Spring ~ Always Too Much To Do!

This time of year is always so busy...I haven't had time to blog...let alone read many blogs!! So, you're gonna get about two weeks worth in one post!

But, spring has finally arrived here in the high desert...even though it's been pretty cold in the mornin's! Of course, this is typical of our area...it's been known to snow in July! The apple tree is blossoming out, and the lilacs are starting to pop out too!

Apple blossoms

We've started irrigating the alfalfa to stay ahead of the game. It was dry, so we started the wheel lines, then we had two days of rain and snow.  But, we started them up again last evening.

Cold Mornin' Irrigation

The freezing temperatures in the mornin's freezes the water on the alfalfa, but as long as the water continues to run, the alfalfa won't burn as the day warms up and the ice melts...strange, but it works.

Iced Alfalfa

My three-day Mike Bridges clinic was awesome...we even had warm weather which I think is a FIRST in the two and a half years I've been doing them!! Mike taught his techniques for ground training in a square pen. This develops collection, balance and re-balance, stops and turns. The horse also learns how to handle pressure because the energy level is high and everything is done at a trot or  a canter.

This isn't a new technique, it's dated back to the 1600's according to Mike. I found an article about Harold Farren on the QuarterHorseNews.com site that states that Farren invented the square pen...so, I don't believe that statement is accurate, but you can get an idea of the use of the square pen. Harold Farren was an interesting horseman.

It really was amazing how Colt felt when I rode him right after he had been worked in the square pen...really amazing difference! Now I'm planning how My Man's gonna build my square pen!!

Training in the square pen

In other news...my Ol' Man Toby has gone on an adventure!! He left last Wednesday to help a lil' 4 year old girl learn how to ride!

Toby...25 years young!

I read on FaceBook that a local family was looking for a dead broke horse for their daughter to ride...I thought about it, then forgot about it. The gal posted again what they were looking for, and just that day, while Toby was being trimmed I thought he should be doing something. So, I contacted her and we got together.

Toby took it all in stride, and we decided to give it a try. If he doesn't work out, he'll come back home...he's just out on loan. But, I think it's going to work. It was very sad to see him loaded into the trailer and drive out the driveway...I've had him since he was 6 months old...he's my oldest child!! You can read about Toby's life and times on this post if you're interested.

But, I know that he's getting good care from very good people...and he's doing something that I think is very noble for an old horse...helping the young ones.

Reata leads Toby to the horse trailer.

Yesterday was a simply gorgeous day...and a perfect day to help Rancher Dan take his second year heifers with their calves up to their summer pasture...the sun was shining and just a slight breeze.

Those aren't Colt's ears!!!
Nope, this is the view between Rohan's ears.

Rohan is my strawberry roan mustang that I adopted from the BLM when he was a yearling, and I believe he's eight this year. I did a lot of riding on him before I got Colt. Rohan's been standing around with Stetson and Catnip (the burros) for two years!! I decided that I was not doing him or myself any favors by not using him...he's a good, broke horse, and I should keep him going.

So, I saddled him up Friday evening, had him do a few laps in the round pen, and then stepped on...not a buck in him after two years of not being ridden. We rode for 20 minutes or so...decided to take him the next day to move the pairs.

It worked out perfect. We were in the saddle for 5 hours. His steering is rusty, but other than that he was awesome!

Waterin' Hole

It took three hours to drive them up to the pasture, and only two hours for us to ride back to the ranch.

Get along lil' doggies

Rohan got his first introduction to peacocks and turkeys at Rancher Dan's place...he thought the peacocks were bad...until he saw and heard the turkeys!!! OMG!!!  Dan had to get between the approaching turkeys and Rohan so I could get Rohan through the gate...we'll have to have more "turkey" lessons I guess!

We loaded up the horses and headed for Hotel Diamond for burgers and beverages...great way to end a perfect day!

Today it's laundry, checkbook, garden and weed spraying...never a dull moment!

Fall Days

~I try to trust life, but it keeps knocking me on my bottom.~

~Laura Dawn 1875~

We've had pretty sunrises all week, but the mornings have been cold; it's been in the mid teens the past few mornin's...a whoppin' 20 this morn. We took the tank floats out last weekend, but haven't put the tank heaters in yet...tryin' to deny that winter is coming...but we're breaking ice on the tanks...

Pastel Dawn

...guess our awesome fall has probably come to a close. It's supposed to be in the low 60's during the day and mid 30's this weekend...I can do that!!

Ol' Man Toby is gettin' his costume ready for Halloween...
Scarecrow?!?

I remember when I first started blogging that I carved a pumpkin and posted for Halloween...so I checked the date...two days ago 10/25/11, was the three year blogiversary for Life at the Rough String. My, how the years fly by! This past summer I didn't get very many posts done...other things seemed to take precedence. Lately I've been trying to figure out how to cut out the distractions...I think the biggest distraction is FaceBook...that stupid ticker thing keeps rolling and it's addicting. I like to see the new photos people are posting...but I've had it up to my eyeballs with the stupid jokes and cartoons...if you've got a suggestion how to get that stuff off of FaceBook, let me know!!

Great Horned Owl...youngster or adult?

I have some bad news about the owl family. While I was gone at the Mike Bridges Clinic a month ago, My Man found one of the owls on the ground at the irrigation pump. It most likely died from electrocution. We found a stray cat up on the electric pole one time...not alive...ewwy; poor thing.

What we can't figure out is whether the owl that died was the male adult or one of the youngsters. I'm pretty sure that the female is still here in the elm trees, then I spotted this one yesterday too. The youngsters are now 8 months old, so I don't think they have any of their baby fuzz left. This one doesn't have any, but neither did the one that was found dead...it's sad.

I've done some internet searching, but wasn't able to find whether the pairs mate for life. I hope not, and that the female will find a new mate. We enjoy seeing them, and that round hole in the rim rock is the perfect nest. If you have any info, please leave a comment.


On a happier note, Dr. Jessica came out yesterday to perform Brego's pre-purchase exam.

Smile for the Camera!

Brego has a prospective buyer...and a few back up options too. But, this buyer will be flying out from Virginia to meet Brego this weekend! If the buyer decides to take him, Brego will go into training for the winter months with Corrine Elser. She's an awesome young trainer with lots of mustang experience...as well as just good common sense horsemanship. Then in the spring, he'll get shipped back to Virginia where he'll be venturing into some Cowboy Dressage (from what I understand). It's very exciting...but nothing's final yet.

Saturday will be the day of "yea or nay"...or would that be Yeah or Neigh?!? Keep those good thoughts for Brego comin'...

Open Wide for the Doctor!

~Keep neat and clean, avoid bad habits, be faithful,

and never take shit from anyone.~

~Rose White 1873~

LOL...that Rose White and I must have been twin sisters in a past life!!!

Last Wednesday, our new mobile veterinarian came out to do some dental work on the horses. Dr. Jessica Rue specializes in equine and nutrition. She did a great job, and the horses really liked her too...even though they got poked and prodded!!

Open wide Toby!!

The speculum is used to safely keep the horse's mouth open for the procedure. Of course the horse is sedated.

Dr. Jessica takes off the sharp points with an electric drill with special attachments.

Times sure have changed from the ol' hand float!

The most interesting thing was that Gus (my 2 year old gelding) had more sores on his cheeks and tongue than the older horses (from the sharp points). Dr. Jessica said that that is usually the case. Young horses need dental work more often than older horses because of their growth (changes in the mouth) and getting in their permanent teeth.

I knew that Gus was having issues with the snaffle, so I switched him over to the hackamore, but he still was gapping his mouth when I put too much pressure on the hackamore...what was happening is that the hackamore bars were pressing his cheek into the sharp points on his teeth...poor guy!!! Well, he's good to go for another 6 months. We'll have him checked again then.

Toby, Colt, Gus and Whiskey all got worked on. Colt and Toby both had a good equine dentist work on them in the past and it showed in their mouths; they didn't need too much work done. Whiskey had probably only had a hand float job done in his past and he had some pretty bad waves that will take a couple of visits to get straightened out. And Gus just needs to be checked more often because of his age.

What happened to me????

It's good to know that the insides of their mouths are comfortable for them to chew and carry the bit (she put bit seats in). We're very glad to have a qualified equine veterinarian in our area too...we've been lacking that for years!

Welcome to Harney County Dr. Jessica!!

Photo Tag

My truckin' buddy Ed (the truck drivin' photographer) at Thoughts from the Road photo tagged me.

So, I was to go to my 10th folder and post the 10th photo...well that file only had 8 pics in it...so here's my 10x8...

My Old Man Toby
January 2007
Waiting for me to get Colt saddled so he
could pony him up the hill.

And, I'll tag~~

Brandie over at Brandie's Prairie

Jocelyn at For the Love of a Horse

Andrea at Mustang Saga

My Old Man Turns 22

No, I'm not talking about My Man...I'm talking about My Old Man...

Tucs Big Boy aka "Toby"

Way back in 1987, I was living in Marana Arizona (just north of Tucson) working for a guy riding his horses. He raised cutting horses. One day he said to me that if I wanted that big sorrel colt in the pen of weanlings I could have him...he said he saw him cribbing and couldn't have him around.

I asked if he'd give me the papers too, and he said yes as long as I gelded him...not a problem...so this huge 8 month old colt comes home with me.

Now, I'm 5 feet tall, so you can see that at 8 months, this guy is pretty tall. I named him Toby, and he turns out to be just a sweetie. At 1 year old, he's gelded and gets his wolf teeth pulled. But, the funny thing is that this colt never cribbed. I think Jim had mistaken Toby for another colt...which he got rid of too. So, I got a perfectly good horse by accident!

I stayed in Arizona for another year or so and than came on back home to Oregon. In the spring of 1989, I took him down to the local boarding stable that had an indoor arena and started him under saddle. He was a piece of cake to start. We started trail riding as a late 2 year old and even won a competitive trail ride that year!

Look at the legs on him!

At that time in my life, I was starting a few colts and mostly just trail rode with my girl friends.

Riding around Timothy Lake on Mt. Hood.
Me 'n Toby on the left.

Then in 1993, I got a wild hair to join a drill team. Toby really wasn't a finished horse by any means...I didn't even know how to teach him to do flying lead changes. I could start colts pretty well, but didn't know to finish them...but, riding drill pretty much self taught Toby to handle himself to make everything easy...he was a super horse!

1993 at our very first demo exhibition.

Our team was practicing once or twice a week and competing 3-4 times a year and also riding in local parades. In 1994, our team decided to ride in the Portland Rose Festival Parade...the biggest parade of the year in Oregon.

All dolled up and waiting.

Riding down the streets of Portland...it was a blast...
something I never dreamed I would do!
Me and Toby even made it onto the TV cameras!

I've never had children, but Toby was still a good baby sitter for the kids I did have...here's Cowboy hitching a ride at his first camp out!

1997 at Sheep Springs campground,
Deschutes National Forest

A very monumental day in my life was on July 10, 1999. My Man and I got married. And we did it in the best way ever possible...

My Man on the late Carina & me and Toby.
A day never to be forgotten!

Drill team continued on for a total of 7 years for me and Toby. It's a hard sport when you have that many women (with different personalities) and that many horses (who always seem to have lameness issues). But all in all, it was a great experience.

The team in 2000.
Toby on the left and his twin on the right.

This was my favorite of all the outfits we ever wore.

In the latter years, some of the team members wanted to participate in rodeos as a pennant team. That was the most fun out of all the drill team stuff. The crowds, cowboys, and running fast...it was a true adrenalin rush!

Yamhill County Fair and Rodeo
Year 2000

The year 2000 was my final year in drill, and somehow I ended up being the coach as well as riding on the team. It was one of the most challenging things I've ever done. I'm proud to say that our team tied 3-4 that year at the Oregon State Meet...something the team had never done before!


We moved to Central Oregon that same fall and Toby has continued to be a super trail horse for me and My Man. And the years have gone by so quickly since then...I've gentled 4 mustangs, bought Colt and started to train him for working cow horse...something I never did with Toby.

But, with Toby's breeding as a cow horse, I thought I'd try him out as a practice horse (practicing cutting training on him while getting Colt ready to start cutting). So, Toby started his cutting career at the age of 20!! We just cut with our local club here and it's a perfect environment for beginners like me.

2007 - 2nd place year end standing
in the Novice/Novice class
after 7 competitions!!
I absolutely love this old man!

Toby injured his hip after a fall on the ice in 2007 and I gave him all of 2008 off. He's sound again, but I think I'll just ride him lightly. He loves to help me with the colts...

Toby ponying Dakota up our hill.

Toby grew to 15.3 hands and actually did pick up the bad habit of cribbing when he was about 4. But, he has been the best horse I could ever ask for...willing and kind...with good looks thrown in for good measure.

Thank you Toby for the years of friendship and fun you have given me...may you live a long and happy life here on the Rough String.

~~Happy Birthday my friend~~

The Storm is Coming...So They Say...hmmm

Us folks here in Harney County have been waiting for Winter to hit for a month and a half...so far, all we've had is a lil' skiff of snow one mornin' and some freezing temps. Not the usual high desert winter of Eastern Oregon.

I'm almost tempted to not believe the weather forcast, but the rain came this afternoon and with that are supposed to be freezing temps (23 degrees) and high winds (40 mph). I don't sleep well when the wind's blowin', I know that there's moisture with it, and my kids are out there. So, I brought 3 of the 7 horses into the barn tonight. It's only the second time this winter that they've been in overnight. The rock cliffs generally give them great wind shelter, but I worry when the precipitation starts comin' down.

Sorry for the kind of fuzzy pics...I'm still trying to figure that out...

The old man Toby...I couldn't get his face out of the feeder!
You can also see Toby had a nice roll during the rain today!

Colt would rather not be bothered with the Kodak Moment.

Whiskey, My Man's horse, is also much more interested in his hay than having his picture taken!

But, there they are...nicely tucked away in their stalls for the night. They also have access to an outside 12x14 run where their heated water tubs are. They're good. Why these three? Oddly enough, they're our three Quarter Horses...are they not tough enough? No...they LIKE to be in. They really do! My mustangs do ok in the stalls, but they prefer to be outside and make their own decisions...that's ok with me...I know they will make the right decision.

So, where are the other 4 horses and 2 burros you ask?

Brego (Kiger Mustang), Colt's daytime pasture buddy, is fed in a newly built shelter which will eventually have a 24 x 24 ft paddock (meeting BLM requirements for wild horse adoption).

The other 3 mustangs (Coyote, Rohan, and Duncan) and 2 burros (Catnip and Stetson) are fed at the "Mustang Barn" which has a shelter and good wind breaks. They really like being able to roam our 270 acre hill during the day...I can't blame them for that...it's almost like being out in the wild again. That's why I call them the Wild Bunch!

Stay warm and dry everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Wind, Banana Bread, Owls and Jack-O-Lanterns

What can these things have in common??? Really, not much! It's just the kind of day I got to have!! To survive, flexibility is the key~~

The wind was blowing like a son-of-a-gun and I decided not to ride. I went out with the intentions of riding a couple at least, and the dirt was caking up in my eyes so bad after cleaning the stalls and runs that I decided it was foolish to try to get anything productive done riding wise.

I took some pictures, but they just don't do justice to the wind we get here sometimes in Harney County.


This is the wind blowing my arena soil off to the neighbors or BLM land...





My apple tree was loosing apples from the wind and I picked them up for the horses...some of them had been munched on by the birds already...but, my horses aren't picky...they won't mind!





I tried to capture the wind in my wind chimes. The only thing I seemed to capture today was the beautiful sound that I heard, not the movement I wanted in the photo.





One of my scare crows seems to be waving his arm as the wind blows him around. Abby just wants to have her picture taken ;~)





Toby has taken shelter in the rock out-cropping in his pasture...can I blame him??? I think he's one smart pony!!





Since I opted not to ride, I had some bananas that needed taken care of. My man loves anything home-baked...banana bread was in order.


It's Halloween isn't it...how about some haunting Great Horned Owls? I've tried to photograph my owls many times without a lot of success. This time they just happened to be setting on some of the lower limbs of the elm tree and I used my zoom...and a flash...can you see their red eyes? There are two owls in the tree...this time I don't mind the red eye. They look kinda spooky!



Trick or treaters tonight???...will we see any at our place????...not a chance!!! LOL
One of our neighbors did have a get together with a hay ride and things for the kids. But we are VERY rural...I'll need to make a post in the near future on Harney County's demographics. It's very different that's for sure!

I realized too today that I'd never lit my Jack-O-Lantern that I carved last weekend. Well, by now he's been frozen a few times and thawed out just as many times...you can hardly see his teeth anymore!!! But, I'm really enjoying looking at him out the dining room window as I type this.

I wish you all a very Happy Halloween!!!

Sounds

This morning it started about 4:30 a.m.~~thump, thump...tap, tap, tap...thump...tap, tap...silence. Then it started again...thump, tap,tap, tap, thump...what the heck is that????!!! My guess is that it's the deer...I sneak out of bed and go to the sliding glass door (6 feet away)...sure enough...there's this cute lil' doe starin' me in the face at the crack of dawn!!! Sorry, no pic on this one!!! The deer have been devouring our lone apple tree this year for some reason; they've never done it before. This lil' doe was putting her front hooves up on the deck (just outside the bedroom patio door) so she could reach higher into the tree to get more apples and leaves...they are stripping the tree! It'll be ok, the tree will come back next year in fine shape; it's a really big tree.

So...sounds...besides doe hooves at 4:30 in the morning, there are a lot of sounds I love. Sounds of the "few and far between" cars or trucks coming down our road in the still of dawn. They can leave a beautiful hue as I watch the sunrise. That's not mist...it's dust from the gravel road hovering over the valley floor.

Sounds of hooves rhythmically hitting the ground could put you to sleep after a long day's ride. Colt and I are riding along the edge of one of the alfalfa fields...this view is of one of our wheel line movers and the line (parked for the winter) through Colt's ears.

How about the sound of a herd of yahoos, coming down the hill for dinner? They can surely create a stir of clattering hooves on rock and send a ton of dust into the air. This "herd of yahoos" includes Stetson & Catnip the burros and Duncan & Rohan, two of our mustangs. They had just come galloping down the hill for dinner.
Sounds of training in my "training program" include clucking and kissing to my horses to get a specific response...come on, take a spin on my reined cow horse!!!!



I love spinnin'...that was not quite 2 revolutions and in a competition it's usually 2 1/2 revolutions, and faster too!

Sounds can be very subtle sometimes...like the flies that have landed on my hat bathing in the sun.

Another subtle sound (around me all day long) is my lil' shadow~~Cindy Sue~~Here she's nestling in the straw bedding in for a lil' nap.

Do cats make noise?...not much that I've ever noticed...this is Tat the barn cat...observing whether I'm saddling the horses correctly or not.

Alright...my favorite sound...it's the sound of horses eating. That may seem odd to most, but they eat as rhythmically as they walk, trot or lope. It'll put to sleep if you let it. Breath in the sweet smell of hay and listen to the soft crunch of hay...heaven!

John's horse Whiskey makes a nest out of his hay pile as he finds the best leaves of alfalfa to eat first.

My 21 year old Quarter Horse, Toby, has the best rhythm of them all. Maybe it's just because I've listened to him for so long that I understand him better.

Colt is actually eating an apple here...more slobber...yum~~