Growing Up Paint--III

Yearling Summer (2006)

Remind me again why I have horses with white markings? The girls were going to a small private treaty sale the next day, so they both got baths. Although Maddie felt like she wanted to melt into the manure pile in shame, I tried to convince her that she was the steed of the dashing "Blue Knight."

Kate got her mane braided. Because of the dun-gene "frosting" over the black base, the braids came out with a really neat variegated look. The next morning, they came out really kinky!

Here they are, waiting (almost) patiently at the trailer for their turn in the sales ring. At this point my plan was to sell whichever one I could, and keep the other as a replacement broodmare for Maddie's dam, Misty.

Run, Maddie, run, and grow!

Kate wants to learn to drive! (But this isn't the vehicle I would use!)

Even with her one blue eye/white schlera (her one obvious overo marking on the apron faced side of her head), Maddie has a soft expression. Most of Misty's babies got this overo trait in just one eye. Although I joke about "getting the evil eye," I've never bought into the theory that horses with this pigmentation quirk are mean or crazy. Maddie (and her brothers Dodger and Pete) disprove that.

I've always thought the spot on her flank showed an elegant young debutante.

Life's tough!

Uncle Corky stands guard over his long yearlings.Pond babies, early winter, 2006.

Although the torn blanket is on Maddie, it was actually Kate who did the damage.

I generally start blanketing about mid- to late-February, to start them shedding out for the early spring schooling shows and sales.

Kate's a big girl now--2 years old.

4H schooling show, April 2007

Feeding time. This year's new arrival:

Amy is Kate's half-sister, by a champagne tobiano stud.

All the "sisters" want to see!

The herd on spring pasture.
Agenda for the coming summer: saddle training!

Fast Forward to Today

Well.

It's the First week of Freaking February, and it Fifty degrees out!

I can't stand it. I need to ride a Fuzzy, Furry horse (or two).

Unlike Daun and Brego, I'm a Fair-weather rider. I remember a time, a long, looong time ago, when I first went back East, after growing up in SoCal. It was a KICK! to saddle up my two charges, riding one and ponying the other, and ride through the snow.

Now, however, my old bones can barely survive doing chores in the cold. And it's getting harder to keep up with any antics the young ones might provide. So I need to be at least a little warm, without having to bundle up so deeply that I limit my movement even more than my age and arthritis does.

But today, the sun is out, I'm able to work in a sweatshirt and insulated vest, long johns and jeans (rather than the insulated coveralls I've been living in since November), and a single pair of light gloves. I've been dragging my almost-an-arena for a week, to try and loosen it up and dry it out.

And it's FIFTY.

So the girls are in for a surprise: work! Or at least the beginnings of legging them up for spring.

My assumption is that Kate will be no big deal (you KNOW what happens when you assume, don't you?).

I figure I'll gauge how much to do with Maddie by how she behaves on the lunge-line.

So I bring everybody (including the two- and three-year-olds) in and brush the worst of the mud and muck out of their thick winter coats.

I thought I might work the two babies on the lunge first, because it'd be quick. But Kate's leaning over the door, so I think--Hey! Might as well ride first, so I can't claim I'm too tired after working the babies.

There's a bridle path in here someplace.

Aren't I sweeeet?

Ready to go to work....

Or NOT!

Sandy comes to save me from the naughty Flying horsie.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Kate Flew around, barely touching the ground, except for the two times her Feet slid out from under her. She Finally decided to settle down, if only for self preservation.

You want me to do what?! Fine!

Oh....Now I remember: Flex.

I'm up. No Fuss.

Can't do too much, the Footing is lousy: icy/Frozen/thawing/muddy in patches: walk-trot some small circles and Figure-eights (around the muddy/icy patches).

Fairly good First ride for all the earlier Free-For-all.

I did also get on Maddie, but Al had gotten cold, so I didn't get photos--maybe tomorrow.

Maddie was considerably better than Kate, which was nice considering that it was just her 7th ride. There were none of the airs above the ground, she stood nice at the mounting block, and walked right out when I asked her; circles and Figure-eights again, then called it good and put her up.

Maybe out in the pasture tomorrow for both of them.

Big Sisters!

Spring comes, and with it two new baby girls.

On the SAME night!

TEN MINUTES APART!!

Zoe had been keeping me up for a week with signs of seemingly imminent foaling, but it was Misty who went into labor first. I recognized the sounds over the baby monitor from my not-so-deep sleep, and rolled over to check the video. Sure enough, Mama Misty was down and obviously going to pop momentarily. So out of bed, and into coveralls. Al mumbled something like "Do you need me?" And I said probably not, but I'd call over the monitor if I did.

By the time I got to the barn, Misty had "two toes and a nose" showing and the old pro was doing fine without me. Zoey was standing just behind me in the next paddock, when I heard her water break! "Go to your stall!" I commanded, and she did. By the time SHE had "two toes and a nose" Misty had delivered. By the time Zoe delivered, Misty's little filly was trying to get up. By the time "Breezy" was up and trying to nurse, "Windy" was worked on finding HER legs. And so it went, on through the early morning hours!

I did end up calling for back-up from Al. He would monitor one stall, while I was in the other. It was a busy night, but now I could go back to normal sleep patterns! I don't have a lot of pictures of the actual births, 'cause I just happened to have the school video camera home that night, and got the whole process on tape--unfortunately not digitally :-(

Imprinting and first halters within an hour. Then, once both have nursed successfully, leave the mamas and babies alone to rest.

It turns out that the fillies, initially named "Breezy" and "Windy" (can you guess what the weather was like that night?) were born on a good horsie friend's birthday; so Misty's became "Breezy Beth" and the other, on pleading from my niece, became "Windy Lindy." Between the two of them, not enough white for ONE legal spot!

Big sister Maddie and Uncle Corky check out the new arrival.

Lindy does her first reining stop!

Kate is impressed.

Beth can move it, too!

Maddie and Kate are no longer the "Babies"--they become the "Yearlings," though, with the adolescent attitudes that they develop by the end of the summer, they earn the title they still share today: "The Teenagers!"