Befuddled

 My apologies  to all my blogger friends. I find I am  unable to comment on your posts! I get asked to sign  in with Google but instead it just kicks me back to the post.   I  am reading your blogs! We are going to look into ways to get online for rural applications.  We heard about the Hub, here it's  supplied by Telus. Anyone  have other ideas?

Beamer's idea is to just chill out and eat. I  hand graze him every day. 

It  has been wet here and the horse flies are bugging the horses. I guess rolling in the mud gives them  some protection.  

Sophie is enjoying  being turned out  in the herd.  She hasn't  come back in heat so I  am calling her bred. That should be a nice foal! 

Speaking of foals.....

Scooter, Belle's  son  by Root Beers Boots  is sure looking  good! 

Scooter is shedding a lot of  that black off and coming out a metallic silvery buckskin. 

Can sure see the size difference!  He is only 4 days older than Boe. Typical big Belle baby!

Here he's  hanging out with  Shayla's  stallion  Jet.

Boe is a month old now . 

It's  nice to see  the boys hanging out together  and playing. The mamas have loosened the apron strings a bit! 

More Boe pics

 I have a few  more  photos of  Boe to share. Not much news other  than all our stuff will be in storage by tomorrow  afternoon. Our cats are getting  crabby with their extended confinement!  Little do they know they had better  enjoy it  because  once we get on the farm they will have to go back to  being  barn cats  😁

He is nearly a month old (on the 20th) 

That hip! 

Not the best photo  for lighting but I liked Jayne's  tail in there.

Shayla and I were both able to scratch his butt and then he was ok with being touched. Next time I see him I  want to get a halter on him and start his kindergarten.  

So much to do yet this summer! 

 

Unexpected

 The last couple of weeks have thrown  us a couple of curve balls!

First there was the move to the monthly  rental . When Ted did the walkthrough  before signing the  contract  there was a houseful of people - landlords, tenants etc . They  were  supposedly  cleaning the place and Ted was told that the damaged floor from a leak  in the washer hose would be fixed before we moved in. So the guys hauled all our belongings  and stuffed them in the living room. We  get there June 4th and  nothing and I mean nothing  was done. The place was filthy  and the floor  was a health hazard. A closer inspection  showed may other things that should  never have been  allowed to happen.  Needless to say we gave instant notice. That left us without a place to stay. Shayla kindly let us stay in her travel trailer for a week while we figured  things out.  

We did  secure  the farm rental  (although  we haven't  signed for it yet ) but can't  move in until August  1st  . So a friend of Ted's  very kindly allowed us to use his travel trailer for the next 6 weeks! We are blessed with all the help we are getting  from our friends!

Anyway  enough  of the downer news! I went to see Boe and he is just as cute as I hoped he would be 😊  

Then there's  Belle's  colt- oh my she sure put a nice one on the ground  this year! 

 

Close inspection  says no white markings even though he has a lot of white hair, it will all shed off. 

We still have a  lot going on but will post as often  as I can. 

Mr. Lonesome

 Mr. Handsome is Mr. Lonesome these days, and he wants to tell you all about it. 

Nobody here not even chickens. I'm alllll alooooone!

Even going out in pasture doesn't cheer me up...

There's nobody to talk to!

Nope. Nobody. No girls to show off to. Harrumpfh. 

Maybe if I call a little louder?

It's useless. Nobody cares. I'm alllll alooooone! Oh woe is me!

Cheer up Beamer! We will be reuniting you with your herd by Saturday!

Baby Boe pics

 

Well hello little cuteness!

Who, me?

Yes you, Boe.

Shayla was kind enough to send me a few photos today, of course that made my day!

I would be quite happy if he had no white at all, it's so hard to tell yet.

Jayne and Boe are in the stud pasture with Belle and Scooter, as well as Shayla's new mare DF Sunfrosted Te, aka Dolly. It won't  be long before those foals are frolicking with each other instead of sticking close to their mamas. 

A name, a home and a knot

 Although I haven't seen him yet, and don't have any updated photos, I have decided on a name for my colt. 

Boe. 

He is named as a tribute to an old cowboy, John Boe, who was my mentor when I decided to get into breeding quarter horses.  John passed away a couple of years ago, and I will never forget all his kindness and all that he taught me. 

We have secured a place to live; it's a month to month rental in a village 10 minutes from Shayla's, so it's easy to get to my horses. Also close enough to where Ted's dad is, and a short commute to where his son lives. I guess I will have to put up with town living for a while until we can find a farm rental. 

I will miss this view....

Just right of center, it looks like 3 or 4 figures huddled together in a prayer circle

I was watching a horse program on TV the other day and found this interesting- Clinton Anderson showing a better way to tie horses. I have a puller in Sophie, and it is hard to get the standard slip knot undone when she sets back! So I'm going to use this knot. (Sophie is now at Shayla's)

The next few days are going to be hectic, we can move in on Wednesday June 1, so now it's all about the logistics of hauling panels, Beamer, household stuff as well as cleaning the house and emptying everything in the barn. I may be awol for a while!

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. 

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. 

Mama Belle and Scooter

 Mama Belle is in her foal heat, so Shayla moved her to her stallion's pasture for breeding. Everything went well; her stallion who is the same age as Beamer, is a very savvy and kind fellow. 

Jet

Although he was happy to see her, he was respectful.

Mama Belle warning him off

Order established....

and Scooter obviously was quite happy to just chill out and have a little snooze. 

Jayne started waxing yesterday, so it looks like tonight is her night to foal. Stay tuned!

Springing along

 Lots of spring things going on.

The Helleborus has a flower! 

The Pet Cemetary- do you see what I see?

How about now?

Yup- morel mushrooms! Since they were growing on the graves, I couldn't bring myself to pick them, but I flagged down one of the local dog walkers who was happy to pick them and take them home. There were 9 of them , enough for a nice feed all fried up in butter.

 

Purple nettle grows down in the pasture. After reading up on it, I'm going to harvest some and dry it for tea.

The Goat River has settled down quite a bit; this area a few years ago was a flood zone. 

Sophie will be heading north to Shayla's next week, and I will begin tearing down the panels as soon as she leaves. She has been feeling pretty good these last few days; I'm pretty sure she caught and is packing a little bitty Beamer baby; because she had some of his fancy moves the last couple of days!

I tried to get the rearing and standing on one foot but I wasn't quick enough. I haven't had time to work with her  lately, and I gave her a week off while she was being bred. So her training will be put on hold until we get situated in Alberta. She does seem to be happy to follow me around and when I do the poop scooping in her pen, she supervises. Usually from way too close! And she has started whinnying when she sees me come to feed . I guess I have moved up a notch in her herd!

 

Belle's boy

 Who wants to see more baby pics?

Yeah I thought so....

He's so nice and straight legged. 

Can't wait to go see him! Also Jayne is very close to foaling, so hopefully by the time I get up there I'll have my own foal to fall in love with. 

Everybody say Awww!