2 witchy attitudes and 2 hearts of gold...

Daya and Lootah:
Full blown attitude is all I have to say. Earlier this week Daya had her feet trimmed by Mike and she really showed her butt (which I promptly worked off!!!). She was being very fidgety and didn’t care to much for standing still for Mike or picking her hind feet up for him. Out of nowhere she gave Mike a nice little warning shot with a hind leg and clipped his elbow! No ears pinned back, no warning at all. Needless to say I worked her big opinionated butt until she lifted her back feet gently and didn’t even think about moving a muscle. Kicking is a big no-no for me and I don’t tolerate it at all. Even if a horse flips it’s tail at me when I ask for a hind leg, it had better be warning a fly because I feel it’s a warning to me someone is going to boot camp!

After Lootah's first bath

It must have felt pretty good to be sprayed off

on such a hot day because she was full of herself!

As for Lootah! What have I gotten myself into. Mike also wanted to start working with her feet. Her heels were growing fast and making her walk on her toe more than what we liked to see. I also noticed it was making her walk as if she was over at the knee. So I put her halter on her, did some basics to get her attention on me and started messing with her feet. Mike took over and started messing with her feet and picking up her legs…. that’s when all hell broke loose. Lootah kicked out a few times, no big deal because it’s a foal thing, but when Mike didn’t give her what she wanted she bared her teeth, pinned her ears and actually went AFTER him! More than once! I was speechless! I have never seen a foal go after someone with such animosity… ever! Mike laughed it off and continued to push her buttons until she stopped and yielded that little butt but it still unsettled me. So baby training is going into overdrive and I’m hoping I can train this behavior out of her before the gets some decent size to her….




Katie:


This girl is proving to be worth her weight in gold. She handles everything so well. My equine dentist Ed stopped by yesterday morning to do Katie’s teeth. She has been dropping feed and holding her head at an angle when eating her grain. Her mouth was a mess and I felt so bad for taking so long to schedule an appointment for her. She had hooks, sharp edges and Ed doubt she had ever had her teeth done before. She handled everything like a pro. She didn’t flinch when it came time to give her a shot and allowed Ed to run his “power tools” easily in her mouth . He had to really focus on a few areas that were very bad but she stood there and didn’t seem to care at all. She was much happier come feeding time this morning and never dropped a singe crumb.

Charlie:

Charlie is the little a 5 year old appaloosa mare I have in training right now for a friend of the family. They bought this little mare for their daughter about a year ago but she was labeled green, hot and needed many more miles put on her. I told them that a green horse and young rider would not be a good fit at all and that it would be better to sell this mare and buy and older broke horse for his daughter. I’m a firm believer in the “Green and green = Black and blue!” theory. So he asked if I would still put miles on her, see what problems we were facing and see if I could finish her out to be resold. In the beginning, I would have bet money that this horse was going to be a fire cracker by the description the previous owners have given them! But this little mare just about made me eat my hat! Lol She is barely 14 hh but she has the heart of lion. That horse will take on just about anything. She has a playful attitude, always meets you at the gait and will do just about anything to be with you . She knows the basics so I’ve started teaching her how to yeild and bend with leg pressure, back like a pro and tackle crazy obstacles out on the trail. She gets unsure about things like new ditches but one squeeze of the leg and she tackles it head on. This little girl really does have what it takes to be a good kids horse and her owners couldn't be happier. She isn't hot and or spooky, she does whatever is asked of her and you would have no idea she is a mare by the way she acts! Love this little horse.

Some photo's of Lootah's first week...

^ Funniest thing I've ever seen. It had been so rainy the week she was born and the barn was surrounded by mud! She didn't know what to think about the mushy stuff and gave it a few test pokes with her hoof.

Nap time...

More recent photo's will be coming soon. Im having a small problem with my camera and need to update the software on my computer to upload the new pics. There are more videos on my youtube channel as well so please feel free to check them out!

Im surrounded by divas!

Well its been over a month since I last updated everyone on how the Daya’s filly has been doing. Sorry for taking so long. Things at the barn and home have gone absolutely crazy. I’m up to 4 horses (all mares and all in training!) plus Daya and her diva filly, which means between feeding, cleaning stalls, training, doing my good little housewife deeds and crazy weekend adventures with the hubby and family, I just haven’t had time to do anything! This is actually the first time I've even been able to think about relaxing in what seems like over a month. I have lots of pictures coming up soon and some new videos I plan on adding to my youtube channel soon.

Daya’s filly is growing like a weed and hasn’t been the easiest little girl to work with until here recently. We ended up calling her Lootah which is Native American for the word red (I don’t even want to think about her registry name yet). My husbands grandfather recently passed away and was a horse lover to the very core. I don’t think there was ever a day when he didn’t ask me if that foal was on the ground yet. He was so excited to see her but didn’t make it to see her born. His nickname was Red and the entire community called him that, so I thought it would be a fitting name for the new filly and my husband loved the idea of naming her after his crazy, horse loving grandpa.

So Lootah it is and boy is she a little firecracker! Just like her mother. Sensitive, smart and loves being loved. She is also very dominant!! Only a month old and already trying to push the other mares around. If one gets to close to her and mommy, she snakes that head around and pins her ears so flat you would think she was born without them. I’ve been trying to get this on video but have had no luck.

The first few weeks Daya was giving me problems when it came time to work with the foal. In the beginning the foal didn’t mind being rubbed all over at all but Daya did. She never showed any aggressive behavior but would put herself in between me and foal when entering her stall or making the baby move away from me when out in pasture. Within a few days the baby would not approach me and would panic when I tried to approach her. So I decided I would ignore the foal complete, pamper momma and let both of them learn to relax around me again. Worked like a charm! I am now thought of as the best butt scratcher in the barn by Lootah and Daya doesn’t care what I do as long as her hay net is full and every hair on her 1200 lb body is neatly in place… What have I got myself into? I’ve got 2 full blown Divas on my hands…

ITS A GIRL!

Woohoo! Daya finally had a cute little filly this morning. I didn't get to see it though... sneaky old mare. She showed absolutely NO signs last night when I left the barn. Its ok though, both are healthy. Baby is eating well and Daya acts only slightly peeved when I approach her or the baby. So far she is being a great momma. No if I can only keep the in-laws out of the barn... I wonder if they would think twice if I guarded the stall with a dressage whip. *insert evil giggle*

And now the moment you have been waiting for... Pics!

I will also post a link to youtube later today once I get some video!

We have wax!

Yay! Daya started waxing up a little on Saturday, just small beads but this morning it is full blown. I also noticed Sunday she started dripping milk a little. A foggy white color so I know we are getting closer. This morning it looked like pure colostrum. She also has a huge shelf of edema on her belly since Saturday night. I have been giving her time off, just letting her hang out and do her own thing for the past two weeks but tonight I may hand walk her around the barn a little.

As for "Katie" the new mare, I have had her in the round pen and she is doing well. She catches on fast and has turned into little miss attitude (but in a good way). It is a challenge to keep her tuned into me but that will get better with time. My farrier Mike came out last week and worked on her hooves. She did great but her hooves are in less than ideal condition. She has no heel, flared on the back and one of her front feet is bigger than the rest due to not being trimmed/balanced and her hoof wall spreading out as a result of trying to compensate for it. Nothing major that will cause her lameness but it erks me that her previous owner has so many horses and doesn't keep them on a regular trimming schedule. On the bright side Mike did say she has incredibly tough soles and her frogs look wonderful considering she has no heel.

I have also saddled her up and taken her for a few rides in the round pen. She needs work but is so gentle and willing. I've been trying different bits and hackamore on her because the pallet/roof of her mouth is the lowest Ive ever seen. She is very stiff, doesn't like giving her face to you when asked and has no idea about leg pressure or responding to your seat. She also will not walk forward with a gentle squeeze. You literally have to kick! Poor girl, I can only imagine how many times she had a beginner kick the crap out of her because they didn't know any better. (Oh and did I mention they let beginners ride her in a tomb thumb! grrr No wonder she is so stiff and braces against the bit.) My farrier also said he used to do a few of her previous owners horses a few years ago and that 9 times out of 10 they were always "ridden hard a put away wet"! Not anymore, my barn must feel like staying at the Ritz for my two gals compared to their old homes.

I also need help naming this girl. She is really laid back and LOVES water. The water hose is her favorite thing ever and she will play with it nonstop if you let her. Cant think of anything....

A long blog about my hectic week! (w/ pics!)

What a week its been so far. It all started with an email from an old high school friend Elaine. She sent me a message asking me if I knew of anyone interested in an AQHA buckskin yearling and sent me some pics. Boy was he a cutie! I honestly thought about it but ended up sending her a reply saying there is no way I want to deal with 2 unbroken horses and a foal on the way and that if I bought anymore horses it would have to be a husband horse that anyone could ride. Well, wouldn't you know she had one! An 11 yr old QH/ Standardbred cross mare that was bomb proof and used as a backup trail horse for family and friends that didn't have much experience. Here is the kicker... Elaine also added that if I wanted her she was FREE! She had to many horses and needed to lighten her work load. Well I was sold without even looking at her but Elaine told me to back my saddle bags and come take her for a test ride at Zaleski State Forest for the Relay for Life trail ride.

So I did. I pulled into the Zaleski Horse Camp at 11, saddled up and headed out with Elaine and her family on a 2 hour trail ride. I was a little hesitant to ride once I saw the mare. She was a tad underweight! I checked her over though and her back looked fine so I threw some extra pads on her and made sure she was comfortable with my weight on her on a warm up trail. She did great so we headed out to meet the group of riders waiting for us. Everything was going great until we got about 2 miles down the trail and Elaines Aunt's horse spooked! Bad! I'm still not sure what happened, all I could see was a horses belly rearing up and going backwards. Needless to say her Aunt couldn't get out of the saddle fast enough and had all 1100 lbs of her horse land on her and rolling down a steep bank. We all scrambled to get to her, kept her talking and still. She complained of leg and back pain so an ambulance was called. They came out on the trail with 4wheelers pulling a stretcher on a trailer and a helicopter waiting for her at the end of the trail. We were all very shook up but were relieved to hear that she had no broken bones or permanent damage after many x-rays.

I came home that night and talked about everything with hubby. I wanted that mare! lol The only problem I had was getting her home. The project trailer still needs 1 floor board replaced and there is no way I was hauling in it until it was fixed. That's when I got a small smirk from hubby. He knows I hate that trailer and told me if I could find one I like for under $6,000 we could go pick it up by the end of the week. I got right on it and found a Sundowner 4 horse slant load with an aluminum ramp that I LOVE! (He loves it because he can fit his 4-wheelers in the back and as much camping gear as his little desires!) So Tuesday we drove 4 hours one way to pick it up, fought traffic for 4 hours home through rush hour and 3 big cities with crazy freeway exits. My nerves are still shot and I wasn't the one driving. That sucker is huge and its going to be awhile before I feel safe hauling by myself.

So I called Elaine when we got home and set up a time to pick up my new mare Wednesday night. Everything went well. She loaded herself and patiently nibbled her hay net while I closed her divider and tied her in. When we got home I she unloaded fine and started getting antsy while calling for her former pasture buddy's. She is a little herd bound but not bad at all once you get her attention on you. I put her in the round pen for a few minutes to let her sniff around and let her nerves settle. She is going to need a lot of round pen time. She has no idea about moving hindquarters over, backing up or looking for a cue to stop when you have her going around the pen. She loves standing right over your shoulder ALL the time and actually tried to push me out of the way when I was taking her to her new stall. No big deal really but I'm all about ground manners and my own personal space! Now time for pics...

Here she is!

(Not usually one to braid a horse's mane but it wont stay on the right side! lol)

Previous name was Katie... Any new name ideas?

She really needs come weight and muscle tone.

And of course Daya, very pregnant and very unhappy about it!
She does seem to get enjoyment out of taking it out on the new mare. Shessh! That is one moody appy.

Poor girl. She acts miserable! Her back legs have been swelling if I dont make her walk in the roundpen everyday but she loves having cold water sprayed on them afterwards.
Maybe my next blog will have foal pics!

This and that

Everything has been pretty quite at the barn this week. I've had to put Daya in the round pen a few times to keep her attitude in check! She hasn't really bagged up much more but her hindquarters continue to change. She has also been defecating a lot more than usual so stall cleaning has been fun! lol

I also wanted to share a little tidbit my farrier passed along to me. I have been battling thrush this spring in Daya's feet and nothing has been helping. He told me to stop waisting money on the name brand thrush products and pick up a bottle of Lysol Brand Concentrate. You don't have to dilute it and it kills all the germs/bacteria causing the problem. Ive used it for a few days now and I can already tell a difference! Plus its only about $6 a bottle.

Here is a funny little list I received in an email and thought I would share it. Some of them are pretty funny if you''ve ever had a spooky horse...

Top 11 Spookey Things
A horse's point of view

11. Squirrels:
Killer rodents that can attack from below, the side or ABOVE


10. Blowing Paper:
"At any moment it could whip up into our faces, covering our noses. We could suffocate. And don't try to tell us you'd do CPR."

9. Barking Dogs:
"What? You've never read Steven King's CUJO?"

8. Puddles of Water:
"Quicksand."

7. Trash Cans:
"They've been known to swallow horses and transport them into another dimension."

6. Babies and Li'l Kids:
"Long lost tribe of horse-eating pygmies."

5. Plaid Horse Blankets:
"Hey, when was the last time you wore plaid? It adds 100 lbs."

4. Ropes and Hoses on the Ground:
"Dreaded North American Trail Snakes."

3. Ponies:
"Cute, cleaver, hardy. They want to take over the world."

2. Windy Days:
"Two Words: impending tornado."

1. Carts and Wagons:
"Look. You put a human on our backs, we can always buck them off. But hitching a horse to a wheeled object? It's just not right."