 23

It should be no surprise by now that I had a very busy weekend. Bob had Reserves so I was off being a horse nut.

I was thrilled to have Leah home for the weekend. We met bright and early for breakfast at Silver Diner (yummy!!!) then headed to Orange, VA (just outside of Culpeper) to look at a horse. I have to say, absolutely no one in my horse search (I’ve seen 11 horses so far) has misrepresented their horses. Not even the folks at the track, who I think are notorious for it. The horse I looked at on Saturday was no exception. He was described as being quiet like a 15 year old, although he is only 5. They weren’t kidding! He was SO quiet that I had to work very hard to get him going. Although I had spurs on, they were my nice spurs – I think I needed a little bit more firepower! Anyway, I tend to like a horse that gets in gear and stays there without too much of a reminder. I haven’t crossed him off my list because I think he could be trained to be more responsive, but I did tell Lori about him because she deserves a nice quiet one after all of the excitement she’s been through in the past few years.

Next, we went to the showgrounds at Culpeper to interview riders who planned on going to USEF Zone III finals being held at Morven Park on September 9. It is for the next story I’m doing for Horse Talk Magazine. It was a bit of a feat to find the riders but after some walking and some careful positioning and watching the rings, we did indeed find three riders to interview. I had already done another interview by phone the night before and I have one more show I can hit to get more interviews before my deadline. Actually there are two shows but I only want to do the one. Thanks to my membership with both the USEF and the VHSA, I also have contact information for many of the riders or I have friends who know them. When it is all said and done, I should be able to submit a pretty beefy story on our Zone III finalists!

One would think the day would be over by then. Oh no – it wasn’t. We went to lunch at Chili’s in Culpeper and as it tends to happen with me and my Kevin Bacon syndrome, we ran into someone we knew! Martie, who boarded with us at a farm in Nokesville, back when I first had Buster. Such a nice person – her sister is Becky and I see Becky from time to time but never get to see Martie. So, that was a treat. We got to chat very quickly with Martie but I got her number because she has some horses I might want to look at. I love networking!

I perked up after lunch and we headed back to my house to let the dogs out. By the time we got there, it was 4-ish. To my surprise, Bob was already home! I felt bad leaving him but Leah and I both still wanted to ride the two I promised Dave we would ride. So, our journey was not yet done for the day.

Once at the barn, Leah rode Simon and I rode Overdose. Simon is just delightful and Overdose is my kind of horse. I don’t know why but I like the ones that are just a bit hotter than the others. I could tell some of what I asked O.D. to do the last time had stuck with her this time so that was good to see.

Finally, homeward bound for pizza with Bob and yes, I slept very soundly that night.

The next day, up early again. Had considered going out to Terry’s again after breakfast but realized we just couldn’t fit it in the day, nor did I have the physical strength to do it. So, we enjoyed our traditional Bob Evans breakfast and headed to Middleburg to see yet another horse. Unfortunately, we learned the horse had thrown both front shoes. I was all geared up to see him so we took the offer to still do so, just wouldn’t be able to ride.

The horse was lovely and presented in the way I am accustomed to presenting horses for sale: freshly bathed, ears and muzzle clipped, hoof oil, bridle on. It makes such a nice presentation. But, by the same token, I don’t expect everyone to do that or be able to, given where or how they keep horses. It was just nice to see again and makes a very good impression. Took a few pictures and watched him jog. He’s a good candidate. I should be able to see him later this week once he gets his shoes back on.

Tried to stop in for a quick hello with the Nichols but they were headed to church and after our visit in Middleburg, we had yet another destination to hit. We went to see Jessica’s stallion (she’s the one I gave Justin to) and of course, I got to say hello to Justin. Jessica’s stallion is beautiful – Leah wanted to check him out because she is considering getting a horse if she moves back up this way (which I hope she does!). We didn’t have time to ride and I was just exhausted from the day before. I gave Justin a kiss and we headed out to our next gig.

Leah and I finished the day out by riding Simon and O.D. again. O.D. was a much better girl. I worked with her quite a bit at the walk and trot, then trotted her over a little cavaletti, then did the same at the canter. I worked on teaching her to stay in stride and rhythm, because the jumper in her wants to take over a bit. After a few tries, she listened and did well and I ended on a good note.

I decided it might be fun to take the horses for a stroll thru some of the paddocks there. It’s not a big property but I thought it might be nice for the horses to have a stroll outside of the ring. Since I’ve done some hunting, I realize the value of riding a horse that will stand quietly while you open and close a gate from its back. Miss O.D. thinks you are asking her to jump through a ring of fire when you ask this. After some extremely patient persistence, I got two gates opened then, managed to reopen one Leah had closed from the much quieter Simon. I was especially pleased with that last one because the first go ‘round, it was the one O.D. got most upset about being asked to do. So, she redeemed herself.

Both horses got nice water baths and got tucked back into their stalls with treats and a fresh layer of fly spray and our day was finally done. And, again, I slept like a log.

July 16

Busy, busy weekend, as usual. Started out Saturday heading over to Lori’s. Was going to go pick up a horse with her for her to try out but the schedule got messed up on the other end so that delayed things. So, to kill time, we drove back to Chantilly to Dover, picked up a few things then went to a coffee shop for me to pick up yet another something to eat (I burn through it quickly). By the time that was done, we realized we were running late. We went back to her place, then, I followed her to Marshall where she was picking up the horse. On she went from there to home and on I went to Charlottesville to look at some horses.

The first horse, I have to say, so far, I am most interested in. He’s a chestnut OTTB. He’s 4 years old and is HUGE. Easily 17.1 or 17.2. Let’s just say, I was up hill from him and he still looked 17.1 to me. Have had a few that height (either a client’s horse or one sent to be sold) and I know what it looks like. He’s BIG. Anyway, not the fanciest headed horse…maybe a little short necked but for what I want to do (as I reassess, I’m liking him more and more). According to my research, he never raced and was born in Louisiana. How he got from there to here is beyond me. He came off the track in December of ’06 and came to the seller in February of ’07. For a horse that has only had 7 mo’s off the track, he looks great. He has huge feet (thankfully) and a lot of bone (also a plus). The only thing I think could possibly be on his xrays would be some OCD – common in fast growing large breed animals. But according to research, he was pitifully slow so I am hopeful that he doesn't have any injuries to speak of.

The second horse I saw there was a bay. A little plain headed but put together nicely. Nice mover. Nothing really horrible screaming at me about him. So, he’s a candidate as well. Both horses jumped little X’s with respect and cantered away quietly. They both went in a plain snaffle.

By the time I left there and got home, it was nearly 5:00. I took care of the dogs and spent a little time with them then headed out to ride at Dave’s. This time, I rode a medium pony. Fancy, fancy pony that has won at Washington. Jumped him a little and as always, had a fun time doing that. I’m pleased with my progress. I’m getting more accurate and being a little smarter and more organized on course. I’m not as far behind in my riding as I thought I was. Seems to be coming back to me pretty quickly.

After that, I was pretty beat, went home, made dinner and crashed. Next day, up early to go to the track and check out two. One thing is for sure, you want to take them all home. The first one I looked at rope-walked behind very badly. That’s a no-go. The second one was lovely but was a mild cribber, had an ankle injury “that didn’t bother him” and toed out significantly with his right hind.

I had a big break between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 which was my next appointment near Frederick, MD. I wasn’t able to line up rides out at Terry’s place which is near there (I called on short notice) and couldn’t get a hold of Dave to shoot for the same which ended up being a good thing because I was exhausted. So, I went home and napped! Slept for an hour and a half and got back up to see the horses in MD.

My favorite horse on paper ended up having what looked like a bad tie-back surgery. He also had a weird front foot. The second horse I looked at was attractive but also had the tie-back surgery. He had just had his feet done and apparently was very foot sore before that so the movement he showed me was not the best. I have done a little research on tie-backs and have heard enough conflicting reports to know that I should steer away from a horse with one. I keep telling myself that there are too many horses out there for me to settle. I think it is like dating!

Now, I'm in the midst of lining up more horses to look at this weekend. Leah is coming to town so she will come with me. We'll do a little riding too so I'm looking forward to that -- little horsie road trips just like old times!

July 13

The thirteenth is not bad luck for those born on the date. Granted, I was born on a Wednesday, but still, Friday the 13th is never a bad one for me. Proof? I had a faboo ride tonight. Well, two faboo rides.

So, went to Davey-Boy's barn again, which I am now realizing is closer than any of the barns I've ever ridden at. It is 20 mins on the nose from work. Granted, on the way home, it is a little longer because I'm coming all the way out to Chantilly. But it is still shorter than coming from Haymarket! Anyway, got out there tonight and rode the Andy Man again. Alllll the horses have figured out that the mean lady with the stick and spurs means business. Nothing I hate MORE than reminding and reminding and reminding a horse to stay in gear. Andy has figured out he needs to motor at the trot. He gets a little more in gear after we've jumped a bit. Anyway, so, jumped him around a little course of just four jumps at 3'-3'3". It consisted of a long approach to a roll top with a lattice on top, a single outside plank to an outside line of two oxers in five strides to the plank again. I only had one or two poopy-ish jumps but for the most part, motored pretty well and was at the point where I could actually think about my position in the air. I was riding a little smarter, going straighter on the landing and I also figured out how he wants to do his lead change to the right. It just clicked. I figured it out while jumping him on a circle, coming to the jump on the left lead, then, immediately turning to the right. He landed left but when I made the turn, he'd switch to the right w/o me even asking. So, I figured out that if he can do it that way, maybe I just need to balance on the landing, then ask. Voila! Didn't miss a one after that. I'm also getting better about doing a crest release, like, actually pressing my knuckles into the thing's crest. I've always been strong enough to hold my body in the air so what that means is that my hands will tend to float over the horse's crest -- not good.

After riding Andy, I rode Teddi. He's a Dutch Warmblood and oh my, goes like a warmblood. I was after him with my spurs yesterday and with him, all you have to do is take your hand of the reins and he will SCOOT. When I got on him today, he was muuuuuuuuuuuuuch better about moving forward. He had a better trot and I didn't have to remind him as much. Anyway, got to jump him around a bit longer course over the same jumps. It was roll top to plank to outside line, roll back to an airy oxer to the plank and roll top in four as a broken line. He was a good boy. I think I had two (what I would consider) ugly jumps. He was good and saved me. But that was the first time I ever jumped him and I'm still getting used to this ring and jumping in general so overall, I'm freaking tickled with myself. And of course, I owe a huge thanks to Dave for getting me out there and Annika for letting me ride.

Tomorrow, I am heading out w/Lori to pick up a horse she is trying, then, I head to Charlottesville to go look at a few horses for me! Should be interesting!

Bob is back Sunday. I've been such a slacker!!!

July 10

Big, big past few days. Left on Friday for Oklahoma to be given my Osage name. Very, very early wake up call -- dragged out of bed at 3:45 a.m. and left the house at 4:40 a.m. to be at the airport at 5:00 a.m. for a 5:35 a.m. boarding of my 6:10 a.m. flight. Once in my terminal, did my usual search for a non-coffee-line-clogged establishment (I am not a coffee drinker), so that I could grab something for breakfast and load up on any and every snack that remotely appealed to me. Managed to find some healthy choices, picked up a new book and was soon on my way.

Once in Dallas, I noticed several soldiers. They seriously had completely different looks about them than the average person doing their usual travel. Since I know when they ship guys to Iraq, they typically use charters, I figured these guys had to be returning, there were only a handful of them. I remembered my friend Randy, who was deployed there last year, telling me how bewildering it was to return to the states -- no fanfare, no warm welcome, nothing. Until, of course, you got back to the base or airport where your family was to meet you. But that just stuck with me so when I ran into one at my next snack gathering place, I tapped the guy on the arm and asked, "Coming or going?" He said, "Coming." I said, "Well, welcome back, and thank you for what you're doing." He said, "Thank you, ma'am" and was on his way. I had heard the cashier say to him, "God bless you" and when I got up there, she said they gave the guys a 25% discount. She said she tried to make them feel welcome.

Next, I saw a guy in first class on my plane who you could tell had REALLY been out in the sun (also from duty in Iraq) and I tapped him on the shoulder as I walked by and said, "Thank you" and he said back to me, "Thank you, ma'am." Such nice boys with good southern manners.

That flight (and the one prior), I got lucky and had the exit row and got to sit alone. Yay! I read one of my horse books (I brought so much reading material) and studied more about conformation so that all the stuff you are supposed to be looking for in a horse will be solidified in my mind when the time to shop comes.

Once in Tulsa, I actually got a RAV-4 as my rental! It wasn't a 2007, nor was it the snappy, loaded model, but it was cool to get in a car and pretty much know where all the whistles and bells were. My first interesting sighting as I exited onto Route 75 was a very large goat, sunning himself on the roof of an old rusted pick up truck. Had I not been in a hurry to see my family, I'd have pulled over and taken his picture.

All the way from Tulsa to Bartlesville (where we stayed) were lots of horse farms (ranches in their world) and fairly sparse population in comparison to what we are accustomed to seeing up here. Also, as I drove along, I could see evidence of the flood that had recently passed through. Muddy residue left its mark on the trees in some cases between 6 and 12 ft. Water logged hay bales sat in a field still filled with water. What looked like several innocent little lakes and ponds turned out to actually be standing water overstaying its welcome in a farmer's field.

Finally, at La Quinta in Bartlesville, I met up with my family. As it turned out, the hotel was also housing some flood victims and Red Cross volunteers. As I stepped into my room the horrendously strong smell of mold just about knocked me down. As it turned out, while this particular area had not been flooded, the excessive rain did manage to creep into the property somehow and caused water damage. While professional crews had come in to clean the place up, clearly, there was still a problem with mold and its stink. For two nights, I slept there and on the third night, management moved me to a new room and comp'd my entire stay. Yay!!

Every day, our band of 7 (consisting of Dad, Kathryn, Pam, Phil, Vincent and Jess, and me, of course) went to breakfast and dinner together in Bartlesville. And everywhere we went, people stared at us like we were naked. Some people didn't bother to notice us at all but we all noticed that we drew quite a bit of interest. While we don't feel like we look like people of interest, it was clear to the locals that we were clearly not locals. It wasn't that anyone looked at us with any disdain, they simply looked at us with curiosity. Seating the clan together was always a challenge and it was something we ended up giving up on day 3 and 4 (day 4 and 5 for everyone but me).

Kathryn had done some reconnaissance work prior to my arrival and by the time I got there, everyone had a plan together for where we would go each day. I arrived on Friday and the naming wasn't until Saturday in the evening. Places we visited (and hopefully I will remember them all) included The Woolaroc Ranch, Museum and Nature Preserve, The Nature Conservancy Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, The Osage Nation Museum (if you look at that link now, you'll see pictures of my 89 year old cousin, Louis Burns, who is a living treasure and very respected elder in the Osage community. Throughout the years, when Lou was doing research in Washington, DC, he'd stay at our home in Nokesville, VA. It amazes me to think that when I met him, I was as old as my niece or nephew is now -- 14-16) and lest we forget, the lovely mall in Bartlesville where I did manage to find a deal or two. We also hit a handful of small shops including one where beading and embroider for authentic Osage dance costumes were made. We enjoyed lunch at some of the tiniest, most humble little places with hand-drawn signs and got a kick out of an auto mechanic shop with a half of an old Corvette mounted on the roof. We sighted miles and miles of flood damage which was evident by water lines that had crept up billboards, swept over cars in a junkyard and compelled people to spray paint things like, "I shoot looters, make my day" outside their homes. But, during our stay, the sun was beaming and the sky was nearly cloudless.

When we stood outside the car at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, you could literally turn 360 degrees and have a completely unobstructed view of wide open land as far as your eyesight would allow you. The only thing I can equate it to was like being on a boat on the sea. It was truly breathtaking. While I am quite familiar with beautiful countryside during my rides here in Virginia, unfortunately, it does not come close to what I saw in Oklahoma. Cattle and horses either sunned themselves while grazing or napped lazily in the shade of the many old oak trees that were in great abundance all along our drive.

Most exciting was that in nearly every place we visited, there was evidence of a family member. We saw several of Lou's books in many of the shops we visited. In the Osage County Historical Society Museum (which also happens to be the home of the very first Boy Scout Troop in America and, yes, Alex Tinker, a relative of ours, was one of the first Boy Scouts in the troop of nineteen) we saw our entire Tinker family tree (which had been mapped out by Lou) right there in the museum. We spotted the Tinker name several times in pictures, books, artifacts and newspaper clippings such as Major General Clarence L. Tinker's obituary. He was the first general officer to die in action in World War II. He is who Tinker Air Force base, Oklahoma's largest single site employer, was named after. For more on why the Air Force base was named after my cousin, click here and here. At that second link, you'll see a photograph of MG Clarence Tinker at his desk. We had an oil painting in our house for many, many years while I grew up that was painted from that picture and my dad and Kathryn traveled out to Oklahoma around ten years ago and donated it to the White Hair Memorial. I kinda want it back ;). Of course, when I was a kid, he bore such a strong resemblance to my grandfather, Louis Tinker, that for many years, I thought it was him.

On the very last day, we were nearly leaving Pawhuska when we decided to take a quick run to the Osage Nation Museum, which was closed when we'd visited a day before. When Pam and I opened the door, the curator apologized and told us the museum was closed. We were so disappointed until we saw our cousin Lou sitting there. Once we made that ID, well, needless to say, the museum was suddenly open to us. The curator was so excited to meet us and gave us personal tours and took several of the pictures I'll attach in a slideshow below. He also pulled the Osage Constitution out of a glass case for all of us to sign. That was pretty cool. It was very neat to think we were signing it while pictures of our ancestors, one of which (Sylvester Tinker) was the chief of our tribe for several years, looked on. Such an honor.

The most enriching experience of all was our naming. It was held in a humble little dining hall at the back of the local grocer where better-than-anything-you-can-find-in-Virginia barbeque was served for us afterwards. Mongrain Lookout (pronounced Mogri, and sometimes, people spell his name as such) was the man that named us. He was very tall, a characteristic common to the tribe (Chief Black Dog was 7 ft tall and Mongrain's grandmother was 6 ft tall). He explained the history of namings and the honor associated with being a namer. Before he started the naming, he said the most beautiful prayer in Osage, which lasted several minutes and gave me goosebumps to hear a language I had never heard before; a really, ancient language dating back, as best as records can show to around 640 AD. Then, he translated in English for us. It was very beautiful and very humbling. My sister, as the first born daughter, and my niece who is also a first born daughter, both automatically got Me tse he (or Meet sa hay) as their name -- I can only guess at the spelling because it was not written down for us. Even if they did write it, there are Osage characters that we would NEVER even know how to write so you are kind of making up the spelling, like we often do with various Asian names. My nephew was named Shon ta sa pe (shon ta sa pay), which means Black Dog or Big Black Dog -- he was named after the great Chief Black Dog. Lastly, I was named Hu da Me tse he, which means Honored Eagle Woman. We are of the Mottled Eagle Clan so I am assuming it was derived from that fact. So, honored I am to have been a part of this incredible process and little journey back to the homeland.

I mentioned I bought several books. Two of which were by Lou, our cousin. It enjoyed reading about what great horsemen the Osage were in A History of the Osage People. Of course, now, I can't find the passage, but an American soldier was quoted as saying that the Osage were such great riders and warriors that during battle, while being fired upon, they would slide to the opposite side of their mounts to avoid being hit. The observer marveled at their balance and ability to slide so far off their horses while never falling off. While I'd seen depictions of this in old westerns, those guys were trick riders who were doing it in saddles covered with blankets that hid a stirrup that the stunt man leaned into. The real-deal Osage didn't have stirrups.

I do believe that my instant love for horses, from the time I even comprehended what they were (around when I was 2, according to family accounts) is attributed to my Osage blood. My grandfather Louis Tinker taught trick riding to the famous actor, Ben Johnson. Ben was from Irish and Osage descent and was born in Pawhuska, OK. Another ancestor was the first appointed Army blacksmith ever. Of course, given the time the family dates back to, it would be hard to find a relative that didn't ride. But, the Indians had to be especially good horsemen given the hunting and wars they fought from horse back on a regular basis and clearly, given how infrequently I fall off, good balance on a horse is clearly in my DNA.

OK, picture time...enjoy.