Well, Blow Me Down

Memorial Day weekend was not much fun around here. Two days straight of 60-70 mph winds and a 3rd day of mere 25-30 mph gusts. All of the work I put in on the yard and flower beds last week is pretty much undone. :( One thing I am adamant about around here is, after every windstorm, I grab my rolling magnet and stroll through the pens, around the house and up and down the driveway. This was my 'find' this time around...

The joys of old properties! (total sarcasm) I have to admit...this is about 1/2 of what I actually found. I had already walked around once, surveying the damage from the winds and picked up a handful or so of nails and debris just from scanning the ground (as has become my habit).

With the predictions of such high winds, the barrel racing that was scheduled for last Friday night was cancelled well in advance and I took the opportunity to just turn all of the adult horses out to pasture. The 2 youngsters had access to the new barn, so I was able to actually feed them. The weather man around here is seldom right...except when it comes to the wind. I figured it would be easier for the big bunch to at least have some grass to munch on during the storm...not that my pasture is growing much. But at least they would not be standing in pens...hungry. There wasn't a chance in hades that any hay was going to stick around long enough for them to eat.

This is not a good year around here. We are dry, dry, DRY!! Even with the irrigation water...the grass is so stressed from the drought that it's not coming well. People are whacking off and baling their first cutting already...just to get it off the fields, in the hope that the 2nd cutting comes in better. I have to admit...I am more than a bit worried about hay availability...not to mention the price for this coming year. I have already warned my mom that I will be bringing ALL of her horses back to her as soon as I am done competing in the fall. I actually really glad I did not get my mare bred this year like I wanted to. After I bring my yearling filly out here, I will still have 6 head to feed...Moon, Shooter, Frosty, Jet, Beretta and Belle.

I was hoping to get some good pictures of the horses this evening...even if they are a little muddy, but I was too close to supper time. Frosty posed for a second...(hard to believe that is the same horse huh?)

And then I got swarmed. The boys were ready to get back to their pens and their grain. LOL...They sure seem to understand that when the winds died down...it was time to come in...and they were ready.

Even the little sorrel horse, who is my hardest to catch, came on the trot...

Getting a decent photo of Shooter is nearly impossible! The second he sees me...here he comes! And this is what I end up with...

He is the most people-oriented horse I have ever owned. Gahhhh....He will lope across the pasture to hang with me and get his due adulation. One of the things I love about Shooter is that he takes no shit off of his brother, Moon. Moon starts his charging and bullying and Shooter just looks at him, like 'Really?' He bites and kicks right back and that puts a stop to Moon's bullying. Those two hang pretty tight these days...I guess blood tells.

The tightness and soreness has gone out of Spooks' back, but he spends most of his time with one hind foot or the other cocked...

Still some issues going on there. I feel bad for the guy. Part of me still wishes that I never would have started messing with his back, but then I remember that I saw some obvious problems with his movement and that is why I did. I sure hope to get him straightened out soon.