Boring week...

Nothing that exciting has happened this week. Daya has been doing great in the round pen. Ive been working on backing and the usual stuff. I can tell her hormones are starting to ease off a little too. She has been really cuddly acting. I was talking to someone on the other side of the round pen the other day not paying attention to Daya, when all of a sudden she walked behind me and literally rested her chin on my shoulder. Usually a no no but what can I say, I'm growing an awfully big soft spot for my new girl.
I guess we did have one exciting day, Monday. It was really nice out so I decided to head to the barn and play with Daya. Her legs were caked in mud and there was no way to get them clean enough for her wear her sports boots. So I got the water hose out and led her outside and prayed! I started lightly misting her legs, she snorted but didn't move a muscle. So I upped the water pressure and still no fussing came from her. I ended up washing her from head to toe! The only time she did a happy dance was when I sprayed under her belly and flanks... other than that she acted like she loved it. Next on my list is some good whitening shampoo... she is one dirty girl!

O just a quick tip I learned this week... WHITE VINEGAR! I couldn't get some manure stains of her hindquarters and my mom stopped by and suggested I try it. I filled a spray bottle about 3/4 full and topped of with water and it worked great. Sprayed it on, rubbed it off and the stains were gone! I did notice though that once my rag got dingy looking that it didn't work as well so I'm going to go through the house and shred some old towels :)

Is that a hay belly or.... Uh oh!

It has been a crazy month so far. I haven't had time to update anything due to having family from out of town staying with us. (Plus my new adopted niece was here so I got my play time and Sesame street quota filled!)

Everything has been going great with Daya. Training wise that is. She has perfected yielding hindquarters, lowering her head with only the slightest touch on her poll, and is backing up with hand signals really well. Next I'm going to start on teaching her to yield her shoulders and side pass on the ground. I had planned to start reintroducing her to the saddle soon because she has been doing so well on the ground but that's gonna have to wait... maybe for quit a while! lol

I noticed last week she was acting different. She was excessively moody. One minute she would be following me around like a puppy dog and within the hour she would act like she wanted nothing to do with me... Typical mare I told myself. Then Wed. night she wasn't so interested in her grain. She took a few bites and just wasn't interested in it... A major thing for her, usually she is shaking her head like Mr. Ed until you get her feed poured in her bucket and get out of her way, then she dives nose first into it and doesn't come back up for air until she licks it clean. She did start munching on her hay so I figured I would check on her later that night to make sure she wasn't getting colic-y on me. The next morning is the same, so I get a lead rope and put her in the barn aisle and start grooming her. My mind is boggled as to what is going on with her! So I'm brushing and looking for signs of discomfort when I decide the check her under her belly, then I happen to see her udders. O crap, they are caked in wax. So I call the best vet in the world Angie and make an appointment for her to come out and palpitate Daya.

She came out today around 3pm and checked her teeth, made a horrible face when she saw the cracked front teeth, and said no wonder she is so head shy. (I wanted to say "Woman, you don't know the half of it!" lol) Daya's teeth were fine, considering and didn't need floated so we ventured to the rear end. Angie is arm deep in my mare when she gets the giggles and tells me I'm gonna be a grandma! lol Yep... Daya is knocked up! She said she is about 4 months along and she will have to be violated again by Angie in March to make sure she hasn't aborted the baby and if she hasn't to make sure the baby is in the right position. (Angie is afraid her hormone levels may push her to abort. She has shown signs of heat since I got her and is the only horse in the barn.)

Family keeps asking me if I'm excited about it. Well... yeah I love foaling season, foals and babying the mares in their last months of pregnancy but at the same time I'm a little stressed. I planned on saddle breaking her soon and I know 2 of the possible sires that could have done this! Both would not have been my ideal choice. Given that Daya is a rescue, she still has pretty decent bloodlines! Here are pics of them both:

Yeah... nothing to really jump for joy about. Ive been the victim of BACKYARD BREEDING!They are both registered Appaloosa's, although I'm not totally sure how. I need a prayer group and extra strength tylenol. Im off to bed everyone. Pray for pretty babies! lol

Some pic updates...

I wish I would have taken some better "before" pics of Daya when I first got her. She is making some really nice improvements so far in terms of body/weight condition.

Before:

Its kinda hard to see how under weight she was by the photo's. Her backbone was sticking out over an inch, her ribs were somewhat visible and her hindquarters were very skinny (I can't believe I didn't get a picture from behind!).

This pic was taken after having her for about 2 weeks on feed and free choice grass and hay. She also loved her water! Hence the muck bucket used in her run in at the end of our barn. Even with the muck bucket I still had to refill it twice a day... I think she is part camel! lol

Current Pics:

She is starting to fill out and gain muscle tone now that we are working in the round pen