Tired…

Not sure why, don’t seem like I got a lot accomplished. Cindy wanted to go check cows this morning so we went in Purple. Came back and putted around, paid bills and then went out, saddle up Beaver and got the horses in, harnessed and fed. Broke the tongue on the wagon while backing in a circle to get a bale so limped to the house and unhooked at the shed, put the team away and then took the tongue off the wagon and welded it back together. Went back and got the team and went and fed a couple bales. I noticed while feeding that the upper winch was not working right. I had been acting steadily worse, so got to looking and a bushing/bearing was bad worn and not letting the teeth in the gears keep in contact, so when I got down feeding and unharnessing and putting the team away, I went and wrenched on it. I think it will work, but just in case I found one online and ordered it. Called up Vince Skidmore and ordered another bucket of leather cream. We had a good visit. I met him years ago at Laramie at a jam session after the poetry deal for the days. we sat outside a bar and watched the cops arrest a guy. We were kind of blocked in and seeing as we’d had a beer or two, we decided it was best to wait until they were all done and gone. 😉 He gave me some samples of the leather cream he was making. It’s about all I have ever used since. Good for leather and rawhide and he also makes a water protector for boots and leather.

Then after dinner Dean came over and worked on the yeller horse. He was needing it, not bad, but had some sore places. I am sure he will be much better now. Dean sure does make them horses feel better.

After he left I went and worked with Pard, the dun coming 4 year old I got back a few days ago. I worked with him yesterday and he was kind of sketchy. Never offered to buck, but just ind of strange. He would tolerate lots of spooky things, but pretty unwillingly. Eric told me he had never gotten very far getting him used to a rope so I set out with that in mind.

I started out by roping a hind foot and getting him to yield to it. I don’t know as I have ever done that with him before, so it was a learning experience. He got good about one foot, so I switched and did the other. I laid the big scary white plastic bag alongside the fence where he wanted to be and that helped to keep him hemmed in. I got the other hind foot caught and in the process he had to go beside the bag to get away from me. He was pretty good going counter clock wise but not so much the other way. I was a real scary deal to him. When we finally quit he would walk up on to it, from either direction and then stand on it. So then I got the floppy yellow blanket and tied it on the end of my rope and got him sacked out and then over the saddle horn and let him pull it behind him. He pulled it real fast! 😉

When we finally got done with that, he would stand and let me throw it at him, at his feet and up on top of him and then let me pull it up from either side onto the saddle. Tomorrow, the white bag! 🙂

I also got him up along side my cat walk and had him stand while I swung a loop over his head and along side him. He was pretty tired when we quit and I think it was real good for him.

Rode Woodrow out to check the cows this evening and kept Mijo in for a night horse.

A beautiful Easter day

Even if the wind did come up. but I’ve seen lots way worse than this.

Had a nice crowd at Mass this morning. Had a good visit afterwards. When I got home I saddled up Woody, the old horse. Gonn’a be 21 or 22 and acts like a colt. He had spent the night in the corral so was anxious to get with his buddies. We jogged out around the cows and then brought the horses in. Sure felt good to be riding him. Cowy’est horse I have ever ridden and too much get up and go for a leisurely ride, but still and all, fun to ride. Ever sat on a wound up spring, or a rocket? That is kind of what he reminds me of. Just slightly indicate a cow or speed and your eyes are watering!

We got the horses in and I harnessed up and hauled some bales quite a ways out into the pasture, so as to get some fertilizer on some ground that can use it, up on a side hill.

Then I came in and did some stuff for the eating when everyone got here. Cindy had to work so I started a turkey about 9 am and I should have waited a bit longer as it was well past done when we ate about 4. Tate and Kass and family came out for the afternoon and are staying over.

Kids hunted eggs after late dinner.

Whoooooooooo

Sez the wind. Out of the south south east. Trying to blow some rain up. I’ll take it. It’s hitting about 40 to 45 mph, looks like. Really got to screw your hat down to keep it on.

I fed the cows about a half mile east of the house o the down wind side of a little dam. The team wanted to trot, so I let them. The first bale was ruffed up, so we left about a 1/4 of it at the stacks so , seeing as I needed to give the cattle in the corral some hay, we hauled an extra and brought about a third of it back for the steer and bulls. On the last bale, the team was content to walk for most of the way. Coming back, they trotted, but not real fast. When we got to the gate to stop and shut it, evidently Roz was getting tired because when I said, “Whoa,” she set up and slid to a stop like a calf roping horse! 🙂

I saddled up Mijo to look at cows and get the horses in this morning. He has not mellowed this winter. 🙂 He wanted to hog with me for quite a ways so finally I took a short hold, jerked him around a bit and whacked him with the romal, lightly. He settled down. Dang, you just always got to prove your the top horse, with some of these. 😉

And the wind blows…….

Still.

When I went to catch horses, they had escaped and went nort5h with the others, but were close enough I conned them all into the corral for grain. Decided I might as well just let them all out at night except for one to gather on in the morning. Mijo gets to be wrangle horse in the morning. Got the cows fed and then took the tractor out to push up and pick up and pile up dead trees and branches out in the tree patch north east of the house. Dean and Brad came along while I was there and picked me up as they were going to Punkin Center to eat so I went along. When we got back I went back at it. got them and started to another tree patch and I kept smelling antifreeze but just thought maybe it was blowing over the top as the tractor was showing to be getting warm. When I got out to get a gate I saw it was dripping pretty bad so I decided I better just wait before I got into trouble. When I parked the tractor I walked up and was looking to see where the anti’ freeze was coming from and found…. a stick sticking out of the front of the radiator. Oops! So now I will have to take that off and get it repaired, if I can. Dang, I was pretty careful too!

After that I went and caught up Pal, the yeller, supposed to be kid horse. Gave him his pain medicine and then saddled and went to ride out east and make sure none were snuck off by themselves having a calf. There weren’t but I decided that Pal needed some rope training so when we got back i put him in the round pen and went to messing with one of the big plastic sacks. Oh my word! Evidently when they break and train horses some places (like where this horse came from) thy don’t bother to sack them out or get them used to a rope! It was a very strenuous session for all involved and I about got wrapped up in the rope from the saddle horn a couple times. That horse can really run fast in a circle when he is scared! Eventually I quit making him pull the sack around and had him walk beside it and then over it. Never did go back to dragging it, but he was real tired, so quit on a good note and I will do more next time. Cindy came along when I was finishing up so she rode him around in there to check out the new saddle. Fits her pretty good too, looks like. I didn’t mess with Brody, as I decided I’d had enough training and I had Mass this evening.

You’d think it was still March…..

The way the wind is blowing. Coming from the south east so it should blow some rain in , in a day or so. Supposed to, but don’t look like a lot, but that is usually when we get our best rains, when they predict not a lot.

Fed and then saddled up Pal and went for a spin. He wanted to buck with me. I re-adjusted the back cinch, thinking that might be the problem, but mostly I think it was that he wanted to stay with the other horses. We made a circle and the further we went the better he got. I got some pain pills for him that you give every day and it won’t hurt them. I will try it for a week and see if he travels any better. I have a suspicion he travels he way he does and has navicular because of the way he is built, but we will see.

Went to Punkin Center and got barrels for the cows and some more bean for the steer and bulls. the cafe had an invasion of little people as there had been an Easter egg hunt at the school, or some such. Them kids made me laff. Seen some neighbors and had a good visit. The rest of the day I have been working on a pair of chinks for Chance. Had to tear some off and start over as it wasn’t coming out the way I wanted. Still isn’t as good as I’d like, but I guess it’s the best I can do at this time. the new saddle felt real good. Guess I will keep it. 😉

Worked with Brody after supper. Better session.

Another day in April

Here is is the 3rd already. Cindy had to do some stuff in town, so I got my chores done and fixed a little fence to lock the cows into another pasture from where they’ve been, showered and went with her. I did some things, amongst them being getting a new, cheap camera. No sense spending too much no longer than they lat me. When we got home I went out and worked Brod for the first time in a couple days. Quite a deal. I will post about it in Horse Training.

Chance and Hope and kids came out Sunday afternoon and visited and got some horse gear, my older saddle and the blue horse. I never fed until evening as I waited for them and Mass is now at 10 am on Sunday’s. When we went to unhook, the boys and /Chance were with me, I went to unhook Roz while Chance was unhooking Ron and I got one tug hooked to the harness and here is Gus at my feet unhooking the other one from the single tree. Tickled me….He just threw it down so I had him hand it to me so I could hook it to the harness. That boy wants to help with every thing. Every time I turned around he was at my heels. I crawled over the fence and kicked him in the forehead, lightly, as he was right there. Then when I picked up a busted off pole to throw it against the fence, I whacked him in the eye with it, as he was right there! You’d think ONE of us would learn!

Sure was fun visiting and getting to play with the grandkids.

Wind howled Sunday afternoon and most of Monday, seemed like.