Oy, I Will be so Happy When the Weather is Sunny

Slowly everyone is becoming friends...actually they all like one another...but it took them a while to figure out that they can actually all eat out of the bale feeder together at the same time without any problems.
We have a lice/rainrot issue going on in the horse field... Buck has some lice and rain rot...Cricket has some rain rot type too. Oy, I will be so very happy when the weather is sunny (because it inhibits all this stuff) and the horses are in the forest (so they have a lot more space = less cleaning for me). Once the weather is consistently above freezing I will no longer have to carry the hoses too and from the farm.....hurry up nice weather.

A MYSTERY...

Ok folks, this is Cricket almost 3 months ago....
This is Cricket now...does she look like she might be pregnant?!?!?! Her belly seems to be growing...and it does not look like a hay belly....its very round and entending outwards... The biggest thing is her udder seems to be swelling....with milk perhaps?!?!?!?!

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The vet is coming out tomorrow to look at Buck and she is going to check Cricket too...then we will know for sure what is going on! I will keep you posted.

A Day With the Girls

The weather held out on the weekend and I was able to get a couple days of riding in. I rode both girls and we had a good time. Dad even rode Phoenix twice!!

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I was plesantly surprised to find that Phoenix neck reins well. I was able to ride her one handed and neck rein her, which is a nice change from the other horses who like to ride in more of an english fashion. I believe that Buck actually neck reins too, I will have to check when he is ready to ride.

Cricket really does make a beautiful western horse!! She is a much different ride than Phoenix, she had more get up and go in her. I think she is also very nervous, in the sense that she is nervous in the front yard. She takes much longer to get used to new situations, I think because of her eye.

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She did well though and I was pleased. I might get someone to come and work with her a couple times, just to get her back in the groove of riding. We also need to work on her patience...she is donig well though, I can see big improvements in her already!

Food Capers

Ebony led everyone out of the barn and upto the horse pasture today when I arrived. She is getting bored and would like to be out in the field...NOW...

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It will be April soon, and regardless of when the sheep are going to be let out into the fields, as soon as the weather is nice and the grass is growing I am going to let the llamas out. They need to get out and be in the field, not stuck in the barn yard for months on end. I am letting them out in April, not too long from now. If the sheep are not allowed out then I will just have to put the llamas out with the horses. After all they will all be living together in the forest. Should be fun!

Ebony had to check out the camera from all the different angles. She thought there might be some food on it.

Any food here? Her nose is bald...maybe from her halter? I don't think so since she never wears it...might be some kind of bug or something that has removed all the hair. Kiwi's nose is bald too. I will have a closer look in a few weeks when Dr. Wilkins comes out to do yearly shots and check ups (and to geld Blaze...YES!).

Rain, Snow and Soggy Horses

The weather has not been as nice as the weatherman said it would be... today it rained. everything was wet, wet, wet. Blaze was a pretty soggy guy. When I arrived he was wearing his blanket, but because the temperature was +3 he was a bit sweaty under the blanket so I took it off. Now instead of being drenched in sweat he is drenched in rain...
Phoenix is very unhappy about the weather. She does not like the wet rain, nor does she really like the snow or cold. Phoenix is not too fond of the hot summers either...she wants fall all year round. So do I.
Poor Buck with his lice and rain rot was thoroughly soaked today. At least his skin will have a chance to dry off when this rain stops, unlike if he was wearing his blanket. It is supposed to drop into the minuses tonight and then rain/snow tomorrow :(

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I really want to get out and ride tomorrow but I will have to wait and see what the weather brings. The weatherman has been so wrong lately maybe he will be wrong tomorrow and it will actually be sunny and wamer!

Finally We Get to Ride!

FINALLY, we were able to get out and do some riding over the weekend!!! its about time! Phoenix and I went for a nice short ride, there was still some ice on the ground and she slipped a bit so I did not want to push it, but it was great to get out there. Pheeny, was a well behaved lady like always :) We just went bareback because it was not a long ride, she is very comfortable bareback, lol.
I am hoping to get out again on Thursday. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain all day :(

I have taken all of the horses for walks along the side of the road. Surprisingly Cricket is one of the best to be out on the road...she is not spooky at all. Blaze had fun, he was nervous at first, scared of the sound of his hooves on the pavement but soon he began to investigate the road and the land aorund him and seemed to have fun.

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Poor Buck has (had) lice. Most of it is gone now, thanks to that fact that I dewormed him as soon as he arrived. He has some bare patches on his sides and butt, because we had to shave him. He is feeling much better though, the vet gave him a shot to stop the itch and with the deworming, antibiotics and the soothing cream that I have been putting on him each day he is looking much brighter and in much better spirits. He is also gaining weight well and looking good. Too bad he now has bald patches all over his body...

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Blaze is going to be gelded on April 10. Whoohoo for me, boohoo for him :p He will be more polite and easier to work with when he is not concerned with procreating. Hurry up April 10th!!!

Kitty Gym Extravaganza!

Emily and Molly got a new cat gym!! They have been pretty bored lately (haven't we all...) and they don't have much to run around on or sleep on thats very comfortable in this place. So I splurged and bought the girls this super-duper cat gym extravaganza!!!! They better use it... this was not cheap...

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I put it in front of the window, so that during the day they should get lots of sun. I picked this specific one because it has two platforms and two sleeping boxes....always have to be fair to the two girls.

Random Updates

Cricket went for a run in the snow. It is supposed to be +5 tomorrow and Sat, then it gets a bit cold again and then by wednesday it is supposed to be +8. Hopefully the weather man is right and all this nasty snow will melt and we will finally get some nice weather.

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I have been sick, with a cold that never seems to end and therefore I have not been able to get out with the horses and llamas as much as I would like to. They are all fine, bored but fine.

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Buck has intergrated himself more with the herd, he likes Cricket and hangs out with her. She is very kind to him and puts him at ease. She is pretty laid back. Phoebe is more recluse and standoffish, but she is the lead mare and I suppose she thinks its her job to be intimidating....she does a fine job at it!

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Of course our young stallion Blaze is threatened by Buck and still tries to keep Buck away from the ladies if he can. But with Cricket being interested in Buck its kind of hard... Blaze will be gelded soon....I just hope the mares do not go into heat before he has his surgery :(

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Banjo left for his new home yesterday. It was sad but also a good thing, he will have lots of fun with his young master and get lots more attention. Muffin was quite upset, she took Banjo on as her surrogate son. She called a lot for him and ran around looking for him. Make me feel guilty why don't you??

Spring??

Buck! Looking good with his new halter. He is doing well, nervous of the others because he is used to being low man on the totem pole and does not want to cause any rukus.

Blaze is fiesty with Buck, but Blaze thinks he is a little stud muffin protecting his ladies. I saw him trying to mount Cricket the other day....we have a little stallion on our hands.

Just what Buck needs, regular and nutritious food. He certianly was cared for at his old place, don't get me wrong, but I think he was pushed away from the hay a lot by the 25+ broodmares that he was living with.

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And a nice warm blanket to keep the chill off helps too!

Cricket is very interested in Buck. He tends to shy away, but I was able to catch this brief moment on film before Buck moved off.

Tomorrow and the rest of the week is supposed to be in the + temperature wise so I am eager and anxious to get out doing SOMETHING, ANYTHING, with the horses. I might take Buck and Phoebe (and what the heck, Cricket) for a short ride. Remind everyone what its all about.

Deep snow

As you can tell the snow was very deep on the weekend....not only did we have stuck tractors but we had stuck horses. Well not really stuck, Cricket was able to get out of the snow...she just sunk into it when she walked on it.

She did not seem to mind too much though...she contentedly ate her hay as she stood belly deep in snow.
I have never seen snow like this....or stuck tractors and horses either. I thought this picture was pretty funny.
And out she comes. Off to the hay bale and out of the snow hole. Good thing she has a fur coat on her legs.

Winter Woe...Stuck in the Snow

The usual saturday chores too a bit longer this weekend......several hours longer to be exact. The tractor got stuck in the horse field as we were trying to put hay in the feeders. Who knew the snow was that deep?!?!?!

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We almost made it and then the tractor stopped moving forward....or backward....the tires were spinning but it was wedged in there good. The neighbour said he would come by and pull it out with his bigger, stronger tractor but not for 3-4 hours because he was busy.

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So the tractor sat for a few hours in the middle of the horse field, stuck in the snow. Lots of people who drove by slowed down....it was quite the sight to see...

The horses decided that eating the hay off of the tractor was just as easy as eating itfrom the bale feeder. So they did. I was a little worried about them getting hurt on the tractor, but only the two mares ate off of it and they stayed clear of the snow blade on the other end.

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Blaze was too nervous of the tractor to eat from it...:)

Yay! tractor unstuck! The neighbour with his 4x4, diesel tractor with bigger better tires was able to pull us out. It was quite the sight, and will make a good story for many years to come. Ah the trials and tribulations of our first year as self sufficient farmers...:)

The New Guy

This is Buck. He is the new guy. He is a lovely 12 year old gelding. He arrived yesterday morning. It was either yesterday or not for a week, as we are now caught in a storm and the guy who delivered him has to do hay on monday so that ties up his trailer for a week. Buck is a really well trained horse. He is very gentle and such a sweetie! The guy who I bought him from said "Buck'll take care of you on the trails". Awww....I do believe it.

Buck is a little thin at the moment. He was living out with 30 pregnant mares who are due to give birth in about 2 weeks, so they kept him away from the hay too much. He is healthy otherwise, and has good energy and stamina. I dewormed him when he arrived, as I do everyone who moves to the farm, so that should help too. He is no wearing Cricket's blanket to keep warm.
Blaze and Buck are getting to know each other over the hay :) Blaze is really growing, as you can see in the picture. Actually, he has a very large head. He has a big Percheron head. He will need a new halter soon.....he is getting to big for the yearling halter he has been wearing.

When Buck was first let into the field Blaze chased him a bit, which is very unusual for Blaze. But he is almost 10 months old now and he is getting a bit studly. No worries, next month the vet will make a few minor alterations and Blaze will no longer feel the need to be a stud muffin with the ladies.

I am sick of this awful winter weather. I know everyone is, human and animal. I would really like to get out with the horses. Wed-Fri it is supposed to be +3, +4 so I am hoping I can do something then...maybe it will stay in the pluses.....its awful and hazardous when it gets warmer, snow melts, it rains and then the temp drops and we are sliding all over the place on ice.

Hurry up spring! We're waiting!

Little Critters

Well since things are stormy and snowy outside, there has not been much going on. The horses are standing around in the fields, wishing for warmer weather and grass. So am I...but for different reasons :)

These are my fish. The black one is named Bubbles because he has bubble eyes. Its boring I know, but it suits him. The orange one is a new acquisition as of yesterday. No I did not over feed him, he is a golfball goldfish. His name is Woody, named after Tiger Woods. Original, I know.

Its pretty hard to take a picture of a fish. The flash reflects off the glass tank, and if I don't use a flash the shutter has to be open for a while and by then the fish has swam away...result is a blurry picture. These are the best i could do. I presonally think they are great pictures of fish :)
Emily looks like she got into something in this picture....lol. No no, I woke her up and she was not too happy about it. She is showing me her displeasure. I am getting the cats a kitty condo of sorts....its a multi level cat house. I am going to set it in the front window so they will get the sun on it. Emily has been keeping me awake at night because she is bored. So hopefully the kitty condo will keep her occupied.
Mollikins!!! Cute little Molly. She is quite the cat....hates everyone but me and lets them know by biting....hard! She draws blood. On her chart at the vet she is coded as an aggressive cat. They wear REALLY thick, big gloves when they are working with Molly. She does not bit eme though.....she is not dumb....never bite the hand that feeds you right.

On Tuesday I bought a buckskin gelding. His name is Buck. LOL, I did not name him. He is awesome, very well trained. I rode him in a halter. He will be the final (for now) :) addition to our herd. Even out the sex ratio a bit....2 boys 2 girls. 1 boy llama, 1 girl llama. There we go. Buck is a really cool 14 yr old quarter horse. He was supposed to come today, but the weather ruined it. The next planned date is Saturday. We are expected to get 10-15 cm of snow saturday.....so then we'll plan for monday. Monday is supposed to be nice. We'll see. When he does arrive you can be sure I will have my camera!