Our New Arrival

So, we had a baby born on Friday June 11. She arrived at 12:16 a.m. after a fast labor and easy delivery. We were all worried for the last few weeks because the doc said that it would be a large baby but everything turned out fine. I have to admit; I am totally and completely smitten with her. We call her Stormy.

I'm pretty sure she's gifted. She stood within twenty minutes of her birth, tried to kick me a few moments later, eats like a full-grown hog, is the fastest runner, the highest jumper, and the prettiest filly I have ever seen. She has one blue eye, the right one, and cream colored eyelashes. How can you not love her instantly?

As most people know, we do not advocate breeding of average horses. A horse would really have to be something for me to think breeding would be a good idea in this economy, horse market, and with the flood of unwanted/uncared for horses. Well, last year we had a Tennessee Walker Stallion here that came in as a rescue. Unfortunately, he had cancer and was euthanized shorty after his arrival. However, this was not before Miss Brownie took advantage of him.

You see, Brownie has no respect for fencing. Barbed, hot, wooden, panel, or otherwise, we have yet to find a fence that she won't climb through, over, under (yes, we actually saw her do this), knock down (she rubs against it and pushes until something gives - our panels were welded to pipe frames and she broke the welds!), or otherwise destroy to go exactly where she wants. So last summer, she went through three hotwire fences to have her wicked way with a poor unsuspecting stud.

In all the years we've been doing this, we've had an untarnished record for no breeding, accidental or otherwise. In one fell swoop, Brownie wrecked it.

I can't be too mad. Like I said, Stormy is a doll. And, as Dustin put it, you would probably have to pry her out of my cold, dead hands to get her away from me, so I'm pretty sure she has a forever home, lol.

She's a snotty little princess already (had to double check to make sure Luna wasn't involved in the parentage somewhere :)) and she rules the farm. Mama doesn't like the other horses to even look in Baby's direction, let alone try to approach the fence. However when Luna came up from pasture the first day Stormy was outside, Brownie trotted her right over to the fence and showed her off. I guess that's one of the perks of being lead mare, getting to see the new stuff first.

Luna looked her over, bug eyed and mildly alarmed. She had to check thoroughly to make sure that spindly-legged little thing was actually a horse. All went well until until Stormy snorted, whipped around, and threw a kick in Luna's general direction. Luna yanked her head up and looked at me like "Can you believe this brat?". It was pretty amusing. She is growing like a weed. I want to get some video and pictures here as soon as I can.

I am booked solid with training horses, lessons, and barrel racing. Also summer means bbq, ball games, swimming, and a ton of other things. I have been super busy but I'm trying not to forget about writing here. And trying not to have a heat stroke :)

Our Kanopolis Weekend

As you all can tell, I am not keeping up with my one-post-a-week promise. *sigh* I am trying, be patient with me.

This last weekend we took five horses and two family members with us to Kanopolis State Park. It was just Dustin and I (the heathens stayed with their grandmas) and his brother and sister in law. We left Thursday evening, drove for 2 hours, and then set up camp with a furious energy that would have left a squirrel drained, trying unsuccessfully to get tents erected and blankets laid out before the last bit of light faded from the sky. Of course, the horses come first, so by the time they were fly sprayed, fed, watered, and generally fussed over - it was dark.

I couldn't sleep that night. Dustin fell asleep right away and I believe J and B did too. I lay awake, staring up at the stars through the tent top (guess who forgot that the canopy for our tent broke last year?) and listened to the wind rustle through the trees. I was too excited to sleep. Kanopolis is one of my favorite places in the word. Awesome trails, amazing wildlife, an entire branch of the lake devoted to horse people, and some of the nicest people you could ever meet.

I was up and dressed and drinking coffee (yes, I brought my french vanilla with me) at 5:30. I fidgeted until 6 when I finally couldn't take it anymore and woke up everyone else. They appreciated it, let me tell ya.

That first day we took a short morning ride and a short evening ride. In the morning we did a few hills and then went through two of the water crossings. The water was just low enough that the horses didn't have to swim. I always lean forward and bring my feet up behind me, resting against Luna's flanks, to keep my boots dry. I must not have been clear enough with J because he tried to bring his boots forward and filled them with water. Oops.

He rode Cash the whole time we were gone. Cash did amazing. I don't know that I have ever been more impressed with a young horse. I might be biased, I will admit, but I still think he's gold. I was impressed with J too. From the first day he listened to instruction and then followed it, asked good questions, and really tried to put all of the things we talked about into play.

B rode Splash, a big solid colored paint gelding. He is the one that has raised our kids. For the little ones or an inexperienced rider Splash is a babysitter. For an adult that knows a bit about riding, he is a lot of fun. He's reliable and steady but not a deadhead. B did really well with him too.

They both learned how to put on all of their own gear, mount unassisted, groom, do tick checks, feed, water, and scoop poop. There was nothing this weekend that they didn't participate in which was awesome. A lot of the time the most knowledgeable people are left to deal with the details. It was great having people that wanted to learn.

They also both fell in love. With my horses.

On Saturday we did a 22 mile trail ride. We were in the saddle from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and it got HOT. We took frequent breaks and we stopped on the trail for lunch beside a crystal clear little creek in a shady clearing. It was heaven. We stripped saddles and bridles and waded into the creek with the horses, splashing them and ourselves, everyone getting cooled off before we ate while they grazed and dried off.

There was only one glitch. I had to use the..er, little girl's tree. Lol. I told the rest of the group to go on a ways and I would catch up. I spotted a likely place, clear of snakes and poison ivy, and tried to pee. I say tried because Luna had briefly lost her mind and her rein was looped through my elbow as I struggled to not pee on myself and hold my pants out of the way and keep my balance. Apparently, she thought that the rest of the group had been teleported to a distant place, maybe full of grain and green pastures and a bunch of horses she could boss around. I don't know, but as soon as they got out of earshot she had a meltdown.

I finally got that business dealt with (by dealt with I mean that I finally made a flying leap into the saddle while she trembled and shook with barely restrained fury and excitement - but she did stand- and then the second I let her go she charged through the trees, trails are for weenies dontcha know, and caught up with the group at the speed of light. *Grin* That's my girl) and the ride continued.

We saw deer and cattle and buzzards and bald eagle nesting boxes and lizards and horny toads and rabbits and snakes and bullfrogs and fish and caves and rock formations and beautiful prairie flowers and endless Kansas sky.

It was an excellent weekend.

Sunday morning I woke up to rain hitting me in the face and Dustin and I scrambled around like sloths on crack to try to get as much of our things packed up as possible before everything got soaked. It worked out ok. We left and went to find breakfast and finally stumbled upon the little town of Wilson and a tiny restaurant named Made From Scratch.

Our group straggled in the door and found heaven. You know in the movies how they will show something all bathed in golden rays of sunlight and harps start playing? Yeah, it was like that. Breakfast buffet, baby. And coffee, Sweet God in Heaven, don't forget the coffee. The best breakfast I have ever had, hands down. (and I'm almost 30, I only have a week to go, in fact. Ugh)

Nicest waitstaff and owner too. They sent us out a plate of fried chicken made in a cast iron skillet and seasoned to a T just to give us a sample. Trust me, if you ever get the chance to go there, you should.

All in all, the trip was a success. We came back Sunday afternoon tired and sunburned and completely content. :)