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!

Moondance update

I haz a happy because everyone else haz a happy! 

Sharla. who is Moondance's new owner, (not to be confused with Shayla!) said that "he makes me smile!"

She sent me this photo:

Happily munching his oats  in his own stall. I asked how he adapted to being in a stall.

That is a pretty good endorsement, so now you can see why I haz a happy!

Gone

Moondance is en route to his new owner/home as I write. The hauler got here around 7:30, and Moondance loaded fairly well, only took a couple of minutes for him to step into a completely unfamiliar trailer (good boy, Moondance!)  This is the same outfit that hauled Drifter for us, and it's a small world- Moondance's new owner bought a mare from Drifter's owner (Heather) and she saw the ad for Moondance on Heather's page. Just another example of the connections that abound in the equine world.

The trip will be around 10  hours depending on the roads. He is supposed to get to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan this evening where he will overnight and be picked up by his new owner the next morning. Safe travels, young feller! I hope your new owner loves you!

Shayla sent me some photos of the girls in their new environment. They have a large pasture which they share with several other mares, including Rose, the sorrel mare of Shayla's that was here for a while- you may remember her. Rose and the girls remembered each other and Rose chose to hang out with them.

Rose, Gussie, Belle

They have lots of bedding and plenty of hay! I like that it's nice and flat, making it easier for Belle to get around. 

I will post about all of the gone horses as I get their updates. 

The last tango

 Moondance will soon be leaving; the hauler will pick him up either later today or tomorrow morning. I got in one last photo shoot yesterday.

It started out as a Moondance only shoot....

trying for photos that captured his personality....

and ....well... he gave me personality!

Lots of personality!

Making sure I am paying attention!

Some cuteness too....

and a whole lot of sass!

Then he got to pestering Jayne, and it became a Moondance tango!

The queen of the stink eye!

Circling like in a cowhorse competition! To the left, to the right!

I think you got him vanquished, Jayne!

💗

A future for Moondance.

There is no doubt about it, quality sells. 

When I listed Moondance, I expected it would be at least a couple of months before we got a serious offer on him. 

Boy was I wrong. A couple of days, not a couple of months.

We got an offer for exactly what I wanted for him, from a lady who has some pretty good horses, including a stallion who was shown by Nick Dowers. You can find her on Facebook by searching for Willis Ranch, Carnduff Saskatchewan. I can't link there as I no longer have a Facebook account. Our Diamond Lazy H facebook page is administered by Shayla now. 

I had a nice chat with his new owner. She wants a big horse as most of theirs are smaller cow bred horses, that he will cross well on to give them some size for roping and ranching. Lots of cowboys in that area that will be future customers for Moondance foals! She said she always wanted to ride a big horse of her own. 

And I got what I was hoping for- a home that will do their best to keep him a stallion and promote him. 

In the sadness of the last couple of days, this was a bright spot. 

Gotta admit, I am going to miss him.

Here is a You Tube video of Nick Dowers riding their stallion, Smarter Image. 

And now.... the rest of the story

A while ago I told you all to stay tuned for an update on Gussie and Belle. 

Big Red and her BFF....

Mama Belle, are moving to Alberta to live with Shayla. If you recall, I said I had to make some changes this year, such as not breeding the mares back to Beamer. So, due to the combination of the economy and our reduced income, I decided to downscale my whole breeding operation. Shayla will be taking over the reins as the main person of Diamond Lazy H Quarter Horses from her home in Alberta. Jayne will be staying here for now and will be bred back to Beamer, while the plan for Belle is to breed her to Root Beers Boots , whose progeny are excelling in the barrel pen and in reining. Gussie will become one of her main riding horses and possibly a lesson horse and may be bred to a Driftwood stallion, probably next year.

The mares are kinda staying in the family which makes me happy. Belle's foal will be for sale. I will keep everyone updated on her foal! Shayla has orders to take lots of photos!

Also, as a part of the downscaling program, the hard decision was made to put Moondance on the market. 

I will be quite picky where he goes, as I really love this colt. I really hope someone wants to take a chance at promoting him as a stallion. There are no intact sons of Beamer, and he sure is a worthy one.

My pens are going to seem empty. 😢 But age and finances dictate change, and I really feel that I am passing the torch rather than quitting.

Splish splash

Sunshine! The clouds are gone, the rain is gone, the snow is gone and the frost has disappeared out of the now saturated ground. It feels like spring, even though the groundhog didn't see his shadow yesterday- and a cold, windy, rainy blustery day it was. 

But today....

Much better! So I went to catch Moondance to take him for a walk and oh my want a muddy mess he was. I got him cleaned up as much as I could- he sure is hairy, and not shedding much yet, nor are the mares so maybe they know something we don't know as by now Belle is usually slipping lots of hair.

Yes he has a little mohawk at his withers! 

Speaking of withers, look how hip high he is! In a major growth spurt. 13.3 at the hip and just over 13 hh at the wither- at 10 months old!

Anyway... maybe that isn't a mohawk, maybe it's a shark fin for his next adventure!

 

He had a little bite of the green grass that I swear has been growing all winter:

Hey! There's a cat laying in my food!

We continued our walk and splished and splashed in the many puddles en route. A lovely walk!

Stepping out

Moondance has gotten over his baby 'tude and now willingly steps into the barn . After he eats, I lead him out- just for fun I have been able to back him all the way down the barn aisle, which is about 20 ft.

The view from my lap as I sit and wait for Moondance to finish eating. Usually both cats are in my lap!

 I like to make everything a training opportunity when I can so I present you with:

The art of unloading 

 

Sometimes I can get him to step one front foot out at a time, but I  am happy with how well he did this time. 

Frisky morning!

This morning at feeding time, the fresh snow and mild temperature (it rained on top of the snow) had Moondance going. 

Then, when I fed hay, I had THE NERVE to feed the other mares BEFORE I fed Gussie, and she was NOT HAPPY with me! I apologized, and put her hay in her stall but that was not GOOD ENOUGH for her highness, who wanted to be fed outside where she can supervise all the other horses from her pen. 

 

Ok Gussie you made your point! Then, she would NOT go in her stall even though she wanted her hay, so I took the opportunity to work on a loading lesson. I blocked her every time she turned away from her stall, she was making moves that belong in a cutting class! And sliding stops, oh my! Eventually, as I stopped the pressure each time she pointed her nose at the stall, she eventually stepped in and promptly exited- rinse and repeat! We stopped when she quietly stood in her stall and softened with licking and chewing. 

Silly mare. 

Sunny day photos

We had a lovely break in the clouds yesterday, and with 4 inches of fresh snow I couldn't resist getting out the Nikon and heading down to the barnyard. 

The horses however were feeling pretty lazy and were more interested in snoozing in the sun than posing for the camera. 

I spent some time hanging out with Mama Belle, and was rewarded by seeing baby bumping 3 times 😍 

Only 3 more months or so to wait!

Moondance was snoozing too, but I convinced him to wake up a bit.

Doesn't he look impressed!

Wouldya just lemme sleep?

He made a half hearted attempt to play with the willow branch that I put in for them to chew on.

Nice booty, Moondance!

So I gave up and went to visit Jayne. Of course, he followed me.

Jayne wasn't about to move at all, and she let Moondance know that his presence was not welcome in true redheaded mare style:

Well next up I headed over to the barn to visit Beamer but got sidetracked:

Oh hi Thumper!

Beamer too was being lazy in the sunshine.

But I woke him up. 

I got him to play half heartedly with the willow branch, but he was more interested in snoozing.

Well allright then, go back to sleep!

 A note on Beamer- he has developed arthritis in his other knee now so I have to scale back my plans for him. Any riding will just be for a few minutes to keep him happy and get him out of his pen, and I will have to just take him for hand walks instead.  

It has actually progressed really rapidly in the last month. He is walking well at this time but I will have to monitor him as far as his comfort level goes.

I have had inquiries as to how Tess is doing- the answer is, amazingly well!

She too was feeling lazy on this sunny afternoon but I did get her out for a walkabout photo shoot.

She was all squinty eyed in the sun.

She walks really well, no falling. She even chases Thumper when she thinks I'm not watching!

Lessons and baby bellies

The other day, when I was asking Moondance to come into the barn he had his usual Idon'twanna attitude; when I backed him up to regroup he got downright rude, rearing and pawing - so we had a Come To Jesus meeting with the help of my dressage whip - no I didn't beat him up or whip him into submission! What I did was calmly strike him on his front legs below the knee when he was in the air-  and then stand at his shoulder and ask him again to come forward; when he balked I reached back behind me (so he couldn't see the whip) and tapped him on the butt. It took three times and then he decided he would much rather be in the barn munching on his barley. The next day, he figured he would go see daddy instead of stepping in the barn and got told no ; one tap on the hip and he stepped in and then backed out, 2 more tries and in he went. Yesterday- only 2 taps. Hopefully today he will just walk in like a good boy! Them young'uns do like to test their boundaries.  With young stallions you do have to be vigilant that their childish behaviour doesn't become ingrained and make them dangerous as adult horses. He has to be respectful of his handler but not fearful; a fearful horse can be dangerous. Another area where he is being asked to mind his manners is when I am in the pen cleaning their shelter or putting hay out. Usually a vocal command- a HEY! or a growl will get him to back off out of my personal space; and here one has to be careful not to turn it into a game that colts would play. 

Speaking of play, he was feeling pretty good yesterday, so of course I had to video it!

Both Jayne and Belle have had about enough of his antics; they are doing a good job of telling him off. 

I haven't had him out in the round pen for a few days, but I did load him in the horse trailer just as a reminder the other day.

Didn't he just walk right in without hesitating! Silly boy. 

The mares are looking pregnant, both are due in May.

Pretty excited for this one, hopefully my keeper filly!

That isn't a sagging topline on Jayne, it's just the way the mud on her back follows the contour and makes it look like her spine is sticking up. She is actually in great shape.

Belle has her usual big belly, and as you can see by comparison, it is pretty obvious that Gussie is not in foal to Drifter. She may have caught originally but probably absorbed it due to complications from her fecal water syndrome contaminating her vaginal tract. 

With snow in the forecast for most of the week, I will have to pick my days for working Moondance. I think it's time to hand walk him again, just he and I to get him thinking less about himself and more about just going forward. I don't want to pony him from Gussie at this time as I suspect he is quite hormonal with this weather that is more like March than January; bare lawn and trees budding is not what I expect in January!

With colts especially, every time you handle them you are training them, so no day is lost.

Tarp training continued and a distraction

Moondance's round pen work continues. 

He gets rather exuberant when I take him out of the pen to go to work; he reminds me a lot of Nitro that way. Sometimes I just have to let him cavort and get it out of his system before he can settle down into learning mode.

 

Well all right then, lets see if you will wear it today! 

This is how we started: 

 

Willing but a little nervous at first. I don't really call that fearful, as his flight instinct got overruled by his curiosity. 

We did more tarp work, but got interrupted by a barnyard duet....

I was a little concerned that they would erupt into an all out fight and that it would set Moondance off at an inopportune moment, but they disappeared shortly thereafter.

Moondance is an interesting study for me. He is going through a phase where he has to stop and consider things... sometimes for waaaay too long (20 minutes to decide to go in the barn the other day!!!) He absolutely cannot be coerced or forced into doing anything and then once he decides that everything suits him, he does the asked for task. He doesn't do anything, just stands there and looks at me. Then, he will do it at his own pace. Going into the barn - which is where he gets his ration, which he loves- once he has decided to go in he slowly walks the length of the aisle, and inspects every. single. thing. on the way- stuff he has walked by dozens of times! However, I can also back him all the way out of the barn (about 20 ft.) including the step down at the entrance! 

When I started asking him to go around me on the long line, he got a little ramped up, and sassy, and ended up turning several times and getting himself all wrapped up in the line including getting it under his tail; I just dropped the line and let him sort it out himself- he circled a few times and I thought he was going to get dizzy and fall down, but he stopped moving his feet just short of that. 

After that, he was pretty easy to get along with, and we ended the session with a few little circles on about 10 ft. of line, and a nice session with the tarp, a big improvement from how we started.

Kindergarten is in

I opted to ride Beamer instead of leading him for our next outing. Ted led Moondance while I rode- my first ride of the year… yay! Because of Beamer's knee I can only do short rides on him, but I treasure every ride. 

Moondance did fairly well for Ted, but did get a little rambunctious so we opted to take him to the round pen where Ted worked him for a few minutes, long enough for him to start paying attention instead of thinking it was all play time.

So for our next outing I decided that Moondance needs to get handled a bunch more before going for walks again. So he got round pen worked today.

He had to inspect my tools- a flag stick, which he promptly tried to eat, and a big ole raggy tarp I reserve for schooling colts.

I worked on getting him to go forward around me by opening my lead hand and cuing him at the girth area with my stick, and as soon as he moved a foot forward I gave a release of the cues. He caught on pretty quickly and soon was circling me- although he did get a little... ahem...exuberant a few times!

To ask for the stop I bent a bit and looked at the hip, moving the stick to point at the hip, and he very easily caught on that he could move his hip away and face me. Once I had him going nicely both ways and stopping when asked, we moved on to tarp work. 

I like to get them following scary things first, it makes them much less scary and they get quite brave, as you will see:

Everything goes in the mouth.... eye roll...

I flapped it around him, and started rubbing him with it using the approach and retreat method; namely approach it towards his body and retreat with it before he moved away from it. Within minutes, 

he was wearing it. 

After that I folded it up to about the size of a saddle pad and laid it across his back, then slid it off his rump, from both sides. He was better when I was on his left than right, but allowed it to slide down behind him without moving.

I finished the session with a review of the longeing- a couple of half circles and hip yields each way to make sure we had that down pat, and that was it! He was a very good boy. He is quite proud of himself when he figures things out and laps up the praise I give him. 

A few of these short sessions and introducing more sacking out items and obstacles will keep his mind occupied, and should make it easier to take him on walks. 

We go out walking

….after Midnight...

That's Midnight Moondance following Isle Be Midnight, so the song came to mind!

The boys got their walk yesterday. They were both super happy to get out, and Beamer tolerated Moondance's presence but not too close please!

There was a lot of mouth clacking going on. Moondance was very respectful but not fearful.

We found a nice patch of lawn for them to graze (in the middle of January!!!)

Overall it was a good walk, I would need to do plenty more before trying to pony off Beamer, but these in-hand walks will suffice to get them buddied up for now. As long as I have help!