Spring?

Another day of friggin cold blowing wind... just when I make a little progress with the horse then she gets time off. We have so many big pines on our property that when it's blowing the horses get too spooked. I cleaned house all morning then cleared sage brush from fence line all afternoon. I can barely move tonight...

Yesterday QT had a good work out in the round pen. She has been giving me attitude when I lunge her, have been using the lunge line to keep her from getting to riled up. well the little brat gets to the same spot, does a big power stop, spins to the outside, heads the other way bucking & acting silly cause the rope is now across her hip or across her hocks... Well i have been letting this go for too long now. So a little horse whispering nipped that in the bud... All we did was a join up, 100% attitude adjustment. Following me around like a puppy dog, no attitude, no bucking. She has gone through all the steps before but i guess after lazing around all winter she needed a little reminder as to who the herd boss is around this ranch! Back to being QT Patootie!! I did have another name for her the past couple of weeks :~) Even though she loves gettng hugs, smooches & brushing, the other name was when my arm was getting jerked in the round pen... Looking forward to riding at a local horse clinition's place when they get back from holidays. I love thier arena & it's close by so don't have to come down off the hill. Miles of room to turn around too!!

Next week I am going to move the trailer next to the round pen to block the far side so QT can have a loading lesson. She was giving me attitude last fall. Then over the winter i watched one of my chris irwin videos, forgot i had it. Oh yeah - how easy is that... I am sure only one lesson will fix her since she knows better. Actualy I don't know why i didn't think of this on my own. Natural horsemanship techniques are so awesome. You don't get the quick results like you do with the old style techniques but the results you do get are far better! Actualy i have always trained gentle - there is just a name for it now. Good old steady Dox is living proof. He couldn't be more stready, move any nicer, be any softer he is just plain awesome. He's never been to a trainer, never been rode with any contraptions like spurs, martingales, nose bands etc... never had his head tied up, never rode heavy handed....... Only ever rode with a easy cub bit or snaffle, nothing on my saddle except one cinch. I missed his 17th birthday on thursday - tomorrow we celebrate with a bag of carrots, a ride & some special him & me time. Maybe his new fence will be finished & he can venture into the new area for his present!! A float too for his b'day, he gets that every year though :~)

Countdown to babies begins soon!!! 8 weeks..........

Paradise

It was so beautiful today - words can not describe!! I had to work until 2 then packed it in for some horse fun in the Sun!! Stupid ass work - I'd kill to pack it in & train all Summer - it still could happen... Sell everything - no responsibilities - buy a fancy truck & trailer - invest a wad in the bank & live off of .... maybe ranch work, training.... ideas??? I could still do 'some' books on my laptop in my new LQ trailer :~) No more mortgage payments, property maintenance, house insurance, responsibilities etc... I've been nudging Dad to finaly retire & maybe start an outfitting school/clinics etc... I'll come work there Dad :~) Dad is the KING of back country & so good with people. Who wouldn't feel good in the mountains with a former green barret with a life time of back country & horse experience.

I had planned on 1st ride of the season for QT today but my neck was so sore that I didn't have it in me. Besides she is so out of shape - only a short time on the lunge line & she was puffing & sweating pretty hard. Tomorrow I take some Ibuprofen BEFORE I go out... no stiff neck & I am riding if it kills me...lol...

Changed the horses around today. Moved Belle & Sapphire over into the main barn. QT & Jem are in the grass field with the run through shed - so they can get away from each other when there are mare issues & nobody kills each other. Jem is such a biotch with her so called friends. QT kind of pushes Saphire around to run with her & Sapphire is getting to big a baby belly to play. Also the mamas can build up immunity to the foaling stall germs. Belle & Sapphire can share the nice feeding box that Dave built now. I am going to set up a slow feeding net in it tomorrow. Jem was to insecure to be that far away from her pals to eat from it....

Dox loves it - new mares to check...lol... funny how a mare can move from the field on one side of his pen to the other field & he is sure I brought some hot new paint babe home for him... just checkin he says...lol... He thought he might get to breed Jem today but no such luck - she was out - only 4 days - she wouldn't have caught anyway on a short cycle. Next time she will be cycling regular, now that Spring is finaly here. Another interesting fact - he gets way more excited about a good looking mare or a paint mare - now I won't breed him to ugly but a common mare gets nothing near the reception that a hot babe gets... My vanity must have rubbed off....lol.....

Looking forward to another day of horses tomorrow!!!

Gorgeous day, arena is all worked, horses are all brushed, poop is cleaned up, stalls are full of sawdust, my elbow still hurts from the freaking 90# bales... Gonna work QT tomorrow afternoon - can't wait!!

Spring?

I'm wondering if Spring will ever come... probably with a bang & it'll be hotter than heck all Summer!!! Oh I can't wait!!

I lunged QT on Thursday, she was real good, then Gotfried came over to put shoes on her. Weather has been crap ever since... I still have frozen ice jam in my arena in front of Dox stall... geez...

Now gotta go get hay tomorrow so I will be sure to have some until 1st cut. Holy crap $250/ton... One guy quoted $9/bale that worked out to $265/ton. There is hay in Bridesville but it's either dusty/rocky or the stuff I called about from the bargain hunter has stink weed in it. Checked out stink weed & horses can colic or abort foals so that is out of the question. After listensing for almost an hour about how great it is then last thing - oh it has stink weed in it... Never heard of it so i googled it. Always get burned on buying hay this time of the year. If the idiot that sold me all my winters hay could do a better job on his hay - close to a ton of open hay bales :~( & the other hay guy that promised me 2 ton in the Spring but now won't sell any...

Jem is in season starting today so Dox wil be a happy boy in a few days....lol.... finaly gets to earn some keep...lol... I am anxious to ride him some more, he was doing so well, no stiff shoulder anymore... yeah.... actualy both Jem & QT are peeing through the fence at him... he's happy...

Hoping someone buys Jem. New sheep next door today... she was scared to death when I fed tonight. She can't seem to get over the sheep & chickens next door. QT is in with her & QT was like wth is going on... trying to be good & stay out of her way... She has really turned into a sweet mare.

Just a little over 2 months until babies are due. Sapphire & Belle are 1 week apart... going to be a busy week if they are both close. June babies are late but so much more enjoyable on a warm Summers eve, rather than freezing your but off in February out in the barn at 2 am... Thank God we have advanced in technology enough that we have cameras in the barn now. Many nights spent in the barn on my cot freezing...

Well I better sign off - have to be in K to get hay at 9:30 am :~(