Frenchie Has Been Relocated!

Getting my daughter's horse, Frenchie, moved to a location closer was a very difficult chore, indeed. Everything was lined up,  and I even paid for the first 2 days of the month, even though we moved out before the 5th. I wanted to be fair and correct. We got there, and our previous owner handed me our coggins papers for the move..With Frenchie on a lead rope, we brought her out to the trailer. She would not go in. I, in the meantime, talked to the helping hand who does all the feeding and such.. He told me what they had changed her food into, and showed me how much food she gets, which was good because the previous owner would not tell me, even though I asked her. She came from behind us, was very angry that he told me what I wanted to know, but I didn't let her bother me. When I asked her for a handful of feed to help get our horse loaded, she refused. I told her that since I paid her for the whole day, and it was only morning, couldn't she help me.  Again, she refused...and told me that she didn't have enough feed. So, what did that mean? Would our horse have gotten skinny because she was short on feed, if I had left her? I begged with her again, and she finally gave us a small amount. With that, we were successful at getting Frenchie loaded and trailored to her new home. She has been there a good week now and I am very pleased. Frenchie is eating, and at that, it's a better quality feed. I am paying more for board, but that's okay. I am happy, I am content, and am so glad it's done. Now, Frenchie is doing wonderfully...Thank God for that miracle.

Moving Our Horse

Having a horse is a wonderful thing, however, as of late, I am having a great deal of frustration. We're having to move our horse because my daughter is leaving. I need to move our horse closer to me. Having her  about 25 minutes away right now isn't going to work anymore and since she's been there, we have never been late on a boarding payment., and have always told the boarding lady that we would be moving our horse when my daughter moved. No contracts involved and all during the year, we reminded her about the upcoming move. So, I called the lady yesterday and she went bullistic on me. She argued with me about moving  her, stating that she had plenty of young girls who would lease her and she could stay there as she has been. After talking things over and much thought, we  decided to still  move her because that's what we've always wanted to do. This lady was so darned mad at me that when I told her our decision, she was very mean and rude to me...and when I ended our conversation, I told her " thank you"  and that I appreciated her...her answer was " I bet you do". My question is, why do people have to be so mean?  I know that she's going to miss the money, but this was a decision made along time ago. My daughter went to the the barn last night to get her personal belongings and discovered that some of the younger girls there have been using her new saddle without permission and her bareback pad, leaving it out and not putting it back into her things. We were appalled. I have always taught my daughter never to borrow things without asking, and to always put things back the way they were found. Tomorrow will be moving day, and I will be very glad.

Frenchie, My Daughter's Horse

This is my daughter's horse, Frenchie. She's been with her for several years now, and my daughter has really spent alot of time with her in training. They are certainly a team. My daughter will be going to the Navy soon, and miss Frenchie will have to enjoy some of our grandchildren and friends during the time she's gone. I pray that my daughter will get stationed somewhere that she will be able to take her there so that she can still ride her and give her the attention that she is so used to getting, but I just don't know at this time, what's going to happen next. High school is over with and although my darling daughter works part time, she still spends a great deal of time with her horse. Frenchie has been a wonderful addition to our family because she has given  my daughter a great deal of learning experience, not to mention, kept her quite busy.  Just wanted to post this pic so you all could take a look at how beautiful she is !

My Daughter's Horse.....Frenchie

My daughter has made prom plans, and we have such a busy year this year, but she still dedicates almost every day to spending time with her horse, Frenchie.  Frenchie and my teen have grown together and it's been a wonderful experience for them both. Frenchie came from a father, and grandfather who have won championships through racing. Frenchie was almost in the same way of life, trained and ready to run, until my daughter came along, touched the owner's heart with her love for Frenchie, that he sold her to us. My daughter has plans for her Frenchie.....and that means going where she goes....whether it's Navy, or college. I look back now, and am so glad that I gave my daughter the chance to have Frenchie. Having a horse has made her a wonderful person. She has compassion, she has tolerance, endurance, and patience, plus the fact that she had to work and volunteer for a couple of years to earn her right to have a horse. Horses are very expensive, especially if you don't have the land to keep them on. Frenchie has been more than just your average "pet".  She has become a way of life for my daughter, and  I am very proud of all that she has accomplished by having her and training her.

Horses And Resonsibilities

Being at the barn isn't only about the riding....it's about the clean up as well. Horses need to have their hooves picked to get all the junk out of them so they can have a nicer ride, and so it's a better feel for your horse too. This is a friend of my daughter's who is learning about horsemanship. Having a horse is a wonderful experience but as my daughter can tell anyone, it's not easy. We have had our horse, Frenchie, for 3 years now. My teen goes out to ride, pick hooves, brush, give baths, and totally spoils Frenchie with apples and carrots. Frenchie has been in several competitions with my daughter for walk, trot and canter. She also jumps as well. It's been rewarding having her, and also seems to keep my daughter well-grounded as well. Always remember, that having a horse is an enormous responsibility, even if you do have a full-care barn.

Miss Frenchie

This is Frenchie, my daughter's horse, and she is a beauty....however, look at those feet! Her hooves are really dirty because she has been tromping around in the mud. We keep Miss Frenchie at a barn that provides alot of care, but my daughter still has to take care of cleaning and picking her hooves, and giving her baths, and riding her, teaching her as well as her grooming. Having a horse was a long-time dream of my daughter's and she has done really well with the upkeep. Having a horse is a very large responsibility. Buying the horse is NOT the largest expense....it's the upkeep, food, etc. Not only that, my daughter is into equestrian jumping so that's even more responsibility. As a mother, I DO shreak when I see her jumping over the jumps they have to do, but with a helmet and a good teacher, it's good. School is going wonderfully, and her junior year is half over. Her job is still VERY part time and she'd love to have more hours but her job is busier during the holidays and summer so right now things are a bit slow. Does your daughter have a hobby, or some sort of entertainment that keeps her busy?

Teens and Hobbies

This is Miss Frenchie, my daughter's horse. She is a very curious horse and loves alot of attention.

My daughter rides English and jumps her, also competes in english jumping.

Not only does Frenchie require multiple visits throughout the week, but riding as well, even through the coldest of weather. We have her at a wonderful barn that has live-on care and she is tended to with many other horses. I can't tell you how great it is for my daughter to have a hobby that keeps her busy. Also, this is her future as she has decided to become a enquine vet. She is studying assistant vet tech in school right now and will soon be able to work as one in her senior year. Does your teen have a hobby that keeps her busy? Do you find that it keeps her just busy enough or way too busy? We have learned how to manage the hobby along with the homework, so it works out great here.

A Happy Horse After Smelling A Poptart, and yes, she CAN see through her Fly Mask!

This is my daughter's horse, Frenchie, happier than ever that she got a sniff of a blueberry poptart.....my daughter says that she is smiling.

You might think that she cannot see through that mask, but it's to keep the flies off of her face, and yes, she can definetly see through it.

Never Give Up

Wow, what a weekend we had. You know, I love having a long weekend, but this weekend was so busy that I didn't have any free time. We had our first football game to attend and this was my daughter's first band performance. She flew by with flying colors and oh, how excited she was after the band performed. She was awesome. After a long Friday night, we got up early on Saturday and went to the barn. Her horse was being a total "stinker" and she was quite determined to get her horse Frenchie, to do well. Frenchie was not going to do what she wanted and my daughter left the barn with tears in her eyes, upset and feeling distraught. I tried to take the chance and talk to her, on the way home, but she closed off her ears to my words. A couple of hours later, she seemed to be alright. Sunday came, and we went to the barn again. In my opinion, Frenchie did MUCH better, but my daughter didn't think so. I had to once again, talk to her, hoping that she would now open her ears to what I was saying. My dear darling daughter, you cannot always look at what you Don't accomplish. You have to look at what you DID accomplish and go from there. Look at the good things that you got done. Think on the positive side and never give up.

Meet "Frenchie"

Meet "French Groom"
She is a 5 yr. old filly, quarterhorse, who is now my daughter's new horse. Her nickname is "Frenchie". Isn't she a beauty? She is 15.2hh tall and my darling daughter is so excited about her that she already went and bought a bright red halter for her very own to wear. Frenchie was going to be a racehorse, in fact, they were going to race her in 3 more weeks. The owner was such a wonderful man and sold her to us for my daughter to have her dream. He said that he was really glad for "Frenchie" too. Now my daughter is going to begin with training her so that she can show her and eventually put her in the English jumping ring. Isn't it wonderful to see your daughter's or son's dream come true? I am so happy for her.

A Hope And A Dream

I have been searching high and low for the ultimate horse for my daughter's dream. This is not a whimsy that she has, it's very real and it has lasted for many years. Sometimes our children have a want for a puppy, for instance, and after the "new" has worn off, they do not always tend to it like before, and we as parents end up doing the job. Puppies are great. .....and require alot of care. However, in our case, it's a horse. Years ago (4), my daughter was wanting a horse. I didn't have the money to spend on one, and didn't even know what all it required. I did some research on them, and decided to let my daughter have a taste of what it would be like. I enrolled us into a 4-H program with a barrel racing group. These women were the greatest and so delightful, and helpful. Everyone there had a horse except for us. But that was ok. Soon, my daughter started learning how to ride, and eventually did some barrel racing. She is a natural. But not only did she ride, she learned how to groom, how to feed, clean feet, and clean out stalls. Yes, the hard stuff, and more. I also enrolled her into a program through our local habitat-for-horses and she learned alot there too. How to go and get a horse out of the field, grooming, safety tips of how to get off the horse quickly in case she had to, and things went well. Here we are, about 4 years later, and the dream has not died. She has been in English jumper training for a year now and has been using the trainer's horse. It's been 4 whole years, and the dream has not died even after doing all the hard stuff. And I mean some stuff is hard. This summer she has been working and volunteering in the stables and I now feel it's time for her to have her horse. I have been looking and thanks to her trainer helping us, hopefully soon my darling teen will get her dream. She is going to be 14 yrs old on the 14th. How wonderful is that?

Horses, dogs, responsibilities

Aw, aren't horses beautiful? They surely are. Most families get dogs and cats for pets, but in our household, we have chihuahuas. For the past many years, and I do mean MANY, my youngest daughter has wanted a horse. Now, living in the city, it's very difficult keeping one in your backyard. There's simply no room for one, and of course, our neighbors would complain. But what do you do about a situation in which your daughter wants to persue something that can be very costly? We all know that dogs can be costly.... especially if you get a particular breed. However, horses are double and triple that. And not only do you have to worry about the cost of buying the horse, but the living arrangements and such but the most costly of all, is the upkeep of the horse. This is the direction that we are heading in with my dear darling young teen. To be sure that this was NOT a passing faze, many years ago, we went into a 4-H program where she could learn about horses. We also went to a non-profit place that offered lessons on care of horses and did that as well. My daughter not only learned about horses and riding, but had a very nice lady who gave her that first start with teaching not only riding, but cleaning out stalls and the daily care of horses. That did NOT deter my daughter's want. For a brief while, we were in transition of moving and she was without horses in her life. Now we are back to it again, and have found a wonderful trainer in English riding and my daughter is now in "horse heaven" with all the training and volunteering that she is doing. I believe that when young people go through the WANT of something, you need to test this and not go out and buy on a quick impulse because sometimes the want passes quickly. Such is an example of a child wanting a dog and promises to take care of it no matter what, and then once the new is worn off, the parents end up taking care of the dog. Of course, that dog grows on you and you end up happy that you got it in the first place. But if you are looking at something as costly as a horse, please take the time to educate your child on the ins and outs, the daily care and what all it takes to take care of such a wonderful animal.