Goodbye Stormy

 

Stormy - The Most Beautiful Horse On The Planet
1991-2021

it breaks my heart that Stormy has gone to brighten the next world. Appropriately, a thunder and lightning and wind storm blew through as he left.

I’d known him for 25 years, owned him for 21.

He went from being a (mildly successful) racehorse (I was his groom), to retiring and being My Horse, to working with me for the Forest Service (pack string leader) in California, to working on a dude ranch (wrangler horse) in California, then to Idaho with me as a resident Lawn Mower and Endurance horse companion and Old Duffer. His favorite thing in the world was EATING.

Once he became mine, he became a Wild West Horse, never set foot in another stall and was never happier.

I already miss not hearing his nicker three times a day for his special mash. I miss that striped face looking for me. I miss him.

you were the Best Horse Ever. Nobody will ever fill your hoof prints. It’s the end of an era. RIP my dear Stormy.

#stormy #stormythehorse #theendofanera #biglovebigloss #myheartisbroken #themostbeautifulhorseontheplanet #thisbeautifulhorse #thebesthorseever

Fresh Off The Range: Second Owyhee Mustang Crop Available for Adoption

Saturday July 16 2021

From the family of sire JUSTIFY, this second "B" crop of one-of-a-kind all-recycled** hand-made-with-love Owyhee Mustang siblings are recently-rounded up off the Owyhee Range. They are tamed and gentled and halter broke… but not broke to ride. They are easy keepers - won’t eat you out of the hay barn and are happy with just sunshine and admiration. Each has its own unique personality and conformation!

By adopting an Owyhee Mustang you are an owner of an authentic Wild West bronc, made of genuine recycled baling twine fresh off hay bales, so in addition to owning a very unique objet d’art, a piece of The West, of course you’ll also be helping to save the planet from choking plastic or toxic burn fumes.

Owyhee Beholder (Turquoise nose)

Owyhee Ben Nevis (Blue-Orange nose)

Owyhee Black Caviar (Orange-Yellow nose)

Owyhee Bold Forbes (White nose)

Owyhee Bret Hanover (Yellow nose)

Owyhee Buckpasser (Yellow-Blue nose)

Owyhee Bold Ruler (Green nose)

Available for adoption fee of $75 (add $5 for shipping per horse, USA only). Comes with bona fide certificate of adoption paper, nametag, and bragging rights. contact theequestrianvagabond@gmail.com

See the gallery of horses here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5KMJVHCTnVzrf3KPA

**100% recycled… made of baling twine, used buttons, stuffed with used horse magazines

***And thank you to the soooo many of you who have sent me your baling twine instead of burning it or throwing it away! You are contributing to beauty and hilarity in the world!

**THESE WENT FAST! THEY HAVE ALL BEEN ADOPTED TO NEW HOMES. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE ON THE LIST FOR YOUR OWN CUSTOM MUSTANG, LET ME KNOW! 

theequestrianvagabond@gmail.com

#trashtotreasure #trashtoart #trashintoart #balingtwine #bailingtwine #balingtwineart #bailingtwineart #recycledart #repurposed #reclaimed #recycledbalingtwine #recycledbailingtwine #recycleme #wastetoart #waste2art #trashintotreasure #recycled #recreated #fiberart #buyhandmade #buyusa 
#owyhee #owyheeart #wildwestart #wildwest #owyheemustangs #idaho #onlyinowyhee #adoptawildmustang #adoptamustang #justify

My First Endurance Ride with my New Shoulder and my "New" Horse!

June 5 2021

Sure, I already had two shoulders, and I've already partnered with the Standardbred Hillbillie Willie to ride some 765 AERC miles over the last 5 years, but Day 3 50-miler at the City of Rocks Pioneer endurance ride in south-central Idaho marked my first 50-mile ride since my Hot Mess of a shoulder was repaired 6 months ago, and my first ride owning Hillbillie Willie!

Due to a change in life circumstances for all of us on the Crick, and a great big heart, Steph Teeter gave me Hillbillie Willie in April.

Finishing that 50 on Saturday was enough to make a grown man cry!

Dudley’s Hill

Saturday March 6 2021

He stands on the hill, gazing, listening, appreciating, absorbing, thinking.

It’s like this at the end of every ride. From the crest of the hill, we ride down, until he pulls over and comes to a stop at this point - Dudley’s Hill - and I get off, and he stands there. We stand there together, Dudley gazing at his home below and the hills around us, and the mountains to the west. I look at the scenery, too, but mostly I stand there and gaze at him, such a hunk of a horse, such an intelligent horse, a kindred spirit who loves to stop and breathe and take it all in. It doesn’t matter if we ride 7 days in a row; he always stops here, and I get off, and we stand together and look. Sometimes we’ll stand there for five minutes, before he’s ready to follow me down the hill and back home.

It’s been two years since we’ve done that together. Two years where nothing fills that void, nothing takes his place in my heart.

He stands on his hill in a different form now, his spirit always looking down, always present, always remembered.

Horse Book Giveaway!

Monday November 30 2020

I’m giving away a holiday package for 3 of my horse books:

Soul Deep in Horses: Memoir of an Equestrian Vagabond, Tevis Cup Magic: Taking on the World’s Toughest 100 Mile Endurance Ride, and Tales From The West: Four Seasons in the Owyhee Country.

To enter, sign up for my newsletter, which comes out occasionally, and informs you about my newest books, ebooks, e-short stories, photo galleries and unique handmade art.

Here’s the link to sign up:

https://mailchi.mp/d1d128321f77/theequestrianvagabond

Your email will be entered in the drawing which will happen Dec 10th at noonish. (And if you’re already a subscriber, thank you, and your name will be entered also!)

I’m also happy to be a member of www.BooksForHorseLovers.com . 

This is the brainchild of equine author and adventurer Heather Wallace, who recognized a niche for primarily Independently Published Equine Authors. 

Check out their website for a wide (and growing) selection of both fiction and non-fiction equine authors and their books!

Here’s a link to my Amazon page to gander my published books:

https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00EZ5DQZM 

Again, here’s the link to sign up for my newsletter and enter my 3-book contest. Happy trails!

https://mailchi.mp/d1d128321f77/theequestrianvagabond

Fresh Off The Range: New Owyhee Mustang Herd Available for Adoption

Monday November 23 2020

From the family of sire JUSTIFY, this first "A" crop of one-of-a-kind all-recycled**, hand-made-with-love Owyhee Mustang siblings are recently-rounded up off the Owyhee Range. They are tamed and gentled and halter broke… but not broke to ride. They are easy keepers - won’t eat you out of the hay barn and are happy with just sunshine and admiration.
  

By adopting an Owyhee Mustang you are an owner of an authentic Wild West bronc, made of genuine recycled baling twine fresh off hay bales, so in addition to owning a very unique objet d’art, a piece of The West, of course you’ll also be helping to save the planet from choking plastic or toxic burn fumes.

Owyhee Aristides (Blue-Orange nose)

Owyhee Arrogate (Orange-Blue nose)

(Go Boise State Bucky Broncos! Go Denver Buster Broncos!)

Owyhee Affirmed (Green nose)

Owyhee Adios (Yellow nose)

Owyhee Allez France (Yellow-White nose)

Owyhee American Pharoah (White-Blue nose)

Owyhee Assault (Blue-Orange-Blue nose)

(Go Boise State Bucky Broncos! Go Denver Buster Broncos!)

Available for adoption fee of $75 (add $5 for shipping per horse, USA only). Comes with bona fide certificate of adoption card, nametag, and bragging rights. contact theequestrianvagabond@gmail.com

See the gallery of horses here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5KMJVHCTnVzrf3KPA

**100% recycled… made of baling twine, used buttons, stuffed with used horse magazines

#trashtotreasure #trashtoart #trashintoart #balingtwine #bailingtwine #balingtwineart #bailingtwineart #recycledart #repurposed #reclaimed #recycledbalingtwine #recycledbailingtwine #recycleme #wastetoart #waste2art #trashintotreasure #recycled #recreated #fiberart #buyhandmade #buyusa #blackfriday
#owyhee #owyheeart #wildwestart #wildwest #owyheemustangs #idaho #onlyinowyhee #adoptawildmustang #adoptamustang #justify #Buckybronco #busterbronco

**THESE HAVE ALL BEEN ADOPTED TO NEW HOMES. IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE ON THE LIST FOR YOUR OWN CUSTOM MUSTANG, LET ME KNOW! 

theequestrianvagabond@gmail.com

Fire Breathing Hillbillie Dragon

October 7 2020

He'd had a solid 4 weeks off since his 50-mile ride at Old Selam, partially due to smoky skies, and shoulder doctor's orders (mine). The last week he'd been zipping and ripping and romping around the pastures here, sparring with his herd-mates and Sneaky Shark-attacking Disco.

So I figured Willie would be pretty raring to go on a training ride. I left him in charge (as long as he made the right decisions) as to which forks in the trails to take, and what gait he wanted to use.

I rode a fire breathing dragon! Trotting, cantering, pacing, blowing sparks and snorting smoke, and when we hit Frodo sand wash, he wanted to roar up it, way faster than I wanted him to or needed him to (plus he was feel-good spooky, and I didn't want to dismount involuntarily!) 

But what's so good about Fire Breathing Hillbillie Willie Dragon is that while he is hot as a firecracker and powerful as a freight train, he doesn't pull! He snorts, he bows his head, he high-steps and powers up the trail on a light contact rein.

Makes me feel like the Khaleesi!