Visiting the Beamer\Belle horses

 I had a bit of a getaway this past weekend. And of course, it  included  was mostly about horses. I spent a wonderful couple hours with the good folks who have , over the years, bought 6 of my horses. 

Here they are in all their beauty. 

First off- all the Beamer babies.

For all the Rio fans out there:

He is massive! I think right around 16 hh and probably 13 - 1400 lbs. He has carried his owner  through a lot of events, from 4 H  to barrels and roping and ranch work. He was a flag bearer horse in the Calgary Stampede last year. The young lady who owns him has had plenty of offers on him, but he is not going anywhere. The brand on his shoulder is their brand, some of them also carry the DLH brand. 

Then there is Kai- he is the steady Eddie of the group, the favourite uncle to the young horses who keeps them calm. He is Alana's horse and it is pretty obvious that he loves her. 

Kai is built more stocky than Rio, but he too is a big strong horse. he has won high point in gaming for Alana, and her daughter has used him as a heading horse. He's a big gentle soul. 

They sold Nitro, and I found out that he is now the mount for a 16 year old high school student who team ropes in the High School Rodeos with him, and they are a perfect match. I am trying to find out who his current owner is as I would love to watch them at work. 

Then there is Josie... what a beauty she is!

The one I should have kept... but she has been a really good horse for Kevin, this year she won 2 buckles for him at rodeos, she is a heeling horse in the team roping. Josie is 11 this year. she is not a Belle daughter, her dam was Chickory who is now raising foals for her current owner.

I would love to do a breed lease on Josie if he ever decides to retire her from roping. 

The next horse is a Beamer/Belle son. This was Belle's last Beamer baby, and he is another one I probably should have kept, he and Josie are the two Beamers that literally took my breath away. 

This is Derby. 

Derby is 3 this year and he is already a big boy like his brothers. 

He is another member of the Big Butt club! I think it's safe to say that the Beamer/Belle cross produced outstanding individuals. 

Next up is Minx.

Kevin likes the cross so much that he bought Minx, who is a daughter of the full sister to all those boys. You would know her as Sparkle from my posts on this blog, she was Belle's first foal. Minx was sired by a 16 hh grey Playgun bred stallion. She has the same quiet and trainable mind as her uncles and they really like her. She will be grey. 

This is Kai and Minx:

I think she will have a good size to her as well; Kai is 15.3 hh. Minx is only 2 and has a lot of growing to do yet. 

Then there is Pistol; he was the buckskin foal from Belle and sired by Rollin In My Dually, she was in foal with him when I bought her back from Fleetwood Farms. 

Pistol is another big soggy gelding rope horse for Kevin, and he's doing very well with him. Pistol has a bit of a different look to him than the Beamer sons.  Kevin loves him and says he will never part with him either. 

Knowing that the horses I raised are so valued by their owners, and that they have become excellent performance horses is all a person could ask for when it comes to raising horses. I have been blessed in this venture over the years. Finding a family who kept buying them and promoting them and loving them is all I could ever ask for. 

Oh, and one more thing- knowing that they are all happy, healthy horses. 

Derby💖 He got Beamer's head but Belle's ears

It was great to visit and catch up with them. I am going to try to get to one of their ropings so I can get some photos of them in action. If not this year then maybe next year!

Foals and friends day

 We are having summer like weather here. A few days ago, we still had snow in the shaded areas, then -whammo!- we get 30 C weather! So of course that meant getting a lot of the outside work done. Clean up from winter's mess, trim tree branches that were rubbing on the garage roof, take that big pile of debris to the burn pit that was such an eyesore when I looked at Beamer's pen from the house.... etc. etc. We are also preparing an area for my raised bed/container garden. 

We took a day yesterday for visiting- Ted to go see his dad, and me to go see Shayla and help with the foals. And visiting our friends where we used to have our horses, the ones who gave me Velvet. It was a great day! Except for the end, but we'll get to that. First- foal pics!

Zipper is adorable, very friendly and easy to catch. Shayla did a little work with teaching him to give to pressure (I think this is only his 3rd time being haltered) and he did very well. Smart little fellow!

Working with Bear was a little different. He hadn't been haltered before, and it was definitely a two person job. However, once he was haltered and got loved up on, he figured out that this was a good thing! I didn't get any photos of the process as I was busy helping, but did get some from after. 

He was much happier being handled after the halter lesson. 

We also visited the draft mare herd, there are two foals there. This one is a filly. Her sire is full Percheron and her dam is part Percheron with Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred in the mix. 

She's very cute! Not named yet as far as I know. 

Then there is this fellow, the mares had moved into the shade of the trees and he was just chillin' out having a nap. 

The cows are calving there too. We kept an eye on this new born for a bit until we were sure it had it's first drink- important on such a hot day. 

Jayne, Belle and Dolly are all close to foaling. With the full moon on Friday, I'm betting at least 2 of them will foal out. Belle may take a little longer as she doesn't seem as ready as Jayne and Dolly. This may be the first time in a long time that she doesn't foal out on a full moon!

Got in a visit with Gussie and Boe too, they are turned out with some others on a separate pasture. Gussie isn't due until late July. 

At 20 years old now, she's looking good! Boe is growing a lot too, and was his usual friendly handsome self. 

Still has his winter scruffies going on!

It sure was great to play with the foals, I'm having withdrawals seeing everyone else with their foals! Ah well, I got my fix. 

And about that "except for the end" bit....

When Ted came to pick me up in the early afternoon, I could smell smoke. There are wildfires an hour or so west of there, so we figured it was probably that. However, when we got home I got a text from Shayla about a new fire right close to them. Like within a couple of miles. They got an emergency alert on the cell phones. Having to make possible evacuation plans when you have that many animals to look after is stressful! Fortunately they have enough land that is fire proof to keep most of them and places to put others. Including here. Fortunately, there has been no further notice to get out, so the crews that worked all night must have been effective at controlling it. 

Ted and I discussed our own plans in case of fire. We are surrounded by all those spruce trees and we have an asphalt shingle roof on this house. The house would probably be a loss. We do have the river close enough to pump water and we have plenty of pasture, but it has dead grass that would be a fire magnet, so we would load the two older horses and either pony or ride Ruby out of here to a nearby plowed field. 

With the high and hot dry winds, prairie fire is a constant concern. There is a complete fire ban in this part of the Province. Two more days of this before we have rain in the forecast. We sure need it, not just for the fire threat, but for those who have put their crops in, the rain is needed to get the seed growing. 

 

Happy new year!

 We ended 22 by spending a a quiet day, going to evening Mass followed by a very good potluck supper.

The last 2 weeks of the month sure included a lot of deaths. My saddle maker friend, Brian Ironmonger (I have had 2 of his saddles: the Wade I sold and the other one that I ride most often that I got the fiberglass tree repaired on) - he passed away Christmas Eve just before midnight; then Ian Tyson, the Canadian singer songwriter, and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI  as well as two other people that we know. 

My key word for 2022 was mercy, and we did indeed receive mercy throughout the year, in our move and all the help we got from friends and family. We were blessed in many ways throughout the year. 

Jan 1 is my blogoversary; I have completed 15 years of blogging and am about to start year 16. I love being able to look back over the years so easily; not something you can do on other forms of social media. I sure do appreciate all you folks who have stuck with me over those years. 

This is Smoky, but it is also me checking to see if 2023 is going to be sane and safe....

We started off this year with Ted going to visit his dad while I went to see Shayla and Blake . I got to visit all the horses and help out a bit. Of course I just happened to have my good camera with me... 😁

Mama Belle is showing her age, she has arthritis in a knee now. Still one of my favourite horses. 

Jayne turns 21 this year and is doing really well. 

Gussie and her foal Evy hang out with a Percheron mare and her foal. I gave Shayla a hand holding Evy as Shayla trimmed her feet - Evy was very good!

She is going to look fantastic when she sheds out to her blue roan colour!

This is Rose, Shayla's half Arabian mare that some of you may remember from when she lived with my herd a few years ago. She has become a very good lesson horse for Shayla. 

My key word for this year is Faith. We can't see what the year will bring but we have to have faith that we will weather whatever storms, both literal and figurative, that life will throw at us in '23. 

May God bless you all and keep you safe.

Pressure and release

 Here is a blog I found about about through Warwick Schiller, I have linked to it on a post that opens up a new concept (to some people like me) about pressure and release that goes beyond what we have always been told concerning horse training. 

https://equusoma.com/connection-before-concepts/

If you are interested, here is the video in which Warwick talks about the concepts in the blog post and shows how it works. 

I have been working with this concept with Sophie and it has really helped me begin to understand her. Sophie is a different type of horse from any I have owned before. Working with her has really pushed my limits of understanding  how to connect with a horse who really doesn't care to connect at first. 

We are making progress. 

Shayla is here this week, so she is helping me with Sophie. It's wonderful to have someone else's perspective and expertise.  We are discovering layers of Sophie's personality. I will go into some of that in another post when I can figure out the words to express it. 

At long last.....

 I got to go on a trail ride. The last one I went on was a solo ride on Gussie on Dec. 18, 2020. 

It was a blustery day, gusty and chilly winds here at the farm, but I figured since my destination was in the forest we would be fairly protected from the worst of it. 

I was invited by Bandits person, Lyn, to go on a trail ride with the guy (Dave) who did all the saddle work for me. We all met up at Dave's at 1 pm . I saddled Sophie before hauling her, she did take a minute to load (I had to step in with her) and when I unloaded her at our destination I could see that her neck was sweaty. I didn't have her tied in; sometimes with nervous haulers it's better to let then find their own preferred spot in the trailer. 

My work at home with the mounting block paid off; she was easy to position. We went into the round pen (all 3 of us) and strolled around in there to get a feel for how Sophie was ; the two gents I was riding with were very kind and willing to make this a good experience for Sophie, as we had no idea how she was going to behave.  They looked after us! 

Sophie was pretty looky but not spooky, just looking at everything and considering everything, just the way she is at home. So off we went! The route took us down a gravel road for a couple of kilometers and then up onto old logging roads and through the bush. 

I was quite surprised that Sophie wanted to be in front! 

The start of the ride, going down the gravel road. Looking at the water in the ditch.

We encountered a couple of vehicles coming towards us, who very kindly stopped as we went by, including one who was running two dogs behind them; they popped the dogs into their truck as we went by. Very considerate!

Once we got off the road and onto the brush trails I asked Sophie to hold back a bit so Dave could lead. 

Sophie, for the most part, was ok with riding beside him but definitely didn't want to be at the back of the pack.

That turned out ok though, because Bandit preferred to tag along at the rear of the pack for the most part. 

We rode for about two hours. I have to say, I was quite impressed with Sophie 💗

She was steady, marched out with confidence, looked at everything but didn't get too concerned. One time she deked to the left when she was surprised to see a culvert , but it wasn't a huge jump, just a couple quick steps left. She handled the terrain well, including a lot of standing water on the backroads. 

That was just one of the long puddles we went through. That one had hidden slippery ruts that had the horses slipping a bit, but she handled it well. 

Overall, I have to say I was really pleased with Sophie. I felt safe and comfortable on her. We do have to work on getting her soft in the face, but that will come with time and schooling. 

As we got back down onto the road, she got looky again as we passed by dwellings that had a lot of stuff to see. Back at the trailer, I tied her to the side of it, and went to look at some of Dave's horses. When I got back to her I could see that she had pulled back; she was completely out of sight of all the horses so I think she pulled because of not wanting to be alone. Another thing we have to work on. 

This time for the trip home I tied her in the trailer; facing rearward seems to be her spot of choice. 

Overall, it was a great day! And, I have been invited to come ride there anytime. 

New stuff

 I took a little trip to Alberta a few days ago. I stayed with a friend and got to spend some time with her, as well as getting in a visit with my daughter and her fiance. They traveled all the way from Ontario to spend some time with me; I don't get to see them very often as I don't travel, and all the restrictions from the last 2 years have screwed up a lot of their travel plans. 

It was really kind of my friend Carol to host us over the couple of days they were there, and really great to reconnect with her as it has been 7 years since I have been able to visit her; she lived a little too far for a day trip but recently moved just under 5 hours away. The bonus- I got to spend time with her dogs too; she has a Tess daughter, Pip and the cutest Jack Russel ever. 

Pip does not like her photo being taken!

Midge was absolutely adorable and forever changed my mind about Jack Russels. 

Both these dogs are very adorable and cuddly as you can see:

The day I drove home was just after a big snow and wind storm hit, but it was short lived and by the time I started my trip home it wasn't too bad. 

That was about as bad as it got; mostly the wind had blown the snow off the road in all the areas where traffic was moving along, only the areas where there were turn offs for towns or side roads were compacted snow. 

I stopped to fuel up at  a place at the foot of the Frank Slide. 

Although it was wonderful to see my daughter and my friend again, it's always nice to be home! Also nice to get a gift in the mail-

This is the book I won courtesy of TeresaA over at Journey With A Dancing Horse. I am really looking forward to reading it! I have a feeling it's going to tug at my heart strings.

Ted did a good job of looking after the horses for me. And keeping the home fires burning- (literally, we only have wood heat, so we can't go away together in winter). 

I made Sophie her own halter testerday, and went down to check the fit on her today. 

But first, we had shenanigans. She was sleeping when I walked into the pen, but not for long once she saw I wanted to put a halter on her. 

Silly mare. 

Once she is caught she is as sweet as can be. I can't wait for spring and getting lots of riding time!

I'm still here

 I guess I have kind of been AWOL the last couple of weeks. It has been a rather trying time. First, one of my husband's best friends passed away. We were not able to go to his funeral. It was very tough watching his health deteriorate so quickly.

Then you all remember Mel, who bought Eli? Her husband passed away unexpectedly and that has been very hard. We still don't know the cause. Again, we were not able to go to his funeral. 

Then there are all the cases on the Covid Adverse Reaction Testimonies site where people are sharing the devastating effect of the jabs that people are willingly taking and how some people are shamed into agreeing to do something that is an unknown and experimental procedure. So please don't anyone tell me how safe it is to put your faith in an experimental gene therapy and how horrible people are for not wanting to get jabbed.  Millions of people have had their lives radically changed from the jab agenda. I am so fed up with people spreading hate and blame. And don't even get me started on medical apartheid. Did we not learn anything from the last century? How did we go from In God We Trust to in Bill Gates We Trust?

I think it's time for the God Reset, not the Great Reset. 

Ok rant over.

Back to our regularly scheduled program......

Nitro went to a new home yesterday.

He is going to a roping family who host jackpots and roping schools so it looks like he will be helping a new bunch of youth learn the ropes (pun intended!) 

I couldn't ask for a better ambassador for my breeding program. 

Another autumn ride

A couple of the girls hauled here and we went for a ride to show them where the river crossings are and where they can access them from the other side. I live along the Goat River, on the north side of us is a high bank that divides us from the town of Ericson/Creston and across the river there is a climb that brings you up onto the hayfields and orchards of Lister. Accessing these crossings from there wasn't always possible because of the landowners, but they have recently put in a gate at one of them and allow horses to cross through- we are all appreciative! This allows me to ride from my place to a couple of friends places in about 15 minutes or so without having to hook up the trailer and haul. And now they can ride over here too. 

Happy smiling faces high above the first river crossing

Coming down the hill to the second river crossing, We usually stop here to take a photo, in case it looks familiar.

Once back on my side of the river I took them out on the lease ride, and at the end of it I had cleared the way through the narrow gate and placed some rocks in strategic spots so we could ride down across the rip rap that lines the dyke; there was one spot where the rocks were small and made a narrow path down to a rideable area, but there were a few holes that could trap a hoof so the day before I filled them all in. Just beyond this gate is a huge mudslide from a few years ago that obliterated any trails, so now we were exploring.

We rode as far as we could  between the high bank and the river, with the idea that we were looking for a way to scale that bank on horseback so that the lady who lives in Erickson (on the blue roan) cold ride down from her place. We had to turn back at one point or ride through the river to continue, so we called it. On the way back we did some bushwacking closer to the high bank to see if we had missed any possible trails. 

The turnback spot

In this photo you can see the mudslide in the background. One of the riders had scrambled up a little rocky draw to see if it was passable on horseback; it wasn't.

Over all it was a great ride, lots of fun and adventure. First river crossing for P, the lady on the blue roan, who is my barefoot trimmer and moved out here from Quebec.

A note about that blue roan, it's a lovely quiet mare, about 18 years old (all the horses pictured are `17, 18, and 18). 

An interesting thing about that blue roan- it's a Nokota Horse Check out the link, it's an interesting story.

Riding day 52