A Gentle Herd on Short Grass

Here's a late June photo of my girls with Chippy and Sedona. I think I have the prettiest mares on earth. My thoroughbred has a heart that rivals Secretariat's and my foundation mare is all classic American beauty. I am blessed beyond description. Namaste.

Luxurious Girly Tails

Here are the feminine back ends of my girls with their luxurious pretty black and red tails!

The Far Pasture

Here are the four top mares, enjoying the far end of the far pasture. I have a feeling that if they found a gate or small opening, they would stroll through and continue on their adventures to the pasture beyond. They might even walk up the road to the abandoned school house and then head to town for a Rita's ice cream cone and a sit beneath a shade tree by the river. Such silly beautiful girls.

Dramatic Fence Line

Namaste.

BFF

In all my live long days, I will never forget that first day in June when Violet had been taken to Showgate ahead of me. I arrived and she was snorting and anxious and scooting around her stall. And Barbie and Tom told me to put her in a pasture and she was so happy, so happy to walk across that green lawn to a pasture. And then the very next day, she was in the pasture with this girl, Sedona, and they were great friends from the get-go. I remember them putting their faces over the fenceline and giving me such sassy girl expressions. Violet likes having her younger sweet buddy.

My Sweet and Social Violet, Again!

These photos are from June 8th and Violet is relaxing with her girlfriend, Sedona. I have a very good life with a beautiful home, garden, and work. And here is this gorgeaus mare as part of my life as well. I am so lucky and blessed to have her as part of my life. If I were rich, I would set up my farm so that she would have a great life of living in a big old roomy box stall with window onto a pasture. And then she would have lots and lots of turnout with good pals and water and good rich grass and run-in shelters and shade trees. And she would be bred to the best stallions. But in this world, my world, she has to live a more limited life, but at least she's still part of my family! And she lives at beautiful Showgate Stables with her nephew, sister and good friends! She's a goofy smart sweet girl!

My Sweet and Social Violet

Here's my girl, giving her first friend at Showgate a little June love. Can you tell that they really like and trust each other? Violet was durned happy when she arrived at Showgate last year. I will never forget. Tom and Barbie had picked her up while I was out farm-shopping. When I got to Showgate, she was in the first stall with the window open and she was agitated. She snorted and burst around her stall in big power spurts, nervous and unsure and suddenly realizing that she'd gotten onto a trailer without me and was just lucky to end up at a place she recognized. But the moment she met Sedona and was turned out for the first time with her, she was purely happy. Last year at this time, I was taking photos of Sedona and Violet hanging their sassy cute faces over the fence, declaring their independence, but asking for love! Good friends.

Casually Handsome!

One day this Spring, I was enjoying time just hand-grazing my little gentleman. We hung out by the front pasture where the herd of girls were just hanging out in the late afternoon, enjoying themselves. So, here you see my Renny with his Aunt Violet and mom, Hailee in the background! I just love his strawberry blonde mane!

A Tussle Mixed with Kiss

Here's my little macho man, accepting a biting, grabbing, halter-pulling kiss from his elegant girlfriend, Sedona. What a happy confident guy!

A Rainy March Day for the Herd

Look at these goofballs, hanging out by the gate, just to say hello. Renny especially feels a firm need to glad hand his grandma and give her big sloppy head pushes and bites. We are working on that. He is getting to be a bossy boy who speaks with his teeth. I want to make sure that this phase passes quietly, so he doesn't spend a lifetime getting smacked in the face by his kids! Look at that intelligent confident boy!

Breaking News! A Relaxed Monday after Busy Weekend

So, this weekend was very busy. I caulked seams on my patio, repaired a crack in my foundation, repaired cement on my driveway, garage floor, and steps, put up bird houses, butterfly feeders, bird and hummingbird feeders, weeded the garden, visited my horses, and worked around the house. By last night, I was pretty tired. But it was very relaxing to lay on my bed and listen to the birds getting settled for the night as dusk settled. And now this morning, I can hear their calls and songs and watched as a robin, and a pair of chickadees and a pair of cardinals, ate from my feeder. I have lots of work to do this week, but I am definitely in the home maintenance mood too. Plus my garden is growing very well and looks so healthy and happy. Namaste from all of us!

The Squabblers Snacking

Sedona and Renny are taking a break from scuffling and nipping and shoving to have a cozy companionable snack.

Sedona and Ren's Big Snow!

Here's a photo of Renny and his girl, Sedona, out in the baby pasture, enjoying a snowly sunlit day in early February. He and Sedona are a good team, always wrestling, pummeling, chewing each other's halters. She gets so fed up with him and likes to do the buck kicks, and he likes to bite her forearm and then dash away from her fake (sometimes not so fake) kicks! Happy squabbling friends!

Winter Fenceline

Here they are on January 21st, relaxing in the snow, enjoying their lives. Violet is resting at the fenceline, waiting for a passing farmer or the boy from down the way.

A Frosty Graze!

I am writing this entry on Sunday, February 8th. The photo and video are from late January, 21st. You can see that we were blessed with excellent snowy groundcover for part of the winter, for a nice full month. The horses had daily turnout. But as of yesterday, this entire pasture was green and brown and under water! We had an enormous melt!! So, we'll be having indoor turnout for quite awhile now!

Cute Winter Rears!

Here's my little man, with his best girls, chewing on a fallen tree limb. He totally digs his girls. I am writing this on January 31st. I went out to the barn this afternoon and Renny was indoors because he had escaped his pasture yet again and Lexie had saved him from his curious self. I was ambivalent, experiencing a weird mix of pride in his resourcefulness, playfulness, bravery, and intelligence and sad and upset with his flat-out pony naughtiness! But anyway, Barbie, Lexie and I tried putting him out with Shelley and Mona's geldings and they just chased him down and made him fall on his rear as he worked to get away. He didn't seem scared, but he sure didn't seem happy. So, that's out. As I write this entry, I am waiting on the solution to this temporary problem. What a troublemaker this darling boy is. I am so glad that he is a part of my life. And let me tell you, I remember with happiness how glad I was waiting in these weeks for his arrival last winter. And I remember with happiness the night of his birth! Rotten scruffy teenager!

Renny Bugs Sedona!

Here is a New Year's Eve photo of Renny pestering his best pal, Sedona. He likes to ring in the new year by being a cute boy!

A New Year Dash About!

Here are some January 2nd photos of the babies going rickey tick in their frozen pasture! They are feeling lively, young, fresh, and joyful! This winter, Renny has had the opportunity to really learn so much about being a horse. He gets turned out with older girls, his mom and aunt, he gets turned out with Sedona, a coming 3 year-old, and he gets turned out with his age-appropriate gals, Lily and Bowman. And he learned that friends sometimes leave for new adventures -- when the beautiful TeAwa filly left for race training and when his first girlfriend, Ruthie, left for greener pastures. He knows how to get along!!

A New Year's Pasture!

Here are some photos from January 2nd of my Renny and his older girlfriend, Sedona. He's out and about in a frozen pasture, enjoying his life and thinking about his big transition to yearling!!! In February he'll be 9 months old, but on the day in this photo, he turned into a new stage of life -- suckling, weanling, yearling!!

Group of Girls on New Year's Eve!

Here's a photo of my very dirty thoroughbred on New Year's Eve. She's in the center of a lovefest, gossiping, grooming, nuzzling. She really knows how to ring in the new year!