Friday Pictures

This will be a short post as I'm tired, it is getting late, and I still have to tuck in the world's cutest fainting goats and make out my farrier list for tomorrow. I've also been writing out my dentist list as well. The time has also come to have everyone's teeth floated again. It seems like, or maybe it would be more accurate to say feels like, it was just yesterday that everyone had their teeth floated. The plan is to have the dentist out three separate times with the first round of floating being done next week on Tuesday.

I don't know why but I just dread this every year. The vet/dentist I work with is a very nice person and does a great job, I enjoy seeing her. It certainly is not her that I dread. I guess I don't look forward to dragging in all of the horses and then waiting for them to "wake up" from their light sedation and then getting everyone back outside. It is kind of like a farrier day but a lot more of a pain because the horses can't just go back outside when they are done because of the sedation. It makes for crabby horses who don't want to spend one second more in the barn than they have to, which in turn leads to a crabby me who is dealing with them all. Really it is one of those things where it is never as bad as I make it out to be in my head.

To add to the excitement all of the boys get a sheath cleaning while they are sedated. All around just an extra fun few days on the retirement farm! Off to tuck in Mina and Jo, world's cutest fainting goats, and to prepare for another day on the farm tomorrow.

Cuff Links and Lily grazing together. That is the old farmhouse in the background which has not been occupied in a long time except for when the cows managed to get in it. You might recall that the swat team also uses it for practice sessions. Cuffie is a medium pony hunter and Lily showed in the child/adult jumpers.

The crape myrtle that we planted on Jason's birthday has been blooming nicely. Unfortunately everything loves the crape myrtle. The horses reach over the fence to eat the leaves and the goats have eaten some of the bark off of it. Oh well, it is pretty while it lasts anyway.

Snappy grazing with Slinky behind him. Snappy was evented through the four star level by the world famous eventer Mark Todd of New Zealand. He was then sold to someone in the U.S. and was then crashed at a cross country jump. He had to have surgery on both front tendons and eventing was out of the question for him at that point. He went on to become a top notch show hunter and one of his accomplishments was winning the World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) Children's Hunter Finals at the Capitol Challenge horse show. Slinky's barn name is actually Silky but he is just way too macho for a name like Silky so we call him Slinky and he seems to like it. Slinky is a large pony and was a specialist in the pony equitation divisions.

L-R in the back is Mr. O'Reilly, Lucky and Teddy with Lightening in the front. Mr. O'Reilly was imported from Ireland and showed mainly in the jumpers although he did some showing in the equitation and hunters. Lucky was a trail horse who I'm told liked to throw in the occasional big buck. Teddy is a quarter horse who did some dressage. Lightening is an Arabian and was also a trail horse. His owners said he was the energizer bunny and could keep going and going and going all day long.

Mr. O 'Reilly; I watched him cantering through the field yesterday. He canter is naturally very balanced and fluid and whenever he would change directions even the slightest bit he would do a perfect lead change, changing behind first and then up front.

Grazing on an overcast day

Jason finishing up changing the battery on my power grader. I went to drag my arena with it one day several weeks ago and it wouldn't work. I called the company and they thought it must be the battery so I got a new battery. Jason installed the new battery, I charged it, and it still didn't work. I told Jason I had seen the fainters investigating the grader one day and I kept wondering if they had pulled a wire loose or something. Jason told me this was highly unlikely but I made him check since we were running out of options. He disassembled the entire side with the battery and sure enough they had pulled one of the wires completely loose. My grader now works again and didn't need a new battery after all. Bad goats!

Chance; Chance is a thoroughbred who raced, then pulled either a carriage or a sleigh for tourists depending on the season, and then did hunter/jumper shows before his retirement. I'm sure he would have a lot of interesting stories to tell.

Apollo; Apollo is a Hanoverian and retired dressage horse

Ivan; Ivan is a thoroughbred and retired Grand Prix jumper. I've had the pleasure of riding Ivan a couple of times and it was an absolute pleasure. So light and soft in the bridle, sensitive to your aids without being over-reactive, very comfortable, fluid gates and naturally very supple. A really lovely horse to ride.

Elfin cantering through the pasture - I see this almost every day. Elfin started life as a racehorse and ended his career as one of the top amateur owner hunters in zone 4.

Cuff Links and Missy; Cuffie is the cutest pony (I want him to come inside and sleep on my bed) and Missy the sweetest. Cuffie showed in the medium pony hunters and also carried some of his young riders around the short stirrup ring as well. Missy was a due ranch pony for most of her working life who was then shuttled off to the kill pen at an auction when she wasn't sound enough for that anymore. What a way to say thanks to a hard working pony! Thankfully a wonderful family ended up rescuing her and she taught their daughter to ride before being completely retired.

Levendi, Leo and Homer. Levendi is an Oldenburg and competed in the amateur hunter division. Leo is a Dutch Warmblood who showed in both upper level dressage and the hunters. Homer was imported from Ireland and showed in the children's hunters and was champion at some very prestigious shows.