1. People who don’t take care of their own horses will be the first ones to tell you how to care for yours.

2. You should never buy a cheap girth!

3. A handsome horse who’s badly behaved will become a lot less attractive in about 15 minutes.

4. People who think they have nothing more to learn about riding, hit the ground the hardest.

5. Children and ponies are natural allies and often have identical dispositions.

6. The richest horse people most often look the poorest.

7. The closeness of a horse is one of the sweetest smells in the world.

8. A solitary ride through the woods is more beneficial then six months with the best psychiatrist.

9. The worse a person rides the more likely they are going to blame it on the horse.

10. The best thing about going to the barn first thing in the morning is that horses don’t care how you look.

11. If a dealer insists a horse is worth twice what he’s asking he’s usually worth half that much.

12. The best way to appreciate how another person rides is to get on their horse, but it can be a quick way to get hurt.

13. I can recognize another horse person no matter what town, city, state, county or country I visit.

14. You can never have too many hoof picks.

15. It is not wise to argue with something that outweighs you buy 1,000 pounds.

16. I’d rather have a horse with a perfect mind then a perfect head.

17. If you think you have left the water on in the barn you have, if you think you have closed the pasture gate, you haven’t.

18. When someone asks you if you like their horse always say ‘yes’.

19. The happiest people I know own horses, dogs, cats and at least one deranged goat.

20. If you’re looking for the perfect horse you will never own one.

21. Owning a horse can either make a marriage or break it.

22. I’d rather lose my lipstick than my curb chain.

23. You shouldn’t talk about your first place ribbon to someone that came second.

24. If someone says that horse has a little buck, it has a BIG buck.

25. If we need rain, schedule a show.

26. I’ve never warmed up to someone that didn’t want a walk down to the stables.

27. A clean stables and a sparkling horse are among life’s great pleasures.

28. Even free horses can be too expensive. Especially, free horses.

29. No matter how badly behaved you are, your horse always gives you a second chance.

30. A more expensive horse doesn’t make a better one.

31. I will never ever have an empty stable and I have accepted that fact.

32. Losing a horse can break your heart, but it will have been worth it.

‘If you can’t imagine life without a horse… DON’T!’

Frind of mine posted the pic this week. Have a great Easter!

There are two ways to spread light; to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.

– Edith Wharton

Are you a candle or a mirror? Most people are somewhere in the middle. This quote reminds us of the importance of our actions. The example you set (as a mirror) is a way of sharing how you feel based on your behaviors. Gossiping, complaining, and being pessimistic show those in your life that you are unhappy and feeling low. The same is true for the opposite behaviors. Positive, affirming comments transmit to the world that you are happy, friendly, and optimistic. What is your mirror reflecting? Let your actions reflect your true beliefs and values.

The picture is of a sunset and the Tulsa skyline over a University of Tulsa football game that was sent to me last fall. It was taken from a helicopter over the game. Don’t remember who was playing. 🙂 The quote and above paragraph are from SparkPeople’s Healthy Reflections.

This seemed kinda appropriate with what is going on in several fronts with me. I am getting caught up enough to have time to return to things I love doing. I still have a few things that need to be caught up on. My accountant will kill me if I don’t get the ranch books done, but I will focus onthem in a bit. I have a few things to do the the BG’s and also for the Hooves cause and then I can whole heartedly focus on the ranch and more fun stuff.

I has a neat art site sent to me at work and forwarded on to my Mom. We discussed the ladies work a bit and Mom was all ya know you can do that to. Mom and her best friend have been artists forever. Mom has not had time to play with it in a while and with retirement loaming I have been trying to get her more into that. She needs something to do. And what does she do… try to get me to do it. LOL! I have some of that artist flare. But it becomes too mixed with that engineer’s brain and things just don’t ever seem to come out just like I want them. I have practiced lots. Took a few classes, since when I was single it was suppose to be a way to meet guys. Course I met old ladies who were amazed I could get the perspective in drawing. It’s the engineer thing. Guess that is why I love my computer and the program that I play with our logos in. I can create stuff digitally and make it look cool and edit it like a drawing on cadd and get what I want. Hopefully before summer I will finish the other Sierra Ranch Logo and play with doing some graphic art stuff.

I even bought some jewelery making stuff at the store last I went. I have always liked putting stuff back together. I can’t seem to find jewelery I like. OK, so I also hate to shop. LOL! So I am not the best at finding what I want. 😛 So I will just make it. I may put some peices on our website and up here when I get them done. There are always more things than I can do and would love to be able to sell some also. But have to get the books done first. 😛

Then there is work. The saying above really applies to work. My secretary tells me that it’s because I am such a great boss that I keep losing folks. 😛 OK, let me explain a tad. I finally get my staff to almost full staff again and then things start happening. Our department has been having some rearranging do to a few key players leaving or retiring. So folks shift and move up. Course Rick is mad that I am not wanting to move, but I love my job and the layers that insulate me from the upper management. Anyhow… One of my newly hired engineers applied for a lead engineer opening. It’s a great move for her, but she was just really getting it with us. We still don’t know if she has the job. They take a while to make those decisions. There are not many opening in our level so this would be a really great move for her. My other current engineer is getting married and needs to be closer to her new hubby. She is taking a job as an engineer at the lakes. Luckily we hired an engineer that will start work on April 1 and he will take over her jobs, since the other section wants my engineer like yesterday! They have to wait til mid April. They have been courting her for that job for a while. Just when it came down it came fast. So we will be looking for an engineer… AGAIN! If you know of any, please let us know! There are at least three openings in our department.

And to top this off the secretary is looking at moving to a different job. She really needs more pay and I understand that, but it took 6 temps from… well, you know… before I found her. She keeps telling me that because I do as the statement above reflects that’s why I keep losing folks. I want the best for my employees. I really like to see folks succeed and I guess that I need to look at it that way. One of my engineering techs will be going back to school to get his engineering degree. So I guess she is right. I am just so not a change person. Guess I better become one.

Well, best get back at the grindstone. I missed celebrating Pi day on March 14. Now this is one celebration I would have done in shcool. But then I was a nerd. 😛 And we were already celebrating St. Pat as the patron saint of Engineers. Yep, engineers are really weird! Horses, cats, dog, kid and hubby are fine. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday! And a really great week!

I have a challenge for all of you reading this.

Don’t feel comfortable holding a ride or setting up a large event. Here is another way to help. Gather your friends and family and have a PINK event. You could invite your neighbors to dress in pink and decorate their horses put $10 in the hat and ride around the block or through town or around the mile.

Do you stable your horse; you could have a Pink Party at the Barn. You get the idea you, your horse, and Pink and collecting $10 per person participating. You could have a PINK Lunch after the ride – your imagination is all you need to have a lot of fun and raise money for women who really need it.

Remember 7 people cover the cost of one mammogram for someone who can’t afford to have this life saving test — Just do it on October 4th starting at 10am with the Hooves for a Cure Prayer (which is in the Files section of the group site).

Last Year we raised $8000 and this year we would love to raise $10,000. We have trail rides and would always accept more, but we also want to make it as easy as possible to participate in Hooves for a Cure Day. Let us know via the group site, if you want to do a pink event and then you can let us know how it turns out. When you turn your money in we will need to know where your event took place so that we can donate it in your area. Also looking for other ideas for things to do – so if you have some let us know.

Thank you for supporting Hooves for a Cure. Join our Yahoo! group site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HoovesforaCure.

Debbie Briggs

Hooves for a Cure Director

dbriggs@hoovesforacure.com

www.hoovesforacure.com