Rest In Pease, Texas Chili

I still remember that July 4, 2010, when I picked him up.  It was hot and dusty. He didn't want to load onto the trailer.  I stood in the heat with a big goofy thoroughbred who's neck was out - causing him to hold his head a wonky angle, who looked under-fed with the burnt coat of malnutrition.  I said to him "Get in or I'm leaving you here."  He walked in and stood quietly, then rode like a dream to my little farm in Pasco.

Once he was healthy, he bloomed in more ways than one.  His coat became and glossy black.  He filled out and let me know he had a thing for the girls.  He was always pastured with a girl.

He was nicknamed Dr Destructo.  He would ruin anything he could get his jaw on: buckets, feeders, gates, fences.  He even wiped out his knee, tearing it open and giving me the pleasure of learning how to wrap a knee without causing pressure sores or leaving it loose enough that it fell around his ankle.  He recovered completely sound.

Chili was the one horse that would leave breakfast for cuddles.  He would play with the leadrope while getting his feet trimmed. If he couldn't have the leadrope, he'd play with his tongue.  He was such a character in so many way. 

He was total cool with being bathed.  If it was hot, he'd stand across the fence for a hose down, politely turning so I could hose down the other side.

In 2017, The Exceller Fund decided that it would be worth moving Chili to one of their other farms in Missouri.  It made good business sense since Chili was the only Exceller Fund horse in Washington State.  Logistically, it just made sense.  It also broke my heart.  If I'd had the means, I'd have adopted Chili and kept him here. But time moves forward and plans change, so it wasn't possible.

I got regular updates from his new farm.  One that made me giggle was "Now I understand what you meant about buckets."  Apparently, Robin fed Chili and his pals from buckets hung on the fence for convenience.  That morning she arrived to find ALL the buckets destroyed and completely useless.  My response was Yeah, I really wasn't kidding nor was I exaggerating."

I have so many memories of him... all so very, very precious.

The picture below was one of the last I received.  I will never forget this amazing horse and how he touched my life is so many little ways.

"Somewhere in time’s own space
There must be some sweet pastured place
Where creeks sing on and tall trees grow
Some paradise where horses go,
For by the love that guides my pen
I know great horses live again."
Stanley Harrison


Rest in peace, my love.

HOME AT LAST!!!!!

We are finally in our new home!  It was very trying, and there is still some residual drama with the other place, but that will resolve in time.  For now, take a visual tour of the new place. (the outside anyway...)  Sorry that they a little disjointed and out of order....

 The view from the back deck of the house

 We have our own little stream...

 A COVERED RIDING ARENA WITH LIGHTS!!!

 On the right is a double loafing shed, with individual pastures.  One side is set up for chickens/ducks.

 Chiquita

 Chiquita says "This blows..."

 This wall used to be solid up to 8 ft.  We removed some boards and put in hog panel so the kids can see each other.

 All the stalls that are being used have these water tanks, which I use for hay feeders, rather than the metal hay feeders on the wall.

 I don't have automatic waterers, so everyone has two five-gallon buckets, and a grain bucket.  All the stalls are fully matted over gravel.

 Texas Chili

 Bullwinkle!  Filthy from rolling in the mud.

 Chili/Angel and Chiquita/Bullwinkle share paddocks that lead to the pastures.  They each have 100 gallon water tanks.

 The barn alley (Left side) - concrete and matted.  Excuse the mess.  We are still moving in.

 

 Barn alley - right side

 I have a heated bathroom in the barn!

 Tackroom

 Tackroom - yes, there is a full sized refrigerator in the middle of the room.  I need to modify the shelved on the wall for it to fit...  this room is also heated.

 The tackroom also comes with a washer, dryer, and hot water tank!

 These are "storage stalls"  They can be used as horse stalls if needed.

 Stairs go up to the loft.

 See the window below the stairs?  Well, the stairs can be pulled up, the wall behind me can be removed, and that would create a foaling stall with a window so I can observe from the heated tackroom!

 The lower landing in the loft, perfect for storage

 The hay loft - engineered for 20 ton of hay storage.  There are doors on each end - we just need to install a hoist down the center.

 This looks down over the stalls.  The net is to discourage pigeons.

 This is the north end of the barn and a Noble loafing shed.  The shed is currently not being used, but I will eventually move it to another pasture.

 My horse trailer will eventually be parked here.

 The arena.  The left half is for riding.  I also have equipment storage (tractor, etc) and a in-and-out pen for the pasture pets.

 

 Cabo snarfing Cappy's smush.  The equipment storage area behind him.

 Friday - poor starving baby

 A larger view of the in-and-out pen, with Cappy's pen in the corner.  Cappy refused to discuss breakfast in bed this morning...

 Cappy saying Hello.

 No really - HELLO!  (Yes he is ribby - he has been a bit of a turd lately.  He will pace his pen, even though the other two are locked in.  Sigh... I guess he'll eat when he gets hungry)

 Storage area and the riding arena

 The gate where the kids can go out to the pasture - all 5 acres of it.

 I even have bench seating - for collecting dust!

 Back to the barn...