Sunday Challenge "25 And 50"

Today's challenge was different, we were to go 25 steps stop, and take three pics. Then take 50 steps,stop and take three pics. They could be in any direction, inside or out. The first three are.... naturally the 25. ( East)

See all that Barb Wire down. That fence runs along the highway for quite a ways, it was refenced last year with new Barb Wire, posts, the whole shooting match. This area has a large Elk population and they travel back and forth across the highway......now if you don't have much experience with Elk....they are poor jumpers......needless to say most of that nice new fence looks like this section.

The next three are of course the 50 steps.  I walked for awhile West of the 25  until I reached A nice meadow ( walked my 50 steps) and saw a bit of shining light.

Well that's it for me.Nothing stunning or out of the ordinary. Off to check you out.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK

A Herd'n we will go A herd'n..........we won't go

Thursday was an interesting day. Shirley came over with Sammi and we loaded up into my truck and headed out to see some sheep. I was pretty excited to see what this little girl was going to do.

We started off with P bringing the sheep all together with the help of Quill ( Kali's Grandad)Watching this dog work is quite exciting, to see some really good pics of him Check out Ride A Good Horse, Shirley got some great action shots, that dog knows how to take care of unruly sheep.

Sadly my pics are too far away so you don't get to see the real action, it is really hard to get the sheep and the dog in the same pic.....at least for me and my camera.

P and Quill worked for awhile getting the sheep settled it was fun to watch ....and educational.

Below is Shirley's dog Sammi, P released her to see what she would do, this dog is very keen and she learns fast. Sammi is for sale so anyone interested in a good dog can get in touch with Shirley

( Ride A Good Horse) Sammi will be staying for a week with P, I'm betting she will look like a pro when the week is over. She listens really well. P Told Shirley that when they first released Sammi it would be chaos....it was, Sammi thought it was a game.....but at least she had the right idea, she had no qualms about getting right in there and trying to do what she was bred for.....I was quite impressed by her. In this first pic you can see she has her head and tail up....mostly just wanting to chase.

                                                                     

P let Sammi chase the sheep around for awhile then called her off, back on the leash she went to watch for awhile. She remained excited and watchful of their every move the whole time.

Then it was Kali's turn ,before I say how well she did let me just say here for the record....I am not a dog trainer...however I think I know my dog pretty well. I knew before we even got there that Kali would be afraid of the sheep....she has never seen one. Kali is also very attached to me and runs to me for comfort and safety in any new or strange situation. Can you see where I'm going here. Kali comes from working dog stock so she should have a good instinct and a will to want to work sheep....or anything......and let me just say around home she tries to herd anything she thinks she can move.....horses .....Sage.....the cats....I think you get the picture. I have to say even knowing what I know about my dog and being pretty sure she would have little or no interest in the sheep, I have to say I was still just a teeny weeny ....well maybe a bit more disappointed in her response.Sadly the first thing that happened, before she got a very good look at the sheep the whole big flock came running right at her....was she interested ....not she hid behind me.....not a great start. She spent most of her time looking at me to see what I was doing. Even when I waded amongst the sheep and pulled at them and moved them about she just wanted no part of it. P took her out on and off the leash to try to get her excited nothing........she was much more interested in rolling in their poop.....now that she was a champ at.

Every now and again I would catch her showing a little interest in the goings on but not much. She did like it when P  pinched a bunch of wool and let her mouth it. After awhile and a valiant effort on our part we gave up and back on the leash she went.

After sidelining Kali it was Sammi's turn to go back out and boy was she up for it. Sorry the pics are so bad but you can still seethe different body language....tail and head down, this time out she was watching the sheep and really paying attention to where P was asking her to be,it was very cool to see such an inexperienced dog start to display such skill.....awesome in fact.

The next few shots are of the beautiful scenery you get to see surrounding where P lives.

I just want to finish off this post by saying, Kali is going back to have another go at the sheep. I think P is going to put her out there with a couple of other dogs and just let her follow them around and get used to the sheep. I am going to stay away and let her get comfortable with her surroundings and get cozier with the sheep. The word timid got thrown around a few times while we were there, I don't want to use that word because Kali is quite brave when it comes to other things, she is highly sensitive though and because I am not a wonderful dog trainer I think I am hindering her progress. I believe if she is around the sheep enough and gets used to them it will be hard to get her to want to stop.
Now having said all that and the fact that she should want to work sheep if she doesn't it's not going to break my heart and I won't be a big mess of disappointment. I hope she does but you know maybe every BC isn't meant to be a great herd dog......at any rate I guess we will find out. Keep you posted.

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                                    

A Love Story ( The Introduction)

This is a story of a love affair that has spanned decades.It all started in 1981when I first set eyes on a well built handsome blue -eyed guy. We locked gazes and that was it, we were going to belong to each other.....never a doubt or a second thought.Our relationship had a slow start, we worked our way up to a shy friendship and then gradually added some mutual respect and to go with that some future expectations. It didn't take long to figure out that we were a perfect match for each other....not to say that there weren't some rough patches along the way because there were.Now if you want to hear about the rest of the story you will have to follow along, from now on Tuesdays will be dedicated to the telling of this story....if you are interested see ya next Tuesday.

Well here I am it's Monday but hey I have a good excuse. I couldn't post on Sunday because I was getting a new Internet provider.....wahooo this is what I call high Speed internet.I sure hope it stays this fast and also it hasn't cut out on me once....yet..... again Wahoo....simple things please simple minds.....wahoo. So anyhow Sunday's Challenge was Rocks And Rock formations, this was such a neat challenge that I don't care if I'm a day late. Kali and I went out searching for just the right Rocks and we managed to come up with a few.

The next two shots are from the archives just a little cheating. I like this spot and didn't have time to stop for new pics.

                                                                      

                                      Well that's it for me. Hope you all have a great week.

Horses And Safety

There are some good blogs out there posting about Horses and Safety, I have been reading some very good tips being offered. I have decided to add my 2 cents worth to the mix. I am not a trainer nor do I profess to know all that much.....what I do know though is that over my many years spent with horses I have had some of the displeasure of injuries and near misses...mostly due to my own ignorance. A lot of what the other bloggers are talking about I practice so I will try to add something slightly different. This seems like such a simple thing and I would have thought it is just something everyone does.....most people probably do. My tip is about the benefits of training your horse (s) to go through gates without a fuss. My horse(s) stand patiently (outside my personal space) while gates are being opened ,they are then asked to come through and they then come all the way through around the gate and turn to reface the gate.They end up well out of my space, it is then possible for me to close the gate with no horse(s)blocking my way or getting tangled up with other horses.As I said this seems like a no brainer....but when I was young and without proper guidence,the gate thing got me on a number of occasions causing me a bit of pain.....I have been crushed against gate posts, stepped on and pinned.,banged in the head and face(by horse head) I have been sandwiched between horses that wouldn't move around the gate.....so as I got older and some what smarter I started training all my horses to move all the way through and to swing around the gate end which generally puts them a fair distance from my left shoulder and allows for me to close the gate with no interference. I am not saying this is "the way" to train your horse but what I am saying is I have dealt with other people's horses that do not go through gates very well and these are just accidents waiting to happen, this method works for me and keeps me safe from future pain ....so to end this, do whatever works for you and stay safe too.

Open Spaces ( Finally Out Of The Arena)

Jade and I finally made it out of the arena, Sunday was the big day. We did a little arena stuff first....just checking to make sure she wasn't into kicking up her heels and being goofy. She was excellent....need not have worried. So from the arena it was time to load up. I don't know what her problem was with that, Jade has always loaded well and never been a problem....something was off?????Needless to say that wasn't tolerated for long,loaded she was and that was that.I took Tucker and Kali with me( Sage just can't do it anymore) I was hoping Tucker would get Kali to follow along....which he did....yay Tucker...he has his moments.

Jade ready to go.

This is what we were looking at as I was finding a Rock for mounting.....yes I have to have help in that department...even with the little guys I have to cheat.....and Jade is not little.

Jade was finding the whole process interesting...which I was quite happy about. This is our first ride out of the arena and also by herself...so I was ready for anything.

Kali waiting for us to catch up.I took the opportunity while it presented itself to do a little one on one with Kali....even though Tucker was close by he just doesn't get it...which is OK because I don't care whether he does or not. Kali did really well she is getting the different signs I am using for Wait/ Down/ Come.She is a smart dog, I wish I was a dog trainer....or at least a little more informed than I am now....whatever, it is what it is.

Jade spent a lot of time checking things out which I don't mind ....as long as the body doesn't follow the head and we still have forward motion.She did OK with a few corrections, she was really relaxed and interested in what and where we were going.

I think Jade was finding the scenery as pretty as I was....or maybe she was just looking to see if any of her friends were around.

It was here that Jade was starting to get a little tense and it was here I wondered if she would trust me enough to do what I was asking.You can't see it but up ahead the trail started to go into the trees, they are very close together and it is really dark in there. This trail goes for about 10 mins in the dark before you pop back out into the open and the sun, it was here that I knew the real test was about to begin.....will she trust me? The answer to that question was a yes. She willingly walked into the dark horse eating forest...she was quite tense( poised for flight) but she kept moving forward about halfway through she started crying a bit and then decided nothing bad was going to happen to her.This ride is one big circle so the scenery you see when you start out is the same as when you come back. Shirley ( Ride A Good Horse) might recognize this place ( Stock Dog Trials)

And remember the place I said was for sale and it was only 1,3 something million. Nice view though.

  This last pic Jade was getting a little annoyed with me. (Look at the ears)I was trying to get a picture of how loose her reins were. After coming out of the dark she was totally relaxed ...had not a care in the world, we finished off the ride with me being happy with my dog and happy with Jade's performance.  

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Challenge " Focusing On The Foreground"

Well this weeks challenge proved to be a lot difficult for my feeble camera skills. As hard as I tried this is all I could come up with and I don't think this is what Linda was asking for.

These pics were taken yesterday when I was out with the KBCH.The pics may not be so good but the ride was really good.

I am going to say my foreground shot goes with the rest of the landscape because we were kind of part of the landscape....ya ya I know.....that's my story and I am sticking to it.

   Well that's it for me. I will check you all out later, gotta  go saddle up  a horse.                                                 

                                                            Have A Great Week 

Wordless Wednesday

                                                                                    

Creeping Closer

Brooding skies, and clouds abound god forbid there's snow on the ground. Well it may not be down here yet but there's sure snow in them there mountains, it's coming, it seems like everyday it creeps a bit closer. Now being as I'm not a winter person I am already finding the signs and thought of it depressing. How awful we only have maybe 6 or seven more months to go.

                                                                            

Food For Thought

Here's a first, no pictures. I would have had pics for this post

 ( cause a picture is worth a thousand words) but my camera just wouldn't take any under the lighting conditions. This is an add on post to my previous one about the little holiday.

While in Red Deer for the Canadian Cowhorse Supreme Show,correct me if I'm mistaken on the name ( Working Cowhorse/ Cutting/ Reining) I started to notice something you don't often see in other venues. Shirley and I were in the arena that was hosting the Reining horses, after watching for about an hour or so it became apparent to me that there was a huge gap in horse gender.....the majority of the horses showing were young Fillies or Mares with a smattering of Geldings and a few Stallions.  As a Mare owner I know the value of my girls, they are all heart and work oh so hard to make me happy.Now before any of you start throwing darts at me about how good your gelding is just let me say, the best horse I have ever ridden - owned is a gelding, there is nothing out there with more heart and try than this little horse and after 31 yrs in his company I feel pretty confident uttering that last statement. However to carry on with this train of thought, I have to say I took a fair bit of pleasure in the discovery of how many equine females seemed to dominate this particular venue. I am so tired of hearing comments such as: I would buy this horse if only it was a gelding/ or how about this one We don't allow mares on our Ranch/ To bad it's not a gelding. And some of the drivel about how mares always cause problems( Maybe it's that male mentality that causes problems)  It was a refreshing change to spend time around horse people that are not so uptight and old school  about their thinking when it comes to Equine partners.Anyhow I just wanted to say how nice it was to see so many  Mares being appreciated for what they bring to the table.....or in this case the Ring. As a side note : It was discussed why there were so many Fillies /Mares in all the disciplines shown at the Supreme and the statement that stuck with me most was. .....quite simply put....They work harder and have more oomph (Stallions as well) My own experience with Mares would have me agree. I don't know if this is why nor do I care, I just loved seeing so many good working/riding Mares.  Well that's my little food for thought.

   So before anyone gets offended ....this post is not intended to start a battle about which gender is better, it is just an observation and my own humble opinion.

Little Holiday

Leav'n on a road trip.......this was Thurs. morning while I was getting ready to go on a little bit of a holiday with Shirley.( Ride A Good Horse) A BC Sunrise. We were headed to Red Deer for the Canadian Supreme. ( Cutting/ Reining)

This is for sure not a great pic ( Entrance to the National Park) but if you look closely you can see the road runs up and through  a fairly small opening.... ( not sure what you call it)I think it's not much wider than the road.....I wouldn't want to be passing through there when a semi's coming the other way....talk about some kinda phobic!!!!!

The next pics are just random as we go along

Same as the one above but up close so you could see all the yellow going on.

This was some of the stuff I got while we were at the Trade Show........New riding boots which I have been in desperate need of...they were on sale. A new Headstall....you would think that would be an easy one....not so

Now don't anybody rip me a new one but I am a creature of very plain taste. I am not into shiny and gaudy or just plain ridicules THIS IS JUST MY OWN SENTIMENTS / TO EACH THEIR OWN A lot of the tack was pretty heavily decorated and so did not meet my needs....however after looking at every booth  that had tack I finally managed to find this one, it has the quick change for bits and a full buckle for adjusting the headstall size. I only found maybe a half dozen headstalls I liked and this was the only one that had the quick change, everything else was screws or ties....both of which are a royal pain in the !!!! This headstall is made from harness leather so it should last the rest of my lifetime and then some.

 

The best get though was from a fellow blogger named Sherry. Sherry gave both Shirley and I  her book titled Telling Tails....the only thing better than the book was getting to meet Sherry in person.  You know how when you talk to people on the phone etc (or in this case we type to each other)you get a certain idea of what that person is like....well I had my version of what I thought Sherry would be like and lo and behold the real deal is even better than I thought. I just finished reading her book last night ....it is AWESOME. The stories the poetry and the photos......AWESOME you all need to get one it is AWESOME. I'm not quite sure how you get one but you need to go on over to FERN Valley Appaloosas and find out. Aside from meeting Sherry we also reconnected with Crystal ( Ranch Riding) and Charlene both of them were out here last year for a blogger Ride/Camping week- end. It was really nice to see them again. Unlike the other ladies my camera would not take pics inside that arena so I don't have a group pic to show you.

This last photo was the tail end of an Alberta Sunset, closing out the first day of our little holiday.

It was an interesting two days. I saw some stuff I didn't like ( which I will keep to myself) I saw some beautiful amazing horses and some really talented riders. Overall I really enjoyed most of the show.

I had a good time, it was a much needed breather, I love my life and my routine .......but sometimes you just need a rest. We were only gone for 2 days but it felt like a week, I missed my dogs and horses and the cats( cause they keep me in stitches)  Dave wasn't home or I might have missed him too.