Miscellaneous Monday 6-14-10

It's hot hitting into the mid-90's, and we're still waiting oh so patiently on Libbe and Maria to foal.  My preference would be tonight, but I don't think they're going to oblige me.  At least we should be cooling down back into the 80's this week.

The foals are all doing well, Kiega has completely shed out. Bruiser is not a blue roan, but a black; Rose is the prima donna with all the boys, and Fifa (we're naming him after the World Cup - big football fans here! So it looks like Wesco Farms World Cup 2010 maybe his name - lol!) is enjoying his play time with Rose and Bruiser.  Kiega does play but thinks he's the 'stallion' in the mare/foal pasture, so he'd rather follow the mares around then play with the babies!

The rest of the herd is waiting for me to start bathing/clipping/general clean up on them.  

Tomas was out last week, and we're officially all caught up on trimming - yeah!  We have visits planned out through the Fall, so we shouldn't get off schedule again until December-ish.

Sent off a huge stack of paperwork to both registries.  Late stallion reports, transfers, permanent registration and DNA/PQ tests.  A chunk of change as I've procrastinated for so long.  ** AMHA coupons are still good for horses that have RV paperwork!  Check out their site - AMHA.org registration.  These are good through the end of the year.

Other news –

Little Kings Dream Demon and Lucky Four Colorcard Miramax will be out on lease soon.  Demon will be going to Imperial Acres for a couple of years, and Miramax is off to Redbud Ranch for the season. 

Little (Grosshills Little Mans Anticipation) is off to Wee Gems Minis along with one of our mares Libbe (LGF Miss Liberty Belle on lease) and two mares that came back for re-homing, Charm and Lalique.

It’s going to be nice with less mature stallions, but I’m going to miss these guys and their individual personalities.

How "NOT" to photo a horse.

Trying to take photo's of a weanling can be oh so fun.  These are a series of Wesco Farms Count Your Blessings, Ringo's 2009 filly, out of Una (Wesco Farms Bella Luna).  They have a serious love affair, and I'm likely going to repeat this breeding in 2011.  Blessing (we call her Pretty Girl), thought the whole lead rope and set up was pure torture - we were laughing at her posture!

Maxim steps in to assist.

Finally - a decent shot!

We haven't had a photo-op session with her this year, but she's one of our favorites - 

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Glossary of Horse Terms

• Veterinarian: That career you wish you had pursued whenever you open your monthly vet bill.
• Horse Shoes: Simply-styled flats which come without a designer label, only last 5-6 weeks, but cost the same as Ferragamo's.
• Horse Show: The ultimate goal and destination of all training, feeding, shoeing, medicating, equipment purchases, and  free-time hours whereby for approximately 6 minutes your horse shows you just how badly behaved he can be (see also: Show Horse)
• Hock: Financial condition of all horse owners.
• Stall: What your rig does at rush hour in an unfamiliar city on the way to a big horse show.
• A Bit: What you have left in your pocket after you've been to your favorite tack shop.
• Fence: Decorative structure built to provide your horse with something to chew on.
• Horse Auction: What you think of having after your horse bucks you off.
• Pinto: Green coat pattern found on freshly washed light colored horses left unattended for 2 minutes.
• Well Mannered: Hasn't stepped on, bitten, or kicked anyone for a week.
• Rasp: Abrasive metal tool used to remove excess skin from ones knuckles.
• Lunging: Popular training method in which a horse exercises their owner by spinning them in circles until dizzy.
• Gallop: Customary gait a horse chooses when returning back to the barn.
• Nicely Started: Lunges, but not enough health insurance to even think about riding him.
• Colic: Gastro-intestinal result of eating at horse fair food stands.
• Colt: What your mare gives you when you want a filly.
• Easy to Load: Only takes 3 hours, 4 men, a 50lb bag of oats, and a tractor with loader.
• Easy to Catch: In a 10x10 stall.
• Easy Rider: Rides good in a trailer; not to be confused with "ride-able".
• Endurance Ride: End result when your horse spooks and runs away with you.
• Hives: What you get when receive the vet bill for your 6 horses, 3 dogs, 4 cats, and 1 donkey.
• Hobbles: Walking gait of a horse owner after their foot has been stepped on by their horse.
• Feed: Expensive substance used to manufacture manure.
• Dog House: What you are in when you spend too much money on grooming supplies and pretty halters.
• Light Cribber: We can't afford to build anymore fencing or box stalls for this buzz saw on four legs.
• Three-Gaited Horse: A horse that. 1) trips, 2) stumbles, 3) falls.

Miscellaneous Monday 5-10-10

**** OUR WEBSITE IS DOWN AS OF TODAY****

Please contact us through wescofarms @ gmail.com (remove spaces) for the next week while it is transferred to the new domain server.

What's with the weather? Wet, windy and hmm this is May, right?  Feels like January.  I'm glad for the green as it prolongs our hills being green and the flies aren't out yet - two big yeahs! 

Foaling is still the waiting game.  Waiting on Chiclet and now Libbe to see if they're going to foal in the worst of this new storm or hold out for better weather.  Baybee is also being carefully watched.

Took the camera out last night and took a few photos of the gang and ended up with the roan edition.  Bruiser  has that normal chinchilla color I associate with blue roans at birth.  He could surprise us and go black but I doubt it.  I think he'll like his two siblings and be a blue roan under the baby fuzz.

Bruiser aka Wesco Farms please give me a name!

Kiega aka Wesco Farms ETs Secret Affair showing off his blue roan-ness!

This was a bad angle, but I was trying to get his back, shooting down at minis a big no-no.

Ringo, Wesco Farms Buckerowdyroo, sire of the two boys above

standing downhill - taking decent photos of minis is my curse.

Clean up and uncovering stuff

Spent most of the day cleaning up old files on the PC.  Good thing to do on a really wet day.  I'm so glad the pregnant mares are holding out on foaling. Hate slogging through mud.  Bruiser was really put out this morning with the rain and refused to go out.  Just screamed at his dam, for being crazy enough to wander around in the rain to eat!

While I've been cleaning up the harddrive (getting ready to reformat this PC), I did uncover some gems that I've had stored away for years!  It's amazing what I keep... everything from feeding, to breeding to equine humor, etc.  Some of the old e-newsletter I sent out a few years back.

So, I've been redoing, updating some and will posting them on the blog.  I am crediting authors if known, and will definitely note those I haven't a clue who wrote them - so if anyone reads something that they can tell me the source I'd be thrilled to now that!  I'm also going to start listing just a few of the photos I've had stored for years - I think it's 500+ photos of Minis collected over the years.


Last night had the Kiega and Bruiser in the backyard.  They're so adorable together.  Fiesty little pair and take after Ringo - constantly dropped, checking out the mares!  Kiega is the friendlier of the two, but Bruiser will learn. 

Still watching Baybee and Chiclet.  I know Baybee is going to be hard to judge when she's due as we don't have a cover date, and she's a maiden.  Remy I seesaw - pregnant, fat, pregnant, fat.  So we're treating her as pregnant.
 
I did notice Libbe looks rounder than I she should be, but at this point I think everyone's secretly pregnant. 

Everyone is suspect to me!

The most PG looking horse here though is Ray, our gelding.  He's the old style mini and overweight as it is.  He loves his hay and doesn't miss feeding time ever.  He's one of the few that I've ever forced on a diet as he can get so chunky, so quickly.

Update...

I've been down sick with the flu or cold or whatever is going around Northern California.  Knocked me out for a few weeks, now I'm just dodging bronchitis or pneumonia.  So, updates are late and time with the horses has been minimal.  Yea for teenagers.

 GENERAL STUFF

Tomas was out, so the boys all were trimmed.  Glad that is out of the way, but we didn't get photos taken as planned.  The guys are still down here near the house (may summer here as they can't jump out!), so we'll get photo's taken.  My outstanding paperwork is really bugging me so - good, bad or indifferent the photos are being taken and submitted!

I know I mentioned the website will be moving to a new host in the next month, so it will be down for about a week.  I will be posting updates here and the sales list can be emailed to anyone in need during that time.

 

THE RINGO BOYS

Two down, couple more to go....

Ringo's boys are growing up (very few photos taken of #2 as I was down with the flu) but here is Kiega and little brother (the name Bruiser keeps roaming through my head) out in the field.

Carbon copy or what?  Matched blue roan driving team - rofl!!!   Actually they look more alike than in person, give Bruiser a few weeks to catch up to Kiega and they'll be hard to tell apart!

Now that he's a few weeks old LeeLee has stopped hovering and he's off with Kiega playing most of the day.

 

 
GETTING CLOSE
Baybee is on deck and with no cover date, we're watching her progress daily.  Not much of a bag but the foal is definitely getting into position.  Maiden mare, hope she won't be a hysterical one.

She's been in with ET since Kiega was little and watched Bruiser from birth so hopefully something has been absorped!  Baybee (Wesco Farms LM Buena Babyee Blues) is Callita's only daughter she had for me, lots of boys but very few daughters, so Baybee is definitely on my short list!

Although, I still kick myself for not calling Baybee - Got Milk.  Love her blue eyes and she has her sire's (Grosshill's Littlemans Anticipation) generous mane.

So, April will be mare watch and paperwork fun!  I know I have some outstanding phone calls to return, and need to get on that now that I have a voice again!

Kiega update

Kiega (Wesco Farms ET's Secret Affair)is growing up and definitely high in the adorable scale!

I tried (unsuccessfully) to take some close ups, but between the bad light and my ability to blur a photo none turned out.

We do have a goal of photoing all the horses this year. Hmmm I think I've had that goal for a few years now!

ET's Secret Affair...

It's one of those days/stories, that you can only laugh about in retrospect!


Yesterday, Thursday February 19, 2010, my son had his best friend over for a visit. They wanted to hike on the hills and his friend's girlfriend wanted to see the horses. So off they go, beautiful day almost 70 degrees in February. A light breeze, the grass is growing, early spring flowers and trees in bud - a perfect day.


While they were hiking the 'couple', being in the post teen angst filled early days of a relationship had a minor tiff. Somehow the three of them were separated. (I know but we we're that age too once - lol!) A bit more hiking back and forth and a minor shouting match on the hills, the couple make their way back down off the hills. They had made up enough to leave in one car (yeah!) and off they go (the stress of young love OMG!), about 4 o'clock.


Around 8 p.m. my son's friend calls and they're chatting. My son then tells me "Oh by the way.. guess what the girlfriend discovered!" While wandering around on our 63 acres of hills she had discovered a black mare with a small black skinny baby. Yeah for finding the sneaky mare - big marks down for not saying anything for FOUR HOURS!


We had a short debate on could she have been mistaken as she's not a horse person and minis, people often call them babies because of the size! So could it be one of the smaller horses next to a taller one? Maybe one of the two year olds (a couple are in the 30" range)? Maybe. Finally it's a better safe than sorry situation, so we change into gorgeous ranch attire (mud shoes/boots, the oogly clothing). We have to go on foot as the ground is almost to wet for the Jeep and in the dark, just not lots of fun! Plus getting the Jeep stuck in the middle of our property...AAA won't help us there!!


Off we go, Maxim, Anya and I to comb 63 acres of hills on foot to look for a BLACK horse with a BLACK foal in the dark by flashlight! Choice words were mumbled by me as we went up and down the muddy hills, dodging the abudance of rocks lacing our hills, not to mention the many small streamlets and two major streams.


When we do find the horses - at the other end of the property - the mares of course are freaking out why we're out there with flashlight's in the dark. So the whole herd starts running. We're trying to identify all the 'black' horses as they race past by flashlight and finally spot the mystery 'black horse' and foal at the back.


I was suspecting Chiclet that looks very likely pregnant, but no surprise! It's ET (Las Doradas Etoile de Mar) my first mini! Now we haven't bred ET in five years, and apparently she hasn't liked not being a mom, so took matters into her own hooves so to speak.


We finally chase the horses down to the house, while I'm sure I'm going to have a heart attack in the dark stumbling up and down hills. My son grabs her baby. Well she's having a screaming fit that she has lost him, her new son is kicking the crap out of my son in his baby 'I don't want to be eaten by you, human' way.


So I grab her foal, we're shining a flashlight on him, calling her over and she's racing around screaming. Finally ET is like 'oh there he is' and we lock them up. All of this is accompanied by Libbe's constant loud screams (she sounds like a 16 hand draft horse - very loud and deep) of baby alert - she loves foals - and will steal any of them she can!


We check the foal - a colt. Obviously very alert and has been nursing and not a few minutes old either. Check mom - full bag, no discharge, alert, healthy and very smug! Give mom some Ivermectin and foal Foal Response. Blanket baby Kiega (long story on that name, but fits him) and leave them alone.

So here he is - Wesco Farms ET's Secret Affair "Kiega"

Check out the head shot - he has a moustache!!!

The truly ironic part of this, just the day before she foaled Kiega, we were watching her walk up the hill and I remarked to Maxim, damn ET looks pregnant. We both did the naaa! Can't be. Darn mare proved me wrong again.


Now to figure out the mystery of when and how she managed this. Suspect number one is Ringo as Kiega looks to have blue roan ability going on! The only issue Ringo did NOT have access to the mares unless she very willingly backed up to the fence last March. So another guess daddy foal. Thank goodness for DNA/PQ testing!!!