Sweetwater Ranch Antelope Valley

09/06/2024

Burgie is absolutely exhausted. It was a rough day. Following mom all over the place while she rode two horses and round pen three and purchased and unloaded 20 bales of hay and taught three students. Watching all that is exhausting. 

09/04/2024

Always 🖤🐴

09/03/2024

I have made a pledge that I would work with Cody four times a week. Last week I at least managed three. So today we worked at the mountain block and I actually climbed up on him by myself with no one holding his head and then got off three times and then we went out and lunged.

I deliberately left stirrups down so we could get used to them bouncing around. And I’m always amazed at how huge his stride is even when he’s not trying. This is his just trucking around trot and look at the suspension. I’m so blessed to have this horse in my world . 

08/28/2024

Burgie had his first trail ride! I didn’t ask him to go, but he just followed us out the gate. I’m glad to know he is feeling strong enough to make that kind of a trip. It was about 25 minutes at 10:30 in the morning when it was about 90°.

I won’t say he was perfect because he kept getting right in front of flow, but he did not run away and he pretty much stayed beside me. I think exercise and sand is probably the best thing to help his feet redevelop the arch they should have.

And speaking of Flow. That mare sure looks good! She’s 31 years old now

08/27/2024

So happy that someone got photos of me RidingMinnie at the Hotshot Riders CGA District 19. Event on Sunday. I have so much fun on this little brown mare.

It was a beautiful day on Sunday and everybody did great. 

08/27/2024

Talking about whisker clipping is a really great litmus test to get an idea of how much of competition is human centred.

It’s a far more controversial topic than it should be.

In FEI classes, whisker clipping was banned recently and this caused a major uproar.

But in lower level classes and many other show organizations, it’s perfectly legal.

Regardless of anyone’s personal preferences, a simple fact remains — whiskers are a sensory organ for horses.

Each individual whisker even has its own blood supply.

The debate of how much they help with sensation is still ongoing but what is fact is that we know they’re used for sensory input by the horse.

It really isn’t up to us to argue to what extent they are used when that argument is only being used to justify us clipping them off for totally shallow reasons.

The only “benefit” humans get from whisker clipping is a “cleaner look” that they’ve been conditioned to like better.

There’s no other incentive, it’s all aesthetic based.

So, the fact that this is still as controversial of a debate as it is when it’s rooted in shallow human preferences really speaks for how much competition centres around human desires.

Because WHY are we enabling ourselves in promoting mindsets that flippantly take away protection and sensory output from the horse, with no care of the impact, just because we like they look better?

Whiskers are cute, for one.

For two, you can’t even see them in the show ring, only close up.

And then third, and most obviously, THEY ARE A SENSORY ORGAN.

Competiton can be done ethically, in my opinion.

But we will struggle to get to the destination of ethical competition so long as human desires are centred to the extent they currently are.

08/25/2024

Somebody posted a question of “what does your horses body language say about your writing“ here’s a few images of horses in today’s lessons. I think all these horses are pretty content with their jobs. 

08/24/2024

08/18/2024

Oh, this is excellent and clear information. I’m not 100% sure that all judges honor it but it is the rules.

08/14/2024

So now pretty much all of the horse abuse apologists have accepted that the photos of blue tongues at FEI events are real.

This means they need a new excuse to keep torturing horses. And that excuse is a contrived need for “more science” to confirm that it is indeed painful for a horse to have their tongue compressed by a double bridle until it goes blue.

For anyone who genuinely wants to understand how the tongue of a horse might turn blue from the pressure of a bit (even if it is just sitting in the horse’s mouth where there is insufficient space for it), this lecture by Cristina Wilkins is essential viewing. It takes 30 minutes and it’s worth it.

Link to video: https://youtu.be/HDs6sgrTmec?si=3gzkNeMobQJkMCpH

08/14/2024

 happy three weeks at Sweetwater Burgie!!!

This dog has gone through so much changes in such a short time. three weeks today since he magically appeared at our back door. He’s gained about 20 pounds and grown over 2 inches. He’s learned to be housebroken. He likes to play fetch. He loves water.

The other dogs are learning to accept his goofy puppy bigness! It’s a lot to take in! We’ve survived his stealing a bone off the kitchen table, but he has decided to experiment with Counter surfing. There are now mouse traps on my kitchen counters. He has set off at least two and he’s a smart boy so I suspect he will learn very quickly to give up his Bandit ways. I’m going to give him his first vaccination now since both trips to the vet resulted in them declining to give him a shot. Once he’s had at least two vaccinations I will think about neutering and possibly a gastric attachment at the same time. Does anyone remember me asking the universe for a big great Dane puppy? Because I don’t remember that one. But here he is.

08/13/2024

https://www.facebook.com/events/7613570712085962/permalink/7682052355237797/

08/08/2024

And the hits just keep on coming. Last night just as I was finishing a wonderful pork steak dinner Rachel Trani needed the electronic timers for this Sunday’s play day which will be the kick off fundraiser for district 19 of CGA.

I got up from the table, walked out of the room and I heard Emily scream and ran in and apparently Burgie got up and ate the bone off of my plate.  it was 7:45 PM. I refuse to go to the ER and so we have an appointment at noon today. Please say a prayer for us. I’m already feeling a little overwhelmed well OK a LOT overwhelmed. Raising another big puppy wasn’t on my to do list. But it got handed to me.

I was already considering that I would need to rehome him and now this. I’m probably going to spend 1000s of dollars that I do not have, to save a dog that I may not keep. But I don’t know what else to do. 

08/07/2024

 oh blessings to the fire department. This is literally across the street from the ranch. We need to get the tumbleweeds off the perimeter of my fence.

We are 100% safe. But it looks like it started either from a backfire from a motorcycle or cigarette out the car window Are people really that dumb. ???

07/31/2024

Bergie and I stopped byPalmdale Veterinary Hospital to see how his weight game is progressing. I am pleased to say that in six days he has gone from 63 pounds all the way up to 71 pounds! Who knew a dog could gain 8 pounds in just six days!! the one cup of food every two hours technique seems to be very successful. his gastrointestinal system has adapted to the food really well. Meaning the poops are now normal. They were a little bit of cow pie on the second and third day. But now he’s really extracting nutrients out of everything and gaining full benefit.

He is also well adjusted into our household. He sleeps by my bed every night with a tether on. His housebreaking is improving, but I’m very careful not to blink. He’s been on several rides in the truck. I am horrified to admit that we went to Hemme Hay this afternoon and I took him out of the truck and I closed the door failing to factor in just how Long his great Dane whiptail is! I closed the door on the tip of his tail. Happily it is not broken or even bruised. I think I only got the last half inch. But he sure screamed and let me know about it. I sat in the parking lot and hugged him and apologized.

But all in all 8 pounds has made a huge improvement in this dog. I think a lot of it is hydration. He was so gaunt because he was just purely dehydrated. His paws are better, no longer red and raw, and I even see some hope of him redeveloping an arched cat paw rather than a flat raccoon foot.

No sign of anybody trying to claim him although I’ve talked to a few people that have lost other dogs. Fortunately, Bergie has such a distinctive marking on his chest. It’s pretty easy to compare photographs and know that this dog isn’t their dog.

Anyway, Bergmeister thinks life is good here at Sweetwater Ranch 

07/30/2024

Our second time meeting cattle! 1 million thanks to Wild At Heart Horse Rescue for permitting me to use their Ciente cattle to educate Louie in preparation for the2024 All American Horse Challenge.

I was at least able to ride him around outside the pen and I did a whole dressage schooling session near the cow pen. Sunday we’re going to actually get in a pen with sorting cattle. I’m fairly confident at least both of us will survive the experience.

07/30/2024

Rumi lived over 1000 years ago and yet every word rings true