Just some new photos

We have had storms pretty much every afternoon for the past two weeks or more. Lots of rain and even more mud! Yuck!

Above/Below: June storm clouds

Above: June storm clouds

Above: Sundance (sporting a new halter)

We took advantage of a nice rainless weather day yesterday mowing and moving the panels to get the horses out of the mud (yet again). The horses were all excited of course to get the chance to graze in the "Round Pen" area on the tall green grass until we could get the other panels moved. While they were happily grazing I decided to brush them to get most of the mud off and remove some more of the shedding fur. Tabasco, Shoni, Sweetie, and Pebbles were in seventh heaven grazing and getting pampered. My big wussy horse Sundance on the other hand was having a cow playing catch me if you can. I eventually shimmied over to him and grabbed onto his halter and started brushing him. After those first few swipes he was like, "That's all?! Okay I'll stand here like a good boy and let you brush me."

Above (Left to right): Shoni, Tabasco, Sundance, Sweetie, Pebbles

After everyone was content with semi full bellies it was time for a good roll. All five of them thought that it was a wonderful idea. Of course I am only close enough to get a picture of one and a half of them rolling. It was comical to watch with the high grass though. Unless you were close enough the only thing that you could see was grass and then FEET!

Above: Sundance

Above: Sundance (foot) and Sweetie (Brown fur below the 2 panels meeting)

While Sundance was rolling Sweetie found a spot close by so that she could roll for the second time. In the 2nd picture above, to the right of Sundance's hoof there is a brown area (behind the dandelions) that is Sweeite. I just missed snapping a picture of her feet in the air. It is always funny after they roll to see the big round area of flattened grass.

Above: Sundance

I need to go to the tack store some time this week or this weekend and buy a nylon halter for Tabasco. He has out grown his rope halter (Yippie!) so I'll go and get him one of those that he can fit into for a year or so (maybe) then when he is pretty much done growing I will find something specifically for him. Maybe I should see if my mom wants to try a sewing experiment and see if she can embroider the horses names on their halters! :) It might be a little easier for others to figure out which halter goes to whom since they all have different head sizes.

On a quick note (while I am talking about Tabasco), when mom hooked the lead rope to his halter to put him back into his pen the hook on the rope malfunctioned and came off of Tabasco's halter. He could care less. Mom was able to catch him again right away with no worries. Another back tracker with Tabasco (while I'm at it) is that I have been kind of working with him to get used to things on his back while he is eating. I usually give him "hugs" by draping my arms over his back and gently leaning on him. He will just sit there and eat or turn his head and sniff me. I even took my beat up winter coat and draped that over his back. He turned and sniffed it then went back to eating. Then I grabbed a sleeve that was hanging down and started flapping it how you would a saddle stirrup to desensitize them. He turned and looked at it and could care less. A couple of days later after I fed the horses I climbed up onto the panel that Tabasco was standing next to. I positioned myself and stretched my leg out to rest over his back. I was able to reach my leg to hang over his back to the point that my thigh was resting on his spine and my knee was bent hanging on the other side. He turned and sniffed my leg and that was that. I retreated and then did it a couple of more times and could have hopped on in a heartbeat if I wanted to. I'm so excited and because Tabasco is so level headed I think he is going to be a dream to train (*Knock on wood*). I am going to concentrate on a lot of ground work before I hop on and I am going to wait until they are 3 or 3 1/2 before I even think about getting on. I want to make sure that they are able to grow and develop without any problems from me trying to ride them too young. I am in no rush I still have my spooky Sundance to keep me occupied!

Above & Below: Tabasco

Now onto my other mustang who is wonderful in her own way too. Has anyone ever been sitting on the ground in a horses field or pen and had the horse walk over and lay down within reaching distance of where you are sitting? As of yesterday Shoni has done that to me twice since I've had her. No other horse that I've been around has done that. I can go up to them while they are laying down, or they will stand over me while I am sitting as if protecting me, but none have walked over to me and lay down like she does. Another thing that amazes me with her is how gentle she is. One day I went and sat down next to her (there was maybe a half inch separating us) when she was laying in her pen. It was the panel fence, Shoni, and then me. One minute she was laying down next to me, I blinked, then she was standing next to me. She didn't even bump me or brush me at all. If I had closed my eyes at that moment I would not have known that she had gotten up. She is very gentle and aware of you. She is a sweetheart and I think that she is going to be a mother hen when she gets a little older. I would say she is that way now, but at this moment she is getting her "Mare attitude" and is attempting to throw her ears back and push the other horses. With humans though there is no sign of that (thank goodness).

Above & Below: Shoni

Above: Shoni

I'd also like to know who said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Or in this case a horse. Sweetie has obviously been paying attention to Shoni and she has learned how to stretch out her legs so that she can bow down and eat the grass on the other side of the panels. Of course Shoni has tweaked it and perfected it a little so that she can get her entire head underneath the panels to reach the grass that is a little farther out. I swear these horses are going to give me gray hair and I am only 23!

Above: Sweetie

Above: Tabasco and Shoni

Last but not least on this rather long post is the Missy girl. It's hard to believe that 1 month ago today we almost lost our Missy because of the carpet incident. Her incision is healed and the shaved fur is growing back. She is back to her playful self and you would never know that she was at deaths door. We are very fortunate that she made it and we always know how precious all life is, we also know that it was definitely not her time to go yet. She just turned 9 this month and if you met her you would swear she was a peppy 3 year old pup.

Above: Bailey and Missy

Below photos: Missy

Here's to everyone and their family. The two legged kind and the four legged kind. I hope that everyone has a very special and a very Happy Father's Day!