going down to the rodeo

On saturday we had our local Urenui Rodeo. Rowan was working all day and that night as we had a wedding on at our restaurant, so I went down to see how long Holly was going to last.

We had sponsored the local riders barrel race so I really wanted to get down there to see that as one of our staff was riding in it. As it turned out Connie actually won it (photo of her attached), she was ridig her lovely quarter horse stallion so that was pretty cool as there was a heap in the event.

turned out I stayed for the whole day as Sally knew that health nurse there so I got to use the rooms at the community centre to feed and change Holly so I was stoked to have had a whole day out and about and seeing the rodeo which I love to watch.

The bull ride was pretty cool to watch but the broncos how good were they at bucking out!! On the Fri nite before we had watched them bring the horses in on the truck and Sally jude and I were all saying how nice some of them looked well after watching them buck you wouldnt want them!!!.....

my very cheeky colt

Went up this morning to muck around with my colt, thought I had better get back into handling him since he hasn't had much done for over a week or so.

He was a right ole so and so. tried to bite me every chance he got( think thats just a young horse thing anyway) but he is very quick to come up with his front legs if he gets sick of you pulling him around the yard or he just decides that no I don't want to turn this way and I am not going away from my mother!!...

Am going to have be quite hard on him I think, but how far do you go with a young horse as in if they nip do you smack them or will it make them very wary of you so I really have to figure these things out.

he is still cute though......

Back in the sulky

The other day I went up and helped out David with the race horses. Its only the second time I have been back in the sulky since I was pregnant. I drove lara(I am in the bright yellow), she is an 8 year old trotter and she is such a sweet horse. Out onto the track we go and only after a few metres I realised that I could so easliy fall out of this sulky, it was Davids old racing sulky from years ago, its wooden and the whole time I felt like I was just going to bounce out of the seat. The morning wasn't the best, the weather was pretty grey and the wind was terrible, felt a bit caotic out there in the blustering wind, with Wit driving Macy singing away to his same Elvis song he sing over and over again and David trying to call out to us to get us to do different things but we couldn't hear because of the wind, Katie(the horse David was driving) was steaming off as soon as anyone got to close she thought she was racing, because I was behind them all I was getting was mouthfuls of dust and grit. You might wonder why I did it that day and did I actually enjoy it well I just had a ball out there, I think I was laughing most of the time because I thought I was going to bounce out of the sulky, it was one of those days when you just thought something is going to happen, but thankfully it didn't and we cut the training short because the wind was so bad.

Must have been a hard night

This Morning the Farrier was coming to give Milly a good ole trim, feel a bit stink really as since I have been pregnant and now had Holly poor Miss Milly has been a bit neglected and bad ole me had totally forgotten to get her feet done. Well they were not looking to great but anyway now they are all nicely trimmed up and I gave her a good brush and tidy up. Going to make a big effort from now on to get her looking back into ship shape. Have to say it took 10mins for the farrier to trim her feet and cost $35, work that out on an hourly rate!!!...We had two mares so $70 in 10 mins work ain't bad...

When I went to catch the horses for there trim my little fella was fast asleep flat out on the grass he didn't even move when I called out to him for a moment I thought oh I hope you are still breathing...Anyway once the farriers got there and started to file there hooves both the little colts were quite interested in what was going on with there mothers was very cute to watch.

What a windy day to ride

Well yesterday my husband had a morning of babaysitting and finding out how life is actually at home with Holly while I got to go and have a full morning of horses!!...

Unfortunately it was blowing gale. So up at the stables to my inlaws place ready by 7.30am out on the track back in the sulky. As much as I enjoy this, today was one of those days when I could have passed. it kind of felt like something was going to happen, it didn't but thats just the mood of the horses felt and the wind blowing so hard was terrible, there was dust for miles, I felt like I had a second skin by the time we had finished from all the dust. David put the old wooden racing sulky on my horse and its so light I felt like I was going to bouce off the track and most of the time I was hanging on to not fall out of the seat. But I loved every minute of it.
Then home had quick breaky and out to help my friend Sally with schooling her horse trix. This was only my 4th ride since giving birth and have to say I am feeling it a bit today. Have not done any schooling on a horse for months so didn't take long to get pretty hot and tired but was glad of the work out and to be back on the saddle. Problem is now I want to get out and do it all the time!! bugga.....

handling my foal

My colt is now two months old so decided it was time I had better get him in and actually do something with him. Since having had Holly, I have not even touched my foal..my good friends sister was here from Oz and her job was to handle the young ones so she came and helped me. Talk about a right little #@$%, can't blame him really I surpose but boy was he wild. After 3 days though he had been caught, halter put on taught to lead and had a towel flicked all over him and he seemed pretty sweet.
So I was ging away on holiday up to the winterless North (whangarei) and the foal (Olly) wasn't going to have anyhting done to him again for 12 days.

this week I have caught him twice and he was great both times until we decided to lead him back to the paddock and he thought it would be fun to Jump on my shoulders. Luckily I saw it coming and he didn't catch me to much. Am going to have be very assertive with this young fellow.