Wordless Wednesday

 

Ground driving

 Rally now saddles and packs the bridle whole longeing so the next step was ground driving. I have a nice set of biothane lines made by the guy who also made the saddle I use on Rally. The wet grass doesn't affect them, so they are perfect for starting horses and yes we still have moisture- no drought here. While we do have lovely clear skies, we are barely above freezing in the mornings with fog along the river and heavy dew. 

Rally took to ground driving easily, I started with one line to the bit and longed her, then added the other line and moved more to her hip and eventually  right behind her. It didn't take long for her to get it all figured out. Today was her 3rd short session; I did manage a short video but it's kinda hard to do with both hands on the lines.

Yes I could have tightened the cinch a bit more....

We worked on steering, whoa and backing. She is pretty light and responsive once she figures things out. 

We started getting our hay in, now that the farmers have sunshine they are cutting and baling like crazy.  I now have 3 round bales that are 1500 lbs each, even our big tractor had a bit of a groan unloading them. Next up is waiting for the call to pick up the small square bales and we will be done! It's always a relief when all the winter's hay is in. 

Speaking of winter....

this has been going on for the last 3 days, and the poplar trees are getting yellow leaves. It seems summer has finally arrived but fall is knocking on the door. I predict an early winter with lots of snow, which wouldn't be a bad thing for the many areas of this province that have been in drought for a few years now. 

Salt

 Never underestimate the need for salt. 

 

 I was doing a routine check on the mares yesterday and Patsy came up to greet me. 

I was rather alarmed to see her like that. She had been standing in the shade of the mares shelter with the other horses so I sure wasn't expecting anything amiss. 

It wasn't overly hot and humid, pretty much the same as it has been for several days. 

I consulted with Shayla and with the vet. There were no signs of distress other than the rapid breathing; she was eating and drinking normally, so we ruled out colic  but gave her a dose of banamine anyway. 

Vet said I could bring her in in the morning if needed,  but by the cool of the evening she was pretty much  back to normal.  I figure she was like that for at least 5 hours. I was pretty worried about her. 

What I think happened is that the mares were not letting her at the salt tub, which was in the middle back of the shelter, and without enough salt she couldn't sweat enough to cool off. This morning she spent 5 minutes licking salt, and later I brought out a bucket of loose salt and added it it to the tub. 

She had several mouthfuls!

The other mares all helped themselves to it too  

And I moved it to a better spot  where nobody will get trapped and picked on. 

Patsy was normal today, so I think the salt was the issue, leading to anhidrosis. 

Next step, the slicker

 We had a lovely session today. I started by going back to working on her back feet. She is still reluctant to hold the foot up and I'm not going to fight her about it (I would lose)  so I did more work on using the rope to get her lifting without kicking. It took a while but she finally rested her toe on the ground , left hind, so I went ahead and trimmed the heel flare and rasped it for balance. I wasn't able to do the toe, but I will take that as a win. Next time will be the right hind. 

I decided to work with the slicker without the saddle for starters, here are a couple videos of that. 

As you can see, it was another non event. 

Next, I worked on positioning her at the mounting step, she pretty much has that perfect. I can stand on it and bring her along side and get her to step one foot at a time for that sweet spot. Then I drape myself over her back where the saddle goes and rub her off side from her chest to her tail. I was able to get my feet off the step so all my weight was on her. 

I take my belt off for this so the buckle doesn't dig in her. I get my ribs right over to the off side of her spine mostly for my balance, I am quite tall and no lightweight. 

I think Rally looks forward to these sessions as much as I do. She comes to the gate to be caught, and when I turn her back in the herd she stays with me. 

This mare is building my confidence as much as I am building hers. If you would have told me this spring that I would be starting an unbroke 9 year old horse to ride I would have called you crazy. 

Saddled

 I had a couple days off from working Rally, but today we got back at it. I like to step things up a bit every time, so today instead of saddling her in the round pen I took her over to the trailer and saddled her there. She is a curious horse, likes to check things out but in a calm manner, not spooky. She had to inspect the trailer hitch as we walked by, and watch as I opened the tack room door to pull out my gear. Saddled her up like an ole broke horse, and she ground tied while I took her photo. 

Led her to the pen, and I had it in the back of my mind that if anything untoward happened, it would be then, but I needn't have worried. 

I tightened the cinch another notch and went straight to asking her to move out.

If anything, she has more whoa than go. Which suits me just fine. 

Next I flapped the stirrups, getting her used to some commotion.

I think tomorrow I will step it up by adding the tarp or a slicker to the saddle, maybe get her dragging a rope. She sure seems to take everything in stride. 

We are in the summer heat now so I am keeping it to short sessions in the early morning. 

It was back to the trailer to unsaddle, again just like an ole broke horse. I think this is her third time saddled and asked to move out, and she has never bucked or scooted. Mind you I haven't asked her to lope saddled yet as the pen has been slippery but now that it has dried up with the heat, I reckon that is going on the agenda next too. 

Rally: Bring it on

Crappy cell phone photo, she really isn't that rump high. With a horse this quiet, it sure is tempting to skip a lot of steps and just get on and ride- 25 years ago I probably would have done just that. But with age comes greater self preservation instincts, because, we know, we just don't bounce like we used to, so taking my time to go through all the checks and balances will pay off in the long run. There are so many things I can do with her before I ever get on, and it will be fun for me and for her. 

Next....

 The last 2 days,  I went to plan C with Rally.  I could see that she wasn't mentally ok with being sent in the trailer, so made the decision to only go in with her until she was really solid on loading without hesitation. Yesterday she had only minor hesitation. She backed out nicely of her own volition, and I loaded her a couple more times, then stepped out and let her dwell in there. Today, well.... she decided that being caught was optional. ( It wasn't.)

Rally: You can't catch me

She led the mares on a romp through the pens. They are currently in a series of interconnecting pens, so I just kept closing gates until I got the other 3 in the small foaling pen, then caught Rally and kicked the mares back in their pasture. 

Then because she was a bit ramped up I opted to do something different with her before the trailer loading. 

Look Rally, it's a raggy old tarp. No monsters lurking. 

Rally: It's more fun than trailer loading

Surprisingly enough she was perfectly ok with the introduction of the tarp. 

This mare is full of surprises, the things I think she will say no to she is perfectly fine with. 

After that, I led her into the trailer, no hesitation. Loaded and unloaded 3 times, no problem. 

So now she gets a break from that and it's time to get back to working on her feet . 

Good girl, Rally!

Rally: I am a good girl!

Lets get loaded

 The last two days have been huge for Rally, although we still have a ways to go. Yesterday, I wanted to focus on sending her in. I got her front end in right away, but after that it was back to the drawing board. A lot of work in hand and all I could get was her loading half her body. As I asked for more, she tried to bite me... that earned her a Come To Jesus moment and a lot of high pressure work on the long line. 

As I went back to asking her to load, I could see that she was close to shutting down, so I went to plan B. The whole goal is to get her loading consistently, and if I can't get the end result of sending her in then it is back to stepping in with her, which I did. It seems that her confidence is in me as she will load if I go in with her. I got her in, and let her dwell in there, then quietly worked my way along her side and stepped out. 

It was a lot of work for her, when it could have been so simple, but this whole deal is about working on her mind. 

She ate her bit of oats, then quietly stepped out. I always love up on her, scratch her itches and tell her what a good girl she is before I take her back to the herd. 

Today again I went to asking for the send in, she immediately loaded her front feet, but that was all she would give me. Every time she stepped back out she got a minimal amount of work before I asked again; load the fronts and half the body was all I could get. So I stepped in again, but this time only to the back of the trailer instead of going all the way in. And she eventually did load 3 feet.

Is this what you want?

So back in with her, but I only went part way in and she loaded all the way . 

She did move that hind foot all the way in because I went in for  moment and moved her up a bit, and she stood there for a long time, thinking about things. Finally relaxed and ate her oats. Eventually I stepped to her head and asked her to back out, which she did perfectly. 

This whole journey with Rally has really been a gift to me. I almost didn't buy her, thinking that at my age I didn't need the challenge of working with a big strong horse that was basically untouched. I wasn't sure I was up to it. However, the first time I went to see her I felt a connection with her. My instinct was that this mare was worth it. She also reminds me of myself; being willful as I was growing up and doing all the wild things that young people of my generation did, before having my own Come To Jesus moment and straightening out my life. Literally. 

I think Rally has a lot of try, just needs to know when she does something right, because she really has no idea of the reasons I ask what I do of her. It is so much easier with baby horses because they  adapt easier to new situations; the oldest horse I previously started was a 2 year old, so still quite adaptable. 

I am looking forward to tomorrows session, I expect it to go much easier. 

Back to work

 

Sunset, and a lovely end to Canada day, which I spent relaxing on the couch, watching the Ponoka Stampede on the Cowboy Channel. The recent rains have given us cool mornings, so this morning I worked Rally, and yesterday I worked Patsy. 

This was the first time I asked her to step onto and over the "bridge".  She just is so cool about everything.  I also asked her to follow me into the trailer- she had only self loaded at liberty (there was Food! in there! ) so asking her to step in was a whole different deal. 

Of course it helped that there was a bucket of oats in there, she is quite food motivated at this point.  She is super easy to work with.

I had to take a break from working with their feet; I have had a nasty cold for a couple of weeks and bending over sends me into a coughing fit. Getting better now, so feet are going back on the roster for both her and Rally. 

Today was Rally's turn, and smart girl that she is, she picked up where we left off. My goal today was to longe her over the bridge instead of asking her to come to me in front of her. One thing about Rally, if she thinks she is going to get in trouble she either shuts down or has an exaggerated reaction, so the key to her is taking my time, staying soft and giving timely releases so she understands when she gets it right. Also, she loves to get praised and loved on. 

Really pleased that she offered this right away. 

I had set up the L again too, and asked her to walk through it. A couple times, then I dropped the rope and she ground tied while I stepped back for a photo. 

Good girl, Rally. Next up will be backing through the L in hand.

Then it was over to the trailer for her rest and snack of oats. I am trying to get her to look forward to time spent at the trailer; whereas before she was giving it the stink eye she is now willing to walk up to it and rest. Baby steps for now. 

The other thing I just did was open a panel of the round pen and back the trailer to it, Will have to see how her reactions are and then build on getting her to step in. As I have said before, I am in no hurry, building trust and willingness in this mare is more important than having her conform to my agenda. That being said, trailer loading is super important and high on the list of must haves with her. How I wish I could have had her as a weanling! 

I found this poem on a page I just started following on Fb. If anyone is interested, check out Patrick T Muldoon. 

 

Back to work with Rally

 Rally is a big stout mare, about 1200 lbs and 15.1 hh. When she says no, her trick is to turn her head and try to jerk the lead rope away from me. I tried trailer loading again, and she did get away from me, ran back through the gate I had left open and into the foaling pen. So she got worked extensively for about 20 minutes in there. Once she softened and started to pay attention instead of flipping me the bird, we stopped. So I had to go to plan B. One should always have a plan B... or C... 

I found a good strong pallet and had Ted screw a plywood top to it, to use as a training tool to teach her to step on things she would rather not. And I brought up all my blue half barrels to create a bit of a row. 

The 1st day, she would step over the barrels but not on the plywood. So whenever she said no, she got longed with lots of change of direction so that it was work; she wasn't best pleased about that. Then she got to rest, only when she was lined up with the pallet. Refusal to step up got her work, backing up and longing small circles. 

Eventually, she gave me this:

That is where we ended the lesson, with lots of praise. She is a sucker for praise!

Today, the session didn't take as long. Her usual refusals, over the barrels, jump the pallet, etc. etc. So back to work on the longe line, with rest when she was lined up right at the pallet. Two more refusals, two more works, and she finally got it. 

Yay Rally! 

I took this video, it is 3 and a half minutes. 

I was quite pleased with her, as this session was less than half the time of the first one. Side note: I use the verbal cue " come here" when I am a safe distance in front of her; there may come a time when I need her to come to me instead of going past me. Self loading in a trailer is going past, so she needs to learn that too, but for now she needs to just stay with me when I am leading her and not try to blow past me. 

I led her over to the trailer when we were done; she was very suspicious and hesitant about it, and that come here cue came in handy. All we did at the trailer was give her some oats as I want her to be happy about going there. 

It is very different working with a basically free spirit 9 yr old horse instead of a weanling. She has never had to do anything in her life other than be caught and tied up. I am grateful that she at least had that!

I also think she is worried about trailering, as the only time she was trailered it took her away from her comfortable ranch existence where she was pretty much left to her own devices; it possible that she may associate trailers with a total upheaval of her new found happy place with friends. Incidentally, she worked her way into the #2 position in the herd. Velvet isn't too happy about that and has decided she would rather have her own pasture away from the herd. 

She is starting to look and act like an old horse, but she is still much loved ! I am pretty sure she isn't in foal, unfortunately, as her size hasn't changed in the last 2 months and she has no bag; she is 11 months and 2  weeks from her breeding date. 

I have a little road trip today, stay tuned!

Gussie

 Yesterday was the day for Gussie, but first I want to show you what sleep deprivation looks like.  The head sinks quickly to the ground, and the front legs buckle while the hind legs remain locked like they are supposed to. Then the horse wakes up. Well, Gussie has taken it a step further. 

My apologies for the quality of the video, it was taken from my dining room window. In it, she is standing on a slope, and falls into REM sleep while standing. She rocked back and the front legs didn't buckle but stretched out as her head and chest went to the ground. I thought for sure she would fall over but she didn't. 

If anyone has any leads on anti anxiety supplements that could help, let me know! I have black cumin seed oil and passionfruit oil that are supposed to be calming but not sure how much to give and if they are safe for pregnant mares . Because....

She got to meet Leo yesterday, and lets just say she was interested.....

And apparently in full blown heat! The old boy (he is 25) did his job very quickly and got a really good cover. I should be able to bring her home in just a few days, then at day 14 have her checked for twins. 

Gussie is also a nervous hauler. as soon as she loaded she was shaking and sweating. When we got to the stud's farm, just over an hour drive, she was drenched in sweat. I think she worries that she is going away and never coming back to her herd, since that has happened several times in her life. It will be interesting to see how she does on her way back home. Silly old girl, wish I could just tell her she isn't going anywhere any more. 

Session 3

 We made good progress today.  I started with a quick brushing with a softer brush, pretty sure that suited her better. Then flag work- just more of the same but she didn't try to bite the flag this time! I was able to pet her under her belly with it too. There was a couple of times when she got a bit cranky so I had to nip that behavior in the bud. She doesn't like getting in trouble, so she got over that attitude quickly.

I used the blue rope on her front feet again only this time I asked her to pick them up. She did, but slammed them down instead of holding them, but she is getting the idea. One day at a time. 

Then I went to putting the blue rope around her cinch area,   wanting to see if she was going to object to that. 

Using the rope without it being actually looped around her, if there was a wreck I would only have to let go and it would fall off. 

Looped, left side

Looped. right side

Rally is more wary on her right side, so I was pretty happy with how well she handled things on the right today. 

For the back feet, I opted to use my lariat. I was a little concerned that it might not be easy to remove it though. 

I set a loop under her belly and led her forward, then picked up the slack when she stepped into the loop. 

I was actually surprised that she didn't try to kick the daylights out of it when I put pressure on her foot to get her to step forward. 

To remove the rope, I stood beside her facing back, and just reached down and loosened the rope so she could just step out of it- did that on both sides. Good girl, Rally! 

After doing the rope work with her feet, I spent some time running my hand down her shoulder to her legs, I had ahold of her halter cheek piece in case she got a little cranky. She did think about it twice, but a good growl at her changed her mind. I was able to quickly run my hand lightly below the knees on both legs. She loves to be praised, so she gets lots of lovin' every time she does something right. She was a little worried when I ran my hand under her belly, but that will come too. 

Some more news about her- I did cancel sending her out for 2 months to be bred to Sak Em in Cash, the palomino stud (sorry, Gun Diva!) Instead, we are breeding her to Scooter- remember him? Coyote Belle's buckskin son sired by Root Beers Boots, a top barrel and working cowhorse sire in Canada. Scooter is only 45 minutes away and I can pick her up as soon as he is done covering her. I am pretty excited for that cross, so awesome to get some of Belle's genetics back into my program. 

Tomorrow- we haul Gussie to Leo! 

What's up

 When I brought the mares in a few days ago, i coukd see that Gussie was favouring her left hind a bit. There was some puffiness right in the ankle joint but no heat. I checked her hoof for any signs of puncture or abscess, no visible issues there. So I put the Streamz bands on her to see if that could help. Next day the puffiness was gone and she didn't seem sore, but this was happening :

It looks like what the stifle joint does when a horse has string halt.  Her vet appointment is in 9 days so I am hoping that he can help me understand what is going on. Either way, it looks like her riding days are over, so she will retire to being a mom for a couple of years. 

In other news, Shayla is taking over Dallas for her mare herd, so I found another mare to check out locally. I like her bloodlines and so I went to see her. 

She is a big mare, around Gussie size or a bit shorter

Her owner is an elderly rancher who raised her, but at 10 years old, she has slipped through the cracks. I like her build, and the fact that she was standing tied- although he said she is hard to catch, that doesn't really bother me. 

She reminds me of Jayne, but totally different pedigree

Her feet are in horrible shape, I think they have never been done and have just been allowed to wear off in pasture. The rancher said he will get his daughter to work on her getting better to handle her feet.

I handled her a bit, she was very light on the halter, never tried to pull against it either tied up or in hand, although I could see she was a bit worried about what all this attention was about after 10 years of being on her own. Overall, I think she will be a nice mare, and I may go into a breeding lease on her- pending the results of her DNA disease panel test. I pulled hair on her and sent it to Animal Genetics, so once I have that info it will determine whether or not I go ahead with taking her on. The rancher is thinking he may have made a mistake in not starting her under saddle when she was a younger horse! Her pedigree is a mixture of run and cow, so if I do go ahead with her, she should cross well on Shayla's stallion. 

Out

 Now that we are getting more spring like weather, and the ground has thawed some, it was time to fix fence on the 15 acres  so I could let the mares out for grazing. 

The winter winds and possibly wildlife had broken the top strand of the white electrical tape, so we patched that and totally replaced the bottom strand which had been patched too many times. I also added pickets to help with wind resistance, as the fence posts there are 30 feet apart. 

I was a bit concerned about that 4 ft. gate, 

hoping Dallas wouldn't get trapped there- but they are all good.

One must fly when one can!

The mares were sure happy to get out! They did their exploratory gallop before settling down to find the green grass hidden below all the dead grass. 

Since then, I have been turning them out during the day, and keeping them off it at night, giving them hay instead; it's a bit too early for full time grazing, but I want them to have some to get their systems accustomed to it as the grass comes in, to avoid spring grass colic. 

I did see Gussie laying down again the day after her episode- she did lay flat out for a short while, and wasn't as worried once she got up. I think something flipped a switch for her, but I continue to keep watch to see if she continues to get that REM sleep, or if she regresses. 

Kittens and - oh yeah, horses

 The kittens are now hanging out where I can see them when I do my chores. They don't seem to be bothered by the horses or by my presence, as long as there isn't any commotion. It's fun to see them and brightens up my morning!

They scurry under that pallet if they feel threatened and it's a safe place to hide from the adult cats too. 

This kitten surprised me this morning as she was chowing down on the adult cats' kibble.  I think they are 5 weeks old. Obviously, Smudge is allowed near them. 

Mama Misty is quite relaxed in my presence now, so hopefully that will translate to the kittens as I attempt to tame them. 

Question for ya....

Ok cat people, is this a male or female? 

I think female, as the males tend to have dark hair on their privates, as we can see with Smudge. This kitten has been chosen by my BIL Frank, so I will do my best to socialize her and the other two. 

Gussie is at that stage in her pregnancy where she seems tired all the time, and is doing her sleep deprivation thing again where she falls into a deep sleep standing up and her knees buckle which wakes her up. She just will not lay down! 

I am thankful that she doesn't actually fall over.  She has slowed down a lot, mostly walking where she used to trot or lope, unless the horse flies are too much for her. 

The barn does provide them with protection from the flies for the most part. We had a really windy day and the herd spent a lot of time out grazing in the pasture, free from the flies. 

Heard from Ruby's owner, she will be bringing Ruby here in a couple of weeks to breed to Beamer, as I sold her with the understanding that she was in foal and offered to breed her back if she was open. She was. It will be nice to see Ruby-Roo again!

I managed to get a measure on Theo's leg- he will be at least 14.2 hh, although ideally I should measure when he's 5 months old, as it's a more accurate measurement. But nice to know that he will be taller than Velvet's 14 hh. 

Velvet: There's nothing wrong with 14 hh!

Theo and kitten videos

 I have been checking on the kittens over the last week. They are getting cute! In the interest of being able to handle them, I figured to start taking milk up to them- they are around 5 weeks old now.

Wait for it, wait for it.

When I went up this morning with milk I could only find one kitten. Uh-oh! I had noticed that one Siamese kitten was usually separate from the other two so I checked to see if it was just in a different spot- couldn't find the others anywhere in the barn loft. I called Ted to come and help me get down from the loft with the kitten then put it in the cat carrier while I went searching for the others. There are several places along the roof line where they could have fallen down to my cat feeding/horse area so I looked there- nope no visible kittens. Checked the other barn- nope no kittens there either. Looked in a couple of hidey spots but no luck.  When I got back to the "cat barn" (don't tell the mares I call it that!) guess what- Misty and the other two kittens were there, so I let kitten #1 out of the carrier to join her littermates. And discovered that their new dwelling place is under the pallet that the straw bales are on- a good place to keep them from the tom cats and the horses. Left the milk there for them, hopefully they will thrive there. Also hope they don't go back to the loft, so much easier for me if they are in the main area. 

Anyway, enough cat drama- on to Theo! 

I had Ted come and handle him for me so I could do some more training on lifting/rasping feet. Because, well, this is what he is doing now:

Jackets, clothing, arms, whatever - he has to chomp. Very typical foal behavior that I try to discourage. 

I don't swat at him for it as it quickly becomes a game, which you will see colts play with each other- nip, run, come back and nip again. All normal for them, but they do need to know that it isn't acceptable with people. So here is what I do:

I basically pester his face, and at the same time desensitize him for such things as worming syringes and bits. He certainly doesn't mind because every day he comes up and wants his face petted and even brushed without trying to nip. However, when I was picking up his feet he must have though my ample butt wasn't off limits- my remedy for that is to elbow him under his jaw while still working on his feet. He doesn't really see it coming as I'm under his neck, and it does work without him thinking it's a game. Hence having Ted come to help. Also it's good for him to be handled by someone other than myself. 

He is leading fairly well now. 

In this next video, he was thinking about going in for the nip but he didn't. 

I had to laugh here, at the end of this video you will hear Ted's phone  and it made Ted jump more than Theo!

We are making progress, Theo even let me rasp his left front (the one he was saying no to) when he was laying down, which is a big deal because up until a few days ago he would always jump up if I approached him when he was laying down. 

Good boy, Theo!

The horse flies are nasty right now, so the horses are spending their days hanging out in and around the barn, and grazing at night. I give them 24/7 access to the 15 acre pasture. 

Just chillin'

 

Theo looks funny with his baby hair still on his nose. I scrub him every day and a lot of it is coming off. 

That's a very cute little nose! 

What's happening here

 Ted and I climbed up to the barn loft and found the kittens. They were shy but too little to claw or run away. Pretty scared though; I'm sure with a couple of big monsters handling them!

I think I may start taking milk and canned food up to them so they are not afraid of people. Ideally, find homes for them. 

I do have some flowers blooming! Snapdragons, violets and pansy. I have a couple baskets I put together with verbena, mezoo, pansies and alyssum that are doing well. 

Tigers eye violet

Pansies and alyssum 

There's a change of plans with Jayne and her foal, they won't be coming here this summer. It will be too hard on Jayne and she is in a good spot with plenty of pasture and not having to move around much. So her and little Shiner (her colt) will stay with Shayla, but I will visit and get some photos.

Theo is getting blacker all the time. His neck and face are really shedding, and he lets me brush him so I am trying to speed up the process!

He's super friendly, always comes to greet me and loves to have his face and neck rubbed. 

I have a softer brush that I use on his face. I started working on his feet with the rasp, but I have to get Ted to help hold him as he is in that nippy colt stage. He's not sure about Ted! I just do a couple of swipes with the rasp and let him go. 

On Thursday June 20 he will be 2 months old. I'm sure happy with him! Now to find his person.... 

I should have updates on the Beamer sons and daughter who are rope horses sometime this week, stay tuned!

Theo stuff

 I am very happy with Theo's progress. I started his halter lessons less than 3 weeks ago, and he has become easy to catch in and out of the barn- I haven't tried out in pasture yet as it's too easy for Velvet to take him away. I can pick up all 4 feet and use the hoof pick. He leads with minimal fuss, and I can flip the rope all around him, even using it to lift his feet forward or back. He comes up to me each time I enter the pen or pasture, and wants his scratches. Lets me pet him all over including around his face and ears. Nothing shy about this little guy, he loves attention, although sometimes on his own terms, as can be expected. 

He is starting to shed out that baby fuzz; he should be mostly black by the end of summer. 

He also leads the mares on a merry chase at turn out time- I bet he gives his mama anxiety when he does that!

He is also a bit bored; he plays bitey face with the mares and  sometimes gets TOLD. 

Gussie is a good babysitter, she tolerates but easily puts them in their place when she's had enough. Love her expression in that video, the sideways glance she gives just before delivering the reprimand. 

Gussie is very much the barn boss. Without actually being bossy.

While it seems she guards the entrance, quite often all three of them are in there, and all get along without fuss. Unless, of course, Theo has some shenanigans. It's so nice to have a happy herd. When I turn them out, as I walk to the gate, Gussie by one shoulder and Velvet by the other, keeping pace with me, It gives me a big happy. Love the feeling of harmony. 

Theo may be getting a buddy soon. I made arrangements with Shayla to bring Jayne and her foal here for the summer. Jayne foaled a nice red dun colt last night, and in a couple weeks they should be here.

 Hopefully it will all work out! Jayne also has arthritis like Belle (and Beamer) so this will be her last foal. It will be nice to spend some time with her.  And fun to watch the 2 colts play together!