Monkey Joes

We had another frigid morning. This cold spell is suppose to snap next week with rain predicted. That means we'd better prepare for mud but right about now mud sounds much better than this stinging uncomfortable negative windchills.
We needed to water the arena today and even though the hoses had been drained there was just enough ice in them that both had to be taken into the basement for melting. Thankfully we had another shorter hose already in the basement. This was used to water the arena and was carefully drained. Mark got the heater running. Karin put it in the middle of the arena to help keep her warm as she worked the mares. My camera is over at Rachel's in hopes she can figure out what is wrong with it and if it can be fixed. The phone just doesn't take very sharp pictures but that is what I used for the pictures below. Below Karin is carrying the flag as she walks around the 4 mares worked today. Anna, Indy and Eliza had been exposed last year to the flag but Galena had never seen it before. She did very well with it.

Hannah brought over Ava and Aubrey to ride at 11:00 am. 

 Aubrey was put on Anna while Hannah gave her a quick lesson on how to stop, turn and make Anna go

 Galena was introduced to vaulting moves today by Hannah. She accepted everything at a stand, then Karin and Hannah worked on the approach and retreat trying to get Galena to keep a steady rhythm instead of stopping each time Hannah approached. 

Ava was doing very well with Indy, while Aubrey pretty much just had Anna follow Indy. 

Eliza was taken into a stall and grained while these three were worked with and while she was there the stalls were cleaned. After the girls left Karin worked on the canter of each mare. We really miss Ribbon's canter but Karin is convinced the our Friesians can learn a balanced canter with enough work. Phil and Anna dropped off the girls and gave us their van for the afternoon and evening. We drove them to McDonalds. David met us there with Israel. The grand kids ate dinner there and played for about a half hour before we finally convinced them it was time to go to Monkey Joes. Mark and I had never been there but heard it was a good place to take active grandchildren. It was. The bouncy houses were quite a hit. Even Kensley had a ball going down the 'big kids' slides. Around 6:15 we went into the arcade part where there were plenty of fun games to keep them occupied. Below are a few pictures of the evening.

Rosalie Meets the Pirate Flag

Brrr it was cold this morning, actual temps -2 degrees. I was sure mom would decide to cancel the walk but I was wrong. Since the wind wasn't blowing, the below zero temperatures were tolerable with the right warm clothing.
Rhoda arrived after the walk to work with Rosalie. Rosalie will be going to the IL Horse Fair for the very first time and needed to learn about the Pirate flag. By the time Rhoda started working with her the weather had warmed up to 4 above zero but was sunny. Rosalie's filly Abigail was left in with the other two weanlings and was perfectly content to be there. The entire time Rosalie was being worked the filly didn't call and neither did Rosalie. Below are a few pictures of the training session.

 The training went well. By the time Rhoda had finished Rosalie was relaxed and willing to do what was asked. They finished this training session with some trick training.

To see the rest of the pictures click HERE. Once Rosalie was put away I had to leave for the doctor appointment. The propane tanks were loaded in the back of the car. As Suburban Gas company was on the way, I stopped and filled two tanks for the heater in the barn. I didn't have to wait at the doctors but didn't get the best news, the aneurysm grew .3 in a year. Dr. Radee now wants to check it every 6 months instead of annually. He agreed, I can still work just not quite as hard.
I stopped at the shop on the way home and faxed in the contract for the hotel room for the fair then Mark and I drove to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. That was delicious and we brought enough left overs home for another meal. Karin sent a text that tonight was game night at mom's house. When I arrived they were putting together a puzzle which we were able to finish before the rest of the players arrived.  When Karin found out Joan was bringing her 2 grand daughters she quickly took some of the puzzle apart so they would have something to do too. We talked about the training session, today Karin and Rhoda together worked Zalena, Galena, Ayanna and Oksana. Karin was quick to say, Rhoda had such a big smile on her face when working with Ayanna. That mare is just so talented one can't help but smile when on her.
Hannah, Joan, Karin, mom and I played a fun game of Mexican train. We sure have a good time together. I'm thankful for all the family that lives close.

Hotel Reservations

IF anyone wants to go down to the IL Horse Fair March 3rd, 4th or 5th, and wants a place to stay we got a very good rate at the Drury Inn in Springfield, IL. I have 2 weeks to add people at our group rate. The queen and king rooms are $109.99 plus tax and the king suites are $129.99 plus tax.
The Drury gives us a good breakfast, snacks after 3:00 pm and dinner at 5:30 to 7:00 pm. PLUS they have an indoor swimming pool and a hot tub. The Horsemeister Pirates will be staying there and are more than willing to pose for pictures and even give out autographs!

White Snow Black Horses

We had about an inch of snow during the night so when I went out to feed all of the horses here had a blanket of snow covering their back.

Even though it was a cold 11 degrees these horses are so well insulated that the snow does not melt. A horse's normal internal temperature is 101 degrees which just shows their winter coat keeps them dry and warm. Not even their body heat gets through to melt the snow.
 We were short walkers today, Joan is skiing with the home school co-op at Cascade and Ruth is on her way home from the cruise. Diane, mom and I didn't walk as long as usual. I left for Berean after the walk. To read about our busy day there click HERE.
After work the Drury Inn corporate office was called to reserve a block of rooms for the IL Horse Fair. That took most of the afternoon and even some of the evening but the job is done. Karin arrived to work horses and while she worked them I untangled manes and tails. We will wash and braid those once it warms up. The horses worked today were Galena, Anna, Oksana and Indy. Galena seemed stiff today and didn't want to go forward. Once Karin got the whip out she tried to buck once then finally did move off when asked. We are not sure if she is sore or lazy. Oksana, Indy and Anna all did great. Sure makes us spoiled, we expect all the horses to act like the Friesians and are disappointed when they don't. Karin is hoping Galena can be used during the Friesian demo as we are short Ribbon. We have almost 2 months to keep working with her but if she isn't going to work out we need to come up with plan B.
Mike picked up 9 round bales of hay from a farmer on 116. He took 4 out to Middle Grove and brought 5 here to store until needed. They are kind of a stemmy first cutting mostly grass but was put up dry.

Abigail

We had a frigid walk this morning, so cold Diane came wrapped in a blanket.

We didn't mosey along today, today was the day for brisk walking in order to get into a warm house. After the walk I stopped at TEMCO for the Berean mail then drove that to the Berean office where 4 willing workers were waiting. To read about our morning there and Tuesday's morning click HERE. Once home from there the waterers were checked. This morning the weanling paddock waterer was frozen over but Mike got it working. Rosalie and Abigail were brought into the stall barn and each put in a different stall so Abigail could get some handling. I was very pleased she remembered the routine. She was haltered, tied, groomed and feet handled and did well with it all except handling her back feet. She didn't want me picking those up so a rope was used. The first few times each time the rope was around one of her back legs she would start kicking and I would yell at her but keep it on. After a few minutes of that she quit kicking and allowed me to brush the legs off. I'll work on picking those up another day. When Karin arrived we took them into the indoor for a few pictures for Abigail's owner.

 It was too dark inside for moving pictures so even though it was only 13 degrees outside and the outdoor was frozen solid we took them outside for a few action shots. 

They were put back in a stall when finished as I wanted to move in a new round bale in their paddock after Karin was done working horses. Today she brought in Ayanna, Eliza, Zalena and Galena.

 Above left to right is Ayanna, Zalena and Eliza, below is Galena as she threw in a buck to try to unseat Karin.

She settled right down when Karin wouldn't allow that behavior. She was much more forward today and ended on a good note.

Below is the last picture the camera took for the day. 

 Karin was just going to start Ayanna when the cold caused the camera to stop working. I thought it may be the battery, ran down to the house for another fully charged battery but it still wouldn't work. Thankfully once the camera was in the house and warmed up it started working again. Below is a picture of Galena's sire Spellcaster. I found out today he is 16.1 hands tall. Galena is expecting a Valiant foal due June 25th, 2017. That foal should be VERY tall and VERY hairy.

As soon as the mares were put away Karin helped move a bale in for the weanlings then Rosalie and Abigail put back out with them. The stall they were in will need to be cleaned but not today, we were pretty desperate to get in and warm up. Mark was home by then and had a good hot fire going in the fireplace wood burner. A pot of stew was made for supper full of good vegetables and tender roast beef. Mark drove mom and I to church tonight. Tim Roecker had the message. 

Spring Training Starts in January

I had to leave the house today at 6:45 am for the annual CT scan of my aortic aneurysm. Friday I should have the results and learn if I can keep doing this horse job. That went quicker than expected, by 8:30 am I was already at the Berean office ready for work. We had a good morning there but no pictures as I forgot the camera in my haste to get out the door in time.
After Berean I didn't go straight home, instead heading down to Meisters to pay the first of the month bills then to CEFCU to deposit checks, over to Diane's office to drop off checks and pick up the last payment for Titan to deposit into the bank in Hanna City. Karin called as I was almost home to say she would be here to train in 20 minutes. What a blessing to have all that work done yesterday on the indoor arena. It was raining when she arrived and continued raining as she trained Galena, Oksana, Indy and Anna but all of it could be done inside out of the rain. I can't get good pictures inside but still took a few. She starts by round penning the 4 mares together.

 Each mare must pay attention as she snaps the whip, when she calls them in they must stand and face her. Below Anna is in the bright red halter and Indy is behind her in the wider red and white halter.

 Karin chose to work Galena first today. While that was happening the other 3 were checking out all the buckets hanging on the wall. To the far right is muddy Oksana, in the middle is Indy and left is Anna. 

 Galena needs the most work to prepare her for the fair. She has never gone so we are not sure how she will react to the crowds. Karin spent more time with her than the other mares but was well pleased by the time she finished with her. 

 Next up was Anna. Anna is our first mare due in 2017. She will be worked in January then lightly in February. She won't be asked to do much at the fair as she will be pretty heavy in foal. 

 She had a lot of energy today. 

 Below Karin is working Indy.  She is asking her to sidepass across the arena first in one direction and then the other. Indy is light in the bridle and responds quickly moving when asked by just a light touch of the leg. 

 Last to be worked was Oksana. She was well behaved and is learning how to move sideways when asked. 

 We are so pleased with Oksana, she is already beginner safe at just 4 years old. 

We tried to get different colored halters on each mare for identification purposes when the kids come to practice. Karin wants to be able to tell them that 'their' horse is wearing a red halter and expect them to figure out which mare to bring in. Last year was kind of funny. The mares really don't look that much alike but sometimes I have to take a second look to tell them apart. I had Karin convinced she was riding Indy when she was really riding Ayanna. Karin kept exclaiming, "she is moving really well, she has really improved."  The only scary time happened a few years back when Karin was tacking up untrained 2 year old thinking she was tacking up an older mare. She was wondering why the mare didn't want to stand still, finally stepped back and exclaimed, "who IS this?" Today's training session went very well and it only took an hour for Karin to work all 4 horses. Mark was home by the time she finished and once the horses were out of the arena Mark was quick to claim it for his car. With the rain coming down and the falling temperatures we sure don't want our cars iced over and frozen shut. Rhonda and Spark are still down in Gulf Shores and sent the pictures below of the damage to mom's condo.

 Below they are removing the flattened top deck and trying to get that huge heavy generator off so they can start rebuilding. 

 In the picture below is a chair embedded on the roof of one of the Gulfside townhomes where Diane & Mike and Spark & Rhonda each own one. 

The wind has been howling all evening from the North, the temperature is falling fast but we are warm in our little house with 2 wood burners.
Today is Rhoda's birthday. Lee took her to a fancy hotel in Clinton, IL called the SunSet Inn to celebrate it. She sent the pictures below.

What a beautiful room.

Tornado Damage

This afternoon a tornado hit Gulf Shores, Alabama. Ruth and Fedi's boys were staying in Diane and Mike's condo when the tornado came roaring INTO that condo ripping off the front door

then slamming into the living room tearing the television off the wall and smashing the sliding glass door to the balcony.

Terrified, the boys ran up the stairs to the master bathroom and hid in the bathtub. As one of them said, "we had a close brotherly experience." The wind followed them upstairs and smashed that balcony's sliding glass door also.

 This tornado also picked up a huge generator, flew it up to the second story balcony at mom's condo completely collapsing the roof of that flat as a pancake.

Thankfully the boys were not hurt. We didn't have any of that kind of weather here. Instead we had fog, thick as pea soup fog that not only impeded sight but also sound. We know this because of our experience this morning. We left before 9:00 am to pick up the first load of mares from Middle Grove and when we arrived the herd was all grazing by the gate. We had taken Foxy out with us but instead of unloading her first Karin haltered the 4 mares we were taking in this load and handed them to me then unloaded Foxy. The horses were all excited to meet and greet a new mare and all were polite until Foxy decided she didn't like to be sniffed and started kicking. That sent them all off galloping over the hill and out of sight with Foxy following as fast as she could as she didn't want to be left behind in this new place. Galena and Oksana were loaded in the front of the trailer then Indy and Ayanna loaded into the back. Below is Indy, Ayanna, Oksana and Galena

That first trip took about 15 minutes from the time we got there until we were back on the road. Back at the farm Indy and Ayanna were put in with Jenis and Eliza while Galena and Oksana were put in the paddock next to Evan then off we drove for the second trip. When we arrived we could barely see Easter Lily at the top of the hill. We hiked up the hill and were pleased to find Rosalie and her daughter Abigail with her but Anna and Zalena were no where in sight. Foxy had settled down and was grazing with Missy close by. Easter Lily was making sure that new mare didn't get too close to Abigail, the only foal out there. I started down the hill leading Rosalie but Easter Lily took off at a gallop taking Abigail with her. Rosalie was put in the trailer without much fuss and off I went to get Abigail while Karin looked for the other 2. I got to the far end and was calling for Karin but couldn't hear her at all nor see her or any of the horses.  Hiking back while calling and whistling every once in a while felt weird, almost like everything had vanished. This was just like the twilight zone. By the time I found Easter Lily and Abigail, Karin was still not around but I was hopeful she had found Anna and Zalena and was taking them to the trailer. Easter Lily was haltered and led toward the trailer but Abigail decided to stay with the rest of the herd looking for her mom. Karin put the other 2 in the trailer and led Rosalie back up the hill and when Rosalie called for Abigail she came so back down the hill we went this time bringing Easter Lily too. We were thrilled when Rosalie and Abigail loaded right up. Easter Lily was let go and shooed off so we could drive out of the field and head for home. This trip took about an hour but by 11:00 am we had 8 horses picked up from Middle Grove and brought to the farm and delivered 1 to Middle Grove. Below is Anna, Zalena, Rosalie and Abigail.

Anna and Zalena were put in with Jenis, Eliza, Ayanna and Indy while Rosalie and Abigail were put in with Adara, Zalena's filly and Arturo, Marika's colt. Those weanlings were very curious about Abigail, wanting to sniff her but Abigail is so bossy she turned her rear end and offered to kick. The other two jumped backward just in case then kept their distance. It is interesting to watch herd dynamics. The herd taught these youngsters well. 

Mark was busy working on the indoor arena when we arrived so once the horses were unloaded we joined him and both started working. We got the equipment organized, the arena watered and raked then came in for lunch about 1:30 pm. The place looks fabulous! After lunch Karin needed to go back to mom's to work on that house while I rested. What a productive day for this 2nd day of January 2017. 

Greg, Beth, Mike, Diane, Mom and Joan all made it home from Gulf Shores. Spark and Rhonda are still down there but thankfully their condo didn't have any damage from the tornado. 

Moving Bales

We had a 40 degree sunny day for our FIRST day of 2017! It is amazing to think that we are already in a new year. The older I get the faster the years fly by. When I was 16 years old I remember thinking I would probably never see the year 2000 as surely the end of the world would come by then and here it is 17 years AFTER 2000.
Church was small today, too many people gone or too tired to come after celebrating the coming new year last night.
After church Mark and I needed to start moving in bales. Valiant got a new bale then was locked off the field. We are expecting rain tomorrow and he will tear that field up with his galloping around showing off if the gate is left open. We also put 2 new bales in the middle paddock as tomorrow Karin and I are planning on bringing home 8 mares. Indy, Ayanna, Zalena, Anna, Oksana, Galena, Rosalie and Abigail all need to come home. Marika and Easter Lily will also need to come home but I will wait on those 2 as bringing 2 full trailer loads is more than enough to do in one day.
Brandee, the owner of Titan, Ribbon's orphaned foal sent pictures today.

He really does look great. He has gained back any weight he lost and just look at how he is tucking his head as he gallops around. He really is feeling good. I'm very thankful Brandee took these today and shared them with us.
Phil and Anna dropped off the girls tonight so they could play volleyball. I'm not sure who has a better time when the grand daughters come, grandpa and grandma or the girls. We played and played.