Are you up for the ride?

LONG hot day in Ocala today.

Sienna came early to prep horses for customers this afternoon. Darn gray horses...no matter how much you scrub...they still find a dirty spot!

Tristan and Duffy were wonderful. I so love both of them. Tristan needs to find the right kid who needs that master confidence builder...and Duffy needs a kid that wants the "OMG" horse!

Clients coming to retry tomorrow....

Tyler and Dilon kept the barn sparkling. By the time I got done with customers, Tyler had all the water done and most of the horses fed. Such a good helper!

Duffy pulled a shoe, so Tony coming at 6:00 AM to tack back on.

Oh yiks...late night...early AM....oh have to love this life!

Beautiful day!

Bailey had her first full day out in the front paddock. Bigger then the round pen, but smaller then the broodmare field. I think Turk was thrilled to have green grass under her feet.

Ok...so 3:30 this am I was woken up by Duffy screaming and running around in his paddock. Went out to see what was upsetting him and the whole farm was quiet. Just him running around like and idiot.

So I put him in his stall...walked all the way to the barn in the pitch black, went into the barn....in the pitch black...put him away...farm still really quiet. So I went back to bed.

Woke up at 6...peaked out to check on everyone and noticed the broodmare and baby gate was wide open. Errrr.....KIRBY! He undid the gates again....not Kirby proof enough! Found all the mares grazing happily on the field we reserve for injured horses. So of course they were happy as clams with their heads DEEP in soft green grass!

Put everyone back...and locked the gate...AGAIN! as soon as my back was turned....Master Kirby was using those loose lips to undo the gate. Well...now...the gate is triple locked and has two lead ropes hooked in two different directions trying to keep him from figuring out how to undo all this in one night.

Smartest baby I have EVER known. Not bad for a red bag delivery foal!

:)

Fingers crossed!

Bailey had her x-rays today...waiting for the results. She may be able to graduate to the house paddock and at least be on grass with her Mama. Waiting for Dr Ruebel to call.

Goldie has a healthy 30 day baby! Strong heart beat!!!!!! Cant wait to see that one next year.

Dancer bumped the front of her cannon bone, but no permanent damage. She has to wear a bandage for 7 days, to keep tendon sheath tacked down...and will be back to normal.

Chelsey out riding. ground still really mushy from all the rain. We REALLY need to move the jumps...ground needs leveling out.

Should we build an ark?

So happy about all the rain we are getting. Maybe the pastures were not to far gone to recover.

6 less horses on the 15 acres...we are down to 6 back there....so I hope that the hay bill will now start to drop as well.

Maggie has gone 2 weeks without choking. She had to be on a grass only diet for a week till her throat healed a bit...now back to her normal diet of grass, alfalfa and pellets. Poor ole' girl. Just cant chew her food like she used to.

Got so angry at Tristan and Max this morning. Once they see the barn gates open...it's like a game to them to come running through the barn to grab a mouthful of hay or dump grain buckets I have waiting to be put out. Well this morning, Tristan ran in....and dumped three buckets of grain, as well pulled down the back gate trying to escape. Guess he knew by the tone in my voice I was NOT happy!

Then Max....he thinks he is the prince of the property...so why should he not be able to come and go as he pleases. NEVER happy with the food he gets....has to come and try and steal more. Even if his bucket outside is STILL full of grain. So...he has been banished to the gelding field. Maybe a few days with the big boys...he will be more happy with his "other" situation.

Starlite seems to be feeling all better. And Piper...she has turned into such a sweetheart. Even Cassie is friendly. Kirby...well...Kirby thinks he is a 2 legged...so friendly is NOT an issue for him. Bailey even seems to be coming around now that we don't have to poke her all the time. Her leg is healing well. X-rays Monday to see if she can go out with her buddies.

And Miss Lucie....a bit upset with me that I let her halter get a bit tight. Kept telling myself to let it out a hole...and kept forgetting. She was NOT pleased with how it felt...SO I pulled it off all together. She's at least now letting us pet her again. Part of it, is that she HATES Kirby....HATES all the attention he gets.... SHE was the first Princess and doesn't want to share. Little does she know....She's STILL the princess.

Cutter is starting to have trouble chewing his hay...dentist coming next week to see if he can help. Hard to watch your friends get older...he's such a goof...love him so.

Gumbo is FINALLY putting on weight. We got to the issue in his foot, and between the vet and farrier...the pain is gone. Since tackling that issue...he has put on almost 200 pounds. So nice to look at him filling out and pain free.

Kobi...poor Kobi...such a talented show horse with such a huge issue in his foot. Of course...us two leggeds cant really understand his unsoundness with NOTHING on x-ray, ultra sounds or bone scans...he feels lost in his new roll as a pasture horse. Maybe someday we will find out what is hurting him.

Hope our 4th is quiet around here...I have a few fruit loops that wont handle the noise really well...

:)

Long HOT summer days.....

We are in need of rain again....pastures are suffering and we are going through more hay now then we did this winter. Just not getting the daily t-storms that keep the grass blooming as it normally does in Florida.

Girls have been working hard at getting video's done of the sale horses. Seems to be working....people are making appointments to see the horses.

Chelsey took a spill today. Horse she was riding is green...and tripped and stumbled on the sand. Went down and she slipped off. Banged up her knee pretty good. Poor kid.

Sienna came first thing this morning to do a video of Tristan. Of course he was his "good as gold" self and video was done quickly. Good thing...it's hot as *ell today!

Babies are all doing great. Growing like weeds. Kirby is still half human half horse. He really doesn't understand why he cant live in the house with the boys. He loves playing with them.

Have to go out and hose all the horses now....gives them a little relief from the heat.

Rainy afternoon....

Was pretty cool this morning and me and the boys got the barn done in record time.

Chelsey and Sienna came to ride today. Chelsey got to sit on Dancer and did a wonderful job. Sienna rode Kobi for the first time over fences....I think she really liked him!

Dr Ruebel came today.....Shades is still in foal and so is Goldie! Awe....Blue's first baby! Cant wait to see what color it is going to be....

Flip finally got here, video's tomorrow. We have GOT to sell some horses!

Customers Sunday...keeping fingers crossed :)

Night all!

and yet another day passes.....

Life around the farm is always interesting....it's either the horses or the two legged ones that keep it revolving.

New mare came in...she fabulous. Her name is "Dancer".....quite talented and reminds me a lot of Betsy.

Looking around for good alfalfa....seems hard to find below $10 a bale...but the horses love it so!

Waiting for the new Flip video to come in...should be here today. Need to get video's out on the sale horses. Summer is always tough to sell horses....but having a good video will certainly help. (THANKS MA for the early b-day gift!)

Vet coming in a half hour to do ultra sounds on some of the broodmares...better get a move on!

90 miles and hour...and are we going anywhere?

Seems like summer is here and we are going non stop.

Boys and I are in the barn usually before 7 trying to beat the heat. With heat index's of 103 to 109....we can only work in the sun so long before we all just give out.

Starting at about 11, we are out hosing the mares and other outside horses trying to give them some relief. God has been watching out for us though...about 2 a t-storm falls in and they get a natural cooling off!

Cici, the yearling filly that fell and split her knee wide open.... is healing beautifully. Her last joint tap showed less then a 1400 WBC. Started out at 50000!

Girls came and rode today. I am amazed as to the change on Chelsey's riding style. Another kid with raw talent...and is just making leaps and bounds progress. Andi is still so disappointed that Monkey's foot is so bruised from pulling a shoe. They were about ready to hit the show ring....

Finished up early tonight...me and the boys are going to watch a movie.

And 2 weeks goes by so quickly!

Lots to catch up on....

Shades is finally in foal to Chapel Royal.

Gal lost her foal sometime between 45 and 60 days...I was very sad about this one...I adore that mare.

Marqy had her 30 day check and is in foal to Double Honor.

Decided NOT to breed back Rex Hannah or Starlite this season....want to start in February next year and have foals in cooler weather...this 99 degree stuff sucks!

La Turka is a non-sweater and with her and Bailey locked in a stall 24/7 due to the fracture in Bailey's leg....I was screaming YAHOO! when Dr. Ruebel pulled in and said "Clear the round pen, Bailey is off stall arrest!"

Three new sale horses came in. One is over 17.1 and the other 2 are nice 16 hand AQHA geldings. Kids are having a blast with them.

Randi, Cent, Quick Question, T-Star and Katy all still in foal and doing great.

OH! Tough Guy, the 3 year old Tilbury/Spanish Steps colt....on his way to the track! Watch out race world....TG is going to be kicking dirt in your face! He SO wanted to be a race horse....his baby brother onthe other hand...likes the prissy world of being a hunter. GLAD Jose got the movement!

Anyone out there looking for a nice 16.1 hand mare, we have decided NOT to breed Lemon back either. In 8 short years she has had a pretty hard life...time for her to know what it's like to be a spoiled show horse. Lovely mover....and has learned to enjoy her moments with the two leggeds!

Have to scoot...storm has passed and time to feed the hungry bunch outside!

lots finished today...and even had some fun

We all slept in an hour today...was really nice since we haven't done that in over a month.

Barn is spotless and the grounds looks wonderful. Even the pastures got mowed today. Sean and Tyler fixed most of the fences. Went through an entire box of nails and I had to go get more.

Andi rode Kobi...but she wasn't feeling well. She still helped me in the barn bunches.

Took the kids to pick blueberries and blackberries at a little farm today. They even saw a snake! I think they picked 7 pounds all together! That's a lot of fruit!

Made a fruit salad with the things they picked and added cantaloupe and kiwi. Little whip cream on top and they had a great snack.

Out smarted Kirby with the new water faucet. It's now turned towards the post and my hand can barely fit in there, but he cant wiggle his nose around it....quite mad about it too! I just went out to do night check and he was flinging the non running hose around wondering why he cant make the water come out of it anymore.

Little Bailey...who is FAR from little anymore is trying to be sweeter, but she has so much energy built up in her with all the stall "lock-up" that she just doesn't know what to do with herself anymore. Going to add toys to her room tomorrow....hoping that will settle her brain a little bit. Hate to see her start cribbing.

T-Star off to the breeding shed tomorrow. She is meeting Two Step Salsa. If the foal has her heart and his speed..WOW! that's gonna be a nice one.

Going to bed early tonight...we still have so much stuff to do tomorrow. Jumps still have to be move and painted...but with the afternoon rain, we haven't been able to do them.

Filled the dumpster so a trip to the dump will be in the schedule tomorrow as well. Hard to believe how much CRAP was around this farm we had still not picked up from the previous occupants. Why they threw cement blocks everywhere I have no idea. And why they tied everything with bailing twin, I cant figure out either.

Night all!

YAHOO! RAIN!!!!!!!

Got the much needed rain we needed....of course the lawn people were here this morning making it short as possible and now it's grown an inch at least already! Great for the pastures...not so much my pocketbook and the lawn maintenance.

Picabo and Lemon are still showing e-coli on their cultures, start cleaning them on Monday....T-Star on the other hand is headed to the breeding shed on Sunday! Two Step Salsa here we come!

Little Kirby is STILL opening the gates and turning on the water. Now he has un done a lead rope wrapped in MANY knots as well as two chains and a snap. I give up on the water...he likes to play in it.

Off to dinner with Kathy and Andi.....

and some good news today!

Bailey's leg is doing well...the 2 inch fracture is healing and she is not in as much danger now of it snapping.

Gumbo just has a really bad abscess and needs a reverse shoe put on till it heals...poor old guy...as if his life has not been hard enough.

Little Kirby is an escape artist...so much for being a "dummy foal"....he is about the brightest baby I have EVER seen. He can open gates, double latched and chained as well has learned to turn on the water. ya...that's fun to wake up to...a flooded paddock!

Kids are once again out picking blackberries...I think they are going to turn purple from all they eat!