Lovely Weather, Perfect Days...

Hay is nearly ready to be cut, but heading down to Christchurch for the annual Chans Martial Arts Black Belt Grading tomorrow, and home on Sunday after my Sister-In-Law gets married!

In the meantime today we spent some lovely time playing with the critters in the paddock. Put some Himalayan Crystal Salt out for Smokey (he had no idea what he was supposed to do with the salt block LOL so we gave him a bowl of loose salt)

He is really getting smoochy now, friendly, allowing pats and scratches and cuddles in the paddock not having to be "caught" which is cool.




Mac and Roger (Mac in particular!) is on startvation big time poor wee poppets, gotta be cruel to be kind sometimes! Mac is like a camel! Seems to store his food and water in his fat humps, located in various positions around his body (little blimp!) At least being strip grazed they love me to bits twice a day hehehe.



Work is just ticking along, no extremely exciting cases to talk about. Have started the Marta Williams book I bought a month or so back, Beyond Words, loving it so far, mainly stories of her's and clients or students. Very good and Fishpond had it for a good price!

helloooooo!

The first meeting of the 3 without tape between them was today in the back yard while I shifted Smokey's tape to an area by the house (which incidentally he's already jumped out of when Phoenix the dog charged the fence and him!)

Thankfully all 3 were hungry and interested in the grass so it went off without a hitch. By the time I'd shifted his tape around and gone inside for the camera they were pretty much ignoring each other although as I entered the mix Mac decided to get that little intruder out of the way and squashed him against the fence threatening to kick him. Smokey's only way out was past those rear legs so Mac belted him as he went thru the gap! Lucky for Mac is wasn't hard at all, it was more for show. Mac got told he'll go back in the paddock with no grass if he didn't pull his head in.... head remained pulled in till it was time to go back anyway.

Teddy Bears Picnic today!

No rain either so it was a nice time in town for Marcus. Got home and rode Mac, still blown away in the difference in his movements with the new saddle on!!! It's funny how bad changes happen bit by bit and creep up on you, and then the good changes seem so dramatic!

Got wee Smokey out of the paddock and took him to the implement shed where I do most of the grooming, tacking up etc.

As you can see in some of the earlier photo's he is used to being in an enclosed pen while being tied up, so being tied up head facing into the shed and bum out into the wide open was something he wasn't too keen on. Did a couple of pullbacks, but stops when the pressure comes on and he can't go further, and then came back up when I asked.

He really enjoys being groomed so that was a nice wee session for him. Picked out his front feet and after a wee hissy fit he had with the farrier yesterday (lets just say it was a graphic reminder from the poor lad that he doesn't trust strangers and ain't that keen on males!) I only did his front ones as I didn't want the new space add worry to his back feet being done, so he was able to stay nice and relaxed but still have his feet lifted in some form.

Got to remind myself to gooooooo sloooooooow with him LOL. But he's such a cool wee guy and smoochy and even tried to sneak in a couple of playful baby bites today hehehe so he's chilling just fine :o)

Heavy Rain Warning Ahead!

looks like a lot of rain heading our way on Monday! Probably all blow off somewhere and although it's needed I don't think 10hrs of 24ml per hour is exactly called for LOL.

Smokey FINALLY accepted both a bit of apple AND some bread today! His taste is expanding YIPPEE!!!!

and now because since I've gotten home it's been all Smokey...

to catch up on my travels up the North Island!

Of course the first week up there was still all about Smokey LOL, but then I headed to a school fair in Owhango by Mt Ruapehu. Lovely little spot!!!

The fair was small but good fun. Marcus just ran around all day until it was all over and he crashed in the truck.

Had 4 people want me to speak to their critters for them, sold some salt and even some magnets. Swapped some salt for a wheat bag with the young couple next to me (who should have had her baby by now!) and had a lovely catch up with Cara who asked if I'd go up for it!

Moved on to Waitara in Taranaki where I stayed with a goat farming internet friend and she'd organised a talk at her place, talking about how all the communication stuff works, work through any questions the people had and then did a consult on a dog and a horse so they could see how it all worked practically.

Don't know about my long suffering listeners but I enjoyed it!

Pete met us in Taranaki and came home with us from there.

Two days later Smokey is here and the rest as they say is history ;)

Pete gets up this morning and says.....

"Hey! Smokeys not in the tape!" Cursing another jumping pony I shot outside at 6.30am and much to my relief he hadn't jumped out but broken the tape instead!

Funny thing is I THINK I know when it was! I went to bed at about 11pm and was "talking" to Smokey but started drifting off to sleep. You know how you're actually still awake as such but you start having dreams as you drift off? Well I had a dream a guy (god knows who!) was yelling at me, really loudly and all of a sudden OUTSIDE of the dream but within my head at the same time Smokey came flying into my vision as if he'd gotten a fright. I thought it was a mental fright perhaps at this man yelling at me in my head but to find him on the wrong side of the tape 7hrs later it may have been about the same time... if it was it's nice to know such a strong link is there when needed!!!

Shot down and got him out of knee deep grass (god bless a little carrot as a bribe!) popped him back in his area and he promptly lay down for a sleep, poor wee boy exhausted himself LOL.

So today we got some new more visable tape and reel (man those are expensive!) and hooked him all up properly, live now too!

Rode Mac for the first time in his new Trainers saddle, man that boy can trot!!! I'd forgotten how forward and bouncy and BIG his trot is until I got a decent fitting saddle on him! Poor patient boy! So now to ride all the fat off him.

Smokey was watching our every move LOL.

Here is the exhausted boy resting...

He's Home!!!!!

YAY! Smokey is here. didn't want to get on the float for just a carrot but couldn't help himself when the feedbowl entered the equation LOL.

Got him home and popped him in his taped area next to Mac and Roger where he turned his nose up at the feed that didn't have molasses in it, had a nibble of hay, teased Mac but not actually saying hello and is eating the grass.

All is right in the world my baby is home :o)

Proud Mummy Moments....

This was our 2nd ride I think it was. A little spook when Mr Fuzzy decided he had an itch to reach LOL and that is about as bad as his reactions get! Never any hint of a round back, has an extremely soft mouth, also has that Kai stubbornness that can result in a "I've finished, you can flap those legs all you want but I'm not moving anymore!" hehehe, he'll get out of it!

After that we would start on lead, then take it off and then we ditched Fuzzy the lead horse (in the round pen) then my last day out there with him Sola just walked with us and we went off lead around the track around the paddocks and had a trot out there on our own. He is so sweet!

Can't wait for him to arrive tomorrow, hope the poor wee guy isn't too tired to get on the float!

Mac in the meantime has obviously had far too much grass in the 2 weeks I was away, he's a BLIMP!!!!

Picked up his new saddle today so will have to get on him and work that fat butt off him again!

Road Trip, Smokey and more.....

Wow, it is good to be home!!! Just got home this evening, so such a good time away, boy child traveled like a pro and it was great to see him with nana (don't get to see that often enough being in different islands!)

Got up to see Smokey every day while in Auckland and we sure pushed that envelope for him riding wise, it was great! Just got an email tonight saying he's getting picked up tomorrow and will be with me on Thursday! WOOHOOOO!!!!!!

Here are some photo's of us :)

my 2nd ride on him, on lead with Fuzzy the lead horse.



His first ride out of the round pen... Sola riding him. Starting off on lead



Finishing up like a big boy...



and photo's after OUR first ride out in the open together, what a wee star, not a worry in the world with him!!!



Have some lovely photo's of him, will sort some more tomorrow :) Mac won't be impressed, but I think I'm in love with 2 boys at one time hehehehe

Smoking!!!!!!

Finally got some photo's of Smokey under saddle! Doesn't he look tiny? His rider, Sola must be about 6' so he won't look that little with me on him hehehe.