Teja is Fantastic

i've had a hell of a month.
my little goat fiona had to be laid to rest on monday in my arms at UF. i'm devastated. utterly heart broken.
i am thankful for the pets i have to keep me going. its been such a struggle. i forget who once told me that anatolians gave the best "hugs".....but they do. teja seems to know when i'm at my worse. she comes over and nudges her head under my arms to get (give?) a hug.
i just wanted to update on how teja is. she's great. i'm not. i will post more when i can. right now....i'm just working on very minium things that need to be done. spending a lot of time with Joy (the little goat Fiona left behind) who is as heart broken as i am. teja is wonderful. she just lays nearby, but doesn't "intrude". that Jacks are "needy" and don't understand. but they get bored of my moping with Joy and go check out other things. honestly, i think teja is mourning some too. or picking up on my mourning. i don't know. but i wanted to update on her.

Teja's Wednesday Update

Teja is doing awesome. she has come SO far out of her shell, she is learning MANNERS now. WAY too big and put on WAY too much weight to jump UP on you. she learns VERY quickly. she went to her second horse show last saturday, and again was the belle of the ball! everyone LOVED my T-shirt I had on- I adopted My Anatolian Shepherd. with a picture of one on the front. i sent a LOT of folks to the web site. a couple for sure seemed like great candidates. she is SO happy and out going now...a completely different girl! i am going to get my best friend rubye to video tape us playing and put it up on youtube. :)
she is SO good in the barn the only time we have an issue is because she is SO quite and still....if she lifts her head when i walk a horse by, it startles the horse who hadn't seen her. LOL most of the horses are used to her now...all but Steve. he's wary of everything though. and honestly, he's the ONLY horse Teja saunters out of the barn to "watch" me ride. other wise, she waits just inside by the BIG utility fan. SMART! she doesn't come out very far, just lays under the tractor...but definitely doesn't nap. my little super girl! :)
she did make the UPS driver nearly fall over from the start she gave him with her bark when he dinged the bell. and i don't mind her startling THIS driver...he's a putz!
i will try and get pix of Teja at the show in Gainesville this weekend. :)

Wowwwww....new horse Steve REALLY pissed Teja off!

part of training and riding horses is that you ARE going to fall off from time to time. 

for whatever reason, today the new horse, Steve, decided to be a complete ASS to mount. as SOON as my butt hit the saddle and before my other foot was in the stirrup....vrrrrroooom! off he went. i got him stopped, chilled him out. but it was ALL over the stupid mounting step he bumped. so, he needed to work on that. i KNEW in my gut...ride him FIRST mary, THEN deal with the block.

but NO...1/2 german side wins again. i REALLY need to go with the 1/2 native american side more.

off i get. on i get and that sucker took off at the speed of LIGHT! no biggie, BUT i am still ONE single stirrupped which is BAD. now, at this point...you know after so long...i KNOW i'm hitting the ground. steve is 16.3 hands, so a BIG horse to fall off of. i DO have some pretty damn good talent on HOW i hit the ground. i've broken my back and had 6 concussions...so you LEARN how you want to hit the ground. the barn girl, denise, sees my spin in mid-air and touch and slide by my butt and roll in to a neat ball. steve comes to a screaming stop and was about to bounce around by my head....Teja comes out of the shade where she was on the other side of the tractor and made SUCH a snarly snapping commotion, it spooked him away from my  head.

the Teja came running in to the ring and sat down beside me facing steve who had already run off. but she kept him in her site. never growled again, but watched him.

i'm ok....but thankful for her help. i don't think he would have hurt me much more, but you never know.

i thought you all would like to hear that story. well...aside from the crash and burn.

I'm fired...LOL Teja's newest update

WHAT a brave girl she was this past Saturday! she went to her first horse show and did FANTASTIC! she was the belle of the ball and LOVED the attention! she squatted at the first few people, but by mid-afternoon she greeted everyone with a wagging, curled happy tail. :)

she took to staying in the a.c. living quarter like a trooper. she even lounged in the stall while i braided the horse i was showing. she was awesome with the dogs running willy nilly too. i was REALLY worried about the PA spooking her popping on and off over head speakers, but she just picked her head up, looked at me, then started snoozing again. :) she's gotten a little too happy about mom and dad coming and going. when the come back to the farm, she's been jumping on them. and since mom has a bad hip, we're changing that. she is SO easy. i do the cesar millan SHHHH and snap. i can be over 50' away and she stops doing w/e. she got in to going after the horses at the fence a little when the goat (inside with her) was near the fence. she was protecting Fiona, but she needs to learn the horses are not a threat even though she was doing a good job.

i absolutely adore this girl and am thankful every day when we wake up and she just talks and talks and talks. i never knew HOW vocal these guys were. its absolutely hysterical. and anyone who can make ME laugh in the morning is an ANGEL! LOL

wow what a day- sort of Teja's Tuesday

my parents baby sat her today. :) i didn't want to  be alone while i took my little goatie Fiona back to the university of florida for a re-check.

Dad LOVES Teja, and she loves to maul him. LOL

it was a long day....8 hours by the time i leave and get back. Fiona's appointment went ok. she got blood work ran again and it was about the same, so they gave her another Ivmec Plus injection and hopefully that clears up. she had low grade temps off and on today too, so we're watching that. she has to go back again in 2 weeks. i joked about decorating her stall next time.

Teja definitely missed me! she was whining and roorooing at me...bouncing all over. SO cute! BIG baby.

she's gotten in to playing with Izzy too which was REALLY cute. i wasn't too sure at first she was playing...i'm still learning about her. but it was definitely play growls. she does that stompy/boxing play thing with her front feet...then she started rolling around on her back...then front legs out in front...butt up and tail going. it was pretty cute. :)

mom and dad said she was GREAT, but didn't want her lunch...little mopey. the trip to UF stinks because i have to sit around at the outside barn...too hot for Teja. and let me tell you...she is QUITE the A.C. rat! she goes OUT and wants right back IN. LOL

that's it for now. i have a pretty crap week ahead of me. my Sr. stallion, Lautrec, is having some upper respiratory issues that warrant HIM getting scoped and put on the treadmill at UF. we're hoping its just allergies, and hopefully this will be the reason why he's been so naughty recently to ride. i would be TOO if i couldn't get oxygen to my body properly. i think he has an ulcer too which is VERY likely with upper level equine athletes in Florida. the vet went down a list on the phone with me, and Louie got a check beside each one except for poor coat and appetite. he couldn't be any shinier and it would take a MAJOR event for him to pass up any food! 

so keep poor Fiona and Louie in your thoughts and prayers if you could. 

Teja's Sarurday

Well, I am kinda bummed out I didn't get to show off my new girl at the horse show. We skipped it because the weather was so bad.  I can not for the life of me understand why the horse show committee STILL ran the show. I do NOT ride my horses in dangerous footing. If they wouldn't be sliding, they would strain tendons struggling through muck. No thank you. 

Teja and I finally got to PLAY again outside today! The sun is out even though there is still a breeze and EVERYone's spirits were UP today! Dogs had fun playing...goats had fun...horses and babies were all willy nilly...fun to sit back and watch!

I need to weight Teja and see how much weight she has gained...quite a bit by the look and feel of her! :) And since the sun is out, I will try and get John to get pix of Teja and I playing out side. :)

I will put those up later. :)

Teja's 8/20 Update

 

I had JUST started to work on Wednesday's post when POP out goes the power.

Any way....we are both doing fine with the storm. She seems to understand that she isn't going to be stuck in it and she's safe inside. Now, getting a BIG, scared girl OUTside for potties....well, THAT is another story. She will go out when she is bursting though. I refuse to haul her out and no amount of coaxing can get her out. When she's ready...she's ready. :)

Honestly, there isn't anything new to report on...just waiting for this dumb storm to move its big butt along.