Gunnen Olena

Link to his webpage: www.4corners.se/GunnenOlena.html for better viewing.

A most eventful week & weekend culminated with the purchase of this guy at Thursday's Snafflebit Futurity Sale in Reno. We had a bunch of colts to look over and with great assistance from Idaho cowhorse trainer and friend Todd Fitch we narrowed the list down to about 6-7 horses. One in Thursday's sale and the others in Saturday's Select Yearling sale. After feeling out the competition and disqualifying some of our "victims", we decided to go for it on Thursday and get this CD Olena yearling colt, bred by San Juan Ranch, if we could get him for the right price. There were a bunch CD Olenas in the sale and this one was the first one out. Good thing too we got him Thursday as the other colts still on our radar went way over budget!

A super strong damside going back to 3rd dam, Annie Reynolds great Shirley McLain, a producer of more than $250.000. 2nd dam Shirley Smoke $10.000+ was a NRCHA Futurity finalist and have 2 performers in Shirleys A Gunner (APHA World Champion) and 1st dam, the super versatile Shirley Ima Gunner (APHA World Res.Champion) with 158 Open performance points in Cowhorse, Reining, Steer Stopping, Heading & Heeling. Shirley only have 3 offspring and only one is of performance age yet.
This damside have produced performers like Smart Luck $190.000+, Shiney And Verysmart $125.000 and Very Shiney $120.000 etc.

Sire is the late CD Olena who really doesn't need an introduction, simply one of the cutting industry's greatest performers and sires. $15.3 million with an average of over $25.000/performer. More than half of his 1200 plus foals have been performers.

On Saturday we saw what this combo can do, a San Juan Ranch bred CD Olena colt won the Snafflebit Futurity! CD Diamond & Corey Cushing turned out a dominating fencerun to the tune of 222pts to secure the win.

This double registrered Paint/Quarter yearling colt will go into training with Todd and we'll let him work his magic and maybe we'll head back to Reno in two years?!

Veteran tractor plowing!

Had a blast yesterday! We had a Veteran Tractor plowing deal here at the ranch with some 35 entries! People from near and far showed up with machinery from the 30's and forward, even some plowhorse enthusiasts showed up! I borrowed a 1957 "Grålle"Massey Ferguson and had a blast!

Some pics from last weekends herdwork.

Summin up the weekend

Me and our 3yo filly Kick The Cat made our show debute in a Herdwork class at the Swedish Reined Cowhorse Association's fall show at Axevalla a "short" 200 miles trip from home. As draw 8 out of 13 entries we had just enough time to get aquainted with the arena, warm up, hire help and study the cows just alittle. The horse was really cool, calm and collected. The ground was great for her and she was really chasing the stops so all I was somewhat worried about was the herd. 30 head, but pretty small and not very intimidating. She's only walked through the herd on a couple of occasions and she got a little hesitant the last time, they vere a lot bigger though.
She didn't flinch and my herdholder Robert helped me spot a couple of fresh ones. I got my first calf cut really clean right infront of the judgesstand, a little black and white thing that looked like it would play for a bit. Not much action here, just back and forth but Cat went out and stopped her pretty good and never lost possition. I worked her for a good 40 seconds I think and only had a minute left when we went for our second cow. Not as clean and assertive a cut as the first, but we got our cow cut in the middle of the pen again. The mare again worked good, travelling straight, stopping straight and letting me hold her in the turns. We didn't get anything set up in the middle with razzle dazzle turns or anything but solid work where everything was in control. As it turned out I held her to short apparently and lost a point in the run content resulting in a 69. Plus in the herdwork though and the mare did everything I had hoped. It was an easy trip home that's for sure!

Kick The Cat

 

 Today we learned that Styrbjörn and Monas 4yo Ima Peppy Pistolero (Silver Royal Pistol-Justa Bita Pep), raised by us at our old place, won the AQHA jr Reining at the same show! He was hurt early last year and hasn't been worked again until this summer I think. Really fun to have two offspring show at the same show resulting in two wins!

Ima Peppy Pistolero

 Now all 3 of the horses we've raised that are of show age have won, Molly or Sweet Lil Angel (Ima Peppy Pistoleros full sister) has been active with her owner Mimmi and brought home a bunch of ribbons too.

Sweet Lil Angel

The 2yo La Flor del Viento (Peeka Pep-Justa Bita Pep) has been dinged up a bit, but we hope that's behind her now and we'll get her ready this winter too.

La Flor del Viento