Dilly Dally Arena

Texas Style Round Robins

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard of a Texas Style Round Robin? Well, I hadnt until last year but it sounds like the best way to have a round robin! It really makes each roper rope their very best in each team effort!

From what I understand it goes like this - Each header ropes with each heeler one time. The times of each team is recorded...if they dont stop the clock they get a designated time such as :30 or :60 recorded. At the end of the roping, each headers times are totaled and each heelers times are totaled...the header and heeler with the quickest overall time wins, followed by the next quickest etc. Basically you are solely judged on YOUR times...not the fastest teams! So if you want to throw your rope in the dirt, go ahead, its going to hurt you as much as anyone! How cool is that!!

Not only do these type ropings remove the 'ability' to cheat, they are much easier on the cattle and horses too!!! With the added benefit of not going on for such a long time! win...win...win

The greatest benefit to me though is it really evens up the playing field. If you botch one or two, you could still do well. How many of us have been to ropings to see a roper throw it in the dirt when paired up with one person and do a 'rodeo run' with one of his buddies. I know I have...up close and personal.... and it is sooooo frustrating.

I believe that folks that put on Texas Style Round Robins are truly in it for the sport. There is one place that I know of here nearby that is doing just this...BK Arena...they wont start back up until spring, but you can watch http://www.dillydallyarena.com/ for more info.

Horse collecting

2009-01-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

Have you ever driven by a field and there were just way too many horses in it? And you wonder, why in the world would anyone want that many horses? What do they do with them all? Their field is just dirt (or mud) and it must cost a fortune to feed them all and vet them and have the farrier out, etc.... what causes folks to 'collect' horses. Perhaps, you were driving past my house when you thought this!!!

What causes horse collecting? Is it a disease? A disorder of some sort? I dunno, but if it is, I think I'm recovering from it myself!!!

Perhaps it starts with the search for the 'perfect' horse - which I am convinced is really not out there- or perhaps it starts with the indecision over what style riding you are doing or maybe it is just that you cant resist that beautiful mare. However it starts, I think this winter has 'healed' me!!!

Yesterday as my husband and I were wrestling with a heavy (and frozen) tarp covering our hay supply in 6 degree weather with a slight breeze, I decided that this just isnt fun anymore....maybe its my age...but at the time, getting down to just a couple horses sounded really good!

Now that I've thawed out, reducing our numbers still sounds good. When I really start counting up I think my husband and I spend a whole lot more time (and money) taking care of our horses than we do 'enjoying' them. Now, dont get me wrong, I'd rather care for my horses myself than have them at a boarding stable where everything is done for me (and the horse), but taking care of a whole herd in single digit weather just has lost its appeal to this 'ole' lady.

Still, just before turning the lights off in the barn, smelling the clean shavings and hay, listening to the horses happily munching away and just knowing all is well, is a really great feeling.

So, perhaps this is how folks like me end up with more horses than they can ride. Maybe when the weather warms up, I'll be able to laugh about it too!

The CSI Pad

2009-01-10T16:37:00.000-08:00

We got the CSI pad that we ordered several days ago but it sat in the den for a few days before we finally got the opportunity to try it out.
The temps were hovering around 30 degrees outside and it was already dark out, but we hauled over to a friends indoor arena and saddled up. We werent able to do any hard riding, but the saddle fit two of our horses perfectly and they both seemed very comfortable with it. It is a very nice looking pad...a bit plain, but clean lines and I really like the way it sits OFF the horses withers.
All in all, I'd say it's by far the nicest pad we've ever owned....and I cant wait to see how well it works when my hubby is roping with it!! Up until now, he has been using two fairly thick pads so his horses wouldnt get sore and the thickness was a disadvantage, he really had to crank on the girth to keep the saddle from rolling....not to mention the difficulty of getting both pads just right! Considering how well padded, how sturdy and how lightweight the CSI pad is, I'm pretty much hooked. Time will tell if it is truly as good a pad as it appears. But, nonetheless, now that I've seen it, I want to get one for me!!!

Crazy things horses do...

2009-01-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

By now most everyone has seen this photo. It made its rounds via email awhile back. And, you've probably also seen the photo of the mare that liked water so much and got stuck trying to swim in a big water trough.

I've been talking to some friends lately about ways their horses have tried to get their attention....one young horse was playing around in a field, reared up and got its front leg hung in the 'Y' of a tree....another decided it would be fun to roll under the fence, but got stuck...then there was one that was playing 'the whisker game' over a fence with a neighbor and impaled its chest on the gate hanger.

We built our new place with 4 plank fencing and rounded corners...plastic troughs...etc...but our horses still manage to injure themselves. The other night my 2Yo Pally mare came in with blood running down her leg...it appeared to be a puncture, but on closer examination was just a bad bump. I was thankful for that, but have no clue how it happened.

My husband says horses have one goal in life...to kill themselves. And, honestly, sometimes I think he is right!!! Horses just do the darnedest things, dont they?

Helping Hands

2009-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Today I was gone for most of the day...to help a friend in need. My friend's husband, also a good friend, had a pretty terrible 4-wheeler wreck and has been laid up since Thanksgiving. He is on the mend now, but is still confined to the bed...and probably has another month or so to go before he will be able to get around again. My friend has her hands full taking care of him, working and doing the daily chores that we all must do. She had gotten alittle behind in a few areas and so some other friends and I went to give her a helping hand today.

Almost 2 weeks ago, I stopped by to see another dear old friend in an assisted living center. She was so thrilled to see me....said it was the highlight of her year! I just stopped by to give her a hug and to tell her I had been thinking of her.

These two incidents got me to thinking as I was driving home tonight....I was thinking about the times I had actually reached out to help someone in need, and you know what? I could do alot better!!! When someone is lonely or needs a helping hand or just needs someone to let them know that they CARE....it really is a simple thing. Why dont we look for these opportunities more often? You know, the opportunity to reach out and let someone know that they are not alone...that we are there for them....

Maybe they need a meal cooked, an errand run, someone to go to the doctor with them. Perhaps they need someone to pick up a prescription or help with their chores. Maybe they just need a hug and someone to tell them they are there.

I'm going to try to do more for my friends and those in need this year...in fact, I'm going to LOOK for ways to help out.

Winter Weather and Horses....

2009-01-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

After a couple of weeks of really decent weather for this time of year....mild temps and mostly dry conditions....it is just totally nasty out tonite. The temp is around 35 and a steady rain....just miserable! My husband commented that he would rather it be 15 degrees and snowing!!! (I have to agree and I think most horses would too.... although I'm not sure the horse in this picture would!)
The warm and waterproof blankets that we use were working just fine when I checked each horse this evening while feeding. Wish I had the room to bring everyone in the barn, but I dont and I do have several mares that just prefer being out... no matter what the weather. As long as they have plenty of good hay and fresh water and their blankets, they should be fine. Of course, I always check on them at least twice a day to make sure!
Because it is so bad outside, I thought it would be interesting to post some info on winter horse care. I found several good tips on the following websites.

This is a good site

and so is this one

and this one is too!

Now none of these sites mention the following problem....Have you ever been to a competition or practice and watched folks lead their sweaty, tired horses to their trailer and then proceed to unsaddle and load them wet?? I've actually seen some wet horses loaded into stock trailers! One guy laughed that his horse would be blown dry going down the road when someone said something to him about it!!! This freaks me out! Admittedly it is hard to dry a heavy-coated horse, but at least throw a blanket over them for the trailer ride home. And please put them in a clean, dry stall once you get there.... at least until they dry throughly!
What do you think? Any other tips or suggestions?

BTW, I feel very blessed that our horses here in Tennessee dont experience weather like the horse in the picture!!!

Bomb Proof

2009-01-04T07:41:00.001-08:00

You've probably already noticed that there are lots of horses for sale right now. And alot of them are advertised as 'bomb proof'. Craigslist and other horse for sale sites are loaded with ads of 'bomb proof' or 'kid safe/husband safe' horses....some of which look like they havent seen a brush or farrier in months. Bomb Proof? Doubt it! But it did get me to thinking...what exactly is 'bomb proof'??? And, better yet, why do some really good horses get a bad reputation after one incident?

I've had horses for almost 40 years now and I've seen some really, really well trained horses, but in any given situation, I think these horses could've easily come un-trained! Bomb Proof...sounds good on paper, but in reality, I dont think so.

I owned this one horse...he was a gorgeous, aged gelding and was super well trained...he was what a lot of folks would classify as a real 'baby-sitter'...even to me, this horse was as close to 'bomb-proof' as I'd ever seen. One late summer day on a leisurely trail ride a horse fly the size of a hummingbird got after us.....I swung and swatted, but this was a very persistent horse fly....and it had a single minded target in mind - my horses rear.

You've probably already guessed what happened next...the fly came in for its landing and my horses rear came about a foot off the ground, considerable tail swinging and head tossing accompanied...then I smacked the fly and BOOM! it was over, quick as that, nothing unusual in my opinion....but to some of the riders that were present that day my well-trained horse 'bucked' with me. Now most likely, if my horse hadnt been so well-trained the incident would'nt have caused a second glance; but because he was so well trained, the expectations regarding his behavior were completely different.

Word games...everyone has their own set of beliefs and expectations. That is why I could never advertise a horse as bomb proof...especially a 3YO ,but that is the way this one is described in this craigslist ad.

"Jesse is a registered 3 year old bay gelding. His registered name is "*******" but is affectionately known as Jesse. He comes from the Jesse James bloodline. He is 14.3 hands tall and can be ridden by anyone. He is considered a family horse and is completely bomb proof. He can be bathed, clipped, doctored, loaded, unloaded, and saddled without any trouble. He has been used to work cows and does a great job. He would make a great roping horse and is basically an all around prospect. He has been taken on trail rides and just ridden in the pasture by my 4 year old niece and he does really well. While on the trail ride our friend had him cross the river and he had no problems with crossing the water or standing in it. She also could stand up on him and he didn't move. I currently don't have those pictures but hope to have them up on our website soon, on Jesse's page, look for website link at bottom of page. He can be caught anywhere, will just walk right up to you to be petted and is super friendly. He would make a great addition to your home for the kids or the husband, you just can't go wrong with this horse. I don't like to say kid safe because some feel that means they can just turn the kids loose on the horse by themselves, but this time I don't mind. My 4 year old niece rides him by herself all the time while we stand outside the pens and she will tap him with a stick and he does absolutely nothing. Jesse is completely worth every penny and an outstanding horse."

This looks like it is a really nice horse. He is obviously cared for, groomed and well fed...and the folks have spent time with him - he could very well be a 'needle in a haystack' and be super well trained for his age....but 'Bomb-proof 3YO' is an oxymoron if I've ever heard one.

I'm baaaaccckkk.....

2009-01-03T21:32:00.000-08:00

In keeping with all the New Years 'gonna do betters'....I updated my virus software on my computer.....and its been playing havoc with my blog and website updates!!!! I finally got everything 'fixed' today.....I think!

This afternoon, we took several of the young horses to a nice indoor just down the road to work them. Even though we could've just as easily worked them here, we feel that it is great experience for them to trailer to a 'strange' arena. There is always lots of new things for them to see, hear and smell. Normally, there is also a good number of really 'spooky horse eatting monsters' at every different arena.

Today, even though it was really warm, there was a very nice breeze which caused some plastic wrapping on the baled shavings that are stored in an area adjacent to the arena to blow....the 'monster' of the day! Every one of the 'kidz' had to take several good looks before they would pass by. Dont you just love working with the youngsters....they are so enthusiastic about everything!!!

Anyway, we got home late and hurried thru chores....just as we were turning off all the lights to come inside...a horrible scream was heard. It was Velcro one of our many cats! First I need to give some background on why we have 8 cats living with us.......Several months ago, some jerk dumped a whole litter of 5 pathetic little kittens just up the road from us. Velcro, who thinks he is the neighborhood 'welcome wagon', apparently invited them to come to the 'buffet' that is served twice daily at our place - and strangely 2 other adult cats also appeared at this same time (no, they werent the parents...totally unrelated as far as I could tell).

The kittens were thrilled about the food, but not so crazy about me....until they figured out that the food appeared shortly after I did. After a couple of months, they began to tolerate me very well and would even allow me to pat them and sometimes pick them up. My husband wasnt too happy about all these new barn creatures, but they were doing a great job eliminating the mouse population in our barn!!! Two of the cats (one adult and one kitten) developed a 'game' of attacking my dog (a one eyed border collie)...so my husband ended up taking them to the pound. I hated it, but I had my hands full trying to 'save' the 'nice, mannerly' ones!

I'm not a 'cat' person, but for some reason these sad little pathetic kittens 'touched' me....they were so pitiful and soooo thankful for the food and shelter. I thought I'd be able to find homes for them...NOT! As they got older, we realized they were going to have to be spayed and neutered or they would become part of the problem. I found a wonderful discount spay and neuter clinic in Lebanon and made an appointment to take them all in. It was quite the production carrying 5 semi-feral cats in, but they did great! My husband was quite the trooper through all of this, not even complaining about the cost...which at $200 was really reasonable....but then again, thats still alot of cats that we didnt want!

Okay, back to tonite....Since the kittens are older and bigger, Velcro has made a new sport of chasing them....I guess he needs to show them 'whose boss'.....but tonites scream was unlike any I've heard! I went running to the feed room and there was yet ANOTHER cat!!!

I suppose tonites post is simply to vent...but WHY do people think its okay to dump their unwanted animals on someone else???? The past 15 months we have had 9 cats and 1 dog dumped on us and our neighbors have had 3 cats and 3 dogs dumped on them. This is just crazy!!! When my husband spoke to the fella at the county pound about the problems we are seeing, he was told that people are bringing their pets to the pound and leaving them because they cant afford to feed them any longer!! These are dogs that have been pets for years!! Amazing times we are living in....wish I had a good answer, which I dont other than to be a spay/neuter advocate, but I do know that dumping your unwanted pets on someone else is NOT the right thing to do!

The Finals and the CSI pad

2008-12-29T09:03:00.001-08:00

My husband and I have wanted to go to the NFR for several years now....and a few weeks ago, we finally did it!! We had a great time as it was not only our first NFR, but was also our first time in Vegas. Vegas was amazing....its like entering a different world...but thats a whole 'nuther' story!! We were only there for a few short days, so we decided to make the most of our time, by hardly sleeping!!! There was just waaaay too much to see and to do.

Before we left for our trip, we were forewarned about all the fun stuff to spend money on, so we decided to travel really light so as not to be tempted by all the goodies and trinkets (you cant buy it if you dont have room for it, right?) and we packed all our clothes for the 3 days in our little backpacks. Needless to say, the backpacks were stuffed and fairly heavy, but hey, we wouldnt have to wait on checked luggage or worry about it getting misplaced. Yep, we were traveling 'light'!!! Yee-Haw!!

Although I am not a big 'shopper', one of my favorite things about our trip was our visit to the trade shows. WOW...acres of beautiful boots, belts, coats, clothes, tack, gadgets, trailers, food, etc...... The saddles that were for sale were like none I'd ever seen around here....they were beautiful. Gorgeous tooling, special exotic leathers, just amazing. I found an Ammerman saddle that I really, really wanted and hubby found a Chad Masters saddle that he really liked.....too bad they wouldnt fit in our backpacks!! Our plan was working.....

One of the best demonstrations that I saw though was for the CSI saddle pad. Not everyone can afford a custom made saddle for every horse they ride, but we can make sure that we have the very best padding that we can afford. Now, dont get me wrong, I'm not saying you need to run out and buy a new CSI pad cause there are other very good pads available, but the CSI's are the most impressive pads that I personally have seen - unfortunately they have an equally impressive price tag.

We left the show without buying one....but neither of us could get that pad out of our heads. So, we came home, looked them up on the internet and ordered one! We want to try it out and see just how well we like it before we splurge for a second one.

So, after all our planning, we still managed to spend some moolah cause of the NFR....but, we figure its money well spent......cause if our horses are as uncomfortable toting us around as I was toting that heavy backpack through those airports, they are not going to be able to focus on their jobs or do them well!!!

Next year, however, is a whole different story...I think I'll check my bags....heck, I may even take two of them!!

Welcome to DDA's new blog - Are you ready for 2009???

2008-12-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the new DDA blog! I've got several ideas for the direction to take this blog, but prefer just to see how it grows. Since this is my first post and we are staring down a brand new year my question to you is.....are you ready for the new year? What are you going to do different this year in regards to your horses/horse related activities?

Most everyone looks as at the beginning of a new year as a good time to make plans to improve themselves....what are your plans in regards to your horses??? Are you going to spend more time riding this year, keep better health/training records of your horses, go to more events,.....?

One of my many new goals is to keep the website up to date on all upcoming events...but I will need your help. Will you include http://www.dillydallyarena.com/ as one of your 'new year resolutions'? I would sure appreciate it if you would....I also welcome any comments, suggestions in regards to this blog, topics for discussion, etc.