The inseparables

When I got Gussie back a couple of years ago, and realized how much she had missed Belle and how close a bond they have, I promised not to separate them forever again.

Even when Chickory was here, these two hung around together.

The emotional attachment is more on Gussie's side than Belle's, probably because Belle doesn't get ridden and is accustomed to being left at home while the other horses are out being ridden, and is accustomed to being separated from her foals.

Yes, Gussie is a bit of a diva- But I'm ok with that. It's all in good management.....

and in appreciating each horse for their own uniqueness. (And she ain't too hard to look at!)

Sunday Stills

The challenge this week is to photograph from the back of things... not a problem! Here are some of my favorite "rear views":

Rio

Rio and Nitro:

Coyote Belle and Gussie:

Stella Belle and Josie:

And last but not least...

Mr. Handsome himself!

Spinning with Shayla

Wordless Wednesday

Josie makes progress

Little Josie is making progress. She still isn't happy about getting a halter on, but I can do it without using the catch pen now, and she is leading much better.

She doesn't have Stella's sweetitude, but she's easy to handle. I think she'll be the type of horse that you just give her a job to do and leave her be. She won't be a pocket pony and I'm okay with that- one is enough! She is really athletic, which speaks to her cutting blood on both sides of her pedigree. She exhibits a lot of herd behavior, such as being protective of her space, and when I touch her legs she gets crabby as if I was another colt biting at her legs like they do in play. That is improving though as I handle her every day. She just loves being brushed!
Today I penned Belle in the stall and turned Gussie out with the little girls. She wasn't much interested in them after the initial meet'n'greet, probably because they have been across the fence from each other for the last 10 days.

She preferred to go hang out near mama Belle; I was trimming Belle's feet and Gussie just stood next to the stall panels.... until Josie came too close and Gussie ran her off. Other than that there was no drama- just the way I like it! I think tomorrow I'll try them out in the grass paddock for a little bit with Gussie.
I am waiting for the mail, because Josie's papers should be in any day now, she did get the name I requested, Joleo Peppy.

Sunday Stills

Ed gave us the challenge of the color blue for this week - good one, because there is a lot of blue around here, like this salt block....

The bug was a bonus.

Blue is one of my favorite colors, and it looks great on Beamer, he has a blue halter and lead rope.

I have a blue tarp set up to give the horses shade in the afternoon....

the water tub is blue...

but best of all the mountains look blue. 

Happy sigh

Dreamy isn't it? Such a beautiful place, I'm so glad I live here. Even the mundane can be beautiful here.

 Not only that- my peach tree produced well this year. Bliss!

Jam and some canned peaches coming up!

The girls day out

Stella and Josie got some turnout time in the bigger pen today.
As you read the following captions, you have to sing them to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb!

Stella has a little friend,

little friend,

little friend,

and everywhere that Stella went,

her friend

was sure

to go!

Boys and girls

For those who didn't clue in on yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post, Rio is home. The trainers were kind enough to haul him here, a 4 hour trip that turned into 5 because of a highway accident ahead of them, and they gave Shayla a one hour lesson.We really appreciate that they did this.
 So the big boy is home now, but Shayla only gets to enjoy him for a few more days because she is going to Saskatchewan to learn barefoot trimming and will be gone 6 weeks. So Rio gets a nice long rest! After that it will be some light riding on some local trails.  We took a tour of the hayfield today, I rode Beamer and it was nice to have the two boys out for a stroll being well behaved.

Rio learned to stride out over the last couple of months.

Everyone thought he had grown, but we measured and he's exactly the same- 15.1 and a quarter at the shoulder and 15.2 at the hip, so he still has to grow a bit in height and a long way to grow yet to fill out.

We checked out the cows on the way back, and then back at the yard I wanted a photo of the two of them together so we asked them to stand ground tied while we took photos. They were good boys!

Oh, hai, son, whose yer daddy!"

Posing pretty!

Meanwhile, I started halter work with Josie. Tuesday I built a catch pen from panels and got a halter on her in there- she was not too impressed and tried every evasion she could think of, but eventually gave me a couple of baby steps so that's where I quit. Then yesterday, I put both fillies in there and caught her again- pretty much just walked up to her and put it on, supervised of course by Stella.

"Here, let me lead! I'll show you how it's done!"

She was giving in both directions, so that's where we stopped. Then this evening I walked up to her in the bigger pen and put the halter on her, and used the grain bucket as an incentive for her to want to go where I was asking, but also asked her to step away and come to me, which she did. I'm pretty happy with how quickly she learns, she does have a bit of an independent streak but at the same time willing to learn. I should be able to take the catch pen down today and get her leading all over in the bigger pen. Gotta love those good minded Beamer babies!

Wordless Wednesday

More homecoming

...stay tuned....
Meanwhile, to keep you entertained here is your cute foal photo!

or two....

...well, then- 3!

Homecoming

No, not me coming back to blogger- although it does feel like coming home- but Chickory's filly, Josie, coming home. Today Ted and I went to  Alberta for a rather long road trip to pick her up. She is 5 months old tomorrow, August 19, so it was time to go get her and put her in with Stella and wean the two together. (Stella has been separated from her mama for a couple of days now.)
It sure was a nice day for a trip, not too hot and not too windy. The wind turbines in the Crowsnest past were only turning lazily as we drove by.

At Fleetwood Farms, which is where Chickory is living now, I had to take a quick tour of the horses before getting down to business, and a fine bunch of horses they are!

Then it was time to load up miss Josie, went fairly well when we loaded mama and baby followed. She hauled really well even though it was a long drive- about 6 hours with all the stops and delays on the highway on this busy Sunday.
She was happy to get out of the trailer though, and I put her right in with Stella. Stella was not too concerned, but mama Belle charged the fence and gave Josie the stink eye- some strange horse in with her darling Stella! Gussie was curious and I think she will be the baby sitter once I get her in with the fillies.

A little checking out the pen...

and then it was all about chow time.

I think the two fillies are going to get along fine, and Josie will settle in quickly, she is a really sensible filly, not inclined to be nervous at all. We'll have her halter trained in a few days and I think she is going to be a lot of fun!

Wordpress- August- and all caught up

http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/08/

Another thing I noticed with Wordpress is that I posted a lot less. Only 4 posts this month! Unheard of for me!

Wordpress- the month of July posts

http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/07/

Wordpress- the month of June posts

http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/06/

Wordpress- the month of May posts

http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/05/

Catching up

I have decided to come back to blogger for a couple of reasons; it's easier to post on here than Wordpress, and Wordpress has the worst reader ever- I miss a lot of posts from my friends, and that just won't do!
So I couldn't import the Wordpress posts to blogger- another strike against Wordpress, because you can import blogger to Wordpress- so what I have decided to do is do monthly links to my posts over there on WP- this is for those of you who didn't read them on WP. They are in chronological order from my last post on here.
Also, if anyone knows how to import from WP to Blogger- let me know! All I could find was to export my files to my hard drive- which I did- but it says that it is for exporting to another WP blog, and Blogger wouldn't load the file. Stupidcrazystuffthatmakesmewanttotearmyhairout!
So- here is April 3013
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/getting-crowded/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/letrrip/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/leading-and-riding/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/rio-and-stella/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/9046/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/a-little-tude/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/sunday-stills-125/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/two-steps-forward/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/black-and-spring-i-think/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/todays-fuzzy-cuteness/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/fixing-problems/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/wordless-wednesday-135/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/today-is-a-perfect-21-celcius-70-farenheit/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/a-post-for-kim-collies-as-requested/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/sunday-stills-127/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/miss-stella/
http://diamondlazyh.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/i-confirmed-today-rios-departure-date-he-will/