Mandy and Me webpage ... 2024

Welcome to our website   (I had this done up a lot fancier, but am nixing it due to the website not really user friendly  for the price i was paying to use the website!  May try to redirect mandy and me to fort socs, for now...  July 18th 2025 .. they are separate. The hosting price had jumped up and it adds up, even if just a couple extra $ American a month..)

Mandy and Me has been sharing trailrides, stories and songs from about 1982 until 2023.   Since moving from West Kelowna in about 2016 it has been migrating more to the song and story side of things and have been gaining stories from each place we have lived since  ..  Mount Boucherie, East Kelowna,  McCulloch lake area,  Lake Country and Ellison.    As of 2023, we have been one place for about 6 years.   On the good side, where we are now is probably a much better place to do farm tours and set up the Petterson Peace park than Petterson Road was.. much easier access for more people to help and easier to  get to other places.
    Mrs Petterson used to tell stories of the wild horses and her own horses in a way that made the person hearing them feel as if they were there!   Here is to telling farm and pet stories,  tilling for more stories and inspiring folk to grow their own.   While living on Petterson rd,  Mandy and Me inspired many memories for more than us and many pictures were taken to help remember them.  The saying pictures are a thousand words may be an understatement.... pictures say so much.  This website will be based around  pics that we used as stickers.   What started as a 30 acre plan,  is now more like a 3000 acre plan with the last two zero's being the infinity sign...  the pets that have passed  have no boundaries now and neither does our imaginations!

    Fort Socs Calvary Theme Song (slight changes to Mandy and Me)     Put a smile upon your face, a little hustle in your pace, you'd be amazed what you can do working with horses you’re wild and you're free; you can be yourself, at Fort Soc Trading! Working with horses, all the day long Just like Roy Rogers when we sing our songs working with horses, all the day long; Just like Roy Rogers when we sing our songs working with horses you’re wild and you're free you can be yourself, at Fort Socs Trading! You can get a lot of things done, and have a lot of fun; Just when you sing this tune:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Calmitall K (special K?) Calmitall K, Calmitall K, She'll save the day, Calmitall K Calmitall K, Calmitall K hip hip hooray, for Calmitall K Kay was a lady who wanted to ride a horse we made it to be a self paying course She'd help clean up and get the rides ready Taking rides out is fun, but the work load can be heavy Her favorite horse was one named Ebony when Kay rode her, she would sing happily She would ride the trails, though it meant working off her tale Not a dime would she take, she rode for riding's sake Calmitall K,,Calmitall K She'll save the day, Calmitall K, Calmitall K Calmitall K, hip hip hooray, for Calmitall K One day she went beyond the call of duty walking thru the mud, she lost her booty. Later as she pulled in the rear Suddenly Noah did appear. She grabbed his chain and carried on without fuss but then Prince Buffy added himself to the trailriding bus! Noah wrapped his chain around ebony, Leaving Kay hanging to the horn with the inside of her knee When the three with 4 legs settled down Kay climbed off, calm as a clam By the time I/ the lead guide looked to see if things were all right Kay had Noah in tow and Prince Buffy was out of sight Calmitall K,,Calmitall K She'll save the day, Calmitall K, Calmitall K Calmitall K, hip hip hooray, for Calmitall K For her helping beyond the call of any mortal whims at all. We made an award in her name now she has eternal fame... Calmitall K, you are quite the dame, thanks my friend!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          A Story of Justice this is a big part of our story.. more at www.fortsocs.ca Justice is a horse, he’d taken a bad course of events. The vet thought he may have broken his spine (or pelvis to be more defined) He jumped a fence over 20 years ago now, 2 days later he couldn’t get up, malnutrition and worms contributed to his bad luck. But he’s going to make it; you just gotta believe; he’s going to make it, no other thought you must conceive We’d been massaging and feeding him twice a day; at the place where his mishap preyed. We would run, ride or drive to get to where he was at. Twice his sling did break (getting the new one was not a piece of cake) Neighbors and friends helped us, do the lifting to get him back up. The caring of new and old friends makes me want to sing. he’s going to make it; you just gotta believe; he’s going to make it, no other thought you must conceive Diamond H made a sling overnight, meanwhile he had to lie on the ground; The next day he was in the new sling and everything was relatively sound. But he’s going to make it; you just gotta believe; he’s going to make it, no other thought you must conceive Burt got his truck and we loaded him carefully, into the back of his chevy S10, not sure how long after but it has been many years since; We hung him to a pole under a barn, saving us a lot of work and time; later he was able to get some exercise when Burt made him a zipline I remember having quite the thrill on his first zip, I was hoping that he would not do a flying lesson at the end of his first rip! The line held his weight when he first tried to walk but couldn’t. He gained speed as his body travelled to an end with a swivel unit. He was able to walk and learned to rock and roll that line as he did. He would rest as if it was a hammock, giving him support and keeping him from needing to do a full body lift from the ground. People would see him or hear about him and a few wanted to help. Some people learning horse healing skills got to practice on him and we were grateful for any assistance. Probably the greatest asset was Kay and she would joke that the sling always would break when I wasn’t around but seemed to manage. There came a time where winter was coming and it made no sense to continue. Gave him a chance to walk to our arena or.. not. He got about half way there before falling, but was able to get up with some help. He walked the rest of the way so we figured he was going to be okay. A couple of times during this period he would fall and get stuck. Sometimes it took at least a couple of people to help him, but he always got up. One lady thought acupuncture would be a good idea and contributed to its cost. $100 a treatment is expensive, but it may have helped. I shared with her that we had the treatment done and that he later was walking without the zipline. She sent a cheque for another $100 and we booked another time. Over the winter we would exercise him, but it took two of us. He wanted to play with other horses but we didn’t want him jumping up on them. If we kept him in the middle things were ok and we didn’t have to worry about him getting kicked. There was a time we would walk him in the orchard because the road was too slick. He was such a cheeky guy. He liked to lie down in the fresh snow and jerk the rope from one of us. I remember one time when he got up and then took off before the rope was retrieved, tearing loose the other rope and eventually racing both of us on our steeds! It was funny at first, but the icy road was coming up. We didn’t want him to cross it and then potentially really get messed up! I don’t remember what happened. Did he slow or did we catch up? That was one of many times that he would show his cheeky side. Could write a book about him but will just leave a few more short asides. In the spring it became apparent that he needed to be gelded. The natural steroids may have helped heal him, but his trying to get to the mares by getting over the fence was sure to cause damage to more than the fences. Later we added a few times in the lake to try to help him gain strength. There was a point where his original person came to visit him. She was happy that he was still around but lived a couple of provinces away, so was not able to take him. In time, we were able to ride him and he mostly did well. That is not saying we didn’t have a few challenges. I remember one time riding him solo and thought I would take him for his first trip down to the creek. Not sure what got into his head, but he gave a jump to the side and next thing you know, I had to get off and had to encourage him up the bank. Only his front legs were on the trail… I couldn’t let him fall after all we had been through though. It wasn’t all roses, he did have some falls. Truth is on at least two of them I was hurt and one of the falls was because I tackled him after he slipped through the gate. He may have learned some of his stubbornness from me... I think as we rolled, he stepped on my face, hand and leg. I can only blame myself for anything. Not like I could or would ever sue. There are a lot of memories and he is a friend true and true.

What our customers wrote about us, back in the day

 a few Mandy and Me Trailriding memories from past guest books

Thank you!  It was awesome! had fun cantering(smiley) Thanks! (smiley)

<this is one comment from hundreds over the years... adding a few more here from one of the many guest books- hard to choose>

Shanda

Kelowna

Awesome! Can you count to 12 (Lady Jane) (heart)"

<we would ask folk to pick a number between 1 and 10 and  more than 9/ 10 times, Lady Jane (the original Mandy) would count out the number with her foot!>

Mikey Hansen

 Edmonton, Alberta

I love Harley!"
< Harley was buried at the original site of Mandy and Me Trailriding.. she was such an icon of the place, we put a large rock over the grave and labeled it Harley- because she rocked. Her memory still does for many, she was a real 'ham!>

Kelowna

Great ride, good ice cream!"

<for at least one summers, we had an ice cream trailer at the stables, and often included a cone with the rides.  Ed  (in the pic below) was a friend from the Ok corral and we did a farm tour and ice cream with him, bringing him from his senior home in our Lady Jane limo.   Had been planning to do more school and senior tours, but will be doing them via word and web ...for now.  >

Carie & Brent

Kelowna

Gallery

some past stickers

We love to take pictures and show them to the world.  maybe stick picture later... this computer is tough to do. 

Magic "Smiles Every Mile"

Sunny Boy!   He gave many kids their first ride. 

Prince found Baby Guinness in a sink! They shared a special bond later. 

Guinness went to many events as well as to some senior homes and schools. 

Harley... a true Ham who gobbled up attention and any treats left over after birthday parties around the Bucking Barrel "Morris"

Mr T was cute as could be.  He liked to go on our stage and then do running leaps off of it sometimes. 

Char and  Ming were from the Okanagan Rescue.  Characters...

Princess had no feet.  She was carried around... 'Princess' suited her

Peace in the Valley

a book of  original song and stories with lots of pictures 

This book is for sale at PizzaMoreh in West Kelowna for $50.  Cost to print has been $20 and to edit $5/each ... Kelowna Instaprint and Mountain Girl Editing and coaching did great jobs, and deserve every dollar!

Well,  we aim it to help   inspire fun, fitness, self fulfillment and community building  through four legged friends, music and story telling.

The book is is your gateway to a Fort Socs Membership.  You could get one delivered or arrange a drop off spot too. 

Memberships are free, but the books and feed cost money.

We are recruiting for song storytellers... stay tuned for chances to earn your book and be part of our next chapter

We are looking for partners in our journey to eternal peace for one and all.

  Silverado_socrates@hotmail.com

Memberships to start your own Fort Socs pet and pioneer stories

We're recruiting for the King KnightMAREs!

Have you ever had a pet,  heard stories of one or wanted one?    They take some time and effort but the memories often feed us some good times 'furever'.   How about stories of  Sylix or local farm pioneers?  Fort Socs aims to have songs/ stories pay for the remaining Mandy and Me herd, the bills up 'til now (since losing our original home) and for future pets/ helper people.  We know we aren't the only ones who have had to leave what they thought would be their forever home and gravesite of lifelong friends/family

Alexander story

May 30, 2024

May 29th, 2024

I took Alexander for a ride today. He enjoyed the clover in the field at times along the way. He is 27 now and has been part of Mandy and Me since he was a one year old. He came from Christian Valley and was at a place that was trying to keep the wild horses of Suffield Alberta together. I named him Alexander because I had heard of a horse named Busephalus at the ranch he came from. Bucephalus   had been the name of the horse of Alexander the great. I had heard that the Christian Valley Bucephallus had been small but turned into a big beautiful horse, but one that would run in circles and lose his riders. I did not know Alexander was part draft, but he was small when we got him and i hoped he would become big and beautiful Because he was only a yearling when we got him, he was smaller than all the other horses. He is submissive to Faith because Faith is one year older and was bigger when he first arrived. Faith is a few hundred pounds smaller but is definitely has the big brother attitude over him still.

There was a year, i believe 2016 to 2017, where Alexander, and Faith were parted from Sheba, Sambucca, Serandipity and Justice. When they returned, there was a fantastic reunion with all the horses running around with the joy of seeing each other again. It was quite a while before Faith or Alexander were keen to leave the herd, but things have settled now. During the years at the West Kelowna site of Mandy and Me, Alexander was known to chase Sheba around if he had the chance. With Sheba being the lone mare, he is more of a protector now to her which is pretty cool to see, knowing their history.

Aima is seen riding Alexander in the cover image. Aima is now taking care of Serandipity and Justice in Alberta. Well, parts of Alexander and Aima can be seen anyway. Hopefully can figure these things out.

May 21, 2024

On February 5th of 2024, King made the cover of a our local capital news, after falling through the ice at Carney Pond. I thought I would do this May 21st 2024 as my second Mandy and Me TNT blog. I took the picture of him wading in the Carney water on a sunny spring day in May. Today is exactly 2 month's after his 14th birthday. The truth is, I had been wondering if he would make it to 14. He had been losing weight and I hada been even thinking to have him get a vet come to the field near Carney to save him from losing any more weight. Instead, King was saved by a rescue team after falling through the ice at this pond. I am so grateful to them! I am sure I would have had life long nightmares of his barking for help, if he hadn’t made it out alive. I had gone in after him to about 3 feet but soon realized that to go further could have resulted in two dead bodies! Two police were the first to the scene. My legs were not numb but my mind was, so am grateful to the one officer suggesting I dump the water out of my boots and the other for finding the items that I had taken off before going in. The one officer offered to let me warm up in his car while waiting. I took him up on the offer, soon after the fire crew had started the rescue process. I was let out of the car in time to see him come to the shore in the pontoon. Once out, King and I were driven to the Black Mountain Veterinarian clinic. He was given care and I was given some dry socks, some vet uniform bottoms, and a towel. A friend and neighbor that I had been in contact with, had a warm bath ready for King, but the trip to the vet resulted in some extra after care that probably extended his days of life and quality. I looked up the sideeffects of the antiinfamitory medicine given to him. One was weight gain! This is part of an extra special connection we now have with Black Mountain and are very grateful to them as well as the rescue crew.

Making the front page may seem a bit much for some people. Having that expensive a trip for a dog may seem a waste of tax payer dollars to some folk too. On the other hand, it is a great story of survival that we need more of. Not only that, it was practice for if a person were to fall through ice. King made it out alive, and I am thankful .. I couldn’t have paid the money cost for the rescue, but I sure would have wanted to! I may be paying for the vet bill MasterCard interest for a bit, but grateful King is still kicking. It was not a job for one person. Took a team that new how to work together. Having resources to cover a myriad of circumstances, helped make the Carney Pond rescue mission a success. Thank you to all involved!

Most mornings, King and I take a walk near the pond. He often wants to head down to it and take time checking the latest pond activities with his nose. His ears aren't hearing so well these days, but he sure likes to smell! I can't keep up with him when he gets it in his mind to follow the trail. Great to see him happy! His breathing often gets labored whether he has been running, walking or standing around. Most of the time he sleeps but he seems to always know about when i will be getting up to go for our walk. He loves to lead the way, or at least start then start sniffing!

Rambling in Rutland

September 29, 2023

I did a short trip to Rutland today, hoping to find a laptop at a thrift store. Mine seems to have gone kaput. I brought King with me. We saw a lady who had her things out and she shared a story of her dog. Pretty sure that she got the great dane when a puppy and had her for 12 years. Her dog helped her and her mom through many challenging times. She is having challenges now, but swapping stories and seeing King seemed to have inspired her quite a bit. King can't get around like he used to, so our trips in the van are pretty much our only time together.    ( Nov 10th, 2025 edit:   I did try to take him on walks most mornings.   He might have started on rides, but seldom would go more than about half km...the last months of his life).   Nice to bring some 'pet therapy' for folk that can't come to us so easy.