Diary of a Happy Appy

  So, those of you that know me know that Louie is "the Happy Appy", he is also the very, very opinionated Appy!  With CoVid and most things being shut down right now Louie and his Mini-Me Honey are enjoying the life of country ponies in Rural KS this year.  They are watching cars go by, seeing turkeys and deer, talking to the sheep, cats and the dog (Rawley). But, Louie has a very particular way he wants things done at chore time.....  He is supposed to get fed first!  Every morning and evening!  NO EXCEPTIONS!  Well.... I decided while I was visiting and "helping" Mom with chores I would, feed the cats in the barn, get the hose out to fill the tank and THEN feed His Highness... Have you ever seen the equivalent of a 2 year old toddler wrapped in a large appaloosa body throw a temper tantrum?  😖  That's what I had on Saturday... A very unhappy toddler in the shape of a 9 year horse.  Stomping, bucking, kicking mad; everything but throw...

  Above all, dear God, fill my life with them. I am not whole without them. When I pass from this world, send my soul to no heaven without them.   I can’t remember a time when I have not had horses in my life.   They have been my one constant through good times and bad.   No matter what seemed to be happening I had a friend that I could lean on when everyone else had disappeared from my life.   When Mom and Dad divorced, the horses were there, when school wasn’t going well – horses were there, boys? Didn’t need them, I had my horses and rodeo’s.   Horses help mold and make me into the person I am today.   There is a poem called “The Rainbow Bridge”   the author is unknown, it talks about a green meadow at the edge of a woods where time stands still where the friends of man and women run when their time on earth is done.   They don’t suffer in pain or sadness and all is restored and renewed until one day they whiney and sniff the air...

  I stand alone, forgotten, and rusting in the field along the fence line.  My tines arch gracefully behind the seat where the farmer once sat as he guided his powerful but gentle team over the hay field collecting the hay into rows so it could be picked up into the hay wagons.  The big horses have been gone now for years and I was converted to fit a tractor. My iron wheels that once glided so effortlessly are now frozen in time as I sit waiting for someone to remember the old ways from years gone by.    I sit forgotten, a reminder of a gentler time when the world moved at a slower pace when man, beast and machine worked as one to bring in the harvest from the field to the barn.

Where I’m From Carrie Cross   I am from green grass, from Arm & Hammer and the AMX. I am from the Midwest, the Deep South and the Great North. I am from the wind in my hair, sun on my face, the piney woods, endless rides on magical steeds and magnolias.   I am from Gramma’s cookie jar and flaring tempers and Carol and Chip. From Do as I say, not as I do and Get up and try again. I am from going where the wind blows you and Not having roots like trees.   I am from reading, watching, listening and Learning as I go. From everything’s ok, nothings wrong, don’t cry or I’ll give you something to cry about. From the deep, scary voice of Grampa Cross and the kind no-nonsense words of Gramma.   I am from the far reaching branches of family trees so spread out they don’t know each other. I am from picture books and photo albums, long ago lost, but the memories are still alive in my mind… ...

  My Dearest God, Grant me patience, for horses are harnessed wind and wind can be flighty. Let me not frighten or harm them, instead show me ways to understand them.    If you are fearful, a horse will back off. If you are calm and confident, it will come forward. For those who are often flattered or feared, the horse can be a welcome mirror of the best in human nature. – Clare Balding   Horses are beautiful, big, strong and wonderful animals that I truly love with my whole heart.   I have studied and trained them for many, many years and am still learning new and exciting things about them every time I come into contact with them.   Just this weekend, Louie reminded me he can count!   I put 4 cookies in my pocket and only gave him 3, silly Carrie!   Horses also have a built in protection mode as a prey animal, it is fight or flight.   Generally they will flee whatever is scaring them, which at times seems like almost everythin...

  Dearest God in Heaven,  The grace & splendor of a running horse, the thunder of its hooves makes my eyes burn & my heart soars – let it always be so.   They say that thunder is the sound of hoof beats in heaven, there are times when I hear the long rolling thunder that it does sound like a herd of horses. It makes me smile and brings me memories of horses that I knew and loved. I said previously I had two horses that were very special to me, Mo or Monster and Golden Boogie. Boogie was a racetrack reject that was given to me by his previous owner. Her husband fell ill, so Boogie needed a new home. Boogie came to live with my ex-husband and me to be his horse.  You know what they say… If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans. Boogie and Mo were almost like brothers in their looks and mannerisms. So much so that my ex would not ride Boogie, so Boogie became my main dressage horse.   Boogie, like Mo had an art for connecting with...

Dearest God in Heaven, Let the scent of fresh hay & new bag of grain always be sweet to me. Let the touch of a warm nose on my hand always bring a smile.   Close your eyes for a moment, imagine you are in the middle of a big open field that has just been cut to be put up for hay.  Take a deep breath… can you smell it?  That rich sweet smell?  It’s like nothing on earth.  Sweet, clean, fresh…  Alfalfa, brome, prairie; all watched, cut and raked while also watching the weather so it gets put up at the exact right time.  We horse people feed this to our beloved horses generally year round.   Horses are grazing animals, they are designed to constantly move, eat and forage.  Even though they are a large animal that tends to graze quite a bit, their stomach empties constantly as well.  I bet you are thinking…what does hay have to do with a horse grazing?  Well, we have taken horses and put them in stalls, we feed them 2-3 me...

Dearest God in Heaven, My soul you have gifted with a deep need for them, let that need never lessen. As the sun gleams on elegant head, always may my throat tighten at the sound of gentle nicker.   Horses have been a part of my life since my earliest memories.   If I was not riding my horse, I was reading a horse book to learn more about these wonderful creatures that filled my every thought and dream.   Horses were and are heaven on earth to me.   There is nothing quite as wonderful as knowing that you can whisper your thoughts, hopes, dreams and prayers in your horse’s mane and know they are reaching God’s ear.   Their manes have dried many tears and helped my heart soar.   I have been blessed with being owned by 2 very special horses.   One of which is still being loved be a special little girl in TX.   His name is Monster, or Mo for short.   Mo came into this world to owners who knew nothing about raising a baby horse, Mo was m...

For the next seven weeks I will be taking pieces of the “Horseman’s Prayer” and using it in my Friday devotional pieces.   I hope that you will find a way to use these pieces in your daily meditations and thoughts.             Dearest God in Heaven, Give me strength to guide my horse. Make my hands soft and my head clear.   Let my horse understand me and I him.   My heart you have blessed with a special love of these animals, let me never lose sight of it. In riding and working with horses, one must have not only strength, as the saddles and gear are not light.   But, you must also be light in your hand as they do not take to a strong hand or voice very well.   You must also be clear headed, you are working with someone that has their own thoughts, feelings and processes; they also can weigh upwards of 1,000 pounds.   It has been said that a good horseman can hear his horse talk, but an excell...

I have been asked to post a devotional for the church I work for on Fridays for the next few weeks.  In doing that I will also be sharing them here as well.  So, the next 7 weeks will be devotionals based off of the Rider's Prayer.  Here it is in entirety.  The Rider’s Prayer Dearest God in Heaven, Give me strength to guide my horse. Make my hands soft & my head clear. Let my horse understand me & I him. My heart you have blessed with a special love of these animals, let me never lose sight of it.   My soul you have gifted with a deep need for them, let that need never lessen. As the sun gleams on elegant head, always may my throat tighten at the sound of gentle nicker.   Let the scent of fresh hay & new bag of grain always be sweet to me. Let the touch of a warm nose on my hand always bring a smile.   The grace & splendor of a running horse, the thunder of its hooves makes my eyes burn & my heart soars – let it alwa...