Peaches came to us as a 2 year old. Chance started her for some folks and at the end of 20 days was as nice or nicer than any other horse I’d ever been around. When the older folks who owned her came to get her, I told them that I wanted to buy the first horse colt she had, as she really impressed me. Several months later they called to tell us they were selling some horses because of drought and Peaches was one, as they couldn’t ride her outside of an arena. She was just too quick. We bought her and met them at the sale to pick her up also buying a 3 year old filly and a yearling colt. We have since sold the colt and I traded off the other mare this fall to a young lady. I didn’t re-breed any of these mares last year, so last fall I started to mess with Peaches, thinking she would make a nice smaller horses for the girls or the grandkids. I rode her a little and tho’ she was rusty from not being rode for 4 years, she was still pretty nice. I got the horses in yesterday and saddled Peaches up, warmed her up a wee bit in the round pen, which was not needed,  then rode out and moved some pairs. She is still green and needs training but is an awfully nice little mare. When I took my rope down, she didn’t care for that so when I got back to the corrals we worked on that. Had quite a long tussle and the hardheaded San Peppy in her came out and she showed us she didn’t care for an old coat being drug up to her , especially by  her back feet. She will allow it now, but she still doesn’t like it. Hopefully she will get comfortable with being roped off and things drug behind her so I can take her to a branding or two this spring. She is saddled and I am waiting for Chance. We will go move the pairs to protection as there is a slight chance of some stormy weather coming thru’. Sounds like the worst is going to0 be west of us in the Black Hills. That’s good as that asphalt takes an awful lot of moisture to soften up, so them people in town can get to farming, later on this spring. 😉

Alan always has a great post or even two, everyday. Please go read this one.

http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2010/04/our-warrior-class.html

Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful celebration of the Risen Savior.

Cindy and I went down to Custer Saturday and spent the weekend with Tate and Kass and the the boys. Fr. Tyler, Chance and Hope and boys joined us today.

We had a wonderful time, and came home to a new baby calf and nice weather. Time to sort tomorrow and get the horses in a pasture that is handier to get to them and start working with them young ones.

Got up at 3:30 and it was white outside with a fair breeze blowing, so I got dressed and went out and checked cows. Every thing seemed fine, but quite a little snow was coming in horizontal. Good, wet snow. Not drifting, just sticking and settling. There was a strong 3 inches on the windshield. It it doesn’t get any tougher than this, and I don’t think it will, we will be fine. Matter of fact, I have always felt like snow is better than rain at this time of year as it doesn’t chill the baby calves as bad and when I feed some hay they can get on it and bed down dry, whereas with rain, they can’t.

Went to Elm Spring last night. They had a pot luck/community hall fund raiser talent show. Good time and got to see some people I don’t get to see often enough. Lots of memories of basketball games when I was a kid and country dances. With all that entails!!

Maybe that is what Mother Nature had in mind? Or the weatherman? We were supposed to get some snow and wind, but so far just a little rain. I can live with that.

And it’s still got plenty of time to give us snow. We got all the stock in close with the protection so we are as prepared as we can be.

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Back to riding and working in just a vest, instead of layers of vest and coat. Ahhh, spring!

Chance brought us up Gus and Sam pretty early yesterday as he had to go help a guy. Also got them today.

So I had Granny and a couple little guys help me to feed, yesterday. Had a little trouble getting Gus to hang on to the front of the wagon. Seems he is a little hard headed. wonder who he inherited that from?!!!!

When we came in from feeding, I noticed Crackerjack was at the corral. He’s getting big enough to breed a mare so I got him captured and we hauled him to the vet to get him gelded. I thought of doing it myself, but couldn’t get a hold of the neighbor who has the emasculater’s and didn’t feel like having to start a fire to heat an iron so I could sear the ends of the cords. As it turned out, taking him to the vet was a better idea as he bled quite a bit anyway. Maybe all the sweetclover hay I’ve feed in the hay this past winter. Vet said they have lost some cattle from it this spring. Sweet clover thins the blood. So if a cow starts bleeding, it’s hard to get it stopped, such as if they prolapse. He suggested you only feed the hay to yearlings or anything that will  not be calving or the horses. I’m glad I only have a few bales left.

Ended up getting 4 calves out of Chance and Hopes old cows yesterday. they must have been owned by someone who worked in town, seeing as they just seem to calve on the week ends!

Wind blew but got up in the 40’s. Hope had a young man follow her home who works where she does. Chance brought him up just in time to go out with the wagon and look at cows and a neighbor and his wife stopped in as we were going so we took a wagon load out. All but Bob. He doesn’t want to ride in the wagon. tho’ he did learn about leashes and collars yesterday morning. He will get in Purple now! Learning something that is good for us sometimes isn’t much fun. But we still need to learn it. Kind of like being reminded who we send to Washington and that they ought to listen to us. Maybe they will learn something this fall!

Warmer but windy. cows don’t want to eat much hay as they have found a tint of green, even tho they can’t really get anything out of it, they still chase it. I did get rid of a couple saddles today and worked on another. Starting to get caught up but a long ways to go. No new calves lately. Hit a dry spell. I suppose they are waiting for stormy weather.

I loped up this afternoon and gathered the wild bunch. Indian Creek is up and running and running over the crossing up north. Probably cut it out some. Maybe a lot. Worth it to see the water run. May get to go use my kayak tomorrow.

Not often I get to drive horses thru’ moving water!