Local Boy Goes International

Well, maybe...

The infamous Brego had a rough start in life and it kinda went down hill from there...but things seem to be looking up for the lil' guy.



He was gathered in 2003 out of the Kiger HMA and orphaned (I don't know what happened to his mother). BLM made arrangements for a private party to care for him (bottle feed) until he was old enough and strong enough to be adopted. In early 2004, he was adopted and the gal never did a thing with him...left him a stud and never handled him...no abuse, just neglect.

She sold him to a friend in 2007 and that person found me to train him. The first thing I had them do was geld him, then I had to start from square one...gentling him just as if he were straight off the range. He had quite a bit of an attitude.

He came around...


But, the new owners had bit off more horse than they needed for their "first horse." So, I bought him to ensure that he would go to a good home...well, with horse sales the way they are...I still have him.

Could it be fate...or destiney???

The gal who did all the bottle feeding on him is a friend of mine and closely involved with wild horse groups and activities...she got an email from a gal who wants to buy and import a Kiger to Norway!!! Yep, Norway!!

I sent her tons of photos and told her all of his history...we're waiting for quotes from transport companies to see how much this is going to cost to get him from Oregon to Norway.

I tell ya...I'm still laughing...I hope is actually happens...but, being a pessimist, I have my doubts.

If anyone has any experience with exporting horses to foreign countries, please speak up and give me your input...it will be greatly appreciated!

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Stills

This week's photo challenge at Sunday Stills was "Potluck"...anything goes...Ed said to get down and dirty with my camera...hmmmm...I really only got one shot that was "dirty" so to speak.

But, as with all potlucks, there should plenty of different dishes to select from (I couldn't choose just one). So, here are my favorite shots from the week.

We had one frosty morning where I found this
wad of horse hair on the fence covered
in frost.
Used the macro setting and Auto.

This is my "dirty" shot.
Brego was having himself a good
roll...I guess he was getting "down and dirty" not me!
It was cloudy and I just used the Auto setting.

A buckaroo portrait.
Our good friend Gary Rose came to trim
a few horses...he's got great stories to tell.

Head on over here and see who else posted their Potluck Sunday Stills photos this week. You can join in on the fun next week. Ed will post the next challenge this afternoon.

I've been Tagged~~

I've been graciously tagged by Jane Augenstein~My World In Pictures! Thank you Jane for the honor. Jane's got a couple of beautiful horses and the cutest lil' spotted donkey, Pokey...he's a charmer!

So, I'm supposed to list 6 random things about my self and then tag a few other bloggers to do the same. So here we go...

1. Knock on wood...I've only broken one bone in my life...when I was 5, we were playing with the neighbor kids, and they thought it would help me to learn to ride a bicycle by propping me up on the said bike and send me down the front lawn. It had a nice slope to it...with a big ditch at the bottom. I was supposed to steer the bike over the 12 inch plank that crossed the ditch and onto the road on the other side. Well, I'm sure you can see where this is heading...yep, right into the ditch. I broke my collar bone. But, didn't tell mom until we had driven all the way from Oregon to Minnesota on vacation.

2. I'm kind of on the petite side like my mom; 5 ft tall, 105 pounds.

3. I have 2 brothers, one 3 years older then me, and one 3 years younger than me. I also have 2 half sisters who are 15+ years older than me. None of them have the horse bug. My younger brother does enjoy riding with me when he comes to visit.

4. My mom tried to support my horse disease as a child, but when I would ask her to hold my horse, she would say "Ok, but if it moves I'm letting go." Thanks Mom!!

5. As a child, my parents bought me dolls to play with as any normal parent would...I kind of played with them. But, then I got a stuffed dog...I immediately became the best veterinarian in our part of the county! Good-bye dolls...

6. My Man and I bought a nice SilverLite 3 horse trailer with living quarters 4 years ago; we'll have it paid off by the time we retire. Our plan for retirement is to load up a couple of good trail horses, travel the west and ride all the trails we can find. But, by the looks of our current retirement funds, we'll have to work until we're 100 to be able to afford to retire...I hope I can still get on my horse when I'm 100.

There you have it...now, I'd like to find out more tidbits about:

Heather at Ramblings of the Shy and Insecure who I'm sure really isn't as shy as she says she is!!

Julie at Oregon at Heart ~ who is a new blogger and one of my best friends from high school...I'm sure she has some tasty tidbits that I don't know about ;~)

Heart of a Cowgirl ~ This sweet gal has beautiful horses and makes fantastic cowgirl jewlery.

Happy Gotcha Day Cindy Sue!!

In all the excitement over the Presidential Inauguration, I totally forgot Cindy Sue's Gotcha Day.

January 20, 2007, is the day My Man and I drove 4 hours to Battle Mountain Nevada to pick up our new lil' girl. Her name was Cindy, a 3 1/2 year old Rat Terrier. We'd never met her...just viewed photos of her on Petfinder.com. It had been 10 years since I'd had a lap dog. I was so excited to go pick up this lil' girl that so desperately needed a home!

It was a cold, snowy morning, so we started at daylight with donuts and a thermos full of hot coffee.





Along Highway 78 about 20 miles from home, we came across a nice lil' herd of wild horses. This is the Sheepshead Herd Management Area. They look pregnant and in nice shape.




Well, Cindy and another Rat Terrier had been given up to the Elko, NV Humane Society by an elderly man who said he could no longer afford to care for them. Cindy didn't do well at all in the kennel environment. She had quit eating and was loosing a lot of weight very quickly.

The Elko HS called Monster Rescue, a local rescue in Battle Mountain, to see if they could take these two Ratties and place them. Cassandra is a wonderful person who works so hard to place her rescue dogs in good homes. She answered all my questions via email, and when we got there to pick up Cindy, everything was just as she said it was.

Cindy was thin, but healthy. The vet had given her a clean bill of health. He said that the only thing Cindy was lacking was a home and love. Well, that was easy to remedy for us!! Cindy slept on my lap the whole way home! She just wanted to be loved.

This is the day we got her home...look
at all those ribs and back bone!

But how could anyone resist a face like this one?

Cindy quickly adapted to farm/ranch life. She'd been a city dog before, but she was thrilled to be out running free! Her hunting instincts came into play all too often...her nose lead her into trouble more than once.

I put a goat bell on her collar so I could at least hear her. She is quick and so curious...every hole had to be investigated. When I couldn't hear the bell, I'd have to start calling and searching for her. She wasn't usually too far away, but I don't trust the coyotes one bit.

Her first run in of trouble was with the Great Horned Owls. She got too close to their nest up in the rocks and one of them attached her. She came running down the hill toward me in the round pen, stopping every so often to look behind and bark...the closer she got, the redder she became. She was covered in blood. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from, so I put her in the utility tub to wash her off. She had multiple puncture wounds. I called the vet and told them I'd be there within the hour.

After getting the horse put up that I was working and getting her settled in the truck, I made it to the vet's in 55 minutes. She was in shock by then. They had to sedate her and clean the wounds. She was on pain meds and antibiotics. She couldn't even get up on the couch because she was so sore. Luckily she didn't have any internal damage.

I had assumed it was either a coyote or bobcat that had bitten her. But a local neighbor stopped by and I had him take a look at her...he immediately said those were talon marks...OMG the owls in broad daylight!

The next run in was with a rattlesnake. Bit her on the end of the nose...another mad dash to the vet....and after a shot of antivenin, she was as good as new in about 3 days.

Enjoying a run in the hay field while moving wheel lines.

An expert quad rider...she loves the wind in her face!

Her own bed in the horse trailer.
She loves to camp!

Halloween scarecrow...she's not overly pleased with her mom.
If looks could kill...

More holiday torture.

Cindy Sue receives her very first Valentine

from her sweet lil' Dogster pal Vinny.

When Cindy first came to live with us, for some reason I kept calling her Susie. Susie was a Rottweiler that my mom had years ago. Obviously she looks nothing like a Rottweiler! But that's how she became Cindy Sue.

She loved our trip snowmobiling...she sat
tucked in between us.

A Big Dawg in a lil' dog suit...she's not
one to be left on the porch!

I sure love my brother Cowboy...and Abby too...
sometimes.

So, Happy Belated Gotcha Day Cindy Sue...I love you very much and you are a treasure to me every single day.

"Silly boyz...don't they know trucks are for gurlz?!?"

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Stills

This week's Sunday Stills Challenge is "color"...well I looked all week for anything with color and it just wasn't happening. Here in the high desert in winter everything is brown.

While trailing cows I found a rock bank with some red rock in it, but it didn't come out very well photogenically...but, it is fun to see how many faces you can find in the rocks.





This photo of some alfalfa hay that we grew last summer is at least green...




So, I had to make some color. I had bought some material to make dog bandannas that came folded in these cute lil' triangles...this is as colorful as it gets around our place~~



Everyone is invited to join us. Drop by Sunday Stills Color Challenge to get links to all the other participating bloggers. And check back later today...Ed will have next week's challenge posted.

A Few More Farmin' Pics

My Man came to the house and asked if I wanted a ride...in the tractor with him...how could I refuse?!?

Ok...here we go...forward view ho!!!

Rear view ho!!!
See the horses huddled in the middle of the pic?
They weren't appreciative of the noise
disturbing their breakfast!

My Man gets out to check the amount of fertilizer
left in the wagon...Cindy Sue takes the
pilot spot and wants to drive!!

My Man recovers the wheel
from Cindy Sue...does this look like a man
who likes his toys or what?!?!?!?! Ha!!

Another Year of Farming Starts Today

Yep, here we go again...today we started farming. Fertilizer is key to getting a good crop of alfalfa. We were hoping that there would be snow on the ground when we spread the fertilizer and then a nice blanket of fresh snow would fall to cover it up...as the snow melts it takes the fertilizer into the ground. But, that's not happening this year.

It almost looks like snow doesn't it? But, it's just a real heavy frost this morning. By Wednesday of this week, they're forecasting rain or snow. It'll work just as well though.



We hire a neighbor to cut, rake, and bale our hay. It's too expensive to buy all that equipment for our small 45 acres of alfalfa. Today we borrowed the neighbor's tractor to pull the fertilizer wagon...My Man is driving it...loving to play with the "big boy" toys!

Before we know it, the alfalfa will come out of dormancy and we'll be irrigating again!

Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade Anyone???!!!???

Lemonade??? In the middle of winter??? Maybe we should be doing a Hot Chocolate Stand...well, we'll just dream some more about summer...Hey, I'll even put an umbrella in your drink!

There ya go...how's that taste?!?

Well, this cute lil' award has been going around, and I've received it today by two great bloggers...the pretty -Jen over at Tales From The Henhouse ......AND.......one of the best recipe bloggers I know Country Whispers (oh, you've got to try her simple to make buttery sour cream 'n chive potatoes...yummmmm)!! This award is their first blogger award and both of these gals are country from the heart...gotta love that!!!

Now, recipients of this award are bloggers who show Great Attitude and/or Great Gratitude in their blog. Thank you ladies for the honor~~

So, here's how this cute lil' Lemonade Stand award works...

1. You must add the logo to your blog or post. (yep, got that)

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show Great Attitude and/or Gratitude. (yep, see below)

3. Link to your nominees within your post. (yep, see below)

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. (yep, done!)

5. Share the love and link this post to the person from who you received your award. (yep!)

Here's who I pick to pass the Lemonade Stand on to~~~~~~~

1. Javas Barn

2. Jane Augestein-My World in Pictures

3. For the Love of a Horse

4. Ramblings of the Shy and Insecure

5. Mustang Dressage

6. Amanda's Veranda

7. Cheyenne

8. There's a Horse in My Bubblebath

9. Just Another Day on the Prairie

And last...but never least...

10. Cowgirl Up

Now, many may not like to play along, and that is fine...please don't feel obligated. And, if you've already received it...just consider yourself extra loved!!

Cheers!!! Enjoy your very own Lemonade Stand!!

First Cattle Drive of 2009

What??? Where'd all that snow come from??? Well, this is what it looked like around here last year at this same time. That's Cowboy & Abby helping me plow out the drive.

Thank goodness we're having a mild spell right now!

On New Year's Eve, we had dinner at the Pine Room. The owners are our neighbors and have a pretty big ranching outfit. They have property here at Princeton and at Diamond (about 30 miles south). Well, they were talking about trailing cows from Princeton to Diamond, and we offered to help...and they took us up on the offer!

It took 3 days, but we got 'um there...

~~Day One~~

My Man on Whiskey...in his fancy new chinks.

Martin riding Red counting his cows as they go through the gate.
Snoops, one dang good cow dog, waiting impatiently for work to start.

Martin counted approx 170 cows that would make the trip. They're all bred cows, and the majority of them summer in Diamond, so they sort of know the way. They've never been trailed all the way from Princeton before, but they definitely new the right direction.

It took us almost 2 hours to cut out the older cows and get the remaining herd through 2 pastures and 2 miles down State Hwy 78. That's where they stayed the first night. Martin just wanted to get them down the main highway on a slow traffic day...it was a good plan, we only had 4 rigs go through the herd.

~~Day 2~~

My Man had to go to his job in town, so Martin and I...and of course Snoops the cow dog... got started at 7:30 a.m. and it was a cold frosty morning. The pavement was pretty slick, and we took it as slow as the cows would go, but they felt pretty frisky and trotted along pretty quickly.

For the first 2 1/2 miles it was tricky because of open driveways and fields that the cows kept wanting to "go visit." With just 2 riders and one dog, we did a pretty good job.

But, you tell me why the guy who owns the pivot with brand new mint seedlings wouldn't close the gate to his field...duh!!! It's open range out here, and it's the responsibility of the land owner to fence off what they don't want animals running on...well, about 30 head of cows and Colt made lots of big holes in about a quarter acre of his field.

We're finally past all the tricky stuff and into the open range.
Snoops is such a great dog...he does a great job keeping the cows gathered up.

Mary showed up about 9:30 with the support vehicle...water, pop, hot coffee, cold beer or whiskey...whatever suites your fancy...hot coffee was perfect for me. Martin took the wheel (and took advantage of the truck heater) while Mary rode her lil' roan mare.


Of course there was beautiful scenery all along the way.

Riddle Mountain

Dry Lake on the left.

After about 13 miles of trailing, we finally arrived at the Jenkins' ranch where alfalfa and water awaited the herd. They sure were a happy bunch of cows when they saw that hay!

The end of the trail on Day 2.
3:15 p.m.
It was a pretty long day for cows, horses, and riders.

~~Day 3~~

Martin came to pick me and Colt up at 7:15 a.m. It was another cold, frosty morning with white covering the pavement. By the time we got to the Jenkins' ranch and unloaded, it was 7:45...the cows were rested and ready to go again.

Yep, I actually can take photos of something besides cow butts!

Today's trail was a lil' bit shorter...about 11 miles. But, it seemed to go really quickly. It warmed up nicely to about 48 degrees. The cows were a lil' slower than the day before...but can ya blame them!! They stayed off of the pavement as much as they could. Some of the cows were getting tender footed. We just let them pick their pace.

Mary showed up again with her support truck...refreshments tasted mighty good!

We've finally made it to the Diamond Valley and onto the gravel road.

We trailed past Mary's ranch, and she has one
of the prettiest views in Harney County.
This is her ranch with the Steens Mountain in the background.
See all that brown grass, well it's wild hay and in the
summer it grows to 3 feet high...absolutely beautiful.

And here we are...the cows are home!!! See Snoops still working the cows...we had to call him back! Well, that called for a cold beer while we stood around talking for a while. What a fun time it was. But, it wouldn't have been any fun if we would have moved them in blowing, cold snow! Luck was on our side this time.

Some happy but tired cows...now they can calve anytime they want!

I'm so proud of my Colt guy. He had a few moments where he was nervous because he couldn't see the other horses and he got impatient having to stand and wait for the cows. But, he really needed this to help him grow up. He learned a lot, and I think he's taken a big step toward being a well-rounded cow horse. He needs more of the same, but I sure love that horse!