Some update photos

 Kai and Josie have been earning their keep team roping. 

Josie (Chickory x Beamer) on the heels, Kai (Belle x Beamer) on the head side

Rio and Derby (full brothers to Kai) had a job working on a ranch this year. I was sent these photos of Rio at work.

I don't have photos of Derby. Pistol, who is also a Belle son, has been competing in roping too. 

Pistol (Belle x Rollin in My Dually)

All the above horses are in the same home and they couldn't have landed in a better home. They also bought Minx, who is a daughter of Sparkle N Peppy, the first one of the Beamer / Belle cross. Minx's sire was grey, and she is slowly going grey. 

Minx

And last but not least I have a photo of Gussie's daughter, who I called Pie. She was born on the farm here 2  years ago and is a daughter of Shayla's late stallion, Givemathrashing.

Pie is also in a very good home. I guess that's all one can ask for as a breeder, that the foals go to homes that value them, provide good care, and use them. 

Visiting the Beamer\Belle horses

 I had a bit of a getaway this past weekend. And of course, it  included  was mostly about horses. I spent a wonderful couple hours with the good folks who have , over the years, bought 6 of my horses. 

Here they are in all their beauty. 

First off- all the Beamer babies.

For all the Rio fans out there:

He is massive! I think right around 16 hh and probably 13 - 1400 lbs. He has carried his owner  through a lot of events, from 4 H  to barrels and roping and ranch work. He was a flag bearer horse in the Calgary Stampede last year. The young lady who owns him has had plenty of offers on him, but he is not going anywhere. The brand on his shoulder is their brand, some of them also carry the DLH brand. 

Then there is Kai- he is the steady Eddie of the group, the favourite uncle to the young horses who keeps them calm. He is Alana's horse and it is pretty obvious that he loves her. 

Kai is built more stocky than Rio, but he too is a big strong horse. he has won high point in gaming for Alana, and her daughter has used him as a heading horse. He's a big gentle soul. 

They sold Nitro, and I found out that he is now the mount for a 16 year old high school student who team ropes in the High School Rodeos with him, and they are a perfect match. I am trying to find out who his current owner is as I would love to watch them at work. 

Then there is Josie... what a beauty she is!

The one I should have kept... but she has been a really good horse for Kevin, this year she won 2 buckles for him at rodeos, she is a heeling horse in the team roping. Josie is 11 this year. she is not a Belle daughter, her dam was Chickory who is now raising foals for her current owner.

I would love to do a breed lease on Josie if he ever decides to retire her from roping. 

The next horse is a Beamer/Belle son. This was Belle's last Beamer baby, and he is another one I probably should have kept, he and Josie are the two Beamers that literally took my breath away. 

This is Derby. 

Derby is 3 this year and he is already a big boy like his brothers. 

He is another member of the Big Butt club! I think it's safe to say that the Beamer/Belle cross produced outstanding individuals. 

Next up is Minx.

Kevin likes the cross so much that he bought Minx, who is a daughter of the full sister to all those boys. You would know her as Sparkle from my posts on this blog, she was Belle's first foal. Minx was sired by a 16 hh grey Playgun bred stallion. She has the same quiet and trainable mind as her uncles and they really like her. She will be grey. 

This is Kai and Minx:

I think she will have a good size to her as well; Kai is 15.3 hh. Minx is only 2 and has a lot of growing to do yet. 

Then there is Pistol; he was the buckskin foal from Belle and sired by Rollin In My Dually, she was in foal with him when I bought her back from Fleetwood Farms. 

Pistol is another big soggy gelding rope horse for Kevin, and he's doing very well with him. Pistol has a bit of a different look to him than the Beamer sons.  Kevin loves him and says he will never part with him either. 

Knowing that the horses I raised are so valued by their owners, and that they have become excellent performance horses is all a person could ask for when it comes to raising horses. I have been blessed in this venture over the years. Finding a family who kept buying them and promoting them and loving them is all I could ever ask for. 

Oh, and one more thing- knowing that they are all happy, healthy horses. 

Derby💖 He got Beamer's head but Belle's ears

It was great to visit and catch up with them. I am going to try to get to one of their ropings so I can get some photos of them in action. If not this year then maybe next year!

The little guy and some updates

I am getting impatient to get moved now, things just seem to be at a standstill. I am 90% packed, just dishes and food left to pack and what clothing we will wear. We should find out about the farmhouse we are interested in this weekend. 

Really looking forward to spending time with all the horses! Belle and Scooter, Gussie, Jayne and foal, and all Shayla's horses and getting to know the draft horses.  

My foal has a perfect swirl.

Which makes me perfectly happy!

Bedded deep in the hay for a snooze!

It looks like he has socks on both front legs but we aren't sure about the back legs. Speaking of which....

He managed to scrape up the inside of his right hind. Just hair missing, not a cut. Always something with colts !UPDATE! It's not a scrape, just dried poop! Phew!

Still working on a barn name for him. 

Now the updates:

Got a message from the people who now own Drifter- this is his first foal to hit the ground, and she's a beauty!

A unique face marking. 

And you all remember Pistol, Belle's buckskin foal she was carrying by Rollin In My Dually  when I bought her back a few years ago? 

He is now roping the heels as a  team roping horse. (Owned by the same people who bought all Belle's sons and Josie.) Another handsome horse!

Belle's last colt, Derby, now lives with them too, they hauled him home last month. I don't have any updated photos of him though. 

Pistol update

Pistol was sent to the trainers for a couple of months and has now joined his brothers as a working member of the herd. (Rio, Kai, Nitro and Josie are all there)

https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/cd+shiny+pistolena

Quick update

Pistol had a rather long trip to get to his destination, but he arrived in fine shape and despite the huge temperature difference he is doing well.
If you remember, last fall we had Fuse here, he is Shayla's buckskin barrel horse prospect gelding; he is now Pistol's stablemate.

Pistol is adapting well to his new surroundings and she is pretty happy with how he is taking everything in without any drama.

Standing tied on the arena rail like a good boy! She says she will keep us updated as he grows up. Another good horse to the right person- that's what I live for!

Let it snow

We have been getting a lot of snow- however, nothing like they are getting in the east- I saw pics of 50 inches of snow back there! That's crazy! Can you imaging coming out to start your car and having to move over 4 ft of snow off it first? Wowza! We are somewhere over a foot altogether. It's warming up too, but this photo was from 2 days ago when it was pretty cold- Pistol has pretty good insulation in his thick fur, because the snow wasn't melting on him.

I make sure to feed extra hay when it's cold and their water heaters keep the water drinkable so there really aren't any problems for them when the weather gets nasty.

They often get to zipping around when they see me coming. This morning, they were at it again, and got Beamer going, so here is your "Good Morning!" video from Beamer:

Hope you all enjoy your last weekend of the year! It's supposed to be sunny on Sunday, and we have plans to burn that big pile of scrap lumber you often see in the background of my pics and videos, our New Year's Eve bonfire. The new neighbours made a little skating rink on the pond, so the kids will have fun and once the fire burns down a bit I think hot dogs and marshmallows will be on the menu. 

And- I have a surprise in store for you on January 3rd! Stay tuned!

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas to all of my loyal blog readers and friends from Diamond Lazy H Quarter Horses!

Today was sunny and bright, and after Mass and a visit to a sick friend, it was play time at the barn. Shayla came over and we took turns with the camera getting Christmas photos of Beamer and the 2 babies. It was fun!

You have no idea how happy I am that Beamer is rideable again! We took turns riding him and getting photos.

My happy place.

Then it was time to play with the kidz. Mesa wasn't too happy about the bow around her neck, she tried to grab it but couldn't and then got quite upset that it wouldn't go away!

It was a little better when I put it off to the side, but still she was not overly pleased about it, 

so we put it on Pistol instead who couldn't have cared less! He's such a good boy.

Shayla enjoyed playing with him and I think he will be a super good horse for her.

All in all a great afternoon!

I hope you all enjoyed your day,  and as we wind down the year I hope that you all stay safe, warm and happy. May you enjoy God's blessings!

Mama Belle is back in the herd

Mama Belle has been separate for a month now, and her bag was all dry so it was time to reintegrate her with the others. She is an old pro at this, as you can see in the video.

Her body language speaks volumes!

"Got milk, mama?"

"NO!"

They wandered around for a bit and that was it.

Back to the serious business of eating hay.

Winding down the year

December already.....

I'm glad this year is coming to an end, actually.
But I'll get into that another time.,
It was more like an October day than the 1st of December. Mild, a little misty and the horses were just feeling good.
First, the weanlings had to investigate my truck- something new in the barnyard!

Then they had to visit Beamer, on the way into the barn.

While I had them in the barn, Mama Belle got to performing so I had to see what she was up to.

Apparently, she is getting tired of being cooped up! I've got some weight back on her and she's looking good. I might have to swap out putting the weanlings in this pen for part of the day and letting her out to get some exercise.

Mesa was just full of herself- has been for the last couple of days. I really enjoy watching her silly antics!

I've got more barn renos planned for the weekend, bringing in more gravel for the pen Belle is in, hopefully getting the last window installed and maybe even a little carpentry if I can steal Ted for long enough.

And next post will be an update on the Beamer kidz in Alberta 😄

Getting connected

Have you seen all those amazing liberty exhibitions trainers like Jim Anderson and Double Dan Horsemanship do? Or Stacy Westfall and her amazing bridleless freestyle reining?
Do you imagine the amazing connection they have with those horses and think to yourself, I wish I could do that? And think to yourself, I'll never be that good or that connected?
Well- every time you walk into your horse herd, you are working on that connection.
If you have the time, read this article- it's kinda long but very in depth in explaining how to go about getting that mental connection.
One horse that I don't really need a halter for, is mama Belle. In fact, when I have a halter in hand she looks at me with disgust, as if to say, "really? I don't need that!" I can move her with body language and energy; whether its getting her to go into her stall, or exit her pen, or leave the darn wheelbarrow full of hay alone while I close the gate.

Get with the program, human!

When I play with the weanlings, I work on moving them with body language and intent. They are like a blank slate, it's so fun to work with them. For example, once they are haltered and in hand I visualise what I want them to do, set it up so that it is easy for them to figure out, and then wait for them to get it.When they do, I give them a big release. Each successive time it takes less wait and smaller releases. The goal is to be able to work with them in a round pen or even in the pasture and keep them connected with me. In pasture, they are both coming along nicely. Pistol has made great advances in putting aside his strong flight instinct and reactiveness, and now looks to see what I want  instead of just moving away.

Yesterday I wanted photos of them moving out, so I used energy and intent to get them going. it was fun!

Mesa was a willing partner!

After Pistol watched for a bit, I encouraged him to play too, which he did kind of half heartedly.

Anyway, it was fun playing with them. Rosalee is behaving like an old lady watching the kids play- being pregnant sure has slowed her down.

She came over and stood behind me with her head over my shoulder and watched .

The weanlings are getting really good with going in the barn and standing tied- I can point Mesa in the barn and throw the rope over her back and she heads right to her spot; Pistol still needs guidance. They're both standing tied quietly while I leave them to their feed and go do other chores.

I can't leave Beamer out- he is the one I'm connected to the most. I can pretty much just visualize what I want him to do and he does it- for example  this morning I wanted him to go stand in his stall so I could take a photo with a black background... and he was happy to oblige and pose for me.

Is this what you wanted?

Yes Mr. Handsome, that's exactly right. Thank you for your cooperation!

I have a lot of fun with my horses without riding them, although I certainly want to ride more.