My daughter arrived yesterday with my new horse, Jewell!

She's a 7-year-old sorrel Quarter Horse mare. She's ranch-bred, has worked cattle, been trail ridden in the Tetons for hunting and camping, and done lots of other ranch work. She even worked a bit as a wrangler horse at the dude ranch this summer. (At 9,000 feet I bet her oxygen-carrying capacity is much better than mine.)

Jewell traveled well (ate, drank, peed, and pooped regularly on the drive), and the weather was good for traveling from Wyoming to Kentucky.

She was happy to get out and stretch her legs and crop some grass. We put all the other "critters" in the adjoining paddock so they could visit across the fence (I know, bad for disease control, but my property is too small to have isolation). Jewell was at one farm with no disease problems prior to her travels, and she had been vaccinated and had health papers and a new Coggins. (Only vaccine she needs for Kentucky that they don't use in Wyoming is rabies. Everything on the property, including the goats, are all vaccinated. We had a bad year with rabid wildlife and domestic animals in Central Kentucky this year.)

I let the goats into the field with her yesterday afternoon, and I guess she's never seen goats before, because she certainly looked hard at them. But after trying to herd them a bit Jewell pretty much ignored them (she thinks they smell funny).

We went for a short trail ride yesterday afternoon. Mostly walking with a short jog now and then. My daughter, Barbara, and neighbor, Anna, each rode a youngster, so Jewell was the old pro on the ride. My hubby, Ben, walked along with us for a spell (I think just to see how long I could smile without getting facial cramps).

This afternoon the rest of the herd was let over to get acquainted, and apparently there were a few hindquarters shown, then everyone settled in to graze without a fuss. I'm sure Dusty, the retired Paint gelding, is glad to have someone his own size to do some mutual grooming. The two Miniature Horses and the Miniature Donkey weren't tall enough to reach his back.

Anyhow, I'm very pleased with her attitude, personality, and willingness. I'm sure over the next few weeks and months we'll learn a lot more about each other. (My hubby even made noises about a new truck and trailer!)

Please share some tips on getting acquainted with a new horse; pros and cons!

Fall is nearly gone, and winter is coming fast. November will be here before you know it. That means Thanksgiving and a time of reflection.

My reflections lately have been centered around family, work, the farm, the future. I'm sure if my Dad were still alive, he would have shaken his head at all of the economic problems this country has faced in the past year. He was a child of the Great Depression, World Wars, and Eastern Kentucky. He was one of the “don't buy it if you can't afford it" generation. I believe this past year has pushed more of us into that mindset; avoid debt—save until you can afford it.

But one thing that has come to mind is occasionally there are times in your life you have to take that big step into the darkness while holding on to faith that things will improve. That faith has me believing we are headed for more secure financial times, albeit perhaps with a little more reflection on practicality before spending. That faith had me horse shopping, and horse buying.

Horse Shopping Means Swapping

In order to have time for a new horse of my own, I'm going to have to “swap out" some of the money and time I'm spending elsewhere in order to keep my equestrian passion alive and well.

I think that's what a lot of people have done this past year. I was surprised when we did our recent magazine survey to see that while people's incomes and net worth had declined (as expected), the average number of horses owned held solid.

Our readers weren't willing to give up their horses despite a decline in their financial status. So, they had to find ways to swap out money and time.

The one thing everyone has in common is 24 hours in a day. But, how do we find time to devote to our horses?

We all know we spend 80-90% of our “horse" time on the ground doing things (mucking, grooming, mowing, cleaning) rather than riding. But for a horse person, that's part of the passion. (Okay, hauling buckets of water through freezing weather because the hydrant froze--again--isn't really a positive, but it certainly takes passion to do that!)

We find time by evaluating what we are doing and by learning to accept we can't do everything. Prioritizing is key.

For some people this past year has meant giving up some or all of their horses. But I hope as time and resources return that they, too, will return to the fold of horse owners.

In the meantime, keep your eyes open for a good horse that needs a home. I'll have mine soon, but perhaps you can find your next horse.

And have some fun swapping out your time and finances. It doesn't have to be a burden. I found that not dusting the furniture as often doesn't really cause the roof to collapse (contrary to what my mother believes).

Have a great fall, and share with us how you have made the "swap" to have money and time to spend with your horses.

I bought a new horse yesterday, sight-unseen! Jewell will be traveling from Wyoming to Kentucky in a couple of weeks! I'm SOOO excited!

And I didn't exactly buy her sight unseen. I've seen video and photos galore. And my daughter, Barbara, who lives in Wyoming, has been riding her since summer doing roundups, brandings, packing and camping in the mountains, and at the guest ranch.

So, I took the plunge.

I'd forgotten how exciting it is to be getting a new horse! I've been without one to ride since my daughter took all hers to Wyoming. (Well, I could hop on the retired Paint horse, Dusty, but he's pretty busy keeping the grass cut.)

In the spring the Minis will be heading off to Wyoming, where there is less grass and more work! And who knows, they might end up pulling a sled around Kentucky this winter if we get enough snow!

Do you remember your last "new" horse? What were the best and worst things?

Okay, I'm the first the admit that while not a "fair-weather" rider, I certainly don't seek out miserably cold days to saddle up.

As I've mentioned before in my blog, my oldest daugher is now a cowgirl in Wyoming. She loves the lifestyle! And while I love visiting and riding the mountains or going out among the wild horse herds, this time of year she would consider me a "fair weather" rider.

They are getting ready to go packing into the mountains for elk hunting, and as you've noticed, it's miserably cold and snowy in Wyoming now. One of the past packing trips I recall is when the rangers came to their camp and warned them they should move down a few thousand feet because of an oncoming snow storm. They did, and only woke up to nine inches of snow the next morning! (That was the same trip she stayed in camp to keep the dogs while others hunted, and had to shoot her gun into the ground next to a bear that visited camp!)

I was glad to hear that since the temperature was going to drop into the single digits last night (not including wind chill), they decided to put the trip off a day.

I believe I'd be waiting til spring!

Do you ride in the winter?

I've just returned from the World Equine Veterinary Association (WEVA) Congress in Guaruja, Brazil. There were presenters and attendees from all over the world.

One of the topics by Drs. Des Leadon and Conny Herholz focused on where the world's horse populations exist, and where the threats from international spread of equine disease will come from and how.

While I'll cover this more specifically in an upcoming article in The Horse magazine and on TheHorse.com, a couple of points are good food for thought:

1) China, Mexico, and Brazil are the top three countries in the world based on horse population.

2) Many of the most heavily populated countries with equids have working animals (horses, donkeys, mules) that have minimal care.

3) There is a worldwide movement of horses and their products (i.e., semen and embryos).

4) The main risks to a country's equine disase risk (biosecurity) are importation of live animals, meat and meat byproducts, biological products (i.e., semen, embryos, plasma) through legal and illegal means.

The good news from these clinicians was that international collaboration and cooperation was alive and well.

But, it is up to us as horse owners, and our veterinarians, to be on the lookout for strange symptoms of diseases we might not recognize. If you think something doesn't look right, contact your veterinarian. They are our partners in protecting our horses, and our equine industry.