As time goes on and I see how fragile life can be

for the chickens I'm getting more and more sucked in by the wee darlings.
Another shed is due to go in 2 weeks at the free range farm, this shed has had others added to them from the last shed to go to boost numbers up but production has taken a nose dive and breaking even isn't good enough so they are going early (nice in one way, one less shed to go into for a couple of months till the babies are up and running) but so sad :o( Any I can't spread the word about and get rehomed will be composted! Some of the girls have survived the shift from the last shed AND the moult they have already gone through (or are in the middle of for a lot right now) and are looking beautiful with feathers having come through again and they'll get turned into compost :o(

I hate it!!!! I want to save all the most scraggly, skinniest, baldest babies and give them a chance to live like a hen should, but I have no room! I also want to save the ones that have survived the shift and the moult (big things on their own to get through in sheds like that!) and are looking beautiful again so that suffering wasn't in vain! But I have 12 here already (10 was supposed to be my limit but hey, when they need you they need you!) I'm already eyeing up the "orchard" (was a HUGE horse yard I never used so planted fruit trees in) to chicken mesh and turn into a 2nd chook pen so I can have another 10 (or 12)

If I could find buyers for all the eggs they should be able to almost pay for their own food once they're up and running again...

Someone please tell me to be sensible and leave them be and just have my one crew!!!

OK, Feedback....

Like the new look? Or return to the way it was? No comments and I'll gather it doesn't matter one way or another LOL.

It has been WET and COLD!

No riding for weeks! Been tired too, going to bed very early which is unusual, but am finally rid of the sore throat that's been bugging me for over a week :o)

Dozer the bull mastiff has just had another hot spot (wet eczema) flare up after Leo punctured his neck AGAIN! and Karma washed it beyond clean AGAIN! but yay! Got it under control and dried up without the vet visit or steroids or antibugs! 2 washes in copper sulphate, and daily washing with the Himalayan Crystal Salt and it's dried up, WOOHOOO!

Fantastic timing, I read about using tea and asprin to dry it out too, a wholistic vet sent out a newsletter with this in it just a couple of days ago, brew a cup of strong black tea, add an asprin and hold a cloth soaked in it on the site for 5 mins, then wipe over 4 times a day with apple cider vinegar (the same as the salt) so something I might try next time Leo plays too hard!

Communication wise not a lot that is new to report, tips are still getting put up on the FaceBook page for anyone interested.

A busy May YAY!

Thanks to the wonderful people and their support this month I've said I'll definitely do a Silver Sponsorship for the Kai's, save one life, and I hear at the last hour the applications came rolling in and they have about 80 confirmed homes for some horses and a record number of 2-4yr old's being sought by people, fantastic!!!

Smokey did his dressage, his first test was the best, we entered at A, we exited at A :o)
.... at a canter!!!! Little sausage came round off his 20 metre circle at A and zip, out we went! however I was happy with the test and only wish the judges had actually kept up with the marking and comments as the big elimination was actually very early in the test!
2nd test was rather crappy, he was tired and fighting and not wanting to canter and we came last there :o( However again, his manners there for the day were great, and although disappointed, was still happy with him....

We snuck in a jumping lesson ready for the Show Hunter outing we were going to have last weekend, but the chiro was in town on the Friday and Smokey was out down by his bum so would have missed the Show Hunter anyway, luckily for us in more way's than one, it was a rather wet weekend and the competition was actually postponed until this weekend, so we didn't miss it after all!
So we went and did that this morning, a practice round and 1 round at 50 cms, he did very well considering we're still just doing trot approaches right now :o) Doubt we would have been placed (left to come home before it all finished) but very happy with him, not even a hint of him wanting to stop :o)


More rain forcast for the next few days, good if the temps hold up just a little while longer to get that grass growing! And I'm setting out tyres for a partial arena in the paddock. Only 20m squared at the moment, a full size arena would take a whole months worth of grass for my boys, can't afford to get rid of that much grass! But it'll mean I have some where to school some circles at least in the middle of winter without fear of slipping over or chopping up their precious grass :o) All the tyre shops are gagging to get rid of their old tyres so using them will make that part free at least.

Chooks are all great, yesterday was 10 eggs from 11 girls so production is picking up again :o) Dogs are good, Leo is finally maturing, still a hyperactive noonah but he's turning into a very likable mummy's boy :o) Zak the old dude is 12 now and still as fit as a fiddle, my beautiful old boy. Marcus has started morning kindy 3 days a week YAY! and the martial arts clubs are expanding well for Pete, so all ticking along well here :o)

May is upon us... So it's all about the Kai's

just a reminder that 25% of all consults this month goes the the KWHWT (Kai Trust) to help sponsor a horse or 2 from the muster this month, perhaps the last muster of it's kind if the contraception trials work out, peoples last chance perhaps to get a horse straight from the wild!!!!

If you can help by taking a horse, or sponsoring one, or even just a $20 donation, I urge you to do it, these sweet ponies never asked to be mustered and slaughtered, they never asked to be ripped away from their families, their babies, their home and be trucked off to yards and people or death. We have taken it upon ourselves to "manage" these dear horses and kill off those not "wanted"... my darling Smokey was supposed to be one of those unwanted ones. Smokey, my gentle, sweet, giving young boy should be dead.... please help us save another Smokey, to give another young one a chance at life....

Again, the Kai Trust on facebook Facebook

Their website www.kaimanawa.homestead.com

Or of course, to make a donation at the same time as a consult, email me (email is all through the website)

And talking about Kai's, Kaimanawa Disciple (yep, that's Smokey :o) is doing his first level 1 dressage tests tomorrow, wish us luck!

Marcus is now 4 yrs old!!!

He had his birthday on Tuesday and unfortunately I spent a lot of the day trying to sort out Amanda the chook I'd rescued starving to death, she came through the moult and had a beautiful new coat of feathers but had gone off colour for about a week, having just lost Becky to having been off colour, I grabbed her out of one shelter and was instantly covered in mites, oh my god, it was gross she was COVERED in them! I doused her with sulphur powder and then some surface fly spray to top her off (she wasn't going to be grooming herself so figured that was safe) and put her in the dog crate on her own. A couple of hours later she was on her side. Mites were just everywhere! Syringed some food and water down her and a couple of hours later she died. Unfortunately stupid stupid me syringed her to damn hard and I drowned her, evidenced when she died and exhaled egg and water :o(

I had her inside with me by then and was just plugging in the bioptron (have heard green light helps with fleas etc) but never got a chance to test it.

So now I need to find out where the mites are!!! have the powder to treat the girls even though I've checked another 3 of them over and found nothing, maybe Amanda took them all with her!

So it was a very sad day for me my poor girl died by my hand after she'd come back from the edge already...

But Marcus loved his day anyway, had chocolate cake with candles in it, he hates cake but loved the candles part and Pete and I loved the cake so all good!

Smokey has another dressage competition next weekend, two level 1 tests to do this time so worked on his canter tonight, not too bad once he stopped being frisky LOL.

And lo and behold while collecting eggs today I found a dwarf chook!!! She must be about a year old now and it's the first time I've ever seen her! I asked the boss about her and he only saw her for the first time about a month ago so I asked if I could have her, her face is just so "pretty". Everything on her is just small, although some of the photo's of her trying to look out the top of the nesting box when I lifted the lid makes her neck look like a giraffe! Amazing how they can stretch!

So here is Pet, the newest addition to the mad chook lady's flock LOL

Busy busy... and it's nearly muster time again!!!

have a fair bit of work at the moment which is of course great, hopefully it will continue as May is the month I give 25% of all consults to the Kaimanawa Wild Horse Welfare Trust for use at muster time. The are taking the numbers down to 300 (from 500) and it was a big muster last year and this year 150 will be coming out to get it down to the 300. Unfortunately we're STILL in the middle of a drought and as of a few days ago they had only 11 horses placed and the muster is at the end of May, not looking good! The KWHWT is committed to saving ALL foals and yearlings at their own cost if necessary (will handle them and then find homes for then in the following months) but it basically means anything older than 1yr old will be going to the works and slaughtered....

So..... I know not all of you followers are Kiwi's but for those that are it is time to spread the word, these are GREAT ponies, most of them are worth their weight in gold once started.

Check out the KWHWT website for application details and more KWHWT inc or their FaceBook page Kai Trust on FaceBook

If you can't take a horse there are sponsorship deals where you can sponsor a horse, have naming rights, photo's etc, if you can't afford that then even $20 from 10-15 people each will save a horses life so PLEASE if you can help in ANY way, now is the time...

If you're thinking about a consult but have no spare money after that rest assured 25% of your consults booked in May will be going to these guys too :o)

Smokey's First Dressage Competition

aaaaaw another Smokey post! He is maturing mentally really well by the way, still asks for his "treats" when we get to the float (usually has all the gear in it so just tie up to that) but he's certainly no longer a baby, he's a really lovely young man now! Coming up the 2 yr anniversary of him being mustered from the wild too :o)

Anyway, we headed off to his first ridden show (he'd been to one inhand show about a year ago) and had only entered him in the morning's training test (no canter).

Was talking too much by the float and a little late getting on him so he only got 5 mins warm up! Naughty me! There was a dog show going on next door to the arena by a partly finished fence that was distracting for all, and stupid me learnt the wrong test so we got a course error pretty much as soon as it started!

BUT, apart from MY mistakes, he was lovely, did a reasonable test for 5 mins warmup, and did another 5 mins of work after we came out of the arena that was just LOVELY work, he stayed tied up to the float while I went and helped score some papers etc and was just impeccably behaved. My wee dude :o)

So, here he is!!! Starting from first hopped on (and some distracted tension) to the end of the test.... (we came 6th out of 10 even with our course error so happy with that!)