By Patty Wilber
High AF is, as of 4/1/19, a gelding. Judith Huchton and I, who are partners on him, are excited to meet him in person, but for now, as a two year old, he is still enjoying the wide open spaces with Heather McLevin at Thunderstruck Ranch in Alberta, Canada. Thunderstuck Ranch was the high point breeder of the 2018 World Appaloosa Show. We have high (hahaha) hopes for him. I plan to go get him from Montana in mid-July.
In the video: This was his first day out after being gelded. He is the one with the big white Appaloosa blanket!
Atti, who belongs to Judith, sprained her front leg almost two weeks ago, and is slated for a few more weeks of rest. It was a relatively minor injury that she got while out playing in the big lot. It is putting a crimp in our show plans, however, and we will miss the May show in Colorado. Also, she had started working cattle like a bit of a cow horse, she can pony the new horses, is great on the trail, and I was even going to let her give a lesson (and she is only four) so, quadruple bummer. We expect a full recovery and hope to to be back in the show ring in June!
Atti says: i went down to my birth home for stall rest. i can’t wait to get back to my second home so i can keep everyone on their toes. Me: we miss your pesty self! Lots!
Speaking of missing… Indy is off to the Erickson’s who live nearby. I just couldn’t bear to sell her, but she really didn’t have a job here, so she is on mom-loan! She fits right into their breeding program, and I am happy for that, but I am having a weirdly hard time having her gone!
Indy and Cometa on our hunting trip last fall.
And now for Lucy! She was down at Ed Krausses for a bit for a primer on cows. She learned a thing or two, but I am so glad to have her back. She and I get along really well and so far, she is just what I ordered!
We had a week to prepare for the 4/13 Paint Palomino Pinto Buckskin All Breed-holy-cow-0ver-300-classes-and-n0-one-died-of-exhaustion-(as far as I know)-show.
It was snowing at our house when I loaded up to drive to Expo New Mexico which is about 20 minutes away, but nearly 1800 feet lower in elevation (and thus warmer, thank goodness).
Lucy hung out in the trailer and at the trailer, by herself: ho hum, no biggie! I was really impressed.
“thanks for breakfast!” she says.
She also rode around happy and quiet.
Lucy is the horse farthest from the camera. Photo by Susan Nestor.
Lucy is a brave and relaxed personality! No calming agents needed for this one. We were riding with veterinarian Dr. Lily Meisner, in the above picture. Lily was a good friend of my son’s from middle school. Lily was riding a lovely are mare that had been coming to me for lessons. She needed a new home and we found a great fit for her with Lily’s mom, Susan Nestor. Yay! Happy horses and people.
Cowgirl and Lily. Photo by Susan Nestor.
Me and Lucy at Ed’s on Monday. Thanks Ed for this picture! (I didn’t need my head! It is more artistic this way!)
Lucy also helped hold herd for the cutting classes at the show and is low key but very interested in cows.
As mentioned, this show had a LOT of classes. We got there around 8 am, helped with cattle around 11:30, but our first class, Ranch Horse Pleasure, wasn’t until 6:30 pm! This is a pattern class, and she completed the pattern at just the level of training that she is at, which means she was accurate, but not as smooth as silk. I have no idea how we placed, but will find out, as I am curious!
Our next class was Ranch Rail and it was at 8 pm. This is a group class where the horses go along the rail of the arena at a walk, faster walk (a you-have-somewhere-to-go walk), trot, fast trot, lope, fast lope.
Our walk was rather terrible! Slow-pokey and uneven, but our trot was good. Our fast trot could be faster, but still was solid. Our lope was smooth and even! Our fast lope was really nice! I was so pleased, and on the outside of the arena, some folks made kind comments about Lucy’s cute expression (ears up, bright eyes) as we went by. (Thanks Craze! That was nice to hear!)
The class switched directions and my go was similar, but we broke out of a trot into a lope before we were supposed to. The best part of the class was our fast lope. The rail was crowded, and the Ranch Trail course was set up in the middle of the arena. To avoid a traffic jam, we chose to swoop across the arena, right through all the Ranch Trail obstacles in the middle of the pen. Lucy did not spook, look around, speed up or slow down. She just rode on through like some old ranch horse! That was SWEET!
I have no idea how we placed in that class either, but the break of gait is a huge penalty that could not be overcome by our awesome swooping, so I’d guess low.
We scratched our last two classes (the show did not finish until midnight) because I felt that Lucy had done enough for her first big event!
I am tickled with this young horse!
Happy Friday!
Whoo-hoo! for Lucy being both useful helping out holding herd and for showing so well in her first big one. All that not-spooking stuff is great, and bodes so well for her future. Too bad about Atti playing around and spraining herself; hope is clears up fast. And so Indy’s going into momhood? Who’ll she be bred to? And that gorgeous young fellow-no-longer-a-stud…wow.