'Tis the season....

 What's Christmas without a Beamer photo shoot? 

All decked out in his ribbons

Hoping the girlz will notice...

Oh girrrrlz, where are you?.... 

(They ran down to the pasture)

Hello handsome!

Come baaaack....
(He rolled and left his mane ribbons in the snow)

This morning we were blessed with a spectacular sunrise. Such a warm day too!  

Here's hoping all those of you who are travelling to be with loved ones and family will have a safe journey. Many blessings for all those who don't have family or are shut ins and spend Christmas alone. 

God bless you all!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Around the farm on a wintery day

 We got a dump of heavy wet snow- maybe it will stick around for Christmas!

There's always something to see- like cat tracks amongst stripey shadows....

and coyote tracks going through Belle's pen right where I feed her....

and sun stars....

and barn cats who can't decide if I am friend or foe...

and mama Belle looking good- although this damp cold weather isn't helping her arthritis one bit.

 Ruby and I went for a walk to check out the river. It's finally frozen all over. That halter though- it's the one that came with her and I am giving it to Shayla for some of her draft cross horses. I have one that will fit her better, or maybe make a new one just for her. 

Then there's this guy...

Yep Humphrey is back! Cleaning up the bird seed. I would love to be able to get a good photo of him but if I go outside he hides. So through the living room window it is!

So- are all your ducks in a row for Christmas? Mine are!

Fun in the sun

 The morning sun, that is. It was a brisk -10 C this morning, but the morning light was so inviting I had to get one of my big girl cameras out for chore time. I had a bit of fun taking unusual horse photos; what I call bits and pieces photos. When I first went out, the sky was all pink and purple....

but by the time I was done feeding cats and horses, it went orange and gold. 

Velvet is  the most photogenic (apart from Beamer!) because the light captures her red and gold so beautifully. Ruby, alas, would barely lift her head from the hay pile, so  Velvet photos it is!

I am totally smitten with her mane! I have never had any other horse whose mane splits to both sides and hangs below her neck. And doesn't need a lot of brushing to keep it nice!

Mama Belle in the shadows looks completely different than in the bright light:

Well, I did manage one photo of Beamer, but sadly the focus isn't very good- but the expression is priceless!

Please don't tell me you want me to stop eating for photos!

The (large) girls

 I saddled up Ruby. Well.... first she had to let me know she Wasn't Best Pleased about being haltered. She has Opinions about being caught, I have to convince her by walking and blocking with her. But I always let her know I'm pleased once she's haltered! Silly mare. 

The new stirrups didn't add any weight to the saddle, in fact they may be lighter than the leather wrapped ones it came with. That was the only thing I was concerned about, so bonus!

Ruby has definitely gotten... rotund, shall we say?

That back cinch is on the last hole, both sides and it's pretty snug! I always ride with the back cinch laying on the belly, so I reckon in another month I won't be saddling her, so I hope to get in a few rides this month while the weather holds, even if they are only round pen rides.  I didn't really ride this time, just had Ted longe me on her so I could get the feel for the stirrups. Her back has gotten really round too, so the saddle is wanting to roll a bit. I also had to go with a longer cinch. 

Baby belly bump! Due in 4 and a half months

I took her for a stroll up to the mail box and back through the hay field, we both enjoyed the walk. She strides right out beside me on a loose lead, not perfectly but pretty good. A couple times I had to ask her to move over and not crowd me. Although I wasn't riding, everything I do with her is a learning curve for both of us. I see that she is willing and not reactive, and she sees that I am paying attention to her and keeping her safe - and letting her have a bite of one of the bales that are still on the field! Partnership isn't always achieved only in the saddle. 

I will trim the excess strap from the bosal hanger, and add a throatlatch rope. 

Ruby isn't the only one getting large- check out Velvet's baby belly!

She looks huge already but remember she is only 14 hands. She is due in 4 months! For an older mare, she is holding her weight really well through this pregnancy, and I see no reason that she won't have a lovely healthy foal at the age of almost 24. (Which she will be on May 16 next year.) Here is what she looked like as a baby.

If her foal looks anything like that I will be over the moon!

Never assume

 Never assume the worst, that is. On the other hand, if you do, then it's always a pleasant surprise when you are proven wrong!

I had a pleasant surprise this morning when I went to feed the barn cats and Smokey was there, meowing loudly and demanding his canned cat food! He didn't get et by coyotes after all! 

The two Siamese, Misty and Smudge weren't best pleased though, as Smokey is a very bossy hissy cat. Just look at that crabby face! He hisses at me and I hiss right back at him. Now if only Bandit shows up I will be happy, he went missing 2 days after Smokey. 

We have another blast of cold air lately, nights down to -18 C and hovering around or just below freezing during the day. They are saying there is a probability of a brown Christmas- I'm ok with that as it means the mares can graze longer and that will save on the amount of hay I have to feed. 

I bought myself an early Christmas present 😄 Ever since I broke my ankle last year it has affected my balance and my confidence in the saddle, part of the reason I haven't been riding much this year. I still have pain in the arch of my foot and narrow stirrups make it worse. So here is what I bought to help with that:

A set of 5 inch tread stirrups, that I can rest the whole width of my whole foot on, and a night latch handle that buckles onto the swells of the saddle - something to grab if I feel off balance. With plus temps coming up for the next few days, it will be perfect for trying them out. Ruby won't be best pleased, I'm sure after having a few months off!

How pathetic!

I also finished the adjustments on my bosal, at least she won't have a cold bit to deal with!  That bosal is special to me, it is actually a bit heavy as it is designed for colt breaking and was braided for me by 93 year old (at the time, he is now deceased) Al Grandchamp, considered a Master Rawhider in his day. He lived to be 102 and passed away in 2009.  But it will do for now, if Ruby works well in it I may invest in a lighter one someday. 

Winter scenes

 We got another mini blast of winter. Of course I turned it into a photo op! 

This little cutey wasn't at all concerned with me at the window a few feet away taking its photo. 

One of the many bucks we see daily trailing the does

Yard art, a working wind indicator. North wind, it says.

 

The frost makes everything more beautiful even old fences and weeds. 

Yes Beamer, you're beautiful too, even with your grumpy face on. 

One more day to the full moon of winter. 

The ladies in waiting

 The afternoon sun is sure making for good photo ops! Even with just my cell phone. 

I thought I would do a progress post on the mares. Velvet is certainly growing!

That's not snow on her back, that's her roaning. 

That was an early morning photo, here is the afternoon sun lighting her up- and look at that mane!

No editing

Ruby, as is typical for a maiden mare, is carrying high and tight. 

Please excuse the compost pile in the photo! The hole in it is from where I dug some out for my garden tubs.

She sure does shine in the sun! All copper and gold.

I have been turning Belle out during the day with the two mares. They were getting along so well over the fence, and I have Belle's weight back where I want it; plus the Streamz bands are doing their thing and she is walking much better on that  knobby knee. I put her back in her pen for the night. She seems happy to get out and graze, and all the mares are getting along wonderfully. I was also pleased to see that when Belle laid down to sleep, Ruby stood guard, and then yesterday it made my heart happy to see this:

Belle, flat out in her REM sleep, Ruby resting and Velvet standing guard. I do love a peaceful herd!

I will assess Belle again in the spring, and if she seems to have adapted well to her restricted mobility and pain is diminished, we will most likely breed her again in the spring to Shayla's dun stallion. That gives her a full year before she starts getting much of the weight of the foal, and I will be vigilant in making sure she is comfortable. I had good success in rehabbing Beamer when he was like Belle is now- he gallops around and behaves just like he did before the arthritis set in. He moves funny, but seems to be quite happy. I absolutely believe in Streamz bands and camelina oil to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis in horses. Side note- the wrist band is working for us too, wish I had started using it on myself long ago. The swelling in the joint has gone down and the sharp pains are gone. 

Speaking of Beamer, I got the results back from the lab test on his lump. Apparently it is benign, they couldn't positively identify it as a sarcoid or carcinoma. So when I talked to the vet, he said to monitor it, and if it comes back we will deal with it then; he couldn't see spending money on a treatment that may or may not have been needed. Now that's my kind of vet!

Thank you everyone for your concern for him!

Barn cat saga

 Once again, the barn cat numbers are diminished. 

And then there were three....

Smokey disappeared a couple of days ago. He was always the first in line at feeding time (very demanding, he was!) so when he wasn't there one morning , I knew something was amiss. Haven't seen him since, and he was an adventure cat so I assume he went into coyote territory and met his fate. So we are down to Smudge, Misty and Bandit. 

Speaking of Bandit.....

Don't look so innocent, I know what you're up to!

Yes it's that time, Misty is 6 months old now and  I saw Bandit "ploinking" her this morning. So about mid January there should be more kittens. How they will fare, who knows. These cats hang out in the little barn where I had Gussie, and the top floor of the barn is all straw bedded  so perhaps that's where the kittens will be born. If the tom cats don't get them. We pretty much let nature take it's course around here when it comes to the feral cats. 

Sunday again

 Here it is, Sunday again! Tuesday the farrier came and trimmed all the horses. With the advice of the vet, I buted Velvet and Belle, as they have issues holding their feet up, and it went well. Ruby, of course was a rock star for him as was Beamer. They should be good until January now. 

Of course I was a rock star!

I am the handsomest and bestest!

Thursday I visited Shayla and got to play with the foals in halter letting them learn to follow a feel without putting too much pressure on them. They were very good!

This is Fire (WV Jets On Fire) who is Jayne's colt and is a stallion prospect for Shayla. 

Taking the slack out of the leadrope

Aha- learning to follow the feel

and moving the feet to come around. Good boy, Fire!

The other foal I played with was Jolene- same sire as Fire and out of a palomino granddaughter of Sun Frost. She was so laid back, I think she would rather have snoozed in the sunshine, but she was very obliging. 

Taking the slack out...

Thinking about it....

and coming around and forward. Good girl, Jolene!

These are really nice minded foals. It's sad that their sire passed away, but at least Shayla has his bloodlines as part of the foundation of the herd she is working on building. 

Meanwhile, down on the farm... 

The mares are great deer spotters and we always know when something is crossing the pasture. We have had several hunters, and some does have been harvested. We have also seen 2 more big bucks but we aren't letting the hunters know about them!

They are also very good at spotting me when it gets close to chore time; they can see me through the big dining room window and stand at their fence waiting... and waiting...

Yes, Velvet, I'm coming!

Ruby Roo, my lovely!