Sunday Stills

This was an interesting challenge to photograph:
Choose a starting spot, walk 25 steps in any direction and take 3 photos. The 25 steps can be outside your home, inside your home, in your neighborhood or away from your neighborhood.
Once your steps have been counted out, you must anchor one foot, you can pivot on that foot but your anchor foot may not move. 


I chose to use Beamer's steps instead of my own, as we gathered cattle Saturday morning. Because, he can anchor that pivot foot!

Here is our starting shot:

I counted out 25 steps:

We pivoted:

No cows left out that way!

Pivoted the other way:

Nothing but morning mist over there!

Pivoted the other way:

More mist and the mares. Cows are all gathered! (All 26 of them....)

For the 50 step part of the challenge, I took a starter shot when I was leading Rio out to join the mares in their pasture:

50 steps brought us into the pasture and I turned him loose. 

As I turned, I found that Reba was watching closely:

I turned the other direction- and there she was again! Much nicer to photograph her than boring old mist that you can't see anything through. 

Sammi on sheep

First of all, a big thank you to my sister for taking me to the Terri Clark show- she was fabulous, love her sense of humor. Here's a You Tube link to her song Northern Girl; the video was shot in Cranbrook and Kimberley- just down the road from where Janice lives.

 This mountain, Fisher Peak, is in the video, and is the view from Janice's yard.

Speaking of Janice, she and I took our dogs and spent a wonderful afternoon at Penny's. She gave us a training exercise to do on leash, and then we headed for the sheep pasture. She took Quill, to control the sheep,

Quill splitting the sheep

Quill bringing one back

 and then worked with Sammi. This was the first time Sammi has been worked on livestock; she was very keen to work, and a little wild at first, kind of like a kid turned loose in a candy store.

Penny worked with her until she showed some improvement, her tail came down and she was able to get a bit of balance, then we parked her and she worked Quill for a bit. Then it was Kali's turn, and you'll have to visit Janice for that story.

Meanwhile, Sammi was just beside herself watching the other dogs work.

Penny gave her another turn at the sheep, and all the excitement made her even more keen, and she really started to work. The tail came down, Penny was able to flank her a little, and even got the start of balance.

I was impressed with Sammi, and I'm really looking forward to next week- I'm leaving her with Penny for a week's assessment and will pick her up on Friday- unless she sells before then.

Tail down and working

Here's a parting shot of the awesome view, and the tail end of a great afternoon.

Trimming and training

I had all the horses trimmed on Tuesday, and I must say I'm pretty proud of Rio. Not only was he quiet for the farrier, he stood tied for two hours.

I had all the mares tied too so he had company, which helped. I took a video while Rio was being trimmed. There is a spot in the video where I had to let the camera dangle from it's strap when he leaned on Scot and we had to correct him, but once again, I was complimented on the good nature of this colt.

There were no problems with the feet on any of the horses, no thrush either. Yay! Also, I measured Rio and he now stands 13 hands and 3/4 of an inch- nearly 13.1-so he is on track for the 15.1 that I guesstimated him at.
Today is a big day for Sammi and Janice's dog Kali. I'm taking Sammi up to leave her for a week with the lady who owns Kali's dad and granddad- Sammi will get assessed on sheep for the week, and Kali will get introduced to sheep today. Can you say, photo-op?
After that, my sister is taking me to the Terri Clark concert in Cranbrook, so it's going to be a long and busy day for me, as I have to work this morning too.

Wordless Wednesday -Killing Frost

Foghorn?

Sunday morning dawned foggy- well, can't say as it dawned, because we didn't get to see sunup. The cows were missing their babies, and their bellowing reminded me of foghorns. When they saw me out doing chores, they came up to the fence where they last saw their calves.

Hey- don't blame me!

The bawling brought in more cows from the foggy reaches of the field.

No, I haven't seen your babies.

Yes, I'm sure they aren't here. 

The fog burned off and the day improved, so I caught Chickory and saddled up. I rode in the round pen, this is the first real ride I've put in on her since I got her back from the trainer. The cinch gall is nearly all gone, but the hair hasn't grown back yet, so I only rode 20 minutes. Didn't want to aggravate the bare skin. We worked on leg yielding, and I'm finding out that she has issues to the right. Circling the pen to the right, she fades to the center of the pen, but clockwise, she stays on the rail. If I ask her with my leg to move over, she just leans into my leg. So I worked on getting her to move off my right leg, one step at a time. Of course, I balanced it with work off my left leg too. Things fall apart at the trot, so I worked mostly at the walk. I quit when she gave me some nice yields both directions. 

Also found out Chickory likes apples. So she gets a little treat after riding.

Sunday Stills

Today's challenge is to portray rock or stone, in any of its many forms.  There is a rock wall on a back road that I have long admired:

I like the stone house in the background too.

I like the stack stone used on the corner of this new building.

One of the many crystals at a local rock shop. I would have loved to go in the store and photograph many of the interesting rocks and stones they have, but settled for shooting this one through the window.

This is the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, right next to my office at work.

And, last but not least, one from my archives- from the cemetery in Nelson.

Short 'n' Sweet

Helped sort the calves off the cows today, Beamer really enjoyed himself, and I got a nice compliment from the cattleman, that everything went easy; and I bet his wife appreciated that she didn't have to slog through the pasture at all, or run to head the cows off. Beamer did all that!

We brought them in off the 75 acres into Beamer's pasture.

Pushed them all into the mare's pen, then sorted the cows back into Beamer's pasture;

Then pushed the cows back out to their pasture. The calves went into Rio's run, which is a 20ft. wide alley between the mare pen and Beamer's pen (it goes like this from north to south- Beamer's pen, Rio's run, mare's pen, then Beamer's pasture. The pens are dry lots.)

Like I said, short and sweet. Only took about half an hour. Would have liked to be able to do this for longer, but it worked out good; after the calves were loaded it started to rain.

An Inspiring Ride

Just had to post this video.



Here is what Stacey Westfall had to say about this lady:

Congratulations Ann and Echo! Ann set the goal a few years ago to win at the Congress and she has been working hard to get to this point. This video was taken at the All American Quarter Horse Congress 2011 Non Pro Freestyle. In case you are wondering, the freestyle class at the Congress is divided into two groups, Pro (people who’s profession is horse training) and Non-Pro (I bet you can guess-they don’t make their living training horses).

Ann was actually my roommate in college! After college she trained horses but was injured a few years out of school when a stumbled and fell. She had multiple back surgeries and was told that she shouldn’t ride anymore. I remember the first few years after the accident when she would drive back from North Carolina to visit during the Congress. What I remember is that although she was in her 20′s, when she tried to stand up after sitting, she struggled like you might see an 80 or 90 year old person who was very stiff.

To say that the road has been long and that Ann has worked hard would not do her justice. I loved her music this year. Echo truly does have a ‘Heart of Gold’ and her feeling that ‘tonight’s gonna be a good, good night’ really did come true. Congratulations again Ann and Echo!

Safety First

There's a series of posts going around, started by Deanna over at My Country Genes on safety around horses. Fern Valley and Ranch Riding blogs have contributed with very good tips and thoughts, and I have a little bit to add.
My number one concern is my safety. I'm getting old and brittle, and don't quite bounce as good as I used to. My tip, is to be aware. Not just of where your horse is, but of what she is thinking. Read your horse. They have very expressive bodies, so take the time to get to know what each nuance means.

 When I walk into my mare pen, I can tell what kind of morning I am going to have with them.They tell me by their actions and reactions.

 I lead the three mares and Rio all at the same time as I take them to pasture, and it requires having eyes in the back of my head. There is no crowding me, stepping on me, biting each other or lagging allowed. Also, I am very aware of what I am doing with the lead ropes; I don't let them get tangled or wrapped around my hands, and I always have it so that I can use a tail end of a rope to snap with if one of the horses gets unruly. They aren't allowed to be pushy as they go through the 4 ft. pasture gate; one at a time, and politely.

I'm not going to tell you how to create respect in your herd, you do what works for you. But being aware of what's going on around you is the ticket to staying safe. Put yourself out of harm's way. Listen to that little voice in your head that tells you when something is unsafe. Create safe situations by habitually doing things with safety in mind. Make safety a habit!
Another post at Own a Morgan

Updates: Abby, Velvet, Chickory

Some of you may remember that Tess's pup Abby went to a friend of mine, the daughter of Carol over at All These Pretty Horses, and she has her own blog; The Life O Jenn. So I have an update on Miss Abby, and I'll let Jenn tell it in her own words.

I think she looks a lot like Tess in this photo, except with a finer muzzle.

Abby:
We are attempting to gain our Level 2 in Rally Obedience. We did really good with our level 1, but now we are off leash and there are some major hard signs to do soon! I really don’t know what to say!!!!! We are gonna attempt an agility competition next fall in Kimberly; hopefully we are good and ready- she is more than willing and focuses great when we are working. Right now doing the off leash training for the level 2 she is a doll have to get after her when we are going through the food dishes but that’s ok, we eventually will get there! She loves jumps and tunnels, and my goodness she is fast! It’s really hard to work with her sometimes because I have no time to react to things and have to be one step ahead of her in smarts to make sure I get to where I need to push her. 
Really she is growing into a great learner. We had our issues to start but working through them and she has definitely become a one trainer dog. 

Abby would have been 11 months when she won her Level 1; her scores for that trial were 192 first run 178 second run 178 third run 190 fourth run. The highest score you can get is 210 

Abby and her ribbons

Abby is doing great and we love her very much in this family even her quirks ha ha! She is fast asleep with her ball in her mouth! 

Beautiful girl!

I also got an email from the lady who now owns Velvet. 

Here's what Kristy has to say:

Velvet is doing wonderful.. She has really grown this summer.  She is going to pass my pinto for sure in size!! People can't believe she is only a 2 year old!!

She has the prettiest head and the most beautiful doe eyes :) everytime my dad comes over he says where was she 20 years ago when I had horses... (he has a weak spot for dapple greys and blue roans).

Gonna start some work with her this fall, know a few people that are professionals around here to get her started for me (she has a lot of spunk!)

Velvet looks like the queen of this wonderful big pasture.

Meanwhile, I've been playing around with Chickory in the roundpen, bareback. Her girth gall is nearly healed now, so I should be able to saddle her this weekend. I'm a little nervous to ride her bareback, so I worked at my own chicken-s**t pace. Day one, I just taught her to position next to the fence, and to let me climb the fence and flop around on her, then get on and rode a few steps. Day two I made it more fun, and ended up having a nice ride. I came to realize just how sensitive she is from riding her bareback; this girl is really light on the leg aids, and rein aids too. She responds quickly, which is a little unnerving bareback. Here's a day 2 video:

Today, she wasn't as cooperative, so I backed off and did groundwork for a bit- including a sidepass, which is better to the right than the left. I rode too, but just for a few minutes. I figure a few minutes a day is better than no minutes. 

This weekend, is sorting the calves off, so Beamer gets to work. Yay!

Wordless Wednesday- C'mon girls!

True Bitless

When she hugs her horse at the end of the ride, my eyes got a little leaky.

Frosty Frolicking

This is the view of our yard taken on Saturday- get a good look, because all that green isn't going to last much longer. There is just a little color in the Maples near the house:

The last couple of days, there has been a heavy frost in the mornings- good thing I took those flowers in the second post below when I did, because I think they won't last much longer now.
The frosty mornings are making the horses frisky when I turn them out in the morning.

They frolic for a while, giving me plenty of photo ops.

Rio, leading the pack.

Big Red- Gussie in all her glory...

and being a brat.

Chickory looking proud - I always think she looks like a mustang.

In this photo you can clearly see her girth gall. The white area is dried up now, but there are still a couple of crusty areas to deal with. Yesterday, I put her in the round pen with the idea of teaching her to let me ride bareback. Since I don't use a mounting block, I wanted her to stand beside the corral panel fence, and let me climb a couple of rungs up the fence to get on. It took about three tries and repositioning till she had it figured out. I flopped over her back a couple times,  then got on. I didn't stay on long though, because I'm really nervous on this horse without a saddle on- one quick step sideways and I'd be on the ground- I'm not that good bareback on colts! But, she did tolerate me fairly well, and I may get brave enough to try again today.