Better Together
There is something about horses and kids that make for a great marriage. It is a lovely picture, the mammoth being, meekly deferring to the tiny one, the one that could be swept away with one aggressive snort. Yet they stand together, nose to nose, one in deference to the other, because the horse, in its four legged splendor seems to understand that this smaller than average two legged creature is precious in some way, a treasure of some kind, and their keeping is a tremendous responsibility. It is the gentle and wise heart of the horse and innocent nature of the child that makes the mixture ideal, even magical. See them together and you will feel a smile spread across your lips, a lift of happiness in your step. Their gift is the perfect combination of generosity and delight and they are meant to be together.
Cowboy Stampede
Out on the range, when there’s nothing to answer but the call of the wild, and the only clock you have is shining overhead, things seem to make sense. The little things start to matter more and all the other stuff kind of gets lost in the dust.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
There is much concern over dwindling hay supplies and everyone is looking for alternatives. Equipride and Equilix are great products that provide digestive improvement from their unique blend of yeast, enzymes, prebiotics, vitamins and minerals that help maintain health while reducing costs because feed is digested more efficiently. Equipride and Equilix products are available at Pine Country Feed. Mention this post and receive $5 off 25lb bucket, $10 off 50lb bag, $5 off 50 lb lick tub and $10 off 125lb lick tub. Discount good thru 11-13-11 Here are some other really great benefits for your horse:
- Improved digestion
- Up to 25% less forage needed
- Helps combat digestive colicing
- A shiny and healthy hair coat
- Stronger, faster growing hooves
- Promotes blood flow to the lamina
- Better lubricity of joints
- Strength and endurance without getting hot or high
- Increased energy, vitality and stamina
- Improved temperament and calmness
- Hard Keepers gain weight
- Bright clear eyes
- Boosts the respiratory, nervous and circulatory systems
- Helps regulate blood sugar levels
- Overall health improvement
Check out their website for more information www.sweetpro.com
If you are interested in this product for your sheep, goats or cattle… just ask - Pine Country can special order lick tubs for your specific needs.
Behold the Horse
Hollywood loves horses, in every form. They love the horse that can win a race, or the horse that stands by his man until the last shot is fired. They have given us talking horses, horses that fly, singing and dancing horses, carousel horses and horses that have broken our hearts. They are the favorite means of transportation in an entire genre of movies, and most of the favorite film stars of the forties, fifties and sixties ended up on a horse at one time or another. Horses are back in style on the silver screen with westerns making a come-back over the last fifteen years. Today’s westerns are more violent and the main characters never bathe, but one thing is consistent with the early western. The best friend of the cowboy, rancher, farmer, or settler is still the horse. The west simply wouldn’t have been settled without them. The four legged beasts are beautiful, noble, intelligent, usually gentle pictures of the soul of an era that was misbehaved, poorly planned and truly brutal. When everyone else was spitting, drinking too much, gun fighting in the streets, the horse brought a grace and sureness to America’s wild picture of the west that makes us love them. They are the spirit of what we wish we could be; strong, sleek, peaceful. And they do talk by the way – you just have to listen really carefully.
Big Deal
Halloween is the day to make contact with you inner ghoul – the side of you that would prefer to be mysterious, and hide behind a mask of intrigue. We have to take our hats off to Martha Stewart who has perfected the art of ghostly retreat, greeting the holiday in the most elaborate way possible. Martha’s life isn’t a possibility in the real world, where you have to function within a budget, and your staff consists of your husband and your cat, but Martha forces us to look at life differently. She insists that we celebrate the everyday, that we go the extra trouble, that we make life a celebration, and she is never more Martha than on Halloween. Martha Stewart understands that there are times when the most important thing you can do is enjoy the art of living and she shows us just how to do it with style. We can take a lesson from Martha, who has become wealthy teaching people how to properly fold a bed sheet. Sometimes, despite the mayhem around us, life is very simply and exquisitely about the fun.
Cowboy Forever
If you’re beside yourself trying to decide what to be for Halloween, worry no more. Be a cowboy, in a long duster and hat with boots and spurs, and it might be helpful if you could pack a six shooter. It is said that houses that have been converted from barns to houses are often haunted by cowboys of the early west. They are never mean or scary; they just kind of reside in the barn/house harmlessly watching over the place. People who lived in one such house said that they often heard spurs jangling on the hardwood floor, and there was a distinct smell of horses and hay and well worn tack in the kitchen. One woman, awake in the early hours of the morning, saw one of the duster clad apparitions walking down the hallway between her living room and dining room and as he passed he looked her way and tipped his hat then vanished through the back door. It’s good to know that true to form, the cowboy, even a ghost of a cowboy, is friendly and polite even when he is haunting a house. Have a great Halloween weekend!
Duke
Take a guy who had an odd way of talking and an even odder way of walking, who couldn’t finish college because a body surfing injury made him lose his athletic scholarship, whose application to the Naval Academy was rejected, whose first real job paid him $105 per week, and whose given name at birth was Marion, and what do you get? You get one of the top three most popular film stars of all time, and the only one to make the list every year since the poll started. John Wayne, who was too tall and broad to really fit into the Hollywood scene, but ended up with lead roles in 142 films, and is now thought of as a legend for his work on the screen, didn’t start out with aspirations of stardom. The celebrity came to him after nine years of bit parts, one in which he played a corpse, and hours mentoring with stunt men about riding horses and straddling fences and taking a fall in a gunfight, and his “don’t mess with me” attitude when he refused to work with a major film maker because he didn’t like the way “the guy had treated him when he was nobody”. His stardom came from the way he owned the screen, the fact that he looked like he was born on a horse, the distinctive intonation in his voice that he didn’t even try to change, and the fact that in all but one of his roles he played a rough talking, heavy drinking, fight at the drop of a hat, good guy. He brought us bigger than life characters and better than life stories and he did it without being “discovered”. He just stayed with it until the screen was ready for John Wayne, and that took a few years.
Cowboy Love
We have often wondered what it is about the legendary American cowboy that is so appealing to the world of 2011. They were people covered with calluses and basically held together by dirt, they rarely had money, many of them drank too much, they smelled of sweat both human and equine, they thought of spitting as a conventional past time and guns were their favorite accessory, and yet we love them and sometimes wish we were one of them. It is something about their grit, their willingness to keep going when the herd has run amuck, their quiet way of owning the room, their “not afraid of hard work, get it done” attitude that we think of as American fable. We want them to win, to get the girl, to love their horse, to kill the bad guy – and we want to believe that they do it all with the best of intentions and a heart of gold, because they belong to the roots of who we are. They are fully American and totally bigger than life and that makes them the center of our dreams and the thing we love to believe in. Just a bunch of guys who wrestled cows and rode the range and we can’t get enough of them.
Practically Fabulous
The cowboy hat, though in large part, a fashion statement was originally developed and designed with the working cowboy, or ranch hand in mind. When the west was being settled there were any number of hat designs in use, bowlers being the most popular. The first cowboy has as we know it today was designed and manufactured in 1865 by John Batterson Stetson. He called his hat “Boss of the Plains” and it became the identifying accessory for the man of the American west. It had a wide brim, front and back to 
protect the eyes and the neck from sun and rain. They were made with four inch crowns to provide insulation from both heat and cold, they were light weight and waterproof. The hats were known for their rugged durability, standing up to any kind of punishment and they came to be a status symbol, an investment as it were to the working cow hand, and a fashion standard for men in the east. Early on the name Stetson became synonymous with the cowboy hat but even after the surge of the west its fame grew. In 1912 the battleship USS Maine was raised from Havana Harbor where it had sunk in 1898. A Stetson hat was recovered from the wreckage and after it was cleaned of debris, mud, and plant growth it proved to be undamaged and still waterproof.
Rough Riders
Before Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United State he was Colonel Theodore Roosevelt of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, better known as the Rough Riders. It was 1898 and this band of 1250 men was comprised of cowboys, Indians and a few elite athletes from the East. The point was to recruit men who could ride a horse and shoot at the same time and were in a physical condition that would enable them to tackle the rough terrains and the long hours that were required of the make shift army. The Rough Riders served the country, entirely under the direction of Roosevelt and his cohort, Leonard Wood, in an effort to aid Cuba in their fight for independence from Spain. The regimen fought their first battle in Cuba on June 22nd, 1898 and by the end of the first week in July of that same year, they had defeated Spain and the war was over. After 137 days of service from enlistment to discharge, the Rough Riders were disbanded, their mission accomplished. They did it all with little training, complete on foot or on horseback, and without any real funding. It was all grit, determination, a sense of purpose, and as was Teddy Roosevelt’s reputation, the adventure of the thing counted for a lot.
Behold the Horse
Hollywood loves horses, in every form. They love the horse that can win a race, or the horse that stands by his man until the last shot is fired. They have given us talking horses, horses that fly, singing and dancing horses, carousel horses and horses that have broken our hearts. They are the favorite means of transportation in an entire genre of movies, and most of the favorite film stars of the forties, fifties and sixties ended up on a horse at one time or another. Horses are back in style on the silver screen with westerns making a come-back over the last fifteen years. Today’s westerns are more violent and the main characters never bathe, but one thing is consistent with the early western. The best friend of the cowboy, rancher, farmer, or settler is still the horse. The west simply wouldn’t have been settled without them. The four legged beasts are beautiful, noble, intelligent, usually gentle pictures of the soul of an era that was misbehaved, poorly planned and truly brutal. When everyone else was spitting, drinking too much, gun fighting in the streets, the horse brought a grace and sureness to America’s wild picture of the west that makes us love them. They are the spirit of what we wish we could be; strong, sleek, peaceful. And they do talk by the way – you just have to listen really carefully.
Six Shooter to Go
So in a world of peril and hidden dangers you have to ask yourself who you would want protecting your town in a time of need. Many of us would tend towards the Andy Taylor kind of Sheriff, no gun, just a great big smile and a warm heart, while others would want James Garner, simply because he was stunning in a cowboy hat. For dealing with a rougher element, you couldn’t beat Marshall Matt Dillon and nobody would argue about Kirk Douglas as Wyatt Earp and his handsome brothers Morgan and Virgil in Tombstone. I have to think though that in a real pickle we’d all go for Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider, coming out of the mountains on his bleached steed, wearing a long coat and a hat that sat on his head like a monument. He came to town, made friends with the miners, kicked the riff raff to the curb, and took out the bad guys without ever breathing hard – all seven of them in one afternoon. Then he mounted his pale horse, settled his hat firmly on his head, and road back up into the hills like a superhero, only without the cape or the tights. Now that’s a sheriff.
Get Your Lid
Seriously, a wardrobe without a cowboy hat is lacking on so many levels. The versatility of a proper western head covering is limitless, and it is practical as well. Cowboys design their hats with a deep front brim to keep the sun off the face, but they are smart enough not to neglect the back your neck, thus the deep back brim. Cowboy hats, especially when they are worn by cowgirls, can be blinged in as many ways as there are stars in the western sky. Feathers, leather, silver, turquoise, onyx, beads, the list is endless, can all grace your headwear, making it appropriate for any occasion and a must for the times you really want to make an impression. Everyone from brides to Bronco fans can be seen donning their favorite cowboy hat and looking like the fashion divas they are. You’ve always wondered why cowgirls never have a bad hair day – it’s the hat, it can cover a multitude of sins, and make you look like you’ve got your act together at the same time. We are proud of our hats at Pine Country Feed. They are authentic and fashionable and all the rage.
I Do
The view from the barn loft was one of her favorites. The expansive open play of the ranch mingled with the smells of dry hay and horse sweat made her think that maybe the world wasn’t changing as quickly as she thought. There was something about the feel of her boots against the dusty floorboards that made her know she could stand regardless of the onslaught. From the barn loft she could gain perspective and maybe make sense of the big world out there, sure that regardless of where life took her, the barn would still stand, straight as a reed, weathered and worn and true. The new days ahead of her weren’t nearly so ominous when she viewed them from the loft. They were just days, and they couldn’t change the fact of who she was, or what she believed, or where she was going, because when it came down to it, she was a country girl, raised on knowing the feel of good leather in your hand, your eyes shaded under your brim, the strength of a horses back under your jeans. Wherever she went, she took those things with her, and she would take them today.
We Meet At Last
You were sure you would never find “the one”, then one morning, it was a Thursday and the sun was breaking up the blue like a perfectly cut diamond, and there he was. Tall and strong, with a wild energy that glinted in his darks eyes. He looked at you and there was a moment when your breath went short, your heart, beating like it wanted to be free of your chest. He held your gaze, not flirting, just connecting, letting you know that he’d seen you, and that he would be watching. You went to him slowly, not sure you’d read the right signals, but you had to know. Sometimes the hope of something so good simply overwhelmed the fear of dismissal. You neared him with your head down, afraid to make eye contact again, but then you were so close you could feel his breath and you looked directly into his face. He brushed you with his muzzle and you knew you’d read him right. This was your horse; he was just waiting for you to find him.
Aspen Creek Veterinary Hospital
Aspen Creek Veterinary Hospital treats equine clientele, llamas, alpacas, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs (including pot-bellied) in addition to comprehensive small animal service (dogs, cats, etc.). Mobile veterinary services, Animal Chiropractic, Animal Acupunture and Equine Dentistry Services are offered to clients in the foothill communities and all along Denver’s front range. Hospital services are available to all clients wishing to transport to our facility in Conifer.
“How to become a veterinarian”
Saturday August 20th, 4:00 pm
Open to all ages, parents and adults encouraged to attend
RSVP appreciated but not required
Location: 23605 Oehlmann Park Rd, Conifer
For more information, call: 303-697-4864
- What’s it really like to be a veterinarian?
- What schooling is required?
- What should students be doing to prepare themselves for application?
- What other careers are available in the veterinary profession?
- Fun interactive activities
Cuppa Josephine
At first you assume it will be a morning like any other, then you are struck by the aroma that opens doors, that shifts the world into a compatible structure, the scent that makes any morning a bit brighter simply by its presence. The coffee is brewing, and it isn’t one of those “$10 for a giant can for medicinal purposes” coffees. It is a freshly roasted bean, brought in from the one place on earth that has several hours of bright sunshine, followed by cool dry nights, with just enough rain to help the roots hang on. It is ground to the texture that makes coffee and water combine into the magical brew that insists you close your eyes at the first sip and say, “that’s what I’m talking about”. Coffee cannot be defined by a non-coffee drinker, because the spiritual experience that happens when the blend and the brew are just right is just that, an experience. Pine Country Feed is all about the “experience” and one day soon their shelves will sport the coffee that you have waited for. So keep a weather eye. Salvation is coming.
Just West of Reality
When the “Western” faded from television the reasons were obvious. People wanted to see car chases, not posses, and it became unfashionable to shovel beans and slabs of pork into your mouth without thought of your cholesterol reading. The concept of running your own ranch without benefit of a tax accountant, or a single sheriff and his deputy representing the entire law enforcement structure of a town became unfathomable to a world connected by their thumbs to the four corners of the earth. Sitting around a campfire swilling down the last of the coffee without a cell phone interrupting the conversation is no longer a reality in our world. But somehow with the endless police dramas on television today, there isn’t anything that quite measures up to that click of the revolver pulled from the holster, and Sheriff Matt Dillon saying “you’re coming with me to Dodge”, and the crook just knew he was done, and better than that, so did we.
To Top it Off
Since the royal nuptials it would seem that hats have come back in to fashion and they are showing up on a variety heads, in an even bigger variety of styles. Well, hats have always been in style at Pine Country, and why not. A good cowboy hat shades your eyes and skin from the sun, and makes a statement that is worth listening to. The great thing about a cowboy hat is that it serves a truly practical purpose while looking worthy of the head that wears it. There are the round topped, wide-brimmed American Hats, or the classic turned brim Stetsons made of the finest felt hide, or the Tony Llama Hat with just a touch of bling in the rim. The looks are endless and every one will bring you that cowboy or cowgirl persona that will never let you down. Because when you settle a real cowboy hat on your head you’re joining the ranks of a long line of American characters who were tougher and truer than whoever was in second place. They were full of adventure and grit and a spirit that still lives in every western heart. Just put on the hat and you’ll see what we mean.
Pssssst
“I want you to know that they call me man’s best friend, but they’re really fond of you too!”
Sure as the Wind Blows
You weren’t sure you would make it, and now here you are, bone tired, the moon hanging in a blue black sky over the spot. Some things just took a little more, some days were a little stronger, sometimes you just had to grit your teeth and keep moving toward the place you were afraid didn’t exist. But for all the things you’re not sure of, you know this one thing. There is a place in the world where you make your decisions, where you know your thinking rings true, and you just had to get back to that place and make sure your feet were both on the ground, firmly, without any hesitation. So this afternoon when you left your desk and your suit behind and settled your jeans on the back of an old friend you started to ride, and now, here you are, and it is just as you thought. It’s the right thing to do. You’re ready. You came to the place where you never doubt your own truth, and you’re sure as you know your own name what you need to do. You’re going to ask her to be your wife and it’s feeling like she’s going to say yes.
Spice Up the Ranch
When you’re having guests into your home for dinner, your primary goal should be to make them feel at home, which means making them feel they are guests in a place where they are totally comfortable. Your table setting can do a lot to tell your guests that you are excited they are there, that you went to extra trouble, but that they are there to sit back and relax – no stuffiness allowed. A “western” table setting can be anything from fun to formal, and hopefully a little bit of both. Top a regular white dinner plate with a smaller plate of blue spatter wear, which you can get at Pine Country Feed, then pull a bandana through a napkin ring, also at Pine Country Feed, and set it atop the two. At the top right corner of the setting place a goblet for wine or water, and get something with a little kick in it, like Pine Country Feed’s ranch stem wear. You can cover your table with a red and white checked linens, or if you want to dress it up a bit place two leather runners, from Pine Country Feed, crosswise letting them serve at placemats. Set the center of your table with flowers in a galvanized tin bucket, blinged out with rhinestones that you can find (say it with me) at Pine Country Feed. There is a trend here. If you haven’t been in, it’s time to shop at Pine Country Feed, where we help you bring the ranch home!
