birthday boy

Ollie is two years old today!

'who, me?'

As you can see, he still needs to grow into his large ears and giant head, but it'll come.  The time has gone so quickly....it seems only yesterday that he was born.  Here he is,  just hours after his birth (Sadie is still covered in sweat after all of her exertions).  

Sadie has been such a great momma to Ollie.  She has really turned out to be a most excellent horse.  Ollie has inherited her even-tempered disposition and general unflappability.  He has been a pretty easy horse to train, especially for two novices (o.k., one novice- my husband and our wonderful friend Ed did the training, I mostly watched, with my breath held, and my knickers in a twist).  

My job was caretaker and official spoiler and smoocher.  (Note to self: do not let people take pictures of me while wearing pyjama bottoms and a bun in my hair).

Ollie has always been treated with kindness, and he is a very open, friendly,trusting horse.

It's actually dificult to take photos of him in the pasture, because before you know it ....

he's practically sitting on my lap.  

'Mwah'!  here's your kiss, please don't eat my camera.  My husband has been taking him for some trail rides with the other horses, and he has done very well, so far.  I'll probably wait another, oh, I don't know, five years before I ride him (I'm that chicken of a rider).

Happy birthday little Ollie.  Stay sweet.

In the pasture (finally)

The horses have been put out into their summer pasture, where they will basically graze undisturbed (for the most part, except for the occasional ride, weather permitting) until October.  It's a large, square area with a run-in shelter, so they can get out of the weather.

They have an automatic waterer, so horse care at this time of year becomes pretty easy around here.

The only dark cloud is...the flies!

We are finally having a hot day (cue the halleluja chorus), and so the May 'biting bugs' have appeared.  This results in fussy, fidgety, stamping, snorting horses.

I must go to the feed store and buy some bug spray (which only grants temporary relief, and also requires sneaky application since two of the three horses are scared of spray-and white cloths- it's a whole procedure, believe me).

Despite the bugs, I do look forward to the horses getting all glossy and fat (well, not too fat-although Joe and Ollie are looking thin.  Our farrier told us that many of the horses he's seen have lost weight because of the tough winter weather). They already seem so much more relaxed after a difficult winter.  It's a lovely sight to see them hanging out in the pasture just...being horses, enjoying the sun and the wind and the all-you-can-eat buffet, and dreaming about sleeping (as I'm told they all do) and perfecting the art of doing nothing!

Heat

....is something that has been sorely lacking here these last few days.  Cold and rain has been the order of the day.

The pansies can handle it, and it hasn't stopped the apple blossoms .

Full-out blooms, baby!! (too bad the apples from that particular tree are tasteless and mealy). 

On a somewhat related topic, my horse Sadie is in heat!  I discovered this while letting her graze on our lawn while I held her on a line.  Joe, our old gelding (who was roaming freely) decided to mount her then and there! (well, he attempted to, anyway).  This was rather alarming on many levels.  First of all, I wasn't expecting it, and didn't want to be that close to that much 'action'.  Secondly, she normally doesn't give him the time of day.  I think she finds him too short, too boldly coloured and lacking in refinement.  He's clearly not her type.   Plus, the dude's a gelding.  

 Yesterday, though, she was basically stalking him, and giving him all kinds of signals and overtures, most of them none too subtle.  Poor Joe, there's only so much he can do.

Ah, spring in the country.  Bursting with life.  And heat.

visitor

Meet Rusty.  He is an Appaloosa gelding belonging to my husband's sister's family.  He's visiting us for a few days because they wanted to ride out to look at a farm they are considering purchasing, which is just a few fields over from us.

He's a very pretty, dainty, quiet horse.  His mane is just so lovely and straight.  Poor guy, though.  He's being ostracized by our crew of horses.  They take turns either intimidating him, or standing around in a pack and giving him the evil eye.  If looks could kill....

Eat up, Rusty, soon you'll be bossed away from that hay pile.  I think he'll be glad to get home to his own barn.   Herd dynamics are so complicated, and involve hierarchies and associations.  Rusty's a lover, not a fighter, so he just does his best to stay out of the other horses' way.  I think our guys will be glad when he leaves, too.  You can almost feel the tension.

The thing is, his next visit will probably be a lot easier.  It's very interesting to observe, and things went pretty well over all.  If my sister-in-law does buy that farm, the horses will have 'met' and be used to each other on trail rides.  We shall see.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying just looking at him.  He classes up the joint (sorry Sadie, Joe, and Ollie!).

sugar jones

There are times when there is NOTHING to snack on in the house, and since it's a little far to walk, you ask your Dad if he can give you a ride to the store for some candy.

No problem.  Meet our environmentally-friendly transportation mode.

By the way, when they got there, the store was closed:)

gasp

This morning the thermometer read -30C (that's -20 something F, I think).

This means that the moment you went outside, your breath was stolen from you by the dry cold, and you were left gasping.

It was that hovering, still, windless, BURNING cold.

Ice on your eyelashes cold.

Frost on your whiskers cold.

'Double rations plus extra grain' cold.....are you getting the picture??

At least the sun is out, and the day is bright.  Stay warm, wherever you are today.

Ed

It is with great sadness that I share with you the news that Ed, our lovely horse-trainer and helper, and friend, died yesterday in a road accident.  

I tried to find a photo of him, and the only ones I could find were not full-on shots.  He was a very unassuming, shy man, but always helpful and kind.  He loved horses and was a true natural horseman.  His techniques were not fancy, but based on patience and kindness.

Ed moved to a slower rhythm than most people do.  After spending just a few moments with this quiet man,  you couldn't help but feel more peaceful.  I'm so glad that he was able to help us with Ollie, our little horse- he gave him such a good, loving start.

I'll miss the sound of his  blue pickup truck rumbling down our driveway.  I'll miss shooting the breeze with him, and hearing his latest verdict on Ollie's progress (and hearing him say "he's growed").  

He will be missed by his friends and family (human and horse alike).  Happy trails Ed.

Baby Ollie goes to college

Ah, they do grow up quickly, don't they? It seems only yesterday that our 'new' horse Sadie gifted us with this gorgeous little critter. We did not know she was pregnant at the time we bought her, and the vendor did not tell us. This is a photo of Sadie and her baby Ollie, just a short time after his birth. Since I knew nothing 'bout birthin' baby horses, I ordered foaling manuals and consulted experienced horse owners about what to expect when youre expecting a foal. What did happen was that on a beautiful May evening Sadie took matters into her own hands (hooves) and did everything herself. I'd barely even cracked open the foaling manual when my husband, early in the morning said there was a 'surprise' in the field:


What a goregeous little fellow he was.

Soon Ollie was out and about (literally, he was quite an escape artist when it came to fences) and delighted everyone with his antics and ciuriosity. Joe, our older gelding (male horse) was an excellent babysitter and playmate. Momma, after all, was a bit tired with all the nursing and supervision (It's a full time job ).

Ollie was taken away for a month, in order to be weaned and gelded . He was a little stallion, after all, and starting to cause no end of trouble. He returned to the farm (and the happy little family was reunited). Our trainer and helper, Ed, has made some wonderful progress with him, and we have decided to further his education by sending him to 'school' five minutes down the road to my father-in-law's barn, where he will get daily attention from Ed, who is really relishing this task (he's even talking of riding him, he's a spry young 74). My husband rode Ollie on Saturday. He is getting the idea of forward motion and cues for walking and stopping. He leads beautifully.

The only thing is, I have a case of 'empty nest' syndrome in the pasture. Sadie and Joe look somewhat forlorn (or maybe I'm imagining it). Either way, they will be getting extra grooming, treats and extensive hugs from me.

Ollie will be back in the spring (and I've explained it to Sadie and Joe) hopefully a more mature and better behaved horse. I'll keep you posted on his training progress and new digs (I'll be visiting him-for treats and hugs).

This (horse) parenting stuff, it's not easy, I tell ya!

november

Here's the thing about November: it's a transitional month.  Because it bridges the gap between fall and winter, it can provide you with a real mixed bag of  weather.   I generally think of this month as being all greys and browns and darkness.  But it's not, really.  This weekend we experienced a little of everything.   A few moments of snow-globe swirls:

Some wind-less sunshine, perfect for doing a little training of giant baby horses:

"I don't like to be trained.  Look at the gear they make me wear.  It's positively undignified".

And the proverbial greys and browns.  The farmers who lease our land decided to fertilize and plow.  It looks like a giant fudge cake right now (but smells oddly like salty beef boullion).  I hope you all had a good (and varied ) weekend!

on being ridden

Shhhh.....we must be very quiet, Ed is here and today is the second time that my husband attempts to sit on Ollie's back! (Ollie is our little one- and- a- half year old gelding.  Ed is the lovely man who is training him-the horse, that is).  I am very nervous because I know nothing about training horses, but it seems to me that attempting to get on the back of a young horse is best left to experts or absolutely crazy people who are adrenaline junkies.  So I guess my hubby the farmboy fits the bill, and I don't mean in the horse expert department.  Let's tiptoe closer, and make sure the flash is off.... 

I hear some nervous laughter....  Ed is getting Ollie all tacked up and ready....

Hubby gradually puts weight on the saddle and gets on and off a few times.  It's o.k, we can come closer now, but we musn't startle the horse....

Mission accomplished!  Ollie the horse is very very slowly getting used to having someone on his back.  But it's only the beginning, and he's not too sure about this whole procedure!

We are so lucky to have Ed helping us- he's a bit of a horse whisperer, has been around them all his life.  His techniques are based on kindness and patience.  He was pretty disappointed that he would not be the first one riding Ollie, but he's getting on in years (I think he's 78 or so) so it's probably a wise decision, though I don't doubt that he would do it in a pinch- the man rides every day, and training just comes naturally to him.

 

I myself won't be riding Ollie for a while.  I think in about ten years or so, I'll give it a try.

There, don't you feel better now, with that Dude off your back?  Oh, and look, while you were learning about being sat on, your Mama went to the beauty parlour and had her hair done!

Isn't she purty?

witches' knots

Meet Joe.  Joe is my best horse pal.  He's around twenty years old.  He's not a fancy dude, but spend five minutes with him, and you too will consider him a friend.  He loves to socialize and besides eating and sleeping, his favourite thing in the world is being groomed.  You could brush him for two hours straight and he would still look at you reproachfully when you are done as if to say that's all?  We don't have a barn, only run-in shelters, so my horses are out and about most of the time, and  they end up looking SCRUFFY 97 percent of the time.  The grooming opportunities are endless, and even though the results are rarely stellar, the activity itself is highly therapeutic (for both horse and human).

I gave Joe a good brushing today, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.  It's been quite windy lately, and Joe's somewhat stringy mane had some snarled-up areas.  Some people call those snarly tangles witches knots.  I don't know if that's because they are well-nigh impossible to get out, or if it's based on some old folk-tale about witches riding horses at night when nobody is looking.  I'm inclined to believe it's the latter.  

Joe, would you stop obliging the witches, these knots are really difficult to get out!

Seriously, Joe, you don't have to be nice to everyone.  

just 'cause

Some gratuitous horse photos: