A lazy Sunday

A lovely last days of summer. Love it like this. Abby and Pepper came home from the fair but that was the biggest event today. I went to church and came home and laid around. Took a long nap but not restful. Had an awful nightmare and woke up sweating and could not breath. Hate that.

Went out towards evening and went to see what Rusty would do today. I walked up to her but she said nope not today. So I got the rope and we worked with that a while. Tyler asked me if he could try and I told him sure. Bob got home with the horses and he took over. We were all tired and Bob has to work tonight with about 3 hrs. of good sleep. Tomorrow I will try to have pictures and maybe I will have had more ambition.

Fair day

Katie had her day at the fair today. She did very well. She got a red ribbon in showmanship. She needs to learn to not be tentative and to present herself with the horse. She had never done it before so it was good and a learning experience.

In halter with both Abby and Pepper she got the top blue just under the two championship horses out of 8 or 10 horses. I was proud of her and of the mustangs. It was an all other breeds class so there were Tennessee Walkers, Morgans etc. in the class. She presented the horses well and they cooperated. Pepper has done it all before and is totally bored but Abby had never been to a show before.

I meandered around the fair for a while, ate some lunch and meandered some more then came home and wilted in the recliner until it was time to do chores. Rusty had a total day off and I am not sure she liked it. When I took her hay into her she looked at me like "well where have you been"? I talked to her a minute but was tuckered so came back in and sat around until Bob got up. I guess he had a hard time sleeping today so he slept later.

I am off to bed. Besides being tired still have the remnants of the headache. Hate it when I have one of these bombers.

Friday

This was the day that Rusty got to shed her halter. I worked with her a couple of times and did not need to pick up the rope to touch her. We worked with the rope some more and she was really fine. She REALLY does not like it when you approach her right side. She is OK when you finally get there but she will do about anything to keep you from there. I petted her clear to her tail on both sides. She is coming along. Bob is working nights at the fair so he did not get up until about 3 so I had done the work and took the halter off and then he came and just did the petting. Oh well, someone has to be the bad guy.

I am struggling with a fierce headache this evening and I have to be at the fairgrounds by 8 to hold Katie's hand. That's OK. She thinks I know everything and who am I to tell her otherwise.

A very busy day

No pictures today. Was so busy I didn't take my camera out with me. Bob and I both worked with Rusty this morning. We began tossing the rope all over her. It took about 3 tosses before she said, OH OK your not hurting me. Bob is much more adept with the rope than I am but I got it better later.

Katie came to get ready for the fair = bathing 2 horses etc. I think she got it all together OK. I know its tough but no one did it for me when I was getting ready to do the same. I gave her a list of stuff to bring and trust she did. I had to go to a meeting at 6 so left before she and Bob did. He called a while ago and she is all settled in. She really wants me to come out Sat. AM. I think I will try but I am not going to do all the grunt work for her. She will only learn by doing it. I know she thinks I am being obstinate but she needs to do it. I did help her bathe and get organized.

I am very tired and this is Bob's first night at the fair. He is working nights as security in the cattle barn.

A normal Wednesday around here

Yeah. I got pictures to upload. The top picture is Rusty sneaking up on her supper on the tarp. She would really rather I did not put it there and gave me a series of dirty looks. She really sneaks up on it, it is hilarious. She gets put out when we laugh too.

The second picture is Pepper without his cast. We took it off this afternoon. He walks with no sign of a limp at all. He has another week of stall rest though. Katie is taking him to the fair to do halter and showmanship with. Jed said that would be fine. Jed is our vet. No riding for a while though and we are all sad about that. She is disappointed about that but like is life.

The bottom picture is of Abby getting ready to go to the fair tomorrow. She had never been clipped other than her bridle path with the clippers and she did marvelous. I think she would stand on her head for Katie. Her back is almost healed. Probably in a couple of weeks she can ride her again. Katie needs to learn to be more forceful when she rides or Abby will run off with her over again. She is learning though. Am proud of her. She is a senior at Mead High School.

And she is training to be a vet assistant at the skill center. After she graduates she is going to Vet Tech school. Maybe at some point to Vet school.

The other critters here at Calico Acres Farm are doing well. The baby chicks are almost old enough to go out with the other chickens. We have kittens under the tack shed that we don't know where mom is. They are a couple of months old so should be OK.

A lovely day in the neighborhood.

It was just about a perfect day out today. Not too hot, not cold, just nice to get out and work in it.

Rusty got the day off kind of. I put a blue tarp over the fence. She about had a coronary but settled down. I rattled it every time I walked by. She freaked out each time but always swung around and looked at it. I put her supper up against it. She looked at me like darn you. Now I have to go toward it. She snuck up on it and grabbed a bite. It was funny.

I helped Katie work with Abby. She needs to look at some videos so she understands from someone else why and how. Abby is very quick to catch on. When her back is healed she will start riding her again. And we worked on Peppers mane some. Tomorrow his gel cast comes off and we will see if he is not limping. I think he will be fine. No riding for another month though. She will just show him at halter and do showmanship with him. That will be OK.

She rode Lena today and is in love. She will condition her and get her ready to sell. She is a big horse, much different than the shorter mustangs she is used to. She will ride her western but she has been ridden English a lot too.

No pictures today, did not take my camera outside except to take my daily picture. It is of our hay.

Labor Day

I can't get pictures to upload tonight so its no pictures. Darn. I rode my old paint horse today for a while and it was like coming home. She is the most smooth horse I have ever ridden in my life. She was glad to have me get on her. When I got off she pressed her head against my chest and just stood there. Made me get teary.

Tyler did not get on Liberty yet but was all over her. She loves him and when its right I know she will just let him.I know he is a little nervous about it.

Bob and I both played with Rusty some. Mostly though she had different people all over around the pen and trucks going by, four wheelers and strange horses. I put Sierras big purple ball in with her and the wind blew it around. She is getting used to it. A blue tarp blowing caused some trauma but she will get used to it. Bob can go in and pet her w/out picking up the rope. I was going to change her halter today but too much else going on around here. We cleaned up all the scrap metal that is recyclable today and loaded it on a trailer. Bob will take it in latter this week.

A neighbor gave Katie a project. They have a paint mare they want her to ride and help sell. They got her for their foster daughter, gave her lessons, paid for shows did so much for her and in turn she wrecked their pick up and ran away and is telling people they kicked her out. Not so. Anyway they want to sell Lena. She is a big nice mare with a lot of training. They want $2000.00 for her and that is a bargain. Katie has her mustang Abby to ride too when her back is totally healed up from where she went under something and scraped it pretty deep the morning that the entire group ran amok, thru a fence about 3 times so who knows what she did to it but she has to stay off her until it is healed. This will give her something to do.