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.

August recap

So much for the daily blogging!

I know I could, but to write 'we fed the horses' or 'we trimmed the horses today', seems a bit boring and not worth anyone's time to read!

I've been looking at some different article type posts that I may add as my taxi service (driving a teenager) will keep me on the laptop at Starbucks for a few hours a day. The price of living in the country didn't include Starbucks stops and hours away from home 'waiting'! rofl

August -

It's been hot and dry. The horses have turned the pastures into dirt pretty much as we've had no rain in months. Fortunately alfalfa is under $10 a bale and grass hays hovering around $12..50, so we're saving a few hundred dollars a month on just hay cost alone.

Tomas was out once, we had to cancel twice due to unexpected events, so everyone's getting long toed again. He's coming this Friday, now the choice the boys or the babies? Both are in need and he can't do all of them at one time. /sigh

Vanna

I know I've been posting to Twitter, but Vanna managed to go for a double eye injury. Her and mom, Jamaica are in the backyard (my recovery room) as Woody, Rohan and Ringo have claimed the other small paddocks. Vanna is doing well after a few days of treatment. The right eye looks like it will heal completely and she has good sight in it. The left...I'm hoping she won't need it to be removed. It's improved, but she really nailed it. We're giving it a few more days to see if it continues to improve.

Her aunt (Jamaica's half sister), Missy was my first eye injury to deal with. We treated her around the clock for 10 days and her eye got worse and she went in for a removal. Missy was only three days old when she lost her eye, so she's always got on well without it. (BTW - Missy lives at Jenn Davis and is due with her first foal this month.)

Sooooo, we're going to continue to monitor the mighty munchkin that is Vanna and hope/pray she doesn't need to lose her eye.


Woody
Woody has lost maybe 5 lbs., lol! He looks a bit thinner and he's definitely alot more comfortable walking, and still hating his grass hay diet. (I've cheated and give him a couple handfuls of alfalfat sprinked around his paddock) He'll get trimmed Friday so hopefully Tomas sees lots of improvement in his hooves. He really hates being locked up, as Rohan through the fence is absolutely no companionship.

Token and Flash

Token, one of our super sweet geldings, went off to become a 4-H horse and project for a friends son. I think they'll do super together. While Dee was here, we got to talking about Flash (Vegas Views Jumpin Jack Flash) and Dee remarked how much she liked him. So we struck a great deal and Flash was loaded up with Token for the ride up to Auburn. Both seem to be doing well, and Flash is loving the one on one attention Dee can give him that I couldn't. I sent an email to his breeder, she's pleased he's in a good home with a clause that if he can't be kept there first rights go to her or me! A real win-win for Flash!

Peanut and Thunder Bluff

Just today, Krissy from a blacksmithing school came by with the intent of getting two minis. One as a companion to her hard keeper mare and another for her companion, educational tool at the school. Peanut was an immediate yes - this will be a great home for her. As I've always felt Peant was not of the quality (had the color and size) of a good breeding animal, but hesitated to sell her to someone that would try.

When we went through the boys pasture, Krissy at first was interested in one of the blacks - Raider (blaze, one blue eye) or McLuvin (ultra friendly no white), but while she was checking all the boys - Thunder Bluff (we've changed his name a gazillion times as nothing seems to stick, but it's Little and Libbe's 2008 colt) kept following her, poking his nose in her face - basically giving her the 'what about me' going over!

Finally she did, which made him really want more, so she decided he was the one for her! He loaded well into her trailer - considering it was his first time - and we caught Miss Peanut who gracefully belly flopped her way into the trailer - hey the back of the trailer step up is above her leg height! So off they went to I'm sure a fantastic home.

July in review

July sped by - hot and hotter days. The horses seem to fair well in the heat, (my assumption as no one is sick and they stand on top of the hill in the blazing sun instead of in the shade or in the shelters!)

A couple of farrier visits, but I still feel like we aren't caught up. I don't know why, the records say everything is okay, and Tomas is scheduled out through the end of September so... hmmm.

Hay prices have been a bit more reasonable and really excellent quality. The last alfalfa at $9.65 and mountain pasture at $13.30. The alfalfa is close to half what it was last winter. I wish I could store more than 100 bales at a time. I'd be snapping this alfalfa up - the horses aren't leaving a piece of it around!

Since we didn't have any vet visits this month, the dog felt the need to rip her leg open, after hours of course! Our vet referred us to an emergency clinic - which turned out to be a total joke. We take Leilah in and after an hour they come in and the vet tells me it will be $799 to $1,100 to stitch her leg up!! I literally started to laugh and told her she couldn't be serious.

She was but seemed very embarrassed. I told her give me my dog, I'll take her to our vet in the a.m.- heck too many horse injuries I was anticipating a $250-400 bill. She did end up cleaning and wrapping her for free as I think she really did feel bad, but she's an employee there not the owner. I really wanted to tell them all how grossly unfair it was to overcharge this way, but only mentioned it to the vet.

So, the next day our vet $300 as anticipated. I'm so glad my animals plan injuries out, but wish they'd get together and ALL decide to be healthy for a year or two!


Other news - my son has moved out again and this is likely to be permanent, so lost my ranch helper. I need to find someone reliable and trustworthy to help out around here as my daughter is entering the busy teen life this fall. So the next two years until she drives, the mom-taxi is going to be more in demand than not.

This segued into some re-evaluation time for our herd. I had already committed to not breeding this year, and next year is doubtful (I'm dying to try Topper out though!), but we need a major reduction in our workload as the next two years I just don't see a lot of horse time!

So, I've slashed the prices on the horses (some very drastic cuts) most of the colts/stallions are in the $650-900 range, and the mares are all over $600 to a $4,500. Hopefully we'll get them into good homes, I'm still going to be picky about that.

Part of paring down, I pulled all my daughter's 'show clothes' and photo'd them all along with the 'how to' videos we never watch. I'm going to post them to our site for sale. I'd love to say I'm going to go through all the horse blankets/halters/stuff and list that too, but it's highly unlikely!!

DIPPER

We finally did manage to meet up with Sherry and trade horses. She now has her black and white pinto stallion (Bonus Bucks) and I have Dipper back after many years of wanting her.
It's so funny as Bonus Bucks (sorry Sherry I've already forgot his new name), has really gone full circle over his nine years of life, living within a few miles of where he was born out on the Northern California Coast.

Dipper is double bred Buckeroo. A Buckwheat daughter and Buckeroo great-grand-daughter with heavy Bond breeding on the bottom. She's back where she lived for her first two years of life, still working her way back into the herd - it's a tough crowd here - so many alpha mares that all want to be queen! Right now Twila, Val and Java have made it there mission to make sure she understands where she fits in the hierarchy and that only the furthest pile of hay is hers ... only if they don't want it.

Oh well, I've watched other mares run the gauntlet here, Savvy did last year, and Sonnet and Remy before her.

WOODY

Woody one of our first minis (my husband's only horse) has developed joint problems because of his hooves. Apparently he grows way more toe than heel, and his every 8-9 week trim isn't working after 10 years. His front left is the worst, but all four were a bit inflamed.

Tomas (my uber-hero farrier) trimmed him into some ugly looking hooves - really cutting back the toe, so at least Woody seems more comfortable. He grows so much toe - I've always called him the Shetland-hoof horse, but it's finally catching up with him. Doesn't it just figure though the $500 pet mini costs me more to trim than the one's that were many thousands of dollars. /argh

So Woody locked up in the run off the backyard/garage area and he's just not happy about isolation and his new diet - grass hay is not his idea of living. I've been sprinkling a few handfuls of alfalfa around his pen - but he's still thrilled with his accommodations. Rohan (the jumper) is penned next (six foot high ex-dog kennel for the win!) to him and Ringo has an adjacent pen too. Neither are wanting to buddy up with the gelding, so I've been feeding the mares with foals extra grass hay along his fenceline. I know the piglet mares will hangout with him for hay!

Rain, hay and horses

It's raining - yeah!  

It's cooler than normal, or so it seems - we've had the weirdest weather this year.  But it's raining!!!!!  

We need the rain, so I'm glad for that.  Not for the mud though.  We have that adobe thick, stick-to-you, type mud that turns into hardscape, unwalkable, cracked yuck the minute it dries.  It would be fantastic if I wanted to build a mud house, but otherwise . . . pass!  Fortunately the ground is absorbing the rain nicely and the mud isn't getting deep.

Hay

Fortunately, our hay order was delivered and stored during a break in the weather yesterday, so it didn't get soaked.  Hay price was lower  (another yeah) down to $13.50 a bale alfalfa.  So hoping the price will drop more once we than can start harvesting.  I know we'll never see the other side of $10 again, but wouldn't that be sweet!                                                          

Cameras

We worked for an hour on the cameras t0 watch the mares at night and I can't get the dang cameras to work outside.  How do you forget something in a year?  They'll work in the house, but move to the deck and nope!  I think I have an antenna somewhere - maybe that's the problem.  I'll have to go through the box again . . .  Being sleep deprived, is not making me a happy camper right now.

Horses

Otherwise the horses are doing well.  Everyone looks good with only a few tubby, non-pregnant ones.  I can't keep Ray trimmed down, he has the old style build like his Dad (Houdini) and always is round.  Add to that an enormous love to eat and he's a chunky monkey.

Funny Sonnet, finally has someone to bully - she was chasing poor Savvy around.  Savvy is so docile and sweet, to be chased by Sonnet (who's glad not to be the lowest horse in the pecking order anymore!), was borderline comical.  I always think Savvy is getting pushed off her hay, but her figure tells another story - I can't get her trimmed down either.

Looking at Java today, I'm wondering if she might beat Chiclet to the punch with the next foal.  Calypso is bagged too, so ???   I'd love 2 busy days of lots of mares foaling and be done with it - if they're all born alive and healthy that is.  This is sleep deprivation speaking right now!!!

Well I best go be productive.  Maybe track down the antenna that might be the missing link with the cameras.  argh