So far

 If you haven't entered the foaling contest yet, go to this post to read the details

No foal so far.... 

Did you see that one of the horses entered in the Kentucky Derby is named So Happy and is ridden by 60 year old Mike Smith? Guess who my pick to win is!

It would make me So Happy  if my Happy foaled on Derby day! Coyote Belle's last foal by Beamer was born on Derby day (and named Derby) . He is really doing well with his owner, the same one who owns Rio. 

Since I have no foal yet to show off, here are some of the other sights around the farm. 

First butterfly having a drink of water from the leaky hose

Shy ladybug

Feral cat Boris, who is probably the daddy of most of the Siamese type kittens

Camo deer- all that snow is gone now.

 

The first robin from a couple weeks ago

Goose steppin' on the ice- that ice too is all gone now

I do have some exciting news to share, but not quite yet. I will keep you in the dark for another week or so! 

This weekend we have the Horse Expo in Red Deer and I intend to go tomorrow and catch the demos by Warwick Schiller - and maybe do some shopping at the huge trade fair. 

Why horses

 As I lay awake in the middle of the night, I got to thinking about the history of people and horses. How through the centuries, they have been there for us and how throughout history so much has been achieved because of them. 

Then, on a personal level, how is it that our lives have become intertwined with those magnificent creatures? Why horses? For me, or for you? Why have they been the constant, the anchor that steadies me/us?

For me it started when I was 4 years old and my dad needed to borrow a horse to help drag logs. He took little me with him and made a deal with a local farmer to borrow his big black draft horse.  That was the first horse I saw. She was black and her name was Star.  Then a short time later he again went to borrow a horse to haul logs, and this time the farmer sent his daughter to catch the horse and bring it in; this time I walked behind as the girl rode the big black horse (probably Percheron) and I remember thinking, " that should be me up there". 

So began my lifelong fascination with these amazing creatures.  I will never forget the first ride I had, being led on a chestnut Thoroughbred mare, the wonderful horse smell and that first moment when she walked along.  Those are the moments that stayed with me through all those years until I eventually owned my first very own horse. (Ironically, a black mare)

It may also explain why I gravitate to black horses. 

He gave the best kisses! 

How is it that there is such a connection between horses and humans? It seems to me that it is part if the Divine Design. We are there for them as much as they are there for us. There is an undeniable current that connects us, if we let it. 

When I walk into my little herd, I feel at peace in my soul. Troubles and cares are put on the back burner. 

My best boy

And I think, for me, that is the answer to my "Why horses".  They are the single thing, other than nature itself, that gives that peace to my soul. They are something tangible and present, something I can feel, touch, share adventures with, teach, share, and find joy in. And it makes all the ugliness of the world fade away in their presence. 

I thank God for the horses. 

Let there be light and love.

 In all the sadness of the recent weeks, I choose to look for the things that make me happy, to deflect my thoughts from the creeping darkness of this world. 

Hello little ladybug, how simple your existence is. 

Being injured and in pain definitely slows  down one's ambitions, plans and goals. 

But it's nice to get extra Thumper cuddle time.

Having plenty of pasture left for the winter makes me happy, as do shiny, healthy horses.

Patsy aka Pattycakes will be headed back to Shayla later this week. She has grown a bunch and is still the sweetest filly. 

Flowers and bees and butterflies? Happy making for sure!

The moose hung around the riverbanks until the next morning. And now the deer are starting to come back, like these 3 does who didn't have fawns this year, showing up at daybreak. 

View from my dining room window. Can you spot the third one?

Sunday Silence

 

On raising/owning horses

 This is something I have been pondering lately.

Owning horses consumes so much of our lives. Time, money, personal relationships, activities- all is centered around these creatures. These beautiful, exasperating, amazing, soul-satisfying, often heart -wrenching beings who have shared our lives throughout time.

Historically, they have been war horses; from Atilla the Hun to the chariots of Egypt, to Bucephalus (Alexander the Great) to Reckless they have been instrumental in the stories of the rise and fall of nations. They have been used  as means of transportation longer than there have been trains, planes and automobiles. (I know, I'm preaching to the choir here) But in the greater scheme of things, when so many things have become passé why not the horse? 

The only answer I can find is that they touch our soul. They were made for us by God, and that is enough for me. I'm sure that my husband /family think that I spend too much of my life centered around my passion for horses, as it affects them also. But when the time comes when I can no longer have horses, it won't change who I am and what I want to do. I will still be that person who will say, Oh look-horses! when I pass by a field with them. I want to be like my old mentor. Al Grandchamp who climbed aboard a nice mare at the age of 93 and spent 5 hours in the saddle assisting at a clinic put on by a man he mentored- my other mentor, Walt Vermedahl. 

Me, Al and Walt many years ago

One of the things that I consider most important is helping youngsters to spend time with horses, help them to learn how to be around horses and to get them learning to ride. I have been blessed with  horses who were great with kids, including my beloved Beamer. Knowledge is no good if we keep it to ourselves, so I truly appreciate all those who teach and mentor young people in the art of horsemanship- and not just youth but older folks who strive to fulfil that need to learn more about horses. 

As far as raising horses go- one might think that there are an awful lot of horses out there so why raise more? I am pretty selective in my breeding practices, not putting many horses on the ground but the ones I do are good ones. Sure, anyone can go rescue a horse from a sale or a kill pen, but the folks who buy from breeders are looking for something specific. I hope that my horses, and the horses raised by responsible breeders can fill that need. (This is not a rant about all those unwanted and culled horses, so let's keep it civil, folks.) 

Midnight Moondance, one of my favourites. Dang I should have kept him!

I have been blessed throughout the years with many good horses- last time I counted was a few years ago at over 50 horses in my life- probably over 60 now- and I sure hope I will be able to keep it up for a good long time to come!

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Stills- goals

I'm not calling them resolutions or intentions, goals works better for me.
First of all- more time with my butt in this:

Looking at the world through these ears:

Well- also with my butt in this saddle:

and spending more time on the back of this redhead!

Easy enough? Well perhaps, but it involves time management, overcoming ennui after work, and managing my money because riding here involves hauling, unless I just want to tool around in the round pen or ride down the gravel road to the one field that I am allowed to ride around. So it requires planning and dedication to fulfil that goal.
The next and only other goal I have: take advantage of rainy days by doing more of this:

 That should keep me busy for most of the year when you add in work, gardening and all the chores!

Rain Rain Go Away

The last few days have been soggy, to say the least. We did get a little respite today- just long enough for me to start pulling the weeds and dead plants in my garden
The snow has shown up on the mountain peaks, but it's a long way from down here on the valley bottom.

I had the mares turned out during one rainy day and I had to bust out laughing at Gussie; she came to the gate with the most pleading look I have ever seen on a horse:

Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeease let me iiiiiinnnnnn!

I did make her wait because I wasn't finished cleaning the pens, poor girl!

Josie has found her place in the herd, she is a lot like her mama Chickory, a little reserved but very bribe-able; it's easy to build a routine with her.

Mama Belle has gone from putting her in her place to giving her a place next to her:

I love my little herd, they all get along so well, no nastiness, just happy horses. 

I'm happy to report that Shayla got her certification in the ABC Hoofprint Trim, so she will be taking over the trimming duties here at Diamond Lazy H Quarter Horses- she also is studying equine chiropractic so she will have my herd health to do to. Pretty proud of you Shayla!

So, life rolls on, seasons change, and time never stands still. 

I should have the results of Stella's blood tests within a couple of days, some of it is in, but not all. It will be good to have some answers. 

Barring any unforeseen problems, I should be on my way to Alberta on Friday to take in the Canadian Cowhorse Supreme, and to visit with a few fellow bloggers and Facebook friends. 

Sunday Stills

"Wherever you feel at peace or like to relax"...... well, since I can't post photos of trail riding through the wilderness, (it's still winter here!) here are some of the current places that fit the description.

My Church always fills me with peace, especially when I can come and visit and no one else is there.

In the middle of my mares, just visiting and loving up on them and generally getting mobbed by them is sheer joy. Just being with my horses relaxes me and relieves tension.

Riding is my favorite way to relax- big surprise there, right?

Having fun!

The rain finally quit for a while, and when I turned the horses out in their pasture, they had a blast ripping around; Kai was showing me just how fast he was, and doing some fancy flying lead changes, which you can see in the video below.

The ground here is a clay base and it's flat too, so there isn't much drainage. Beamer's pen has a lake in it that goes right up to the gate.

The other day when I was at work, Ted saw Beamer playing in his "pool" splashing around, and then he lay in it and rolled! Silly boy! I had to hose the mud off him the next morning before I turned him out.

He has high ground in his pen, just not in the middle of it. The pen he spends his days in is nice and high with no mud, so only at night do I put him in his corral.

The puppies are getting really big and active now; I still have 5 for sale, as 4 of the people who spoke for pups have changed their minds. I hate it when that happens. Oh well, they are so cute I shouldn't have any trouble selling them!

There they are, all 10 of 'em!

Saddle fit

I was reading a post on HorseCentric today about her mare Lily having issues with being saddled, which got me googling saddle fit. I came up with some interesting stuff. This first one is talking about fitting an English saddle, but the information is very interesting and applies to any horse.

This second video is by the makers of the Martin Saddle.

There are some videos linked to this one that show fitting for barrel horses, rope horses and cutting horses. This is just for this particular brand of saddle, but it shows that there are options out there and that saddle makers are starting to think outside the box a little and are considering what works best for the anatomy of the horse.

I had a horse that was really hard to fit, and had a saddle custom made for her. We had to shave the front of the bars so they flare out, just like the Martin tree, and the same thing on the back of the bars. I like the way Martin has a stirrup fender slot on both sides of the tree.

Lately I've been thinking about getting a different saddle for Beamer, because I think he needs a different fit on his shoulders. Guess I'd better put in some extra hours at work, or sell lots of pups!

What a beautiful day!

Today was just wonderful; sunny and warm. Ted was working on the dog run most of the day, and I could hear some snoring going on- yeah, Beamer was snoozing in the sun, and snoring! I took a video but it didn't turn out well, so I won't bore you with it. He sure sounds funny though!

I went for a ride on him, a nice lazy one around the big pasture, so relaxing! It felt like a heat wave.

This afternoon I brought Velvet out for some fresh grass, and decided to measure her. That li'l blue girl is just over 10 months old, and she stands a quarter inch under 14 hands!

When I measured her leg for future height, it tells me she is going to mature at 15-2 hh just like her mama, Gussie. So even though Beamer is not so tall, he sure can throw height on his babies. I'll have Sparkle out tomorrow and get her measured up too.

Afterwards I was shooting some photos and I noticed that Chickory has an edema on her belly, so I caught her and checked it out. I've never seen an edema in this spot:

Anyone out there got any info on this? There is no visible injury, she is 2 years old and not bred (of course!) she doesn't seem to be sore there, and while it is a little warm that might just be body heat, it certainly wasn't hot. I'll keep an eye on her, but it doesn't seem to require treatment, although I'm sure open to opinions on that.

You can see the swelling in this picture that I took of the brands on Chickory and Sparkle.

And just a parting shot for all those who are still snowbound.............

Sunday Stills-Sports

I really wanted to get a photo of the Olympic torch being run through Creston, but it was going on at the same time as our cattle work, and of course, riding Beamer took precedence!

So my offering is from Friday night's team roping practice. I did get some clear shots, but I don't like to put people's photos on the internet without their permission, and I thought that this photo was rather interesting in it's blurred obscurity.

And even early morning sunrises are a good time for the dog sport of fetch! (pleeeeease kick the ball for us, mum!)