It's getting hot - summer officially arrivd on Sunday - the heat is arriving now!  We're suppose to have a week of 95-100 weather.  Not my favorite.

The horses all are doing well.  

Jai Ho's eye recovered well.  He's likely going to have a small star, blind spot, but otherwise he's fine!  While he was in recovery here, Vanna and April took turns visiting him as those two are small enough to fit through any crack/crevice/hole in our fencing!  They're also the reason the babies this year are not getting their wading pool - I'm afraid they'd drown!

Looks like I may be getting a favorite mare back in exchange for one of our stallions.  A real win-win, as I'm getting a mare I've missed for a few years and the stallion is going somewher he'll be spoiled and have his own ladies.  The downside from him - he may end up a gelding as his new family has always wanted a gelding just like him - hey no stallion is to good to geld, right?

That will be another road trip in a few weeks to exchange horses.

Tomas was out on Friday.  We had 15 more mares trimmed/de-wormed.  I'm always thrilled when the whole herd is caught up.  I just cringe at long hooves.  They all need a good grooming though - we're getting some ugly looking manes out there.  Our schedule the next few weeks is a bit rugged with different events, so who knows what we'll accomplish.

Silhouette, my gaga horse, was as usual the first to get her hooves done.  She actually was standing in front of Tomas giving him the 'me first' look, so he trimmed her without a halter on - she's a true lover of any attention.  Being overindulgent with her - guess who's been in the backyard since munching on lawn, roses, peach tree leaves and her hay.  Sis is one of the few horses I've had that truly seems content away from other horses.

Sales inquiries have been a bit slow, but reading some of the sale ads online - $100-500 for registered horses in the Mid-West and it's no wonder.  Between the economy and the hay prices - our luxury items just aren't selling.  I just hope the hay prices do not escalate back up to the $17+ range like last year.   It' dry now but there is still some crispy grass out on the hill.  No one looks skinny that's for sure!

Road trip

We (daughter and I) did a road trip to Bakersfield to deliver Missy and son to their new home. Missy aka Las Doradas Miss American Pie is an overo bred mare that I've really enjoyed having here for the past couple years. Her former owner, Penny Radulivich, did a great job working with her and Missy is easy to handle.  She's a superb broodmare (easy foaling, lots of milk, etc.), with the added bonus - I love her pedigree as she's an American Eagle daughter! One of the few left in the USA. She'll be missed here, but went somewhere she'll be appreciated.

The weather has been nice so it wasn't nearly as hot as we'd expected, but I still had the AC blowing in the van keeping us cool - so I thought! We arrived to Missy very sweaty, but otherwise okay, and her colt apparently no worse for wear from the five hour drive. He's been a very robust, self assured little guy with such a beautiful springy trot, almost wish we hadn't sold him - lol!

We visited a bit with Brooke and her horses then back on the road for the return trip. It's a fairly quick 1.5 hours to Coalinga and the the required stop at Harris Ranch for filet mignon! Harris Ranch makes definitely on the top 5 steak places I've been anywhere in the world, so we always stop either going/coming from Southern California.
Happy and very full we made it home in less than 12 hours with stops.

I love delivering in the van versus pulling a trailer. Not necessarily the odor (I'm sure we're a joy out in public - lol), but being able to drive at freeway speed, we can see/hear the horses and it's much easier to park, get gas, etc. Just love it over the truck/trailer! I need to do is take photos of the modifications to the van. I can't take credit for any of them, but I'm thrilled with what was done!