Sunday, February 20, 2011

Back in the saddle...

I woke this morning and went to breakfast with my parents. When I got home, Mike was back in bed. He has a head cold and a fever and generally feels like crap. So I thought, "I might as well load up and go to the barrel race. It'll be good for Millie!"

So I did! Once I got there, I had walked Millie around the grounds, between the trailers, and stood by the chaos that is the warm-up pen. Then I went back to the trailer and saddled her. I led her around, between the barns, back through the trailers, and after an hour, I decided that I was tied of walking. I returned to the trailer and saddled Angel, who had gone too.

I rode Angel for an hour, walking and trotting and SCREAMING in the warm-up pen. She and Millie had mothered-up in the trailer and good grief, they were obnoxious!

I rode back to the trailer and let them both calm down for a while. Then I got brave. I thought to myself "This will either be a complete disaster, or I will live through it and it'll be a good experience for Millie."

I untied Millie and climbed on Angel and off we walked. Within five minutes, Millie was ponying with her nose at my knee, her head had lowered, and the wild look in her eye had softened. We stayed clear of the warm-up pen, but walked around the trailers and between the barns. It was good exposure for her! Millie kept looking to Angel for comfort, but over all, it was a great experience for us!

After an hour, I decided that I was cold, so I returned to the trailer, unsaddled Angel, and tied the girls to the trailer and went inside to watch the barrel race.

I left the girls to stand for a couple hours, then loaded up and headed to the trainers'. After getting Millie settled in her new home for the next few months, I loaded Angel and came home.

Millie will spend the next two weeks being conditioned (round penned) before Tara continues training. I am not sure, exactly, where we are headed with Millie. As of right now, she is going to start training to be a barrel racer, though whether Tara patterns her or I do is still in question. Tara and I agree that Millie is a hot little firecracker with a LOT of potential. I believe that Tara, who does this for a living, would be the best choice to start Millie on the pattern and run her during her futurity year, which will be 2012.

Barrel horses can be entered in Futurities for one year only. There are, sadly, some 3 years olds; a lot of 4 yr olds, and a lot of 5 yr olds. I have told Tara that I would like to futurity Millie her 5 yr old year, BUT if the filly is not ready, I will not push the issue. Either Millie is ready or she is not. A lot of money can be made. By the same token, a lot of money can be waste and a filly's mind can be fried by trying to push her into something that she is not ready for.

I am confident that Millie will have no bones about telling me that she is not ready!

The next news - Bullwinkle will go to Tara to be started under saddle. Yes - he is coming three years old. He will go to Tara for 30 days. In that time he will learn to accept the saddle, accept the bridle, walk, trot, steer, and stop. Emphasis being on the stop. Then he will come home until next fall, when he will return to Tara for continuing education.

He has really grown and is 16 hands already. He won't be a full three years old until the end of May. So 30 days is a perfect start until next fall. I have no clue what direction I am going with him. I can't afford to put him in a show barn and have him shown western pleasure. He is not built for barrel racing (besides he can't even buck). He will probably end up being a very nice saddle horse. I have time to think about it, and right now the absolute most important thing with him is that he gets training.

I am thinking about joining a local drill team that is trying to come together and this might work for him. Of course, not for another year at a minimum.

So... it was a good day. I hauled my baby, ponied her, and had my butt back in the saddle.

It feels good..

Monday, February 14, 2011

Let's get back to what is REALLY important...

The horses! And since this is my blog, ME! (I'll probably get flamed for THAT one...)

We had a BEAUTIFUL spring weekend, temps were around 50 degrees, winds light and variable (except for a wind storm Saturday night).

I got two stalls and runs completely cleaned out, horses shuffled and reshuffled, and 8 horses dosed with ivermectin. The farrier comes Friday, and I've got to get more hay.

There are hair patches in the pasture where horses rolled, so they are shedding out quickly. There still isn't much grass up yet, but before I know it, I'll be locking the tubby ones off and mowing it.

Millie and Bullwinkle are scheduled to go to Big Kid School March 1st, but Millie is so fat she may go early for two weeks of conditioning before the training starts. Imagine...horses getting fat here...

Kaci's affair with Ticket was short lived. He keeps trying to run her out of the barn. So I moved Millie back and taped off most of the run. Millie has the barn, Ticket has the pasture. Ticket and Jazzy spent time across fence together and seem to get along fine. As soon as Ticket is up to weight, she will move into the pen with Foxy and Chili. They'll have similar personalities.

I will get pictures this weekend. It's been so nice here it feels like spring, but the ponies are still fuzzy. Mya and Ticket need a trip to the beauty parlor to get the knots out of their mane.

Now - back to business. The previous post and comments will stand, but it stays THERE. Any nonsense on any other posts will be deleted.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

A Gift from Beau

- Update - Regarding the comments -

"C's" comments were tongue-in-cheek, at least that's how I read it. Make up your own mind.

As for me asking for rehab money for someone else's horse - I was wrong and totally out of line. I have removed it from the blog. It will not happen again.

As for the question about the blanket - After Beau died, I asked Cathy Davis if she wanted the blanket back or if I could forward it to another rescue of her choice in her name. She asked me to keep the blanket.

**********************************************

Remember Beau? If not, his story starts HERE. I still think about him every day.


Beau was sent a NICE winter blanket from Cathy Davis in Ohio. Link here.

Beau didn't get to wear it for very long and it is still in like-new condition.

Show Ticket is little for a Thoroughbred. Maybe she just LOOKS little because she's so thin. But, Beau blanket fits perfectly!

Cathy Davis - you are still a hero!!





Ticket is not comfortable yet with going into the barn to eat, so I took her breakfast to her. She deserves to be spoiled!!

I got word that the piece of shit former owners are still at Emerald Down, racing. They can afford THAT but "can't" afford to feed this mare. I don't have a name, but I'm sure that will come out eventually.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Show Ticket Arrives

She reminds me of Beau... Sweet, skinny, red, yuck on her back. (She has rain rot but at least it's dried out and started healing)






Is that not the cutest little nose you have EVER seen!!??!!





Thursday, February 10, 2011

Show Ticket

Show Ticket - 1996 TB Mare - Rescued by Cathy from the kill pen in Enumclaw. Another red mare for a spunky red-head. My sister is a red-head. WTF with the red???

Anyway, I leave in the morning to pick the mare up. She's been in a boarding facility - stalled with no turn out. Who thinks THAT is a good idea? Anyway, I can just barely squeeze her in, and after all that Cathy has done for me, who am I to say "no"?

I will steal pictures Cathy put up and take some of my own this weekend. Like Foxy, she needs weight, but aside from care and feed, and treatment for rainrot, she will be fine!

So I make the run over the mountains to pick up another mare.

And here's a jab at Nikki - MY horses are shedding! The overnight low was 19 degrees, high was 47. Oh, and sunny! Enjoy the snow in northern Idaho!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Foxy and Lucy

Foxy is a little dirty, but looks great. Look at that topline!






Is it me or do her dropped pasterns in the back look a little more upright? Look at the first picture...



Same for Lucy... looking good, but a little dirty.