The most wonderful time of the year...

Is actually summer when it's really 9* outside!!! I am ready for winter to be over now that Xmas has come. But it was a nice Xmas, and I'm armed with new info thanks to a couple new horse books from Jeff n the boys. One is about hoof care and the other explains the mystery of Farming with horses and all the hoo-haws of the harness. Which is awesome research for the mural I'm painting of "Old Time farming" so double score there ;). Critters are all doing great, except Buckley who's having trouble with her one foot again. At least she's good about treatment though, so that helps.
Sierra has progressed to picking up all feet, lead wherever, touch anywhere, and walk onto a blanket. (For some reason my tarp is missing...) but at least she has the concept down even if there's no noise yet. She also lets some of the cats (who have nothing better to do but figure out ways to stay warmer) ride around on her back as she wanders around. Lol, breaking her should be easy. Sometimes I can't help but wonder what she'd be like if she didnt have to catch up on so much, but the main thing is that she can now. But I get impatient cuz I know what lies beneath what all you see- she's in the caterpillar stage yet-- but the butterfly will come.
While looking at Breyer horses during Xmas shopping I found the perfect 2- One is a buckskin barrel horse that looks like Pheonix and the other is a set and comes with a cowgirl doll. What's so funny about that is the horse looks like Sierra, and someday she'll wear pink stuff too, so it'll be just like the Breyer. I just wish I was skinny like the doll lol! Jeff has gotten me a few over the years but these 2 are just awesome cuz they look like ones I have- and I've waited forever to find matching Breyers of my horses. But it isnt a high priority either when there's hay to buy for the real ones ;) ...

Highlights of 2009

Just sitting here thinking back on all the main events of my 2009 horse year...
What a year it was too. Saw the rise, my fall, and selling of Rohan, then first time ever sending a horse out to be trained by someone else- with Rohan it didnt work but with Twista it paid off; Learned to drive a trailer finally and found a whole new sense of independance with that; Took Twista out into the world and found adventure; and the latest event was the adoption of Sierra and getting her on the road to recovery. 2009 was a good year alright. 2010 brings adventures of Pheonix and Twista... and I am so looking forward to it.

my little diamond in the rough...read earlier posts

Her updated story follows the last few posts... but here's some cute pics of her :)

Before and during.....

Top photo: This is Sierra the day we got her rescued back to Rhonda's place. Poor little thing is lucky to even survive what that #@+&*^%$#^()&*^** Nikki put her through.

and here she is 3 weeks later. The lighting isnt the greatest so it's hard to see her real well, but I needed some pics of her to see the change, which seems slow in coming but it will. Winterizing the barn hasnt worked- this blizzard blew a bunch of snow inside through every nook and cranny. But at least the middle stayed pretty much snow-free, so Sierra and Kazza had only a bit down at the end of thier pen nearest the door and the tack/feed room was ok, but snow had come in all the stall doors. Alot of snow. So everyone else stayed in the freestall barn where it wasnt snowy and had cornstalk bedding to lay in instead of snow everywhere. Sigh. One of these years we'll be ready for anything ;) .
but in the meantime, here is Sierra in all her fuzzy teddy-bear cuteness lol. Yes I am partial ;).

Un-Stable update :)

Things in the Un-Stable ( my barn's name) have been winterized finally. All the horses have settled into the routine of going into thier stalls at night and turnout all day. Jeff has cut a new door on the side of the barn facing the pond so they can use the freestall barn as they wish. And with the blizzard that started today, that's where they were waiting once I got there.
We had a run -in with cattle the last 2 mornings where they knocked the gates down into the freestall shed, to get at the cornstalk bales stored there. Then of course, Jake lets all the horses out every morning and these mornings were no different. So horses went on a little feild trip into the cornfeilds and found every cockleburr along the fence, grr. so I have another job waiting, ugh. I REALLY hate cockleburrs.
Baby Sierra is doing wonderfully, she's putting weight on and actually feeling frisky-- tonite she was prancing around her pen waiting for supper. She looks like a little arab when she does that. Kazza, on the other hand, is getting cranky having to babysit. He's so chunky already that we have to restrict his grain for fear of founder, so he gets tied and only a half cup of oats to keep him busy while Sierra eats hers. But once he's let loose he shows what he thinks of that idea by tossing Sierra's rubber pan into the air several times cuz there's nothing left. He's good at dirty looks too. Once the blizzard's over I'll let him run around outside for awhile and see if that helps his mood lol. I need to take some new pics of Sierra, hopefully tomorrow works out.
Kajun is holding her weight very well and her cough hasnt appeared yet this winter. With any luck it wont show up at all. I switched her grain and she seems to be doing much better on it than her old stuff.
Cim is his usual roly-poly self using puppy eyes to get oats. It only works for a cupful though lol. He is a character though.
Twista is her same old loveable self, with any luck I'll get a chance to ride her sometime this winter when the weather's nice.
Dusty is really growing- I think there's more arab than pony in him-- he's already big enuf that I could ride him so that's cool. He turns 3 this coming summer so then it begins... :)
Buckley is her granny self as well. I still hold hope that she could be pregnant, so I guess time will tell. When Rhonda comes I'll have her test her and see if my hopes are valid.
And Pheonix is blossoming into quite the lady and losing her ganglyish 2year-old look. I cannot wait to finally ride her. She'll look so awesome as a cowgirl horse and an english horse. She's inheirited all the stuff I'd collected for Rohan and will be my new spokeshorse for breastcancer. Pink looks just as cute on her as it did Rohan, and she's got better confo anyway, not to mention brains.
So I cant wait to see what the professionals do with her, I know she'll come back as my one true love ;)...