Hello everyone, and welcome to the thirtieth issue of the Gimli Gazette. Let’s find out what has happened at the ranch this past week.
I got two letters from my young riders. The first one asked, “Do horses lose their teeth?”
Yes, dear friend, horses lose their teeth in ways similar to humans. A young foul will have most of its baby teeth by eight months of age. By the age of two and a half, these teeth (usually 24) begin to be replaced by 36 to 44 adult teeth. Remember that horse years differ from human years, so that a two-year-old horse is like a thirteen-year-old teenager.
My next writer asks, “Why do you try to eat everything?”
If I was feeling snarky, my first response would be “Because Miss Mo does not feed me enough!” But I am a better horse than that. Sadly, horses do not have hands, so we have to pick things up with our mouths. My gourmet palate is finely tuned to know a tasty tidbit from a piece of debris. That is why you may see me chewing on a variety of things out in the pasture.
Some of the children have spotted me lying down and napping out on the sand in the arena between sessions. The youngsters have been tiring me out lately, so a little shut eye mid-day does me good. I have even been known to roll around in the sand as a natural massage before resuming my duties. I want to be wide awake when working with the children.
There are many events coming up that you can discover on the Mercy Spring Ranch website. The Ranch Staff Yard Sale is this Saturday, October 1st from 8am to 1pm. It is the same day as the citywide yard sale for the City of Escalon. Be sure to stop by and see what treasures you may find.
In the next issue of the Gimli Gazette, I will be discussing the Ronnie Moyer Horsemanship Clinic. Later in the month, we will have the Ranch Family Dinner. It is not too early to be thinking of a side dish to bring (especially a horse-friendly dish made of carrots & apples, or a salad where you substitute hay for lettuce — just saying!).
After that, the holidays will be upon us. As a sneak preview, for those of you who like to make your own photo cards, there may be an opportunity for you to give the gift of Gimli this holiday season! Be watching the Gimli Gazette for details in the weeks to come.
Well, that’s all for this week. Sessions will be ending soon, and the ranch will get a lot quieter. I will savor these last few weeks with the children while I can.
Happy Trails,
Gimli September 26, 2022