Friends of a feather, flock together...

Recently my beloved horse , Legend, suffered a serious tendon injury and has had to be confined to a stall for weeks on end. Horses really dislike this sort of thing and I was worried about him becoming anxious or depressed while being kept away from the herd. I even considered purchasing a goat or a miniature donkey to keep in the barn with him until his recovery was complete.


Meanwhile, during the coarse of the previous summer and fall, the flock of ducks that reside at the barn has slowly dwindled down to one lonely duck. Since I was at the barn everyday taking care of Legend, I decided to make it my mission to try to keep this duck alive until spring. I feed the duck when I arrive at the barn, and she comes running when she sees my car!


A couple weeks ago, my brother-in-law and I agreed to try to keep her close to the barn in a better effort to ensure her survival through winter. I tried my best to keep all of the doors closed, but noticed that whenever a door was left open, she would only leave for a few moments and then quickly return. The duck, named Philadelphia, would always fly back into the barn and stand closely to my horse.


At first I thought maybe she liked not being out in the cold, maybe she is sticking close to the food, but in the end, discovered that where Legend went, Philadephia went. I was so worried about Legend needing a buddy that I overlooked the fact that he already had one. Philadephia stays the night every night in Legend's stall, of her own free will, keeping him company. His attitude is great, he is not distressed at being kept away from his herd at all.


My animals teach me new things all the time, and today I was reminded that it is possible to make friends in the most unlikely of circumstances. And to realize that sometimes while you search for something, it could be right in front of your face!!

Chuck Wagon

Suburban Cowgirl Chili Recipe

2 lbs ground beef
1 packet chili seasoning, original
1 packet chili seasoning, hot
1 serrano pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 whole white onion
2 cans tomato sauce (same size cans as beans)
2 cans mexican chili beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 cup dry red wine (pinot noir preferred)
black pepper
garlic powder
sea salt
cayenne pepper

Cook ground beef in a large skillet with original chili seasoning and chopped up onion.
While meat mixture is cooking, dice serrano pepper, and bell pepper.
Pour tomato sauce, beans (drain kidney beans), and diced serrano and bell peppers into large crock pot.
Add hot chili seasoning packet to crock pot. add black pepper, garlic powder, small pinch of cayenne pepper, and a pinch of sea salt to crock pot.
When meat is cooked, pour meat mixture into drainer to drain grease. put mixture into crock pot, stir all ingredients together well.
Add one cup dry red wine to crock pot. stir well.
Simmer in crock pot as desired, for best results allow to simmer atleast 4 hours.

Top with chopped fresh onion and shredded cheese, serve saltine crackers on the side.

Ponchos!! Oh Yeaahhhh!!

I have always been a summer girl. I was so in love with the summer sun that I had not enough room in my heart for any other season. Since riding has become my primary passion, however, I have begun to understand the allure of fall.

I hear people say this is the end of riding season, but to me, this is the best time of year for riding. But we do live in the midwest, and the weather can become even more unpredictable during fall months.

Once when I was a teenager I went to Silver Dollar City with my family, and I remember that it started raining and we wore plastic ponchos. I was completely mortified to be seen wearing a plastic teepee draped over my body!! And somehow ever since then have been opposed to ponchos. Until recently.

I have managed to have Mary-Poppins like saddle bags, out of which I may pull anything that is needed. And while on a Saturday afternoon ride recently, it started thundering, so out came the little red plastic poncho. The thought did cross my mind that I probably should have practiced unfolding the large sheet of plastic and putting it over my head when I was not seated atop a 1,000 lb skittish animal. But, thankfully, Legend did great and did not seem to mind the fluttering, flapping, crinkling sheet looming above him while we rode home. We stayed dry, and the rain was actually kind of nice! I will never pack my saddle bag without a poncho again. I have officially become a fan. The poncho rates a 10 for functionality, but gets a solid 1 for aesthetic appeal. It was bright red and kept getting inflated by the wind. Melanie was riding behind me, and said I looked like the Kool-Aid guy. Hey, Kool-Aid!!

The Suburban Cowgirl's guide to Gently Trespassing.

Ah, a nice afternoon ride. Fall weather. Sun shining through the trees, a nice breeze blowing by. Leaves crunching underfoot, and a trusted friend carrying you down the road. Is there anything better?

Of course, after riding the same area for a couple years, a change of scenery is nice. We have been so lucky to have "found" some awesome nooks and crannys with some hidden trails in our riding area. To be more to the point, trespassing has become our friend.

Let me stress that I like to call this "Gently Trespassing." We just seem to discover these hidden gems, and in some cases, end up getting permission from the land owners to ride on their property.

Here are a couple tips for successful Trespassing. I must include here that I am not recommending this to anyone. But if you find the exploration bug nagging at you, like it has at me, be careful and use good judgement.

Take only pictures, leave only footprints. This goes for every place you ride, not just private property. Part of being a responsible equestrian and enjoying nature is preserving it, as well.

If you see a posted No Trespassing sign, then respect it. Or you may come across a sign that says "If you can read this, you are within range." I speak from experience!

If you come upon a person or land owner while riding on new ground, be friendly! Ask them if they know who owns the property, get to know them. It can't hurt, and they may give you riding permission.

If something feels wrong or unsafe, then it probably is. Listen to your gut and don't explore any further.

Happy Trespassing !

Boot Consultant Extraordinaire!

I have recently found yet another way to combine my newfound countrified-ness with my former passion of shopping. And to add icing to that cake, it's not even spending my own money. I know you are asking yourself "How is such a thing possible, Suburban Cowgirl?!".

I have successfully become the Boot Consultant Extraordinaire! Yes, there must be an exclamation point after the end of that title. Sort of like, Wham!. Only , with less frosted tipped hair and tight white shorts. I digress, back to the subject at hand.

Recently I have helped a few people shop for and find the perfect pair of cowboy boots. What some don't understand is that the perfect pair of cowboy boots is much like finding your soul mate. You may search and search, and think that you will never find the right ones, or that you might not know when you find the right ones, but when you do....it's magical.

One of my recent victims, (er, I mean, clients) was my brother-in-law. After I got down to work and was shucking boots at him left and right, he asked "Were you a shoe salesman in a former life or something?" I replied, "No, I'm just REALLY good at shopping." :) He was so happy with our selection that he wore them home from the store.

My dear Aunt found her boots/soul-mates after a particularly long, grueling search. Seeing her happy smiling face while modeling them for myself and my Grandmother confirms to me that I am the Boot Consultant Extraordinaire! She definitely had that "boot-purchase-glow". Do I really neeed any more proof than that?

Summer Nights

This weekend was very eventful indeed!

Friday was "Jessica Friday", as every Friday is now that Jessica is working with us. She pretty much plans on staying after work and hanging out in some fashion. So this week we decided we should go on an evening trail ride.

Jess doesn't have alot of horse experience, so we decided to put her on little Amara. Amara is the usual choice for kids, or people with little experience. She was bought at an auction last year and is not super responsive to cues, but is pretty laid back and usually follows the herd along nicely on rides. Long story short, I guess Amara was having an off day. Something spooked her in the pasture with Jessica on her, and Jessica had quite a fast and bumpy ride before being hurled to the ground and landing on her hip. I hear she looked like a brick when she hit the ground. This was at the very beginning of the ride, so the evening didn't really go as planned.

Saturday night was spent sitting by the lake, hanging out with the horses and some good friends, enjoying some cold drinks. Legend was quite the gentlemen, and doled out some pony rides for the kids. There was a full moon and it was bright enough that Lacy and I decided it would be fun to go for a night ride. We just rode a little bit, but both Legend and Amara did great. No spookys, and we even had some kids ride double with us on occasion. Also, my super smart horse, after being taught in only two sessions how to lie down, now would like to lay down everytime I get on him bareback. Hmmmm....I thought this would be a cool trick, but now I am not so sure.......

Anyway, back to work tomorrow. Can't we just have all weekends and no work?

All Tied Up

Here's one more thing that's funny about life:

Things are rarely as easy as they appear to be on television.

Please remain calm, I know this comes as a big shock to you all, but yes, it is true. You know how on TV all of the cowboys have ropes and can throw them around just about anything with precision aim? Well, apparently this is really hard! A few of us in the horse posse went to a horse and tack auction last Saturday. They were selling ropes, lariats, I guess you would say. So of course we got some because we are going to be super effiecient cowgirls , and how hard could it really be? I have visions of myself jumping in and out of huge lassos, like old school cowboy entertainers. I will keep you updated on my progress but I have to tell you that so far it is not going well. Why is the rope so hard and waxy? Why does it keep tangling up every time I try to use it? I think we may need some professional help.

Crystal Ball

Have you ever wished you could see into the future? Or, more specifically have you ever thought to yourself..."I can't believe I am doing this such and such thing that I never thought I would be doing!"

Of course you have, we all have, right? There have been so many of these moments in my life the last few years. Of course, some of them were just stupid choices on my part but hopefully I will learn from these experiences and move on. The moments I keep going back to in my head are really so insignificant, but still amuse me.

For instance, I have purchased 3 pairs of cowboy boots in the last 2 years. I used to covet Manolos, tear our pics of Louboutins from magazines, dream about YSL couture shoes. Instead now I am searching tack stores for the latest Justin riding boots. I am driving hours to tiny towns to try on boots that remind me of my hillbilly youth. I save my tip money from work, and instead of buying the latest handbag (also a former addiction), I am buying boots with a smoother sole for stirrup safety. What the heck is happening here?! I did buy a pair strictly for looks, but even this isn't without amusement, since I wear them to go country dancing. Yeah, you heard me right, COUNTRY DANCING.

Although this isn't necessarily what I thought I would be doing, I have to say I am pretty content. Perhaps I can find a balance, like when I was little and would go hang out with the goats all day wearing my barbie heels and carrying my purse. Hey, it's never a bad idea to accessorize.

Accidentally Country

I'm not really quite sure how it happened. But due to circumstances beyond my control, I am really quite country again. Growing up living on various farms, I always dreamed of city life and was thrilled to move to the city as a teenager. Although I held onto my love of horses always, it was hidden underneath a deep passion for shopping, high heels, nightlife, and all things glam and glitzy.

Suddenly, on the eve of my 33rd birthday, I found myself purchasing a 3 year old *barely* trained horse. A registered Paint gelding, who I would later name Legend. After many bumps and bruises along the way, Legend has become the love of my life, second only to my wonderful husband Steve. These are the tales of an "accidentally country" girl, a misplaced suburban cowgirl of sorts. Because, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.