The Aussie Named Rusty

Willa's grandchildren, and their parents, gifted Rusty to the ranch in 2007. They were moving to Alaska and only had room for one dog. Brock was his name then. Like many of the critters that are re-homed here at the ranch, his name changed. We chose Rusty for his coloring. But, there can only be one. Later we accepted a pony, chicken and a cat with the same name. Like I said many of the critters here get new names.

Rusty is always happy and he smiles a lot too. He lifts his upper lip high and shows his teeth while he wiggles about. This is what he does best. I remember one time he thought twice about giving me that welcoming smile. It was at the veterinarian's office where I was picking him up after he'd had porcupine quills removed. Poor guy. He wanted to smile but his lips were a little sore.

As a known stock dog, Aussies are supposed to help gather up the livestock. Rusty does not care about gathering up anything. He just wants to be your friend. However, he is a great second in the guardian committee with his Great Pyrenees partners.

Presently, his duty is to maintain patience as he sets a good example for the up-and-coming Pyr pup, Bandit. Uncle Rusty was so excited to help momma PePe with puppy sitting duties, until the pups became too mobile; and then he found them annoying. Pyr pups grow fast, and in quick time, they were half the size of Rusty and following him around constantly begging him to play with them. Being the Uncle and all, he had to show some dignity in his leadership and did so by constantly reprimanding them when they roughhoused him a bit too much.

Rusty likes to ride on the front of the 4-wheeler named Rhonda (red-Honda) as well as in the pick-up truck. At times, he'll give us a good reprimand barking if we forget to invite him in the back during feeding routines. His latest trick is to bark at the truck when it backs up. Instead of a back-up beep, we have a back-up bark. Can we make an app of that?

Willa

In Memory of Sam

It rained a little here yesterday, on the ranch land and in our hearts. Our beloved Sam was laid to rest after struggling for some time with the effects of hip dysplasia. It doesn't matter how well one plans for such a day, it still makes tears well up in the eyes. We are comforted to know that he is no longer in pain.

Sam came to us as an adult needing to be re-homed. He didn't know he had any hip problems and took his guardianship of the Dream River Ranch seriously, to the point of guarding his air space from those pesky egg-stealing crows and ravens. One summer evening just, before nightfall, we found him barking at the tops of our great cottonwoods, which shade our chicken coop from summer sun. With each woof, the whole front end of his 130#-plus body was lifted off the ground. He kept it up until a large owl gave up a predatory perch and flew away; and there went Sam chasing after it as if the owl was on the ground. Behold, no treetop was available that night as a landing perch for that owl.

Each evening's ritual, as he made ready for the night's duty of keeping predators away from our home and livestock, he would sniff the air coming in off the desert. Holding his head high and gazing far away, he could smell the coyotes even before they started their evening choral. He would strut about in a very proud way and make under-the-breath growling noises never letting anything deter his focus. His body served him well then, and on his last day he continued to contribute in the spirit of the Great Pyrenees guardian dog; he woofed warnings of his presence from the deck of the ranch house.

Sam, I am
Coyote Cruncher
Woof, woof, woof.

Rest in peace Sam. Your memory will linger.

Between Christmas and New Years Eve

To all our friends, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This next year on the ranch, we are hoping to do some really big things. Mostly, we want to attract new members and get the co-housing part of our community in order and get our homes built. This is a multi-year project, but at the end of it, we'll have the community that we have dreamed about. This will include our indoor arena which we are calling the "Red Horse Arena".

There aren't too many horse co-housing communities out there, so if you're interested, or know someone who is interested, please get in touch with us.

Another big change is that we now have Willa's Aunt Edie here to stay. She was no longer able to care for herself and was in a Long Term Care facility in Washington. But all she really wanted was a home to stay in. So we decided to have her here, and we are all so glad she came! It was a lot of work in order to get her here with at least enough of her furnishings to make her feel at home, but we did it. However, we didn't get much done with our Christmas decorations this year. I had hoped we could do more, but it didn't happen. We do have a few up, and I must say, that in spite of it all, our Christmas this year seemed to be a really special one!

The animals are doing well this winter. Though winter set in early (we had negative temps the week of Thanksgiving), everyone seems to be wintering very well. Mostly it's been warm and wet, which is the kind of winter I prefer. The Dream River was flowing for awhile, and after this week, I think it will be flowing again. Boss, however, is getting very old and feeble. He's been showing signs the last few days that this is the end for him, so we won't be surprised if something happens soon. But after all, no one lives forever and he's 15 years old! That's very old for a greyhound.

I'm very thankful for everyone who has helped at the ranch this last year. Truthfully, we couldn't do it without you.

Again, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and for this next year, I hope that your dreams will come true! May it be a blessed year for one and all.

Thanksgiving 2010

Another Thanksgiving is here at Dream River Ranch. Once again I find myself thankful for so many things! One of the biggest is in the picture. Our turkeys came out huge! The toms weighed in at around 50lbs each, and the hens at about 25. I hope they are as tasty as they look!

• I'm thankful for Connie and Douglas who came and shared the summer with us. They shared their gardening expertise (yummy!), they shared their songs (Fireman Bill), and they shared their love. Though it worked out so that they couldn't stay, they impacted the ranch in a very good way for the short time they were here.
• I'm thankful for the new horses we got and especially for Roxy, the new filly. Omar, Bella, Bonnie, and Yankee have been excellent additions to our herd.
• On that similar note, I'm thankful that Roxy is such a sweet little filly. She is very smart and willing. What a great combination!
• I'm thankful for the chickens who continue to provide good eggs for good eating. We also did meat birds this year and put about 400lbs of chicken into the freezer last August.
• I'm thankful that things continue to grow here at the ranch, for the Cowboy Leadership education program, for the fun we had with the folks from the Air Force and from Mountain Home Parks and Rec.
• I'm thankful for the lovely videos that folks took of our happenings at the ranch. It's always great to share the fun!
• As always, I'm thankful for the other ranch partners: Willa, Joseph, and Steve. None of this would be possible without all of us.
• I'm thankful for the beautiful view no matter which way I look.
• I'm thankful for the new pastures, the new Saddle Barn, and the way the ranch keeps looking better every single year.
• I'm thankful for the new kitties: Milo, Monty, and Marika. They are wonderful mousers!
• I'm thankful for the dogs who keep on working day in and day out. We are still coyote free and it's all due to their diligence.
• Most of all, I'm thankful to our Creator who has made all of this possible. Thank you!

There are many things to be thankful for, and this is just a partial list. I look forward to seeing what there is to be thankful for next year.

On a Rainy Day

It's a rainy day here at the ranch. But Willa and the Gem State Vaulters are in Las Vegas, and from all accounts will be returning with high scores. Apparently they have taken either second or third in every class they entered. That's fantastic!

Can't wait till they get home and we get the whole scoop!

It's been a long, long time!

Wow, I didn't realize that it had been so long since I posted anything on this blog. So the last anyone knew, we had just lost Gaelin.

Now we have several new additions to the ranch. First of all we got Bella and Omar. Omar is pictured to the left. Bella is a lovely little Mountain Welsh Pony, and Omar is an Arab (of course).

Then we got Bonnie, a Quarter Horse, Clydesdale cross, and low and behold--she was pregnant. So we also got a new little filly we call Roxy. Who was born on the ranch on May 6, 2010 between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. She is an adorable little Medicine Hat Paint.

Recently, we aquired Yankee, who is a black Morgan horse. He is just wonderful! He also drives, and came with a lovely little black surrey to pull.

This year, we also experimented with raising meat chickens and turkeys. Since both endeavors were successful, I believe we will likely do it again next year.

Along with our usual summer camps, we also hosted several day long events for both the Air Force, and Mountain Home Parks and Recreation. These events were very successful for both parties, and we look forward to doing it all again next year!

We also started the first Idaho Equestrian Vaulting Team. The Gem State Vaulters! They are currently preparing for their very first event.

See our Facebook page, for current information, and stay tuned. There are so many things happening around here it will be fun to see what happens next!

Gaelin, the Gentle

Gaelin the Gentle
01-25-86 to 01-27-10

It's been two days now, and its time to let his friends know.
Yaas
Willa




Big boned 16Hh bay AppendixQuarterhorse with a kind and gentle heart. He helped start the equestrian program in Artemisia, and my therapeutic horseback-riding program for victimized kids. Before he came to me, he was a track horse (California) and then a competitive jumper (Jackson Hole, WY), and I think he played a little polo there too. His name then was ET (short for Esperanca Two). I was told he was quite a handful in his younger years. Some thought he was a crazy horse as he did buck his last owner off a few times. I didn't believe that he was crazy, but that he only had vision problems; and that he did. To me, he was a magnificent creature and said 'yes', when he was offered to me. Right away he was turned out for the winter into a field with 7 other geldings. Watching him interact with the other horses taught me that he lacked confidence. I changed his name to Gaelin and told him he was retired from having to be brave, and only if he wanted to, he could be brave; but it wasn’t required. Within a few months, he taught me that all he really needed was someone to trust, to guide him with confidence. Over the years, several opportunities arose where we learned to trust him. For almost 10-years the circle of trust flourished.

As an SCA gaming horse, he helped introduce foam-tip jousting, mounted archery and crest-combat to Artemisians. Many Artemisian equestrians rode him, from young kids to gamers to royalty. In the modern world, he carried my husband Joseph to the top of some pretty steep mountains... I like to think that Gaelin was his horse... and set the pace in many parades, which we love to do, even behind noisy fire engines. He carried me on my first sidesaddle canter; and down the polo field at a full gallop for my first true "bump"... a tactical move for taking your opponent off the line-of-the-ball so you or your teammate can steal it (the ball, that is) away for a goal. Wow! That was a thrill! With such strength and endurance, I could always imagine him in his youth and how he must've exploded over fences in the jumping arena. Yet with all his mightiness, he was THE best gentle lesson horse in my riding program. He understood what was needed of him and enjoyed his retired life carrying little darlings around and helping them to gain confidence in themselves. He would nuzzle them before and afterwards and look longingly with his soulful eyes at me always questioning, "What's next?"

Gaelin was 24-years and 2 days old, and euthanized in peace January 27, 2010.

Out of all the horses I’ve had the honor to caring for, I felt a special commitment to Gaelin; to do the best I could to spare his life from any trauma. This prayer is befitting for such a giant of a heart of a horse.

"And, my friend, when I am very old and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having any fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this Earth knowing, with the last breath I draw, that my fate was always safest in your hands."