Almost Christmas

I am finally getting back to the blog! Life has been hectic and although I still get out to the barn 3-4 days a week to ride Harley, I don't get much time to blog. Harley is doing great. He has such a fun and playful personality. He acts like such a kid. 

Harley is putting on weight and getting stronger every day. He will be five years old in January, but is still really just a kid (especially in his mind). He loves the girls. One day Grace was playing in the dirt just outside the arena where Harley was turned out. Harley kept running by the fence and kicking up his heels trying to get her attention. He wanted her to play with him so bad.  Sometimes the girls will run on the track outside the arena and Harley will gallop along beside them and then race them to the finish. He loves it!

Even though he loves to play, Harley is a serious worker when being ridden and picks up everything so quickly. He is learning to collect himself (have a slow, controlled trot and lope) and takes leg cues very well. He will stop on voice command and backs up like a dream. I have started taking some riding lessons from my friend Brooke. I don't want Harley to get too far ahead of me!

Audrey is riding Harley as well and gaining confidence. He is definitely more careful with her on his back. He is going to make her a great 4-H horse!

Enjoying the day

AHHH!

Silly Boy

If he ever figures out how fast he is......

Friday is doing great with her pregnancy! She looks as big as she did last year, but the ultrasound only showed one baby. She is in a paddock with another pregnant mare and they stand around a lot eating and getting fatter. I miss not riding her, but she is way to big at this point. Her due date is May 8th which seems miles away.

More on Harley

Harley is turning out to be a great horse. He is pretty quiet and has a great base of training under him. He likes the girls and is interested in everything around him. 

The vet came out the other day to check on Friday and examine Harley. Horses need to have their teeth looked at occasionally. Because they graze, their teeth grow fairly continuously. In the wild, their teeth stay worn and even  (more rocks in the diet, I guess). In situations like Harley's, where his fed hay and grain, they get sharp edges on their teeth that can make it hard to chew. Harley was kind of struggling to chew up his grain, so I had the veterinarian check him. Sure enough, he had sharp edges on several teeth. The vet gave him some sedation and then filed his teeth down. Hopefully, this will help him gain weight.

He said he thought Harley was a great horse and just needed a bit more weight. We have the feeding thing figured out, so that won't be too hard. Now it will just take time.

Audrey on Harley      photo by Grace!

Friday is doing great! Her pregnancy is progressing without problem. She looks good and the vet said she can be off ReguMate now. Yipee! She is still moody and is a bully to Harley, but otherwise great!

Photo by Grace

We Got a Harley!!

We have Audrey's new horse Harley now. He is a 4 year old registered Quarter Horse gelding and he has a great temperament. His registered name is Streakin Harley. He is descended from some great racing stallions and mares. He is almost the same color as Friday, but a little lighter. He is well broke and works off leg commands. He is a little skinny at the moment, but we will remedy that soon.

Flies!

There is not much activity at the barn when the flies are thick and the temperatures are in the 90's. The horses don't feel like working and neither do we!

We do have some newsworthy items to report. Audrey took Smoky to one of the 4-H practice sessions and was able to ride with some of her fellow 4-H club members. Both Audrey and Smoky did very well. It was a hot day and the heat definitely tired both rider and horse out. 

Working on Western Equitation with Smoky

Which way are we going?

Audrey and Smoky

Despite having Smoky's hocks injected, he still is very stiff in his hind legs. The farrier (horseshoer) could not get shoes on him without causing a lot of pain. We have taken him on several short trail rides and ridden him in the arena, but it is getting to the point where he is not comfortable being ridden. We have made the decision (in collaboration with his owner John), to put him out to pasture. He will be going to a pasture in Morgan, Utah to spend of the rest of his days in a herd of older horses. We will miss him! We hope to visit him this fall in his new pasture. Audrey will be getting a new horse this fall or next spring. She is ready to start doing a bit more in 4-H.


Friday is doing very well with her pregnancy and her manners. She has been on several trail rides and is reining and stopping well. As her abdomen gets bigger she seems less interested in running off. She loves being fed treats and pampered. Pregnancy definitely agrees with her. She is much more content and relaxed as the pregnancy moves forward.

Is that a baby bump??

 

Going for a ride

Fly masks

Good News

Saw the baby and the heartbeat yesterday. Vet says one very healthy, strong baby in there. Go Friday!

Moments of Zen

Nothing is quite so relaxing to me as being astride a horse. It feels like home. The horse becomes an extension of my physical body and I feel in harmony. All horses are a little bit different, but I have felt a bond with every horse I have been on, even those who eventually bucked me off!

Learning to turn

Friday is a great horse to ride. She glides. Her gaits are so smooth and she is full of strength and power that she doesn't feel a need to show until it is required. She does not neck rein well yet, but is learning leg pressure and picks up on new things very fast. She listens carefully and tries to understand what I am saying. Her ears move back and forth as she concentrates on the lesson. When I ride her, time stands still. 

She still takes a great interest in other mares with foals. She will stare at them for long periods of time. I wonder what she is thinking. I can't help but think she wishes she had a foal this year. We are hoping that all goes well with this pregnancy. 

Smooth Moves

Smoky seems to be much more comfortable after the injections into his hocks. He is moving a bit better and is more playful. In these photos he is wearing a fly mask. His eyes get very irritated from the flies and the mask offers protection. This reminds me of a funny story. When I first introduced the girls to horses, Grace thought that the fly mask meant that the horse was blind. She had a lesson on a horse wearing a fly mask one day. Hours later, she told me that she would like to ride again but "next time I want to ride a horse that can see".

Smoky with his fly mask on

Smoky in the paddock he shares with Friday

OMG!

So much has been happening at the barn!


It is breeding season and so there are horses coming and going and lots of news. We bred Friday to Dusty's Best Effort. He is such a great stud! He has a great personality and is handsome as well.

Dusty's Best Effort, Quarter Horse Stallion and Baby Daddy

Dusty stopping for a pose

We had Friday checked by ultrasound on June 17th and she is pregnant (with one baby)! We are trying to contain our excitement until her next check on July 6th. On that date, the vet will confirm pregnancy and should be able to detect a heartbeat. Keep your fingers crossed!

Friday waiting for her exam

Our boy Smoky has been having a rough time. He loves to roll, and for the last month or so has been having some trouble getting up. During his struggles to rise he has cut up his legs pretty bad. I had the vet check him and he has very stiff hocks. The vet thinks that giving him injections in his hocks will improve his mobility. We are going to go for it. We want to keep the old man as comfortable and mobile as possible.

The girls are having fun at the barn. Lots of puppies and foals to play with!