Visit Part 2

 Other than checking on Rex and his mares, we also took some photos of another colt Shayla has for sale. This is Oscar, he is out of the bay roan mare Sally, that Shayla bought recently, and sired by My Sleepy Valentine. (All AQHA pleasure breeding). 

He is a big boned quiet and friendly colt. 

He is also bay roan like his mama

Very nice soft eye on him.

Then we visited Jayne and her colt. He is only a week old in these photos, so he has a lot of growing and unfolding left to do. This is Jayne's last foal. 

He's a red dun like his sire, Rex

Cute little face! 

You can see his dun stripe in that photo and if you look closely at the other photos the leg barring is there, and will be more visible once he sheds his baby coat. 

As soon as it's convenient, we will be bringing this little guy and Jayne here to spend the summer. That's going to be fun!  And will definitely give me plenty to do, which I do have time for as Gussie is now officially on maternity leave. She's getting big and is about 2 months away from foaling. 

Once her foal is born- 3 babies here! Jayne's foal will leave around the end of September. Theo is getting to the stage where I don't have to work with him every day, so that works out well to have one to work with and by the time Gussie's foal is born, should be at the stage Theo is at now. 

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!  

What a week....

 Grab a coffee, this is a long one.....

So many things have been going on in the last week. First of all, there was the fire danger. Not so much for us in particular, but for our family and friends. Shayla had 2 or 3 fires close to her , and her fiancé was kept busy hauling and operating dozers to help with fire fighting. One was very close to his dad's place. Fortunately all those fires were controlled quickly. 

But then there was the town where Ted's dad is in long term care in the hospital, and where his brother and sister-in-law live. They were put on evacuation alert and within an hour were given the evacuation order. It was a logistical nightmare getting 7,000 people out of Drayton Valley all at once, and the 20 minute drive to the mustering area turned into an over 2 hour drive. The hospital residents were not evacuated that night; the fire department kept a watchful eye on them but all the residents spent the night in their wheel chairs awaiting imminent departure. The next day, they were driven to a town quite far away, about 4  to 5 hours drive. We hope he will soon be able to return. But so far, the fire is not contained. 

There are several small towns and reservations in northern Alberta that have been evacuated. However, cooler weather has arrived, but unfortunately still very windy and not enough rain to be very helpful. Speaking of rain, B.C. has flooding and mudslides and their own evacuation alerts and orders.  Crazy how the weather is completely different from one side of the Rocky Mountains to the other!

Despite the heat and wind, we managed to get a few things done here. The round pen is up (mostly), just needs a repair on one of the fasteners for a panel so it will be a couple of days before I can use it. I got Beamer's pen enlarged now that we moved the debris pile to the burn pit. (And no we won't be burning it until next winter!) All the horses are on pasture now, and since it was a slow introduction to the spring grass, there are no health issues for them. 

Speaking of Beamer....

Yes? what is it?

You got work to do, buddy. 

Yes that is Velvet. I kinda figured she wasn't in foal as she didn't get any larger in the last couple of months. Then in April she had a mini 2 day heat, and on Friday she came into full blown heat. She was willing and ready yesterday so Beamer got to cover her. Today she is pacing the fence and calling to him so this is a good strong heat, and she will get covered once a day until she goes out. I sure hope she catches and settles well this time! She turns 23 on May 16th. Putting in my order, once again, for a blue roan filly. 

Speaking of fillies...

I got word from Sophie's owner, she foaled out- guess what- a Beamer filly. Imagine that! I knew if I sold her it would be a filly! It's a sorrel with a star, no other white. I hope to get some nice photos of her sent to me. For now, here she is at just a few hours old. 

He said Sophie is being a good mama. I think she went to the perfect home. If you want to check it out, he is on Facebook, Sylvain Lachance in Quebec. He mostly raises paint show horses. 

I went to the top of Beamer's barn to look for some tubs for my raised/container garden, which we are also working on, and to my surprise, look what I found!

Mama cat was under one of the half barrels and she growled at me and then zoomed down the stairs. When I lifted the barrel these lovely little Siamese cross kittens were there! So I hastily retreated without touching them as I don't want her to think she has to move them. Mama cat is the black short haired feral cat who is Smoky and Bandit's mama. 

I thought the full Flower Moon would bring on foals for Shayla, and it did!  One of the draft mares that I had photos of, the lovely Katey, had a colt last night. 

And Jayne foaled! Yay! 

Check out the chrome! Shayla said "He's missing a boot!" Yes, it's a colt.

The sire is the same as the sire of Bear, and there are 3 more siblings due- Dolly, Belle and Gussie's foals. 

Musta been hard work , lots of yawning going on! 

Can't wait to go play with this one! Probably in a few days. 

Oh look, sun!

 Yesterday was a taste of the warmer weather coming; almost to the above freezing mark! Beautiful and sunny was good enough for a visit to Shayla while Ted visited his dad. 

It was mostly a visit about photography, as she has a new camera to figure out- Canon TR7. So off we went to see the horses!

Lots of straw bedding for the mares whose date is the closest to foaling. Jayne is in with Concho and Daphne, who are both beyond safe foaling date and will probably go another couple of weeks. 

Concho (MY Buckskin Concho)

Mama Belle is having trouble with an arthritic knee so she is in a different pen as she is now having a bit of trouble getting around while we wait for the knee to fuse. 

She is, as usual, hugely in foal, and we got to see her baby bouncing around! She is at least a month away from foaling; knowing her history, probably another 6 weeks. 

Then we headed to the big pasture where the Percheron mares are, along with Gussie and Shayla's palomino mare who are both in foal to her black stallion, although Gussie isn't due until later in July. 

 Enjoying the sunshine!

Gussie recognized my voice and came over to visit me and get her scratches. 

Dolly looks more like a sorrel than palomino at this time of year! She is due end of April.

Dolly (DF Sunfrosted Te)

I'm getting to know the draft mares by name now. This one is Kate:

She has the longest mane of them all! There is one mare I like the most, a 3 yr. old that looks like a blue roan but may go grey. Eva! She is so friendly and huge!

We have matching hair!😆

Afterwards we spent some time exploring photo editing; Lightroom. It was interesting! Can sure do a lot to clean up a photo. 

What programs do you, my photographer friends, use and what would you recommend? Ease of use, efficacy and budget are the needs. 

I love my telephoto lens, as I shoot mostly outdoors, but what lens do you think is best for, say, outdoor wedding portraits, horse photos both action and still, for Shayla's Canon TR7? She already has the 50 mm portrait lens and is exploring how to use it; the above photo was taken with it. 

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.

He has arrived

 Yes, He. No filly this year!

Literally minutes after I hit publish on my last post saying stay tuned, Shayla phoned me as soon as she saw this little fellow, minutes old. Born at7:30 pm. 

She video messaged me so I got to see his attempts at standing for the first time. 

Regrouping after a few failed attempts!

Success!

It's so hard to tell if he has white on his legs but Shayla got this little video today and it looks like front socks. 

He did everything a foal should do; stood, drank and pooped, so Shayla was finally able to get a good night's sleep. I'm so glad this little guy was born in daylight, so much easier for her!

All is well this morning! Jayne  took good care of him last night as the temperature hit freezing. Lots of deep bedding for him to snuggle into. Jayne looks pretty good for a 20 year old mare! She too will be bred to Shayla's black Stallion Jets Givemathrashin on her foal heat. 

His name was already picked out- I had decided on DLH Gunshine Peppy for a colt. His barn name is yet to be determined. I like to pay homage to pedigree when I give them their registered name, if you will click on his link you will see Shining Spark, Mr Gun Smoke and Mr San Peppy in his pedigree. 

Jayne heads north

 Today was travelling day for Jayne. She's en route to Shayla to rejoin her herdmates Belle and Gussie and to meet a whole bunch of new friends. She will have so much more room there and the grazing that I don't have here is plentiful there. 

She's such a sweet mare and I sure am blessed to have owned this granddaughter of both Hollywood Dun It and Shining Spark- two of the most prolific sires of performance horses in modern quarter horse history. 

I figured Sophie would get a little wound up when Jayne left, and she did a lot of calling and ripping around. I put Beamer in the foaling pen (which borders Sophie's pen) for a few minutes to get her mind off Jayne, and also because I am going to be using Beamer to tease Sophie to find out if she is pregnant or open. 

Beamer thoroughly enjoyed that! And it definitely took Sophie's mind off Jayne being gone. 

I have made arrangements to haul to a local indoor arena on Wednesdays to get Sophie going. Finally..... back in the saddle!

Force

 Goodbye Forevuary I'm not going to miss you. 

Why is the shortest month of the year the one that seems to last forever....

This February is one that will go down in the history books. A government who used force on a peaceful protest and froze the bank accounts of those who supported it,  even denying Farm Credit loans this year to those farmers who supported it. Forcing people into bankruptcy and financial ruin for standing up for their rights. 

Another government who used force to invade another country, causing endless misery and death and destruction. 

A world elite who forces people to take an experimental and harmful jab or lose their livelihood and freedom, and in some cases their health or their lives. And not allowing doctors to use medicine that works. 

There is one force to be reckoned with: God's mercy , love and Justice.  I know which power I will side with when the time of reckoning comes. 

Ok rant over. 

Then there's the force of nature.

We are getting a lot of snow, big heavy wet flakes that piled up to over 5 inches in a short time, and it's still coming down. 

Can you feed me in my house today please?

I got my exercise today shoveling that long path to the barn!

He did come out of his house so I could muck it out before I put his hay in there.

Jayne was just hanging around in the snow. 

She will be leaving on March 18th  for Shayla's place. She will be reunited with Belle and Gussie. I sure hope she throws me a filly again this year! If so, this one will be a keeper. 

Updates

 Got a couple of updates for you on the Diamond Lazy H horses. 

Remember Midnight Mesa? She has been resold to a young family and is doing great! Not the greatest photos but all I can get. She apparently instantly loved her new people. Mom rides her sorting cattle and daughter is doing leadline gymkhana on her.

Just another Beamer kid teaching a young 'un!

Mesa's original buyer wanted to do cutting and Mesa didn't like it. But apparently she likes sorting. 

Then there is a Derby update:

The lady who bought him as a stallion prospect decided to put him up for sale as she just wasn't clicking with him. And I'm happy to say, that he will be joining his brothers! Yup, he was sold to the young lady who owns and rides Rio, and will be living with Rio, Kai, Josie and Pistol. I am so happy that the Perrott family likes the DLH horses enough to have bought 6 of them over the years! I don't have any current photos of him, hopefully I will be able to go to Alberta this summer and get photos of him with his siblings. 

I decided that Jayne can be turned out with Sophie during the day, and back in her pen at night. That way they are both likely to get more exercise. Sure enough, Sophie took it upon herself to herd Jayne around right away!

Early morning/low light cell phone photo- sorry!

I included that photo because it shows that s'picious bump on Sophie! I actually hope she isn't in foal!

Had to throw in at least one decent photo....

or two, for my Jayne update. 

Jayne will not only be going to live with Shayla, she will be owned by her too! I decided to gift her to Shayla, partly because it is such a great home for her to live out her days (she will be 20 this year), and partly to help Shayla get another mare with great bloodlines in her herd as she establishes herself as a breeder. And I know Shayla loves her! Such a sweet mare. 

Wordless Wednesday