Here’s the promised video of Kelsey making a good run in Winner, SD at the River Region High School Rodeo.
Some Happy News
9 Jun posted by
We spent the weekend in Winner, SD at the SDHSRA River Region Rodeo for the NHSRA. It was a rainy, cold, icky weekend, but the the good news is that a little girl named Kelsey made a good run on day one- and that included turning the prettiest second barrel to date. She was smiling so big when she finished. She didn’t win a check, but placed in the top 25. Her smile was worth it all. Day two was a teeny bit warmer, but that didn’t bode well. We ended up with a no-time for a broken pattern. I will post the video of run number on, later today.
Yesterday was sunny and gorgeous. Shuttle and I moved some straggling pairs out of one pasture, so we could move the horses around and put the studs out. I know, some of you are thinking, you just now put your studs out? Yes, we did. There are still blizzards in April here, and no one is excited about having foals born during a blizzard. At least no one on this place is.
We have two new equine babies- a pretty black filly and a dun (I haven’t been close enough to sex it yet). I have three more babies to photograph, so I’ll try to get that done this week too- since babies make everyone smile and after last week we can certainly use some of that! The chickens are getting really big and are ready to be moved outside- so daddy, get here soon, so you and Zach can build them a coop!
In other good news, I’m so excited and honored to announce that I will be doing some writing for Haute Cowgirl. If you haven’t been over to visit and meet Danielle, Holly, Casey and Kadi, you totally should. You can learn all you need to learn about western fashion and beauty over there. It will be such a privelege to be involved with such a great site and so many awesome cowgirls. What great company I’ll be in! Danielle also invited me to provide coverage of events for another project of hers, Cowgirl Tv.
It is raining today- which may mean it’s a good day to clean out this guest bedroom, and paint the walls. I need to get it ready for my parents when they come up for branding. Rain means it might be a good day to get finish writing for Haute Cowgirl. Rain means I could do some laundry. I think it’s not supposed to rain for the entire day, but it is for the time being. At lesat I don’t have to water my garden or my flower beds- though some warm air would really help my tomato plants and my hyacinth vines grow a lot faster. These 40 degree nights aren’t really helping! I guess they’re helping the mosquitos though, since my head has about 8 bites on it, and my neck has a few. Irritating.
Happy Tuesday, y’all.
SD NBHA Finals…and The Winner Is?
27 May posted by
Memorial Day Weekend, for us, was spent in Huron, SD at the SD NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association) Finals. I’ve been waiting for just the right moment to announce this and haven’t found it yet, so I figured that this might be it. About a two months ago I began thinking about holding some barrel races here at our place. Or around the area somewhere, to give the girls a place to go. I thought that sanctioning them with some other groups would bring in more girls. So I contacted the NBHA Director in SD 04 and she told me that there was no one directing the district in which my county falls. So I contacted the State Director, and shortly thereafter was appointed the new Director of a new SD District- 05. I have 7 counties to plan barrel races for. I’m not altogether sure how the whole thing is going to work, but I suppose I can learn as I go along!
Now that I’ve gotten all off topic…
Friday night was sort of a warm up race- it was sanctioned for several districts, mine included. It started with a youth run, in which Kelsey won the 2D. And Ve- I’m sorry you can’t see these! Can I send them to you in email and have them work? Here’s that awesome video:
She also made a really pretty run on Thursday night at Dupree, SD:
We didn’t get good video of Gump, because Kels tried to film him from the back of Pommel, who didn’t want to be still. He was 3 out of the money. Shuttle ducked again- in front of not just only the second, but the third too. All that after making a pretty run the night before. Here’s the pretty run:
I have a lot more to announce and share (Like a new vaccuum, a cool new Zach project, and show the Monday HS rodeo run in the mud), but I’m overwhelmed with work to do- we have to sort pairs today, I need to go to one of the river pastures to check on Nora, and I’m still editing video of the studs that we shot last week. I gotta be done sitting here.
Oh and as an aside- I’m still reading everyone’s blog, but my comments are fewer and farther between when there’s gorgeous weather outside- and I don’t stay as caught up on everything as I’d like. But it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them less. Please accept my apologies.
Here’s to hoping everyone has a happy Wednesday!
More Babies; The Good, The Better, The Ugly
18 May posted by
It’s been crazy here since Friday. I don’t know that it’s going to get any less crazy to be honest! I’m not complaining. I’m just sayin’.
The Good:
Friday Zach’s Daughter, Kelsey, had her first HS rodeo of 2009, in Timber Lake, SD. Zach’s niece Cindy was also competed- it was her first HS rodeo ever. Sitting through the chilly, windy day, waiting for those girls to make their runs was so worth it! I can totally see how parents can give up doing what they want for the sake of seeing their kids so excited. For no more competitions, and no more time than Kelsey has spent running the barrels, she did really well. Cindy too- she hasn’t even been riding that long- and it’s really all she can do to sit in the middle of her horse right now- and her horse is so honest. She finds herself out of position, and he really just helps her right along! Saturday was more of the same- only this time we were in Eagle Butte, SD. Kelsey broke the pattern- Pommel Horse ducked in front of the second- he went where she told him to. Cindy did even better Saturday than she had done Friday! So the start to our weekend was excellent.
On our way out Saturday morning, we noticed at least one new baby, and a mare off by herself in the pasture, which usually means she’s ready to foal, or already has, and is letting the baby get strong enough to stand and run before she re-joins the herd. So when we returned from Eagle Butte, I was going to take a quick trip out to look through them. Zach decided we’d just take the pickup and go together. And I’m so thankful he came with me. We checked on the mare out by herself first. That mare had a pretty little dun colt with her. He’s by Nuke, in case anyone is wondering. We shouldn’t be at this point- if it’s dun, it’s pretty much by Nuke around here. But on our way to see her, we also noticed that one of Kelsey’s mares- a new mare that we bought last year from a ranch in Oklahoma- with a similar breeding program- the same ranch where Chachi was purchased. So after seeing that the dun colt looked happy and healthy, we headed over to see the bay mare’s bay filly.
The Ugly:
And here’s where the ugly starts. Not the filly. She was absolutely gorgeous! Absolutely perfect! She had Chachi’s sleepy eye; her mama’s dark bay color. But she was very weak. Too weak to stand on her own. Her dam was standing over her, nuzzling her, and talking to her, but she couldn’t get up. They were off by themselves. We decided we’d have to take her to the house, get her warmed up and try to get some milk in her. So Zach picked up the 90lb filly, and sat with her in the back of the truck, while I drove to the barn. We sent Wayne out on the 4-wheeler to get the mare herd in so we could have her dam in the barn. After setting the filly under some heat lamps, and on top of a horse rug, Zach ran in to make a bottle to see if he could get some nutrients in her so she’d get strong enough to nurse. Shortly after, Wayne arrived with her mama. Zach was able to milk the mare out, and so we decided we’d take the filly to the house with us, to enable her to get warm. We set her in the kitchen floor on top of a couple blankets and a heating pad, made a tent over her, to enable some warm air from the space heater to help her get warm. She sucked several more times, and at 10:30pm I finally had to throw in the towel. I was so tired. My marlboro man said he was going to sleep right there, and help her fight to live as long as she wanted to stay alive. But at 2:30am the filly hadn’t the energy to fight anymore.
For those of you wondering what caused an otherwise perfect filly to become so weak- isn’t a complete mystery. Last year her dam, who was open, conspired with another open mare in that pasture, to steal this mare’s foal. And they were successful in keeping her away from her mom, and they worried the filly out of energy and nutrients, and of course the filly couldn’t nurse either one of them, so she died. We believe that the same open mare that caused the chaos last year, must’ve worried the mare and filly around so that she couldn’t nurse as she needed to. Originally we weren’t worried about it happening, again, because the dam of the now deceased filly was the ring-leader last year, so without her to lead the parade, we figured it would be ok. Next year the trouble making mare, will be held out of the mare bands until she’s foaled. That way we won’t have to have this happen again. If you’re running a natural, limited human assistance program such as we do here, these things are going to happen, unless we bring every mare in and force them to foal in the barn. But that defeats the purpose of a natural program.
The Better:
Sunday I went to a barrel race in Aberdeen, SD. I took both, Shuttle and Gump. It was a double header. Shuttle and I were gunner in round one (we’d run in reverse order for round #2). They had the first barrel set practically in the middle of the arena and she ran by it. But the good news is, her second barrel was absolutely gorgeous. Gump’s first run, he outran Shuttle by half a second. He made a pretty run. He ran by the first too, but not as far as Princess did. Plus he is so big, and so strong and so ridiculously coming home that yesterday, he was almost scary. I LOVE IT! His second barrel was utterly beautiful! He faded wide going to the third. I’m pretty sure it was where I was looking as we tracked over to turn that barrel, b/c he left the second in a perfect line to go to the third and just nail it. He ended up winning 3rd in the 4d with that run, and brought home a $65 check for his efforts.
In the second run, he didn’t shape like I wanted him to, going into the first but we still got around it, had a gorgeous second: he turned it so hard, that I lost a stirrup. It might help if I rode with some weight in my stirrups, but I don’t really. I fished for my stirrup all the way to the third, and really didnt’ help him turn that one at all. I shaped him and that was it. He ran home with me still fishing for the stirrup and was faster than he’d been in the first run. That run won us the 3d and a check of $98. Shuttle’s second run was an entire second faster than her first run, and her second barrel was still pretty. But she didn’t rate down like I wanted her to for the first barrel. So any guesses what we’ll be doing this week?
The weather is absolutely gorgeous here today; and should stay that way this week. So I’m headed to the barn to at least ride Shuttle, Gump, Camo. I will probably also run check on the mares and take pictures of the babies!
Happy Monday!
Spring Has Sprung!
13 May posted by
The past several days have been super busy! Monday found us cleaning pastures. Zach and I headed out on Gump and Pommel to pick up all the cows that had escaped into a pasture where they weren’t supposed to be. Gump likes getting out in the open. Sometimes too much. He had a moment where he thought *I must run. I must show Jenn how fast I am.* I know he’s fast, and frankly, I don’t care to know how fast. He’s by far the fastest thing I’ve ever thrown a leg over. But there’s not much scarier than a run away horse on a 1000 acre pasture. Fortunately all the training that Zach did with him when he first got him back, and all the softness that I’ve continued to refine came right back and I was able to stop him before it became utterly terrifying. Though it definitely shook me.
That afternoon we saddled some colts, though not as many as we’d like to have saddled, because the cold virus that my equines brought back from OKC has spread through the geldings and stud colts. So badly that we had to keep one horse in and doctor him. They had spent the weekend turned out- so we hadn’t seen them since last Wednesday. For us, that’s pretty normal. We try to run a natural program, where the horses are turned out to, be, well, horses. Mother Nature knows best, and I’m learning that sometimes we get in her way. Anyway, that little 3yo colt ended up dying yesterday, after we’d had a consult with a vet and right as Zach’s brother got back from town with the recommended, necessary antibiotics. The vet said that each horse has different immunities. None of our older horses got it. Shuttle and Gump only coughed. Zero, Camo, and Sonora never coughed or had snotty noses. Several others never coughed, but it seems like almost all the horses under 4 years of age got some form of the virus. On some it lasted just a couple days. We don’t recall that colt being sick when we had him in last week while we sorted those horses that we’re not keeping, from those that we are.
At about 5:30 that day I went to catch Shuttle, Zach caught a colt, and we went to clean another pasture. Shuttle is certain she’s a cow pony. She has the best bobbing walk. She’s like, “Were’re we going? What’re we doing? Can I move this cow? What about this one?” Cow work is always very good for them!
Yesterday we sorted through the weanlings and put them out to pasture. There are about 15 of them, and we put them out with a horse, Coco, that we raised that Jill owned; but she sent the mare back to us because she is out of room at her place. So we got her back. She is the babysitter in the weanling pen, along with three 2yo mares that we’re keeping in to start when we get through all the geldings. If I do say so myself, sorting horses on a good horse, like Gump can be super fun. We had several other horses in the trap with the weanlings. They’re all turned out on a big pasture now to grow up for the summer. I’m sure I’ll check on them, and in two days I intend to find them and take photos of Dolce for her first birthday! We also sorted off the sick colts and turned them out to pasture keeping in the ones that aren’t so we can ride/start them. I’ll check on the sick pen this morning and make sure they’re looking better. If they’re not, then we’ll start rounds of antibiotics.
We had our first hail storm yesterday afternoon too. I really don’t like thunderstorms/hailstorms. I don’t mind the rain, but I really get anxious during storms. Other than that, the grass is green, there’s calves and foals, the ducks on the tank are courting one another; as you walk by the big tank/pond/dam you can hear a cacophony of sounds- the ducks, the birds singing, the frogs bellowing. The wildflowers are coming up. The cactus are getting big again. And of course the wind is blowing.
I don’t know what today will hold- but it will involve horses. We’re getting Pommel ready for Kelsey’s two HS rodeos that are Friday and Saturday this weekend, and probably I’ll take both my horses through the barrels at some point, as I’m going to a barrel race on Sunday.
Life is good. I’m happy, the sun is shining and I get to ride today. How much better can it get?
Dude! What’s Wrong With Your Mouth?
2 May posted by
Wednesday I rode Gump and Shuttle. But then I turned Gump back out with the saddle horses. I figure I’ve made him suffer enough by putting him in a stall for four days while in OKC and by confining him to a small trap for the winter, when frankly, he’s used to being turned out on at least a thousand acres.
Thursday all the saddle horses were waiting for us in the arena, as we’ve been feeding them alfalfa hay in the mornings to encourage them to come back to the barn on their own. Later that morning, I go to catch Gump and his lips and nose are all swollen. Like he’s got a fat lip like some kid would if they’d fallen or been punched in the face. I’m sure that right now, as she reads this Jill is laughing. Because this is the kind of thing she’d find funny.
Anyway, I opted not to ride him and instead gave him a dose of bute- which is an anti-inflammatory. Yesterday he looked better, and today I think I’ll get to ride him.
While I was in OKC Shuttle picked up some sort of cold. She’s been coughing a lot- though it’s gotten better. Now Gump is coughing, and the other horses turned out with Shuttle, save for my old horse, Zero (who also was in OKC with me as he spent the winter in TX) all have snotty noses and are now coughing. I was thinking about going to a barrel race on Sunday, but I think I’ll opt out of this one, as there’s another one the 17th, right before the NBHA state finals on the 22-24th. That way it gives them more time to heal and people can’t be pissed at me for bringing their horses a cold.
Today it should be gorgeous outside and I’m really looking forward to riding. But first I’m going to go indulge myself on the macadamia nut pancakes that Zach is cooking for myself and the kids this morning.
Happy Saturday!
For Giggles
30 Apr posted by
Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. So I figured since I’m super hard on myself and probably just as hard, if not harder on my mare, Shuttle, I should probably just let myself laugh about it. It’s time to go back to the basics, bridling up, getting round, laterally and vertically. I’ve got to get her back feeling for me, waiting for what I am about to ask. But in the meantime, I’m going to laugh about these runs, and know that from here, it’s going to all get better, baby!
For Giggles
30 Apr posted by
Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. So I figured since I’m super hard on myself and probably just as hard, if not harder on my mare, Shuttle, I should probably just let myself laugh about it. It’s time to go back to the basics, bridling up, getting round, laterally and vertically. I’ve got to get her back feeling for me, waiting for what I am about to ask. But in the meantime, I’m going to laugh about these runs, and know that from here, it’s going to all get better, baby!
