Horse Sense....

                  

 

An exiting day today because Nana, the young one (on video chat) and I are going to go see Belle on the track at 1pm.

This is her second training now and fingers crossed, and holding my breath, she’s doing ok.

However, preliminary chats with our Trainer show that she:

a) Wants to run

b) Loves being on the track

c) Pins her ears back when she runs (that might not actually be anything important, but I always rate that) and

d)Is engaged with driver.

These are awesome things and I’m really happy.  Of course, we are only at the very early stages so this could change, but as I’m writing this, we’re all pretty stoked.

The only thing which might be a slight issue is Belle’s size.  In fact, when I was talking to our Trainer yesterday he said that out of 7 he has around Belle’s age, she is the smallest.  

And Belle is on the small side, and not hugely stocky, however, Mumma was a late developer and her Daddy’s off spring have all done better as 3 year olds.  In fact, it’s been rare that they have raced at 2.  So maybe she just needs time to grow.  

Anyway, it looks like the one personality trait that I tried very hard to breed has succeeded. And that, my friend, over rides her size.  In fact, that tops almost every other quality that I tried to breed.

Apart, obviously, from her ability to run.

Again, crossing my fingers and holding my breath.

The one thing in my jigsaw which I didn’t take into consideration though, which for next foal I will, is height.  I checked every other quality/personality/physical appearance that I wanted.  Apart from height.

Yet I checked Mumma and physically checked Daddy.  Both times.  

Mumma’s not overly large but she’s not small, and Belle’s Daddy is a nice size, not too big but certainly not small.  Yet Belle is a small filly.

Boo-ba-licious’s Daddy is an excellent size, bigger than Belle’s Daddy, but certainly not large enough for us to have got Boo-ba-licious’s super juicy size.

Now I need to go back and do some work and find out where the height comes from, because obviously it doesn’t come directly from the Mumma or Daddy. 

Twice that has been proved right.

Height must be a throw back from somewhere else.

****

Did not get to see Belle today.

Weather was complete shite, so we cancelled it, however, when we do see her, she’s going to be going round the track with another little filly. Or colt. We want to see Belle, but also how she reacts when another horse is on the track.  Anyway, super exciting.

And I finally got to go to the Breeders Night tonight!

It was super cool catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

I love when I’m talking with someone and then they go, Me too!  Our filly/colt does that.  And then we’re both talking about little things our horses are doing which we recognize as “race positive”.  Like for me it’s ears.  If you have a baby race horse and then they are on the track and the next minute their ears are pinned flat back, I call it race positive.  Roughly translated to, They like racing and want to win.  

Well, I was talking to a new guy tonight, and we were chatting about ears (doing my hand wiggly things in case he didn’t get what I was talking about) and he went, Ours does that!!  She’s a right mare on the track, but at home she’s a sweetheart.

9 wins and counting...

It’s little things like that.  Or talking about someone’s passion, if they’re into the “bloodlines” etc.  I like that.

I like new Energy, new thoughts, anything which sits outside the box.

I really love that there is some fresh Energy around the Breeders though.  Guys and girls (mostly guys surprisingly) who are all about breeding top of the line horses.  

Doing the jigsaw puzzle, but trying to factor in as much as they can.  These peeps are all about top, top success.  

I thought it might have been all poster stallion boy horses, you know, like horse super models, but it wasn’t.  Well, it was a little bit, naturally, it was a stud night.  But the majority of peeps there were up and coming new breeders or older, well experienced breeders, who are looking to breed the best horses in the world.  

And the fastest.

And to consistently break records.

The whole vibe was for cleaner, clearer, stronger and more put together ways of making better foals.  Happier Mumma’s and better relationships that start in the womb.  I was also surprised that there were more peeps than I thought, that would not buy a stallion off the books.  That they did all the groundwork (bloodlines etc), the jigsaw (size, strength and weaknesses, physiology of mare etc) and then went and physically saw the potential stallion and then did the jigsaw again.

None of these people I met just signed a cheque.  

The people I met tonight were aiming for, and are expecting to be, (if they are not already), main players on the world stage.

I’m so pleased I went.

Didn’t stay all night, but you know, I did a fairly decent effort.

****

Goal for today:

Curl up on the couch and watch movies while the rain is pelting down outside.

Reality:

Driving home from my friends and see Boo-ba-licious with one leg inside the shed of the Welcome Paddock.  You know, the one that had all the glass that had fallen out and we had fixed.  

Apparently, not well.

On a positive note, it stopped raining while I did it.

Less positive, it took me all bloody afternoon.  Then it was feed out time, making tomorrows feed and shifting Az.

Super positive note...I'm really proud of myself, I did a Boss chick job.

****

And bloody Ralphy poo is the best behaved mini.

He can't get into the feed because I bungy-ed the bins, but when I was making feed up tonight he did not try and muggle me for food.

He just stood in the doorway looking gorgeous.

To be fair, it most probably is quite nice for him not to have to consistently watch his ass for burglars.

****

So 'matoes are growing amazingly...

Chew ate my avocado and apple tree instead.

****

And what have we learnt about Kawa Kawa balm?

Only use it on the direct place it is needed.  I did not heed this advice and put it on Az's chest.  Which did not need healing.

He is now as bald as a coot there.

****

So that's been our week:

Lots of positive Spirit and totally random meetings.  A lot of right place, right time kind of things happening.

And it never fails to amaze me how when there is conflict in the economy, some people just put their head in the sand, stick to old, outdated belief systems and refuse to move with the times.  I don't get that.

However, I am also always surprised by the peeps who do make changes.  The ones who go, Ok, that wasn't what I was expecting, then brainstorm and come up with a new Plan A

It's never the peeps you expect.

Big hugs and horsey kisses from us here, to you there.

Caps, me, Spirit, Az, Ralph, Chew, Suz, and of course, my beautiful Mumma Bear, Belle and Boo-ba-licious, Pat, Chuck, Daisy, Delilah and Donz and our chickens, Rose, Petal, Kai-Anne, Pepper, Lily, Shelley, Ossie (the fluffy babe),  Marmite (the black babe) and Geraldine (the Blue Lace with the super long neck).

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