I'll scratch your back!!

Saturday a.m. and all's well!

Maybellene's home

Photo courtesy Liz Joyes.

It was just dark when I got her home yesterday, so I left her in the front paddock on her own and fed the others as per normal.I know horses are reputed to see better in the night than the day but I knew a very active fox had been excavating under the monster tree near the dam and I knew I couldn't see in the dark , if there happened to be a problem.
So, this morning I spread the hay biscuits out in Maybellene's paddock and opened the gates to let everyone in together. A bit of to-ing and fro-ing, but everyone said hullo and got on with their eating. Same with the 'hard' feed, but there was a bit more investigation to check that no-one was getting more or different from anyone else. (My next job was to fill-in the fox's den.)
Lad was very keen to get back to being Mummy's boy, but she won't have any of that. (maybe she's near a cycle), so he's a bit "put out"!
Cloud was taller than Maybellene before she went away, but M. has had a bit of a growth spurt, with the stimulus of the work and has inched ahead again. Cloud and Maybellene are "first best friends", parked head to tail, like Ying and Yang (black and white), scratching each other's back. Maybellene is indulging the luxury of having a paddock mate: "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours"..especially that hard to reach spot just behind the wither!!
Gracie and Paeon are rather miffed! Gracie, because she'd been getting quite close to her daughtter, Cloud, and had been enjoying being boss of the mob, and Paeon because all the friendship pairings are disturbed. He fits in with everyone, but hasn't quite got a "bestie". He was number 1 with Galahad till recently but Laddie's just getting taller than him and beginning to exert some independence and play rough, and now Cloud is being cut out (literally) by Maybellene. Cloud is just learning that she's not allowed to be friends with everyone...at least at the moment.

Crikey~! It's just like the school yard! And here I am with a long weekend break from School!!

As I drove back from the shops this morning, I found Maybellene by the back fence chatting to Gracie, (better keep in with the old girl), and the 3 youngsters, Laddie, Cloud and Paeon filing into the stable, in that order, some 80 metres away. Couldn't see that lasting long...and sure enough, as soon as they'd disappeared inside, Maybellene charged off to investigate, with Gracie in tow. Thankfully someone saw/heard her coming and the 'insiders' split, quick smart! A bit of a whirl around the paddock and they settled to a new order.

All new developments as the youngsters sort out a new peckiing order! Fun and games!!
(Of course my camera batteries are dead!!)

Progress update

Lisa is taking Rocco to the Loudon Hunt Club Horse Trials this Saturday (Sunday, Oz-time) which will be exciting.
Maybellene, pictured here with yours truly, after hosing down from work with Christine, is coming home for a month off while Paeon goes back to work.

Point of clarification: All Bloomsbury stock are registered with NASHS &/or AWHA, microchipped, branded and DNA-typed through the University of Kentucky (certificate available for cross-referencing with any other database desired.) Performance stock are also EFA registered. Mares have been selected for size, conformation, temperament and paces to complement the best performance Warmblood bloodlines.

Just testing

After a couple of days of rain the sun is out and the youngsters are like adolescents who've been cooped up for too long. Looking for mischief...and checking out the electric fence! Cloud has already had the obligatory mud roll!
Looks like I might have to renew it; it's only 1 year old, but the extremes of weather lately might have taken their toll!!
I use a plastic 'wire' with fine wire strands wrapped through it, and apparently it's not everlasting!!
I'll have to investigate something more longlasting, but I really don't want to use a wire, for fear of damage if a youngster gets hung up in it.

In Work

I saw Maybellene in work with Christine Crawford this morning. Looking good! I read the article about taking good photos and set up the frame for her to move into for the snap, and I still almost missed her!! Must be the pace of the developing medium trot! I can only get better.

I saw Liz Joyes' Tyson in the arena for the first time with Jeremy, following Maybellene's work. Christine had a lesson with an advanced Arab at the house end of the arena and he coped well with the whole deal. Looked very tall and baby. He's going to be a good dressage prospect, around 16/16:2hh I reckon. Also looking good!.