All the other goin' ons

 As I wind my way back to health, slowly increasing what I can do each day, I am thankful for all the well wishes I have received, and work on making my plans for the winter. Mostly, I have everything all set up to be simple when it comes to chores; all hay stored indoors and small square bales instead of the big rounds that I usually buy that require the use of the tractor to move as well as pitchforking the hay into a sled or wheelbarrow to put in the desired feeding area- this year, I can just toss the required amount out into the shelter or the barn. Also- the automatic waterer is the only one needed this winter, as I won't be using the big barn where Beamer was which needed water to be pumped from the stand pipe into my insulated tank that Ted built for me. I often had to take a heat gun to the stand pipe handle to free it up when the weather got really nasty. 

It's coming...

Having only two horses definitely makes the work load lighter, but it sure seems odd to me. 

We are ok with just us two

I did find a farrier that Velvet ok'd , a young lady just starting out with barefoot trimming. Velvet loved her. Gussie tolerated her.  So that is something I can check off my list- I don't have to attempt to trim the mares!

The mares got covered in deer tick bites, nasty lumps that have a yellow crust to them similar to rain rot. Vet said they are deer tick bites and to deworm with ivermectin and spray the mares with Virkon. Done. I did some research on those ticks- they aren't the kind that latch on and suck blood like the wood ticks. Apparently they like pasture with long cover as they are not fond of sunlight and don't we just have pasture with a lot of long grass and tall weeds. We are looking into getting a rough cut mower in to fix that, although it may have to wait until next spring. We are hoping that the recent numerous heavy frosts will have knocked off the ticks, which usually make their first appearance in September, so that gives us some time. 

We got an update on Boe via facebook-  he is doing really well and they love him. They renamed him Willy. 

If you care to check out her page, she posted videos of him trailing cattle on his 12th ride.

Also I have been getting Theo updates, he is thriving and growing. As with all the Beamer babies (like Willy) he has an exceptional mind and they have been working on getting him soft to lead- their 4 yr old daughter can lead him and it's the cutest thing- if he hits the end of the lead rope she scolds him and he softens right up to her. 

I am looking to breed Gussie next year, I have a couple of choices which I will be deciding on within a couple of weeks. I will keep you updated on that!

Some horse updates

 Well that 10 days went by fast! Since I last posted we had major temperature swings in the weather-  cold nights, warm days, then cold days, then warm days- gah! But we are on the upswing now. 

Beamer and Belle got their blankets off a few days ago; I'm sure they appreciated that!

The short portion of her mane is how much it has grown since September, that was all rubbed out. I love all the colours she has in her mane. 

Yes Velvet, you also have a beautiful mane. 

One of the reasons for my delay in posting is that I planned a trip up to see Shayla and take photos of a couple horses she is selling. First up is her paint colt, Zipper. 

Speaking of manes, his is sure colourful!

Zipper is a really good minded colt who is going to be really, I mean really, big. 

He's a weanling and is already up to Shayla's shoulder! I didn't get a lot of photos of him because we wanted to concentrate on Boe photos. Yes, he was put up for sale. We took him to the round pen for the photo session. 

He's literally the spitting image of Beamer only in red. He carries himself beautifully, and even yawns like his daddy!

We took some video for his sale ad. This was only his second time of being worked in the round pen; he was very good. 

We also worked him in hand a little. Just following the feel of the lead rope, and he was beautifully soft. 

I'm pretty proud of the quality of foals Beamer sires off different mares. They are all good horses!

Anyway, our work paid off; Shayla posted him on FB and he was sold within a day and a half!  He will be going to a working cattle ranch only an hour from here. 

Beautiful boy

He might be leaving but I think we will be able to follow his progress as both his owner and the lady who will be starting him are on FB. The trainer's page is Anchor S Equine.

Ho ho ho....hum

 Well....

 I figured a lovely warm sunny day would be perfect for taking Christmas photos of the horses. 

You know, 

Deck the ponies with poinsettias,

Fa la la la la la la la la.....

Beamer....Hey Beamer, wake up!

Whaaaaat?

Ok my eyes are open, happy now? Can I go back to sleep?

Oh Ruby, thanks for cooperating!

Can I go back to sleep now please?

Then there was Velvet....

She was on alert! 

Not putting that stuff on me!

Does it make me look cute? If so it can stay....

Hmmmm. How about the hat, Velvet?

Whassat? 

I guess it can stay as long as I can snooze....

But it tickles!

Went up to visit Shayla the other day and got in a few photos there too.

A nice Christmas one of Boe with a bow 😄

And who doesn't love a Christmas cow!

Shayla sent me this one of Gussie's filly, Evy, decked out in silver poinsettias that look like snowflakes in her mane. She's the sweetest filly!

In other news - Shayla bought a new stallion prospect. A coming 2 yr old red dun with some nice old school breeding. 

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/majors+pistol

Love those ears! They are like Beamer's ears

He's a big bodied colt, reining bred; his sire was a successful show horse and his dam comes from a strong line of cutting horses. He should cross well on all the mares.

Barn name Shooter

 

90.... and a horse visit

 Ted's dad turned 90 on the weekend, so we had a family gathering for him. He is the last of the parents for Ted and I. 

The 3 brothers and dad (Al) . Al really enjoyed the outing; he lives in extended care and was happy to get out and have a social afternoon. There were old friends and co workers who came to celebrate with him, and all his grandkids and great grands. And cake! 

Before the party, we stopped in to see Shayla and the horses. 

Gussie's blue roan filly, Evy, is looking great! She is the one that is half Percheron. She is just the sweetest thing. Shayla has her up for sale. 

I got to say hi to all the old mares and check on their baby bellies. 

Jayne, Belle and Gussie

They all looked pregnant to me. Which is a blessing, because Shayla lost her stallion, Jets Givemathrashin, to colic a couple of weeks ago, so this is his last foal crop. She has two other mares in foal to him as well as some Percheron crosses. I hope she gets several fillies to carry on his exceptional bloodline. 

Got to visit Boe too! He is just as sweet as his sister Dally. Since Shayla sold Scooter, he is keeping some cows and draft foals company. I brought a blanket to try on him for the upcoming cold snap- he handled being blanketed no problem .

He won't wear it all the time, just as needed. It's a bit big in the chest so we added a strap. It should fit him for quite a while. I have had that blanket (it's a Bucas) since Belle's mama, Sundee, was a yearling. 25 years? Something like that. 

They have a big bale of straw to lay on

We are into the cold weather now, so my outside time will be limited. Brrr! I make sure the ferals have fresh water- twice a day for the kittens and in the mornings for the big cats as they can travel to the heated stock waterer if they get too thirsty. 

I got a little video of Bandit, who gets joined by Smokey. They have pretty much free choice food, but were happy to get the fresh water. 

Don't judge me on the messy crates, my storage area is a work in progress!

Look who is here!

 It's that time of year again....

Weaning time. 

Shayla delivered Scooter and Boe here on Friday for their weaning and kindergarten training.

Turned them out in the top pen with access to the old barn. Shayla hauled Sophie to her place, so it's just Velvet for them to holler at.

They were quite happy to go in and out of the barn - neither of them had been in a barn before. 

The program is to give them turnout during the day, and close them in the barn at night. They get fed hay in the barn and can graze during the day with access to the barn/hay. Two or three times a day, I put them individually in one of the small stalls, halter them, touch them all over, handle their legs including picking up their feet, and start getting them to follow the feel of the lead rope. They are good boyz!

Yes, we are good boyz!

Interestingly enough, it is Boe who is the dominant one over his bigger buddy. But it is Scooter who is the curious one, ready to venture out and check things out while Boe follows.

What fun for me to have foals to work with again! 

Fencing is progressing well, we have one more pasture to repair, should be able to get that done in 1 day; that will be the winter pasture, then it's winterizing the barns (missing glass panes in the windows, a couple of boards to replace to keep the birds out next year) and overhauling the automatic waterer, making sure the thermostat is working.

After that it's all household stuff, including setting up the containers for gardening next year and getting the walls painted so I can put my art/photos up, then it will feel more like home. 

With the cooler nights now, the flies are finally dying down. Thank goodness! Our doors are on the sunward sides, East and West, so they tend to congregate around the doors and windows. We put up one of those fly bag traps- they work great! As well as several stickies. 

I finally got the data cord for my camera, so I will do a post with some of my better photos from the summer. 

Baby Boe pics

 

Well hello little cuteness!

Who, me?

Yes you, Boe.

Shayla was kind enough to send me a few photos today, of course that made my day!

I would be quite happy if he had no white at all, it's so hard to tell yet.

Jayne and Boe are in the stud pasture with Belle and Scooter, as well as Shayla's new mare DF Sunfrosted Te, aka Dolly. It won't  be long before those foals are frolicking with each other instead of sticking close to their mamas. 

A name, a home and a knot

 Although I haven't seen him yet, and don't have any updated photos, I have decided on a name for my colt. 

Boe. 

He is named as a tribute to an old cowboy, John Boe, who was my mentor when I decided to get into breeding quarter horses.  John passed away a couple of years ago, and I will never forget all his kindness and all that he taught me. 

We have secured a place to live; it's a month to month rental in a village 10 minutes from Shayla's, so it's easy to get to my horses. Also close enough to where Ted's dad is, and a short commute to where his son lives. I guess I will have to put up with town living for a while until we can find a farm rental. 

I will miss this view....

Just right of center, it looks like 3 or 4 figures huddled together in a prayer circle

I was watching a horse program on TV the other day and found this interesting- Clinton Anderson showing a better way to tie horses. I have a puller in Sophie, and it is hard to get the standard slip knot undone when she sets back! So I'm going to use this knot. (Sophie is now at Shayla's)

The next few days are going to be hectic, we can move in on Wednesday June 1, so now it's all about the logistics of hauling panels, Beamer, household stuff as well as cleaning the house and emptying everything in the barn. I may be awol for a while!