Archive for March, 2012

Foaling time is almost here!

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

Well, the first mare due to foal has been brought into the barn & is handling it pretty well. If you have been reading any of my posts you’ll know that this mare doesn’t like being stalled so I was a little nervous about bringing her into the barn in preparation for foaling (she’s a first time mare) but I certainly wasn’t comfortable leaving her outside to foal either. Our weather has been absolutely beautiful so temperature isn’t really a problem this year, I just feel better having her in the barn. Anyway, I brought her pasture buddy into the barn with her and have her stalled right next to her & all is going well. Actually, I didn’t realize the two were such good buddies. I brought our 2 show mares for the yearย  in at the same time with the intention of stalling the younger mare next to the bred mare in the barn & leaving the older show mare outside in a pen next to the barn for a couple of weeks yet. I got the stalls ready, put the young filly in & the bred mare in & thought we were all set. But the mare outside is whinnying & the bred mare is whinnying so I switched & took the younger mare outside & brought the older mare into the stall next to the bred mare & everyone was happy.ย  So all is going well and now it is just a waiting game. The mare’s due date is April 6-7 so we are about a week off and she isn’t showing any signs at this point of speeding things up. Hopefully though by next week I will have foal news to report! In the meantime I love hearing about everyone else’s new foals and seeing the pictures posted. Happy foaling everyone!

A beautiful week of 70 degree temperatures

Saturday, March 17th, 2012

It is an absolutely beautiful day here! Wow, amazing for March to enjoy temperatures in the ’70’s. I am loving it!

Nothing too newsy here this week. Ethan took a job away from home so now I am riding the shetland gelding on a regular basis. It has been 35 plus years since I have done any training from the saddle! I forgot how much an inexperienced horse will do the stop/start, stop/start dance and how they don’t like (or want) to walk in a straight line. But overall Bucko is actually doing really well and I am enjoying the riding especially in such beautiful weather. Ethan has done a good job at getting him started. I’m grateful that I didn’t have to do the ‘hard’ work of getting him used to the saddle and rider.ย  ๐Ÿ™‚

Feels like Spring!

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

Wow! Today is a warm, breezy day! Feels good to be outside without a coat on & the promise of spring is just around the corner. We’ve had an easy winter this past year so nothing to complain about but still there is something about the thought of spring that just gives a person energy & creates an excitement of it’s own.

Our training continues with the gelding under saddle and he is coming along nicely. Ethan has been riding him outside of the round pen & he is getting used to noises and things away from the barn. He is also improving with his reining and stop and go. So now it is just ride, ride, ride. Our little neighbor boy who is 2 1/2 years old was visiting yesterday afternoon so we gave him a ride on Bucko. He loved it and Bucko acted like it was an everyday occurrence so I think he’ll be ready for his young riders.ย ๐Ÿ™‚

The brood mares are looking fat and sassy. It’s time this week-end to move the first mare due into the barn. She is still about a month off but I like to have them acclimated especially since it’s her first foal.

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful day in your corner of the world!

Foaling time is getting close!

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

Foaling time is drawing near and as always, I am anticipating the arrival of our first foal of 2012! I love foaling season! Our first mare is due around the first part of April. She is our ASPC mare, Outlaw’s Tap Dancer, a daughter of D&S Tom Collins and out of our Michigan bred mare, Kamelot’s Dancing Ballerina. This will be her first foal and also our 2nd cross with a Tom Collins daughter bred to our other Senior Stallion, AE Bey Star. The poor girl is as broad as a barn and honestly I’m not sure if she will fit through the side barn door that I usually use. I might have to open up the big doors to bring her into the barn. She also doesn’t like stalls so it will be interesting to see if she is feeling too fat to argue with the stall or if she’ll throw fits being in a stall. I’ll have to keep a close eye on her that’s for sure. Her foal will be our only April foal so of course, it will be spoiled. ๐Ÿ™‚ Did I say that I love foaling season?