monday funny

There is nothing funny about Mondays. This one in particular is windy, wet, cool, and - just not funny. We went from cracked dry ground, to soggy muddy good for nothing ground - overnight. The wooded area has standing water. Weather swings are common place here, but this extended one has kept us from doing much with Koda & Nemo for a week now. It doesn't look like it's going to dry up anytime soon. At least we fed the boys in the trailer both Saturday & Sunday morning, in an effort to help Koda overcome his trailer hesitation... One would think he would be okay with his best pal Nemo inside, and maybe even pick up on his no-fuss entrance (he walks right in by himself). Nope. It took a lot of patience (more than I had) to get Koda willingly to go inside, semi-relaxed and eating. That was definitely not funny, so - here's one that is (don't roll your eyes too hard):

What did the horse say when he fell?
I've fallen and I can't giddy up!

wi state fair 09

Our daughter Ali, and mare Harmony, did well at their last 4H event - WI State Fair. Below is a call back photo from their Hunt class of about 45, they are in the middle of the row. Can't really see them, but I like the arena shot complete with flags. Unfortunately I didn't get very good photos, added a couple regardless.


 
State Fair was down about 140 horses this year, besides the economy - it's a sign of changing times. Apparently less are participating in local 4H events, opting for "the big shows" instead...missing out on the 4H experience. I witness a lot of camaraderie and kindness among talented riders (and trainers & parents) who earned the right to be there. It was run well, and had stiff competition. The kids came from all over the state, and were riding beautiful mounts. If you ever get a chance to go to one, do it - it's worth it.

horse topiary

I was amazed at how well behaved this horse was on the WI State Horse Fair grounds!



I don't remember seeing it last year, maybe he was out parading around? Altho it would be fun to have one growing in my garden, the fact that I haven't managed to plant the living wreath frame hanging in my garage for more years than I care to count - is an indicator I should just enjoy other living sculptures. I like that it isn't fully covered in greenery, and the longer mane. The halter and lead are a nice touch. I wonder where he goes when the snow flys?

New stuffed topiaries generally take three to six months to grow in. Maintenance consists of monthly feeding with soluble plant food and fungicide, and a monthly trimming to keep plants in form. Here is a link to everything you ever wanted to know about topiaries,and more Topiary Joe

horse lost, lower Kettle Moraine area, WI

Helping spread the word, as of last night they had not found the horse...hoping they do, and soon!

HORSE LOST, LOWER KETTLE MORAINS (KETTLE MORAINE, PALMYRA) WI
Posted Date: 2009-09-15, 8:14PM CDT

Sunday September 13 about 2pm a FLEA BIT GREY ARABIAN 8YEARS OLD horse ran away on the trail and has been missing since. Please help in spreading the word around to anyone who may be out on the horse trails, or someone who hikes or bikes in the S. Kettle area. Also if you know of anyone in the area, please pass the word around to be on the look out for a horse, we think he may be looking for a barn on horse to buddy up with.

Last seen going away m(E) from Horsemans camp near the picnic table or pop stop

Has saddle with breast collar on

Has on splint boots

Halter and lead also on the horse

Bridle and yellow horn bag were hanging on the horn

I can only imagine what it would be like to be missing a horse for this long, please help spread the word

WAMSTAR and the DNR spent 71/2 hours searching the Palmyra area, and Eagle trails today (Monday) but didn’t find anything.

Questions please contact Peggy Waters at 608-235 4267 or contact the DNR or Police in the area you find the horse

roll in the barrels

We rolled in some barrels for the boys to work around tonight, they get so curiously funny when we bring in new "toys". Must look like a giant salt lick to them?!
 

Both Nemo & Koda did good at the walk and then trot, with the single and double barrel pass. We usually work them alone, but today's lesson we had them both in the round pen - aware of each other, yet paying attention. We haven't had rain for a long time, so it was a bit of a dust bowl.


They must have enjoyed todays lesson, they didn't want to leave the round pen - even with hay in the feeder!

escaping act

The phone call I received today asking when the last time was that I saw our horses, was concerning. An acquaintance called to tell us two horses were loose not far from our area, and their colors were similar to ours…I was happy to be able to say I saw Nemo & Koda less than a half an hour ago – and yes, the gate was closed. Regardless, we had someone check on them again. Thankfully, it wasn’t our horses that had pulled an escaping act.
The officers had been looking for the roaming horse owners for over four hours by the time the phone chain got to me…which made me think. What were the loose horses doing all that time – checking out the neighborhood? There are a lot of houses in that area, it’s not all rural. Were the officers able to secure them somehow? It was then that I remembered a training held in our area for responders who may encounter similar situations called Basic Horse Handling and Emergency Responder Training A worthwhile training to help our equine friends in need.

The officers eventually found the owners, but not before the loose horses enjoyed the groomed soccer field near-by!

whistling sticks

After giving Koda & Nemo a couple days off, Brad was back at it and worked on desensitizing last night. He had their attention while swinging our new carrot stick w/rope near them while it whistled - it didn't take long to get them to stand still:
  
We had an audience, the resident pony Barbi who followed me everywhere, she clearly wants attention.....
 

No whistling sticks this morning, instead trailer loading with shipping boots on for the first time. Nemo did great, Koda did fine with the boots, but still needs work on feeling more secure in the trailer...if only we could find out what makes that horse tick - our job would be a whole lot easier!!

one year later

We brought Koda and Nemo home one year ago, Labor Day weekend. We purchased and boarded them a couple months prior at their former home, while we got the pasture ready, waited for the durn utility poles to be installed, went on vacation etc. We didn't want to relocate two young horses, and then leave them in strange surroundings. We initially went to look at Koda, but fell in love with both of them - and couldn't decide between them. I'm happy to say we didn't have to and decided to keep them together. We are very thankful we did, as we are blessed with two amazing horses with kind hearts and full of potential. They grew like weeds...one year later:

Nemo (yearling) at his former home 8/08

Nemo today - 9/08
Koda (yearling) at his former home 8/09

Koda today - 9/08

wrap 'em up

Our mini-adventure has led us to buy shipping boots, better said not the adventure - but the trailering. We don't want our horses scraped up. We've been patiently working on trailering for a while, and yet our boys ('er Koda) seem to find a way....so, we've decided to wrap 'em up. Wasn't sure what to expect from our two year olds trying on the high padding for the first time today, but they did fine. Altho she travels well, our mare Harmony wears them to shows - I think it's a good idea. What do you think about shipping boots?

mini-adventure

Last weekend we took the boys on a mini-adventure…it was probably a good thing I didn’t know we were taking one ahead of time. A change in the weather pattern found us with a cool, crisp breeze that morning – the kind that gets the horses all wound up over nothing. Add a trailer, and hungry horses – and what the heck, lets go for a short walk first to get them listening?! But hey, the walk worked and got them to focus.
Trailer loading went well, feed had never tasted better. Doors closed, lets take ‘em for a ride…something they have done only once - last Labor Day to be exact, when we brought our boys home. We didn’t go far, destination was…..our house - not exactly a location frequented by horses. I was impressed; Koda & Nemo were handling everything so well.
Did you know our mini-adventure was going to include our dogs? Me neither. We have two ½ Australian Sheppard and ½ Labrador (read as wound-up) brothers, Mack and Sam, with complete opposite personalities. We let our dogs out of their kennel, but kept Sam on a leash (even though he met the horses once before) it was a good thing, the “giants dogs” arrived on his property and he didn’t know what to make of it…“can’t they just stay down on the scary farm”? Before you think we are completely crazy, know that our horses are frequently exposed to two other dogs that live on the farm. Mack had never seen a horse, but did really well with them. After running circles and exchanging nose-to-nose greetings, Mack didn’t want to leave his new horse friends, or us - so he came with us when we took the horses back to the farm.
Wish I had a better conclusion to this adventure, but just when we thought all was a success - Koda had his second trailer meltdown (yes, I’m counting) while backing out of the trailer, down at the farm. It really wasn’t his fault (human error) he panicked, and ended up with a couple minor leg scraps. Nemo however regained his composure, and exited like a champ. Of course we felt terrible, but ended on a positive note. Koda reloaded several times. Shortly after, Mack escaped from the truck and ran around the pasture before joined Koda and Brad in the trailer…maybe he thinks he’s a mini-pony? Note to self; work with Koda on “pulling-back panic-mode” before going on the next mini-adventure!