pet connection

As I mentioned before setting off on the weekend’s SoCal adventure, I was staying with my friends Randy and Audrey. Audrey is a well-known author of zillions of articles and a great many books on horses, including co-authoring the only two horse books I’ve ever done.

Audrey and Randy live in Norco, Calif., which bills itself as “Horsetown USA.” The Riverside/San Bernardino part of California is my least favorite, but Norco makes it work, with community riding arenas and trails, and horse paths in front of the houses instead of sidewalks. Audrey and Randy have just a half-acre, but because of the community amenities it’s a comfortable living for their horses, Red and Milagro.  The highlight of Saturday was us walking the horses to one of the community arenas for them to kick up their heels and blow steam. (Pictured above: Their horses. Milagro, an 8-year-old Spanish Mustang, and Red, a 20-year-old Quarter Horse.)

We also went to the biggest tack consignment shop the world has ever seen, and to a feed store — they delivered in less than an hour!

Audrey is a horse expert, but this year she jumped into chicken-keeping as well. All their chickens are banties, and since their zoning is different, they can have roosters as well. (I can’t.)

Below are the Brothers Banty. They get along because they are brothers and grew up together. The red one is the boss and the other one just goes along. They are Cochins, with beautifully feathered feet you can’t really see in the picture.