Horsin' Around, Etc.

 

This is a big week for horses and horse lovers.

On Saturday, the following horses will "run for the roses" at the 152nd Kentucky Derby. 

The list below shows the horses' names, trainers and current odds.  The latter can change right up until post time. 

I have selected one entrant, based solely on his name but will also reserve final judgment until after I've seen the horses and heard their stories. 

My picks are always subject because of the criteria I choose to consider. 

Since I don't bet any money, it's all okay. 

After the Derby, I always pull for the Derby winner because I like to see Triple Crown winners. 

Anyway, along with the big Derby race, it's pretty much full-fledged horse season in our area.

It may not involve running for the roses but it's definitely a season of chasing individual dreams involving their beloved 4-legged friends. 

  

Horse owners will go to shows, set off on trail rides or in my case, concentrate on "just how pretty they are out in the field."

The pastures should be ready in the next few days for Lily, Lefty and CB to go racing, bucking, rearing and kicking each morning before settling down for breakfast.  

And, those moments prior to their grazing are always stunningly beautiful to watch. 

So, that's my main horse sport, while others I know do all of the above, including some practice for trail riding classes at horse shows. 

Last night marked the first "trail obstacle" night at my sisters' indoor arena in Colburn. It's one of the activities sponsored by the Emerald Empire Arabian Horse Assoc., and last night's initial gathering included six horses and riders. 

Two sisters, a mother and daughter and two good friends (both former students) showed up to learn pointers about scoring well in a trail class and to practice maneuvering through the obstacles. 

So, it was fun for me to drive over the the Tibbs ranch with my camera, do some visiting, some watching and take a few photos. 

The day was filled with some amazing rural scenes, so I've included the arena work along with some of the other eye-catching aspects of my day. 

Hope you will enjoy the photos and check out some horse activities.  

The horsing around will continue from now clear through the early fall months, so there are lots of opportunities for horse lovers of all kinds to enjoy these amazing animals in their respective environments. 

Happy Wednesday.

BTW:  I have picked "So Happy" for now.  

Danielle Schoonover Otis

Sarah Marienau Mitchell

Deanna Dillon

Barbara Tibbs, above; Deanna Dillon, below. 

Janice Wood Schoonover

Barbara and Laurie Tibbs

Janice and her daughter Danielle. 

Tuesday Mutterings

 

Jon Stewart Reflects on White House Correspondents’ Dinner: ‘Like Most Things in America, It Was Interrupted By Gunfire’

~Chew upon that observation.~

Soon to turn into blueberries. 

I have become a fan of Darrell Kerby, former longtime mayor of Bonners Ferry and fellow ZAGS lover, and his thoughtful Facebook posts.  

Always beautifully written, they offer knowledge, wisdom and helpful perspective. 

Darrell Kerby

 

Darrell, his wife and another couple, all lifelong friends from Boundary County, are on a month-long trip which has included two weeks in Ireland and two weeks in Scotland. 

I have never been to Scotland---have only seen it in the distance across the water from Ireland, but Darrell's observations make the country a tempting destination. 

Hope you enjoy his thoughts below and his carefully crafted use of the language as much as I did. 

~~~~~

Today we make our way to Fort William for a three‑night stay at Inverlochy Castle—our final base in the Highlands before we close out Scotland with an overnight at the storied Caledonian in Edinburgh.

The great cathedrals and castles of Europe did not pass Ireland and Scotland by. Their landscapes are marked by fortresses, tower houses, and grand estates—some ruined, some restored, many still standing with a kind of stubborn dignity.

After the catastrophic defeat of the Highland clans at Culloden and the deliberate dismantling of the clan system, many strongholds were destroyed or abandoned under the authority of the Hanoverian crown.

Yet Scotland, resilient as ever, still holds hundreds of castles: some rebuilt, some reimagined, some preserved as they were found. 

The country does not lack for stone, memory, or pride. Inverlochy Castle, where we will settle for the next three nights, is one of Scotland’s most atmospheric retreats.

 Queen Victoria visited in 1873 and wrote, “I never saw a lovelier or more romantic spot.” 

The castle sits beneath the shadow of Ben Nevis, (the highest mountain in the United Kingdom) surrounded by quiet lochs, ancient woodland, and the kind of Highland stillness that feels almost ceremonial.

Inside, it is all polished wood, soft carpets, and the gentle hush of a house that has seen centuries of private conversations. It is a place that invites reflection—whether you want it to or not.

And reflection is beginning to arrive. After nearly a month across Ireland and Scotland, we can feel the first flicker of homeward thoughts: family, responsibilities, the familiar rhythms waiting for us.

But I suspect Inverlochy will hold those thoughts at bay for a little while. Places like this have a way of occupying the mind fully, insisting that you stay present.

As we near the end of this journey, I find myself thinking about what travel actually does to us. It rearranges our sense of scale.

It reminds us that history is not an abstraction but a landscape you can walk across. It shows how cultures endure, adapt, and reinterpret themselves. And it reveals, again and again, that the world is both larger and more intimate than we imagine.

Ireland gave us warmth, story, and a sense of welcome that felt almost ancestral. Scotland has given us depth, shadow, resilience, and a kind of quiet beauty that works its way under the skin.

Together they have offered a month of learning, laughter, and the kind of shared experience that becomes part of a family’s internal mythology.

We’re not finished yet—but we can feel the arc bending toward home. For now, though, Inverlochy Castle awaits, and I have a feeling it will command our full attention.

  

All of the above and in the photo below spent their first night outside last night. 

All of the above and below did just fine. 

Since they had been in the house, I draped a sheet over the tomatoes and the geranium, but I think they would have survived the night even without the sheet. 

We have a week's worth of warm weather ahead, so it feels safe to put a few things in the ground.  

In addition, the tree blossoming was just beginning when we had some really cold nights.  Blossoms are still appearing, and from what I can see with the apple trees (even the new one), they're loaded with blossoms. 

Maybe---just maybe---we'll have a good fruit year.

That would be nice. 

 

It's a pretty scene that will never be the same. 

After the Fourth of July activities here at the Lovestead, these four poplars just south of the house and some others will be taken down. 

They are dying, and sloughing away, with big strips of bark and limbs constantly falling to the ground. Also, at least one limb did some damage to our roof last December during a wind storm. 

It's sad to see them go, especially with this annual springtime scene.  If all goes well, the periwinkle patch may be saved and I've asked that the stumps be left, maybe in different heights for some landscaping possibilities. 

Our little trooper. 

Foster can't safely do a lot of things any more because of his blindness and poor hearing, but he makes the most of each day, especially at meal time. 

He loves being under my feet whenever I work in the kitchen because that means there might be a handout.

He's the most polite begging dog I've ever seen as he picks Bill as his target each evening for some free bites.  That, of course, is after I have fed him. 

For as little as he is, that boy has an appetite. 

Outside, he either goes for walks with me two or three times a day or stays tethered to a long rope which offers him space for sniffing around and safety from any potential problems. 

And, of course, like any good dog, he sleeps. 

I really admire this cute little guy. 

Giddy Up Monday

 

Until yesterday, I had not loped/cantered a horse for 15 years. 

The last lope was an unwanted one. 

Annie and I were in Ireland, and she had made reservations for us to ride horses on the Atlantic Ocean shore near Tralee. 

That's where we met our friend Cass whom we have seen several times since on our trips to Ireland. 

Cass lined us up with horses and guides and then the horses were loaded up in a lorrie and taken to a start up spot near the ocean.  

My horse's name was Legalos, and Legalos ONLY wanted to canter down that ocean shore. 

Legalos did not have brakes in his mouth.  Apparently, it was calloused over from many years of people trying to get Legalos to just walk. 

Well, the romance of galloping down an ocean shore or anywhere for that matter had left my mind long before we traveled to Ireland. 

I was an old lady (even back then) and I did not want to gallop.  A walk would do just fine, and I made that clear to my guide.  

Annie and her horse Monster got along fine because, unlike her mother, she wanted to gallop. 

Legalos went into high gear almost immediately.  I will give him credit that he knew better than to race. He was satisfied with galloping a slow and easy speed, but I wasn't. 

As we moved along, my guide would try to convince him to go into a lower gear.  

"Legalos, stop," she would utter in her soft, almost whispered voice.  

I don't think Legalos had hearing aids, so he just kept on going. 

Fortunately, I had ridden enough to stay in the saddle, so I was relatively safe but still unhappy with this mount. 

Later, I tried a technique often used with young horses if they get out of control-----turn them a different direction and they have to slow their gait. 

That's when I learned that, in addition to no hearing aid and no brakes, Legalos did NOT have power steering.  Not even close. 

Try as I might, I could not budge that head and neck to turn. 

So, I weathered the storm and breathed a sigh of relief when we left the shore and Legalos quit galloping and walked on the streets through a small village overlooking the ocean. 

Fast forward to 2026 at my sisters' arena where she and I would get the final lesson from Monty, the trainer, on how to run the controls on CB.

Happily, CB can hear.  He does have brakes and he turns with leg pressure. 

So, Laurie took her lesson and worked him both ways of the arena at a walk, jog and lope. 

Then, it was my turn.  Monty reviewed how to use my hands and legs, and we had a good time walking and trotting both ways in the arena. 

Monty also asked me to back CB, which I did.  

He also has the reverse gear too! 

During our workout, Monty gave me some tips on how to distract a horse from something scary.  There was a spot in the arena where, with each pass, CB acted like the bogey man was hiding in the bushes. 

So, I was told to turn his head slightly inward, which gets his attention and move forward.  The trick worked well, so I tried it a few times until suddenly it felt like CB was trying to do a little crow hopping with me. 

No, CB wasn't being bad, I was told.  He was doing exactly what my leg pressure and rein work was telling him to do AND that was to lope. 

His loping didn't last long--just a few steps---so I was happy but unaware of the fact that I had unwittingly told him to lope.

We were about to wrap up when Laurie said, "I think you should lope him." 

To which I immediately cringed, thinking there was no way I was gonna do that. 

Laurie gave me a look and said, "You've already loped him; why don't you do it again knowing that you are actually telling him to lope? 

Monty chimed in and said, "Then, you'll know what NOT to do if you don't want him to lope."

I could sense that it was going to be a major disappointment to my youngest sister if I did not "buckle up, Buttercup," and face the mental challenge. 

And, that's what it is.  

I can easily convince myself these days that so many activities which I used to take for granted and just plunge in regardless of the consequences are not wise when you're pushing 80. 

"Myself" never argues with those decisions, and so far I'm still standing and walking but NOT LOPING.

Well, when you have your sister and your trainer standing and staring back at your cowardly self, you cave and just do it. 

Last words from Laurie before Monty walked alongside me and guided me into the lope were "You can stop after four steps if you want." 

Thanks, Laurie, I thought . . . Monty already has cautioned me that CB knows "Whoa" really well. 

I decided not to go with that scenario.  

When CB transitioned into his lope, I felt a surge of rolling power like I've never felt before. 

He has a powerful but smooth lope.  It takes some getting used to, but I stuck with it for a couple of rounds and then brought him effortlessly down into a trot. 

My body was not quite ready for that, but I'm thinking if I could subtract maybe 20 years, I'd love learning to lope again. 

So, we loped for the first time since Legalos.  I may try it again some day, but for now, I'm thrilled that my little stocking-legged baby has turned into a gorgeous, reliable and willing horse that looks beautiful when he performs. 

This chapter of boot camp for CB has ended, and I'm hoping to get back to my "riding by committee" evenings this summer where Bill sees that I climb aboard, ride around the place for a few minutes and then climb off safely. 

There's no better feeling than having a horse that you can trust, and it's all because people I trust have helped CB and me to get to this point. 

Priceless. 

Many thanks to the "committee." 

And, finally, yes, because of this experience I feel giddy and upbeat on this Monday. 

 

This year Shelby is riding one of Laurie's horses Persi.  She took a lesson yesterday, during which we got to meet her grandparents.  

Dave and Andrea Kramer from Naples are wonderful people. I think the folks in Boundary County would agree. 

Pache stood at one end of the arena while Dusty stood at the other while Laurie, Barbara, Shelby and I took lessons from Monty Collison yesterday. 

Both of these geldings have won National Championships in Western dressage and trail classes, so I think they were doing a little sidewalk supervising. 

I loved meeting Dave and his wife Andrea yesterday, as did Chrome.