Safety

Thanks to Tara and the young lady who was riding Beamer in the English lessons, I found a local Chiropractor for Beamer, he will be treated on Sunday evening. Got to have my boy feeling better!

If y'all haven't been over to Laughing Orca blog today, you might want to visit and wish Lisa well, she got kicked and is in rough shape. Which brings me to the reason for my post tonight.

We tend to become complacent with the horses we know and love. With strange horses, we are much more careful. These large and powerful animals rarely deliberately want to hurt or attack us, so it is the little things we do that get us hurt. Today, the flies were thick around the horses, and they were understandably irritated. I brought Beamer in, hosed him off, and turned him into his stud pen. He hangs out in a crowding tub that is part of his pen and has some nice shade for him. It has solid steel walls. I was on the outside of it, brushing flies away from his eyes when I spotted a small bite on his side that had a lot of flies biting it. I picked up a stick and brushed the flies away- but Beamer didn't see me do that and he reacted with a very powerful kick that made those steel walls ring. I was very glad that I wasn't standing next to him. Worried about the concussion in his foot, I took him out and gave him about 15 minutes of strong hosing on that foot with cold water.

I've heard it said that the accidents that kill you are usually within 5 miles of home, and my cowboy mentor says that it is the horses you know and trust that will hurt you. Be vigilant and always practice safety even in simple situations. Put safety before convenience. Make it a habit to always do the little things in the safest way possible- even if you are only doing that thing for a moment. Like, for example when I am leading two horses and get the lead ropes snarled around my arm when I am closing the gate- I've caught myself doing that lately and make myself take the time to straighten them out- the gate can wait, I'd rather not have a broken arm! Or when handling cattle, never assume that the fence or gate is safe to stand behind- I have a scar on my brow bone to attest to that.

Never be in a hurry to the point that you sacrifice safety.

And don't forget to stop and smell the roses......

The Battle Within

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil- it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute, and then asked his grandfather: "which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."