Filling holes

It's funny how things happen. One minute all is the same and the next thing you know it isn't.
On Wednesday last week I was messing with the colts in the main pen, and Tay was hanging out watching  as she usually does. Next thing I knew she made a rapid dash into the pen and went for Eli's back legs- she didn't grip but she scared him. She has been doing this business of thinking she is helping even though she knows she is NOT allowed in the horse pens. A bit of a back story, last time Shayla was here, we were looking at the colts and her little dog Goose came into the pen and Eli reflexively kicked out and nailed her- you can be sure this is because of what Tay had been doing behind my back.
So... I had enough and decided then and there that Tay needed to move on to someone who doesn't have livestock. (or cats!)
Ted has a friend in Alberta who lost a border collie to cancer during the summer, and they were heartbroke about it and  looking for a replacement but not a puppy. So he called them and they were very interested and said they would take her, providing she got along with their other border collie who just happens to be Tess's littermate , and Tess and Luke are turning 13 at the end of this month. So a dog like Tay was perfect for them. They spent the weekend here and got along great!

She is going to get all the love her li'l heart desires! And in doing so she will fill the hole in Keith's heart left by the passing of his other dog. 

But wait....

That's not all.....

The day after I decided to rehome Tay I get a knock on my door and it's the guy who owns Tillie's dad. I was happy to see him because I had just been thinking of taking her down to see him that coming weekend after I had her to the vet's for her puppy shots. I wanted to show off my beautiful smart puppy. 

He just stood there and looked at her as I brought her out. We made a little small talk, then he said.... "I want her". Well, my jaw dropped and I must have had a deer in the headlights look! Then he told me the rest of the story: her sire had been hit and killed by a car, and he was heartbroken at his loss. So of course, I told him he could have Tillie, the only pup from the bloodline; we agreed that he would pay for her shots and I'd deliver her the next day. 

I am sure going to miss this little ankle biter! But once again, she was needed to fill the hole in someone's heart, and I know she will have a good life as he needs a dog to help with his sheep and cattle. He said she has a lot of her daddy's mannerisms.

So both Tay and her daughter are part of a bigger plan than what I had for them and I think they are both where they need to be.

As for me, I have my beautiful Tess who has always had all of my heart. No holes there!

Finally a ride!

We'll start this post off with a family photo for National Dog Day.

The pup is getting quite mobile, and as soon as she wakes up I take her outside to pee, which works quite well. Hopefully she will be easy to train to not go in the house. 

I finally got to ride again. I put one of those Equine Streamz bands on my ankle and within 24 hours I had so much relief! Not 100% but good enough to go riding today. 

Come for a little ride with me! Gussie was a little lazy going out, she has had it pretty easy this summer so I decided to challenge her a bit. We rode down to the river at a spot that has an easy crossing.

Picture me with my camera in one hand and my split reins and a willow switch in the other hand trying to urge Gussie across! We got it done with much urging, she was reluctant to cross that rocky bottom river.

On the other side is a very steep hill, with spectacular views half way up and at the top. The half way up video wasn't worth sharing, too shaky, but here is the view from the top:

I think Gussie enjoyed the view as much as I did.

Or maybe she was just drooling over the equine buffet spread out before her......

At the top of the hill there are a couple of apple trees growing wild, so I grabbed a snack for me and Gussie.

On the way back I figured she would be a little more inclined to cross the river; sure enough!

We wound our way through the cool and welcome shade of the trees on the way back.

I love this horse so much! It's always a joy to ride her and I feel so at home on her. 

Riding day 57

Spring training

ENTER THE FOALING CONTEST BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK

Spring starts tomorrow! Yippee! The snow is melting, the river is rising, the songbirds are back for their early morning serenade....  

I decided it's time for Tay to learn to be a trail riding companion. She has really progressed over the winter in her bidability; easier to call off when she is doing something I don't want her to. So I took Gussie and Tay and went for a river ride.

 

The trick with Tay is to have a command that sends her out front, as when she is behind a horse the temptation to go for the tail or the heels is probably still strong. She actually did really well.

The water is rising and getting muddy now that the warmer days are here.It was wonderful to just sit on my horse, listen to the river run, my dog just sitting there waiting for my next move- and even a hawk in the tree that flew away once we invaded it's space. Can you see it in the next video?

Another lovely day today and another river ride coming up- but this time it will be me on Gussie and Shayla on Ice for Ice's first trail ride, and we will be going down the gravel road to the river down where I used to live. I wonder if Gussie will remember it, last time she was down there was 2013.

Riding day 23

Gussie's gotcha day (Tay too)

It was one year ago today that I headed to Alberta for the 5 hour drive to bring Gussie home. And I am so glad I did, it has been great having big Red back and having a horse I can trust when I'm trail riding.
This is her when she arrived here:

She didn't have much body mass although she wasn't thin, and she had vitiligo- pink skin on her lips that she never had before.
This is her now:

Lots of riding and the right kind of feed for her and she is back to her old self! I sure do enjoy this mare, she is such a character and yes she is a bit quirky but nothing I can't handle.
It was also my gotcha day for Tay, who has also greatly improved in the last year. She went from not looking you in the eye and chasing and gripping cats, to begging for luvins and being able to stand still while Thumper sniffs noses with her and rubs against her.

Yesterday we went for a short ride to pony Drifter.

We took turns ponying him, and he wasn't exactly a good boy! I had to get after him for thinking he could nip, and a couple of times he stopped and reared up. Good ole Gussie was so good, she just let me deal with him and didn't try to kick or jump around while I scolded him- but I think she thought she was in trouble too because she started jigging, so we just stopped and let everyone think about things and calm down and finished the ride with a more relaxed manner. Drifter just needs to get out more, it's kindergarten time for him.

Riding day 14

The dog 'n' pony show

Mesa and Tay have a game going on. Tay loves that she can get a rise out of Mesa, as the other horses ignore her, and Mesa loves trying to chase Tay out of the pen.
Here is the story in pictures.

The game is afoot!

Tay turns to circle around....

Mesa goes after her....

C'mon dog. Ima gonna get you!

Na na can't catch me!

Dang, dog! You're quick!

Pause to catch her breath....

and Tay goes in for the fake to the tail...

But Mesa is the one who calls the shots. Game's up dog, it's chow time!

Update on the update

Here is the branding that Kai was working. In the group photo he is the horse on the right:

https://www.highriveronline.com/sun-country-blog/that-s-a-wrap-branding-2018-is-in-the-books

And here is further info on the Beamer kids  this hard working family owns:

"Nitro was right along side Kai. He is a finished head horse and heel horse. Kevin won the senior pro rodeo on him this past weekend. Rio is still learning the ropes when it comes to bring a barrel horse. Rorie breezed him tonight and let him find his own speed. It's coming . Josie is going to high school rodeo this weekend in High River. She is going to learn to be a goat horse. Still learning not to cut in front of Rorie. But is a nice steady girl and keeps Rorie safe they are all doing great!!!"

I am pretty happy that Beamer's babies are earning their keep and proving that they can handle it. Exactly what I wanted out of my breeding program.

As for Rosalee... she is still withholding her hostage!

So that means that those of you who have a guess that is before this day, can guess again! Linda, Emma, and Betsy in Wi, if you would like to put in a new guess just leave a comment on this post.

The spring runoff is building and is sure causing a lot of problems all over the place. We are ok so far in this neighbourhood. The pond level is really high and there is now groundwater in the mare pen and in the hot wire pasture that is between the mare pen and the pond.

Everything this side of the green grass is in the mare pen.

 I took the dogs down for a swim a couple of days ago when we had a fairly hot day and discovered that Tay will actually retrieve a stick! However she doesn't bring it all the way back so I have to send Tess out to fetch it and bring it to the shore.

They were a couple of happy dogs!

A mistake, and a progress report

First up- I made a mistake when I assumed (you know what they say about assuming...) that it was Tay who nailed Thumper in the eye.

Once the swelling went down a bit, I could clearly see scratch marks that line up with cat's claws, and to clinch it, the next day, the neighbour's intact male cat was in the barn fighting with Thumper. I helped Thumper put the run on him! The owners are being asked to get their cat neutered asap. Wouldn't want their cat to go missing now, would we? 😇
So, I apologized to Tay.....

and I think it was accepted! She really responds to affection and attention, and over the last few days of working with her I can call her off when she is stalking the cats.

I worked with Mesa on the step yesterday.

I think I will modify it so that it's on a low platform and then the step up will flow more naturally. What I asked for, and got, was for me to be able to place her foot on the platform and have her leave it there.

It is still slippery enough that her foot slides if it is extended too far forward, so I need to do something about the surface. Maybe a piece of textured rubber mat?

She is getting really cute, but it is hard to get a good photo of her because of all the fuzzy baby hair and that awkward yearling growth stage.

Not only that, she is always either 2 inches away from the camera, or on the move!

Here is the Gussie update:

She is starting to look much better! Remember a month ago , here is what she looked like-

We are getting  some curve back in her hind end....

and the hollow above her eye is gone.

For reference:

Working on her muscle tone is next. I could jiggle the muscles in her hind quarters and they are like jello! Since we are in sunny spring weather for a bit it's time to get serious about getting her in shape.

Changes

The minions left today. I sure enjoyed having them! I hope they come back this summer.

I have Rosalee news..... 

She is officially sold. Not to the lady from the coast, but to Shayla, which is something I have hoped for! She will head over there after her foal is weaned, and will be put into training for barrel racing, something I always thought she would be good at. It's nice not to have to worry about dealing with people I don't know to get her sold, and she will have a great home with Shayla and will be kept busy!
In other news, Tay is becoming a problem. She attacks any critters that run from her, whether it be cats, or Tess chasing a ball, she is very aggressive and goes in for the grip. I've had to break up 3 fights with Tess, and this evening I found Thumper like this:

 Bit above his eye and the eye isn't visible when I pull the eyelid back, I'm hoping it is just the inside eyelid swollen and not the eye itself injured. Tay will have to be rehomed and tomorrow I will go get a muzzle for her which she will have to wear when she is outside at all times as she sneaks away to the barn and looks for the cats. Kinda bummed about this.

So there ya go, 3 things that were dealt with today.
Update: Ted says we should keep Tay, he really likes her so I guess it's up to me to make sure she is muzzled for any trips to the barn or unsupervised time in the yard when she may wander to the barn. Thumper's eye will be ok, no permanent damage that I can see.

Getting out in the sunshine

I fitted the bosal on Gussie yesterday and went for a little ride in the pasture. It was a nice sunny warm day, at least for a while, and I was in dire need of some quality horse time. 

It's always a little risky riding in the herd, especially with yearlings because they get pretty excited to see a person up on one of their herd mates. Sure enough, Miss Mesa had to perform!

I want to show you one of the areas where Gussie has lost body mass.....

She has a turkey neck!!!! Once her teeth are done and she has put weight back on I can do collection work to bring her back to looking like this:

Afterwards, I took Mesa for a walk, and invited Tay to come along. Well now! Mesa had something to say about that!

I swear I'll never have to worry about coyotes if Mesa is around, she pretty much thinks dogs should be stomped. I have seen her go after cats too. Anyway, that turned into a training session for Tay, and I also took Beamer for a ride and had Tay come along.

I was told that she had never been around horses before and so this would be her first trail ride. She did all right, had to explore everywhere, which is understandable. She did also follow behind too. She is a fairly strong minded dog which tells me she was pretty much neglected as far as basic training went. She is learning several things that are hard and fast rules here- no chasing kitties (she is much improved) and heel off leash (getting pretty good) as well as the number one rule- leave the horses alone! Staying out of the horse pens and out of the barn are works in progress.

It was such a lovely day that I couldn't resist just sitting on each horse at the end of the rides and zenning (is that a word?) out.

Beamer appreciated the chance to just stand there and gaze at his girls.

Riding day 10

Home

The trip to Alberta was uneventful. (Thank you to those who said a li'l prayer!)The roads were pretty good, a bit of compact snow in shaded areas but with bare wheel paths through them. Left here at 5 a.m. and had Gussie loaded and on the way home by 11:45, got home at 5:20 p.m. Had to stop and pick up the surprise... more on that in a minute....

The meet and greet over the fence was the photo I posted last night. Rosalee tried to bite her, but Belle was very interested.

Due to only having one heated water trough, I kicked Gussie directly into the herd upon arrival. Rosalee took on the role of herd protector, keeping this new intruder away from "her" Mesa and Belle.



Gussie has been blanketed in Alberta, not sure it did her any favours, but since she had a nervous sweat going on in the trailer, I put her in a fresh blanket of mine for now, I'll wean her off that as she has a pretty good hair coat.

There are a couple of issues I'll have to deal with, one is nutritional and the other is getting her feet back to a good place. More on all that in the next post.

Meanwhile..... remember I said it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to seek permission...

meet Tay.

She is a 6 yr. old female border collie who didn't want to work, despite 3 months with a really good trainer. I saw her posting on Facebook looking to rehome her, so I responded and ended up bringing her home- she was only a mile from where I was picking Gussie up, so the timing and location were perfect! Meant to be, I'd say. Since I don't need a working dog here, she is a good fit, and it should help with the issues Tess is having about being the only dog here (Merle doesn't count! Border collies are snobs!). Tess was quite delighted to meet her. I think they will get along well.
Oh- and forgiveness was given! Especially since she sucked up to Ted !

Time to head to the barn, more photos will be forthcoming!