124 Warmbloods and Valentines!

This beauty came all the way from Poland!

February 2015
      It was Friday the 13th and the semis started to arrive with the Warmbloods and their entourage.   We knew they were coming however we weren't prepared for the conflict their presence caused between "Bobbie and The Don".    I'm almost glad we will be heading to Glendale later today for another session with Jamie and her horses.     Even though I was raised around horses (reread, does that sound weird?)  Lets try this, I have been around horses since I was very young and have only heard the term "warmblood" a few times in my life.   I knew the horses arriving were jumping horses.  Having never been close to a professional jumping horse I was surprised at how large they were.   Not only were they tall there entire frame including there legs and hooves were heavier.   A little research tells me there are two "hot blooded" horses, the Arabian and the thoroughbred.    The "cold blooded"  line consists of heavy draft "work" horses.   Both the hot and cold blood lines have a registry and pedigree that require both sire and dam to be purebred when done properly the resulting off spring is then registered.   Its all about the paper trail.   Warm bloods started out in Europe  with heavy agricultural type (draft) horses systematically up graded with hot blood type with a specific goal.  To produce foals that would excel in the jumping and dressage world.   Where it seems to differ from the hot and cold is that as long as you do the paperwork and breeding properly the resulting hot or cold blood is purebred regardless of the conformity or quality of the foal.   On the other hand warm blood registry requires inspection of conformation and movement, resulting in culling to insure that the off springs are able to compete as modern sport horses.  Sorry for all that, however I wanted to know myself. 
    Well I'm going to clear my head and head for Glendale and another training session.  They will be here for six weeks and I'm sure I will learn more.  
    The trip to Glendale was uneventful and the training sessions proved to be to short to warrant the drive time to come from California.  It was becoming more and more obvious that Jamie just didn't have the stamina to train horses, and unfortunately didn't have the willingness to step aside and let others preform the task.  I again suggested that if she wasn't enjoying horse ownership and because of the danger involved it would be better to sell them. 

     The highlight of the trip was it was Valentines day, Ruthie was with me and we were able to meet and dine with our daughter Michelle.  (Bandanas by Michelle).    She is continuing her life living on her motorcycle and selling her Swarovski encrusted bandanas on line and at rally's I believe she is in her third year now.   After dinner we ended up at a golf Course club house that was having Karaoke,  Michelle treated her mother and father with the Etta James classic "At last" one of my favorites the other is Patsy Clines "Sweet Dreams" .
     By Sunday afternoon we had said our goodbyes and were on the way back to California.  This time towing our little storage/camper behind us with all of our belongings.  We had accepted the offer to live at the ranch for the remainder of the winter.   On the way Ruthie shared some of the difficulties she was having with staff and owners at the ranch.  From unreasonable expectations to problems satisfying them at lunch.  "Bobbies declaration that they would eat anything and would like it proved false as they turned up there nose or picked at the food she prepared for lunch.   Her comment "how can someone that claims to be a vegetarian not eat vegetables"  seemed to capture her frustration.   It seems we both have our problems at the ranch.   We had plenty of time to think and talk as we rode, after all its only two and a half months, how bad can it be?? 

     By the time we arrived back at the ranch the warm bloods were settled in.   They were here for hunter jumper competition held in Thermal California a short three miles from the ranch.  A yearly event there will be a six week jumping competition and events leading up to a million dollar jump off in March.   All the way from Canada they brought along with them the owners, jumping standards, poles, trainers, riders, dogs, golf cart, grooming supplies, horse tack, and oh yes a Ferrari and a 500 horse powered Audi.  Knowing that the ranchhouse may rent for as much as 20 to $30,000 for a long weekend it is hard to imagine what the price of this stay would be, especially with the horses along.  
     The guests seemed very nice to us however our employers seemed to find fault (behind their back) with everything about them including their country of origin.  Hard for us to understand you are in the people business but you don't seem to like people.    One of the big contentions were the horses themselves.   Evidently Bobbie was the one that negotiated the booking and the warm bloods now occupied the stalls that "the Dons" horses called home sending them out to the paddocks to live.   Yup, not a happy camper, they referred to them as "dumb bloods".   And any thing they did caused an uproar.   The day one of them reared and bent the wash rack hitching post was not a happy day.  Contention flowed between "Bobbie and the Don" like a raging river.   Did we make a mistake?  We knew it wasn't paradise but we hoped the ranch wasn't hell!   Our theory was even though it wasn't perfect we would be able to see things we may not ever have the opportunity to be exposed to. 
     Before their events the warm bloods had a braider that flew in from Washington to braid their manes, yes there are jobs out there if you look for them.   She worked very hard and had even done the manes of Bill Gates horses.   Used to working all thru the night going from stable to stable getting the horses dolled up for the next days competition she ran into a problem at the ranch as "Bobbie and The Don" had imposed a curfew on how late she could work in the stable.   You will notice the picture where she is braiding, she is standing on a stool and show horses are almost shaved except where the saddle goes.  I was surprised how it changes their color. 

     I like these pictures of "Yoda" the office manager here.   At times she was a calming influence on the ranch owners.   When she arrived for work in the morning she would stroll thru the stable talking to the young horses and at times laying her hands on them.  Yes it wasn't like she was petting them, it was more like she was communicating with them.  I liked her and so did the horses. 
This young fella liked it so much he would swing his rear around so she could scratch his back.   You can see he gives the stretch similar to a little puppy, oh please more, just a little more, ahhh there you got it.  Thanks Yoda!
     One of the things I will always remember about her.  When I was working on a project she would come up innocently ( I thought)  and ask "watchya doing Vern?  I would give her an explanation.  Her next breath would be "now watchya doing?   I don't think its fair to me to tell how long It took me to not fall for it.   And then out of the blue I would fall for it again.    I still like her.  

123 Meanwhile back at the ranch!

    Back from our visit to Ruthie's California relatives Ruthie and I settled into a very busy routine.   I was provided with a very complete training course for the young horses.  The table below was my guide to keep track of their progress.  It also allowed "Bobbie" to keep an eye on the training.

  As you can see the list mainly consists of movements we want the young horses to do.  Move your feet forward, backward, left or right.  And then focusing on desensitizing to things moving over, under, around and touching them.   This would give them the preparation to respond to future training and help with the safety of everyone around them.   Having watched the latest training video the night before the first thing I would do in the morning is head to the training arena.  At some point my employers had made it clear to me that in addition to training it was my responsibility to check and repair the training arena surface for smoothness and moisture.  Here I found a grey area as Bobbie wanted it more moist while The Don claimed that the more it was watered the harder it became.  What's a trainer to do?   I think its the Bible that says you can't serve to masters.  But wait there's more.  See this halter?  
Look at the knot that holds it on, looks pretty simple doesn't it?  Well there arte at least four ways to tie it, how do I know?  Because I tried them all, didn't take me long to take a picture to make sure I had it the way Bobbie wanted it.   That and a few, several, many Okay fine every thing she was associated with had an exact way it had to BE!  Anal?   Perhaps!  But who am I to judge, others say I am.   The Don didn't seem to notice or care about the halter knots.  His area of concern seemed to be the arena surface, the amount of strain put on the colts during their training sessions ( he was concerned about their legs) the leg wraps I put on to protect their
front legs.  Should the young horses be cross tied?   And probably the one that caused me the most grief was the colts running in the pasture.  Horses running in the pasture?  How you going to control that?  They are horses they were born to run, oh my god! They are running again, Vern, the horses are running, they will blow thru a fence!   I know we will address the darn horses running later but lets look at the leg wrap issue as that caused quite a conflict.  First of all I try and avoid conflict, if people would just leave me alone I would be quite content.   There were two types of leg wraps a long stretchy material similar to an ace bandage and a compact one that was fastened on with Velcro.   One of the first morning Bobbie instructed me on how to wrap the legs.  These horses were
so valuable that when they were sold the prospective buyer would have their legs x-rayed to check for any deformity or sign of injury.   The young horses front leg bones are still forming, soft and easily damaged.  They can be injured by any thing hitting them, especially a blow from their own hoofs.  Okay now I have it down, no problem.  As I was wrapping one of the other horses The Don observed and corrected me.  A little frustrated as I was pretty sure I had done it the way Bobbie had taught me I changed and wrapped it the other direction.  The next morning the same situation.   Well almost, this time I was sure they were both the opposite of the previous training session.  Are you kidding me?  Are they messing with me?  This time I was prepared as I had taken a photo of a wrap after one of "Bobbies"  personal training sessions.  When "The Don" questioned my wrap I produced my photographic proof.  Oh wow, now I've done it.  There was quite a heated discussion between the two horse owners.  I'm sure they will get it sorted out.  They can't always be like this can they? 
    Well for now we have the legs wrapped and the halter on, that should take care of problem areas.  How naïve I am.  Check out the ring that the lead is tied to.  The most common name it is known by is a "Blocker tie ring" and if tied correctly is a very safe way to secure a horse.  With the lead the way I have it as the horse pulls back it will slide and give him an release.  There are two more ways to arrange the rope end to change the amount of pressure needed for the slide mechanism.   Again there was confusion and misinformation.   This time Bobbie dragged (okay not dragged, just said come with me and we will get this straightened out.) now in front of the Don and me in the middle a not to polite argument raged.  Fortunately the internet provided me with the proper instruction and proof to back it up, I found out that being correct doesn't always make one popular. 
     And on a lighter note when we could get away for new dining experiences Bobbie mentioned she thought we were trying to eat our way thru the desert. 

122 Ruthies California Relatives

Cliff and Gladys Ruthies
Grandparents on her
Mothers side!

Evidently Cliff and I both liked plaid.

 

Feb 6, 2015
     Some negativity on the ranch this week made me look forward to the upcoming weekend. 
      Ruthie's relatives had heard we were in the state and extended an invitation for a reunion in Auburn CA. Ruthie's California relatives, we haven't discussed them yet, have we. When Ruthie and I were dating (Just relax, I will shorten it some) my trips to visit her on her family farm were always memorable.  Not only did I get to see her, the atmosphere in her home was fun, joking, music, singing and warmth.  I will preface this by saying we all have a Sunday face when company is present and at that time I think I was still considered a visitor.  Every visit I would return to my farm home with my cheeks just aching from laughing. My home was not known for laughter and I credit Ruthie and her influence on my family for bringing laughter and expressions of love to it.  So what was the source of this attitude.  I'm going out on a limb and give Grandpa Cliff the credit.   With his start in life it is no less than a miracle that he would be so remembered. 

     He and his brother Walter were born into a large family in Rice county Minnesota, then placed in the Minnesota State Public School in Owatonna 

Sisters Mary and Clara were put
On a train bound for the orphanage
Enough to break your heart, isn't it?

Minnesota. The story I have heard is that their last name was changed to disassociate them from their family. There is now a museum on the site that relates some of the reports of abuse and neglect from unloving matrons. The indenture of children to farm families to be used as labor and treated like slaves. From 1886 - 1945 nearly 11,000 orphaned , abused or abandoned children came here, they became wards of the state and as some parents trying to regain custody of their own children found out they had signed away all rights to their children. At least 198 children died there and were laid to rest in the Children's Cemetery 151 were buried with only an identification number etched on a slab of concrete. Never adopted they lived there until the age of release. With a start in life like that it is encouraging to hear of people like Cliff and Walter that not only overcome a rocky start in life. But went on to start future generations with strong family ties.      I would hear tidbits of information about her relatives in California. Seemed like a world away at that time. From time to time a few of them a few of them would return to Minnesota to visit for a week or two. To this lad they seemed wonderful, warm, caring people, full of humorous stories, music and singing. I think I thought they must be rich as on one trip Uncle Wally and Aunt Dottie brought a small TV and gave to Ruthies family. ( They didn't have one as there was to much farm work to do and of course all the evil things on television). Seriously in those days who has so much money they could just give a TV away, as a lot of the farm families didn't even have one yet.   It seemed like a lavish gift to me. It was set up on a table in the living room and with rabbit ear antennae (sometimes enhanced by adorning the "ears" with aluminum foil placed strategically to bring in weak stations.) brought packaged entertainment to their world. We always looked forward to their visits, always to short.   This is the way I remember Cliff,  his face weathered from years in the outdoors, eyes squinting thru small slits and the warmest smile I have ever seen.  It seemed to me that the smile was always there but then there was an extra joyous smile he would give you that stretched his weathered face even more and almost caused his eyes to close.  I wish I could spend some time with him again, would love to hear his story in his words.   He radiated joy as he recited humorous little rhymes and songs. When present his children would join in and soon the room would be filled with music as they added songs and memories of their own.   A little reflection.  I wonder how we will be remembered?  Makes you think doesn't
it?  

If you look real close I think those are the Sierra's on the left.

     So how did this happen that the majority of Ruthie's Mothers family migrated to California. Well it didn't happen all at once. It looks like Brothers Dale and Norm got it started with Military careers on the west coast. Dale returned to Minnesota with his California bride. Probably not a good idea as Ellen soon decided she didn't sign up for frostbite and around 1948 they moved back to the Almeida area of California. Followed soon by an adventures Aunt Dottie.   Cliff retired around 1954 from working for the city of Rochester. With promise of family, mild winters and Disneyland (I apologize, I don't even know when Disneyland came to be) the rest of the family packed for a move. It would be nice to really know the details but from what I've been able to gather the exit from Rochester Minnesota had a major bump. Uncle Darrel and Aunt Eleanor lived in a mobile home in Silver lake Trailer park. The trailer was hooked to Grandpa's car and loaded with all their belongings. With Darrel, Elly and baby Cindy following they headed for the promised land. With the lights of Rochester not very distant in their rear view mirror the lead wagon with Grandpa, Grandma and 15 year old Aunt Ruthie (coincidence? I think not) slipped into a ditch and the trailer overturned. Nothings ever easy, is it? Imagine seeing this happen right in front of you. Darrell had to restrain Elly as she tried to check on her family, Fortunately no one was injured and like the Ingalls they persisted and soon the west coast was their home.    



Soon we had the Sierras on our right most of the day!  That cloud bank must have been the pineapple express on the other side

    So this brings us back to reality. The California clan was aware we were in the State, I would like to say in the area however California is so large you can be in the same state and still are long distance away. Aunt Ruthie had extended an invitation to visit them in Auburn California. She was getting as many of the California clan together. We received permission to leave our horse training duties early Friday morning Normally when going on a trip I listen politely to all the suggested routes then just key it into our trusty (only failed a couple of times, once a bike path) GPS. To me it looked like the fastest and most direct route was to take Interstate 5 up the West side of the Sierra Mountains. However Ruthie was getting a very detailed route from (no names as it is all hearsay, I didn't talk to them, this is Ruthies side of the story, she may have made it up) I was told there were heavy winds and rain projected, I believe they were calling it the Pineapple express (a kind of weather gift from Hawaii) for the West side of the Sierra Mountains and if we took 395 up the East side, turn by Reno Nevada and come over the mountain on Interstate 80 we could avoid the rainy area and arrive in Auburn. (a reasonable person may have had some thoughts like winter, sierra mountains, Donner pass, high winds). However reasonable has not been associated with me frequently). So away we went. It was a wonderful day for a ride leaving the ranch around 8 AM We headed up 395 on the east side of the Sierra's (like a lamb to the slaughter). After the beauty of the snow capped mountains the road caught our attention it seemed they had just followed the contour of the land so there were some wonderful moments as the trike rose and fell with the flow of the road. This was going to be a great day. Not so fast said the road block at Bishop CA, the patrolman there are two semi trucks overturned up the road by Mammoth Mountain and we don't want you to join them  80 MPH winds with gusts. We went into the service station purchased a map and got some advice from a friendly stranger. "Just take #6 to the North East catch #120 back West over the mountain and you will be right back on 395 above the danger area". This is going to be easy, and away rode the happy triker's. Auburn here we come. We figured with all the law enforcement attending to the wind damage we were free to set our own pace. We were experiencing our share of the wind as it blew gusts of dirt and sand at us. At times the front end of the trike tried to change directions and we took that as a warning to slow down.
The East side of the mountain range.
     When we arrived at #120 we were relieved that there weren't any road blocks. At the edge of town we turned and headed West back toward 395 there was a dust storm that reminded me of a zero visibility snow storm, fortunately we were soon thru it and on the way. The trip up the mountain was full of spectacular views and hairpin corners. It was great.  When we reached the mountain plateau we were treated to relatively gently curving roads following the contour of the land. We seemed to be the only ones on the road and found that 82 mph was the perfect speed, It allowed You to hit the apex of the rise without the tires actually leaving the road as the frame and stomach reached its highest point without a catastrophe and then down we went tires and bladder sustaining maximum pressure. If we would have had more time we would have turned around and did it again.

   


Ruthie's sister Bonnie, Aunt Ruthie and Ruthie

A design flaw in the course, or
Perhaps intentional as a home
Course advantage sometimes the
ball hits the cement wall and ricochets back. 

     But we are off to Auburn. After about an hour we intersected back with 395 and headed back North, we got this licked. There was still plenty of wind to go around. I don't think we had gone ten miles when we arrived in Lee Vining CA and another road block. The friendly patrolman said the winds were so fierce it had turned over a motorhome and the wind had also caused two power lines to swing and arc together starting a fire.
   Bring out the map, then ride back to the road block, "we are going to Bridgeport. (not a lie, we planned on going thru it. ) Sorry the fire is before your destination. Back to the map, back to the roadblock, "how about if we turn right at #167 and head North East, "I can let you go that far, but I thought you said you were going to Bridgeport? "We will stop there next trip. "



 A private putting green in Uncle Norms backyard provided some
friendly competition.

     And away we went, Auburn here we come NE to Nevada hit Reno catch #80 heading West and we are there. It was dark and cold by the time we hit Sparks Nevada. Checking with a truck stop we found they were closing Interstate 80 going over Donner pass, the pineapple express that had brought rain and dust storms had brought snow to the mountains. We sought shelter for the evening. Saturday morning we checked the highway conditions and started out again. 36 degrees at the peak with snow on both sides. It was interesting to see the areas designated for installing and removing chains. We made it to Auburn by 11 AM stretching our 540 mile trip to 740 miles and more than 12 hours. It was wonderful seeing Ruthies relatives.  
Our stay of course was much to short. However the memories will ride with us and keep us warm.   The next morning we wisely set the GPS on Indio, even with an hour traffic jam we still made it home in 10 hours pulling into the ranch at 82 degrees. The ride was perfect.

As Ruthie likes to say at the end of a ride,
There we made a circle.

 
 

 

121 A day off!



Pretty risqué!

Feb 1, 2015. The Sunday morning news was on at the ranch, we could hear it in background giving information about a hazardous winter storm in the north, yes Minnesota was in the news again.  The Don reminded us how lucky we were to be here and wondered how people could live like that. 
     We had a big day planned, a trip to the date garden and then some sightseeing.  It would be good to get away from the ranch for a few hours.  The work load, pressure and tension between The Don and Bobbie was starting to be a concern.
     Everyone had told us we needed to see Shields date garden and have a date shake.  A favorite tourist attraction since 1924 enticing the passersby from the highway with its racy in those times slide show "Romance and Sex life of the date". 
      It started with Mr Shields giving lectures and now the slide show has turned into a short movie with the same name.  
     From my farm background it seemed improbable that anyone would choose raising dates as a vocation.  It takes many years after planting to produce a crop, the trees have to be climbed to pollinate, tend and harvest the dates.   All this for a date shake.    When we lived in Austin MN whenever we had children and grandchildren visit they could count on a trip to the spam museum at Hormel.  Like the billboard reads on highway 90 by Austin "not all hogs make it to Sturgis".  On this visit we shared a shake as the free samples of the different varieties of dates had taken the edge off our appetites.  It turned out that Indio is one of the largest exporter of dates in the world and many of the date varieties had been developed right here in the Coachella Valley.   On this visit we visited with a fellow motorcyclist on his way to the West coast to visit his son.   Bob's ride today was a Moto Guzzi and as we bid our farewells in the parking lot I could see the Date shake tucked in

his riding bag ready to enjoy.   Seems this is a must stop for him for his date shake fix.  It is always a treat to visit with other motorcyclists at these stops.  From his gear and ride it appeared that he was a avid rider.  We had an encounter with Moto Guzzi riders a few years prior.  We had been asked to accompany them on a scenic ride by New Ulm Minnesota.  We don't often ride with groups however we wont turn down a chance to meet new people and ride.  We had rode with a few Gold Wing groups and were used to their casual riding pace.  Leaving as a group their pace was very methodical, almost slow as they accelerated.  Choosing to be in the rear with this new group we met at a café in South West Twin cities area.    At we entered the first road I was left in the dust as this group accelerated very quickly and hit the road.  This group were riders and we had better keep up.  Ride safe Bob!     

  It was great to get out on the road again, one of the nice things about this area is the fact that the city planners have made it easy to traverse the metropolitan areas with out crawling thru traffic and stop signs.  And with Interstate 10 running across the Northern edge it is very easy to access and be up to speed very shortly.  Our friends Dave

and Sandy had actually camped in our destination and sent us some photos of it.   Our goal was Joshua Tree National Park, we headed West on 10 accelerating quickly to keep up with traffic, our neighbors on the highway were heading for Los Angeles and you didn't want to get in their way.  We passed Desert Hot springs and turned right on #62, thru Morongo valley, Yucca Valley on the way to the park.  If time would not have been a factor our normal routine would have been to explore these areas.  At the park entrance we stopped for a little information on what we were about

to see.  A warning that there were no refreshment areas led us to arm ourselves with some sandwiches for a picnic lunch.  A little peaceful time would be a welcome break from the nonstop activities at the ranch. 
     I believe Dave had said the trees had been named by the Mormons thinking they looked like Joshua with his arms outstretched toward them.  I'm having a problem calling them trees, they look like misshapen mismatched cactus of every shape and size, definitely not a forest in my mind.    The terrain was very rough, the Joshua trees sprinkled though out the area and huge rock formations jutted out of the ground.   Instead of a hill or a traditional mountain they were more like one huge boulder that erupted out of the ground to a very impressive height and then cracked.   I'm sure my freind Paul could give you a lengthy and interesting explanation of their formative years.  However since he made fun of our rock collection from Big Bend I wont contact him.   
     At Hidden valley we found a picnic area in the shade of one of the boulders and we enjoyed our lunch.   It just felt nice to relax in the outdoors without a work related distraction, I think we felt like we were playing hooky from our ranch duties and it was oh so good!   
  The route we had chosen was taking us to Keys view, which at over 5000 feet we were told would give us an impressive view.  However the impressive rocks and the activities around them delayed our progress.  Just take a look at this rock.  

Impressive isn't it?

     But that's not it, take a closer look.  Can you see the climbers?  There at least 5 on the rock and 1 near the base.  This area has become a popular place for rock climbers.  No snow, no long hikes, easy access I guess its great if your into that thing.  Well the motherly instinct in Ruthie was running overtime, I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown worrying about their safety.  At one point they noticed us and started waving.  As she waved back I mentioned "do you really want them to let go with one hand and wave?"   After taking several pictures and watching their progress we finally moved on. 

Most likely waving at my co-rider!

     We climbed the access trail to keys view and the entire Coachella Valley laid before us.  All the cites that made up the metropolitan area, the mountains surrounding it, the desert, (side note: it was Bobbie that taught me how to spell desert/dessert.  After all which do you want more of?  Of course she said that's why it has two ss in it. Good to know.) and way off to the South a large body of water.  The Salton sea, didn't even know there was a sea out here.  The trail marker even pointed out the San Andreas fault running across the desert floor.  Didn't the city planners know about this?  Hadn't they seen the trail marker?  What were they thinking?

     We left the area and made our way back to Pinto basin road and back to the interstate.  This was the kind of day we had in mind for our winter trips.  The day and the ride gave us a little time to think about our current situation.   However obediently we turned right and headed back toward the ranch. 



Here does this help?  5 climbers on the rock!

120 Caddie ...

January 29, 2015
Ruthie rode the trike to Banning for our new front tire while I worked the colts. The reason for the tire leak is due to flaking of the chrome on the rim. Evidently the technician had either not seen or ignored the situation when he put on the new tire. What now? Replace the front chrome rim, expensive. I like to joke that one time for Christmas Ruthie had asked for something round and shiny so I had our front rim chrome plated for her. She did like her chrome. I think we will go for a trip to Walmart and a magic sealing solution, hopefully it will slow down or possibly seal the leak.
While she was gone the farrier showed up to trim the horse's hooves. The electric gate opened and he came riding in on a large muscled horse bedroll tied behind his saddle, canteen hanging front the horn. In tow was a pack animal with everything needed to trim and reform the horses hooves to maintain or correct their posture. He seemed tired and in no mood for anything that didn't get his chore done at the ranch so he could move on to the next string of horses.

"I apologize". That is probably just wrong however that's the way I pictured him in my mind. He actually arrived in a heavy duty white pickup with a sticker that said "Save second base" which he thought was a promotion for the national pastime. His name was Dirk and we visited while I held the colts for him. At one time he said he was born in the 1800's and barely made it to the 1900's "so what the heck is a blog anyway". With a ranch in northern Arizona he made his way to the southern California area weekly to impart his skill and wisdom to those that could afford and were willing to pay for it. Part vet, part philosopher, definitely progun, anti Obama and pure American, I asked him if he had been doing this all his life? "not yet" he replied. He had me lead the colts away from him while he studied the stride and posture. Then I held them while the correction was made. As the horses reacted to his trimming he said "I don't mind them moving but I wont stand for meanness" his correction was quick and a little to harsh to my liking. I made a mental note to work extra hard on their lessons so they wouldn't incur his wrath on future appointments.

Our employer couple continued to treat us like family as they shared the highlights of the area and as a special treat they took us to Cactus Jacks in Indio. Even though they were very busy The Don seemed to expect and get special treatment and we were soon seated at a cozy table in the bar area. He pointed out actor William Devine as we enjoyed a wonderful prime rib dinner explaining that he had a ranch in the area that catered to polo players. 
Indian Wells Golf Course!
The Don mentioned that he was playing in a senior Pro/armature golf tournament tomorrow. A couple of drinks later he asked me to be his caddy. I hesitated a bit thinking the pro's bags were as tall as I am, then he told me on the senior tour they use carts. Okay I'm in! Just to be fair when we got back home I gave him an out so he could think about it with a clear head.

Saturday January 31st. The Don and I rode over his white corvette, how cool is that. I was introduced to our pro Jimmy Montecito, and Dave and Phil in from Canada, they probably despise people greeting them with "Eh" as much as we dislike "oh your from Minneeeesooooda". As caddie my job was to assist the pro, I soon found I spent more time raking sand and hunting for balls then I figured a pros caddie should. It was soon evident that The Don was the best golfer in the group, He also seemed to be a good coach, analyzing swings and giving advice. When the balls were on the green I was to pull the flag (pin) and stand quietly out of the way, there was some prize money at stake and I assumed the token caddie didn't get to share but I didn't want to take any chances. If I made them miss a putt?? Well there are five of







For a pro,, I think we spent way to much time off the course.
 them... On one of the greens Steve's good freind was closer to the flag when all the balls were on the green, as he pulled the pin he said "Hey Vern, do you know how much one of these weight? Not knowing I shot him a number admitting I didn't know. His reply "If you picked one up once you would know"! What a smart Alec, I bet he has been waiting the entire round to use that one. Best line of the day, thanks Mark . Well its mine now, can't wait to use it. His ancestors are from Oklahoma, maybe he is related to Will Rodgers. At every tee box there were ladies from the good gene club with samples from their sponsor, except the Bentley dealer.

This one is for Ruthie, she likes Patron!
  It was a memorable day. A get together after the round with lunch at the club house and a gift bag filled with bottles of liquor and souvenirs. A little more insight into The Don and his accomplishment. Yup, it was a good day, now back to the ranch.

119 Stalkers?



Very convenient, park your horse and
go in for some refreshments.


    On another family excursion with the pair we rode with them to Norco California to watch one of their horses in an event.  We got a little more insight into Bobbies personality that day.  With time a factor they decided to make a detour to a deli that they both seemed to enjoy.  They didn't seem to be in a big hurry however as we entered the parking lot next to the arena Bobbie screamed, yes screamed, I don't think I have ever heard someone over the age of three scream in an enclosed vehicle.  Wait, yes I have.  It was 1965 Ruthie and I were riding in our 1955 Chevrolet (yup, wish I still had it.)  I had been working in Winona Minnesota while attending electronics school.  I had taken my fancy clip on tie off and laid it on the dash.  ( do they still make them?  Looks like a tie without the choker around your neck nor the inconvenience of tying a knot. Seemed practical at the time.)   We stopped and picked up Ruthies cousin Sandy.  Her and Ruthie had recently graduated from high school and had moved out to start their lives.  I cant remember where we were headed that night, maybe just driving around feeling our independence.  The sun had set as we headed down the highway, the only air conditioning in the sedan was the kind where you roll down all the windows and open the vents to get some air moving.  At some point the current from the dash vents caused my black tie to go airborne.  Its funny how some seemingly innocent event can cause such a commotion.  Perhaps the scream I heard back then is the cause of the ringing in my ears.  (Is it to late for a law suit?  Seems to be the thing to do these days.  I'll check into it.). Sandy's scream followed by "its a bat" caused quite the stir in the confines of the front seat.  Its hard to imagine the time frame of the next few events.  I was trying to navigate the car at highway speeds knowing that a small scary creature had flown in the window and was threating all of us.  I'm sure Ruthie was trying to protect herself however Sandy was the main event before I could pull to the side of the road and turn on the dome light she had propelled her body from the front seat to a fetal position in the back seat.  It took sometime for us to realize the innocent piece of my outfit laying beside her was the culprit.  We still laugh about it to this day.  Now back to Bobbie and her SCREAM, enclosed vehicle, air-conditioned, windows up, scream, not used to this, I think all of us in the backseat jumped.  The Don and Yoda must have been accustomed to this behavior.  Turned out she mistakenly thought she had missed her horse's event, a little unnecessary drama perhaps. 

.    Their horse didn't place as well as they expected and their was some criticism of their trainer and the judges on the way home.  We spent a little time exploring Norco, neat town known as a horse town.  Special riding trails thru town with places to park your horse outside of restaurants and taverns.  Pretty nice.  

A little practice backing up. 
Not a natural movement for a horse

     Besides training the young colts I was spending at least two sessions each day with the new foal.  Of course there were training videos to watch prior to this new task.  He was learning to respond appropriately to pressure and everything needed to be a safe social animal that would be safe to be around when he was grown.   I really enjoyed working with the foal as the learning curve was amazing and my employers seemed to be very pleased with the results. 

   
It was hard to get a handle on the time frame of events.  We were so busy with the horses, the ranch, "family outings" learning and seeing new things.   Not long after our arrival at the ranch Bobbie chased me down and said there was a Facebook freind at the gate calling to see me.  I think I heard her mention "crazy Bob".   I was a little apprehensive as they had already mentioned this was a working ranch and I was sure they wouldn't appreciate people from Facebook dropping by.  And besides I didn't know a "crazy Bob".    Bobbie said she had got the call from the gate and they were coming in.  I was a little anxious myself to see who had followed me to the desert.

Left to right, Just Bob, Vern, Sheri,
Ruthie, Barb with a sweatshirt? And Bruce!

     When the gate opened it wasn't only a single person, evidently crazy Bob had friends.  Turns out I didn't know Bob at all he and Sheri were friends of our friends Bruce and Barb from Rochester Minnesota.  I had commented on the forum when I seen Barb eating Hulu pie at the Cliff restaurant in La Quinta, she seen we were very close and together with Bob and Sheri had found there way to the ranch.   We enjoyed the visit, amazing really 2000 miles to touch bases.  Wonderful souls.


118 Science fiction?

      

      The Don and his late wife had been fortunate to purchase a young horse with good blood lines and potential.   She grew to become an international championship mare.  Retiring her at the peak of her show career with the idea of producing show quality foals.  While it is rare to have the type of success she had in the show ring.  It was even rarer to pass on those same qualities to an off spring.    She did and the way they did it was to this country lad pure science fiction.

    Her and other valued animals are bred artificially to reduce the danger of injury.  One of our trips with our employers was to take her to a reproduction (Repo) farm to be artificially bred, a few days later the embryo was flushed and placed in a surrogate mare.  See here's where the science fiction comes in, if it takes eleven months to produce an offspring doing it natures way.  Now with this

Ruthie guarding our packages. 
Waiting for our employers.

procedure a valued mare can produce several offspring in a year.   With the recipient mares carrying the colt to birth.   I think I heard them tell of one colt whose sire had been dead for 15 years.  Can't be, I must have been dreaming.  On this particular farm they had over a thousand mares to carry the famous foals.  As we learned more of this practice of using surrogate mares as a tool we found it was actually a common practice in many forms of livestock reproduction.   It was hard to picture the plain brown mare I passed every morning in her paddock was once the champion show horse you see pictured.  Ever since her triumphant show career almost every foal born on the ranch carries her blood line.  Lets go one step further, she is either the mother or grandmother of practically every foal born on the ranch.  Many of her off springs are quite famous in the Arabian English pleasure world.  I had to keep in mind that these colts could be worth as much as 75,000 as soon as they are born and many are already sold before conception.  There future is to be English trained Arabian show prospects.  Beautiful, spirited, friendly animals.  It was obvious Bobbie and The Don were educated horse owners and had exposure to training.  I could learn much as they shared their knowledge of the horses they loved.         However then my practical side showed its ugly face and I asked how much money she earned when she won all the major shows that year.  The Don told me it was not about the money it was about the ribbons, trophy's, honor, prestige and glory of winning.  I guess its not for me, my grocer still required cash.   The rich have expensive hobbies that I can only enjoy as an observer. 

     On the way back from the farm we stopped at a Sketcher's factory outlet mall.  I wasn't aware I needed shoes however it seemed we all came out with two boxes ( some sort of a buy one get one half off, we must have been very fortunate to visit on this special sales event. ).   The shopping was a fun time and our employers seemed to be more relaxed for a time.   I even heard them mention it as a family outing.  Today we seen a sign of some darkness between The Don and Bobbie however I think it is premature to talk about it.  Maybe it was just a stressful day. 

117 The other side of the story!

     
Although the training session went well in Glendale it was obvious that Jamie was not comfortable with all that horse ownership entailed.  I tried to reassure her that there was no shame in finding them a suitable home and going back to the life she had before the horses had been placed in her care.   Our friends Rod and Linda from North Dakota visited us in Glendale and it gave us a chance to share our experience to date in the California desert.    

      Now it is time for the other side of the story or you will wonder why in the world we would go back if it was all work.  I don't think we every thought about it however the first two weeks we were not given any method to leave the ranch with our trike.  The solid cement wall was only broken by two electronic gates that required a code or electronic remote.  I'm sure they would have given it to us if we had asked, you would think so wouldn't you?  For the most part they were very sociable those first two weeks.  They seemed to take us in like family including us in activities showing and explaining the many things that drew people to this wonderful desert area.  Famous golf courses, world class tennis, National level horse jumping and polo, have you been to polo match?  We replied that we had seen it on the movie "Pretty Woman" and I'm sure they leaned to each other and whispered "hello country bumpkin".   When not observing and critiquing my training they were both occupied for much of the day in their offices tied to their computers fielding leads for their other business's.  It was usually late by our standards when they emerged and started to think about dinner.  The Don was very efficient in the kitchen and I believe could have been a gourmet chef.  The meals were very tasty and Ruthie started to be his sous-chef.  They took us with Yoda accompanying to

Ruthie working in the outdoor kitchen,  I apologize
I should have warned her before taking the picture.

wonderful restaurants,  The Don always seemed to flash the cash to cover the expenses.   In private I asked Yoda if he always picked up the bill.  She said she had tried to pay once and he said he would get it because he knew what she made.   That should have been enough for most people however when we went to the next place "The Nest".  Which they explained had been a very popular meeting place for "Hollywood" celebrities during its heyday.  Now it was more of a historic place where people came to meet, dance and perhaps a lonely widow could find a dance partner for the evening.  We had a couple of drinks and two hors d'oeuvres.   Thinking that this would be in my price range I asked The Don if he minded if I picked up the tab.  If you really want to go ahead was his reply.  As we were getting ready to continue the tour of the area I flashed some cash as I laid a $100 bill on the table the waitress leaned over and whispered "it will be more than that". I gulped and grabbed another one, almost a $140 plus the tip!  I think I wont be covering the bill on a regular basis.   Things are expensive here in the desert.   

     We received an email from our Minnesota friends Dave and Sandy.  They were in the area and we arranged to meet them at a local Italian restaurant.  Always pleasant to be around they traveled extensively in their motorhome.   Its reassuring to see a couple enjoying each others company.  Our winter travel routes have intersected at times and it was a special treat to get to see them. 

     Later that evening at the ranch one of the brood mares seemed restless and The Don readied her stall.  That night the first foal was born on our watch.  All legs and clumsy he struggled to gain his balance to nurse and in the end had to be started on a bottle to keep his strength .   The Don seemed very excited about this new addition noting the length of his neck the set and length of his legs that he would be special and someday we would see him in a prominent show ring carrier.  Quite a goal for the poor little thing that couldn't nurse on his own yet.  The mare was milked, the foal bottle fed until finally nature and his determination took over and he nursed on his own.  I was told he was my special project, (wait , I thought the crazy mare was my special project?).

     That week we watched more training videos, I made a chart to remember the horses names, sure hope they don't put them in different stalls or I will be sunk.   The colts were like students with a substitute teacher, they all reared during the week and acted up.  I started to think maybe a greeter at Walmart might have been an easier way to pay for our winter travels.  Protect yourself at all times from the movie "Million dollar baby" came to mind as one of the colts hit me in the back as we entered the bull pen one morning, nothing malicious, something had frightened him and I was just in its escape route.  Unless trained, horses have no respect for your personal space and if allowed can actually become quite the bullies.  They are masters of intimidation using the same techniques they would with their peers.  Their bodies are a weapon to intimidate and force their stall mates to bend to their will.   I regained my feet checking for injuries scolding myself as I retrieved my cap for that split second of blind trust I had placed in my young opponent.  If Bobbie had been on the podium I would have gotten a stern reprimand and a score card giving the first knock down to the colt.  I continued on, nothing broken and know one had seen so it was all good.  Now you are the only ones that know about the mishap.  

     Our second week continued doing my home work learning the regiment of the training method to be used on these young colts. Every morning I would put them thru their class with my three coaches alternating advice and direction form the viewing platform, (Bobbie, The Don and yes Ruthie). Ruthie would be up there with the pocket sized instruction manual in hand and a real desire to have the chance to coach.  "hold you hand a little higher, stand a little further away, your not at a 45 % angle, step two to the side and two back, well you get the picture and so it goes, the colts and I got two to three hours of coaching.   I think I'm doing better.  Yesterday Ruthie patted me on the head.