Introductions

I never introduced myself, taking for granted that everyone knew me here from the old forum. I am now older, wiser, but in a lesser state of physical repair. It is so great to see all of you. I am still in a rural setting in patriotic Eastern Oregon ranch country, known to some as Greater Idaho.

Still trying to keep my mind sharp and maintain a sense of humor. I posted about my medical journey over the last year, on another thread, so I won't repeat it. That is about it, just taking advancing age as it comes. Time sure goes fast, at least for me, as I age. Spring 2026 already.
 
Hello! Just joined from Middle Tennessee. Been retired since 2009. That was a little early and time sure has flown by.

My husband passed two years ago from metastasized prostate cancer. I am managing our small farmette myself. There are still two horses in the barn. One is on loan as a companion for my 30 year old, who is my last horse and the end of a lifetime of having horses.

I did not have any luck uploading one of those cute elderly lady memes off the Net, so my avatar is a Swallowtail Butterfly that landed on me while I was mowing a few years back.

Both of my dogs came from shelters. The Catahoula/Pitbull is now 15 and has been here 14 years. The Pit Bull is around 4-1/2 and has been here two years. I was raised on a dairy farm with guard dogs and I still prefer to live off the beaten path, so guard dogs are my preference. They live in the house —- well —- they own the house to listen to them —- I just pay the bills and make sure their food bowls are full.

I think it was @John Brunner? who commented this forum is not clannish. That was great to read🤠
 
Welcome, @Connie Bennett We're not clannish, but we're age-appropriate cantankerous :). I, too, live off the beaten path. I got 51 acres about 1/2 mile off of the paved road. Maybe 7 acres are mowable yard and the rest is lightly wooded and hilly. I don't really do anything with it but keep other humans at a distance.
 
Thank you @Ken Anderson, @John Brunner , @Beth Gallagher for the warm welcome!

@John Brunner 51 acres is a good amount of land to surround yourself with. Only needing to maintain ~7acres is great.

I have 25. Thankfully it is just enough to qualify for the Greenbelt. Mine is almost all pasture, so a lot of cutting to keep it clean for the horses. It was raw land when we bought 23 years ago. All of it was in woven wire perimeter fence for cattle; a huge savings since my goal was to build it for horses while trying to keep the human footprint as small as possible.

My township road is barely 1-1/2 lanes that is more or less paved, and lined with trees — that topple over a lot. There were two down Monday, when I went to town, but someone had managed to push them aside enough to make riding the edge of the ditch possible. Both trees falling where there was even a ditch safe enough to drive in was a relief.

A deputy sheriff lives a thousand feet thru the woods from me, so big dead trees don’t lay around on the road too long. Him and his wife check on me quite a bit. Between them, my dogs, and my armor, it takes a lot to rattle me regarding unwanted humans.

Being a group of “age appropriate cantankerous “ folks suits me fine. I look forward to the friendly banter 🤠🤠
 
Hello, @Connie Bennett , and welcome to the forum ! It is great to have another “horse person” here, there are several of us who have had horses and/or livestock; but I think that no one else still has horses now.

I am a north Idaho transplant to Alabama, so not too far from where you are located. I miss having horses, and being able to ride in the mountains. Do you still ride your senior horse at all, or is he mostly just a big pet nowadays ?
 
Thank you @Marie Mallory !

@Yvonne Smith hello fellow horse person🤠. I am an OH/PA border transplant. I knew years ago, my bones would never survive our “Lake Effect” winters.

These last few weeks I feel like I’m still there🥶. You probably felt like you were still in North Idaho🥶



I had to give up riding in 2012 and I’m still not over that. I was a die hard trail rider from the time I was 12. Once I got a truck & trailer, I did a lot of riding up in the Allegheny National Forest in PA. I rode Arabs and Arab/Crosses, but went to Tennessee Walkers to keep riding after the doctors told me to quit in the mid80’s.

What style did you ride? Kinds of horses? Did your family join you?

I laid two horses to rest up home and have five on this farm, along with the many dogs & cats I have rescued.

My last horse is about 30 and not ridable. He is a 17H Dutch Warmblood who was a show jumper. He was the next available trailer ride away from going to central Mexico from SoCal, when the lady who gifted him to me stepped in.. She had to argue with the unethical trainer who had Duncan, but she won out. Needless to say his papers didn’t come with him, but the vets are sure he was “30-ish” when he arrived here in 2022, and I strongly suspect his well put together and well mannered self is KWPN.. I understand Duncan was “in the blue more than he wasn’t “ and for a teenage girl during his last show years. A ride on a slaughter truck was no way to say “Thankyou for your loyalty “.

I gave the lady my word Duncan would be here to his end time. I send her photos occasionally so she knows how Duncan is. I am already coming up on 79 and walk with a cane. When I lay him to rest next to my other five, it will be the end of a more than 66 year love affair with horses and going to the barn. I won’t know how to act without a horse in my life, but I won’t leave one behind to end up —— where?? after I am gone.

Same goes for my two dogs, especially since they are a Pitbull and a Pitbull/cross.

I have cropped my photos, but this software still tells me they are too big and won’t upload them. I have more horse pictures than your eyeballs could stand to look at😂😂
 
Connie Bennett said:
Thank you @Marie Mallory !

@Yvonne Smith hello fellow horse person🤠. I am an OH/PA border transplant. I knew years ago, my bones would never survive our “Lake Effect” winters.

These last few weeks I feel like I’m still there🥶. You probably felt like you were still in North Idaho🥶



I had to give up riding in 2012 and I’m still not over that. I was a die hard trail rider from the time I was 12. Once I got a truck & trailer, I did a lot of riding up in the Allegheny National Forest in PA. I rode Arabs and Arab/Crosses, but went to Tennessee Walkers to keep riding after the doctors told me to quit in the mid80’s.

What style did you ride? Kinds of horses? Did your family join you?

I laid two horses to rest up home and have five on this farm, along with the many dogs & cats I have rescued.

My last horse is about 30 and not ridable. He is a 17H Dutch Warmblood who was a show jumper. He was the next available trailer ride away from going to central Mexico from SoCal, when the lady who gifted him to me stepped in.. She had to argue with the unethical trainer who had Duncan, but she won out. Needless to say his papers didn’t come with him, but the vets are sure he was “30-ish” when he arrived here in 2022, and I strongly suspect his well put together and well mannered self is KWPN.. I understand Duncan was “in the blue more than he wasn’t “ and for a teenage girl during his last show years. A ride on a slaughter truck was no way to say “Thankyou for your loyalty “.

I gave the lady my word Duncan would be here to his end time. I send her photos occasionally so she knows how Duncan is. I am already coming up on 79 and walk with a cane. When I lay him to rest next to my other five, it will be the end of a more than 66 year love affair with horses and going to the barn. I won’t know how to act without a horse in my life, but I won’t leave one behind to end up —— where?? after I am gone.

Same goes for my two dogs, especially since they are a Pitbull and a Pitbull/cross.

I have cropped my photos, but this software still tells me they are too big and won’t upload them. I have more horse pictures than your eyeballs could stand to look at😂😂
Click to expand...
There are a couple of solutions to your photo size. This issue is likely file size rather than image dimensions.

You can either use a 3rd party hosting service which we kind of prefer, because the files are hosted elsewhere so don't take up storage space here. I use imgur.com and don't have an account...it's free with no sign up.

The other solution is to use imaging software to reduce the actual file size. Most of them should do that.

I can walk you through these if you like, as can lots of other members.
 
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