Random Videos

Testing, Testing 1,2,3
I thought I would post a few videos from this past year to see how they work on the blog.
Enjoy

This one's for the Chicken Lady. From the spring 2007 Driggs Idaho sled pull, watch as this fine team of matched Belgian draft horses completes a successful 20 foot pull. Those are 6 barrels each at 1k lb of concrete on that sled (that's a sled mind you, not a wheeled wagon). That's 6,000 pounds for those of you that can't do math yet, more than twice the team's combined weight. That's like pulling a full sized pickup truck through the dirt with no wheels on it.

How does he shoot so many ducks, some of you might ask? Well it's definitely not because of my crummy shooting skills (although I must admit I am a pretty damn good duck caller). It's because I can get to the good spots with my Mud Buddy Hyperdrive mud motor. Check out this late September 2007 scouting trip on Mud Lake as I cruise through the marsh. Whooee, look at all the ducks! And that's after I had already driven through there once and flushed most of them out. Actually it's not that great of video (do you see a pattern here?). Sorry about the shaky ride, but I was standing with one hand on the tiller and the other on the video. Duck gumbo anyone?

Can you actually lose those sledding skills learned as a child? Watch as I take to the parking lot snow pile to find out in "Extreme Sledding I"

Happy New Year!!!

To Blog or Not To Blog

I'm not sure why I feel compelled to do this. I think the title of this page says it all. I'm just making noise. I don't know how often I'll be back to post, and I reserve the right to drop off the face of the earth at any given moment (spontaneous combustion perhaps?)

I guess I'll dedicate this first post to introducing myself and my herd of hay burners. As for me, my name is Bryan and I live and work in the beautiful farm country, world class ski and trout fishing destination and general outdoor recreation capital of the world Teton Valley, Idaho. I moved here in April 2007 after I was fired in San Diego and was lucky enough to find a job here. I don't know how to describe myself so I got the idea of googling myself from The Chicken Lady (a damn fine artist and fellow horse nut..check out her art website). It goes like this: you Google "(your name) is" just like that in quotes and so forth and you just pick out the good poop like so

Bryan is becoming unhinged (it's all the hippies in Teton Valley, you see)

Bryan is more accurately described as a "day-age creationist." (leave it to the intellectuals...)

Bryan is an inspiration to the American woman (then why do they always run?)

Bryan is right (of course, goes without saying)

Bryan is an easy person to get along with (I'm starting to think these people don't really know me)

Bryan is gorgeous, intelligent and funny (or maybe they do)

Bryan is having problems with benefits (yeah, as in no friends with)

Bryan is a co-author of the #1 best-selling Wall Street Journal (now they are reading into my dreams)

Bryan is a funny guy (my mule doesn't think so from the brays I get for telling her my jokes)

Bryan is at present in the second year of elementary school (you would think so by reading this)

Bryan is an 8th grade teacher on the west side of Chicago (a second grader teaching 8th grade? Sounds like the education system of Alabama)

Bryan is alive and in Rome (I haven't been to Rome since '95, I swear)

Bryan is home to around 65000 (I don't know how...I shower every day)

and finally

Bryan is also a high profile speaker, author, consultant, and blogger (ah, they are in my dreams again)

Ok, sorry about that. And now on to the herd:

Mi amigo numero uno, Amigo

How about a more appropriate view. Amigo is a registered Quarter Horse, the most versatile breed of horse in the world. Loved by American pioneers of yesterday, Hollywood throughout the ages, and today's cowboys, cowgals, wranglers, herdsman, outfitters and children of all ages, the Quarter Horse is truly a piece of Americana. Unfortunately Amigo has a progressively debilitating conformation based disease called navicular disease. His use as a riding horse is limited, but I'm sure he has a few more good years and surprises in him. Amigo is a bright copper Sorrel color, with white star, strip & snip (kind of jingles, huh?). He also has white on both rear legs.

Meet Smooch. Smooch is the baby in the family, a 19 month old registered Paint gelding. Paints are best known for their color markings. More contrast in color and more definition in markings is known as "chrome". The American Paint history dates back to the first horses brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadors. The inherited affect of splotches of color was called "Pinto". The American Indians are famed to have prefered Pintos for their intelligence, hadiness, chrome, and braveness in battle or hunt. To be an actual Paint, a horse must meet certain criteria and be registered with the APHA. A colored horse not so registered is typically called a "Pinto". There are several genes associated with colored markings, and it can show up in any horse breed. You may notice that Smooch is solid, i.e. there are no color markings above his knees or hocks, or on his head off of his muzzle. As Amigo is, Smooch is Sorrel, but with a "flaxen" mane. That means that the mane is lighter colored (blonde) than the body color. A horse does not necessarily have to have "color" to be a registered Paint, only the registry of the parents and the genes to pass on to future generations.

Pretty Sara is a 17 year old "bargain" mule. I've been wanting a mule and this sweet gal needed a home. Since I had enough hay put away, and since mules are known to live into their 30's or longer, and since the vet said she was perfectly healthy, I said "why not?". So Sara came to live with Amigo and Smooch. Supposedly Sara does it all: drives, rides and packs. Amigo and I ponied her and Smooch two weeks ago on a short ride and they did great. So I saddled Sara this last Sunday and took her for her own ride "around the block". She was very concerned about the snowmobiles from afar, but luckily they were gone when we got to the old railroad bed and I didn't get to find out if Sara is a bucker, a fighter, or a runner. Later that same ride we came across three mule deer. After a brief stare down, she decided she might want to chase after them. She is fat and out of shape, so that didn't last long. So a mule, for all you junior mule skinners out there, is the product of a cross between a male Donkey (also called a Jack or Jackass) and a female horse (called a mare). Because they are a hybrid cross between species, mules are sterile and can't make baby mules. A male mule is called a Jack or a horse mule or John, and a female mule is called a mare mule or Molly. I don't know much about her past history, except that she is great with children, but hates dogs (a typical mule trait). This is the first time I had her saddled. I've never used a britching before, and I'm not quite sure I got it adjusted correctly but she rode well all the same.

So as you can see, we've had some snow in the past few weeks. It hasn't been too cold yet, knock on wood. The coldest reading I've had in the truck was -12 a few weeks ago. Usually by now they tell me it has been in the -20's or -30's at least once.

Here are a few more pictures of my frosty friends that I will leave you with for now.

"Should we talk about the weather"... Boy that Smoochie is gettin big.

Some of us are more patient than others. Feeding time at the OKabe Corral (ha ha, bad pun).