O's First Show

On Saturday, October 30, the Pony Pals made the early morning trek to Fieldstone Park in Mansfield, Texas to see O's (Harley's Classic O) show debut. O is Daltrey's sire.

This was a cool show. Not snooty-tooty, just a fun, local, open show at a very nice facility. Most of the horses were au natural, i.e., not body clipped, braided, etc. Some people wore show clothes, some not, though all were neatly turned out.

This mini was the buddy horse. Snotty little guy from what I was able to gather. There were two young girls leading him around, and one was complaining loudly that he'd kicked her.

Heather Harmon holding O as we waited for his classes to begin. O was entered in 4 classes. Two were halter and two were saddle classes. Unfortunately, although there were 3 possible locations for classes to take place, there were only 2 judges. The show was way behind schedule, and we waited a lot.

Waiting for the first halter class.

A barn cat we spotted when we
gave ourselves a tour.

A jumping class we watched as we waited for O's class.

Isn't she adorable? Her daddy was there helping her. This is the life I would have chosen for myself at that age.

Pretty paint

This paint was so beautiful. His color reminded me of the metallic sheen of my truck. He has a dorsal stripe.

Finally, O's classes started.
Blue ribbons for both halter classes!

Heather Crispin, O's new owner, riding him for classes under saddle, led by her husband Gerardo. O was a little keyed up. The judge was so kind and understanding.

He did so well. He only had one moment when he didn't want to transition for Heather. She asked and asked, and finally spiked him a good one. He kicked out, but she rode it like a champ!

I confess: I teared up several times.

O took a 2nd and a 3rd in the under-saddle classes.
He has come so far!

We all are so proud of O and Heather C.

The Pony Pals hit Chili's for lunch after the show.
From left: me, Nita, Kris, and Heather H.
A most excellent day!
I see some of those halter classes
in Baby D's not-too-distant future!!

Baby D's Garage Adventure

I had to pick up some groceries on the way home, so I was late. There were 3 expectant ponies waiting for me as I pulled in the garage. One of them decided to explore as I unloaded the truck.

Ohhh, somebody's going to be on Mr. Fry's shit list.
Literally.

Two and a Half Men

It was a gorgeous, sunny day after the rain on Saturday. Gotta love it when it's almost November and you can still be outside in jeans and a tank top.

Extra groceries for Daltrey ...

... while these two were tied for spa day.
I thought they might be a bit impatient
because it's been almost 3 months
since they've been tied for any length of time.
They started nodding off almost immediately.

By the time Daltrey finished eating,
I was done with the other Boyz.
Baby D did pretty well with the big Boyz.
A full tummy helps.
I lifted all four feet, but didn't pick them.
His attention span is only so long
and I had other things I wanted to accomplish.
He got sprayed for flies, tail trimmed,
and his icky sheath & butt cleaned.
He almost dropped for me.

Gah! Don't crap there, ya little knucklehead!

Poco & Jaz check for leftovers.

The world is full of interesting things when you're a baby.

Roll With It

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans. I planned to groom the Boyz Saturday and haul Poco to Iron Ride to ride Sunday.

Saturday started off just gray and gloomy. I had a few things to do before going out.

Martha and Cindi aren't at all sure about the new nosy goober.

But before I made it outside, the heavens opened up. It rained hard all day, which ultimately is a very good thing. We always need rain.




And so a new plan for the day was formulated: a pot of chili and Harry Potter movies on the Disney Channel.

It rained enough that it will be too sloppy to ride today. If it's drained well enough, I might still be able to get some grooming and bonding time in. If not, we'll just go with whatever the day brings. Cuz that's how we roll around here.

Everything Old is New Again

Jaz and I went down the road for the first time since he's been home. I can't remember the last time we rode out by ourselves. I thought that having Baby D would keep the one left behind placated. Nope. Poco still carried on when we left.

Freshly roached. I roach him as close to the skin as I can get because it's easier to medicate the mane bed for his allergies to the no-see-ums that cause him to rub his mane and tail mercilessly.

He was a champ when we passed Norma Jean and her posse of Labs. He only looked slightly cross-ways at the pink and purple balloons tied to someone's gate. He turned only a cautious eye to all the floaty Halloween decorations. But, I actually had to get off and walk him over to check out this pile of horse-eating rocks to convince him we could continue on our way. Then it was like, "Oh, I knew that."

When we got home, I fed everyone early for the sake of rewarding Jaz. I have to play cafeteria lady so Porco (sic) doesn't eat his own food as well as everyone else's. Check out the look on his face. The big attraction is always Daltrey's food.

Whut? I'm not doin' nuthin'.

See? I'm napping.
You just have a suspicious mind.

He eats so darn slow,
so I stand around for
quite a while 'til he's finished.
Kids — gotta play with their food.

Seeing what's left in Poco's pan,
as Poco is over checking out his.

Et tu, Jazu?

Baby's First Lessons

For many years, I have had the rule "no baby animals." God has obliged, and all the dogs and cats that have wandered into our lives have been young adults. And then I brought home a 7-month old horse. Just as with human kids, being a grandma or auntie is a lot less work than being Mom.

It occurred to me last night as I was playing cafeteria lady that (God willing) this baby and I could see old age together: when he's thirty, I'll be close to ninety. My own mortality smacks me squarely upside the head.

Daltrey is a sensible youngster. He watches his nannies and emulates them. Life at the farm has taught him that when a gate opens, good things happen, so he can be a little exuberant around gates. Stall door opens = play time outside and/or grazing. Arena gate opens = back to the barn and food. Now, I've had Poco and Jaz scoot out our gate before, so I've adopted the habit of ignoring them when I'm coming and going. I don't talk to them; I don't even look at them, and they haven't rushed the gate in years. Yesterday morning, Daltrey was lying down 20-30 feet from the gate as Poco and Jaz stood guard. It was still dark, but I could see their eyes glowing in my headlights. Poco and Jaz didn't move. Daltrey looked, but didn't get up.

Our first dinner time with all three horses was downright scary. At Iron Ridge, Daltrey was either fed in a stall, or from a bucket clipped to the fence, well distanced from the other two horses. I use rubber pans and the horses are only 10-20 feet apart. Poco and Jaz know to wait politely by their pans. They don't get fed until they are still and where they should be. Daltrey tried to jump into my arms to stick his head in a bucket. Kicks to the chest resulted in a step back, then immediately back in my space. "What about now?" Hell, he weighs more than 500 lbs. already! Next day and every day since, I carry a crop for my own safety.

He's learning. He still follows me as I feed the other two, but a tap on the chest and he's out of my space. He knows where his pan is, and it won't be long until he gets with the program. He has the annoying baby habit of flinging his food. Two nights ago, he pawed and flipped the pan, scattering the entire contents into the sand. Thank goodness for Sand Clear. Last night, he had the urge to paw, but I could see the wheels turning as he'd lift a foot, resist, and pull it back away from the food. He couldn't resist the urge completely, but less food ended up spilled.

Horses being horses and me lacking an easy way to separate them, I still have to watch over them so Poco doesn't take everyone else's food. And now that Jaz has somebody lower than he is, I have to ward him off, too. I stand guard until there are a few morsels left, then let them play musical food pans. But I noticed last night that rather than run Daltrey off, Poco just "helped" him.

I've been using dinner time to check everyone out, brush them, give everyone some individual attention. For Daltrey, that also includes touching him all over. I hope eventually to get him to drop when I handle his junk.

So far, it also seems like the big Boyz are teaching him the invisible perimeter around the house, within which you don't poop. That's the only good habit Poco has to pass on.

And I'm learning, too. After almost 10 weeks of freedom from my equine responsibilities, I'm having to relearn and revamp my routine. Thank God, I'm teachable. Sorry for no pix, but for the present at least, dealing with three horses takes two hands.

Two Men and a Baby

When Poco saw the trailer, I think he may have guessed he was coming home. I didn't test the theory, but I almost think that given the chance, he would have just walked in unassisted. Once Nanny Poco was in, it took only minor convincing to get Daltrey on board. Poco was tied, but Baby D was loose. He turned himself around and rode backwards for at least part of the trip, but righted himself by the time we were home. Both Boyz exited like gentlemen.

Since I pull horses with a Nissan Pathfinder, hauling three at once is not an option. Jaz remained behind, and I'm told he hollered for Poco for a few minutes before taking comfort in being allowed to graze.

My niece Jaren captures
Daltrey's first steps in his new digs
on his 7-month birthday.

He's never had 24/7 free choice grazing.
Mike will put out a round bale for them
when he returns from Florida.

Look at that belly!
Of course, come back in a day or so
and he will be ribby because he shot up.

Jaz came home today,
after giving me a great ride at the farm.
We were joined by Kris on her Standardbred Voodoo
& Heather on QH/Solid Paint Doodles.
I wear a helmet every time,
but everybody wore one today!

It took a few minutes until they
all realized the gang was all here.
It was fun to watch Poco
do a double take as Jaz trotted up
and greetings were exchanged.

Daltrey is already showing remarkable sense
in his new surroundings.
He has only a tiny nick on one foot.
He's quite night blind,
so I checked him thoroughly
this morning.

It's great to have our little herd home.

The Littlest Cowboy

Please join us in welcoming our first grandchild, Rowan Michael, born 10-04-10 at 1:51 p.m. Central. He weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz., and was 19" long.

Camo Rowan — 1 day old

Proud Grammy

Me, my baby, and his baby

Sunning him to ward off jaundice

Not enjoying the burping process

My baby and his baby

Jaz, you've been a good boy for me, and I know you will take care of my precious baby.