It was a wet and cold Monday. We needed to get some videos on King 2, so we did that after moving water. The foals were all still pretty mad at us for weaning them. We are up to 4 in the weaning pen. Mom made peach cobbler for Kade’s birthday week of desserts. Dad took Kade into Drivers Ed and then Toni picked him up and let him drive home. Kade is a good “beginner” driver. Since Kade is no longer playing football him and Anna have been getting the chores done early. Since Ben was home REALLY late, I am sure Anna was happy to have Kade there helping. Kade still has a hurt shoulder, but he can drive and help to the best of his ability. Kaine and Jaxsen had football practice.
On Tuesday Kade and Anna had rangeland management practice for FFA after school. They have a competition on Wednesday NW of Ephrata. Anna thinks it is at Lance Hale’s place, he buys bulls from us, so she is going to look for her bull. Since the last one he bought was hers. Toni sold Red and Nugget on Tuesday, Mr Dansie’s brother came out to look at Red and he brought cousin in law Jake’s cousin in law Trevor out. It was one of those small world moments when you figure out the guy coming to look at your horse is your cousin-in-law’s cousin-in-law. So Toni showed Trevor Nugget. Toni hadn’t ridden Nugget since Nugget was 2 or 3, but Nugget is always great, so it wasn’t a big deal. Both Toni and Trevor jumped on him bareback with a random bridle Toni had in her pick-up. That was enough to show Trevor how well broke Nugget is, so he bought Nugget. Nugget was originally trained by our mutual cousin in law Jake. So Trevor in kind of related. Jaxsen had a football game at 4 on Tuesday. He did great. He even got to carry the ball.
On Wednesday Anna and Kade went to NW of Ephrata for rangeland management judging. FYI, the national competition is going to be held in Lind, WA. I am curious to see where all these teams are going to stay, and eat for that matter. Connell FFA placed 3rd overall, really well for the first time they have competed in it. Hank came out to bangs vaccinate heifers on Wednesday, it was me, Toni, Marlo and the dogs. We were crazy efficient and good. It was a little blustery out but that is better than being too hot. It also gave us a good look at the heifer calves. We are still debating what to keep and what to sell, but some of those heifers placed themselves on the sale list. We love a volunteer. A few others put themselves on the love love love list. We have one heifer we think so highly of we are talking about getting some embryos out of her dam. We probably won’t but we will talk it to death.
Thursday was dad’s birthday, Happy Birthday dad. We had a couple of ladies out in the afternoon to look at the foals Toni took them on the big tour. All three of them had to cross the swamp in Circle 5 and didn’t make it across unscathed. So wet socks and shoes, a good laugh, and good sports. The foals all look good and big. Healthy foals are always a good sight. Kids went to school, did chores, Kade rode his horses, Anna worked on her Nile and Evergreen animals, Jaxsen and Kaine had football practice.
On Friday Chad came out, so Toni caught horses in-between court sessions, mom helped and chad trimmed. They are a real team. When Toni got done she went down and her and Chad did some of the harder ones. Mom will hold, but nothing that isn’t good. It was also still a big chilly so Mom and Chad were on a cookie break when Toni got there. After the trimming was done we did chores. We talked about all of the horse moving around we need to do to really start weaning. A hauler showed up with our show steers that we bought in S. Dakota. We had 7 show steers delivered. We had some friends ask us to buy them some so we had all the steers delivered to my house. We were really excited to see the quality of calves that came off the trailer. You always watch the videos and see the pictures, but until you see them for real you don’t know for sure. To say we were pleased would be an understatement. We got some really good ones. We may have screwed our kids over when the other kids get these good steers. Kaine had a football game so I brought home sandwiches. Dad, mom, Kade, Jaxsen and I all went to the game. Toni had work to do so she stayed home, also, I think she is very opposed to paying to go and watch the kids play football.
On Saturday we had our first fall calf, 137 had a heifer. Maki came and got her mare that has been with Sagebug. We worked on the fence on the bottom of circle 8. We haltered and worked the show steers that came. We got pictures of Anna’s two steers in the evergreen sale. I went and stayed with grandma Saturday night. Toni, Kaine and Kade did horse chores, they did them a little early so Kaine could go with Maxx to the Middleton Pumpkin patch to ask Kendra to Hoco. Also, we haltered the weaned foals. Kade practiced roping on Gen. It was Gen’s first time having a rope thrown off of him and he was amazing. Kade roped the Tuf Kaf with him and Gen acted like a seasoned rope horse. He is a pretty fun horse. Anna and McCall worked on Nile cattle and Evergreen cattle. It was a really productive day. The Lewiston Horse Sale was Saturday but Toni didn’t get anything bought. Mom made us all pie- chocolate and banana crème. Mom’s banana crème pie is the best.
Another busy day Sunday. Moved the horses around at Mom and Dad’s. We put Tank into the corral, so he no longer has any lady friends. Then we moved Dude into a pen as well, also no friends. We then took the Dude mares and put them out in the big pasture, moved the old mares from Tank’s pen into the front pasture, then the yearling fillies into Tank’s old pen. It took a little time, but everything went smoothly except Dad telling Toni how she was doing it wrong. If we have moved horses hundreds of times, then Dad has moved thousands and we never do it right. Toni, Ben, Kade, Kaine, and Jaxsen got all of the mares in from Circle 5 to the corral at my house. All of the people that had asked us to buy them steers came out and picked their steers. Everyone seemed pleased. Then we got the mares into the alley and sorted out the ones we needed to wean and some extras. Some of the foals are big enough we need to get them weaned. We hauled those pairs down to Mom and Dad’s, weaned those foals, and took Tulip down. We had birthday lunch for Kade and dad. Uncle Skip came. It was a fun lunch break between the work. For chores we also hooked up 2 of the haltered foals to Tulip. Tulip was not impressed to be back to work. You have to be careful because she will drag the foal over to you and try to highline a person with the foal. That donkey is smart and devious. Toni and I led the other 2 foals. These foals are pretty good so far. FYI on the picture of dad and Kade, NOTHING annoys me worse then bunny ears ruining a good picture. WHY does dad (and Skip and now the boys) have to RUIN pictures ALL THE TIME. Yes, lots of CAPS. VERY ANNOYING.
Lots of fun stuff going on at KT Ranch! We have officially entered into the birthday season. For some reason most of our family has fall/winter birthdays. Toni is sending out texts on things she wants for her birthday- usually expensive horses, heifers, a stallion- whatever she has found that she wants at the moment. Just a reminder that we wean sold foals first, so if you are on the market for a foal and waiting for us to wean it, give us a call otherwise it won’t be weaned until last.
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