In the mean time.......

With all the horses being taken care i.e. out to pasture and boarded, it is time to make some improvements to the corral area. This long holiday weekend will be spent trying to soften up the ground. Once Jigs gets out of boarding he will still need two weeks recovery until he can go to pasture (for the very 1st time). Softer ground is better on the knees so that is what we're aiming for; comfort and sound legs. That'll be a great foundation for all his future training.

We will also need to start trimming the adult horses hooves. That's a lot of dog chews! The dogs love hoof parts. We're happy to provide.

Pretty smooth sailing right now. We'll enjoy it while we can. We never know when one of the critters will demand extra attention. That's the beauty of an ever changin' livin' thing! Oh, the freedom of it all.

That raps it up!

Okay, so that is the end of the introduction to our horses.

Right now, Jigs is at the animal hospital with his momma, Nattie. He was so big before he was born that when Nattie foaled, Jigs' legs were crooked. So, while we still have growth plates to work with we are straightening out his front legs. The back legs straightened on their own. He is a fast grower and very active. We've decided to keep him boarded at the animal hospital. He is much calmer there because he can't see too much like he can at home!!! He has other horses that he can go nose to nose with without stressing out his knees and setting back his progress.

Confined since birth this poor colt is having to learn a little patience at a very young age. Most important, his legs are straightening and that means success with regards to having a sound riding companion in the future.

We had a very proud moment when loading Jigs and Nattie in the horse trailer to take the ride to the animal hospital. Jigs, not even 2 months old, loaded into the horse trailer by the snap of my fingers and the calling of his name! Nattie loaded right BEHIND him.

We love this little guy no matter how excited and wild he gets. He's gonna become a great mature horse.

Special Royal Dash aka Spec

Born March 19, 2004 Spec is our youngest adult horse. At the moment she has all the boys to herself as Nattie and Jigs are still in confinement. She will be the first horse to notice you have arrived amongst the herd. She will be the first to walk toward you and she is the first to keep the others away. Spec is our first and only registered Quarter Horse. We bought her from a gentleman in Arco, Idaho. He is a walking miracle and LOVES horses. She grew up close to an elementary school so she is very oriented toward people. She was able to watch the kids at recess and did so religiously. Young and strong she is a beauty as well. Most people who come to visit us like her the best.

Our singing horse, Poncho

Poncho is older than Chief but we didn't have any photos of him when we wanted to post last week! What a shame not to realize that my favorite horse had been neglected in the photo op category. Sunday, June 29th, 2008, is when this photo was taken, after all the horses had been rolling in their dust spot. So, this isn't a very good picture, color-wise, but it sure shows his character. Poncho is the only horse that really appreciates being fed. He sings! How can you not love that? The other horses just start gobbling away while Poncho says thank you, thank you and thank you over and over. What a hoot! Poncho is 19 years old. In the pecking order of horses, he is the lowest on the totem pole. Probably another reason I like him so much; I'm partial toward underdogs.

Chief, our first horse purchase

WoW! It has been 8 years since we first purchased a horse. Chief was my first riding horse. I am a green rider and he treated me well. When we moved from town to the boondocks in 2001 Chief didn't look like he was going to make it. He went down to skin and bones. We couldn't figure it out. Anyhow, he pulled out of it and is now romping the mountain side as if he was a young 10 year old (as he was in this photo) instead of 18 years old (I'll need to get an updated photo of him inserted next week). It is good to have memories with horses in them.

The mighty mare, mamma to Jigs

Nattie is the second oldest in our small herd of horses. In this photo she is almost 12 months pregnant with Jigs. She is a mighty horse because she put up with a lot to have Jigs and came out of the birthing process healthy and strong. Nattie is 22 years old. Her name comes from our shortened version of "she's a Natural". She is a fantastic mother. Allowing us to do whatever we want with her foals. She loves to be groomed, have her belly scratched and udders cleaned.

Our oldest horse

Finn was given to us by some folks who moved out of our area. We are so happy to have Finn. He really picks his feet up and has worked in the back country with Forest Service employees. He seems to like females better. Whenever we have to catch him for his hoof trimming it takes a girl a lot less time to do it. I believe he is learning he is being caught to be loved and attended to, rather than to go to work. He will figure out soon that being caught doesn't necessarily mean being worked. Check out his photo.