He's Still Here

Looks like Wrangler dodged another bullet Monday.  A prospective buyer was so excited to look at him that they even brought their trailer with them.  But they also brought their coach who talked them out of even making an offer on the ride here. 

 Wrangler did perfect.  He did everything I asked and didn't even chew on the lead rope.  However, the women looking at him was middle aged and had only been riding, or in her words, "not falling off too often," for 6 years.  The only horse she has ridden was a lesson horse which she fell in love with and bought and is now an arthritic 18 year old.  So of course, let's look at a 5 year old performance horse.  Unfortunately, to make Wrangler do anything you have to ride and not just sit.   The coach rode him well but commented that his lope felt funny.  It was obvious she rode more hunter/dressage and I asked if she had ever ridden a western pleasure horse.  She said a couple of times. I tried to explain that this was how they loped.   She wanted to know if I made him go that slow with my seat.  I said he naturally went slow and I had to use my leg to speed him up and the reins to put him into frame.   The woman that came to look was too scared to even try to lope even though Wrangler had been a perfect gentleman the entire time.   Hopefully, she will decide to look at another older lesson type horse next time.  My only other current lead is someone 3 1/2 hours away that wants to take him on a trial basis for 2 week to see if he would fit into his herd and work cattle.  Well, that's not going to happen.  Do you know how messed up a horse can get in 2 weeks?  And nowhere in his ad do I say he works cattle.   Western pleasure people, western pleasure.  And, well, painting...

You may recognize the above picture as Wrangler's first in his watercolor series.  I decided that he has improved his technique so much that I wanted him to add a little something to it.

This is the result, Flamingos!

The Goat Hook

The goats are scheduled to start kidding in mid April.

 We have had a few that have been sort of puny acting lately.  This last month with all the mud and temperature changes has been pretty hard on them.   J needed to catch one today to deworm.

He already had this handy dandy calf catch pole (see here) but the hook was too big for goats.  So for Father's Day last year V got J a goat hook to go on the pole.  

And today J got to try it out.  It worked perfectly.  So now instead of trying to seek up on them, race around and grab their horns, J can just walk out, grab a back leg with the hook and reel them in.

Just Kit Sunday #84

The Foot Trap

 "Help! Help! I've fallen and can't get up."

 "There's a giant attaching me.  Must protect myself."

 "Oh wait, there might be something more interesting over there."

 "OK mom, get her off of me, pleeeease."

 "Whew, glad that's over."

"Time to set the trap again."

In Bloom at the 4R's

We have had a bit of a warm spell so the flowers are starting to shoot up.

 Hyacinths,

 forsythia,

 daffodils,

and grape hyacinths and all adding wonderful color to the yard after a long winter.

Crew Cut in Progress

Never buy a semi dwarf tree that says,  "keep pruned to desired height". 

 The pear trees have been wonderfully productive but a pain to keep pruned.

 I skipped topping them last year and they are almost out of control now.  I was ready to skip it again this year but J volunteered to do the pruning so I said, "go for it."

After he finished one tree he is ready to give up too.  I've borrowed a pole pruner but it is not much help.  What we really need is someone with a cherry picker to come in and finish the job.  Any volunteers?

Just Kit Sunday #83

Just Kit Kat

 Hanging out in the barn. 

Being a cat. 

What Do You See?

I caught Wrangler for a quick painting Tuesday evening.  When I went to the field he was away from the other horses.  Instead of running over to them he turned and faced me and did a low nicker.  He is not suppose to be doing nice stuff like that, he is for sale.

 Anyway, I thought I would try a painting with more colors and let him paint more brush strokes on it.

Wrangler Can Paint Watercolor Series #22

Not too sure I like this one much, but I do see Dumbledore and Fawkes in this one.
And then I got this email from someone in New Jersey (8 hours away)

"After making a dozen calls and asking everyone I know, there is no way I'm going to be able to come down to your ranch, try him, buy and bring the horse back up here to south jersey. If there is anyway you and your husband could bring him up here, if he is as good as he looks on your videos, I know we could make a deal happen. I would also be open to paying you folks something for transporting him up here.

Think about it and just let me know. I would be open to your schedule on any week-end you think this could work. If that's not going to be possible, then it's not going to happen.

Please let me know either way."

Do people really buy horses like this?  Not really something I'm comfortable doing. 

Good Fences #52

 In  my opinion there is no better way to take a picture of a fence than if there is a horse behind, beside or in front of it.

 I think Otoelen was stopping to admire the flowers that have just started blooming in the yard.

Currently in bloom at the 4R's are daffodils, 

and crocuses.

For more Good Fences click, HERE.

Sorting and Getting Ready

The time is getting close for the first calve heifers to start calving. 

 They have been out in the far field with the smaller calves.  Yesterday J and I got them up to sort them out and put them behind the house so we could keep a closer eye on them and they would me handier to the barn in case there was any trouble.

 I think they were more interested in looking and my pink muck boots than following the tractor.

 But we finally got them moving,

 and into the barn lot.

 Sorting was uneventful and the calves got turned back out to where they came from and the heifers are now behind the house.

Then I got to ride Otoelene through them.  She is such an awesome little horse.

5 Year Wait

Ever since we got our first 4 wheeler almost 5 years ago now, (Here's the post on that) I have been wanting a cart to pull behind it.  J kept saying how cheap they were made and that always discouraged me from buying one.  Well, now we have had our second 4 wheeler for over a year and still no cart... until yesterday. 

 I made the executive decision to go ahead and get one, cheap made or not.

 I actually went for a more expensive model that had larger, wider tires and is suppose to carry up to 1250 pounds.

 It will even swivel and dump.

 The first test was this pile of rocks I had collected

 off of this hill in front of the house.  I was tired of tripping over them leading the horses to the barn.

Three loads later and I need to find some more rocks (not really much of a challenge around here).

Wrangler the Painting Horse, A Short Rant, And My 1500 Post!

Wrangler is becoming so talented at painting he can now do it with his eyes closed. 

 I think he has really been feeling Spring on its way.

Wrangler Can Paint watercolor series #19

 He has painted yellow daffodils,

Wrangler Can Paint watercolor series /#20

 and purple tulips.

Wrangler Can Paint watercolor series #21

Not real sure what this one is though.

Now for my short rant...

   As you know, I have Wrangler advertised for sale.  Every time I get a call I go through the emotional roller coaster of thinking about letting him go after all of the work I've put into him or keeping a horse I really don't need.  Anyway, this last tire kicker really ticked me off.
   I was call and questioned by "Ben" about Wrangler and how much to deliver him 250 miles away.  After discussing it with J I emailed Ben back with the total price.  He then called and said I would have to call "Mr. S" and talk with him because he was really the one that would be buying Wrangler.  I said "Mr. S" was welcome to call me but I thought it a little strange for me to be calling him since it was Ben I had been communicating with.
   Well, Mr. S did call and said he was very interested but was having trouble finding an honest person.  I then got a story about his other horse being with a trainer for 9 months and having $18,000 in it and it coming home with a cracked cannon bone then going to a "horse nursing home" being drugged up and now has turning into a kicker and biter.  After all of that he asked a couple of questions about Wrangler's soundness.  Wrangler is totally sound and I reassured him of this several times.  He asked again about his hooves and I said, the only thing you could even see was a very superficial crack in one front hoof that is growing out and causing absolutely no problems. ** OH NO GASP **  "Well, that really concerns me." said Mr. S.  I went over it several more times that it was only cosmetic, no problem and growing out.  I would take a picture of it and he was welcome to look at the horse himself and have it vet checked.  "Well, that really concerns me,"  he said for the 10th time.  I finally said, 'if it still concerns you and you haven't even looked at him and I am assuring you that it is not a problem, then you don't need my horse.'  He thanked me and hung up.
Shew! People, really.

Just Kit Sunday #82

Kit Kat's adventuresome spirit struck yesterday.  And luckily I was there with my camera to record the whole thing.

 "Hmm, what is this dark hole I see?"

 "Maybe I should explore this further."

 "What do you think, should I go in?"

 "Maybe a little more sniffing before I try."

 "OK, I'm going for it.  I'm going in."

 "All the way in."

 "OK, I'm coming out."

"All the way out."
Adventure done.