Mane Event 2009

This year the Canadain Reg. of the Tennessee Walking Horse pulled out all stops for the Mane Event in Red Deer. We put together an awsome demo team consiting of four riders and buggy. I think we did a good job of showing the different things you can do with your walking horse. I brought Mira again, and she was super good. We even cantered when I rode western, but I wasn't confident enough to do it saddle seat as I hadn't ridden in that saddle since last year.

Riders are: Carla Freeman, Lorrie Dyberg, Bill Roy, Me, and in the buggy Keith Oberlie

New additions

We have some new additions! Glory gave us a new filly on May 1 a real pretty little girl. Right on her due date too. Two names that we like are "A Going Concern" or "Glory Be".

I also posted a picture of Jake, our new puppy.

We had hiway clean up today, the weather was real nice, and we had pizza afterward. 4-h is really picking up with the beef show at the end of the month and then the multi show on June 20, so Tyler has lots of work with his steer and Mira.

I've got an incubator now, with 40 eggs on the go, 9 duck eggs the rest chicken. It will be so cool when they start to hatch, I can hardly wait.

so much news, so little time

Here I was going to faithfully update my blog every week, and would you look at it, months have flown by. Gord left Feb. 7 to go drive on the ice roads up north and got back 31 days later as they were done. Lots of contracts were cancelled so the season was quite short. He took lots of cool pictures. This is my favorite. I guess the crazy bird hitched a ride for 2 miles. They only go 15 km/h, so hanging on was no problem. Gord even unrolled the window for a better picture. He got pictures of wild Buffalo standing on the side of the road, 7 bobcats sitting in the snow, a fox who stole somebody's boot, lots of trucks and snow and ice. I think he enjoyed the challenge, because he is all set to go up next year. And no, he didn't make a years income like in the TV show, that's only if you own your own truck, don't have any breakdowns, never get sick, bad weather and the hundred other things that prevent a trucker from working.

It warmed up!!

Finially, it has warmed up. OK, I tried to get a picture of the babies playing on the hill and as soon as I got close enough all the mothers ran up to me to say hello. Goofy things. I also got a shot of Penny, a foal from Money and Blondie. She's turning into a deep liver chestnut, but now I noticed that her legs are getting lighter. So who knows what colour she might end up.

Worked with Dee and Star today. Dee is going to be a big girl, we worked on lunging mostly. She has a hard time going in one direction but I think we made headway today and I should be able to saddle her next time I work with her. Star is just coming 2. He is going to be a real sweety. I had him tied to the fence waiting and he fell asleep! Just worked on picking up his feet, accepting things on and around him and giving to preasure (hips over, that kind of stuff).

Hey, I just discovered that you can click on the pictures and make them huge. If you click on the goat pics, you can see all babies.

New Year's Resolutions

All right, who made a New Year's Resolution? I've decided that I'm not going to make one for losing weight, getting in shape or even riding more. No, I''m going to try and go a little deeper into my self. My resolution is going to be anther cliche. "BE HAPPY" Sounds simple right? But that means not relieing on someone or something else for that happiness. Finding it within and then passing it on. Be happy means instead of fretting over what I can't buy (hmmm new horses?) be happy with what I have. Be happy meands not stressing over what I think my children can succeed at, but what they ARE succeeding at. Be happy means not whining that my husband isn't home, but when he is home make this the best, most positive home we can be in.

Fran

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So much has happened around here since I last posted. We had several 4-H events which took up several weekends. I did make it to the arena once with Rascal. Had a good ride on him. Tyler took Mira for one 4-h project lesson.

Then the cold weather hit and so did kidding. So far in two weeks we have kidded out 33 goats and have 50 live babies. Not bad considering it was -40 for three days in a row. All right before christmas too! We had upwards of 16 babies in the house at night as I just did not have enough heat lamps to go around. And when the babies are first born, they don't know enough to stay under the lights and are in danger of freezing to death. So we take the babies into the house right after birth to get them completely dry and warmed up, back to mom for some bonding time and maybe a drink then back in the house. I tell you, they are noisy!!

But it is much nicer outside now, all but two have kidded and things are settling down. Just a few bottle babies to feed.

The house water froze up for a few days, the heater tipped over under the house and everything froze up solid. Of course, this was when we had all those babies in the house! Still no water in the kitchen, but at least the bathroom works.

Got another week before school, so I hope to get some riding in. I really want to get some work on Raz and Carpet, and some ground work on those long two year olds started. I did get some time in on Dee and Bell. Tied Wilbure up and gave him a good grooming. Got lots of horse feet to trim and goat feet too, so I should be pretty busy during the holidays.

The fall weather sure has been nice, we've managed to get lots of out door work done, even with Gordon working in Vancouver. With the help of CRTWH, providing a lovely new banner and brochures, and the WHN for the extra magazines, I manned a table at the St Paul Harvest Festival. The Festival is held every second year for six years now and I've been to every one of them. Mornin's Miracle was a wonderful ambassador to our breed, hanging her head over the stall for the entire weekend lapping up all the attention. Although they didn't have breed demo's this year because of time constraints, I did have two of the trainers from the Trainers Challenge ride Mira after they done. The winner of the challenge couldn't believe how smooth Mira was and is now looking at getting one for her arthritic father.

We also participated in Cattle Sorting. It's kind of like team penning, but you only have two team mates and must sort the cattle in numerical order with the first number being called out by the announcer in 75 seconds. The pros could do 9 calves, us beginners were lucky if we got in one or two. It was great fun.

I had a nice visit from Bob Lamport, his daughter-in-law Phyllis and granddaughter Trina back in Sept. Trina met my son Tyler at a 4-H camp and they came up to see our walking horses. Bob imported one of the first stallions into Alberta way back when, by the name of Prince Radar. He still has a few of his descendents on the farm. I brought Mira out and rode her around a bit for Bob. His whole face lit up when he heard that wonderful 1 2 3 4 thunking of a good run walk. It didn't take me long to persuade him to hop on for a ride. It had been three years since he sat a horse and he enjoyed himself so much. The visit was over much too soon, as they had a long drive back.

I've weaned 3 of my 4 foals, as the last one is too young yet, so am having fun doing their ground work. Eddie, my bottle baby from last year is a great babysitter as he is so mellow and relaxed with anything we humans may do that the babies are following his example.

Finially thought of a name for Angel's little colt. CSR Rascal's Lil' Puzzle. He sure is cute, and way smaller than the other babies, even though his mom is like 16hh.

I lost one of my foals. I had decided to wean the last two foals as the first two were doing well. The mares came in for water except for Koko and her baby. Went out to find them and found the baby in the fence. He missed the gate and tryed to hop throught the fence instead. Some how he got the bottome wire twisted around his hind foot and ruptured the tendon and ligament as well as ripping the muscle to the bone. So it was with very sad hearts that we put him down as the vet said that with injuries of this type the risk of tendon and bone infection were incrediable high.



Busy weekend with 4-h as we have weigh in on the 11th. The boys had to go out and round up the cows and then pick out the calves that they want to use this year. We are also going to have a stall mate that will be in the freezer next year. So now we have to tag them and get them haltered.

Sold the last of my goats yesterday, and also got rid of a few more chickens, so now I'll have to go out and take stock of what is left to feed for the winter. Just got to move the bunnies to the barn and I think I'm all set! We still have more to wood to haul, but that's a never ending chore. Mind you, I like not having to pay a natural gas bill!