Stampede Ranch

When My Mom and Clint were here she said she wanted a tour to the Stampede Ranch, she knew it was close to us but never realized how close.  Its about 12 miles away.  We have 2 neighbors that work there and so we hear a lot about of it but I too had not been in the yard.  So we phoned up the managers and asked if we could come up.  She said they were at a rodeo that weekend, her hubby is also a pickup man but the other guy Charlie was there and he would show us around.  Sounds good, we had no real big plans just kinda wanted to see it.

(Outside the gate is the graveyard, they don't bury the horses there anymore but they used too)

(The loading chute in the yard)

(I just liked this bridge going across the creek to the barns)

(the gate into the yard)

So we headed up there and he met us at the gate and led us in.  They put up a locked gate this spring just to keep crazy people out.  They spend a lot of time keeping it looking nice, they do a lot of fancy spancy deals there where city people come out and "trail horses" in and then have a meeting.  So they want it to look nice and it does.  There is a lot of pens and this time of year not much in them which we kinda knew but thats when they were out.

(the saddle horses, even the mini under the feeder lol)

(a sore clydeish horse in the pen, he was super interested in us)

(and some bulls)

(the nephews looking at bucking bulls)

(the chute, under a roof, sure be a long day trimming 600+ horses)

(the retired horses halters)

They had some horses, some bulls and a few studs up close and so we toured them and then he took us in to see the chute where they trim feet and brand and then into the tack room and then the boardroom where they have the halters of the retired horses hanging in there.  Neil had been there quite a few times as a kid cause the kids went to school with him and even he said it was changed and updated, looked a lot better.

(Speedy Delivery)

(Wanamaka Rocket, we saw him at the bronc match in Pollockville)

(Shadow Warrior, 

he was an older horse, really calm just stood there eating while we were there chatting)

Kinda a cool day there.  I would like to go when all the mares and colts come in.

Irricana Farm Days

I hadn't been to the Annual show at the Irricana truck and tractor museum for a few years and this year there was a painting class that was doing a really cool windmill picture I wanted to do so I thought I should go.  One nephew, Tristan, came with me and the other, Jaret, went with Neil to an auction sale.

(honey demo)

(Joan Deere had a homemade cab)

(funny looking tractor)

(only steam powered roller tractor in the west)

(I really like those coal powered tractors)

(and the oil cooled ones, sure are unique)

(and an old grader out back)

(threshing with horses and stationary combines)

(mini threshing)

(I love this picture cut out of an old disc)

(one of the Ron Carey trucks)

(and another, someone said over 250,000 to sell one restored vehicle)

We got there just in time to miss pancake breakfast and we were starving but of course too early for lunch, so we had popcorn lol.  We looked at a lot of old stuff, pretty cool, saw a honey demonstration, wheel making, a bunch of restored trucks all belonging to the same guy, plus a truck and car show off,  threshing demonstration and then a parade which had everything from minis to drafts, donkeys and even a team of oxen.

(adorable minis)

(creepy circus wagon pulled by Fjords,

 it even had a small pipe organ in it)

(Tristan loved the Mohawk horses)

(my neighbor Austin driving a team of Clydes, he saw me as I took the pic haha)

(the donkeys were so cute!)

(an odd combination for a stagecoach, 

quarter horses in front and Clydes in the back)

(the oxen team, I think they were from down east, Nova Scotia I believe)

(this team isn't doing too well)

(some cool old cars)

(and of course a cowboy statue)

(crowd was pretty big they had different parades all day long)

Then it was painting time and what fun it was and we came out with an actual decent picture!  What a miracle lol I didn't know I could paint.

(took my pic in front of a windmill, even if mine looks like a flower, 

oops I guess the ends are not rounded)

(Tristan's and mine)

(and the whole group of us, kinda cool how they are all the same and yet all different, 

the teacher is the one is the reddish dress)

(our attempts, Jaret's drawing on top, 

my creek with red barn, 

My Mom's birds, and Tristan's Mario cause it wasn't working out)

Was so fun we had to paint for ourselves one day down in the creek, turns out I can't paint that great without instruction but I would do it again for sure.

The Pregnant Girls

So my nephews are here for the summer and so I made one come with me when i went to pick up Jessie.  It seems so far away, its about 3.5 hours but its hot and blech.  Anyways we got there and it was lunch time so we just wandered around looking at stuff and mostly standing in the shade of the barn cause it was 37*C and boy does he have flies down there.  Anyways he come out and we got Jess after paying and filling in paperwork and chatting for a while.  Then he asked if I was going by Doug's cause he had a mare and colt there.  So we loaded Jess and the mare and the colt was not halter broke yet so we just sorta herded him in.  He took off a few times so we got a panel and he just jumped in no problem but he was a terrible traveler.  But he will get better over time, there was lots of room and he moved around a lot and I think annoyed both mares.  Gerry says he expects to see me and the foal in the futurities in a few years, I said that's the plan but I may not be riding it.

(She looks good, this is when she came home, 

needed a feet trim but otherwise fat as usual)

So off we went and dropped the pair off and then we headed home.  Jess was glad to be home, probly mostly cause there was a lot less flies.  The others just accepted her right back in after Easy had to chase her around a bit to make sure she knew he was boss lol but otherwise pretty boring which is how I like it.  Super excited about this foal!

(after her feet were done figured I might as well ride)

(and see the new gate we built this summer)

Then a week or so later got a call from Carol that Nita was bred, that was a bit more ordeal they bred her and then when went to ultrasound her she was in a silent heat so they injected her and tried again and she caught the second time around.  So shes due later than I wanted but she is bred, I hope its a colt.

(Nita looks good too, fatter than when she went I think even)

So Jess is due June 4th and Nita June 23, be kinda  pain in branding season but that's how it is.  Pretty sure I wont breed next year so we can get earlier again if I like them.   Been trying to think of names for both and I got a few I like but we will see how it goes when they are born.

Clinic with Razz

So the clinic.  We had cancelled that clinic in May and we really liked him when we went in June but we were having a hard time organinizing a time we could all go together so we randomly asked if he would come to us.  he said sure just let me check the schedule and so we found a day that worked for everyone and off we went.

I had decided I was taking Razz and I wanted to work on slowing her down.  Not that shes crazy or runs off or anything but some days it is just not fun for either of us.  I had been debating on taking Easy just to get him more confident away from his friends but getting there along woulda been a challenge and I already have a plan in the works for him so we went with Razz.  Then I had been asked by a friend if they could come ride Pally and so she had been and Susan decided on only doing one session instead of 2 and so M and Pally came to the clinic too.  Then I woulda had a travelling partner for Easy but still wanted Razz so I took her anyways and so glad I did.

We each had 2 sessions to do whatever we wanted.  I thougt I wanted a group session then maybe work individually but this worked out well cause none of us were working on the same things.  I'm the only one who used the same horse twice and I we used every minute of it (I woulda used more lol but it was supper time and I think Razz was tired)

I told him what I wanted to work on and he said horses go fast for 2 reasons one is cause of unbalance and I said I doubt that's why with her and he looks skeptical and the second is they don't know how to relax at faster speeds. Part of this is because of the way a horse sees.  In pictures so of course brain has to process pics faster at a faster speed and they have to figure that out and try to do what the rider is asking and everything else going on. Well I was skeptical at this point but I'm there so away we go.  He has me work her on the ground a bit and she was pretty hesitant to give anything when we had her moving faster than a trot, she would rather face us then lope on the lunge.  We did get her going a bit but its a big arena and she is way faster than me and Scott as well.  SO then I got on and we started there cause shes more comfortable that way (me too)
He had already said by now shes pretty athletic lol as I knew she was.  More than me haha.  Anyway we loped so he could see what was going on and true to form she was fast, not out of control or anything and I did slow her down sometimes so he said he thinks he can see a few solutions.  Yay!!!  First we worked her at a walk giving her poll.  She didn't really want to at first but then she did so nice and I had trouble feeling when her back leg stepped underneath her so he helped me and made it overexagerated so I could tell and then it was easier to get what I wanted when I knew what it felt like.  Then when she was giving and stepping underneath I would ask her to move over and we did a really cool little half pass.  Hard work for her using those muscles but so much easier in the long run cause her shoulder is not in the way.  Then  we worked at a trot for a bit and did the same thing super cool.  Then the other way it took a little longer and he had to help from the ground for her to get it but then bam she was happy just walking in a circle with her poll bent in.  Its hard to explain cause they are not really bent in just a slight give at the poll without the head tilting or lowering.  He actually said she carries her head too low to be as athletic as she can be but over time working on this she will raise it where its more comfortable and easier for her.  We did a bit at the lope but I need to work on it at the trot and get it consistently before moving up so homework for me.

Then lunch and then others and my turn again.  He has something else he wanted me to work on and it kinda built on the morning stuff.  We walked in a straight line ask for her to give at the pole and she still walks straight but her right front leg and left back leg are landing in the same spot.  Was so neat, I wish someone had taken an video of me doing it.  It took a bit for her to figure out but once she did she was so proud of herself.  Me too :)  And best thing is stuff like this doesn't take a lot of effort on either of our parts so if I don't ride her much we can still work on it every time a little bit.  The giving of the poll lets them relax and gets them listening to the rider.  I rode in my cutter in the morning and the wade in the afternoon he thinks I should ride the wade more.  I agree I sit better in it but it feels so squishy lol but for arena work I think I will for trails maybe not.  Best thing he said to me was neither of us was loosing but neither was winning so we were not going backwards but not progressing either.  That's how I felt as well but made me feel good cause some days I felt like I was losing.  He also thinks her neck marking looks like a big polar bear sprawled out haha now that's all I see when I look at her now.

And as per usual I take pics of everyone and noone got pics of me.  But here is 2 from the other day trying to get confo shots was gonna send them into horse and rider and see where she would place.