This is how we do it....

So far this year has been very rewarding in our racing stable. This past weekend we had another win, and a 3rd last night. Tonight we have two running. One of which has run once this year and won....and the other who has run twice this year, winning one and coming in second in the other. This kind of year (so far) is what all the hard work and lack of sleep is all about. Lou and I have also proved that we can succeed together as a team. That in itself is a huge to me. I love my job, I love the horses and love having my family so close all the time....now to get Mom to move closer! lol....

Presque Isle and such

As we roll into the month of May we are a busy crew here on the farm. Lots going on and little time for much else. Lou, his mom and dad just left to take several loads of supplies up to Presque Isle. We'll eventually have 8 horses stabled there for the entire meet. I can imagine this year is going to be pretty hectic. We have 20 head which means full barn up north and full barn here on the farm.
I currently have three horses myself. All thoroughbred and all in need of being ridden. Tipping had a pretty bad puncture wound to just below her stifle. She was very lame and sore. Thankfully whatever did the damaged missed her joint and she's now healed and feeling better. I'm giving her until this coming monday and then back to work! Sealy has been on trial up at Maypine for two weeks. I was hoping she'd work out for their lesson program but I think she may end up coming home. She's doing really well for the advanced kids but the less educated riders are having a harder time. Not a surprise...I knew that and so did they...oh well...we'll see in the next few days I guess. I do have a new addition to my four legged clan. I am the proud new owner of a gorgeously yummy bay gelding named Murphy. I owned him a few years ago and just too re=ownership once again. One this time he he much more knowledgeable and that suits me just fine!
Hannah continues to absorb anything and everything she sees. She definitely has a case of "monkey see, monkey do." We've really been pushing her to talk and she's beginning to say a few more things. Now she loves to say hi and bye....and mumbles at the dog constantly.
I'm grooming her to be the next superstar female PGA champion. Her "Pop Pop" was hitting golf balls in the yard last week and she was trying her hand at it. Then while at Walmart I saw a plastic set of clubs complete with golf bag. Since that day, she has been dragging that thing back and forth to the barn. Pop Pop has been teaching her how to swing and she loves it.
Jade is doing much better now. For a while it was definitely battle of wills when trying to get her to come when called. There were several occasions when I nearly took her back to the rescue. If she were a cat, my guess is she'd be down to about 3 lives left. So now she is either tied to her run line or on a lease....unless she's in the barn, then she is allowed to run loose. Much happier owner!
I can't really think of anything else to update on so that's it!

Hello again...

It seems I keep doing the same thing. Big update and then nothing for several weeks. Talk about no motivation! Not that I'm not on my computer each day. I just don't have much to say I guess.
I've been crazy busy here recently. I started Sealy back in work on some of our warmer days. She was pleasant and agreeable. Then BAM, she trips and goes down on her nose. I didn't see it coming. Never had a chance to even TRY to stay on. We were attempting to make a new sale video. Figures. Anyway, the fall itself didn't look bad (yes...it was caught on tape) but the the landing.....oh how I had forgotten that both my horse's head and the ground are much harder as one grows older. I'm fairly sure nothing was broken but I had some good bruising to my ribs and my breast bone.

Let's see....Dh and FIL made a trip down to SC to build some run-in sheds and paddocks on the property down there. We are hoping to send several racehorses down there with my in-laws for a few months for a lay up. They were gone a little over a week. Once they came home....FIL and MIL took off to southern VA for a Penning. Home for 2 days and DH and FIL went back down to SC. I see a pattern here....seems I'm not getting any of that warm weather travel.....hahaha

The guys should be home late tonight. Us girls here will just worry about our men getting home safe in the midst of this nasty storm blowing through.

I had a buyer come and try Sealy last weekend. That didn't work out real well. Sealy was in a mood and decided to unseat the rider. Everyone was ok....except of course my nerves. I was mortified that my horse was so bad. I think she's trying to tell me something.

Hannah is getting so big! She has her own wheelbarrow now. She won't let anyone pass a stall that has a pile of poo in it without picking it up. Good girl!

My bestest friend Carie and her hubby Marty had a little girl on Oct. 29. Her name is Kadence and she's perfect.

Pics to come....but dinner calls!

Oy Vey

I can't seem to keep this blog updated regularly. What's up with that? Hmmm....how about more pictures? Mom came to visit for a few days so we decided to go get some professional pics done. It took two tries on different days to get a happy baby in the pictures...

A new picture of Tipping from today. It has been six months since her last race. I think she likes her new job.

Finally, some sad news. My old racehorse "Knight's Agenda" aka Toby has passed away. He was only 10 years old and living the life of Riley with a Mom andher daughter in VA. He fell in the pasture and broke his pelvis....leading to being put down. I'll always think of him with a smile....he was a very special horse.

New pics

I decided it was probably time for some new pictures of Hannah. Not much else to say really. Just enjoy her cuteness please!

Lots to say...

Yikes, here comes a big update folks.
First I wanted to share a pic of Tipping jumping cross country at the mini trial from a few weeks back. I LOVE this picture! She's such a cool mare.

Too bad I haven't ridden her in a week and a half! Things have been crazy busy here and I have not had any extra time at all. It really kind of blows because I had just started working Sealy again and now we are at a stand still. *sigh*

Last week Hannah and I ventured up to Presque Isle twice for races. Wednesday we watched our two year old run his first race in Maiden Special Weight (allowance). He ran second and made us all very proud.






Then we went back on Saturday to watch the other two year old in his second start...in a 100k stakes race. He ran a solid 4th only getting beat for 2nd by a total of a length. It was very exciting!

All our horses came home from Presque Isle on Saturday night. The meet up there ended and it was time to ship everybody here. Make that 16 head in the barn....ekkk. Sunday morning Big Lou and Sharon headed to KY to the Fall Yearling sale at Keeneland. Our owner wanted to buy a couple of babies because prices were down. This meant we could possibly purchase something REALLY nice at a much lesser cost than what they would normally sell for. They returned home Monday afternoon with news that we'd have two long yearlings the next afternoon.

Tuesday evening they arrived. A gorgeous, thick bay filly and a very flashy chestnut colt. We are in the process of getting to know them and discussing what they will be named. Both are beautiful and very well taken care of. Neither looks their age though. I'd like to know when people started growing them so big???

Hannah is doing well. She is growing so fast! The things she learns are just amazing.





Lou was in the wash rack the other night and handed Hannah two feed buckets. He asked her to take them to the feed room. She picked up on in each hand and walked them to the other side of the barn and set them down in the feed room. Then she came back to him to help again. This time he had a feed scoop that we use in the beet pulp barrel. She took it to the correct barrel and started scooping it out and dropping some into each horse's feed bucket. She loves to help and take things to people. The only problem I've found with this so far is that so always take the TV remote to Lou! He gets a real kick out of it!!
Tonight we were in the living room playing fetch with Jade. Hannah walked over to the window in the dining room and was pointing at the horses. Then she came out to me and was standing right in front of me (I was on the floor). She patted her hands together and then started to scream. She cried like someone hit her. Lou and I were stunned and had no clue what was going on. She kept grabbing at her right hand and crying. Turns out she got stung by a bee. We didn't figure it out until a few minutes later when it went buzzing up to the light. Poor thing! Her palm swelled instantly and I had visions of allergic reactions (I'm allergic). We put some ice on it right away and then some of my Mom's "magic cream." She seems to be okay now but I know it is sore. I thought we'd made it through the summer safely without a bee sting....and here she gets one in the house.

Last bit of new news.
We had two horses get hurt Tuesday night while turned out in their pastures. One of our neighbors can't seem to keep her own horses in her own fences. Not that she's done much to fix those fences.....anyway her horses seemed to have had a party down in our yard overnight. One of the horses that got hurt because of this party is a racehorses who was going to get back into training in the next few days. He's been on a break all summer without incident. Well tuesday night he got caught up in our fence and cut his hock right down to the bone. The wound was such a mess that it could not be sewn. So this means 4-6 months of wound care and wrapping. He will not be able to go back into training for at least that amount of time. That is....if there are no injuries to the joint or joint capsule. We won't know that for another week or so when we do x-rays. If that is the case the horse will never run again. This is the injury right after I cleaned it up:

Please cross your fingers that this heals up well. This horse was a 20k claim for our owner and he has only run one time for us. It would be a shame to have to retire him permanently.

Due to the same neighbor and her horses, a second horse was injured that night. This one was in a completely different turn out area. He is my MIL's foxhunter and a super cool horse. His injury is less severe than the first horse but still nasty. He looks like someone took a filet knife to his back shin.

This pic is before I cleaned him up and it's a bit dark but you can get the jist without all the gorry details. He now has two rows of stitches in hopes of reattaching the 5 inch flap of skin that was hanging off. The vet was not real sure that it would work because these types of wounds tend to have to also heal open....meaning that flap usually dies off.
Either way he should be fine once it heals. But again...lots of shots of antibiotics and pain killers for both horses. Lots of wrapping and care too. I think we have all just about had enough of our neighbors. Why do people even own horses that can't take care of them properly? Why do WE have to be the ones that suffer for it? It just makes no sense! After we told this woman what happened she said how sorry she was and that she'd pay our bills....but not now cuz she has no money. Hmmmm....I won't hold my breath.

Sooooo....I thought I was supposed to have my appointment with the hand specialist today. I had the dates wrong and actually do not go until the 8th. I'm glad I've had a little break form galloping the last few days (lots of rain and cold) because my hands and wrists have been feeling a little better. I imagine once I get back to riding more though....it will return. I'm not really looking forward to the doctor visit because I think everyone and their family have told me how much cortizone hurts but on the other side....I'd like to be feeling better....yesterday thanks.
Ahhh well....I better end this novel soon....night all!

My Pretty Pony

Here are some shots of Tipping and I in our dressage test from last sunday. Thanks to Kim for taking them!
I love this mare! She's wicked cool to ride. Just needs some confidence jumping. We have a hunter pace this Sunday so we'll get some more practice!