Bulls

Well things are happening around here.  It suddenly got hot out, yesterday was 28*C and today they forcast 30!  way too hot for beginning of May.  Especially considering Tuesday had rain and hail and cold weather all day.

But we got our bulls back to the yard from the spring pasture and tested them yesterday, sure not my favorite job but its got to be done.  We had one that never tested but he was 6 and almost lame so not a big deal, he will just go to town next week.  We bought 2 new ones this spring after the CFIA killed 2 of them and so with 26 less cows we will have enough.  The new ones are gonna come anytime this week so that will be good to have everything here.

I started a bunch of seeds in early April, about a month later than usual but the tomatoes were getting big anyways so I transplanted them and they have been outside the last couple days when its been so warm.  Its right off the deck facing East, super handy as I have them on the window seat overnight so its nice and close.

And today off to drop off my trailer so they can do some repairs/additions and then to the draft horse sale in Olds, still hunting for a pony harness and whatever other treasures there is.

Spring

Well I think I can actually believe its spring now!  We had water running over our road for a couple weeks, I think when we got that thaw if Feb water went in the culvert and froze and so instead of going though there it was frozen and had to go on top.  It has gone down now but wow there was a lot of water for a while.

(our road, our place on the left, Craig's on the right. 

 There was over 4 feet of water cause the fence posts were not showing at all)

(and this was at the river when the ice was going out, that's a campground there)

I got Nita in with Jess and Easy and they seem to get along OK, she is still the outsider but they aren't mean to her so I guess it will come with time.  I also got in Pally and Jax cause the grass is growing and I don't need them having issues.  Jax has a cresty neck and my farrier thinks he has foundered in the past so I'm gonna be pretty careful with him.

So now that's 5 horses in, seems like a lot but I decided I will work with 2 a day and not get stressed about it.  Easy most days (5 days a week) and the others in a row.  Its working so far, except Jax only had one small outing so far cause I have no bit for him.  I did get my harness all tried on him and I dunno, I might just go buy new nylon.  Then I can get a fun color too!

(first Easy)

(the Jess working on a challenge, 

backing 20 feet then turn on hindquarters and back to beginning. 

  Kinda annoys me I used 2 hands I didn't notice till I watched video)

I set up all kinds of weird stuff in my arena, figured until I can ride out regularly and even then this will be a change of pace.  I'm going to a couple clinics this summer, a progressive series which is mostly private lessons on whatever and a trail clinic.  Not sure who's going in the progressive series, but gonna take Easy to the Trail clinic, it should be super good for him I'm hoping to get him where I can ride him out comfortably this summer.

(eww ant hill)

Checked fence after the horses were in the pasture, haha they thought I had something special and followed me around it was cute :)

Classy Nita Lena

Well that was quick.  Went yesterday to where Jessie and Easy were thought we were gonna go riding and then last minute  I called the lady with the horse for sale if we could look.  She said sure so since it was 3 hours away I hooked up the trailer and away we went.  Took the scenic route there lol but still got there in time to see her with lots of light.  She was in a smaller pen and she was easy to catch he brought her out and looped the lead around her neck she never went anywhere.  We looked her over talked to them about what I was looking for and what they did and stuff and we decided we should try riding her.  I guess its only been 2 years since she was rode and she was an 11 year old boys horse so we kinda thought should be good but you never know.  She's shorter than expected and that's good lol, she has kinda  a long back but not crazy, she is super straight front and back, a little dip in the neck, not real pretty but generally nice looking.

(her papers)

(this morning in the fog)

He said last winter she was up and the other horses got across the creek so he jumped on her bareback to go get them and she just did it through the water and all.  Well he tied up her halter and jumped on her bareback.  He had a bit of trouble steering her she was in heat and pretty sure she should go see her gelding friend.  That took like a second and then she was fine away from him but didn't wanna leave but he climbed on her butt and stood up.  Not sure I'd do that on Jessie even lol.  We locked up her buddy and took her into the yard and saddled her up she didn't care and of course I only had curb bits so I just rode her in the halter.  She still wanted to go to her friend but less than 5 minutes I could make her go anywhere in the yard I wanted, around tires the barrel the pallet whatever.

(at my house, unsure about whats going on,

 she will settle in I think soon she doesn't seem very upset, 

quite quiet actually)

(finding out the waterer, she shares with Jess and Easy 

so that's why she's in her she can see them and they can get used to her)

(our first selfie lol she came to see what I was doing)

So we decided she's got the breeding, she's gentle enough and she is a good mother, they say she was only at the breeder 4 days last time lol.  That was her 4th foal, we saw him and he was pretty nice and so I made the deal.  She was cheaper than I planned to pay even though I still have to pay a breeding fee.  That was part of the deal but not a big part, I'd rather have the horse I want than cheap out but it helped, I'm sure if they rode her for a couple weeks they coulda doubled the price on her. We loaded her up she was fine but tried to turn around before I got the divider closed but second time around she was good.  We took the shorter route home but about an hour from home we run into thick fog it was miserable.  We sorta knew where we were going but we still missed the corner and had to go farther and find a place to turn around.  The last 4 miles to her place is gravel and that was even worse, finally got there and she offered me a place to stay over and I took it.  I had planned on driving home but not in that fog if I don't have to.  We put her in the front pen and fed her and went to bed it was late.

(Oh Jess, she loves her mud)

(Easy looking around, Jess eating)

(Easy :) )

(Easy eating)

(And I called him lol hes looking at Nita she's beside me)

This morning she had to leave early, it was still foggy but seems better in the daytime so about 10:30  I decided to head home.  I caught Easy and Jess and tied them to the trailer, wasn't sure how to load, Jess in the back and that's all I knew for sure.  Went to get Nita and she just stood there while I caught her and she loaded in the front no trouble even waited for me to close the divider.  Then Easy, he was kinda nosy trying to smell her but that's why there are dividers lol.  Then Jess in the back, she's so good just staying in while I close the door.  Got home and unloaded everyone and put Nita in her own pen for a few days then she will go with Jess and Easy and hopefully my arena will dry up and I can start riding her soon.

Spring Storm

Part of the deal when I took Easy home was that I was gonna ride him every day.  Well almost he gets one day off a week, maybe 2 after a show.  Not all hard rides but he needs to be kept in shape.  Well since he came home and he was a bit of a nutcase I left him to settle in.  Then I rode him a few times and I will be honest I was a bit worried about riding him here but as soon as I sat my butt in the saddle he was like OK I know how to do this and just was like normal, whew!  Then I got busy and then it snowed and so I haven't rode him a whole lot.  I really got to get back to it.  Arena is way too wet to ride in now, hoping tomorrow or Friday I can work it and then ride.  I guess that's the downfall of dirt, if it was sand I could work it and ride anyways even if it was wet.  I really would like to show on the 8th and the 14th, will depend on if the barn is going to them shows cause I'm not confident enough to go on my own.  If I had been riding him more I probly could go ride out but not sure he's ready (or me) to walk on the soggy wet uneven ground.

(Sunday)

(Sunday)

(Monday, the poplar that looks like a weeping willow)

(Monday, looks way better)

Oh snow, we really needed moisture but if you know me I don't like snow, so was super happy when I got up on Sunday and there was no snow on the ground thought that was the worst of it, then headed up to the Mane Event with a neighbor and it was quite nice up there and come home and its white all over here :(  But while I was up there I went to see Brigitte Meyer of Vitality Equine and won a hat and a gift certificate!  Yay.  Will definitely have to use that, someday I think Easy would like that (maybe)  And visited with Louisa there as well, that was fun to have someone to talk to that understands this cutting thing and as well just getting into it.

So yesterday it was fairly nice out and I was bored cause too soggy to do much and so figured Id got for a walk (road is good) and get some pics of the ponies in the snow.  Well saw gooses and the ponies had no snow it had already melted!

(silly gooses in the snow)

(Razz, Jess, George)

(I love our 2 mile long driveway :) )

(An antelope track, never saw him though expect its bent horn)

(Razz watchin and Jess can't stop eating)

(the geese were back as I got home)

(hard to see but they are flying over the fence)

(the arena is pretty wet yet)

(lawn looking good, even see some new dandelions in there)

(A bit of water in the perennial bed, 

guess I won't have to water your rose for a few days Shirley)

(and melting out behind the house, new lake)

(and the bottom of our stairs needs to be landscaped 

feels like we are gonna get sucked in one day)

So toady will do another walk and maybe can work the garden tomorrow.

Thunderstorm

After my lesson last Saturday I visited a bit and then headed home, I was home about 7 and fed the ponies cause it kinda looked like rain.  about 8 we had a huge storm cloud over our place and I grabbed my camera and took some pics, then Neil came in the yard with Bob so I got in and he drove me out a little farther down the road and I got some better pics.  We left about 10 minutes later cause we didn't want to be caught in it and we just got in the house and the rains came!  At first it looked like it was heading south and the all the sudden started heading straight east towards us.  Inch and a quarter in about half hour!  What a mess that left us.  Kinda sucked for our hay that was down, but we did need moisture, it just woulda been nice if it was about a month ago.

After that, Monday we got another 6/10ths and then Wed another 2/10th and today its raining again.  Well I guess our hay will be clean......good thing its just for cows not so much for calves who need the extra nutrients.  But at least this should grow our oats and the grass we planted, I'm thinking our cows will be eating more greenfeed than hay this year, which is alright for them.

And I do have an update on Dee coming up, just got behind posting and so am trying to catch up while keeping stuff in order.

Clinic, Winter and My Birthday

Last weekend, I went to a one day clinic on Saturday, it was by a local reining trainer that I had heard of but never really met.  He is not that far away and he holds clinics fairly regularily throughout the summer and so we thought it would be fun to go.  I was thinking I would take Kali cause she is my least broke horse and she has some reining training, so even though it was a basic horsemanship clinic it would be nice to have somewhat similar training.  But when I went out in the morning it was dark and cold and Razz come first up, if I had rode her at all this summer I woulda taken her, but I did not have enough time to ride her down for the clinic in one day.  So then I went to get Kali and she was on the far side of the slough, so I thought maybe Bailey but she was all tense and acting really weird and so Jessie it was.  I kinda wanted to take her anyway cause she is the most in shape and I didnt know how much he would make us do.  So off we went to pick up Char and Terra and we got there and he said it was such a nice day that wwe would use the outdoor arena.  its bigger and brighter and it was so nice I spent most of the day in my long sleeve t-shirt, pretty nice for the end of October.

We started out by telling who we were and our horses and what we wanted to work on, well a lot of them rode with him for a while so he knew them and thier horses and so it was just us 3 who really had to explain, he said he knows Doug, likes him and has even bought horses off him, so that was kinda nice, kinda helpful when he knows what we are doing and what stage we were at.  We started working on collection at a standstill then a walk and trot then eventually at a lope (for some of us) Jessie has not done collection in a while but as soon as I asked she just gives, she is just so easy she just does whatever you ask.  I had a hard time getting it with one hand and so he helped me by saying to scoop the reins and lift farther forward rather than just back.  It seemed to work and we got a lot with very little pressure at all speeds.

The after lunch (of lasagna!) we worked on stops and rollbacks, mine and Chars horses were the most broke there and so we even got to do synchronized rollbacks, that was kinda fun.  We are not used to loping out of a rollback but our horses did it :)  He was saying they don't do a full rollback in a pattern cause its easier to get the right lead if they don't and he also said its not a penalty to pick up the wrong lead as long as you can change back before going around a corner.  I didn't realize that.  Interesting.  Anyways after all that I asked about lead changes cause I could not get Jess to do one without her slowing down to a trot then picking up the other lead.  She will not counter canter either (which is fine with me)  and so he walked me through it and still nothing, so he asked to get on her and I didn't really want him to but since I wanted to make sure it wasn't me (Bailey and Razz and even Kali will do a flying lead change no trouble so I couldn't figure it out)  and he got on her and was surprised how sensitive she is, lol.  Made em laugh cause he always says to put my leg in her and I never really did but then he could see why, no need!  Anyways he said she doesn't move her hip, and I said she does but you have to put your leg farther back, and then it all made sense, we always make her move her shoulder for cutting so she automatically does that first which causes her to change in front but not in back and so I decided I am OK with that, I don't need to mess her up for cutting just for lead changes, she always takes the correct lead so we quit worrying about it.  Whew its not me, lol.  I wouldn't have been surprised if it was, I have never taught a horse to do a flying lead change, they just usually do it but I guess I musta been teaching them without realizing it.

We just decided to go one day and I am glad cause Saturday night Sunday morning it was sure a weather change, it rained then snowed and more snow.  Wasn't very cold, just around freezing but sure not t-shirt weather.

 It was East Coulee breakfast so we went to that and visited with a whole bunch of people around there we don't see very often.  Then home and since it was my birthday I did a whole lot of nothing :)  Until I decided I needed a cake so I made myself one.  I picked my favorite box cake, spice, and mmm was it good.  We didn't have icing but that's OK I liked it anyways.  I never made my favorite meal cause that's too much work (ribs and spaghetti), Neil was gonna take me to Red Lobster but we didn't wanna drive in Calgary on the first snowy day of the year so we had smokies and intense dill Doritos ( I love those!) and cake.  We will go to Calgary another day and have lobster, my mouth is watering just talking about it.

No pics of the clinic, no one to take them and LaTonne asked if the blizzard would affect prices, I doubt it will right away, at some point we might see some change, but more recently was the news that Tyson wasn't buying anymore Canadian beef and so that will probly affect us more, but they only want finished cattle, so not sure if that will be immediate either, and since the rules are so weird (it only has to be fed for 3 months in the US to be considered US beef with COOL)  it may not matter at all, have to wait and see.  I feel glad to be sold our animals and we arent worrying about it yet.  Still watching to see what is happening but not worried yet.