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?
Wow! You HAVE been busy!!! How many workers do you have on the ranch to help with all this stuff? Just you and Zach?
Sorry about the horse. What do you guys do with them when they die. Bury them on the ranch somewhere? That must be hard thing to do. Talk about a BIG hole to dig!
How many babies do you have now?
Forget that mess on the run away horse. That is a horrible feeling. It’s a good thing Zach put a good handle on him, and you could get him slowed back down to normal people pace!