Catchin' Up--barn, sales, etc.

They say time flies when you're having fun.

Well, it's not been particularly fun.....but the time flew by anyway.

Stall floors are just about done. It takes a long time to get everything coordinated to finish them.....the stone/gravel needs to be added and leveled, the mats cut. We had to re-finish one of them.....there had been a big hole, and when the weight of a 2000-pound horse got put on it, the stone continued to settle until there was a hole again. Guess we just rushed it. The last one also had a huge hole in it, and it took a lot of chipping out of high spots to get to a point where I could start adding stone and leveling it. This time I took my time....layering the stone a bit more. I think that's what went wrong before.....I had chipped the high spots out and put it into the hole, but the new gravel did not mesh well with it, and allowed it to settle further. This time, the old gravel was well-mixed with the new, so hopefully we won't see the same problem.

We sold Odonata Miss Firecracker at the Dover Sale. Typically, she did not bring much. The good thing is she went to some people who were VERY interested in her and apparently wanted her. So we let her go, since we had seen several that might make a match for our awesome Star. She was early enough in the sale that we could do it.

There were 5 originally. The one I liked the best needed 5 people to hook her to the cart. Not a good start. And there was something.......she was an awesome mover, she was a beautiful mare, and she was young. But there was something.....odd. I watched her a lot, trying to figure it out. She kept trying to fall into a canter; and I wasn't sure if it was because she was being driven right to the "breaking point" or something else. Then I saw the slight hitch in her stifle. A tad of hesitation as the stifle joint moved to bring the leg forward, and the sudden "release" of the joint to allow it. Not a smooth move, but a catch. My favorite one had stringhalt....a stifle problem. DARN!

My next choice was way too big for Star, and would have been great for Jill: if Jill wasn't such a cranky-butt who hates everybody.....everybody but Bill.

My third choice looked good, but my gut was not totally convinced. There was a picture of her hitched.....and if you looked closely, you could see that it had been Photo-shopped. The leg had been moved to look snappier than it actually was. Why they did that, I don't know, cuz she moved very very nicely anyway.

Numbers 4 and 5 were pretty close. Both had better toplines than the other three, but just did not have the "presence" the others had. Both moved just as well. A thorough going-over found one of them to have a cloudy left eye. Probably due to an injury, since it was not just a single cloud, but a large one in the lower third and a smaller one about halfway up further back. Once again, my gut suggested that this was not going to get better; in fact it was probably going to get worse as time went on.

Fortunately, there were several who were early in the sale, so it would be one of those, "well, if we don't get this one, there's the next". And there were others who might do just as well (one had a particularly weird shoeing job), although we weren't going to push it just to have one. And coming home without any would have worked, too.

But we bought one. The first 2 we were interested in went rather high (which was nice to see, although it did not affect our baby). Well, at least higher than we wanted to go for the quality. But then Queen came in. She was 6, and not bred this year which was to her detriment (later we found that she had been bred before..twice...but they did not breed her last year or this because of prices....and who could blame them?). We bought her for half the price we would have paid for her. I had a few concerns yet, but we took the chance.

Bringing her home, we found out something about her......she is a go-with-the-flow kind of horse. Friends of ours also bought a very very nice horse, and some people we know who live close by also bought 2 youngsters. So, we had a loaded trailer. Because it is a stock-type trailer, there is no center divider; we usually put horses head to tail in them, since there is plenty of room for them to move with the movement of the trailer. But, I was driving behind, in the car, and it soon became apparent that head-to-tail was not going to work.
The big Belgian had slammed her body cross-wise and was standing sideways, plastered up against the front of the gooseneck. The 2 babies in the back were also having issues, with one pushing the other literally up the wall. I just kept seeing the sale numbers on the one's butt getting higher and higher as it stepped up on the wheel well because it was getting pushed by the other. Poor Queen had her head resting on the Trixy's (the Belgian) butt.
We pulled the 2 babies off and tried to change places with them, but the "problem child" immediately turned sideways and would not go head first. So we ties both of them sideways instead. We tried to get Trixy to move, but she just went right back, so we re-tied Queen so she could ride sideways, too. Problem child still kept smashing the other baby up against the back door, but the movement of the trailer was enough to pull it off at times. When we got to a rest area to check up on them, Trixy was STILL smashed up against the front of the trailer, the 2 babies were smashed up against the back door, and Queen was just standing there in a 3/4 position, taking up the space Trixy left her. She had about 3 feet on either side of her, between Trixy and the middle gate, and she was just as happy as a clam.

Once home, she paired up not with Star (who squealed and pinned her ears at the newcomer and chased her around for awhile) but with our 3-yo Sheena. Of course, Jill just went right after her, although Jill was actually the second horse to "warm" up to her. Jill actually ALLOWED her into her space (which is 5 feet around her body) without trying to kill her, after a few days. Bill....he just doesn't care. Although Star hasn't really warmed up to her, she's no longer chasing her around or away. However, Queen has a habit of squealing when she gets a bit nervous...which suggests a past that needs to be reckoned with. And the squeal is noteworthy.....a panicked, "I'm gonna die" squeal.

Sunday was the first time we were able to get everyone together at the Fairgrounds to see how things were going to go. 14 people, 9 horses, 3 carts, 1 wagon and 1 forecart all came. The objective was massive. Bill went to "help" a problem child. He's the rock, the one who doesn't do anything wrong. The problem child belonged to the Sparks, a family we have known for awhile. Rosie (the problem child) does not like being driven, although she was fine in the team. She just does not like being by herself. Sparks also have Lainie, who was the problem child last year (and really WAS a problem) that Bill "helped" get through her issues. I drove Star for the first time, single. She is definitely a man's horse. My arms are still tired! She's easy to drive, but if you relax for a second, she dives right into the lines and goes faster. She doesn't run away, but whatever you give her, she steps right up to take! Roy would definitely not be able to drive her with his hands.....mine hurt enough and his are way worse. While Star and Queen were hooked as a team, I drove Sheena around. Sheena is still a bratty 2/3yo. She needs a lot of time driving to get her consistent and compliant. She just likes to do what she wants to do. And of course Bud (my old gelding that Chris and Jim have now) was there so we were going around in carts, and teams....just all over the place.

One of the things we wanted to do was put Sheena and Bud together, since Chris has expressed in interest in getting her. And they actually did fairly well together.
Probably better than Star and Queen. Team is not Star's cup of tea, and she "freezes" when she's brought up to the tongue. They didn't start out so good, so John (the teamster that drives for us) ground drove them for a bit before hooking them. Queen knows how to do things (like step over a tongue) so it was a bit easier to get Star in the right place. Neither horse did anything stupid, but they did not work together very well. Again, just miles, while they get used to each other. Once they got going, they moved very nicely together, and match rather well. When looking at them separate, Queen looks so much smaller, yet pics show they are just about the same size. I think it's because Star has so much "presence" and Queen does not. But the pics show the truth, they are within and inch of each other. They move pretty much the same, but they don't move together....almost as if there is a competition as to who can be in front.

It was exciting and fun. Next time I will need to drive Star and Queen.

Selling horses

Anyone who has sold older animals will tell you......they seem to know when you are "getting rid of them". Weanlings of any sort (cat, dog, horse) don't seem to have the same feel, but the older ones definitely do.

Most of the horses I sell are sold for only one reason......they do not fit in with the program.
In draft horses, most of the time it's because they don't have a match/mate; and unless they are phenomenal movers don't have a place locked up on the show thing. I have to admit, we have been very lucky in finding great homes for our "odd-man-out" horses.
But that doesn't change their attitude......or the fact that they seem to "know".

Once a horse is officially "on the market" most of them become like lost puppies.
"Don't you love me anymore?" The sad eyes....the sudden "joined at the hip" with you. They want to be petted and played with.......they "say" with every movement, "You don't really want to sell me, do you?"

I have a hard time selling any horse. I do connect with all of them.....especially ones that I bought from a sale and ones I helped into the world. After buying/selling over 150 horses, it still isn't any easier. But Athena is trying to make it easy.

It seemed that as soon as the paperwork was sent in to the sale, she knew. While Summer has done the "sweet" thing noted above, Athena is more like a child who has to go to camp; but no matter how much he wants to go, is scared of leaving home.....and begins to "act out".
Psychologists call this "making it easier to separate." It's always easier to leave when you're angry.....and it's always easier to "let go" when you're not happy with something.

Athena has never had any vices.....til now. While she has always been independent and superior, she usually went along with things, as long as they were done her way or she could "live with it". The day the papers were sent in.....she started being aggressive. She crowds when you go to feed her; she comes at you with mouth open when you try to fly-spray her; she's taken up nipping; and she doesn't want you to catch her when she comes in from the pasture. None of this was there prior to this day. Since none of this is tolerated in my barn, she has since given up such shenanigans with me....but my guess is she's going to push buttons for someone else.

Until Sunday. On Sunday, we helped some friends with a problem horse (couldn't break her) by bringing up our "rock".....Bill. Bill deals with Jill all the time.....and does a wonderful job....so naturally, he was elected to be the teacher. While his partner lunged and leaped like she was jumping no-stride 2-1/2' cavaletti, poor Bill just tried to keep up......until the mare finally settled down and decided she really could do this thing without being stupid. We had also brought along Summer and Athena, since they really hadn't had a good hitch since May.

While Bill was a star that day, Athena came in a close second. She was perfect hitching.....was actually happy being hitched and played with. While Roy worked Summer, I let Athena lunge for a bit (she's been known to be a bit "hot" if you put her right into a hitch), on her own terms (she knows how to lunge and pretty much does it herself after a few reminders). The more we worked, the more she wanted to work. She really seemed to enjoy herself, while Summer and Sheena really wanted to just go out in the pasture. Not that they were bad, they just weren't as much fun to drive.

As much as her original trainer said she prefers to be ridden, she really liked being driven in the cart. We did not get a chance to drive Athena and Summer as a team.....but then, they don't match anymore, and it would be like driving Mutt and Jeff with their size difference. And that is why they are going to the sale.....they have no matches with our black horses or even our other, very fancy dapple gray.

The sale is this Friday, and I admit I'm stressed. Hope and pray for them to find that good home.

October Sale Time

It's October.......and for draft horses, that means sales.
It's a time that's both exciting and sad.
Exciting because there may be something there you just can't live without.
Sad because you need to send some friends along to find new homes.

It's sad this year. We need to sell some, and 2 of my nicer animals are going to be leaving.

Summer, our dapple gray 3yo, did not grow as big as we had anticipated. Her team mate, 3 yo blue roan Athena, is pushing 18hh. Their Mutt-and-Jeff appearance makes them no longer the nice team they were. It is, of course, still possible that Summer will grow more......but she will be a "late bloomer" and will not match Athena for a few years. That's a few years too many. We did not breed them......I don't like breeding 3yos.....and that will likely have a major effect on how much they bring. Both are extremely well-bred.....but sometimes that means nothing.

Summer takes care of hubby. He is not an aggressive driver and at times loses focus......but she knows just what to do and keeps him safe. She's a super horse for someone who is new to the business or wants a safe horse for their kids. She had held her own in competition, beating older more mature horses, so she's a nice mover. She's also broke to ride (although I haven't ridden her since last year). And she's a good baby sitter. My present foal, Fire, will need to be weaned again. No vices, either. Just a real nice mare that I would keep if I could.

But I am really going to miss Athena. This blue-roan moves like a 3-day and/or dressage horse. She is the "modern" kind, which means she looks more like a warm-blood than a full-blooded Percheron. She also was broke to ride last year (again, I'm not riding them) and the trainer said she actually preferred to be ridden than driven. She also has held her own against more mature horses and placed well in her classes. She's actually jumped over me when I got knocked by another horse right into her path. I just remembered thinking "this is gonna hurt" and then seeing her feet over my head. This horse and I have quite a history together, which makes it especially hard to see her go.

As a baby, she almost didn't make it out. She got her shoulder caught on her mom's pelvis and no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn't make it move. Just when I figured was going to have a dead baby, suddenly, it gave, and she came out. When we lost her mother the next year, I really wanted to keep her forever. Then, while out with mares and foals, another mare decided she didn't like her and attacked her. Again, I thought I would have a dead baby......but with a lot of love and care she pulled through. She has her own personality......I gave her the name Athena for a reason......she thinks she's a goddess! And she has the blue roan dorsal stripe down her back and the dark outline of her eye......which actually makes her look more like Cleopatra! It is very Egyptian-like.

I am not looking forward to losing these two.....because that's what it is.....losing them. But circumstances force the issue. 11 horses and 2 people to care for them.....gets to be a bit much at our age.....especially since 1 (me) does most of the day-to-day stuff. I know they are not getting the attention they deserve, since it is focussed on others who need it more right now.
But still.......next week will be a sad week.