Happy Memorial Weekend.


So what about this weather?  The middle states are getting hit by wild tornadoes and before that flooding.  Out west we're still getting rain and snow and it's almost June!!!  Did the earth tip and no one mentioned it?  My big concern in NorCal is that we're going to hit a couple of triple digit days, the snow melts, the valley floods.  I hope it doesn't happen, but all those developers that built on the flood plain around Sacramento, what can I say - brilliant...not.

Which BTW if you'd like to donate to some of the Mini breeders in Oklahoma that got hit - Davie Kilman is helping to organize it.  Read more at LB.


Just read this on another blog about UC Davis Extension Courses. termed Feducation for Fun + Education.  Check it out.


We dragged Dazzle out of the pasture the other day and gave her a quick groom up.  She has her sire's long long mane and tail, and what a sweetie as far as personality.  I wish she had better conformation (my taste), but she's not horrible, just not 'it'.  (No she's not pregnant, just very fat, which I've discussed below).

Breeding here this year has been, what's the word, odd?  I've never had stallions have such a lack of interest in mares.  Is it the weather or what?  I don't know but I'm about ready to end it.  Across the board the stallion attitude seems to be 'meh' maybe I will, soon, someday, maybe.  So, I may have a very brief breeding season, which I'm totally fine with.  Yes I want to see Dance foals next year, but if I get one or two, I'm fine with that.


Did anyone else follow the online auction at Olympian Ranch that ended yesterday.  I was appalled, shocked and surprised at the truly low prices that showed online for those horses.  Olympian breeds nice quality Minis and I was dumbfounded in this market that more buyers weren't jumping at the opportunity to own horses of that calibre for a fraction of what I've seen them sell for.  Wish I had less to support a few mares and a couple of stallions I would have been bidding on!


Otherwise life is good, the horses are still too fat, and I'm trying to 'thin' them down without them getting sick from their perception that I'm starving them.  But ALL the mares except maybe three could drop 15-50 pounds (a few more than that!).  If I was raising cattle I'd be ecstatic!!  But butcher-fat Minis need to be a bit trimmer.  I'm not going for show ring ready, but OMG not are they all 8 months pregnant look either!


Wishing everyone a safe and happy Memorial again.

EHV-1 Virus f

Received this from Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center

Dear LBEMC clients,      Please see the following update from the California state veterinarian. Please contact us with your questions or to booster your horse’s vaccine status. We will post daily updates on our Facebook page.      A recent disease outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus has been traced to horses who attended the National Cutting Horse Associations’ Western National Championships in Odgen, Utah on April 30 – May 8, 2011.  California horses who participated in this event may have been exposed to this EHV-1 virus.      The California Department of Food and Agriculture encourages owners of horses who participated in the Odgen, Utah event to isolate and monitor their horses for clinical signs of disease.  A rectal temperature in excess of 102F commonly precedes other clinical signs.  Therefore, we are urging owners to take temperatures on each individual horse(s) twice a day.  If a temperature above 102F is detected contact your private practitioner immediately.  Laboratory submission of nasal swabs and blood samples collected from the exposed horse can be utilized for virus detection and isolation.

So what about this weather?

Here in Northern California its raining with highs of 50-60 during the day and expected tonight into the 40's.  Sorry that is WINTER weather here, not May!!!  Again, glad it's not 105, but What the ???

Fortunately it's not that cold nor raining that consistently, so the horses seem to be bearing it well.  I'm just very surprised at this unseasonable winter-like weather we're having.


On a bright note, some of the extra horse paraphernalia we've had around is selling - yea!  There's still alot left and I haven't even gone through blankets, magazines and a few other boxes in the garage of stuff.  The trickle of $$ is great as the transmission went out on the Mercedes over the weekend.  That's a chunk of change, but cheaper than new!  So, highly motivated right now to get things moving along.


We did start breeding last week, or should say put mares with stallions.  I'm not sure if it's the weather, inexperienced stallions (one his first time the other first time pasture breeding) bitchy mares or a combination, but not much happening out there!  Dance and Hollywood seem to 'prefer' the older cooperative mares, so we've seen them get covered but the younger mares seem to intimidate them a tad.  But we also have Demon in with two experienced broodmares (Dipper and Honeybun) and they're totally not interested in him.  Most of my mares are more of the 'bar fly' easy in general so I'm not sure what is up with all this attitude.  Then again, only a few foals next year is fine with me too!


I went to the feed store today to buy hay, and we're at $17.95 for a bale of alfalfa...bleah on that.  I of course was in such sticker shock forgot to pick up the 50lb salt blocks I meant to buy as well.  Oh well another trip this week.  I can see many trips in the next few weeks until the transmission is completed.

Week in Review

Busy week of a busy month!

We're done foaling - yeah.  Valentina finally popped day 349 from her last possible, I'll-cover-you-as-you-exit-the-pasture-date.  So we're not sure how long she actually carried him, but it's a first for me in eleven years of foaling.  I think 342 was the longest in the past!

Fortunately she had a beautiful bay colt.  I keep looking and kinda hope he'll grey out, as I've never had a grey foal before, but if he doesn't that will be good to, as we don't know yet how strong Topper's greying gene is, as the two fillies don't appear to have it.


He's very leggy, pretty Topper head and short back.

Definitely all boy from the screaming at one hour old, while running circles around his dam.  I've yet to figure out why colts (in general) are so much more active at birth than the fillies.  But I've had some that are just 'all that'!

So the third and final foal for 2011 foaling - Wesco Farms TC Up All Night OTG.  I'm thoroughly enjoying getting to sleep again too!



His two sisters, Wesco Farms TC Ascended Allure (Bailey) and Wesco Farms TC Defiantly Different (Cricket) are both doing well.  Bailey is already pending for sale, which is good.  The intent is to sell ALL foals this year and likely next too.


Bailey is shyer than Cricket, but they've finally reached the age where they're starting to play together.  Very cute to watch as they're so closely marked.

CMHR Online Horse Show

Reposted from Lil Beginnings - 


Chances Miniature Horse Rescue is excited to present our first online horse show EVER! 

This show is for every horse and pony no matter if you have a national champion contender or a backyard pet, all are welcome to participate. No registration papers required! No stall fee! No office fee! No judges fee! No gas to get there! AND!!! You also get to be the judge!

All you have to do is take pictures of your horses and ponies and enter the appropriate class. We have 20 classes and a great fun prize will be given to the winner of each class. We will be giving away your choice of DESIGNER HALTERS which we sell on our website for each winner.
A voting poll will be set up so you can also vote for who you want to win in each category.
The show will be held starting on June 6 and will go through June 20 right here on LB over
on the CMHR forum so be sure to tell your friends who are not members to come on over and register and log in. 

As a bonus attraction there will be a
ONLINE DOG SHOW, “MUTTS FOR MINIS” running simultaneously with the horse show, same place, same time. We will be giving away your choice of DESIGNER DOG COLLAR AND LEASH to each winner.

There is a $5.00 entry fee per class for each show.