Tuesday 28 October 2008

Leo

He's for sale on horsemart (pictured with his dam) but unless I gett he full asking price I won't sell him, he looks to be quite promising.
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This year's foal Galileo

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leo weaned

Galileo's dam has now been sold to the same owners' as Layla, she is due to foal in 2009 but we felt we wanted to stick with the Knock Boy bloodline crossed with chocolate, so will be looking for a broodmare with that breeding, perferably with some cmpetition record.
So Leo has had to be weaned, he is almost five months old, and has been stabled with long suffering Little Charlie, this being the first time I dared let them out as Leo's dam was collected yesterday.
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Layla

This is Layla with her new owner, I couldn't have wished for a better home.
She's already been successful in dressage and has started jumping her too.
I was so pleased I found a home where they appreciated her unique qualities, (Layla would live INSIDE the house if allowed!)
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Friday 24 October 2008

Why we are so sad

This picture to me epitomises everything nice about Jez, here she is, first time being ridden within five minutes of being off the lunge line and eagerly going forward trying to please her rider. Those big ears pricked and interested, and confident to trust there was nothing to fear.
It broke my heart to see her wince when the vet came near with a needle the last day, as she had no bad experiences whatsoever until she was ill.
You hear lots of people rave about their horses, but having bred upwards of fifty plus, this really was one of the nicest in every way.
Phil had six months of fun and they enjoyed lots of super hacks together, so at least he has good memories left.
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Day one of being ridden

She soon got the idea of going forward.
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Jez

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Jezebel day one of being ridden

You can see the eventual horse she would beome once muscled up, sadly I didn't take many pics of her in the following six months.
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Wednesday 22 October 2008

Sad news

After a long struggle to save her we had Jezebel euthanised earlier today.
She was the most badly named horse ever, as she was the easiest of horses in every way.
Phil picked her out as a foal and she became his best friend. if she saw a person enter the field, she left the herd to say hello; she became very useful as a helper round the yard as you could sling six filled haynets over her back and she would happily carry them round to each stable with out any headcollar or rope, she just wanted to be with you.
When it came to breaking her my daughter popped on her and she cantered round the arena later that day, she was the same hacking out, nothing scared her and she was so talented to ride.
the day she injured her hock she had been due to start her XC training, up to then she had jumped our Sj at reasonable height and my daughter asked her Dad if he would lend her to her to event, as she was so easy.
It's hard to say how much we will miss her, when you own lots of horses you tend to only get emotionally involved with a few, as you know the rest get sold. jez would have been here for life; after competing she would have retired as a brood mare.
The injury was a tiny puncture hole and a couple of scrapes inside her hock. It had been done a day at least before but because of it's situation had been missed when she was checked.
We started her on antibiotics immediately but within two days she ended up at an equine clinic where she had two operations to flush and clean the joint as the infection had tracked through into the joint capsule. Such an innocent looking half inch cut eventually ended her life, so don't ignore any type of would near a joint at your peril.
She came home after treatment and box rested, she was sound/lame/sound lame then yesterday went very lame and fluid started appearing on the dressing.
This morning we discussed it with the vet, another op (we have already spent almost £6000) was too much trauma to put her through, and opening the joint and flushing through would have been a real gamble plus even more pain for her.
I had a dream last night that Julie Dicker the horse healer told me it was time to put her out of her pain, and so we had her peacefullky put to sleep by the vet she knew in the paddock a couple of yards from her stable.
She was sedated and then a massive dose of anaesthetic injected into the vein, and she crumpled quietly down on her side and died.
Our vet was obviously upset, we are lucky in that we couldn't ask for better, both vets and the equine clinic treated her so well.
She was such a huge personality I know it will take ages to get over this.
My poor husband is distraught, he's never had a horse like her, and although we have full siblings in the field, I reckon she chose him for her owner, so none of the others can compensate.
Thanks to all the kind people who enquired about her and sent good wishes, sadly this time there was no happy ending...
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Friday 17 October 2008

One of my favourite vines.

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I planted this a few years' ago

and now it provides us with amazing colours every year.
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A scruffy corner brightened by a vine.

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These spread like wildfire

but because they are so beautiful in Autumn we don't mind.
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Marty and Zac

I prefer them porky going into the winter!
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Aliens?????!!!!

What the heck is that in the sky? I did hear a copter later but not at that point. Spooky...
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Autum's coming...

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Barn Boxes..

We put up lots of boxes in the hope owls would inhabit them, but the wonderful white barn owl we see sometimes chose the barn in the field next door.
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Isabella and Calypso dreaming away

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Three little natives...

Taken from right across the Deer Park, these three have made the farm their home this year.
The high fence is from when it actually had a 20 acre park filled with a commercial herd, we kept them a few years then decided the place looked nicer with horses in it.
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Galaxy

Every time I see this filly she appears to have grown again.
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Sort of brothers...

both have the same sire and sisters as dams. I can see the different mares' characteristics very distinctly in their faces in this shot.
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Jezebel

on enforced box rest ,the longer she can go without going lame the better chance she has of a recovery...
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Oberon and Callisto

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours...
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Tuesday 14 October 2008

Leo

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Olliecat

Making himself comfy as usual...
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