Belle gets a workover

Remember I mentioned Shayla is learning to do equine body work? Here's a video of her first session with Coyote Belle. I'm sure happy she is learning this stuff, and you can bet my horses are too!

Sunday Stills

I didn't get many photos of landscapes for this week's Sunday Stills Challenge- didn't get off the farm much, so all I have is an early morning photo and one of a cattle drive alongside the highway when I was on my way to Red Deer last weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

The Supreme

I had  a wonderful horse filled weekend! Friday, Ted and I hit the road; he dropped me off in Red Deer Alberta so that I could attend the Canadian Cowhorse Supreme, and he continued on to Edmonton to visit with family- so we both got to do what we wanted most- win win! I met up with Crystal and stayed until Sunday afternoon.
Friday night was the horse sale, showcasing horses bred to do the cow events; cutting and working cowhorse, and there were a couple of reining types and some ranch horses to round it off.
I think the averages were up, and it was a good place to sell yearlings: of the 8 yearlings sold, the average was $4,850, with the highest selling yearling bringing $10,000, and the lowest priced yearling was $2100.
Of eleven 2 year olds, the highest seller sold for $11,000 and the lowest for $2100 with an average of $4,564. The colt that sold for $11,000 was one of my favorites- a black rabicano grandson of both High Brow Cat and Smart Little Lena.
I have never seen so many rabicano colored horses in one place- not just in the sale but in the performance pens, they were everywhere!
I spent most of my time with Crystal watching the cutting and working cowhorse classes, but did manage to get over to the reining barn in time to watch three of the championship runs for the classes of that day. One of my favorites of the cutting horses was Cataduala, here is a video of him with his rider Gerry Hansma.

The working cowhorse class is my favorite though; anyone who has ever had to sort a cow out of a herd and take it down a fence or road knows how tough it can be.  This kid won his class Saturday morning:

Here is a smokin' run by Dale Clearwater:

And, just one more.... gotta get an Appaloosa in there for Sherry, these High Sign Nugget colts now have their daddy in the Canadian Supreme hall of fame.

Sunday Stills

The challenge to photograph birds was most fortuitous for me......
I was following the mares out to their pasture the other day when I spotted a young hawk on the ground- I froze and got my camera ready to catch a photo of it when it flew away.... only it wasn't inclined to fly at all. Huh? What's up?

I slowly made my way closer and it didn't move.

Foose, my black cat, had followed me out to the pasture, and when he spotted the bird, he went trotting over to it, but scrammed outta there when it rared up and spread its wings.

But it still didn't try to fly away. It kept hanging its head down....

I got to thinking that because it was a juvenile (Red Tailed Hawk) it may have been diving for a mouse in the freshly plowed field- yes, the hayfield that I normally ride on is now plowed under- and being young and ignorant probably misjudged its impact point and hit the dirt hard. He tried to look all fierce:

but I could see that he wasn't going anywhere, so I approached him from behind , and saw that he was able to turn his head all the way around so he wasn't too injured in the neck. When I touched him he didn't try to peck, so I got ahold of him by the legs and carried him out of the pasture to a place where he could recover in peace- the dog run. I also locked the cats and dogs in the house so they wouldn't pester him. He used his wings for balance as I was carrying him, so I could see that they were functional, no injuries there.

In the kennel, he stayed quiet, and did that funny thing with his neck again.

I called the local bird expert, and she suggested taking him to the vet, and if he was able to travel they would ship him down to OWL, the bird rehab place in the Vancouver area.

I figured I'd wait until I got home from work around noon, to see if he was going to make it- and he did, so I took him up to the vet's.

He was easy to handle, not aggressive at all. They checked him out and said he was emaciated and full of lice, but they did get him to eat a little. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as he did pass away the next day.

Beamer poses a question....

Mr. Handsome wants to know....

Okay, serious question here folks!

I wanna know the truth now!

Is this my best profile.....

Or is this my best side?

I think it's this side.....

Oh what the heck, both sides are good... I'm sexy and I know it!

Rain Rain Go Away

The last few days have been soggy, to say the least. We did get a little respite today- just long enough for me to start pulling the weeds and dead plants in my garden
The snow has shown up on the mountain peaks, but it's a long way from down here on the valley bottom.

I had the mares turned out during one rainy day and I had to bust out laughing at Gussie; she came to the gate with the most pleading look I have ever seen on a horse:

Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeease let me iiiiiinnnnnn!

I did make her wait because I wasn't finished cleaning the pens, poor girl!

Josie has found her place in the herd, she is a lot like her mama Chickory, a little reserved but very bribe-able; it's easy to build a routine with her.

Mama Belle has gone from putting her in her place to giving her a place next to her:

I love my little herd, they all get along so well, no nastiness, just happy horses. 

I'm happy to report that Shayla got her certification in the ABC Hoofprint Trim, so she will be taking over the trimming duties here at Diamond Lazy H Quarter Horses- she also is studying equine chiropractic so she will have my herd health to do to. Pretty proud of you Shayla!

So, life rolls on, seasons change, and time never stands still. 

I should have the results of Stella's blood tests within a couple of days, some of it is in, but not all. It will be good to have some answers. 

Barring any unforeseen problems, I should be on my way to Alberta on Friday to take in the Canadian Cowhorse Supreme, and to visit with a few fellow bloggers and Facebook friends. 

Sunday Silence

The Draft Horse Show

Last weekend, before my world fell apart, Ted and I went across the border to go to the Idaho International Draft Horse and Mule show. We took Merle with us, and unfortunately they have a rule that you can't take dogs in the grandstand area so we didn't actually see the competition, but there was plenty to see. We got there as the 6 up hitches were finishing and the 8 up hitches were rolling into the ring, and what a sight that is!

These black Percherons were just gorgeous.

This hitch of Belgians pulled in to the barn area after their class.

Lining up to unhitch

The wheel team

The swing team

Oh my!

This little outfit was so cute:

Little meets big:

Then the 8 up mules drove by.

After that we walked through the barns. I'm always fascinated by being up close  to these wonderful creatures, and they are so photogenic.

That's a lot of horsepower!

Some fancy tails:

Of all the photos I took, this is my favorite. This horse just exuded power and presence, even at rest:

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Dancing in the Mist

Thank you everyone for your comments, kindness and support  for us in the loss of Stella, it really does help to know that so many other people loved her too and I know that many of you have experienced the same loss, even this year.
However, we must move on. I expect to have the results of the test sometime next week and I'll post once I have some answers.

This morning was a lovely misty morning, guaranteed to be good for the type of photos I like to take, and it did lift my spirits to see my herd (and Shayla's Rio) out dancing in the mist.

Definitely helped! 

Stella Belle Peppy April 3 2013-September 23 2013

There's a big hole in my heart.
Stella is no longer with us. I had to make "that call" on Monday.
I am not going to go into details because I don't know all the answers yet to the inevitable questions, just suffice to say that it was neurological and it was quick (27 hours from onset to no hope left) and ugly. I am awaiting the results of a neuro panel blood test.
This is my tribute to the horse that I thought would be my heart horse, my companion and dream horse, the one I waited years for.

Birthday, April 3rd

She knew she was mine.

I loved to watch her bust out her dance moves.....

I nicknamed her Stella the Stalker because she would follow close behind me

She brought me joy just watching her.....

My beautiful, perfect Stella Belle.

Forever in my heart.