Hernia repair

 Thursday, I took Tuffy to the vet to get his hernia fixed. He was such a good boy, loaded nicely in the trailer, tied, and hauled quietly with no anxiety. He unloaded well too and stood quietly in a stall while we waited for the vet. 

The appointment went well, although I thought they would just do it with sedation but they used anesthetic. I was kinda floored when I got the bill. .. over 900 bucks! Since when does a surgery price not include sutures and the gown and gloves they use? Those items added $160 to the bill. 

Once Tuffy had his wits about him post surgery, he again loaded perfectly in the trailer; and as I was tying him in the assistant vet was impressed that I could tie a 6 month old colt in the trailer.... doesn't everyone teach them that?

They put a belly wrap on him just for a couple of days as a pressure bandage. 

I put him in with Velvet so he could have a quiet night while he got over the effects of the drugs. 

Next day they went out with the herd but I have them all closed off the pasture while he heals (no running around) with a new round bale to keep them contented.

Today I took the bandage off, and it was that sticky gauze, which pulled on his freshly shaved belly so he had a big pout about that.

The incision looks good and he should heal well. It was a 5 cm. hernia which is rather large. Hence all the stiches (dissolving type, no need to pull them) 

In a couple weeks they can go out to pasture again. It is actually good that I have them locked out of the big pasture because deer rifle season starts tomorrow and I have hunters coming. 

Young 'uns

 The barn kittens are getting used to me and are eager for their morning feed. They are over 7 weeks old now and it's fun to watch them play and peek out from behind the bales. 

Mr. Smith is  very active and adventurous. 

Mr. Jones is less playful but very food oriented. He is the first one to come out for breakfast. 

Dining with mama Misty

The colts are doing well, they are now standing tied every morning while they eat their ration. I have switched to Hoffman's Developer with a bit of oats mixed in as it improved the texture of the pelleted feed. 

Leo is starting to look less scruffy and is growing. 

Tuffy is just...  well, huge!

I did have someone say she was coming to look at him but made the excuse that her car wouldn't start, so we shall see if she follows through. I had actually decided to take him off the market 10 minutes before she messaged me so I am ok with her not coming. 

Here is a little visual of the herd dynamics: 

Velvet and Tuffy, always together

By the way, Velvet is 14 hh and Tuffy isn't far behind!

Dally and Leo, in a different part of the field. 

Tuffy was bonded to Velvet long before he was weaned, and Dally seems to dote on the babies. 

It will be interesting to see how she is during foaling  and if she gets over protective of her own foal. Her mama Jayne was, for the first day, so we shall see if Dally also has that trait. 

Eli update

 I had a call from the lady who bought Boe, if you remember he is the sorrel colt from the Beamer / Jayne cross ( and he is a full brother to Dally) and she asked if I knew of any other Beamer geldings for sale. I didn't, but I made a few calls- Midnight Moondance is not for sale, and the only other one I could think of was Elijah Peppy.  I tracked him down, he is on his 3rd owner. I have a couple of photos from his second owner, a young fellow who loved him him and so did all his family; he was only sold because the young guy needed money and they rather regret selling him. 

The boy who bought him from the person I sold Eli to as a colt

Eli earned his keep, here he is packing out an elk.

The lady they sold him to absolutely loves him and is doing all kinds of things with him; team penning, working bison, taking horsemanship clinics and even trying him in English gear on a cross country course. All of which he handled most excellently! 

And he is definitely not for sale! She loves him and I think the feeling is mutual! She calls him Coyote.

This photo gave me all the feels!

I am so happy for these kind of updates. It definitely validates my breeding program and my choice of Beamer as my sire. I still think I shoulda kept Moondance, but hey, the timing wasn't right and he too is in a home where his personality and willingness shine through.  

Critters

 We have new pests err critters hanging out here. 

They have decided that they will clean up the bits of suet that the birds drop from the feeder and are using Ted's Jeep as a vantage point. They are quite entertaining but Thumper doesn't think so. 

We will have to make sure they can't get into the bird feeder that we will be putting back up soon. 

We had a spectacular sunset last night...

 

And a Chinook arch this morning. 

Dally is looking pregnant finally, and still is not getting winter hair.

 The other three have good thick coats coming in. 

Tuffy has curls!

I am making progress with Leo's feet; I have his fronts rasped and can clean his hinds. I will likely be able to rasp them tomorrow. 

One of the kittens is getting brave enough to show itself  but not for long before it scurries back under the bales.  I have decided to keep them as they are both male and I am getting too many mice in the barn. They can earn their keep. 

First a little paw ...

Then he peeks out

This one I have named Mr. Smith, the other one is Mr. Jones. They are 6 weeks old now. 

Sunday Silence

 

Leo Leads

 When I call the horses up for their morning feed, lately it has been Leo who is first to respond. This photo reminds me of the Biblical verse, " and a little child shall lead them."

Then this afternoon, I called them in from the pasture and they came in with the exact same order. Leo, Dally, Velvet and Tuffy bringing up the rear.

This is a change from previous when it was Velvet who initiated the exodus. It is interesting to watch the herd dynamics change as the colts take on new roles. 

So far, I am really liking Leo. He does look small and scruffy next to Tuffy, but I am reminded of how small and scruffy Beamer looked at the same age. People thought he wouldn't amount to much... boy were they wrong. 

He is quiet and calm, but can have a bit of red-headitude if he doesn't understand what I am asking, mostly when I want him to move away from me or come to me. Apparently his personal space is more important to him at this point- but we are working on that! He is quiet in the herd and stays out of trouble. Good boy, Leo!

Progress

 Autumn is in full swing, with frosty nights, clear skies and migrating geese. All my garden is pulled now, freezer has carrots, peas, potatoes and raspberries for winter dinners and we filled the suet feeder for the birds. The gladiola bulbs are pulled and drying, ready for storing until next spring. 

The mornings are crisp and cold, which means less flies- yay-  and the colts are eager to come up off the pasture for their morning feed .

The baby boys get haltered and brought in to the foaling pen for breakfast so they can eat in peace.

This is how I put their lead ropes up, keeps them from dragging on the ground and it also prepares them for the eventual feel of the cinch. 

I now have them all together on the 15 acre pasture 24/7 and it is working well. 

Tuffy is officially listed for sale now. He really needs to go to a working home that needs a good minded solid built colt. He will be 16 hh, way too big for me!

Leo is getting worked with a little more, he does trailer load from before but needed a reminder that he doesn't need his mama to go in the trailer, and the bucket of feed is a good incentive. Once he is in I can walk away and he just stays in there to eat. 

Tuffy is doing great with standing tied. There isn't really a lot more for me to do with him other than keeping up with his feet, until next spring. If he isn't sold by then he will get more exposure to different objects and learn some ground work to prepare him for eventual saddling and ground driving later on.