Megastar!!!

Bursting with excitement here! I have been dying for the day I could make this blog entry and it has finally come - I rode Meg this morning and she's faaabulous! Gavin does such a bl**dy wonderful job with them, I just cannot rate him highly enough. She's soft, active and attentive and she is desperate to please. I had the BEST first ride, even if I did bounce around on her poor wee back a bit. I am very excited about her and cannot wait to get her out and about. She's just a baby still so nothing competitive (ridden) for now but see no reason why she can't attend a few ARC days and visit the local dressage days for a looksee.

Nick took LOADS of photos - he was under strict instructions after the last time I asked him to take pix when we collected Reilly and there was like one of my a*se climbing into the saddle and one of me walking doing something very odd and that was about it - NO canter pix (the moment of which I was most proud) for the memory box! So, here are a few of the Megastar:

And nearly as exciting as riding Meg was seeing TF Rafferty have his first ever ride. I could only really watch out of the corner of my eye as was riding Meg at the time but he looked to be going fantastically well and Craig was certainly happy with him when we spoke afterwards. I took a couple of photos of him for his owner (and myself), just a shame I missed the opportunity for ridden photos but seeing him under saddle and going so kindly was more than I could have hoped for anyway!

Smooth Runnings

The sun decided to shine this morning and it was 3rd time lucky (or possibly unlucky for Rory) as the booking for the vet stuck.

First we branded the two babies who are now sporting a very smart set of Irish brands and then it was time to geld Rory. There was no need for sedation for branding so Rory was taken from the yards and given the first shot of sedative and then lead over to the spot where he was to drop and loaded up with the next dose to drop him. He talked quite a lot whilst the anesthetic was kicking in but once he was down, he was out! Gelding went well and he was down for a good length of time afterward - we were busy castrating the bull calf and he was kind enough to give us a wee warning that he was waking up but shouting quite loudly at us. All in all a successful, if a little stressful (I am not fond of gelding day, esp. after having a gelding op go awry a few years back) day.

Nick took photos and here are a small selection:

Dopey baby

Down he goes

Ouch!

Clamping (or is it the Clampetts?)

Antitet

Aine

We also castrated our bull calf today and Rosco got himself a ...

Tasty Snack!

Impending New Arrival ...

I know I am supposed to be downsizing and I have done pretty well really BUT, when the chance to welcome Saffron into the family came up, how could I refuse?

Saffron's human Mum and Dad are having a bit of a change of direction which involves selling their LSB in Wellington and this means that Saffron needs to find a new home. Hamish's fillies are very few and far between (only 3 have been born) and with the tragic death of Kismet Farm's Storm earlier this year, there are currently only two! I have always regretted selling BJ (although not regretted the home she went to - it's fabulous!) but now we have a beautiful half TB filly by Hamish (out of a Centro - Kaapstad mare) coming to live with us, I am thrilled! I can't wait for her to arrive!!!

Saffron was a very late foal (March '08) so unfortunately is unlikely to be an in-hand prospect, which is disappointing as I have yet to show any of Hamish's progeny in hand - perhaps by the time she is a rising 3yo she will be mature enough to look ok - only time will tell. I do hope to keep her as a future broodmare so my plan at this stage is to keep her, get her backed, ride her myself initially and then find a nice rider to take her out and about for a few years - I want her to have a performance career before she is retired to the broodmare paddock.

Saffron at a few weeks of age

Saffron

Missy - By Centro ex Capsimation by Kaapstad

Now finger's crossed that the weather behaves itself tomorrow for branding and gelding and then we are off to collect Meg from Gavin and Nicole's place - She's all ready to go! Very exciting!!!