Really, Now a link to the MAGIC video

For everyone who has been waiting to watch Magic under saddle, I narrated one copy of the video but that copy is STILL uploading, so I managed to get this one, without narration, uploaded on to you tube. Turn your volume off unless you want to hear a bunch of useless chatter between Nichole & I. :O)

Follow this link and, though it it smaller that the blog video, you can still see the amazing stuff Magic is beginning to do.

Leave me a few comments or hit the quick response under the blog entry. It will be fun for me to read! You can also subscribe to the blog. Many times there are interesting and useful links off to the right that are blog related, that maybe one could use.

I am going to see if I can find other horse related blogs, too.

All for now & enjoy this first video, AT LAST, REALLY! :O)

A Request From Piper's Previous Care Taker

OK, so I think I told many of you that I got Piper from a private barn where her young owner had left her and really could not afford to pay her board. Well, the person, (Lisa is her name, too) who took good care of Piper even though she did not own her has a young project mare for sale.

I told Lisa I would post this mare on my blog to try and help her sell her. Pretty thing and Erin is already begging! :O) But, we now have Piper, Allie, and Magic so............

Take a look at this young mare and call Lisa if you are interested. As e-mailed to me tonight:


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hi Lisa

Thanks again for helping me!!!!!

Here are some pictures of Haylie my 3yr old breading stock mare. She is 15.3 hands tall and she is by All Time Fancy (the top Hunter Under Saddle stallion on the paint circuit right now) and out of an Artfull Investment mare ( who is very well know in the quarter horse world). This mare has about 30 days on her. She has been worked with a lot on the ground, lounging and ground driving. She has been ridden a hand full of times walking and jogging in November before all of the bad weather. This mare is a world quality mover english and western. She has the big flat trot and the deep slow hock everyone is looking for, and she can jog also. I am only selling her because I have bought a house and I dont have a barn at my new house. I will let her go for 2000 if someone will take her now, she is worth a lot more and if I have to keep her I will be asking more in the future. If anyone is interested I have a video of her free lounging and on the lounge line saddled, or you can come and see her in person. Please give me a call Lisa Stoner 815-2040

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So, You wanna live in Whatcom County? :O) (Part 2) Video

So, I got up this morning feeling all my aches and pains from being so out of shape and then pushing myself to fill, tie, and pass sand bags during the Ferndale Flood of 2009.

Here is part 2 of So, you wanna live in Whatcom County??? :O)

I have managed to get the "boater" on this one and the flooding of the office. For all of my concerned family and friends: the inside of the office remained dry even though the waters did flood the surrounding trailer lot!!!!

For all my horse loving friends: Yes! We managed to rescue the remaining Timothy hay so our horses will have enough to eat until we harvest again. Hopefully, we will find some nice local hay for our horses in the Spring and will not endanger any remaining hay by further flood waters.

For all of you that helped: Thank you, thank you, thank you. And, thank you, Pat, for rounding up your friends to help us make it through Ferndale's rising flood waters.

Carroll: I owe you a pair of shoes and your daughter some pain killers for helping both with the trailers and the sandbagging! :O)

Michelle: we started by trying to help you and the Boy Scouts bag sand, but you ended up helping us sandbag...

I have more Ferndale Flood video and will work on uploading it later. But for now, the flood waters are receding and things are slowly getting back to normal at our office and around Ferndale.

If you need help with repairs or remodels to your home, office, or business space please let us know. Here is a link to our website

Also: we are long time members of the Whatcom County Building Industry. To visit their website click here.

Or call us directly at: 360-815-5051 or 360-815-5053.

If you need a trailer to move items with or need a trailer to store items in while you are completing repairs or remodels, we can help you here also. Just follow this link to our trailer site or, again, call us directly. We look forward to hearing from you as we all work together.....

Do not forget, we have horses and can provide you with the horse trailer of your dreams....

Enjoy the video!

So, You wanna live in Whatcom County? (Part 1) Video

OK, here is part one. Today, as many of you have heard or maybe saw, we had some flooding in Ferndale, WA. I say some flooding, but we actually had the most flooding that I can ever remember.

So, this is part one and shows Axton Road on the way into Ferndale. You will also see cars getting flooded in the park and ride behind our office and in the McDonald's parking lot. My friend's (Carroll) husband's truck was parked in the McDonald's parking lot (he car pools to work at Boeing) so she left work early and we met her to help move the truck (she needed an extra driver)....

Long story short: we were headed into Ferndale to help fill sand bags and ended up needing help as our office had become lake side property. But, that will be part 2 and saved for tomorrow's blog as hours of sand bagging and moving trailers has left me pretty drained. It's all I can do to upload this tonight.

Part 1 shows some of the trip in to Ferndale to attempt to fill sand bags to help others...

And, yes Piper and Allie, our lovely mares, kept warm and dry, happy and well fed, while we got wet, tired, hungry, thristy....and sore!

Ahhh, what a wonderful winter!

Slogging It

A nest far above 10 Mile Creek flood waters, Ferndale, WA

Over looking our creek shelf next to the field. High waters!

And. a creek runs through it...... an old barn that sits on the side of Northwest Rd. on the way into Bellingham, WA, now sits in the middle of creek water.

Overlooking Paradise Road by McKay's Farm and on the way to Axton Rd. in Ferndale, WA

From a 4 rail fence above water, to a barely 2 rail fence under water.........







For the last couple of days we have had alot of rain. For all of you who live here, or even near here, you know it has been the "duck your head and run for cover" kind of weather. With snow melt off as well as rain... well, you get, flooding!

I have included pictures of Ten Mile Creek, now looking more like a river, that is next to our horse fields.

Speaking of horses, I kept Piper and Allie in the stall yesterday as the rain was coming down in buckets. Today they are out slogging through the mud.

Piper got her feet done yesterday by Gary Flonas of Fit and Flat Ferrier Service. What a nicely behaved little mare.

I hope I can haul her out on Saturday and get video of her under saddle to post.

Enjoy our flood pics.

In Love... With Piper (A Good Read For Those Who are, Sometimes, Afraid)

OK, so anyone who knows me knows that I have some fear of horses. But, I LOVE Piper already! Tonight, and this really is sweet, I took Piper out of her stall without her halter and lead rope. Really! I was standing in the aisle way of our barn and I opened Piper's stall door and just called her name. Piper came to me better than my little dog does. When I said (in my ignorance) "stop", Piper stopped! Then I said "stand" and Piper stood. I took out Piper's grooming tools and groomed her. When Ted opened Allie's stall door and Piper looked like (and started to) move towards Allie's stall, I said "no" and she stopped. Then, I continued to groom her. Piper was so good about this and I was not afraid of standing next to her even though she wore no halter. When Ted again opened Allie's stall door then started messing around in the aisle way, I took Piper by her neck with my arms and turned her towards her stall. I told her "stall" and she walked in!!!!

I followed Piper, finished brushing her mane, then just stood in her stall, hugging her neck, both giving and receiving love. Ahhhh............. to be loved by a horse, a sweet horse..........

My Wine Store

OK, so I realize that maybe I did not explain my "wine" store to many of you. A couple of years ago when Abbott Construction had a "good"year in business, I purchased wine (both non-alcoholic, and that with alcohol) for our customers, both past and present. Since then, the company I purchased from has expanded their offerings to include bottled water among other offerings.

I have updated the labels available to choose from. With Valentine's day coming and special dinners being planned, take the time to browse these labels, click on your favorite label, pick your special one's favorite beverage, order it up, and plan your dinner celebration. Shop from home and get it delivered to your door!

Whether you are a horse enthusiast, a gardener, or just love to watch the sun set with a friend and a good bottle of wine, you are sure to find a label to express the moment, and the right beverage for the occasion.

Some of the labels are labels that Signature Wines had as their stock labels, but many are my own photographs. If you have questions as to which are mine, just e-mail and ask...

So follow THIS link to the wine store and have fun!!!

NOTE: Wine Store will be OPENED on Tuesday. I made changes to the store front that take time to update so please check back. Thank you!!

Happy New Year & Happy Shopping!

Lisa

Snow Days

Just for fun, I wanted to post some snow days pics with Allie & Piper. We are scheduled to haul Allie & Piper into BB Stables on Saturday to have Kris look at Piper and for Erin's lesson on Allie. I will keep you posted........

Horses and Training

As the owner of a young 3 year old mare, I have seen many interesting training sessions and techniques while trying to find a trainer.

Our mare has sure been through the mill: from trainers who expect a 3 year old mare with just a little training to be well behaved and well started and, because she is strong willed, these trainers do not want to work with our mare, to people in our community who make assumptions as to who she is without even seeing her, to those who take money and do not watch closely over the animal, or who do watch but things happen and....... disaster results. There are many good trainers out there I am sure, and even some of the good trainers do make mistakes. It all boils down to decisions the trainers make, how they respond to any mistakes they may make, how they like or do not like your animal, how your animal responds to their specific technique of training, I believe, and based on my experience to date.

As a horse owner, I have seen some pretty heavy handed trainers. And while I understand horses are large animals and the amount of force it takes to really physically hurt a horse is tremendous, I also understand (and have seen) horses being hurt by many a small human. Face shy horses are often hit in the face be it with an opened hand, closed fist, or some other item, this can create a whole host of problems for a horse owner down the line.... Try haltering or bridling a face shy horse, it can be quite challenging!
Or, in our case, a horse who is sensitive to having her ears touched (she has very hairy ears!!) because of a very bad experience she once had.
I want good communication, involvement with the training, and respect from the trainer to me, my family, and respect given to, as well as demand from, my horse.

I have Mag in with Nichole who is just over the WA border in Idaho for some light ground work and to build back towards being ridden after her long lay off due to her injury. I feel good about this and will update on this blog.