Eros first ride!

Took the firts ride on Eros today. He acted like he's been rode all his life. Nothin even remotely exciting. Climbed around some on him inizially. He felt really at ease and secure so...


...I thought I might aswell climb aboard and see where it got us. Just a halter and letting him choose to move out, speed and direction. Still had a stop on him and everything went smooth as silk. Really nice a little horse.

Arbuckle finals

James Payne & Once In A Blue Boon won the Arbuckle Derby Finals scoring 223. Once In A Blue Boon, who missed the futurity finals in December by 0.5 point, sports one of the industrys most intriguing bloodlines, Peptoboonsmal-Autumn Boon. It looks like Autumn Boon is closing in on her dam Royal Blue Boon in number of stars produced. I'm Counting Checks, Boon A Little, Wild Thing, Absolutely Stunning and now Once In A Blue Boon!

Once In A Blue Boon

4yo Derby Finals

In the 5/6 year old finals Matt Gaines dominated big time. 4 horses in the finals resulting in 1st, split 2nd, 6th and 16th place! Little Pepto Cat scored a 223 to hold off last weeks Bonanza Co Champions, his own Special Nu Baby and Jaime Sniders Sly Playgirl.

Arbuckle

Hectic cutting season right now! From Glen Rose, Tx and the Bonanza to Ardmore, Ok and Arbuckle Mountain Futurity. 5/6yo starts today. Top three from the Bonanza are at it again, Sly Playgirl, Special Nu Baby and One Time Royalty! Good cutting ahead no doubt and the 4yo kicks off Thursday.

Gave Eros another run again yesterday and actually found some holes in him! A little bothered by the rope I kept tossing over his back, so we spent some time there. Climbed on, off and all over him too without much reaction. Fun little guy...

Weekend work.

This is Eros, a 4yo Connemara here for starting. He's been here for a week and we're just getting going. A very nice horse with great attitude, intelligence and manners. The owner, Camilla has done a great job preparing him, he's very easy going and a pleassure to work with!







Had a really great day yesterday. I worked 4 head and Annelie drove her mare and Ida rode her pony Elton. They were all on their best behaviour and we got a lot of good things done. I'm easing Cat back in to the swing of things and we just revisited some fundamentals, broke out the rope and ended up logging and draggin old tiers around. She's surprisingly ok with all that nonsens around her, so I guess it does her good. Polly is just waiting for me to throw my leg over her back, but she'll have to wait another couple of weeks. Lastly I rode Evas arabian mare again and she was also in tune and wanting to be good. Annelie was equally pleased with Ritzy on their jog so hopefully the weather will continue to cooperate so she can put some miles on her.

NCHA Bonanza Cutting

Stayed up way to late again watching the Bonanza 4yo finals. A really good finals with plenty of good runs and a handful of great ones. Pete Branch & Kit Kat Sugar posted a 223 as nr 2 in the first set and were able to hold on to secure the win. A futurity finalist in december (20th) Kit Kat Sugar (High Brow Cat-Sugar N Dulce) looked abit more ready in the Bonanza gorounds, posting 218.5-219.5. Really in sync and there was little doubt they picked the right winner in the finals. Reserv, yet again, Jewel Bars Cat and Ronnie Rice. After some difficulty in the 2nd go and a subpar 214.5, Jewel Bars Cat showed he does belong at the top in the class of 2008.
Split third with a 220 Roger Wagner & Starlit Pepto and Matt Gaines riding Smart Lookin Hanna. Matt and Hanna had lots of ground to make up after the 1st go scoring a lowly 211. A 221 in the second got them to the finals though with alittle room to spare. The top 4 rides stood out, but a bunch of good clean runs marking between 214 and 218.

Scoreboard

Kit Kat Sugar

Jewel Bars Cat

Smart Lookin Hanna

Played with the newly arrived Eros the other night. Just some basic groundwork, sackin out, groundmanners, flexing and the like. Really nice little horse with a fun attitude. Crecit to the owner Camilla for a handing me a well prepared and good mannered horse.
Have 4 head to work now and will get after it starting tonight. Aside from Eros, Kick The Cat looks to be back from her "hammy", Polly is getting alittle obnoxious with the others and need some work also. Evas arab mare is stalled up in our barn for awhile and I'll be fooling around with her also.

So long Brady!

Brady my bridlehorse left us today! He's been sold and is heading to the westcoast. I will miss him and we had some good times together, but he'll be in a great situation with tons of attention instead of just roamin his pasture waiting for me to have time for him. The fillies and customers horses take up all of that, so it was for the best.
Brady & I playing with the bulls

Did some groundwork with Polly yesterday. She is proving to be just like all her mamas babies have been. Super intelligent, quiet and such a pleasure to work with.

Polly











The Bonanza cutting's 5/6 yo finals was yesterday. Lloyd Cox's former apprentice Jaime Snider & Sly Playgirl shared the win with Matt Gaines aboard Special Nu Baby both scoring 221. Speaking of Lloyd, his fine Futurity champ from 2010 seems back in business placing third with a 220.5. The 4year olds first go tonight with most of the major players entered. Ronnie Rices Fut.Reserve Champ, Jewel Bars Cat makes his 2012 debute facing Tunica winner Rey N Style. Lloy Cox's futurity finalists Hottish is also up, might be his time to shine?

Rey N Style

Rey N Style & Sean Flynn topped the Tunica Futurity 4yo open finals. A 221.5 got the pair a check for $17.000 and a championship. The duo finished 16th at the Futurity in December but had the table set going as nr 22 of 24 horses in the Tunica finals. Sid Smooth and Matt Miller had a 217 as the first to work in the finals. Later changed to a 218, the pair held on as most all of the competition faltered and had misses both high and low. Clint Allen and Dual With Style as nr 14, managed to squeeze through and post a 218.5 to take the lead, but the remaining ten all had a good shot at the top spot. Flynn started off with a deep cut that netted a black calf in the center of the arena. First turn almost became the last though as the cow turned left and Rey N Style went right! Small miss that could've cost them. Sean kept working though, 25 seconds on the first cow and Flynns "chromy" mare got better and better. He quit the first and entered the herd in the middle splitting and flowing the majority to his left. Found his second cow and followed her out on top and lay down his hand with 1.07 on the clock. Rey N Style stayed head to head with her for another 25 seconds and entered the herd a 3rd time with 40 seconds left. Sean knew it was his cutting to loose at this point and sought out his 3rd cow, found her and agressively separated her from a buddy with 17 seconds left. A good, clean finish with lots and lots of working time netted the highscore and Championship buckle. The 4 year old mare is out of sire Dual Smart Rey's second crop. First major win and they look competetive enough as 18 are performers out of the 36 total born 2007-2008 and with $250.000 won so far.

Rey N Style

Tunica 4yo finals

Worked Cat on the cows Saturday. She did really good for as long as we could go. She ended up pulling something on her hindquarters and we had to abort. She seems better now though after rubbing her down and keeping her warm. Will leave her be this week and monitor the situation before we climb aboard again. Cold weather probably factored in and she did make a couple of pretty big moves before signaling discomfort.

Used Brady to move the cows to the arena and he really lights up when I give him a real job! Loves to work the cows anyway he can! Ida and Elton helped out to with honours along with footsoldiers Annelie & Jane.

Braiding and Tunica wrap up

Hand's getting better, good enough atleast to get the braiding going again. "Only" the heelknot left on this 5/8th all roo bosal.

Cat and I worked alittle bit last night also. Really slow and easy on the pro-cutter and she did what she was supposed too, no more no less. We'll keep it up now, just super slow work to let her mind stay with it and her body relax alittle.


Tunica Futurity final twentyfour in the 4 year old open.
The top 24 horses in todays finals. Some pretty decent runs last night, but none better than my favorite Time To Hangem & Austin Shepard. A super solid 220 won the go and I think he's the horse to beat in the finals. Bill Riddle qualified his two siblings Heza High Stylin Cat & Sheza Stylish Cougar. Really nice horses both of them that friend Johan and I followed closely leading up to the Futurity semifinals in Ft Worth in December.
Tunica final 24

Time To Hangem

Heza High Stylin Cat

Sheza Stylin Cougar