As far back as I can remember, I have always known I would be a Cowgirl with my own Ranch. Which is hard to do in the suburbs of Houston where I was raised. My brother and I had 4 horses between us at one time in our youth on one acre of land. Dad worked two jobs back then so we could ride! We rode every day during the summer and every Saturday during the school year. We didn't just ride around the pasture. We would meet up with my brother's friend and ride to the store for a root beer or Dr. Pepper.
I want horses around me again. To rub them and to see a new friendship form. To ride when ever I want. To bring a friend along. I have never shown horses, much less taken riding lessons. I learned to ride by watching my brother. I do want to raise them and someday show them. At least to see if I like showing. I have thought about raising and training horses to sell to therapeutic horse riding stables for handicapped kids. I think I would get a lot out of seeing something I raised and trained helping out handicapped kids.
My love for Paint Horses came from my second horse, Penny. She was a black and white Paint and could rear up like the Lone Ranger's horse. She was fast and in the short race, could outrun our friends Quarter horse. I had her when I was around 11 years old. Cheyenne is from the Cheyenne Indians. I have a little Native American Indian heritage from my mother's side. I don't know if it is Cheyenne or Cherokee or from some other tribe. I just like the name Cheyenne better. I guess you could say my spirit is Cheyenne. A close friend of mine always says I should have lived 200 years ago. I say no, just 150 years ago!
Today, it is still hard to have enough land for raising horses, being divorced and getting two kids through college. So, only five acres....for now. Loggers came 3 years ago and I am still cleaning their mess up. I am off 3 nights a week, but all that time off gets deluded with household chores and helping my aging parents. My parents are 87 and 81. Dad was born and raised on a farm near the Texas Panhandle town of Higgins. Mom was born and raised as a city girl in Houston. I was born in Houston, but my heart and soul is on that High Plains farm.
After the loggers left, I bought my first tractor, an old 54 hp Ford. With a box blade I toiled until last February. I needed a tractor with more options to work more efficiently to reach my dream. With my mortgage paid off, I sold the Ford and ordered a Mahindra 6520 with four wheel drive and a loader with a 7 foot bucket. To help with the stumps and pond building, I also ordered a Mahindra 511 backhoe. While waiting for my order to be filled, I had elbow surgery to move the nerve above the muscle. This kept my hand from loosing it's grip after a fall at work. But that made it difficult to dig post holes by hand for a new corral and all the fences I need for horses. So I added a Danuser hydraulic post hole digger to my order. I had the swivel knuckle mount modified for the digger to fit the backhoe where the bucket mounts. I plumbed the digger motor lines into the backhoe bucket cylinder lines with quick disconnects. So now I have a post hole digger with forward and reverse that I run from the seat of my backhoe.
Soon, I plan to start installing the siding on my barn. I will use the 6520 loader bucket as scaffolding. That 7 foot bucket makes it real nice. I started building the barn, by myself, a year ago last June. Too bad I had it framed and the roof on before I bought the 6520! I had a barn raising last March before elbow surgery to get the roof on. That was fun. At least now, the Big Red Beast has a roof over her head.
Well, it is supper time and Luke cooked tonight. Guess I better go eat before it gets cold!
This blog is new to me, so y'all come back later and check process on my dream. Comments are welcome, especially from horse owners.
hugs, Brandi
I want horses around me again. To rub them and to see a new friendship form. To ride when ever I want. To bring a friend along. I have never shown horses, much less taken riding lessons. I learned to ride by watching my brother. I do want to raise them and someday show them. At least to see if I like showing. I have thought about raising and training horses to sell to therapeutic horse riding stables for handicapped kids. I think I would get a lot out of seeing something I raised and trained helping out handicapped kids.
My love for Paint Horses came from my second horse, Penny. She was a black and white Paint and could rear up like the Lone Ranger's horse. She was fast and in the short race, could outrun our friends Quarter horse. I had her when I was around 11 years old. Cheyenne is from the Cheyenne Indians. I have a little Native American Indian heritage from my mother's side. I don't know if it is Cheyenne or Cherokee or from some other tribe. I just like the name Cheyenne better. I guess you could say my spirit is Cheyenne. A close friend of mine always says I should have lived 200 years ago. I say no, just 150 years ago!
Today, it is still hard to have enough land for raising horses, being divorced and getting two kids through college. So, only five acres....for now. Loggers came 3 years ago and I am still cleaning their mess up. I am off 3 nights a week, but all that time off gets deluded with household chores and helping my aging parents. My parents are 87 and 81. Dad was born and raised on a farm near the Texas Panhandle town of Higgins. Mom was born and raised as a city girl in Houston. I was born in Houston, but my heart and soul is on that High Plains farm.
After the loggers left, I bought my first tractor, an old 54 hp Ford. With a box blade I toiled until last February. I needed a tractor with more options to work more efficiently to reach my dream. With my mortgage paid off, I sold the Ford and ordered a Mahindra 6520 with four wheel drive and a loader with a 7 foot bucket. To help with the stumps and pond building, I also ordered a Mahindra 511 backhoe. While waiting for my order to be filled, I had elbow surgery to move the nerve above the muscle. This kept my hand from loosing it's grip after a fall at work. But that made it difficult to dig post holes by hand for a new corral and all the fences I need for horses. So I added a Danuser hydraulic post hole digger to my order. I had the swivel knuckle mount modified for the digger to fit the backhoe where the bucket mounts. I plumbed the digger motor lines into the backhoe bucket cylinder lines with quick disconnects. So now I have a post hole digger with forward and reverse that I run from the seat of my backhoe.
Soon, I plan to start installing the siding on my barn. I will use the 6520 loader bucket as scaffolding. That 7 foot bucket makes it real nice. I started building the barn, by myself, a year ago last June. Too bad I had it framed and the roof on before I bought the 6520! I had a barn raising last March before elbow surgery to get the roof on. That was fun. At least now, the Big Red Beast has a roof over her head.
Well, it is supper time and Luke cooked tonight. Guess I better go eat before it gets cold!
This blog is new to me, so y'all come back later and check process on my dream. Comments are welcome, especially from horse owners.
hugs, Brandi
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