GOATS:
Almost everyone is finally out to pasture for the year. I am extremely happy to have the majority of my herd all together (and QUIET) in a big field. They love it out there, romping and grazing. The blackberry bushes are a particular favorite this time of year. There is a lot of shade interspersed with sunning spots, and the goats just seem so much happier than locked in a paddock. Poit is the only one still locked up, but she has the biggest paddock and the only one full of grass and weeds (the others are dirt and gravel.) Her triplets are with her, and she will be moved to the field with her doe kid the beginning of September when her bucks need to be weaned off of her. I have both of them up for sale as in tact little fellows. I'm happy with Poit's udder and think they are buck quality. Their legs are perfect, which is what I'm most ecstatic about. They are both blue-eyed, and I know there are a lot of people looking for that in their program, but it is such a pain to sell bucks!
~Poit looking AMAZING!~
I also decided to sell Sherry. I know that I have only had her since this spring...but my main motivation for purchasing her was because of the buck she was bred to. I got what I was hoping for in Fae, a very pretty doeling by Spender. Because I am keeping Fae and adding three BRED does on top of what I have right now, I think making a little room is a good idea. She is eight, but I don't think it is unreasonable to breed her this fall and next as she is in good health and has a history of kidding easily. I will miss that weird old girl licking me in the face.
Angel has warmed up to me considerably. Her and Fae are inseparable buddies, even after turning them out with the adult does. They have definitely come to think of me as the "grain lady" and leap all over me regardless of if I come into the field with a bucket or not. They stick around for scratches after eating (or if I don't have food), so I feel confident they are now my buddies.
~Fae and Angel showing off their length of body.~
And of course I had to get a photo or two of my boy, Odin, all clipped up. My friend helped me take photos and kept taking them angled, so it isn't straight on but it was the best one I got out of the whole shoot. He would get frantic when taking a bottle! He is off the bottle now and even thicker than this photo. Boy is he growing fast!
~Odin exaggerating a stretch..~
And finally, I have my final decision made on the does I am getting from Camanna. Prayer was decided upon a long time ago, but it took awhile to figure out who my second doe would be. I decided to go with a pretty gold and white doe born this year:
~Camanna RP Georgia Peach~
She will hopefully be bred to this guy:
~Urban Acres HB Trumpet Call~
More blue eyes! And out of great lines to boot.
And of course a photo of the buck Latifa is being bred to:
~Because Fireworks is amazing!~
I'm excited about all these does and they should be bred for me within the next couple of months. Won't know a pick-up date until then.
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HORSES:
There are a ton of things happening for me on the horse front as well. I started Calypso last week. So far it has been a breeze. I threw a saddle on her a couple of times before breeding her last summer, but never went further than that. She has been off work for over a year. I haven't even been doing ground work with her, just pampering her through her pregnancy. Her filly is three months old this weekend, so last week I thought I'd pick up where we left off. I was planning on throwing the saddle on and doing a few sessions in the round pen wearing it and reviewing all her ground lessons. She didn't even flinch when I tightened the cinch up. I decided to step up and lean over the saddle and she about fell asleep. I then decided to swing my leg over and she was ridiculously non-chalant about the entire experience. She knows to go when I kiss, and stop with a whoa, so we walked around the round pen for awhile and then out into the field. We worked on some basic turning and stopping and she behaved as if she was ridden every day. I was so very proud of her. Rode her again a couple of days later and we got up into a trot. If she keeps up like this it won't be long until we are out on the trail!
Pandora is getting huge. That girl is going to have some kind of muscle when she is all grown up. She has roaned out so much you can no longer see her color within her spots. If she is like her mom was (and her uncle) she won't roan out quite so bright next year, so you'll actually be able to see her color.
~Pandora~
She has gotten into the trailer with no fuss, and stood very quietly for her first hoof trim. She ties and bathes, so now we need to work on getting used to clippers. She is very brave, and very feisty.
AND, I successfully found a trade for my gelding. I already miss him. He was so very laid back. You could just jump on him and go wherever you wanted and never have to worry about him spooking or doing a single bad thing. Just didn't have any go whatsoever. The people who have him now have a gorgeous place and very well cared for horses. They needed a bomb proof horse for his wife, who was terrified of the mare he bought a few months back. She is a 15.1hh Arabian/Quarter Horse mix. She looks almost purebred. I rode her on a trail near their house. She feels safe in that she won't buck or completely take off with me. She spooked a little at something but didn't feel like she would go crazy. She has go and a lot of heart, but you can tell she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She didn't have much of a stop. I got her home and she stopped much better in the arena and backed like a champ. She is just a little bratty and has been allowed to get her way. It didn't take much groundwork to show her who was boss and she quickly started trying really hard for me. She can get a little upset when forced to behave, but the worst thing she has done so far is toss her head and yank on the bit. I think she is a challenge and I am so in love with her! Not only that, but I've always had a dream of breeding Arabians and Half-Arabs and would love to cross her on Rhocky Rhoad someday (a Khemosabi and Padron bred purebred sabino stallion.)
I've also started working cleaning stalls and exercising horses for my old trainer, and am starting up lessons with her again. I didn't last long at my new PT as it was absolute horrible in terms of hours. They gave me crazy full time schedules and it was either my new job or my old job, I couldn't have both PTs since my new one WASN'T turning out to be such. I got a call from Michaels my third week into my new job offering me an actual PT with much better pay, arranging silk flowers. I gave my new job notice and am starting at Michaels on Sunday. So between two PT jobs and a little extra cash at my trainer's barn, I can afford all these animals! People always say, "You are so lucky! How do you afford them?" Work my butt off.
