It has been a few days since I made a blog entry and a wee bit has happened. First of all, Hooty's due date has been and gone and Hooty is still very much in one piece. I could set a clock by her at the moment as at 2.15am and 4.45am most mornings Hooty likes to have a flat out snooze which sets off the alarm and shakes me from my slumber to send me stumbling outside, torch in hand, to make sure that she is not foaling. Such fun ... not! Still, it is kinda exciting and I don't really mind waking at these times as there is the lovely anticipation of what I might find.
Secondly, Libby is in foal. I was not sure if she was spring cycling when I put her in with Hamish as her cycle seemed to last for about 10 days but, it seems, she was primed and ready and obliged by getting in foal straight away. This means we will be having a rather early foal next year but I am not particularly worried about this as Libby is a fairly robust little mare and her foal will have a good dose of Hamish's hybrid vigor so it should be 'all good'. My calculations have a due date of around 25 August 2010.
Thirdly, our little mookas and our big mookas are now safely transferred to their new grazing across the road and, judging by their round puku's, quite happy about that too!
Fourthly, Rory had his first float loading session earlier in the week (when it wasn't raining, which it seems it has been doing rather a lot of lately!) and was quite happy to load quietly and stand in the single bay chewing on a bit of hay. I am SUPPOSED to be taking him to the Wairarapa A&P show in 10 days time and as he has yet to see a cover, a hosepipe or any scissors, this should be interesting. It's just for experience really but I hate doing things by halves so, if I do do it, I have to put my best foot and his best hoof forward and at least try and look as if we are trying to be competitive. Unfortunately at this stage I have no groom/assistant and, if I can't find anyone, I probably won't take him. Meg is going too, on the Sunday and is still out in the back paddock looking like a refugee from 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Both had their hooves trimmed today - Goodness knows when I am going to manage to tidy them up though!
Finally, I took Paddy and Bree over to graze the hay paddock across the road as it needs chewing down before being shut up properly. This involved two trips of a couple of km each with a horse in tow each trip. Paddy was great but Bree jogged and screamed her head off the entire way, bless her!
As I started this morning mucking out after 6 horses, followed by 2 hours at work and back home to get two horses trimmed and then shift P & B, I feel I have done enough for a mallowpuff today!
Secondly, Libby is in foal. I was not sure if she was spring cycling when I put her in with Hamish as her cycle seemed to last for about 10 days but, it seems, she was primed and ready and obliged by getting in foal straight away. This means we will be having a rather early foal next year but I am not particularly worried about this as Libby is a fairly robust little mare and her foal will have a good dose of Hamish's hybrid vigor so it should be 'all good'. My calculations have a due date of around 25 August 2010.
Thirdly, our little mookas and our big mookas are now safely transferred to their new grazing across the road and, judging by their round puku's, quite happy about that too!
Fourthly, Rory had his first float loading session earlier in the week (when it wasn't raining, which it seems it has been doing rather a lot of lately!) and was quite happy to load quietly and stand in the single bay chewing on a bit of hay. I am SUPPOSED to be taking him to the Wairarapa A&P show in 10 days time and as he has yet to see a cover, a hosepipe or any scissors, this should be interesting. It's just for experience really but I hate doing things by halves so, if I do do it, I have to put my best foot and his best hoof forward and at least try and look as if we are trying to be competitive. Unfortunately at this stage I have no groom/assistant and, if I can't find anyone, I probably won't take him. Meg is going too, on the Sunday and is still out in the back paddock looking like a refugee from 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Both had their hooves trimmed today - Goodness knows when I am going to manage to tidy them up though!
Finally, I took Paddy and Bree over to graze the hay paddock across the road as it needs chewing down before being shut up properly. This involved two trips of a couple of km each with a horse in tow each trip. Paddy was great but Bree jogged and screamed her head off the entire way, bless her!
As I started this morning mucking out after 6 horses, followed by 2 hours at work and back home to get two horses trimmed and then shift P & B, I feel I have done enough for a mallowpuff today!
