This fall has been full of Bovine (Cow) related challenges. The first one was this guy. We put him up every fall so that our cows get bred when we choose so our calves are born when we want them; the fall. So, we got this fellow up one nice day and within 10 minutes he found the weak spot in the fence and out he went. Gary called me and said “the bull is in the garden!!” Now I was at the other end of the barn lot. What I was going to do I had no idea. I took off running (like I was going to stop the bull!) Not a Chance! I got up to the field where I figured to bull ran back to and Gary was there but no bull. “Did you see him?” I asked Gary. “No” he declares. About that time I heard this plodding behind me. It was the bull. Somehow we both ran past him and beat him up the hill. As you can see we did get him where we wanted him about two weeks later. Due to other events that was a good thing. See the next post.
Joao is our latest addition to our International Family. He arrived August 3.
Great Kid!
Horse Camps are half way completed for this season. Things have been going very well. Thank the Lord! All campers and horses seem to be doing very well. We’ve had plenty of heat, rain, storms and lots of HUMIDITY. YUK!! Everyone has maintained a positive attitude and been enthusiastic at every step. We are looking forward to the next half.
2014 Schedule now posted
and Registration Page updated.
Get the camp dates you want.
Register Early.
Don’t Forget the Liability Form.
2014 Schedule Now Posted on Horse Camp Schedule page.
Autumn 2013 Update.
Horse Camps were great this year. The weather didn’t turn hot and dry until after August 10. Our current exchange daughter, Luisa Steinmeier arrived August 6. She is a terrific young woman and a wonderful asset to Gary and I and the farm. She has taken on PSR Cassiopeia’s Glory (Cassie) as her own. They make quite a team.
Most immediately after her arrival we had the Show Me Morgan Horse Club’s Trail Obstacle Practice Day. The event was on August 24th. Gary worked incessantly on preparations and the place looked outstanding. There were about 25 horses participating. It was hot and horseflys aplenty. Inspite of the hinderances a good time was had by all.
Hot, dusty, buggy but FUN.
Our next BIG EVENT was unplanned. The cattle came down with “Pink Eye”. This is a nasty disease that can cause an animal to go blind. We had to inoculate the entire herd with antibiotics and vaccine. Luisa was home and was a great help. It was all exhausting. The good news was that no more livestock came down with the nasty stuff. Two days prior to the work, one of the heifers had her calf. The calf was really small. That was a good thing since it was the heifer’s first. (That is the definition of heifer; a cow who has never had a calf.) Luisa held the little thing (Chi Chi) in her arms for the injections.
Luisa and Chi Chi.
Most of the fall was spent preparing for Morgan Horse Grand Nationals and World Championships. May Flower was at Crescent Ridge Ranch with our trainer, Jessica Weger, putting her through her paces. Val went to ride and get her training at least once a week and sometimes more. All of the hard worked paid off. We had great results in Oklahoma City. May Flower and Val won the Rookie Non-Pro class and Green Horse year 2. They placed 3rd in the Non pro World Championships and fifth in the Freestyle.
May Flower and Val dressed up for Crocodile Rock with our award.
Jessica, Val, May Flower and Gary with most of our "loot".
Our beloved Gates passed away on June 18. He was 31 and in the last 10 years he taught many people how to ride. I will have lots more stories about Gates soon in our “Every horse has a story” section. Please feel free to contribute your own stories of Gates when I get a story up. Thank you to all of the lovely thoughts of condolence we have received.
We still have a few horse camp spots available for summer 2013. We have a very high camper to instructor ratio: Never less than 3 to 1, sometimes 1 to 1. We boast that our campers are with horses the entire camp time. Fringe benefits you won’t find anywhere else. Come for a visit.
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- New Aerial View
New Aerial Photo of the farm in Early March
Notice Val is on a horse in the small arena. Whiskey and Gates are in the foreground and Pip is to the left of the road. I remember the plane flying over and waving at them.