November greys

The new bunnies are here. They are pretty cool, too. (But not really grey. They are Silver Foxes, Black with white)
Here is Snow White.

.and Sinister.

Sinister really is bigger than he appears. I need to take him over to get him weighed when I have a spare minute, but one of our vehicles had the thermostat go out and we have not had time to try and get it into town to get it fixed. I have been riding the atv to work or walking. That is pretty cold when it is between 9-20 degrees outside. I would take Belle, but she needs to eat breakfast and I would worry about where to put her at school. Once I can set up a place, then I might take her. They tore down the barn at the K-8, but even that wouldn't help because I wouldn't want to leave her over there when I am at the high school. The high school has a field, but it is not enclosed. I need to take in some panels and I haven't had time for that, either. The ATV mostly works. Hopefully better now that it has been tweeked for Wyoming weather instead of St. George weather. We have a trailer for hauling hay and cleaning stalls.
Today, a neighbor came over with his tools and we fixed fence. The cows had kept coming through it and eating the haystack. It was waking up Mr. BPA (the haystack is right by our window), and he was getting sick of getting up in the cold and now he IS sick. The fence is now fixed, but these are pretty big cows, we might have to fix more fence later.

The water is all gone. We have an ugly mess. Since it took so long for the water to go down, it did not have any time to grow grass again. Hopefully next year will be better.


Compare to 5 months ago.

Halloween Nightmare

Saturday I planned to drive to Jackson to pick up kid #3's new rabbits for 4-H. I found a breed of rabbit that is supposed to be very docile and mellow. They are Silver Foxes. Their fur is similar to the Arctic Fox, thus the name. Large body, good carcass to meat ratio, and thick skin and fur for tanning. They are also gorgeous. Perfect. Then I started looking for some. I finally found a breeding pair that are not related. The little doe was born July 24th, (my favorite holiday)so I had to wait until she got bigger. The buck is older so that we can breed him to the other two does that we have, just as soon as we get the Silvers. The Lady lives in Idaho Falls, and she graciously offered to meet in Jackson for the pick up. Kid #3 and I loaded up in Mr. BPAs vehicle because it gets better gas mileage than my truck and headed off. Rural Wyoming does not get great cell service, so when I got cell service part way, I had a message that she left a little late, no problem, the roads are supposed to be dry, we can head home a little late. Apparently, Wydots version of dry roads is different than mine. Two inches of packed snow is not a dry road. It was only in spots, but still. We made it to Jackson and could not find the meeting place, we found the address, but it was not a Burger King, so we just pulled in and called. She found us. The rabbits are gorgeous. The first one we saw was only 5 months old and much bigger than our current adults, and docile. It was cool. The 3 month old was not as docile, but so soft. We picked up the pedigrees and headed off. 15 minutes later, she called. "I just had an awful thought. Will you check the sex of the little rabbit?" I pulled over. Crap, it was a male. I checked the bigger one. Crap, its a female. I called her back. She grabbed the wrong ones.
So she is driving from Idaho to Wyoming again today to bring the right ones and pick up the wrong ones. Kid #3 puked his guts out on the way home. Fortunately, I was able to pull over in time. It started to snow on the way home. Lovely. I started to have a nasty hacking cough. I pulled something in my back. My dog ran off during the thunderstorm while I was gone. Bah humbug. Halloween, Go away.

About Time!!!

Ok, I have been way to busy living life to sit down and post anything. I have gotten a job, dealt with the 4-H county fair with the ponies, rabbits, chickens, and sewing. Foxy has been bred. The pigs that we bought before the flood are finally here. School is back in session.
Sergeant, Mystique, and Princess, my sister's horses, are back in Utah. My sister moves back to Utah in one week. So I will be down to three horses. My hay consumption will be much less this winter.

Kid #1 and Lady took Grand Champion in the Paint mare class. They were the only entry in the yearling class, which was good since Foxy was near, getting ready to go into the aged paint mare class. THAT was ugly. Foxy was a nasty beast that day. As soon as Foxy was done being a giant turd in the aged mares I ran her back to the trailer so I didn't get to see the championship class.
Once Lady was in the Champion class, she was up against the 1st place winners from paint 2 year olds, paint 3 year olds and the 1st and 2nd place winners from 4-5 year olds and aged mares. It was pretty cool to hear their names called out over the intercom, though.
Sergeant and the niece took Grand Champion in Morgan geldings. Sassy and nephew took reserve champion in Appaloosa mares. Kid #2 took Grand Champion meat birds and Champion Asiatic Cockerals for his Silver Laced Cochin. It was a pretty good time. We didn't even try the State fair because I had to report to my new job. I am now so ready for Bart to come live here now. (I can afford two high maintenance horses)

Foxy is due July 4th. Pretty dang late in the season, but with the flood, it was when we could get her bred. The neighbors had a baby born Labor day, that is a bit late in my book. Especially since we hit low thirties at night.

This is what we did today.



This was the first time that I have cinched up a saddle on her. Its the second time that she has worn a saddle.
This was the first. Note-- not cinched up and WAY too big.

This is one of the tiny kid saddles. I needed to lunge her and figured that we would try it with extra. Little did I know that Mr. BPA decided that since I was out playing, he would go on a killing spree with the shotgun. 50 rounds of a 12 gauge target practice. Lady jumped a bit, but it was great practice.

We are going to be putting harness on Lady next.

Moat Ponies

Warning!!! Tons of pics today. Only a few were also posted on Facebook.

Foxy and Lady are once again in weaning mode. Foxy just got bred today, so hopefully we will have an awesome foal next summer. A little late, but the flood messed us up.

While we were mucking stalls, we turned out all of mine and two of my sister's horses. I was trying to get her kids to move faster at cleaning stalls so I only put out the horses that we would be cleaning their stalls. Belle and Lady, Foxy, Sergeant, and Princess's stalls were all to be cleaned. Belle and Lady's was easy. Foxy's is a pain because it doesn't have a hard floor so we built it up with the sand bags and then put her floor mats back on it. Under the floor mats was pretty bad, we finally got all of the stuff hauled in from the flood. Sergeant's stall was just as easy as Belle and Lady's but with two arguing kids. . . Well, they never made it to Princess's stall. Maybe today.


So, we put the ponies out. Here are a few heading out to the pasture.



The mares are pretty good about hanging out together.

But Belle hates Sergeant.

But he generally wanders off.


One thing that I really appreciate about Belle is that she knows that when I call, its time to head in.

She tries to avoid going straight through the moat.



And just her hooves are wet.

The other horses just come straight through.

Well, not so straight. Foxy had to stop for a roll.(these pics also seen on Facebook, the rest are never before published)



I just can't wait to wash them all for the show on Friday!!

The Show!!!

Kid #1 and Lady took 1st in Halter!!!! Lady was not a perfect Lady, but Kid #1 was able to handle her and get her through the day.

In the Championship mare class, they were both too confused to do well, but the second place paint mare under 3 flipped out and reared over backwards slamming her head into a fence. She got up OK and tried to run, but I caught her on her way out of the barn. People thought that it was Lady because I caught her, but Lady was much better behaved than that. Showmanship was tougher because Kid #1 forgot part of the pattern. TROT away from the judge, not walk!!! But they still pulled a 2nd. Lady is very good about trailering now. (Lady IS under Foxy's neck. This is a habit that we really need to break. She does it with Belle, too. She can't do it with the other horses)
She just needs to be given a little bit of time to think about it. We are still working on backing out of the trailer. Tuesday, Foxy and Lady went to the fairgrounds for practice and to get the kids certified for the county fair next week. Although Kid #2 had been practicing with Foxy, Foxy was not impressed with the surroundings and all of the strange horses around her baby(Lady). Foxy was running everybody over and refusing to listen to Kid #2 at all. This was very frustrating for him. He reverted to being scared of her, like right after he was thrown and received his concussion. Lovely!!! I started to lunge her and then passed the line to him again. Foxy just kept screaming and hollering for Lady, but at least she was moving in a circle and not running him over anymore (its already tough being 12, brilliant, and short, without your 16 hh horse stomping on your feet in front of the other 4-H kids) Lady was just fine in the other arena. She listened and practiced well.
Once he lunged Foxy for 30-45 minutes, she settled down enough to let him get certified.
He will just have to lunge her before their Halter and Showmanship classes. Lady will be in the Showmanship class since they are both in the 11-13 year old class. They won't be in the Halter class together because Lady will be in the yearling class and Foxy in the aged Mares. It will be an interesting day. I will be the only adult (unless Mr. BPA can take the morning off) with the two paints, Sergeant for my niece, and Sassy for my nephew. AAAAAAAaaaaaagggghhhhh!!! At least I am not SUPPOSED to handle the horses. Only the kids are (yeah, right). Foxy and Lady have stalls reserved, so that might make things easier. It might make it tougher.

Getting ready for the show

Lady's first horse show is this Saturday. We had meant to go to more, but the flood really messed things up. We took Lady to the fairgrounds without Belle or Foxy. She was good, but very loud. It was only her fourth trailer ride and the first without her Mamas.

She rushes in the show ring. We are working on that. A few trail obstacles were set up, yoo. The mailbox did not phase her, but she saw no reason to walk on the bridge when she could easily go around.

All three girls got baths yesterday. With all of the swimming and the mud, they were really gross.

Before:




During: (This is Belle's prefered method for cleaning her mustache. She really hates it being scrubbed. A hose is much better)


After:

101 updated with Pics!!!

This is my 101st post. Wow, I should have noticed that the last one was my 100th, but I have been busy and stressed with the crazy flood. We saw this carriage in Thermopolis on the way home from the family reunion. Its even big enough for my family:)

Lady got a sunburn on her nose when she was evacuated to the pasture during my family reunion, so I had her babysitter putting sunscreen on her nose. So, of course, Foxy got a really bad sunburn on her nose. She hates the smell of the lotion, so until it actually hits the sores on her nose, Foxy fights the concept of having lotion applied to her nose. Belle is really stressed over moving around. She has never been an easy keeper. He weight has been really fluctuating. She was looking like she was putting weight back on until yesterday, but while I was there and filling her water, she came over and drank for about 5 minutes, so I wonder if she is just being picky about her water, which, of course, will affect her weight. They are coming home tomorrow. Her scratches are so much better. They are always better when she is out to pasture. In her stall, she will stand and scratch them. Foxy looks really great, except for her nose, but that is healing, too. Lady is a happy baby and the scratch that she got during the flood is finally healing. All three of them walk through the irrigation water without problems (but will that transfer over to walking through streams and puddles on trails?) This pic was taken the last week of June.
Its a little better now. The round pen is now dry. The runs are not underwater, but are muddy and mucky. Its still too wet for machinery to scrape it all out.
Monday, my brother helped Mr. BPA pull the carpet and particle board flooring out of the tackroom. Under all of that, the boards looked good, just soaked. I sprayed the whole thing down with disinfectant and we are waiting for it to dry out. It was cool and rainy yesterday, so we are still waiting to put everything back in. The Chicken coop was really disgusting, but the kids and Critter worked pretty hard on it so that we could move one of her horses into it. All of her horses will be on one side of the barn and mine will be on the other. It puts all of her horses with concrete floors. My side only has one concrete floor, with two dirt (currently mud) and two with wood that is too broken up for horses. One was used for the rabbits and the other for the model trains. A ton of train modules, mostly destroyed by the flood. Grass is growing up through the wood. That stall is low on the list for clean up.

The first horse show that Foxy and Lady will attend will be July 17th. The County fair is July 30th. They will only be doing Showmanship for the 4-H. Hopefully, the kids will have fun. Next year we will try for the parade, but Foxy is not ready to pull in a parade. Belle definitely is not.