Mane Event 2012

On Saturday I headed up to Red Deer for the Mane Event.  But first I had made a deal with a lady on Facebook that we were gonna trade some tack.  She was going to Ponoka and so we decided to meet halfway in between in Lacombe.  I traded her Kali's old blanket for a cooler and a felt pad.  I like trading that way I get what I want and she gets what she wants and we get rid of the stuff we don't want.

(we had to wait for the train to pass before we could meet)

Well then I headed to Red Deer and had a look around the trade fair.  then I found Sherry and bought her new book and got her to sign it for me.  I did not read what she wrote till I got home and she is so awesome :)  Thanks Sherry I will sure try.

I also got a garment bag for my dress shirts from Up In Stitches so they can stay clean while we are traveling.  I wanted a summer canvas sheet from her but she had none in the right size so I guess we will have to use the ones I have.  I also finally found a black belt I really liked from Western Twist Tack.  I looked at it and loved it but it was way way too big so I left and then came back cause I really wanted it,  but picked a different one that was nice and fit.  And I went to pay and she says she can make them smaller if its too big.  So I asks about the other one and since there was lots of plain belt at the buckle end she made it fit me!  I love it and best of all it was not even ridiculous priced :)

So I didn't buy a lot but I am got stuff I really wanted.  I always forget its so general horsey and not very event/competition based so there is so much there I am not interested in.  I did talk to the Adaquan lady and found out more about it and it actually sounds like a good product.  She was saying it acts like the fluid in the joints and it wears out instead of the joint fluid wearing out.  And it last about 6 months so if only competing for half a year only need it once a year or can do it twice a year if needed.  And what I liked best of all is if you use it, at any time you can quit using it without any problems, no need to keep using it forever.  Might be something to look into.

Sunday Still -- Beauty or Beast

This week our Sunday still sis Beauty or Beast.  Take something bad and put it in a way to make it look good or find some beauty in it.

Well this was kinda hard till I really thought about it.  I don't like brown particularly, but brown is my favorite horse color.  But I went with snow.  I know its not really bad, but I do not like snow or winter.  But it is necessary and it makes stuff pretty.

The first one looks all pretty and dreamy and the second one is heavy frost and makes dead trees (or rather not dead just dormant) look so much nicer.

For more Check out Sunday Stills.

Fridays For Sale -- Belle

This is a hard thing for me to do to list this horse.  For some reason I really like her and I cant explain it.  I got her as a 4 year old from a sale and she was started at 2 but not done much since and she was out with the stud but never got bred and I didn't pay much for her.  Thought maybe get a baby out of her and maybe ride her.  But no baby and I went to ride her and she was terrified of everything.  So pretty much she did nothing around her till I called the people I got her from and decided to get her bred by one of their studs.  He was a pretty buckskin and all I wanted was a filly, a buckskin filly would be perfect, but of course got a stud colt that was sorrel.  And I didn't really want to like him but I really did and he was a sweetheart, just as quiet and gentle as possible for a baby.  He ended up going to BC in a trade and she loves him.

(her foal as a yearling)

Other than that I don't ever do much with her but I love her conformation and her head is about perfect.  She is not very tall (about 14.2) and that's perfect for me too.  If I had more knowledge when I got her and no broke horses I probly would have rode her but I didn't have the patience or the skills at the time and mostly was just unsure so she got left.  I am really tempted to take her back up this spring and get her bred back the same way as Jamaica, but I am trying to cut down on horses here right now to a usable amount so I can concentrate on them and showing as well.

(Dec 2011)

She is a little hard to catch cause she is very timid and prefers you on her right side, but in a small corral I can just walk up and get her no problem, no running around, she just stays far enough away.  She is perfect for picking up her feet and getting trimmed, and she loads really easy.  She actually will load herself if the trailer is open, was sure a surprise as I was loading Bailey and turn around and Belle is in the trailer behind me!

(Sept 08)

She is easy to worm and vaccinate and is up to date on all that.  She is a really good mom and will mother other foals as well (no nursing, just care).  She is sorrel with no socks and a white stripe.  She also carries the rabicano gene and so has roaning through her flanks and on her tail.  She is timid in the herd but knows how to take care of herself, she rarely has a bite or scratch on her.

(Sept 09)

Her pedigree is on All breeds as LT Belle San Tivio.   I am asking $1200 for her and can have her bred back if I know before Mid May at the lastest.

Also linking up with Farm Fridays over at Fresh From the Farm.

Wordless Wednesday -- Camo Cat

Jessie

Over the last couple days I have gotten some pretty good pics of Jessie, not sure why she was being so cooperative so I could take the pics, but she did. It sure is easier to get nice pics of her when she is shedded out (mostly) and has no blanket on.

I had to laugh at these pics, I went to catch Jessie and Dude comes running up and all excited and behind him comes Jessie head down and relaxed, lol.

And she also met the foal and the foals mom, who didn't really like her but it was funny cause after she pinned her ears she didn't really know what to do when Jessie didn't leave.  I just called her and she went back to eating grass.  Its funny how she knows her name and when she is doing something she shouldn't.

Weekend Plans

So its been a while since I been here so a quick recap on whats been going on since Friday.  The farrier was coming down to get Jessie front shoes and trim Dude so I had to get up early and head over there.  After we were done I went for coffee with a couple friends and then headed back to barn and had a ride on Jessie even though the arena was pretty rough, she had gone over it with the big tractor but not the harrows so it had pretty deep grooves and its hard to ride in.  Then I headed to my Moms house for her monthly scrap booking.  I finally headed home about midnight, it was a long day.

Then Saturday I tried to sleep in but didn't work well and I was kinda exhausted but we had made plans to ride at Susan's and so I headed out and on the way I had a flat tire (again)  but I wasn't surprised cause I had noticed the last couple days it was kinda weird looking so I made sure I had a spare.  After that minor mishap we headed out for a really nice ride that was about 3 hours.  And we had lunch/supper and then headed home.

Sunday we decided to ride a little earlier cause it was 25 out and we thought we didn't want to ride while it was so hot and we went out for a shorter ride, only about 2 hours.  Sure is nice to be able to go out for such a long ride.  I tend to ride without my stirrups when we ride so long but I noticed it sure makes my butt sore in a different spot than I usually have.

Finally had a early night and had time to work with Magic this morning.  I was pretty impressed, its been a week or so since I did much with her and she met me at the gate and I brushed her all over, she is still kinda iffy on her butt being touched but not so much that she wants to leave.  Maybe tomorrow I will try something more, we will see, I am in no hurry I will take stuff slow.

After lunch I headed down to see Jessie and it was so hot I decided not to ride and just give her a bath.  The water was so cold she didn't like it.  I think if I rode her and she was kinda warm it probly would have been a little better, but now she is clean but I don't know if it will last cause she has no blanket on now.

She sure didn't mind the grass afterwards.  I got a short video of her eating it, she was so intent on eating as much as she could get in.

Chores

So this morning I was in the house trying to get energetic to go do my chores and I look outside and this is what I see :)

I love being able to see her from the living room window.  I can see the pasture horses if I look out the side window but I have to stand to for that and if they are at the far end of the pasture its hard to see them, and the ones in the corrals are out the porch window, but Magic is right out the living room.  I might have to keep someone there all summer just so I can look out and see them.

The pasture horses are so well behaved that they just eat out of their piles and don't even bother moving from one to another, its kinda weird but kinda nice.

The others however haven't got that figured out.  Well mostly they do except Jazz and since everyone lets her eat from their pile she never eats alone.  I mentioned how she was almost as tall as Razz and today they were standing side by side and so I got a pic so its more visible.  I'm glad too cause sometimes I think I am imagining things if I don't see them more than once.  But I definitly think she will be taller than Razz.  Which is too bad cause I like Razz's size.

And I love Disco's face, she is so cute :)  Even with the wild horse look of branches everywhere (which I never noticed till I got back in the house to look at the pics.)

Wordless Wednesday -- Riding

Catching Up

The last few days have been kinda busy around here, but I think I am caught up again for a day or so.  Friday we headed over to Strathmore to go to K and K livestock for some basic supplies, I bought a cinch and latigo and then I ended up with a really pretty carry on bag with another matching bag.  I had no intention of buying it but I love it, so pretty :)  We also went to Lammle's and I got a pair of Aura jeans, I love them they are sooo comfy.

Saturday it was cold and kinda rainy but we went riding anyways, we rode indoors and it was fun.  The barn was really busy which was surprising cause it was cold out.  We rode for quite a while and it was a lot of fun.  I was planning on going to the show this weekend so I figured I better ride lots.

Sunday was Neil's birthday so we had his parents and sister come out and had dinner and cake and presents.  It was good, even if I wasn't looking forward to a day of missing riding.  But the weather was really cold and we actually had a little snow on the ground, brrr.

(mm chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles)

Then yesterday my farrier come out and trimmed 6 horses, Bailey, Belle, Disco, George, Kali, and Razz.  I went out early in and Magic was good, but I don't think she or I was ready for her to get trimmed yet.  So I caught the pasture horses (George, Bailey and Kali) I have to take them one at a time cause its a wire gate that is really wide and I cant control it with too many horses.  If I could catch George first I can lead Bailey and Kali together but otherwise Kals leads awful with other horses.  And George doesn't like to be caught so I usually leave him last and then he wants to go cause his friends are all gone.  He was good and I tied them up by the chute.  

Then the others, I had them in the corral and caught Disco, then Razz, then Jazz.  I was a little worried Jazz was not gonna let me put the halter on her, but she was really good and led across the corral well and I tied her near Razz then caught Belle and put her on the other side of Jazz.  I was way early cause everyone was so good.  It was only about 8:30 and Jason was not coming till 10, but he is usually a little early so I was planning on being ready by 9 anyways cause they are usually a little better after standing tied for a while anyways.

Since I had so much time, I grabbed a flower shedder and went out and brushed them all.  That took a while and most are shedding quite good, except Bailey is not started shedding at all.  Disco and Belle are almost all shed out and the others are shedding like crazy.  I love brushing Kali cause she loves it soo much and makes it so obvious.   Even Jazz was really good, she also loves brushing and I love to brush her.

I was tired and thirsty so I left them out there and went in for a drink and Jason showed up right on time and we did Kals first and after that I decided I better untie Jazz cause she had gotten her rope really long and has never tried pulling back and I don't want her to.  She was really good to stand for that long and wasn't getting done anyways, so it was good.  After I untied her she stood at the fence for along time like she was still tied, it was funny.  I never got a pic of it, but her butt is the same height as Razz's right now, but her withers not as tall yet, I am thinking she is gonna grow taller than Razz.

(I got Neil to hold his horse so I could go to the bathroom and quickly snapped a pic,

 even getting the UFA guy in it)

Everyone got done and the UFA truck came and delivered fuel, then I put everyone back and went to have lunch then hooked up my trailer and went riding.  I was already tired but figured I still needed to ride.  Although after riding I decided not to enter the show cause I am too busy and Jessie is out of shape and I haven't practiced in a long time, so if its nice out we will ride out.  Jessie also needs her feet done and I am gonna put front shoes on her and that is probly gonna happen Friday if all goes well.

Fridays for Sale

Well I hope this isn't bad luck cause its Friday the 13th, but here is my first Friday for sale.

I am gonna start with  a horse this week.  As much as I don't want to sell any of them, I am slowly coming to the conclusion I can not ride 7 horses (2 of them being very green and one for sure not even started under saddle) and unless I want them to be pasture pets (which they don't seem to enjoy very much) I am gonna have to downsize.

(In the barn, Dec 2007)

I don't know how I ended up with so many horses.  Really.  I know how I got Bailey and she was my main horse for quite a while, so she is probly the most broke of all of them.  I bought her as a weanling the year we got married and she come from one of my neighbors.  But I am noticing last summer as well as this summer (so far only spring) I am not as enthused about riding her.  So she is first on the list.

(Aug 2008, trotting in from pasture)

She is a 8 year old (wow time flies) registered Quarter horse.  She has done pretty well everything (well except maybe jumping)  and she never has refused to try anything  I ask her to do.  She has done tones of ranch work, move cows, sort cows, check cows, I even threw a rope on her once, but since I don't rope all we caught was a friend, lol.

(On a 4 day trail ride, Aug 08)

She has also done a million miles trail riding and goes up and down hill and across water (and will swim if water is deep enough), has been to the mountains and done good up there.  She is very brave and if she trusts you will do anything you ask her to do.  She is the horse who taught me how much trust really means.  I know if we get in a bad situation I can trust her to get us out safely, as has happened a couple years ago when we where crossing a frozenish slough and the ice got to thick to break and was at her chest level.  I let her decide what to do and she just leapt straight up and over to the side and we were back on flat  ground, whew I was sure we were stuck there.

(July 08 in the yard)

I have also done lots of arena riding on her, trotted the barrel pattern (even if I don't know what I'm doing, lol)   She has a lot of energy and is a better horse is someone makes her work hard.  If she is just being left to make all the decisions she finds something to occupy her mind and its usually silly.  She is not spooky and she doesn't buck (anymore)

(Aug 2009)

She is super friendly and prefers to spend her time with people rather than with horses.  So she is super easy to catch and she loves being groomed.  She has never had shoes on, never needed them.  Good for trimming, worming, and she loads herself into the trailer and travels well either in a stock type or a divider type.

(Aug 2009)

I am asking $3500 for her but will be very picky about who buys her cause she is kinda special and kinda quirky and not everyone can deal with her weirdness, which is probly mostly my fault but that's how it is.  I don't have a lot of pictures of me riding which I kinda wish I did.

(Trail Ride in mountains, Aug 2010)

And on another note, Sherry has some awesome yellow colts for sale over at Fern Valley, and Shirley at Ride a Good Horse sold her pretty dun mare but head on over there anyways and have a look at her new baby, hes a cute one!