*!#!!***!!(expletive!)

Had to redo the nosebutton on the bosal! Strings too wide, realised no rolling or pounding in the world would´ve cured that braid. Unwrap the darn thing, back to the cutter and make them thinner, start over again. (Phew, maybe I´ll just buy a new one...)

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Two day´s and counting!

Annelie and Ida got the christmas tree dressed and ready and I the bosal core done yesterday. Pretty pleased with it, sorry no pics. Hopefully I´ll find some time between eggnogg, presents and general christmas frolicing to complete the nosebutton this weekend.
We´ll spend Christmas with the family at moms and dads country house. Should be lots of fun, we don´t get to hang with friends or family very much living way out in the sticks as we do. Besides, with all the horses and stuff there really isn´t much time for socializing anyhow.

Winter musings

Behind the scarf, ski mask & goggles hides Björn Goop. The winningest driver in Sweden in 2010. His stats: 1949 starts 378 wins and a bit over $5.000.000 in earnings, this year alone!
This is also what most drivers looked like yesterday at the track. Cold, windy and full blown snowstorm.
Road home last night
Now this is more like it!

This has been going on since early November for crying out loud. You would think that this global warming deal would result in...oh I don´t know.....maybe WARM weather!



Found this pic on my computer. This is a Vogt Santa Barbara spade bit. A 3 1/2" Spanish or Aligator spade. Wrapped the bar and dipped it in sugarbeet molasses when I introduced it to Brady a year or so ago. He had trouble picking it up and the sweet taste of the molases helped him explore it and more or less pick it up. It´s an ok bit but for Brady the braces are set alittle to close to the bar. He´s got a thick tounge and need more space in there to really be able to hold it properly.

Bosal

Another 8-10" of snow is supposed to fall before this weekend is over. Really pretty when your out on the trail, not so much when your trying to find your car under a mountain of snow in the yard.

Lars & Gerd visited yesterday and me & Lars headed out on a ride. Lars tried out Timber Trouble to see if he´s something for them. I was on Brady and we had a pretty good ride I think. Horses behaved, a bit cold as the wind´s pickin up again. I think Lars was pleased with the horse.

Started on the bosal today. The rawhide was just right and I almost finished braiding the core. About 5-8" left. Will probably have to rehumidify the strands before continuing, we´ll see.

Snow n horses

More snow as you can see. About 8" since Thursday. Horses don´t seem to mind though.

Have just ordered a Grijalva spade bit! Built on an old Mardueno 19th century pattern, with a spade mouthpiece to my specifications. If all goes well it´ll be done sometime in February!

Leave You with some pics from the pastures yesterday.

Avenir & Brady



Polly & Cat



Kick The Cat



Polly


la Flor del Viento aka "Polly"

Busy time of year

Lots of work this week. Havn´t really had as much time for the horses as I´d liked. Races at the track Saturday, last night and also this Sunday. Couple that with everybody wanting pics, christmas cards and framed prints for for the holiday´s and it´s been kinda crazy at the office lately.

Ida had season finale at the riding club she attends Mondays and Tuesdays. She and a friend put on a quadrille for us parents. So cute, figure riding in their Santa costumes!








Have soaped the strings for the bosals but braiding rawhide this time, I´ll wait until I have time to braid the core from start to finish. The moisture content needs to be more or less consistent through out, and its a b**ch keeping it even. Hopefully it will get done tonight or Saturday. Really miss spending time with Annelie, the kids, cats and dogster! He´s a really good one our Gizmo!



Hopefully the holiday´s will give us time to take family rides and work the fillies some.

No more excuses

Me & Ida took a Sunday ride together. The sun was out! No wind and a cold, crisp winter day. Spotted the eagles again, hoovering over the treetops in the bay, they look majestic!







Brady felt really good too. Relaxed and intune, a real pleasure to ride. Ida & Elton had a good time too. Ida´s been sick for a couple of day´s so we didn´t stay out very long. Long enough though for Annelie to shoot a couple of pics of us.






The Bosal cores being prepared and the strings cut and dampened. Will bevel today if they´ve got the right moisture content and then I have no more excuses for not braiding!

One Time Royalty

Summin up the NCHA Futurity I`d say I was pretty dead on with my observations regarding One Time Pepto. He only sired the Open Champion One Time Royalty,scoring a new Futurity record of 230! and also sired the Non-Pro Champion One Rockin Pepto!

Trying to stay awake last night watching the action on the webcast I got to see a couple of les than spectacular runs. Tough cattle sure, and people going for the win, but pretty sloppy cuts as a result.

Dozed off occasioanally before finally calling it quits at 3.30 am. I rewatched One Time Royaltys run this morning and that horse is right on the money all the time! Not many breathtaking moves or spectacular saves, but one of the cleanest runs I ever saw. Lloyd Cox making some pretty decisive cuts right smack in the middle and working the cows just enough. Great run.

The Peeka Peps entered did ok too I guess. 2 new finalist this year and one of them, Annas Brightest Star making both the Ltd and Non-Pro finals. They seemed to run out of gas though as the show wore on. Had their best runs in the earlier go arounds and kinda faded when the going got tough. But then they´re only three, at their first real show ever. Spanning close to a month, that really takes it´s toll I think.

Got my act together and finally started the new bosals. Prepared the cores yesterday and will bevel a bunch of strings today.

T4 Cattle co

Spent some time a few years ago, 10 actually, with the Bidegain family who owns and operates T4 Cattle Co, out of Montoya, New Mexico. Now they´re putting together a book about the familys history and using several of the pics I took for them, the book is at the binders and I´m eagerly awaiting the final result!





The T4 ranch was established in 1902 and run about 2.500 mother cows on close to 200.000 acres.




The T4 relies on hard-working cow horses, using them to drag calves to the fire, sort pairs and round up cattle in the fall.


They have been breeding Quarter Horses continuously since 1942. Its broodmare band consists of mares by either Cardinals Hired Hand or Young Gun. The T4 ranch stallion, Shorty Mio, is by Shorty Lena and out of Little Tassa Mia, by Freckles Playboy.










Phil & Lauri purchased “Mio” as a yearling and a few years later, they sent him to reined cow horse trainer Ted Robinson, who showed the horse at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in 2004.

During the preliminaries, Mio scored a 218 in the herd work and a 214 in the reining, but tough luck in the fence work kept him from advancing to the final round. After his brief show career, the stallion returned to the ranch to handle herd sire duties.

Great people the Bidegains and I´m really happy I could help them out with the pics.

Cows?

Annas Brightest Star & Kelsey Turner made the Ltd Non-Pro finals last night and placed 9th, earning a little over $8.000. Today she can duplicate the feat in the Non-Pro!

Might be looking to add a couple of cows to the general chaos we have here. A neighbour is looking to lighten his load and get rid of a few heifers. Gotta get a shelter set up and pasture arrangements also, not the easiest thing this time of year though. Would be kinda cool to have something to work and play with during the winter too, we´ll see what happens...
I think Brady now officially is a ranch horse only. I just won´t have the time to seriously pursue a show career with him next year. Besides, the closest show is probably some 300 miles from home anyway and that´s just not to tempting.
Eagerly awaiting spring though, starting Cat and breeding Peppy again and get things rolling. Feels like winter is just a loooong wait for something better to arrive.

One Time Pepto and other Futurity musings

Time for Semi-Finals in the cutting Futurity.

Limited Non-Pro today, finals tonight. Peeka Pep has got Annas Brightest Star in there, aswell as in the Non-Pro tomorrow. Another two Peeka Peps made the Amateur Semis, also held tomorrow, Bunnys Got Pep and S T Peek along with Peeka Peps 1/2 brother Royal Red Play (by Play Red-Peek A Boon). They seem to be really consistent and work the way I like`em to. Maybe not the fanciest of moves, but really cowsmart and more often than not in the right place and in possition. Quiet and efficient, bluecollor if you will.

Wild Thing DNA also´s got a Semifinalist in the Am division in Wild Proof, ridden by Wild Things manager Kay Russell Terrell. (As most of you know we´ve got a Wild Thing and a Peeka Pep filly we´re really high on here at home.)
Good luck to all of you!

Now a few words on one of the more exciting stallions out there, One Time Pepto.
This freshman sire has 11 offrpring in the Open semis, 8 in the Non-Pro, 1 in the Ltd NP and 4 in the Amateur division!
One Time Pepto
If I was looking for another solid Peptoboonsmal stud to breed my mare to, One Time Pepto is where I´d go. He is by Pepto and One Time Soon, a great mare in her own right w offspring earnings of more than $780.000. 2nd dam Uno Princess won the NCHA Open Futurity.

One Time Pepto won $330.000 with Matt Gaines in the saddle and the merits include: NCHA Open Super Stakes Champion; 2006 Augusta Open Classic Champion; 2006 Abilene Spectacular Open Classic Champion; PCCHA 4-Year-Old Open Stakes Reserve Champion. That´s all well and good but this guy looks the part! Has a conformation I love, structual soundness, straight and clean all the way. Got the withers, hocks and short cannons I look for. He is by all accounts extreemely smart about the cows, really athletic and one of the best moving horses Matt Gaines & fellow trainer Clint Allen has ever ridden. Looks like the babies got some of that also.


He´s gonna challenge Highbrow Cat for top honours in a year or three I believe, and no, I´m not a sales rep, just a fan!

Things accomplished Sunday

Aches and pains! loaded and unloaded 3,5 tons of hay yesterday, me feels it today!
Should last us a month or so.

Rode Timber again yesterday, he´s getting better but there are still plenty of holes in his game. He´s trying and is really eager to please but he needs alot of time to build muscle and learn how to carry and balance himself. I love his attitude though!

Worked the fillies from the ground yesterday too. First up was Cat. First time working her in the dark under the lone light in the pen. She was soo much better than expected. Really calm and relaxed for beeing her. Got alot of nice work done, bending and flexing neck and poll, moving hind & frontquarters, backing, sidepass etc. She´s a really sensetive lady, light in her front end and really loads up behind, love it!

Got our weanling Peeka Pep filly, Polly, up under the lights too, wich also was a first. I thought she would fret alittle beeing alone, first time away from her buddies. Not so, she acted just like her sibblings Molly & P.J. Really quiet and just wanting to please, almost asking what I wanted done next! I was a little leary about her as she has a lot more bite to her then the others but she was great!

Peeka Peps a plenty today in the Amature division of the NCHA Futurity. 3 Peeka Peps has a chance to advance to the semis Wednesday. Kelsey Turners Annas Brightest Star is already qualified for the Ltd Non-Pro semis on Tuesday and the Non-Pro semis wednesday! If any of them makes the finals it will be the third straight year Peeka Pep has a Futurity Finalist in his first three limited crops!

Ashado Boko winning on Sunday!
Ashado Boko, the 3yo trotter filly our company owns the tail of, won her third race!! And best of all, she beat or friend & neighbours mare Sweetly Girl! Ashado was racing 4th inside and in the last turn she was pulled back with horses all around her. Looked like she was going to finish last! All of a sudden, her driver found an opening on the outside, exploding and zig-zaggin left and right over the homestretch she won easily by half a length!

Good day today.

Very nice day today! Cold yes, but manageble. No wind and even the sun ventured out this afternoon!

Cat´s brand is starting to show.

Our house in a snow clad landscape.

View of the bay and pier from the house.

Timber and I hit the trail today. Just to make sure he wasn´t barn sour or herd bound. Just walked right out of there and never looked back. Tried him through som rugged stuff too, crashing through brush and climbing alittle. Didn´t care much for brush but he did weave his way through it after mullin on it for a bit. Worked him some out in a field aswell. He doesn´t know a thing about legaids, spur or weight! He´s got the same problem many harness horses have, they are stiff as boards when turning or making a circle. Just the way they´ve been worked before, pulling a cart, you cant really turn on a dime or bend properly pulling a cart, it usually turns into a stiff sidepass ofsorts with the head pulled sideway´s. So he really needs some work there. Not muscled enough to carry himself properly, thus making any form of collection a real challange. He´s starting to soften and relax in his poll and neck though and tries to respond to my legs. He just doesn´t know how yet.



Moved the Highlands today aswell. They sorta know the routine now, but there´s always one or two efforts to breake free. Today they forced me up a steep ridge, as usual crashing through the woods, splinters flying. Once headed and turned back the right way they settled down and wallowed along fairly quiet, atleast by highland standards.





They had one more breakaway in them though and they decided against winterpasture and tried to stampeede back the way we came. Brady and I had to put on our capes one more time to save the day, and headed them and steered them back on track.


























Brady was a bit fresh today, he´d been off for two weeks so that was to be expected. No blowups though, just eager.