Monday was still in the 80s and it is October. Weather is beautiful, grass is still growing, however, the circles are getting tired of running and keep breaking down. Toni and Tulip, with Kade’s help, worked on Mug, Call and Blaze. Mom, Dad and I went to Kaine’s football game in Connell. Mom and dad brought Jaxsen in to practice on their way. Toni reported that these three are not as easy as the last three, the last three were unusually easy and these three are normal. Men and Anna did cow and show animal chores. Kade went up and helped when he got done helping Toni.
Tuesday the beautiful weather continued. Marty came and picked up Stormin, he is the first foal to leave to his new home. Kade had a game on Tuesday, so Toni worked on the foals then Meachams and mom went to the game. Kade played a good game, they played a hard team. Anna did the cattle chores, Kaine and I did the horse chores, I worked on the foals some more and moved the water and Kaine fed. When we got home Anna, Kaine and I cleaned out the red trailer from the show supplies, so it was pretty late by the time we got in. Ben got home and worked on circles, then they had a picker vs semi accident at work (everyone is ok) so he had to go back. He got home at around midnight.
On Wednesday morning Toni took Wild and Mug into see Sheena. Wild got injured in the eye so needed at lavage and Mug needed travel docs. Tulip went with Mug because it was just the third day of halter breaking. Mug was so good and Tulip was a good sport like always. When she got home she practiced loading Call and Blaze as well. This is only day three in halter breaking, so they are all are doing very well. Toni and mom continued to dr Wild and Absolute throughout the day. With these eye injuries it is recommended that the horse (foal) be medicated 3-4 times per day, so we are doing 4 every day. Anna had an FFA Officer retreat in Quincy after school, so Jaxsen rode the bus home. Toni has been going to get magnetic therapy on her hip, so she had that in the afternoon. She brought the trailer down when she got home, we got to moms around the same time, and we practiced loading the three colts some more. Call and Mug probably would have done a lot better if they had not had the same pickup weekend and got weaned at different times. They are pretty mothered up. After the boys finished chores, they went up and did cow chores. Circle 8 had to be restarted Wednesday night, I guess it is getting tired of running. Mom made a rhubarb custard bar on Wednesday, it was really good.
Thursday the colts were worked on twice, Jaxsen had a makeup game in Ephrata, so Toni worked on them before she left, then I worked on them again when I got home. They did really good. Kade, Kaine and I did horse chores, then the boys went up and helped Anna with the cattle chores. Toni and Jaxsen got home pretty late from their game.
Friday mom and I went to Tennelles and got our hair done in the morning. We doctored the two fillies before we left and when we got back. Dad did not go into work until later in the day. I hooked up the gooseneck and fed the show cattle, so when Anna and Kade got home we could head into Evergreen sale. Marlo, Jaxsen and Toni worked on the colts and did horse chores. Blaze was Marlo’s to work on, and he knows no strangers, he has been a typical Double. Easy and funny. Shasta also came in with her colt, Dun Bug, who we have been trying to wean for a week now. Shasta recognized the trap as soon as she went in the gate, but it was too late. So Toni and Marlo got Dun Bug weaned. The men did the cattle chores. Kaine went to Toppenish for a football game, and caught a ride home with Jade. Kade, Anna and I got to Ellensburg, unhooked the trailer, Anna got in her Queen clothes and we went to the banquet. We had a good time, sat with cousins, Lyyskis, Wanda Burris, cousin Jill. Mom sent lemon bars and rhubarb custard bars for the dessert auction; they were very good. Toni and the men sold the Titan trailer, to cousin Jill’s best friend’s son. We had never met Luke and Eric before but I hear that we know all kinds of the same people so they were at the house super late talking.
Saturday McCall, Stacy, Kathy and Adrian brought Kaine to the Evergreen sale. Kade, Anna and I got up earlyish to have breakfast at the palace with cousins. Toni got up earlyish to doctor the fillies. Wild is getting really bad to doctor. She is not mean, she is just big and wasn’t halter broke before this injury situation, so she just kind of runs a person over. Absolute has been in almost a week longer so is resigned to her fate. The kids all judged, you get a sale credit if you do well, Kade won and received a $500 sale credit, which he used to buy Payton’s heifer. Kaine bought a Steve Jachetta heifer. We bid on a few others. Adrian bought a heifer, and a heifer for her brother. We hauled two heifers back for Kim and a steer back for Mike. We also stopped by Jarmins and picked up two clubby steers, one for us and one for Adrian. We had a great time at the sale talking to people and bidding. The Seldom Rest sale in Michigan was the same time on the same day. We were also able to get 2 heifers for the kids at Seldom Rest. Our good family friend, Ryan Cotton, has been very good to us in sifting through those heifers and helping us select that best heifers in our budget at that sale. Scott and Andrew at Seldom Rest treat the kids great and really help them at the Junior National Show. Jaxsen had a good football game, got some tackles, had fun. He had his special cousin Kasen come watch him (he calls Kasen his mini-me) along with Leslie, Jolene, and Reese. Toni left as soon as the game was over to load out Call with Hunter. Call loaded really well and he was off to his new home. Hunter has been out a bunch to play with Call since he put his deposit down so Call already liked Hunter. Hunter was really surprised at how big Call was. Call and Mug are on the bigger end of our weanlings. They may be the biggest two. Anna also got to go to Homecoming on Saturday night with her boyfriend Lane. McCall got Anna home from the Evergreen and then Anna wen to Toni’s for hair and makeup. Anna looked amazing and Lane looked pretty good too. Anna got to do some teenager stuff and enjoy herself.
Sunday morning Toni loaded out two more colts. Wes and Beth showed up to get the steer Mike bought. Ben made his own birthday lunch. McCall came out and her and Anna worked on the heifers going to the Nile. Marlo came and had birthday lunch with us. Dad was working so not there. Mom made fresh apple pie and rhubarb custard pie. After lunch Toni and Kade went down to halter the next group of foals. Anna and McCall packed for the Nile. Kaine, Ben and I sorted out heifers, Spokane steers and fall show steers and moved a bunch of stuff around. Kale came and picked out his Nile heifer and his mom came with him and bought a heifer. Kale did not like the one Krystal liked, so they needed to get both. Ben had to go back to work to fix a picker right as Kale got there. Anna and Kaine started the cow chores, I went down and helped Toni finish the horse chores. Kade went up and helped Anna and Kaine when he got done. Wild broke her pick line on the last dose of meds Sunday, so a new pick line had to be put in, but there was no new port, so medicating Wild got worse. We also needed new video of Cappy for a gal, so got that. Cappy is another typical Double and every time we work on him, Toni again says she doesn’t want to sell him. Cappy looks like a Double, moves like a Double, acts like a Double. Tons of personality and potential. He is going to be a hard one to sell for us.
We are in the thick of it now. Probably 1/3 done weaning foals, more like 1/4 done (at best) halter breaking foals and thanking Tulip every day for her contribution to the program. It is amazing what a donkey does for the halter breaking. She just helps the foals learn to give. We normally leave her hooked up to the foal once or twice for 15 minutes at the most, that is really all it takes. Every once in a while a foal may need more time with Tulip, but it usually doesn’t take much for the result you get. Tulip is pretty patient and has been a great protector and companion for the foals on top of being useful.
It is once again time for a Molly update. Molly has been cut back to three feedings of grain per day. No, no other foals get that much grain unless they are will Molly. Molly is also shedding out a dark bay or possibly a brown. Mom is very unhappy with this color change and would like Molly to go back to a blood bay. We were told today that we need to be loading Molly because she may want to travel. Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. We will be informed when we are informed as to what Molly wants. The reality is that Molly is a really great filly. She could be a spoiled brat, and maybe she is, but she loves all of us so we can’t see any devil in her.
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