Start-up

Laddie is getting his head around all this serious business! Easy to gear up, but Jeremy is not too sure about how much trust there is between the two of them!!(His body language is more phlegmatic then my purebreds!) Took to the girthing, saddling etc, without a hitch, and then he's had two rides yesterday and today without any confontation. Laddie needed some persuasion to "go forward"; it was more than just the ennervating heat; he doesn't have the ""let's go" attitude of the purebred/1st-cross saddlebred!! Interesting!!
His paces might make up for it!! Powerful, light, balanced, 'off the ground'...and the power just "lifts him further off the ground" when he gets revved up!! Needs some energising though!
It will be interesting to see how he responds to the 'asks' of the trainer, over time.

Dog Days

My dogs have enjoyed more opportunities to run free on the local Hunter River beaches during my holidays, especially in the last couple of weeks once my energy levels have reboosted!
We'll all miss the luxury of fitting these leisurely romps into a low-key timetable once I get back to work.
George is the Airedale, Rupert the Cairn terrier and Steffi the Schnauzer.

Breaking news!!

Laddie had his first adult lesson today. Jeremy brought the truck to collect him to transport for breaking in.
We loaded grande dame Gracie first to show him what to do and to be company on his first road trip, but he didn't take the hint as easily as my purebred youngsters have. I think, on reflection, that they are more 'visual learners'; show them something and they've instantly got their heads around it and just 'do it'!
Laddie looks but he doesn't automatically copy; he'll try another way first.
So I think he's a more Kinaesthetic learner: he had to resist first,learn that his resistance got him nowhere+ discomfort(!), be convinced he HAD to follow Gracie onto the truck,..knock the lip of the tray with one foot, then the other, then try a trip up the step, and eventually get all four feet on the tray and decide it looked like a stable he could go into with no qualms.

Jeremy has strength, great timing (pressure/release)..and endless patience. He allowed Laddie to finally figure it out for himself and work out it wasn't so bad after all...and he got lots of praise and didn't 'lose face'!.

Gracie stood like a rock, throughout.

Laddie is a big, strong, 2 year old. He's at exactly the right stage to be introduced to a challenge to occupy the brain and begin to develop his athleticism.

Photos show B. Sir Galahad (aka Laddie) checking out visitor C. Kentucky Rose, with C. Amazing Grace keeping a close eye on activities.

Mares on the move

I took Cloud to Colonial Park Stud, on Saturday, to visit Brae Galaxy. She was beautifully behaved: walked straight onto the float, travelled well and disembarked with great interest. Di and Tony Stanley asked how tall she was as she was showing her maximum Saddlebred presence as she stood tall to check out her new surrounds.
Cloud is a half sister to Lesley Inkson's stallion "Bucky", (Canyonleigh Gold Bar), also by Canyonleigh Cloud Chaser.
She was broken to saddle at 2 years old, at about 15:2hh, by Jeremy Janjic, as shown above, and then turned out to grow. At 3 yrs old and about 16:2hh, we'll see if she goes in foal to Gallo. (Gullit/Biathlon).
Di says she's not in season yet, but she's not looking averse to the boy.

Maybellene has been home for some 8 weeks and has been asking for a job for the last week or two, (coming up to me whenever I was available and wanting some 'action'), so I took her back to Christine Crawford at North Kaludah on Monday. She also walked straight on the float; couldn't wait to get going!! She went straight into a lunging session in the round yard to see where she's at...and Boy!!..is she looking good! She's grown a bit during her break, and hasn't lost any muscle! Went straight into a powerful, reaching trot, maintaining strong forward rhythm and offering a great long reaching stretch over the back and then rolled into canter. Didn't have to be pursuaded to work, but was ready and willing to get stuck back into it. Why didn't I have my camera!
The photos of her above show her first competition at 3 years old, and then some work with Jeremy as a 5 year old, in August 2010. (She had about 16 months off to foal Laddie).

Both girls are enjoying their new ventures. It's great to see them coping so well!

"Equiery" photos

Kate Chadderton features on the front cover of the January issue of "Equiery" magazine, riding "Queen of Phoeba" (Phoebe) in a Novice Horse division at Rubicon Farm One Day event at the end of the USA eventing season, only 1 second away from the winner, on x-country time!!

Lisa Kurr is also portrayed riding Canyonleigh Sirecho ("Rocco")to a super close 3rd place in a Novice Rider division at the same Event. (1 point behind 1st and 2nd place!)

Great to be able to follow their progress from this distance!

Good look!

Inquisitive saddlebreds

Just the excuse the mob needed to go for a burn round the property!

Some neighbours decided to walk a pony down the road to a training establishment, using a car to buffer the young pony from the excitement of reacting to my mob. Didn't stop my lot from doing everything in their power to get as close as possible to the action.

Who was the fastest, and the first to initiate the Big Dash? Young purebred filly, Cloud, followed by her old mum, Gracie, outpaced the warmbloods Maybellene and Laddie. Cloud's even looking the tallest of them all at the moment!

Home bird

This post is especially for my northern hemisphere friends, feeding red-breasted robins in the snow.
Here, I give a daily feed supplement to the local wild birds; not enough that they depend on my service, but enough to encourage them to drop by. I can then enjoy a range of visitors according to the season.
(The local produce store says that "Wild Bird Seed" is their best seller, so I'm not the only one to enjoy their presence!)

At the moment, the sulphur crested cockatoos and King parrots (Green with brilliant red heads and fronts) have moved on and the Corellas have arrived. Galahs (grey and pink) and doves are present all year round, as are magpies, peewees, Butcher birds, Honeyeaters ('Noisy mynas') and ibises on the dam.
I feel very privileged to enjoy their song and antics.

I still haven't got any fruit (apples, apricots and plums) from my young fruit trees. I had a good crop this year, but just as they were looking ripe enough to pick, the King parrots arrived and had a feast!! I was too late to invest in netting. I'll be set up for next year!

everyday sorrow

A pair of wood ducks have been getting very relaxed about the place lately, even coming up to clean up the horse feed in the shed on Christmas Day morning. The dogs weren't bothered about them, didn't even think they were worth a bark! Maybe it's the same pair who walked up from the dam to the front of the house to regularly check out the 'wild bird seed' earlier in the year, or this time last year. I don't know much about the natural longevity of wood ducks, but this pair were very "cool" about everything.
Then I noticed that one duck was sitting on the edge of the dam by itself for a couple of days this week. I went down to see if he was OK and found he was sitting by his dead mate!! Very sad!
I wonder if the horses had knocked the duck? It wasn't a fox, or it wouldn't have still been intact, and I couldn't see any obvious cause.
His/her partner is still hanging about; I wonder if ducks pair for life? Another couple flew in to keep him company but he won't leave with them. Three's a crowd??
There have been up to 20 pairs, with chicks, on the dam at some times, but at the moment there's just this loner and his visitors.
A couple of plovers came to check him out yesterday...or maybe they'll tidy up/scavenge his mate!?