Entries Tagged as 'Daily Horse Life'

Unexpected Company

Welcome back!

Winter Missouri river

We had some unexpected company last week.

Our horses spend the winter in a brushy pasture on a bend in the Missouri River. It’s a nice place for shelter and they come in for hay and grain almost every day. The Missouri River is covered with ice right now, as well as a layer of snow over the ice. Usually there are several air holes (open water holes) in the area, but there must be some changes in the current this year because the river is frozen solid from bank to bank right now.

Last week we got a call from some folks on the other side of the river. They were missing some horses and suspected that they might have tried to cross the river on the ice. Sure enough, the missing ones showed up with our horses and had to be trailered home (about 30 miles by road and bridge) after their little half mile river crossing.

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Funny about genetics…..

It’s always interesting to see what kind of a colt a mare will produce by being mated to a particular stallion. There are various crosses that seem to work, and others that don’t.
Some of my mares are better producers than others, some milk better and seem to have good colts every year.
But most interesting is the influence that the mare has on the colt’s disposition and way of dealing with the world. A veterinarian friend once told me that “the colt will be the same disposition as the mare”, and I this seems to have a lot of truth to it. When we halter-break we expect similar behavior from colts as from past years’ siblings.
The gray mare’s colts don’t give in the first time they are haltered, but after thinking about it overnight they lead off like they’ve been doing it forever. They tend to be a little “bossy” with the other colts, and often grow up to be on top of the pecking order.

The dun mare’s colts are a little shy to begin with and need to be worked with softly to gain their Mirror image dun mare and colttrust. Then they will be in your pocket whenever they see you. She is very dignified and businesslike and so are they….not a lot of frivolity in their nature, but nice and honest. The picture to the right is the dun mare and this year’s filly. I see them standing like this often…they are almost mirror images of each other.

Blurr’s colts are a favorite. They are a little timid too….maybe their thoroughbred bloodlines….but they halter break easily and grow into dependable, athletic riding horses. Usually she produces solid colts - not much chrome.

And Missy….we raised her from a colt and her foals are just like her….bossy, opinionated, smart, and athletes deluxe. We have to be careful not to make any mistakes when halter breaking her colts - they remember everything and will take advantage of a mistake. They also like things to move along quickly and get a little antsy if they get bored.

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Follow up on H.R 6598

I have been trying to follow the progress of H.R. 6598, which would make it a criminal offense to transport horses for slaughter for human consumption. The bill was scheduled to be voted on this week, but was tabled til next week.

There is an interesting article at Externs on the Hill which tells more about the arguments of both sides during the debate.

If the bill passes, we are bound to see more unwanted horses being abandoned. Read about horses abandoned in Oregon in this article.

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Horse Slaughter Bill

I love horses. I’ve lived around them most of my life, and they have been a big part of my life. But, I strongly oppose the so-called “Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act”. I have no doubt that the people behind this bill meant well, but unknowingly they have placed US horse owners in a predicament and horses themselves in danger.

What happens to all the unwanted horses if there is no place to sell them? There may be as many as 100,000 unwanted horses in the US each year. A humane and federally-regulated euthanasia option for owners of unwanted horses was taken away when the last U.S. slaughter facility closed its doors. Is it worse to send horses to a regulated slaughter plant than it is to allow them to die slowly of starvation and neglect? What do we do about the disposal of all the 1000-1200 pound carcasses if the horses are euthanized by local veterinarians?

Go to QuarterHorseNewsfor more information on this bill, which is up for a vote on September 10th. There is a list of Congressmen with emails. Please help defeat this bill, for the good of all the horses.

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Where do you ride your horse?

I live on a ranch with a lot of pasture land available for horseback riding, so that is my preferred place couleeto ride. The quiet, fresh air, and occasional wildlife make for a restful atmosphere for riding. I’m fortunate to have that option available to me, and I know others have to plan ahead for that type of atmosphere.

My sister and a few of her women friends, most of them city-dwelling professionals, plan a year in advance for a long trail-riding weekend in the Black Hills. They rent a cabin, and most bring their own horses to ride the beautiful trails in the Rapid City area. Other friends of ours plan an annual family trail ride, where they haul their horses several hundred miles for a week of riding on public trails. They camp in a “horse campground” where they can set up their tents and use the available corrals for their horses. They enjoy seeing many of the same campers each year and renewing old friendships while they ride.

Other horse owners, my youngest daughter among them, prefer to haul their horses to a local arena to ride. She likes the social aspect as much as anything, I think, and considers it worth the extra time of hauling to be part of a group working on various training projects or just having fun. She’s the one who has spent the most time showing her horses, and I notice that her horses also share the attitude that an arena is the only place to ride……heaven forbid that they have to watch for uneven ground on a winding trail!

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Contacts from satisfied horse customers

I love to get phone calls from satisfied horse customers. We raise and sell a lot of weanlings and young horses every year, and in most cases we never see those horses again. Then, years later we may get a call asking if we have more of that particular bloodline.

I got a call earlier in the week like that. We had sold some colts at an auction several years ago, and coltsa rancher about 300 miles away bought several. They are turning out real nice to ride and have good dispositions so he is interested in buying a few more this year.

Of course he had various specifications regarding sex, color and size but hopefully we will be able to come up with a few that will meet his needs. It just brings such a warm feeling to talk to a satisfied customer!

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