Dream River Ranch

Between Christmas and New Years Eve

2010-12-28T10:24:00.003-07:00

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

2010-11-25T08:48:00.002-07:00

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

2010-11-07T14:01:00.002-07:00

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!

2010-10-21T09:56:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-30T13:38:00.004-07:00

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."

Happy 2010

2010-01-02T12:04:00.001-07:00

Well, it's finally here, 2010. And as you can see above, we actually have water in our Dream River! To me, it looks pretty cool because it means we have had LOTS of water coming down lately. You can see from the picture above that there is still lots more to come. In a desert, this is really good news.

I finally noticed this morning, that the sun is rising earlier. That is going to make it a lot easier to go out and feed before I take off for work. At this time of year, we really start looking forward to spring, summer, and fall when we can really gear up to go out and ride. We've got some really fun things planned. Patty introduced us to a whole bunch of new horse games that we are excited to try out with our kids (and ourselves). We will continue to do our medieval horse recreation, and of course Kid's Camps are going to be great!

We did more full moon rides last year than the year before, and I really hope for even more this year! Plus lots of trail rides during the day.

We are looking forward to meeting some new ranch friends we haven't even heard of yet. We are looking forward to Douglas and Connie coming to stay with us and see if they would like to become part of our community. Wave! Hi Douglas and Connie! We are looking forward to meeting Pat, and also perhaps Nancy. And next summer, we hope to see our volunteer friends back for even more fun!

The garden has the infrastructure almost completely done, this year we should have a bang up garden and we are looking forward to building a root cellar. We think at this time, that we are going to use one of the berms we will be putting up as the base for our cellar. Who knows? We might even be able to get some our Dream River Ranch produce to the Mountain Home Farmer's Market.

Possibly, we will build a new chicken coop this year using straw bale construction. We just have to finalize where we really want to put it, because once it's built, we aren't moving it.

Hopefully, we'll get some roofs for our horse wind breaks, so they can have better shelter from the elements.

I'm hoping to get the website even better than it is right now, since I've already started working on it, it's a distinct possibility.

Most of all, we hope for our community of friends for this next year: health, joy, blessings, and most of all....life!

Goodbye to a Friend

2009-12-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

Today we had to say goodbye to Shadow. For those on Twitter, I had kept you posted as to her daily progress. About 4 weeks ago we lost her for a few days. When she reappeared, she was injured, and the injury had an abscess.

Willa took her to the Vet, who performed a pretty extensive surgery to get the infection out. She came home with all kinds of drugs, and we had pretty high hopes that she would make it.

It was not to be. She tried, but somehow, something just wouldn't heal up and she couldn't eat or drink without regurgitating. We tried many things, but she sank lower and lower. Finally, today we had to say goodbye.

Soft long grey fur
You spent hours grooming
Always impeccably clean

Soft meow
Clear and singing like a bell
We didn’t hear it often

Soft to all your people friends
Gentle to stroke
Loving the pet

Quiet padfalls
Weaving through the hay
Is it a mouse? Then it is gone!

Quiet purr
You loved a warm lap
And cuddled whenever you could

Quiet trust
Even in pain you did not snarl
Strong until the end

We watched you walk toward the rainbow
Finally fading
A Shadow in the mist

A Little Bird & Other Stories

2009-11-29T21:10:00.003-07:00

Today was special.

This morning as I led Mercedes out to work with her, I spotted a bald eagle sitting on the very top of our "Lone Poplar". It was an awesome sight. I tried to take pictures of it with my IPhone, but it was too far away. Still, it was amazing to see that huge bird sitting on the very top branch of the tree.

Then Mercedes worked with me the best I've ever seen her do. I really have to thank Clinton Anderson and his "No Worries" method of horse training. The first part of this month, Willa and I went with two other friends to Reno to see him at one of his Walkabout Clinics. It was one of the most informative weekends I have ever experienced. And even better was coming home and trying out my new knowledge on my two horses. What a difference it has made in both of them! But Mercedes really has shown the most improvement. She was incredible to ride today. She did everything I asked of her. She is beginning to flex just like Clinton showed us, and moving the feet has made a world of difference in her respect for me.

Then this afternoon we had a great community meeting. I have such high hopes for the future of Dream River Ranch. There are exciting things yet to come! I can't wait to see them come to pass. And as they happen, I will try to keep this journal up to date, so that you can share those exciting things with us.

I don't usually do the chores (we're calling it "horse care" nowadays--because that's what it is) in the evenings. Willa usually does them, but this evening her back was bothering her, so I went instead. We have a little "cabin trailer" where we keep all the grain and blankets, some vet supplies, etc. When I turned the light on, there was a little Finch flying frantically, trying to get out of the cabin trailer, but unable to find the door. Every so often, it would stop and rest a moment before trying again. I wanted to help this bird, because the cabin trailer is a favorite napping place of two of our barn cats, and I knew that if the bird didn't get out tonight, it would be dinner before morning.

So I thought, "What the heck." Gently, I put my gloved finger out to the bird as though it were a tame bird and to my complete amazement the little bird stepped onto my finger! So I carefully carried the Finch over to the door and then let it fly away into the darkness. It was free!

I don't know what made that bird decide to trust me, but I've been trying to think what words I could use to describe how I felt at the time, and I guess the main word I come up with is: gratitude. I was so grateful and amazed that this little wild bird stepped out onto my finger with such confidence. I believe it was a gift.

This whole entire day was a gift. I want to share this gift with you. I hope that knowing there are places where Bald Eagles still fly, and horses become better, and little wild birds can trust helps you all to look out for the gifts that come to you each day and adds a bit of brightness to your lives.

For this I give Thanks

2009-11-26T13:32:00.003-07:00

Time passes quickly in my life, and here it is 2 months since I wrote the last blog! Ouch!

This will be my third Thanksgiving at the Ranch and the second one since I started blogging for the ranch. Once again, this year, I find myself very thankful for many things:

I'm thankful for the people in my life: Willa, Joseph, Steve, and Tammy (all the ranch folks who are my ranch family), for Gail and Jan (who went with Willa and I to Reno for the Walkabout Clinic), for Douglas and Connie (who will hopefully become ranch partners, we loved your visit), for Deborah and Jana (who came all the way from Germany to see us), for my own family (you know who you are), for the many volunteers who helped us out all summer (we love you!), for the kids who came to camp this summer and learned so wonderfully about horses and riding and being courageous, for Bill who worked for peanuts (and a little pipe tobacco) but did so much, and of course for any of you who are now fans of Dream River Ranch on Facebook, just because you love us and are interested.

I'm thankful for the animals: for the cats, Tuffy who moved in when Grace died (and broke my heart), Shadow, and Pepper (who might still be Stoner, but we're debating) thanks girls for keeping the mice down, for the chickens (including our new "peep" the first DRR natural born chicken), for the dogs, Rusty, Sam, Hal, and of course Boss (who is a little crotchety in his old age) thanks boys for keeping the coyotes far away and for being so lovable, and of course the Horses who hold our hearts, carry our bodies, and heal our souls. We LOVE you all.

It's been another year of adventure, fun, sorrow, joy, and most of all LIFE!

I'm thankful most of all to the Creator who makes all of this possible.

As we say in the SCA, "Vivat!"

Air Force Appreciation Day

2009-09-14T12:07:00.002-06:00

We rode in the Mountain Home Air Force Appreciation Day parade. It was a blast! Willa sewed for an entire week, but Lucky and Rider look very good in their totally new trappings. In fact, we all looked very good. We were proud and glad to be able to show our appreciation for what the Air Force does for America and thereby for us.

The horses did very well. We're pretty sure that for Sabrina and Lucky, this was their very first parade. And if that's the case, they both did very well. In fact, the horses were exemplary in their behavior.

As far as we know, we were the only horse group who performed a simple drill in front of the reviewing stand.

But it was sure a lot of hard work! Willa sewed for an entire week. We practiced for two weekends before the actual parade. All the horses (nine of them) had to be washed and primped and then kept clean (that was the hardest part). It took us two trips to get there and two trips to get back home. Then we had to put everything away-that took several more hours.

We weren't perfect, but we looked good. The work was all worth it for us to show our community that we support them.

And the Garden Works

2009-08-29T18:33:00.001-06:00

Last time I wrote about gardens and dreams. Here is a picture of a dream coming true. Yes that is lettuce! And look at those radishes, in only a few weeks! Next week, I'm thinking that we will be eating our lettuce with radishes and spinach. Yummy! This is only a partial picture of one box, we have two boxes, the other one contains okra, spinach, beets, cabbage, and kale. Not pictured in this box is the broccoli, colorabi and basil.

Next year, our garden is going to be a lush, food producing bit of loveliness on the ranch. But it's nice to know that we get some it the benefits this year.

Steve and Tammy also planted some very lovely roses, all in a row at the front of our garden. They are soooo beautiful. I really do love roses and it's nice to have some planted, and growing, on the ranch.

So we've also been getting the hay in for next year. We don't have all of it in yet, but we do have it ordered, which is very good. No more panic! Willa is so wonderful to keep on top of this! And I'm sure that the horses appreciate it very much.

Last weekend we did Cavalry Drill and Jousting training. Everyone had a really good time and the horses did very well. We will be posting some pictures from the Jousting training and the Mounted Archery soon.

It is so much fun to live on the ranch!

A Work of Garden

2009-08-14T22:03:00.000-06:00

I took this picture this morning on my way to work. Steven and Tammy have worked so hard getting our garden just right. It's been an absolutely huge project. First they had to get all the infrastructure in, including a beautiful sprinkler system. Then they built the boxes and hand filled them with dirt.

The boxes are pretty big 4' x 12' each, so it wasn't trivial to fill them up by hand. After everything was ready, we finally (at the end of July) could plant. So we planted all cold weather crops which will grow this fall. We have lettuce, brocolli, radishes, some beets, and other really great stuff.

The thing I've been learning about dreams is that they happen slowly. Much more slowly than I thought at first. They require that you don't give up on them just because they don't happen as fast as you want. Even then end result isn't always what you thought it would be. But dreams are worth doing in spite of all that you go through to get them to become reality.

This year we have done so many things, and now we are looking forward to fall and this year, the fall will be not just a time of harvest, but a time of new beginnings. Usually, lettuce and radishes are the first crop, not the fall crop. But this year they will be. Because dreams that are worth having, take time.

Little by little we cross the ocean.

After Camp

2009-08-07T12:37:00.002-06:00

Our last overnight Kids Camp finished on Monday. What a blast! Unfortunately, I got my foot crunched on Sunday morning by Scotch, and so missed the rest of Sunday and most of Monday. I did get to help with clean up on Tuesday.

This time Willa taught the kids horseback archery. They really enjoyed it, and I think they learned some great skills. At any rate, a very good time was had by all in spite of the heat. It was over 100 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday but everyone managed to press through the heat and drink LOTS of water. There are now sprinklers around the outside edge of the arena and it was really helpful to turn them on every so often and cool off.

Someday we might even have our own "Mongolian Horde" with mounted archers.

Also this last weekend, Steve and Tammy got our first two planter boxes done and we all planted the first one, they planted the second one. These are all "cold weather" crops like lettuce, beets, and brocolli. Next year, the garden will be all ready to go first thing in the spring and it will be automatically watered by our sprinkler system. What a crop we will get next year! Yum.

The pole barn is getting ready for this year's shipment of hay. Willa, Joseph, and Bill are working very hard to get the floor evened out so that we don't lose any hay to water seeping underneath the stack.

The chickens are getting used to each other. The new Arucana pullets are fitting in nicely. We did lose two of our new Guineas to accidents, but we still have one left and she seems very spunky and a bit wiser than her siblings were. The new Arucana rooster is quite beautiful with his irridescent blue tail feathers and his gold and red "mane". He is also quite the showoff. He must be, all the big girls hang with him now. It's interesting the new Arucana hens are all hanging with the old Banty Rooster "Pretty Boy" as well as our little Guinea.

It is cool and rainy at the ranch today. Kind of weird for August, but really nice just the same. I know the animals are enjoying this break from the heat of last week. Seems like we've been transported to Puget Sound, but I don't think any of us mind too much.

And so life at the ranch goes on. Next big event: Jousting Clinic!

And yet more...

2009-07-29T20:00:00.002-06:00

I took a look at the web stats for our website. I hadn't looked at them before, because quite frankly, I didn't think it was that important. Well, as they say, live and learn. Today I learned that in the last week our website was viewed over 3000 times.

We have a lot of interested folks out there. And more than that, we have a lot of friends.

This is a great time to speak of all our friends. Especially when you see how busy we've been. You can bet that we haven't done that work all by ourselves. Especially since all of us but Willa work full time off of the ranch.

So, here's a partial list of friends and the credit they so richly deserve:

Philip: who built most of my apartment, helps around the ranch, and recently built the new shade on our tack shed.

Patty: who was kind enough to come and stay with me on the ranch last winter when Willa and Joseph were traveling. Who is kind enough to cook for us during the last camp, and who always brings us chocolate.

Vanessa: who really thinks she's coming out just because she loves horses and wants to be around them, but who really helps out every time she comes.

Sarah: who loves our kids, and likes to help do whatever is needed. She and Vanessa have done a lot of work to make our jump poles pretty.

James: who brought us 40 syrah grape plants--he is totally responsible for us getting our own vineyard.

Sophie: who is very young, loves horses and is the best tack cleaner we have ever met, and who would move in with us if her parents (Mark and Pam) allowed it.

Bill: who for next to nothing has spent most of the summer living in "the beast" and working like anything. If I made a list of everything he's done this summer, I wouldn't have room for the rest of the folks.

Time would fail me if I told about everyone else, but Lisa, Jim, Sheryl, David, Jenny, and everyone else, who I am probably forgetting. THANK YOU!!!

Without all of you Dream River Ranch wouldn't be the place that it is today. You all help to make our community such a special place to live.

VIVAT!!!

So Many Things to Say, Such Little Time

2009-07-20T20:45:00.000-06:00

It has been a couple of months since my last post. Spring and summer are very busy on the Ranch as you can imagine.

Here are some of the highlights.

We've had one overnight camp and 3 morning camps so far. This weekend is our Horseback Archery weekend long clinic. Yipee! This is going to be a lot of fun.

We had a very green spring this year, as you can see from the picture. Lots of rain, lots of weeds, lots of mowing.

Our automatic sprinkler system in the garden has been installed. Our first plants were roses--a whole border of them along the front of the garden. We were also given 40 Syrah grape vines this year. We planted them and all but two survived! We have the start of our very own vineyard. In three years, we hope to experiment with our very first batch of Syrah Wine.

The round pen is no longer a future project. It is a current reality. It's been sooo nice to have a good working area to train in. We used "Dream River" sand for the footing and it is excellent.

We got our first "peep" this year. Yes indeed one of our chickens hatched her very own egg. Only one so far. However, we went down and got five more Arucana pullet chicks to join our flock. Yesterday we were able to obtain our very own Arucana rooster--Gandalf. Our current Banty Brahmin rooster "Pretty Boy" has decided not to push his luck too far. Pictures will come soon--they are such beautiful birds! Interesting to note that the flock is reestablishing their pecking order. They are such fun to watch.

Our water pump went out and we had to replace it. The bad news: it cost a lot! The good news, we now have better water pressure than we have ever had at the ranch. This means we don't have to replace the sprinklers in our lawn because the old ones work just fine now. We also have water at the arena so we can keep the dust down.

This week, we are adding a "porch" to our Tack Shed. This is so that folks can have some shade to sit in while we are having horse shows. We are also getting another shed built next door. It's going to be very cute, and very useful.

We had over 10 goslings this year. They were such fun to watch, and they grew up very fast. Currently we have a couple of duck families swimming around the pond. It is so great to have the two ponds. We also had a nest of meadow larks in the pole barn. It was such fun to watch the chicks peeking over the nest whenever we went in to do chores. I love listening to them sing every morning outside my window.

We were recently accepted for the Equip Program (Agriculture), and so will have the ability to further divide the horse pastures. We are now also able to irrigate. Someday, we will be able to grow our own hay for the horses. This will be a lot cheaper than buying.

There's more to say, but I'm out of time.... Hope to catch up with this blog soon.

Thinking Dreams

2009-05-14T12:13:00.002-06:00

When I was a little girl, if a fairy had come down and granted me one wish, it would have been to live on a horse ranch. I realized this as I was mucking out stalls the other day. I'm living my girl hood dream. The sad fact is, growing up I buried this dream because I thought it was so impossible. Yet here I am, living my dream.

At this point I could make several moral observances, but I'm not going go. I'm going to be grateful. I'm going to try and apprecitate this dream just as though I was that little girl wishing to live with horses. Every morning when I get up, I'm going to thank the Lord and smile. I want to enjoy this dream to the fullest.

When I pet the dogs, take care of the chickens, and the cats, and the horses...I'm going to revel in the fact that once upon a time when I was young, this was my highest wish and it has come true.

Cinderella? Ya got nothin on me!

Thinking Green

2009-04-11T09:58:00.002-06:00

We've had rain the past few days. Not like you get in the east where it pours buckets for hours on end, but we have had rain on and off. Enough to turn everything green.

This is the time of year when we like to see things turning green. The garden plot has been rototilled and is awaiting the installation of automatic drip system. No more losing plants because they don't get watered often enough. The back pasture which we seeded with Idaho Bunching Blue grass is looking pretty fine. The east pasture where the alfalfa is growing, is also turning a very nice shade of green.

I was thinking about this yesterday. Most of the time, our mountains and prairies are all different shades of brown (and purple--yes really purple). Even when we get lots of water, the natural plants turn on their own by July. So we really have a short window in which to look out our windows and see...green.

It's a very special time of year this "green" time. The old things have been blown away, the new green plants are fresh to look at (and smell). Even though the wind blows a lot it isn't that cold wind that blows through you and chills your bones. It is the frisky wind that blows around you and invites you out to play.

The horses love this time of year. They kick up their heals and gallop around the pastures at full speed. They show off by bucking and kicking, and leaping high (I saw Mercedes do a real live capriole the other day). The chickens are laying more eggs, their feathers are sleek as they cluck contentedly and dig for bugs in the fresh unfrozen soil.

The dogs are out chasing coyotes again--because the coyotes are active again. I've seen lots of bunnies, and the prairie dogs are thick this year.

All this rain, this beautiful rain, this beautiful "not snow", is bringing us more than May flowers, it's bringing us spring in all her green.

Storm's Story

2009-03-18T22:42:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, Willa and I went on a cattle drive! My very first one. Because my Autumn was lame, I rode Storm. She is pictured above, a retired ranch horse once upon a time called Mouse. She is a Mouse no more.

When we first got her, she was depressed. She had lived on a ranch with her herd and had always been a hard working ranch horse. When she was young, she did some barrel racing and some roping. As she got older, her owners, who knew Willa, gave her up because she was getting kind of stiff, and ranch work was too hard for her anymore.

It took a long time for her to forgive us all for that. Now, however, she loves the ranch and the herd in the Western Pasture where she lives. Last summer, when we were doing kids camps, she really got her groove back. We have put special shoes on her front feet so she isn't stiff or sore anymore. So when we got our invitation to join in a real live cattle drive, she was the natural choice to ride.

When we arrived and unloaded her from the trailer, her ears pricked up, her head went up and her nostrils flared out. She heard those cows and she knew what this was about! She was very excited (at least as excited as she gets). I saddled her up and boy was she ready to go! Storm is too mature to prance around and waste energy, but she did have a hard time just standing around to wait.

At last the cattle were pushed out of their pen, and they started on the move. Storm started along with them. She knew just what to do and when to do it. Mostly, I just tried to be a good rider. We eased the cattle along pretty gently because there were many small calves in this herd.

Cattle on the trail are very noisy! I can't imagine having to listen to that noise for a few hundred miles like the cowboys used to do. Maybe after a day or so the cattle learn to be quiet. But this herd sure wasn't! Storm chose to stay upwind of the herd so we didn't get a lot of dust, which was nice. We went about 4 miles, which doesn't seem very long, but was pretty far for the small calves to go. In fact, a couple of them plain wore out--so they were separated from the herd and put into a stock trailer to make the rest of the journey.

We went down a long hill which had a small gulley at the bottom. It was very interesting to watch as the cattle herd went through that gulley. Storm stationed herself at the top and her presence seem to forestall any escape attempts. We also took the herd safely across a highway.

Willa was on Dillon and this was his first time around cows, but he did very well. Didn't even spook once. In fact, it took him about ten minutes to figure out how to herd cows, and he really enjoyed himself after that! I guess he's just a natural born boss. And at one point, we were taking the herd through a large pasture that contained other cows that the cowboys didn't want to get mixed into with our herd, so Dillon was chosen to be one of the horses who cantered out to chase those cows away. Boy he really went for that!

Storm, however, stayed on point doing her job like the pro she truly is. She was rock solid during the whole trip. After we arrived and the cattle were into the corral where the calves could get their tags--we rode back to where we had parked out trailers. Storm practically troted back the whole way (mostly up hill). She was so full of vigour! We could tell that she really enjoyed herself.

Storm is one of the horses we use for beginning riders. She is a patient horse, and knows just how to handle beginners. She builds confidence, because she is a professional and is competent herself. This was the first time I ever rode her, but I sure am glad I had the opportunity. She made my first cattle drive an excellent experience. And I was really glad she enjoyed herself so much.

Hal the Pal (a story of love)

2009-02-24T20:21:00.002-07:00

Once upon a time a young Great Pyrenees dog lived with several others in a dark small shed. They were cold when it was cold and hot when it was hot. There was very little food, so he was always hungry and thin.

Sometimes, when he was allowed outside, he was beaten and yelled at for reasons he didn't understand. Sometimes his other pack mates didn't survive.

Then some folks showed up to rescue him and his pack mates from the dark shed. While they were there, they also rescued the horses and cats who lived in that place. There were TV cameras and strange people. But they had kind voices, so even though the Great Pyr was scared, he went along quietly. He was taken to a strange place with many dogs. It was full of light and he got lots of food. One of his pack mates was in the kennel next to him, and he was treated with kindness by the people who cared for him there.

What he didn't know was that the mother of one of the Dream River Ranch folks had seen the TV reports about this Great Pyr and his pack mates. The mother had told her daughter, and she went to the Humane Shelter and put in a request for the Great Pyr, because Dream River Ranch had the heart, room and space. We needed someone to help Rusty and Sam guard the ranch. We needed someone else to love.

A month went by and the week before Christmas, Dream River Ranch got a call. Do you still want another Great Pyre? Boy did we! Plans were made to meet him and see if he would like a new home.

At the first meeting, he was walked out with one of his pack mates. She was small and delicate and lovely, but the person from the ranch had a knowing that the he was one we needed at the ranch. He was the one who could help Rusty and Sam. They needed him, and he needed us. So the person from the ranch spoke with the person at the Humane Shelter and it was decided to bring Rusty and Sam to meet this Great Pyre and see if they would accept each other as pack mates.

It was a match! The folks at the Humane Shelter were surprised, but Willa and Dree weren't. They both had a knowing that this Great Pyre was the one for Dream River Ranch. He needed a good home with lots of space, love, and kindness, after his home in the dark shed. Rusty, Sam and the Great Pyre liked each other right away. There would still be some issues of pack placement to decide, but that could be decided later. We paid for him that night and said that we would be back the Saturday after Christmas--because we needed to get his dog house into order before we could bring him home.

That Saturday was one of the snowiest days we had all winter. The weather was blowing snow, the road was snowy, icy and there were several slide offs on our way to get our new friend. Joseph was driving, so we weren't one of the slide offs! We got our new Great Pyre who was very shy and scared to leave the one kind place he had ever known. He didn't know it then, but he had just been granted the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

We drove slowly home--it took over an hour. When we got home, we took him off the leash and he took off. We were scared for a few minutes that he would run away, but he ran to the end of the driveway and stopped and came back. Then he ran the other way, but stopped when he got inside the South Pasture. He came back. We took him for a walk, but couldn't walk far, as the snow was deep in places and we didn't have snow shoes. But he quickly understood that this was his home. When he saw the large garbage can where we store our dog food, he thought he'd died and gone to heaven. He'd never seen so much food in one place in his life!

It took only a few hours for Rusty to teach him that an empty hand is a hand that could be petting a dog. And that all you have to do is put your nose in the empty hand in order to get petted. Sam was a little bit put off at first--was this new dog here to take his place? It took a few days for him to realize that this newcomer was there to be a help to him. Even if he was a little young and would need some training up.

This dog came to us without a name, and without much of a past. What could we name him? We discussed the fact that we wanted a good plain western sounding name. So we tried on Jake, and Shep (my personal favorite), and Bear, but none of them seemed right. We tried Hal, and then Willa found herself laughing when she would say Hal No! So the name stuck.

Soon we discovered that we were calling him Hal "y" Pal. Because he became the Pal that Rusty had always wanted and the helper that Sam needed. So the name Hal the Pal has stuck. He is still growing, and if he grows into his feet, he will be bigger than Sam when he is full grown.

So once upon a time Hal the Pal lived in a dark shed, but now he is living happily ever after, indeed.

Back Again

2009-02-22T16:11:00.002-07:00

Well, I hibernated all winter, long enough to forget what the login to the blog was . Finally remembered today. I promise that I won't forget again.

Winter for the ranch has been kind of laid back, long and cold. Joseph is currently working on the pellet stove (which is our main source of heat). The horses are very fuzzy and have enjoyed not working much.

And over Christmas, we got Sam and Rusty a new pal. We call him Hal. He is another Great Pyrenees. He is young and came to us through the Idaho Humane Shelter. We are so glad to get him. And he's really glad to be here on the ranch. He and Rusty have become great friends. I will try to post a picture of him later today.

Our chickens have done very well. They are all feathered up and glossy. They did quit laying for awhile, but have started laying again with the longer days.

We are looking forward to spring. We have been filling our calendar up with dates for the spring and summer, and we have the link to our new Google Calendar on our website. Really cool!

I have been told to mention the fact that we had to dig our cars out of the snow drifts back in January. Maybe next year we'll post a sign at the entrance "Have snowshoes all who enter here--because your car isn't going to get very far." It shows real community spirit when your friends will help you to dig out of the snow.

Fruit (and Nuts)

2008-11-30T18:45:00.005-07:00

Now is the time of year when we think about harvest (of course), and we think about fruit. Which is another way of saying, we think about all the things we have accomplished lately. Or for the last month, season, or year. What is the fruit of all that we have done?

Willa and I were walking to the ranch house after chores tonight and we noticed how nice things are looking. Not nice in the sense that everything is completely landscaped, because it sure isn't (yet). But nice in the sense that a lot of things are cleaned up (weeds), and things look a lot cleaner than they did last year. There's been alot of work done this last year and it really shows.

Still, there's a lot left to be done. Like I said, we aren't landscaped yet--but we will be someday. We could get discouraged if we think about it from the perspective that we still have a lot left to do. So the best thing is to keep our perspective evenly balanced, looking at what we have done together at the same time as looking at all the things we will do together.

Here's where the nuts part comes in. Last week, I got turned on to Earthbag housing. I think we are going to build a nice simple root cellar next spring to hold all our "goodies" from the garden. Now this might just seem kinda nuts. But since it fits with our mission statement to be good stewards of the environment, it fits for us as a community. The best part is, we get to use some of that barb wire we've been taking down and putting in rolls. Yes, feed bags, barb wire, dirt and cement. That what it will take for our root cellar to come into existence. That's just really cool.

Of course, if this works well for us, I think I'm going to try and see if I can get my home built that way. It is just too close to a "hobbit hole" for me to pass up. Of course, that will be decided by consensus, which means I need to talk everyone else into being just as nuts as me.

Can't wait to see what happens next around here.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-22T13:01:00.002-07:00

As Thanksgiving approaches we take time in our lives to rediscover all that we're thankful for. Don't worry, this won't be some sappy Thanksgiving story, or a lecture on how you should be thankful.

This is just an observance in my own life of some of the things I'm thankful for this year.

It is our second Thanksgiving on the ranch. And here are a few things I'm thankful for:

for the beauty we live in every day
for the great people who are part of the ranch
for all our great horses
for the fact that we have weathered our first year and we are still a great community
for our thirteen lovely chickens (who give us such great eggs!)
for Sam and Rusty who keep the coyotes away
for Boss, who even though he's old, is not crochety
for our cats, Tuffy, Shadow, and Grace and all their hard work at keeping the varmints away
for the ducks and geese who enjoy our two ponds
for the incredible pumpkins we grew in our garden (and the corn, and the lettuce...)
for the summer camps which really helped some kids (and adults)
for my little "bunkhouse" apartment
for the joy of seeing our dreams come true in front of our eyes.

I pray that your thanksgiving season is full of hope and joy. May you all find that there are many things to be thankful for.

More than one way to slice a carrot

2008-11-16T19:56:00.002-07:00

Tonight, Willa and I were cooking dinner. Duck stir fry to be exact. Willa was cooking and I was doing some of the slicing.

We discovered she slices her carrots differently than I do. She learned how to slice carrots from a Chinese cookbook and from watching a Chinese cook. I learned from a Japanese Hawaiian. The object was the same--to get those nice diagonal slices without slicing your hand. But we did it two different ways.

That's part of community life, discovering that you do something differently, but it comes out just as nice.

Mostly, though, it's about being allowed to do it your way, and trusted with the result.

On another note, winter is coming, but fall sure has been nice. It was a lovely day today. Clear sky with a few wispy high clouds. Bright sunlight and no wind to lend warmth to afternoon. We were outside most of the afternoon. How beautiful it was.

This year we are much better set up for winter than we were last year. We have more hay stored, we have our grain storage in a better place and we have fewer steps to take to get our chores done. Better lighting as well and a shorter hose--so we don't have to walk so far to drain it. Like we did last year.

There are fewer weeds than last year and the new western pasture didn't turn into a muddy mess during this last rainstorm. Which is what the eastern pasture used to do. So the horses are more comfortable and that makes them happier.

All that work we've done for the last year has paid off. And once again we are reminded.

Little by little you cross the ocean.

All things in their time

2008-11-07T10:11:00.003-07:00

. Today I tried to get the slide show again. And presto! There it was, right where it should be for me to select.

So now we have the slide show that I wanted in the first place.

...But no captions (sigh).

That's okay--they'll show up sometime.

Speaking of sometime. I took this week off to get my converted bunkhouse-to-apartment finished up. And right now I'm in the middle of the project when everything is someplace else and nothing is quite finished yet. It all looks like a very big mess.

You have had times like that.

In three days, though, it will look completely different. And I will have curtains over my new windows, and I'll be able to put up my pictures and it will all be neat and tidy.

So as I walk around and step over and spend time finding things lost, I'll look forward to three days from now. It'll be great!

Lions and Tigers and Blogs--Oh MY!

2008-11-03T20:37:00.002-07:00

Tonight I'm trying to get the slideshow to show Dream River Ranch photos instead of the stock photos that we choose when we created the blog.

Well, I did get one photo album to come up. But the one I wanted (of course) is still hiding in the ethernet somewhere. Somewhere I can't seem to reach.

And such is life on the web. At least I did get some photos to load--so the slideshow is now our own.

Small beginnings I guess.

Speaking of small beginnings--that's our ranch. But sometimes small beginnings turn into big things. And even if we don't get huge, still, we do get the opportunity to help some, entertain others, and have a good time doing it all.

So even if the blog gets kinda scary sometimes... life on the ranch goes on.

Come and visit us and see what we're up to.

Academy da Cavalaria

2008-10-28T20:29:00.005-06:00

One of the really fun things about our community is that we all belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism. For us, the SCA is about learning and studying medieval history. It is also about having lots of fun. Hence the Academy da Cavalaria.

Academy da Cavalaria is a way for us to learn about and express medeival horsemanship. We play medeival horse games such as Ring Tilting and Quintain. This is something both we and our horses enjoy very much.

So last Saturday we (we being Willa and I) dragged ourselves out of bed and tried to get ready in the morning so we could hold our "Academy". Well, the hoses were still frozen (to water the arena) and even coffee didn't seem to help us to move any faster. But eventually we got up and dressed and started setting up the games we had planned for the day.

Our "gaming" horses, Autumn, Dillon, Mercedes, Storm, and Scotch all lined up against the fence and watched as we put up the games. They enjoy playing the games very much and were excited to see us preparing for the day. Eventually Michelle showed up and then Danielle and we got the horses out that we would use for the day and got them all decked out and saddled up.

Decked out means that we put the beautiful horse bardings on them that we have made for them. You know, like they did in the middle ages. I made a bridle for Autumn based on a picture of a statue of Justinian on a horse during Byzantium. I tried it out on Mercedes, but she decided she really didn't like it. So back to her trusty english bridle with the full cheek snaffle bit.

Horses can be picky.

Speaking of picky--Danielle rode Storm--who used to be Mouse. She is an "old" ranch quarter horse who started out as a barrel racer. She also started out with the name of Mouse. But we knew she really didn't like that name and so upon the advice of a pet behavioralist we tried her out on Storm. And she really loves that name! So Storm it is. And really, she isn't a Mouse at all, but a truly spirited lovely riding horse. Oftentimes because her trot is so smooth, we put beginner riders on her. And she carries them beautifully.

Back to the Academy. The first thing Yasaamiin and Danielle did was the game of Mounted Crest Combat. With what we call "boffer" swords--that is foam padded swords. Using converted fencing masks with "crests" velcroed on the top--the object of the game is to use horsemanship and swordsmanship skills to be the first one to swipe the crest off the top of the opponent's helm.

It's really quite a fun game!

Yasaamiin usually beats me. But I did get at least one swipe in, which means I'm getting better with practice.

After that we trained for a bit on the Quintain--which is the target training for jousting--so you use a very long lance. I rode Dillon first and then switched over to Mercedes to give her a bit of practice. Yasaamiin rode Hudson and then rode Scotch.

All in all, it was a very fun day!

About Benny

2008-10-22T21:47:00.003-06:00

I decided to write this blog about Benny. He's a twenty four year old Thoroughbred (though small). He's a retired polo pony and is one of the gentlest guys we've got. The young kids seem to like him the best and it's easy to see why.

Benny is allowed out of the pasture now and again so he can wander around and graze at will. We've been letting him into the garden (all finished now) to eat up some of the grass and weeds that are still around. Tonight he was wandering on the other side of the "big horses" paddock a goodly distance from his own pasture.

Willa called when it was time for him to get his nightly ration of grain. And pretty soon, here he came. Nice to have a horse that comes when he is called.

We also have Jonas the two year old grandson of Willa and Joseph here with his Mom to visit us while they are on their way to visist her folks in Utah. Joseph's son is currently in Afganistan. Jonas celebrated his two year old birthday this evening (though it's a few days early).

He is so cute! And tonight when Benny was walking toward us, he kept calling, "Come Benny!" Jonas really loves the horses.

And Sam (our Pyrenees dog), was so cute with Jonas this evening. Jonas started to drift away from Willa as they were walking down toward the grain room, and Sam just stepped right in and very gently "herded" Jonas back to Willa's side. Then he gave Jonas a lick, which Jonas really liked! Sam is a natural with young children.

This last summer during one of the summer camps, one of the boys who rode Benny had something going on with his health and consequently was in pain, though he never complained even once. Benny carried that boy with a smoothness and gentleness that I have never seen. Oftentimes, the horses know things we don't and I see them "teaching" the kids by being stubborn (seemingly) or by insisting that the kids focus, or challenging them in other ways. But Benny never challenged this boy--he just made his camp weekend very special. I think Benny is just a very special horse.

Of Porcupines and other things

2008-10-02T11:27:00.005-06:00

I went out the other morning to go to work and Rusty walked up to me with a snout full of porcupine quills. Needless to say, I didn't make it to work on time and Rusty got an unscheduled visit to the Vet. Sam, on the other hand, was quill free--except that Tammy found one on his fur later. But we think that came from Rusty. I guess Rusty will stay away from the porcupines from now on. At least, I sure hope so! We didn't even know there are porcupines out here.

On another note--we are ready to harvest our pumpkin patch this Sunday. We have 12 of the most beautiful pumpkins. One we are keeping for the ranch and we have already sold two more. So that leaves nine. I'm going to take some pictures to post on the website when we harvest them. They are for sale. I hope they get eaten and not just carved up for Halloween decorations. To me, that's such a waste. Home baked pumpkin pies or pumpkin soup, or even pumpkin cookies are soooo good!

The fall is the absolute best time for trail riding at the ranch. It's not too windy, the temperatures are not too hot and not too cold (they are just right!), and the sun is shining bright. If you are considering a time to trail ride, this month (October) is really the best time you could pick. I recommend you bring a camera. Even if it gets cold and rainy, it doesn't feel as cold as in the spring. I think it's because we have all that nice summer sun saved up in our bones. But that's not a medical opinion.

And we've turned on the comments, so if you have something to say in reply--go for it!

Trail Ride

2008-09-21T21:38:00.004-06:00

Today we had our biggest trail ride yet. We had some friends over, plus we had a singles group, and we all went on the ride together.

One of the best things about Dream River Ranch, is that we get to share it with others. This isn't a "keep to yourself" operation. In fact, we think that we have something pretty special and we love to show it off.

Our horses are not your general "trail" horses. They are school horses--used mostly for SHE Therapy. On the side, they (the horses) give lessons and do trail rides to help earn money.

But this means, that we don't put nose-to-tail and take the same trail every time. In fact, every single trail ride is different. And the horses can go single file (as in the above photo) or they can go side by side. It depends on what the riders tell them to do.

Therefore, before Willa takes anyone on a trail ride, if they don't have enough experience to be safe on the trail, they get a riding lesson. This promotes safety, good riding, and allows us to share our piece of the country in a very special way.

This is the best kind of trail riding. The kind where even the inexperienced, get to learn how it feels to be a rider, not just a passenger. And we never go exactly the same way twice. So whatever trail ride we give, it's special, because no other trail ride will be quite like that one.

Sometimes, we get really experienced riders, and then we can go farther and longer. On those rides we do a lot of canter and trot. But even with inexperienced riders--when we don't go as far out--we still have lots of fun. With inexperienced riders, we generally go at a walk, maybe a little trot in places. But we still get out and see the beautiful, wild, desert countryside.

This way, we don't get bored, and our horses don't get bored, and the people who come with us have a really great time.

We always see something wild as well. Today we saw jack rabbits. Lots of time we see antelope. Did you know that antelope are the fastest animals in the Western Hemisphere? Fastest herbivores, that is. I think that jaguars or maybe even cougars can be faster. But don't quote me on that. Just know that watching a herd of antelope run over the horizon is a very exciting sight.

So that's a bit about being on the trail with Dream River Ranch.

I hope we'll see you soon...

Moonlight Ride

2008-09-17T22:46:00.003-06:00

A year ago, when we moved out to the ranch, Willa and I took one look at the beautiful full moon over the desert and promised ourselves that we would go on moonlight rides.

Last night, we finally kept our promise.

The ride started at about sunset. We went out on the trail at the back of the ranch and enjoyed the cool, calm evening. The sun was going down in a red glory, and to the south, we could see the outlines of the Owyhee Mountains. They looked almost like clouds through the haze.

The trail was a bit dusty, but soon we got off the "main drag", and were walking through the grass. We went on a long canter and I just let Autumn have her head. She really enjoyed getting out for a run. Willa was on Scotch which was great for Autumn because for once, she could actually be in the lead. She's an Appaloosa/Quarter Horse, and her short legs just can't compete with some of our Thoroughbreds. Scotch isn't that much bigger than Autumn and because of his leg injury, he doesn't canter real fast anyway.

Then we did a hand gallop up the hill. What fun!

As it grew darker we saw some antelope off to the east. And of course we kept watching for the moon to rise over the Danskin Mountains. We slowed to a nice sedate walk as it was getting a little bit dark to be capering over the hills at full speed. There are lots of badger and bunny holes in our desert.

We didn't see any coyotes, which kind of surprised me. In fact, I don't even remember hearing any--which is unusual. We generally hear coyotes howling every single night. Maybe they all partied too much the night before.

At last we could see the light over the mountains which let us know the moon was soon to rise. So we stopped on the top of hill overlooking the ranch. There we let the horses graze a bit, while we watched the moon rise over the mountains. It was gorgeous!

Words can't describe the pleasure I felt as we walked home in the moonlight. The horses enjoyed themselves very much, although they were glad to get home when we finally did. The others in the herd welcomed us home with joyous neighs.

We unsaddled in the moonlight and put everything away. I didn't get to bed until midnight, but it was worth it!

We've decided that next year, we're going to get the calendar out and invite others to share our moonlight ride adventure. It would have to be restricted to folks who know how to ride. But we think this is too lovely an experience to keep to ourselves. Of course, horse rental is extra--but that's part of what we do as a horse ranch and we're set up for that.

So anyone for a moonlight ride?

Scotch's Legacy: Pearl

2008-09-12T12:16:00.005-06:00

Today I'd like to introduce you to Pearl (picture to come).

Pearl is a chestnut appaloosa. She is smart. In fact, you could say she is really really smart. Which is why she is Scotch's legacy. I did explain how Scotch figured out how he could go under fences (electric). So we finally had to put him behind a fence supported by barb wire--so he wouldn't get into the alfalfa hay (that we are going to use for the thoroughbreds for winter).

Well, before he left that little herd--he taught Pearl his secret. So now we've got two horses that know how to go underneath electric fences. At least both of them are easy to catch. Not sure what we're going to do with Pearl if she keeps this up. But for the last two days, she's been out when Willa goes down in the mornings. Willa's been trying to teach her that she must stay inside the fence. But if she doesn't, I suspect she'll end up with Scotch.

Pearl is a very willing, very nice horse. She is still in training--so doesn't get used by outsiders yet. She is curious and likes to be around people. Mostly we have Pearl because we also have her mother Amber--who is an appaloosa bay. Amber is great for kids training. She is also a very good trail horse. And she reminds me of Eeyore (Whinny the Pooh). But I'll get to her another day.

In the meantime, I'm hoping that Pearl is smart enough (wise enough) to realize that if she won't stay behind the fence voluntarily, she will be separated from her mom and put behind a different kind of fence.

Horses running free is very romantic--but can be deadly. And we love our horses too much to take that kind of risk with them.

Dree

2008-09-10T17:53:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture of my daughter Brittni riding at the ranch. I continue to be amazed about the connection between girls and horses. It was a phenomenon that I enjoyed with my older daughters and I'm glad to see Brit following in her footsteps.

Girls, horses, fun. What could be better?

Here are some of my favorite horse quotes:

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill

Horses and children, I often think, have a lot of the good sense there is in the world. ~Josephine Demott Robinson

Heaven is high and earth wide. If you ride three feet higher above the ground than other men, you will know what that means. ~Rudolf C. Binding

He knows when you're happy; He knows when you're comfortable; He knows when you're confident; And he always knows when you have carrots.~Author Unknown

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears. ~Arabian Proverb

A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence. ~Pam Brown

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire. ~Sharon Ralls Lemon

Enjoy!

Steven

Slide show on the website

2008-09-08T22:34:00.003-06:00

I spent the last two days working with Willa to get a nice slide show going at Dream River Ranch . So many of the pictures reminded me of all the things we've done this last year.

We really are an active community.

We've currently got 13 chickens, 12 of which are hens. And now we have a waiting list for our eggs. They are really tasty!

We have two barn cats, Tuffy and Shadow. They are such a pleasure to have around. But they serve a necessary function. Without them, we'd be inundated with mice. As it is, I think we will have to get some more barn cats, in order to really keep the critters under control.

We have Sam, our Great Pyrenees dog, and Rusty, our Australian Shepherd. Between the two of them we never have to worry about coyotes attacking our other critters.

We have the fourteen horses.

We had 4 summer camps this year. And boy were they fun! But exhausting! We had no accidents during camp and I think I learned as much as the kids did. What a great joy to be able to share our ranch for the weekend. We shared our lives as well as our ranch. And I watched the horses really help the kids to grow and learn.

We have our garden. This year, we learned about what not to do. Yet, in spite of all the mistakes we made (mostly not watering enough and not having time to weed), we still got a great crop of lettuce, corn, cucumbers, beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, and large pumpkins. We also grew some herbs: chives, parsley, lavender, and rosemary. We also planted several rose bushes and some berry bushes.

We put up a new arena, we changed the tack room, we put up two horse stalls, we put up two large paddocks and we put up wind breaks in each. And weeds! We have a whole crop of weeds, but we've actually made a dent in them from last year. The yard is looking a lot nicer as well and we got the sprinkler system to work.

All this and even more we've done this last year. And somewhere in all of that, we managed to remain friends, and have some fun.

Our next big goal is to figure out a way (or ways) to turn Dream River Ranch into a money making proposition. In other words, this ain't no hobby farm--we're for real and we intend to show it.

And by the way, if you want to see pictures of some of this stuff--just take a gander at our website. It's really cool--even if I do say so myself.

Dree

Scotch II

2008-09-03T20:59:00.002-06:00

Speaking of Scotch, escape artist premier, I guess we're not done with his story yet.

He is one smart pony, and likes to figure things out. He also doesn't like to be behind fences. So, because we are in the process of changing our fences from pre-existing barb wire to electric, our horses are mostly behind electric tape or electro braid. And Scotch doesn't care about those kinds of fences, so lately, he's been going in and out at will of the pasture where we were holding him until Monday.

We decided to put him and two other geldings together behind the two strand, fully powered, electro braid fence that is strung on large poles that are at least five feet in the ground. In other words, fence that's not going anywhere and fence he can't get out of.

Or so we thought. I was watering the horses this evening when I noticed that Majestic and Turbo, his pasture mates were looking down toward the mares. But I couldn't see Scotch anywhere. So I looked down toward the mares and sure enough, there he was contentedly grazing.

He not only got through that double stranded fence, he got through the fence of the pasture surrounding the paddock, and he got through the fence holding the mares, which is on the other side of the arena. He didn't break a single strand either. I went and checked.

It's like Willa says, he's just like a cute two year old. You want to slap him, but you really can't so I guess we'll just have to laugh.

But I don't see us removing the barb wire fences along the ranch borders anytime soon, or he could decide to start visiting our neighbors.

Scotch

2008-09-02T22:32:00.003-06:00

Scotch is a dun Appendix Quarterhorse. He is also the bravest horse I've ever known. He belongs to SHE Therapy.
He is also a part of our Ranch. So I thought I'd tell a little bit about his story.

He is currently 8 years old. In his "younger" days, he was a polo pony. And a good one. However, he had a terrible accident on a hunting trip in which his left hind leg got caught between a couple of rocks. He had to walk out nine miles with his leg laid bare to the bone before they could get him to a horse trailer. No one thought he could make it. In fact, the vet recommended that he be put down. But he wanted to live and his owner at the time knew it. She must have looked into his eyes and seen something and decided to give him a chance.

Fast forward to 3 years later. It was obvious that he could never be a polo pony again. The wound would open every so often and weep, it still does. He also walked with a string halt, and the leg wouldn't support the quick turns and speed necessary for him to play. But he was alive, could walk, trot, and canter. He was still a going concern. So the owner gave Willa a call. Would she like to try him out and see if he would work for the Therapy program? Willa said yes, and the rest is history.

Scotch is very fun loving. He enjoys people and escaping underneath fences, but he is easily caught--he just likes to go where he likes to go. This last summer, he and Dillon (Willa's Appaloosa) became really good friends even though Dillon thinks he is the herd stud. For awhile Scotch went around with a lot of nicks and bites in his hide. But he kept working at it until Dillon accepted him as his number one deputy. Although both he and Dillon are geldings, Scotch even talked a couple of the mares into being "his".

He always comes up to the fence whenever we're around to check on us and see how we're doing. He likes being petted and loves attention. He is very smart and likes to figure things out. And now that I think of it--I don't think I've ever seen him spooked.

Eleven of the fourteen horses on the ranch are part of the SHE Therapy program. In this program, we use Horse Therapy to help at risk and foster children learn some really good life skills. The horses also provide fund raisers for the program by providing lessons and being used for rentals.

In the picture above, Scotch is relearning some of his gaming skills at ring tilting. This is a medieval martial art training game. It is good exercise for both horse and rider. As you can tell, even though he walks with a string halt, when you put a rider on his back, he completely forgets that he was ever injured. He is a very smooth ride.

Though Scotch and the others are used as part of the fundraising for SHE, it is also possible to sponsor a SHE Therapy horse. This will contribute to their cost, food, health, vet, and grooming needs.

In future blogs, I hope to tell the stories of each of the citizens of Dream River Ranch. Each has their own story to tell. In this the first post about our Dream River and SHE Therapy horses, I wanted to tell Scotch's story. Because he truly is the bravest horse I've ever known and a lot of fun besides. I'm glad he made it through.

Ladder Fuel

2008-09-02T09:53:00.003-06:00

Recently there have been two fires in the local area. The first was a minor fire near the Ranch which was named the "Red Baron" Fire for the local subdivision near our property. The response of the Oasis Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the Elmore County authorities was prompt and efficient and the fire was quickly extinguished without serious damage to life, limb or property.

The other recent fire was in Boise last week. This was also a grasslands fire, which unfortunately ascended a slope with the wind at its back. Tragically, one life was lost and a number of houses were destroyed. With these recent fires resonating in our mind we did some assessment to reduce the risk to the structures on the property. What we have come up with is a plan to expand the defensible space around the property and the grassy area around the property was partially cleaned up to permit mowing to suppress the highly flammable cheat grass to be found on the ranch.

The other was to trim up the poplar trees around the house to reduce ladder fuel. All of the polars had their branches trimmed up to 8 - 9 feet off the ground.

Also, the type of shrubbery around the house is due to be changed in the spring. The original owner had planted Pfitzer Juniper (Juniperus chinensis 'Pfitzeraiana'), which while a robust, hearty plant, which provides good ground cover, is also relatively flammable. We're looking to replace it with a less flammable variety. Any ideas are appreciated.

Labor Day

2008-09-01T20:18:00.002-06:00

Willa and I (Dree) have been trying to get the fences moved for at least a week. Today we had 3 great men available to help So we got the fences moved posthaste.

Afterward, while we were trying to put the horses into their new homes, I thought I'd be smart and just hang the chain over the gate making it look like it was closed...

So after we caught the escapees from two pastures (because the second group broke out and went after the first group), we got everybody switched around where they finally belong.

Needless to say, I won't try that trick again!

Apparently it was my day for escaping horses, because as Willa was bringing a bale of hay to one of the pastures, Galen decided to slip through while I had the gate open. He was easy to catch, because all of his pasture mates (Sabrina, William, and Hudson) went after the hay instead of following him.

I think it's the wind getting to them. We've had two solid days of wind. I honestly don't know how they do it on the plains. I mean, I guess you get used to it, but it sure does get wearing after a while. Maybe that's why I don't live in the Dakotas. No wait! I don't live in the Dakotas because it gets colder than...well really really cold there.

Anyway, I have just received a call that dinner's ready--that means the guys are back from hunting the wiley skeet.

Our Cavalaria

2008-08-31T21:31:00.006-06:00

This summer once each month we host the Academy de Cavalaria. During this time we practice medieval horse war training games.

And that is how we spent our day yesterday.

We practiced Tilting at Rings with Lance, Pig Sticking with Lance, and Mounted Crest Combat.

To the right is a picture of Willa on Sabrina one of our thoroughbreds. This was the second time Sabrina has ever done the games and the first time she has done pig sticking. She was a true champion. She really enjoyed playing--even mounted crest combat.

We also played with William (American Thoroughbred), Autumn (Appaloosa), Scotch (Appendix Quarter Horse), and Mercedes (Thoroughbred).

All the horses enjoyed the rings. Pig sticking however, was another matter. William (who had done it before) didn't enjoy that very well at all. Suddenly the pigs (gunny sacks with filling) becamse horrible horse eating monsters. Scotch who was trying the pigs for the first time, didn't have any problems until Philipe tried to get him to go over the pigs. He went over okay--but he did it by jumping straight up into the air. Philipe felt very glad to have stayed on.

The weather was lovely-- a little on the warm side, but all in all pretty nice.

A great fun day on the ranch.

Open For Business

2008-08-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

Hi, I'm Willa Rose, one of the partners in Dream River Ranch. Our Ranch is located in Oasis Idaho, about 30 minutes to the east of Boise Idaho and about 15 minutes from Mountain Home Idaho.

The Ranch is located on land that would be classified as steppe if it were located in Central Asia.

The air is perfect, generally pollution free and we are sufficiently outside of the city that there is no light pollution in the evening. As such we have excellent views of the night sky and it's like living in a planetarium.

We chose this land and purchased it to give life to a common ideal, the formation of an equestrian community based on the concept of intentional community. As our Mission Statement says: "

Dream River Ranch is an intentional community centered on a quality horse facility. We have created a society based on consideration for others where diversity and acceptance of others is a priority. This is a place where learning and creativity are encouraged; where we are committed to conflict resolution through consensus; and where we are dedicated to being good stewards of our environment."

If you think that this is a bunch of hippie blather, rest easy. We are hard working professionals who have a common interest in both working hard, and having fun. I'm a equestrian instructor with more than 30 years of experience. My husband is a counselor. And other members of our community are an executive secretary, an IT professional, and a physician.

Read this blog, it will help you follow our adventure.