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!

Foal heads

I was out feeding this a.m. and actually took the camera. How do they actually know I'm trying to take photos? If I don't have a camera they run and jump and play. Camera they clump up and hide or are two inches from the camera lens.

So, many bad photos later, pulled these few of the foals. Practicing with Picasa's collage feature -

1. On left - Corona, double dilute colt (Frenchie x Java)
2. Center - Pretty Girl, blue roan filly (Ringo x Una) <3>
3. Below PG - Jai Ho, buckskin pinto colt (Frenchie x Val)
4. Right - Surprise, buckskin maybe roan? (Frenchie x Twila) Surprise has four socks, darker leg, then lighter, then light body, blue eyes and is truly a surprise! She's very shy, not outgoing and bossy like her mom!

Over all very happy with Frenchie's foals and Ringo's fence jumping pretty daughter!

These are the 'tall' foals, the three munchins (April, Vanna and Zydeco) the photos were truly awful. April being the character she is was in visiting Woody today - she is about the size of our Australian Shepard, Sabrina, so finds her way into most anything. Vanna is even smaller, but not always as adventurous!

Manic Monday, but its Friday!

Nothing like waking up at 5:35 a.m. to the sounds of stallions screaming. I assumed it was Flash having a shouting match with either Ringo or Bonus Bucks, as we had just moved him in the runway to prep him for his upcoming departure.

Let the dogs out, I peek out the bedroom window - hmm! An extra horse in with the mares. Nice Rohan, how did you get here?

Wake up Anya to come help and off we go to catch an untried stallion that things he's gone to heaven! All these mares and no competition.

Fortunately (most of the time that is!) my horses see an open gate as an opportunity. We all know the 'herd' mentality too, so get one going through the rest are bound to follow! Well Rohan had selected, Patsy, her sister Holly and their dam Maria as his targets to be herded, so they were a bit slow to get moving. We had everyone else penned up, and finally separated Rohan.

No one looked the worse for wear, the geldings - Ray, Token, Ivan and Dash - did look like he'd been after them but no blood!

So no serious damage, other than needing to file another stallion report. I don't know that anyway was bred, but I always assume!

We grab Rohan and take him back down to the stallion pasture (this is about 1/4 mile away), I'd fed the rest of the boys far from the gate, in hopes we'd be able to get Rohan back inside with little fuss. I'm holding the gate, Anya on her way in loses a shoe, she lets him go hopping on one foot, I'm trying to close the gate, Demon slips past us on a mission.

All we see is a red roan blur in a full out gallop heading towards the house. At least he's on the outside of the fences!

Okay time to catch loose stallion number two. (I know I'm seriously gelding a whole bunch of guys this winter!)

We hop back in the van race to the house - no Demon! We cruise by the mares they're all eating peacefully - where'd he go. I see my husband emerge from the house pointing towards Bonus Bucks pasture. We notice he's half through the fence - oh joy. Heading directly for him like Jaws in the movie is Demon. We jump out of the van race over to stop any pending fight. Demon takes off with Anya in quick pursuit. In the meantime I'm trying to untangle Bonus Bucks from the fence. He's managed to plant both front legs through different parts and stick his head through another opening.


Anya catches Demon and ties him up while my husband and I are trying to stick Bonus Bucks back through the fence. My DH, finally lifts him back though and Bonus Bucks takes off. I feel bad for hubby - he was just at the chiropractor yesterday - lifting a 200 lb horse is not highly recommended I'm sure.

We run Demon back down to the stallion pasture and all is at peace again.

It feels so very much like a Monday. /sigh Hopefully that is all the excitement we're having for the day!

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!

Update

It's been about two weeks since I last wrote anything - I've been reading blogs on how to blog - scary some of the suggestions! Others make you realize you're very boring, so why bother - lol!

Oh well, soldier on!

It's hot, the grass is shriveling up, the horses are almost completely shed out (belly hair is almost gone), so they're looking sleek and shiny. Everyone's a bit chunky, except for Flash - he's proving to be the hardest to keep weight on, but no one is skinny here!!!

I finally ventured on the forums again (SHG) today. It's the first time I've been on any online horse related forum since last Fall. I definitely needed the break. Getting to cynical about some of the people in the Mini industry!

Other things -

We've had the farrier out again and he's coming again on June 5th. Hopefully we'll be caught up, as the foals need to be done.

Our fly predators are out, not seeing a drastic reduction in flies yet, but putting them out monthly should help. I want to get the fly traps up too.

We have baby pools that need to be filled for the horses to. The boys have been making their own mud wallow, as they pull the water lose from their bucket every day or so, but the mares do enjoy the afternoon squirting and rolling. If they'd only not break sprinklers - lol!!!

Another mare loss -
Sad news, we lost one of our mares, Wesco Farms Ravishing Ruby, was found dead in the a.m. when we went out to feed. She was (we thought) a healthy three year old, as she hasn't been ill, no sign of struggle/colic/nothing, in good flesh, eating the day before fine, so ?? We're at a loss as to why she died, but I don't necropsy as 9/10 they'll tell me it's inconclusive and I still have a dead horse. We just hope she didn't suffer and is in a better place now.

It is a bit weird though, usually we lose a foal to some foaling issue, dystocia, etc., but this year all were born easily and have been very robust/healthy, so odd to lose a mare.

Speaking of foaling -
We're done - yeah! Two more colts to finish out with five fillies, four colts for 2009. I'm pleased with what the stallions sired and these foals will have to fill our cute baby mode as I don't plan to breed until 2010 or 2011.

I seriously need to reduce our herd number, so can't see continuing to breed until that is accomplished. As picky as I am about selling, it will likely take two years to get the numbers down - lol! It would be nice to be able to just sell to anyone that shows up with $$, but I'm not that way. There's no guarantees on a good home, but if I get a bad vibe from a potential buyer, or the questions aren't answered, etc., it's a no go! So, it will be a slow process!

Enough of that!

The foals are doing great, I wish I had pasture cam's so I could watch them play. April, Zydeco and Vanna look like three stuffed animals cavorting about. Very cute, little shorties!

April and Zydeco

Almost forgot the new foals!!!

These two will be in the grey zone of 'who's your Daddy' as they fall in the time when Ringo jumped the fence. We DNA/PQ all foals as a matter of course anyway. It will be interesting to see who Daddy will be though!

I'm guessing Ringo on this one out of Miss (Las Doradas Miss America Pie). Her and her son are already sold and will be going to their new home Saturday, so we do not have a name for him yet. Wesco Farms fillin the blank! Handsome colt though.

This guy, based on color, I'm assuming will be a Frenchie foal. It will be interesting to see the results! Dam is Valentina (Wesco Farms Brazen Beauty Toy4Me). As Val is a bay pinto and Frenchie is a dilute/silver (we think), it's more likely he's the sire than the blue roan Ringo! As I was listening to the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire when thinking up names - he's got the great one of Jai Ho! That's the song they're playing at the end which loosely translates to Hallelujah (how I feel with foaling season over!), so Wesco Farms Jai Ho it is!

Thursday prep work

Moved the boys down from their pasture to the two adjacent to the house - tomorrow is trim/deworm/clean up day!  It's suppose to be in the high 90s to 100 so we'll see how motivated we are in the clean up department! 

I'm hoping to at least put bridle paths and clean up heads a bit as we need new photos for registration and the sales page.  

The yearling boys are a wild bunch, fortunately they travel in a pack so get one moving they'll all go!  McLuvin is still very friendly and always looking at them like 'What's your problem?'  Rohan has adopted the boys as his herd and he moves them around like a stallion with mares.  Herd dynamics are so interesting to watch ... the Jan Goudall in me!

Ringo could see them on the other side of the house, so his knickers are in a knot!  He actually is very social and enjoys being with the boys, but Mr. Fence Jumper, it borders on pointless to put him out with them at all.

Missy and Val still have not foaled - probably waiting for the extreme heat wave we're having this weekend.  We're getting fans set up tomorrow just in case and the swimming pools will be out by Saturday too.

The foals are all doing well.  I'm very please with the overall look quality that Bonus Bucks, Frenchie and Ringo have sired - wish Frenchie and Ringo's were a few inches shorter, but they're foals are nice!

We only had one bit of diarrhea with Surprise at foal heat.  We'll see if Una's filly has it (she didn't get Foal Response or mom dewormed the first 12 hours).  I'm doing an non-scientific test if Foal Response and deworming with Ivermectin on the mares helps prevent foal heat or not.  Twila/Surprise was the one foal we found dried and although we gave them the combo, we're not sure how old she was, so . . .

I really need to carve out time to get caught up on paperwork, it keeps falling further behind.  Nine years I was always on time or early, year ten I've fallen apart in that department!  Oh well, nothing that's not fixable - just extra fees to get it all in order!  I have a three week break from being a taxi coming up, so hopefully will get caught up on the outstanding backlog of papers!

I'm going to be very glad when the boys are all done tomorrow, right now I'm dreading it though - lol!!!

New foal!!

Another filly - yeah!  And a total surprise one at that - 

Wesco Farms Count Your Blessings BR

 

This is Ringo's first foal (Wesco Farms BuckeRowdyroo:  Little Kings Bagheera Buckeroo x NFC Rowdys Lil Chiclet), and he apparently made good on my promise last year that I would breed him to two mares with his fence jumping twice last summer to get in with these mares.  

Una (Wesco Farms Bella Luna: Las Doradas American Eagle x Las Doradas Etoile de Mar) and he have always had a moon over the fence thing going on, so not surprised she was the one he covered!  Hopefully the only one!   She apparently didn't listen when I told her she could be done foaling last year with her son Shaman.

I have two more mares that we're watching that will now go on the 'who's your Daddy testing' list. The other nine mares were not bred back last year, but will be suspect and thoroughly checked and watched for the next two weeks.   Well Ringo's June 19 & 23 fence visits from last year extend my foaling season.   

 

As for Miss Una, she apparently hid being pregnant very well (versus Cajun who now looks 'un-pregnant' again) and did a fine job foaling out too!  

Mother's Day a.m., Frank ran an errand and came home said all the horses were up on the hill - should have been a sign go see what theyr'e doing as they only congregate on top with a birth or some other exciting event.  As a Mother's Day present my daughter fed the horses for me, so apparently either missed the little stranger or Una didn't come down with the rest of the herd and someone miscounted!  

I was totally spoiled for Mother's Day (slept in, no chores, breakast made by my hubby, my son washed my car in/out, flowers, chocolates and letters from the kids - great day!), there was no indication the horses were doing anything out of the ordinary.  We rarely see them during the day at this time of year as once they go back out they only come down in the evening for water, so didn't suspect a thing!

 

So today when I'm out feeding I notice Una, Annie and this little black stranger.  Annie came down to eat and Una made her way down once the rest were busy with their piles.  So we caught her (thinking she'd just had it), but this was a very robust I'm-not-just-born foal!  We locked them up and she's been doing laps racing around, very independent little girl!  All legs (a definite B mini) the Shetland blood is showing in this cross - lol!  Otherwise a nice looking foal.  Doesn't have the big bug eyes I like, but otherwise well put together.

 

What bothers me - I've been sleepless for weeks watching the wrong horses - lol!!  I've been watching Missy (Una's half-sister) for a week sure she's having it, but no!! 

There is comedy in this somewhere, right?  

  

Just another Monday

Started off this morning by finding Ringo - my raptor ala Jurrasic Park fence tester - had in his vigerous fence testing way found another spot in the fence and was out cavorting with the mares.  This time he had a pack of followers, with Deva kicking everyone away from him.  Not much good it did as he zeroed in on LeeLee and even my yelling and Deva's kicking was going to stop him from doing the deed! 

We don't know how long he was out, or if he had a busy morning or not, but there goes my plans for no foaling season next year and a new stallion report is in order!

Well at least it should be a nice cross if it took as Ringo is our Buckeroo grandson (also a Rowdy grandson) and LeeLee is a daughter of World Champion Senior Stallion Little Kings Bay Ablaze on top and heavy Johnstons/Gold Melody Boy on the bottom.  I just looked at Ringo's webpage and had to cringe - awful photos of him! Oh well that's not surprising seeing how poorly I man a camera!

I guess Ringo's repeated in/over/under fence testing along with yesterday Ivan getting into the stallion pasture - missed his friends now that he's a gelding? LOL!  Being chased across 20 acres of hills changed his mind on that!  Anyway, this seems to be a clear indication we need to redo all our fences!  

Well if the economy stays on track (ie horses keep selling/DH stays employed) we'll be getting Lindeman back out to refabric the perimeter in a couple spots and do something about the deplorable interior fences that are in major need.

Ugh, I dread that bill!  

Website

Other fun - worked on our website today adding pedigree info to the foals pages, and photos.  I really need to delete alot of the information on there or combine it so it's not so unwieldy.  It's out of date in some sections, and just a plain mess in others - but nine years of it growing and adding, it was bound to happen!   So, I'm plugging away at it, between everything else that needs attendance.  It will likely take awhile as I could do it on the laptop while doing all the waiting I do (a teenage daughter that doesn't drive yet!), so maybe it will get done sooner than I think!

Mares & Foals

The mares & foals are doing well.  If it doesn't rain tomorrow I'm going to try and get some new photos of the foals.  I'm very happy with what Bonus Bucks and Frenchie sired and the mares are all doing excellent jobs in the mother department.  We've only had one foal heat diarrhea with Surprise (oh so lovely on a light colored horse).  She was the one that received Foal Response the latest, instead of right after foaling (well when they're ready to stand that is!).  So far we've been pleased with this product.  It may be actually doing nothing, but we've had very robust healthy foals with a minimum of foal diarrhea since we started using it.

Note to self - order hay!  I generally write this down and forget until we're down to the last four-five bales.  We're truly luck Higby's is sooooo good at getting hay to us in a timely manner.

Regular stuff

Had the farrier out, the gentleman with the backhoe and on the phone with two potential buyers so fairly normal day!

Lady was laid to rest next to Shakira and Tangerine (my only adult minis we've lost so far) in their valley.  It far from our house/well (anything actually), but somewhere we go by daily.  

Farrier visit

My farrier (Tomas Hererra - if you're in the Sacramento are he's awesome) was out.  As we'd had Lady pass, the three foals, Ringo needing more running room - the boys we intended to trim turned into trimming mares instead.  I had bribed my son to help (money speaks to starving college students), so all I had to do was help catch and deworm - yea 3 hours of sleep I'm cool with not standing around holding horses for the farrier!  Especially as I had my son working and Tomas was feeling good he did 17 minis versus our usually 12-14.  We're a bit behind with weather and health issues this year, so some were getting awful looking.  

I decide too, that as my son was here, its a good time to do Cajun - catching her requires a catch pen and two people as I've seen her knock a full grown mini mare off her feet trying to get away - she's a nightmare trim - I would post photos of how we tie her (for her safety and ours) but PETA would like be picketing me - she's that bad!  You have to cross tie Cajun and tie up one foot to get near her back legs, even then she'll try to sit like a mule if she can or lean on you - it's oh so NOT fun!

Fortunately Tomas deals well with her and isn't resentful about having to trim her.  He does alot of petting and talking to her, while she does alot of glaring back and sending out hate body language messages!  Tomas is very good with the minis, never abusive which I've seen in the past (part of her problem the guy that trimmed her as a foal I found out!)  We've tried bribing her with carrots, treats, etc., I've even had Bonnie Fogg read this mare and its just her personality.  She doesn't care for humans and lets you know it!

After she was trimmed, I said goodbye to Tomas and told him I'd see him in two weeks and went to feed the rest of the herd.

Peanut

I think we may have a great home for Peanut - yeah.  I wonderful family that does not want to breed is considering her and we're thinking it might be a good fit.  Peanut is one of those mares that just doesn't do it for me on the conformation scale and I don't want her ending up in a breeding program just because she's small and buckskin, so this seems like it might be an ideal situation.

I think it's naptime again.  Three more weeks . . .