Belle's baby bump

I have been waiting and carefully observing Belle lately so that I can officially call her pregnant- and this morning my vigilance was rewarded!

Yippee! Two confirmed foals on their way! This one will be born sometime during the summer. Belle was AI'd to a dun stallion in early July, but an ultrasound couldn't find a pregnancy so she was then pasture bred to a son of CD Olena - here is his pedigree:
 http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/rollin+in+my+dually
Nobody saw him breeding her due to the large pasture his mares are in, so I am not ruling out that she did actually catch to the dun stallion- we will know when the foal is born, as the dun is homozygous for dun, and the other stallion is a sorrel. I can't wait for this foal!

Miss Rosalee

Although I didn't ride or officially work Rosalee today (had a sleepless night so not fit to concentrate on working her) I did nonetheless have an interesting day with her. This morning after doing chores, I was hanging around the mares and watching Belle's belly for any sign of baby movement. Rosalee came up behind me and hung her head over my shoulder, just chillin' with me. Then I went for a walk to check on the grass coming up, and danged if she didn't come with me, step for step. She stopped when I did, turned with me, and even backed up when I stepped backwards, all this at liberty. Of course, I had to test how connected we were so did a few serpentines and hunches turns and extra stops and back ups- she stayed right with me.

Up to her usual tricks with the water hose, she loves to play with it!

This evening, she came again and hung out with me. I sure like this mare, and I guess the feeling is mutual!

Lots of activity!

Miss Rosalee is feeling fresh these days so I spent some time with her doing groundwork- that would be day 5 of my 100 day challenge, as the last 3 days were the nieces riding. Beamer got to carry them the last day they were here.

He couldn't help peeking at his girls as we longed him but he was so good. Rosalee, on the other hand, has decided that she should do cutting horse style changes of direction, so she had to go back to basics.

I don't have my round pen set up yet, but this was good footing and flat so it did the trick. This is how she started- head up, tail up, switching directions and generally being sassy. But not long before she softened and paid attention.

Much better!  A lot of work on some of the stuff I learned from Buck Brannaman on controlling the feet really helped. We also worked on having her stay with me on the lead line without crowding me, and stopping when I did, stepping back when I did. and turns on the haunches in hand. When I went to put her back in her pen, she didn't want to go. 😃

I think she would have been happy if I saddled her up and went for a stroll down the road. Maybe next time.
Another cool thing happened while my sister and her daughters were here. Mama Belle was always first to the fence and when I took Rosalee out each time she would hang out as if to say she wanted to come too. She has always seemed as though she couldn't understand why she doesn't get ridden too- and since my sister absolutely loves Belle and thinks she is the most beautiful mare ever- so I figured- why not? Let's see how it goes. We brought her out and over to the mounting step....

Belle still had a happy face......

So my sister swung her leg over.... Belle was kind of "hmmmmm" for a moment and then she relaxed.




She soaked up all the love. This was only for a few minutes- this mare turns 13 this year and this is the first time anyone has ever sat on her. If she wouldn't have had that shoulder injury as a youngster she would have made a darn good riding horse. Love this mare!

Meanwhile, I finally got a video of Coulee's baby's activity.

I am still waiting to see Belle's baby moving but she isn't due until July sometime, but I should see some activity soon.
Coulee is at 302 days now so in a couple of weeks I will start my usual foaling contest. Stay tuned for that!

A tale of three cats

The beautiful blue eyed cat has been hanging around- I have seen him out roaming the pastures and was pleased to see him in the barnyard yesterday. He was hiding in front of the car we have parked there awaiting restoration.

He watched me playing with and petting Foose and Thumper. Then Foose spotted him and had to investigate.

No drama- I was surprised.

Thumper checked him out too.

Again- no drama!

Now I am starting to wonder if he is a she.  If not, it's nice to see them all getting along. This cat didn't seem too worried about me being there so he obviously isn't a true feral cat, probably one that used to live with people before he took to his wandering ways. Also explains why I am going through so much catfood at the barn- even though the barnyard now has several mouse bodies scattered around.

Zoom zoom!

The girls got to ride again yesterday- I guess this makes day 3 of my 100 day challenge even if I wasn't the one riding. I led Rosalee and one girl walked with me while the other rode, and they switched out a couple of times as I led them down the dyke and along the river before heading back through the trees to the barn. Tired me out! Not used to that much walking.

Rosalee will be going to boot camp after the kids leave, I need to work on her ground manners and get a better connection with her - she has had 4 months off and it's time for her to go back to work.

Posing by our pond with a garden cultivator they found out in the bush. It's like new!
At feeding time that evening it was just beginning to rain and the mares started acting up, I like to think they were doing a sun dance!

That Rosalee sure is a powerhouse! I am looking forward to starting her on barrels as well as keeping up her reining training. No reason she can't do both.

The minons return

My nieces are visiting for a few days during spring break. The rain finally quit so today was riding day. Beamer got the first call to duty as Ted cleaned his pen.

The girls were told this morning that this would be a "No Devices" day, so they had to put away their phones and tablets and get out in the real world.

The struggle is real.... 

but so worth it! We investigated the pond and it is Beamer approved. There is still some ice on it but most of the snow is gone except where it was piled up.

One of them got a tractor driving lesson. Then I brought Rosalee out and all 3 girls really enjoyed riding her. I think I have the 2 oldest talked in to spending more time with me so they can learn how to ride her well enough to show her at some of the open shows around here.

Considering that she hasn't been ridden since last November, Rosalee did really well. A couple of times she was more concerned about where the other mares were than paying attention to her rider but she was easy to correct. I think she will make a good kids horse.

Hopefully tomorrow the weather will cooperate and we can ride again- only this time I want to get some butt in the saddle time! It's been way too long!

Spring cleaning

Even though we are still getting rain- it is dry enough in the horse pens that Ted could get in there and pile up the pooh. (Happy dance!)

Even the horses were doing a happy dance!

Rosalee is such a character; she has to check out everything and will often come and stand beside me and hang her head over my shoulder as if to check out what I am looking at. She had to check out Ted on the tractor too.

Apparently he passed inspection, because she headed right over to the pooh pile and gave it the torture test!

I foresee many baths in her future! There is no way this is a dainty diva of a horse!

Oh how I love a clean pen! We had another couple of supervisors too- and Thea is learning that when I tell her to stay in the truck, she isn't allowed to bail out. She did once, got corrected, and then stayed like a good dog even when the horses were ripping around.

Of course, Tess sets a good example!

I've been trimming horse feet getting them ready for riding. Beamer and Rosalee are done. and Coulee and Belle have fronts done. Only 8 more feet to go! I hurt my back about a week ago and can't do as much as I'd like to. I'm really getting spring fever, especially with the grass all showing now and buds starting to come on the trees. We still have slide issues though- here is this morning's mess.

I keep expecting the whole hillside to come down, so it doesn't make for a good sleep at night!

First day of spring

Just had to share this video- we should all be as happy and carefree as this pup!

Spring havoc

As I titled my last post "This too shall pass" I guess I have to add, but not yet. Last night's heavy rain brought down more slides along our road. Ours is now heading down our driveway:

but it's mild compared to what our neighbours had to deal with last night- the highway crew even called out a loader at 11 pm to try to redirect the mud and water.

View from our driveway....  doesn't look so bad, right? Wrong; check the video.

We drove down the road a ways to see why traffic couldn't get through. Another slide- this one must have been pretty rapid because there was no sign of it yesterday.

The crew had just finished sawing the tree enough to let traffic through.

This is where it came from- and that bank is nowhere near as steep or tall as the bank opposite our driveway.
Our landlord is supposed to be here today with a machine to try to redirect the water flowing past our place. My little dam was no match for the rapid melt, and this is what this morning looks like.

On the bright side- the horse pasture looks great! Good drainage, no major mud anywhere although there is enough for Rosalee to try to disguise her colour. She's a wannabe brunette apparently.

I should be able to get my pens cleaned within a few days- sunny weekend coming up!

I'm 90% certain mama Belle is packing a foal. (Yay!)

This too shall pass.

The weather certainly has been a big issue all over the country this year. Major snowstorms in this country and the devastating fires in the USA that still have 3 or 4 states reeling from the horror of losing their livestock, horse, homes and even their lives- and no mention of it on mainstream media that I know of.
I mentioned in January that I thought this was going to be a really tough year, and so far it is rather nasty.
We are in the middle of spring run off here, and all the problems with drainage on this place that we have moved to are rearing their ugly heads. There is a little creek across the road from us that comes down a very steep embankment. It is a roaring little creek now and comes through the culvert under the road and out onto the flat property between us and the neighbours.

View from the road.

It's flowing into our woodshed, where we keep the deep freeze- good thing it's on a pallet.

My attempt to divert the water from the woodshed and our septic tank area, using the materials at hand: cement blocks, sand and gravel scooped from the driveway; even a couple of blocks of firewood. It ain't pretty but it worked!

Remember I was whining about maybe having to wear hip waders to get to the barn? Well, not that deep, but I do have to wear good gumboots! It's so flat that it's only about 4 inches deep.

Ideally, the water is supposed to flow into the ditch to the left of the trees, but it is flowing on either side of it before trickling down into the ditch. That is Ted's shop on the right

and this is the other side of the ditch- the water is backing up into the other neighbours yard. That ditch is where it's supposed to be, it flows through a channel in the farmer next door's field

I foresee some drainage landscaping this summer, because I can't see putting up with this every year when it is a simple fix with an excavator to build a channel for the water to flow- the only problem is that all this flows over 3 septic fields, so digging may not be an option for certain areas.

Meanwhile, it's still raining and not much we can do outside so the dogs are getting really bored.

Pathetic things!

As for the horses, they are hanging out under their shelter; Coulee has her own pen and tarp shelter for now, so I can feed the mares under the shelter to encourage them to stay out of the rain as much as possible ( it only fits 3). It is getting so mucky in there  I can't wait to be able to get a little tractor in there to scrape it clean! The girls decided to have a little frolic when I fed them last night.

Silly mama Belle! Thea was wanting to get in there and work them.

 Today is more of the same, waiting out the weather, which is more of the same for a couple of days then a sunny break (yay) before the next bout of rain. Welcome to March madness! 

Reba Lou

Today, it was time. I had been holding off, hoping that she would go peacefully in her sleep, but her nights became full of stress and cries, so it was time.
Goodbye to one of the best dogs I have been blessed with.

Silly horses

If I ever breed Rosalee to Beamer (maybe in a year or two!) the foal will be quite entertaining, because both Beamer and Rosalee are such characters and are constantly making faces or being in my pocket and being extra helpful, as these photos show.

It would be an interesting foal too, because just about any colour  is possible- she is a dun with the dilute gene (makes a sorrel a palomino) and he  isn't homozygous for black so he can throw any colour off her including any shade of dun including grullo, a dilute colour such as palomino, or smokey black; or even a sorrel or black. I'd have to get their agouti tested to see if they can throw bay or buckskin. Future fun!

Meanwhile back at the barn, we have a new feline visitor- a beautiful flame point long haired cat with a 6 inch tail. He has been hanging around quite a bit and I really hope he stays.

I'm going to have to name him- any ideas? Nothing too foo-foo, he is quite a masculine looking cat.

I think he might be a Persian cross, someone suggested Himilayan or Ragdoll.

I have seen Coulee's baby moving a couple of times now. Yesterday when I was brushing them all, she was pretty cranky and tried to bite me (more of a threat, she could have connected if she really wanted to) when I brushed over her baby bump- then ran away and kicked out just as I was throwing the brush at her butt for trying to bite- she connected with the brush and sent it flying 30 feet! Silly mare. I penned her and got her to allow me to brush her, that's when I saw the baby move, so baby was probably what was making her all cranky and sensitive.

2 more months to go! Baby is due around the first week of May.

Thea and Rosalee have a thing going. Thea stalks her, and I have got her to stay out of the pen pretty much, but this happens:

Rosalee taunts Thea. Thea knows she isn't allowed to grip the horses, but she does a really good job of the Border Collie Stare.
Rosalee is such a character, the friendliest horse ever- and quite helpful too.....