#ranchinwinter | KT Ranch

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We found a good way to keep motivated during the cold winter.

Posted on February 2, 2023 by horseshoeangusranch

Monday the kids did not have school, teacher in service day. Kaine had drivers ed around noon, so dad took him in to that and then picked him up. He wasn’t really sure he had drivers ed, so we had to text a bunch of people to figure it out. Anna worked on her steers and then went out and got pictures of the bulls and calves when she checked. Toni had Kaine and Kade work on the two summer foals with her Monday night so they got used to other people. Dad found a ride home from South California for Pow, so Toni got that arranged and I venmoed a deposit. Kaine is excited to get her back, and told Toni he is going to beat her in the virtual trail course we are doing. We shall see. Kaine also told mom, that he would be straight with her, and she did not need to add fruit to the trifle she was making and he told her she did not need to make the peppermint cheesecake, peppermint is over rated. He is really helpful.

Tuesday back to school for the kids and back to checking for Toni. I think she was happy Anna checked Monday because she had a lot of work to catch up on. However, Tuesday she took her time checking and tried to pet some calves. They did not appreciate it. A couple of cows had knocked the hot fence down around the hay stack, so she threatened to haul them off if they did not go back in. Kaine had Drivers Ed after chores, so dad took him and picked him up. Jaxsen’s basketball is over, so he is sad about that. Toni sacked our her “pets,” the two summer foals.

Wednesday morning was a bit chilly. The cold is coming back, hopefully we do not have a rash of sick calves again. We saw some pics of Jason riding Cappy on Facebook, they looked great. We got the heifer’s tag in the mail Wednesday, now maybe everyone will call them their names?? Toni is working on sacking out Summer and Holly with a stuffed animal, Summer chases it. Maybe it smells like grain?? Summer is pretty funny. She isn’t a big fan of moving her rib cage over in the sidepass, but she will do it. Holly is better about moving her body but doesn’t like the stuffed animal. Between the two of them they would be the perfect foal. But they are so great. They have been really fun to work with

Thursday was more of the same but the weather was pretty good. Cow checking, chores, sacking out the fillies. Toni and I are going to beat the kids in the virtual trail class. Since the sun was shining, and the fencer somehow got unplugged, the cows went on a walk about to look for green grass, and Ton spent a bit getting them back in since she had not gone and got the dogs. Some of them are on her bad list. Kendel called Toni Thursday night and Gloria had been calving for a while. Ben was almost home at that point, so she met him at the driveway. Calf was backwards and was decent sized. Since she is a tame show heifer Ben pulled it out in the run with bailing twine. Thursday was Toby’s birthday, so Scarlett named the calf Toby. Toby wanted to know if it was because he was backwards or something.

I was home on Friday, so I got to check. I loaded Jewels up in the back of the Colorado and took her with me. We double checked all of the fence to make sure it was still hot. We checked on Gloria calf, and Gloria had Blizzard’s calf with her as well. So I made sure they each moved away with the correct calf. Toni and I worked on the fillies Friday night, and Toni yelled at me for not knowing the pattern and just walking them before she got there and feeding them. So the fillies were not good for the pattern. Marlo helped Kade feed, Kaine went to his friend’s house for a birthday party. They went to an escape room and DID NOT escape.

Saturday Ben cleaned pens in the morning, and Anna worked on her steers. Then Anna took a half clubby steer to her boyfriend, Lane. Robby and Cheyenne came out and got one of the half clubby steers and looked at bulls. Kade was at shooting practice and Kaine was hunting. Toni and Jaxsen came down and we checked cows while Ben strung out wire so we could give the cows more corn field room. Anna got back and Toni, Jaxsen, Anna and I started to put out fence posts. When the men and boys got back they came out and helped. Ben went to prepare the birthday feast, of coconut shrimp, tri tip and Dutch oven potatoes. Mom made rolls and 4 pies. We finished the fence and turned the cows out on the other side, or they were waiting at the fence line for when we took down the cross fence to let them over and they took off. Then we did chores and worked on our foals. Then we partied hard. Marlo got me a funny adult card game that was pretty racey. It was one of those meme games. Everyone was really laughing hard. I got lots of great gifts and had a great birthday party with my family.

Sunday the kids caught their steers and cleaned up some around the barn. Then Ben, Anna, Kaine and I got in heavy cows and Toni and Kade worked on Stormy and went for a ride out to check the heifers. Stormy will be 4 this summer, so it was time to move her to a snaffle. Kade had the opportunity to learn how to work with a young horse bitting up and working on the ground with the bit. Stormy is really good so he actually got to ride her in the snaffle. We weaned Baby Girl, the fall calf, while we had them in. Her mom is a heifer and was getting a little thin. We also got Hayley’s heifer in that was out with our cows. We had tried to catch her out in the field and move her to the house, but she was anti. We filmed out virtual trail class, and I feel like Summer and I were the winners. Did chores and called it a day. Sunday was quite cold. But the sun was out.

It is so much fun to work on the young horses and have them respond the way we want. Summer, Holly, and Gunny have met every expectation we have had. The in-hand virtual class for novice is for all age of horses and handlers, so they are competing with solid broke horses. I think it says a lot about their minds that they can compete at that level. Toni is really enjoying getting the patterns and working on the foals. A good way to keep motivated during the cold winter. Get that competitive spirit revved up and keep it there. We have Summer going to a friend because she is so awesome, so Mom wants us to get Willie in and start working on him and using him for the virtual classes. We did work on him a bit already but he is so good minded he would be an easy one to get going. Maybe we get two new fresh ones in? Any suggestions?

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The Weather has been nice this week, but will it last?

Posted on January 26, 2023 by horseshoeangusranch

Monday Ben and the kids were home, I was at work. They put out hay, doctored calves, Anna worked on her youth foal, I hope they tied up the steers. We have still been getting rain, but at least they do not need the tractor to pull the pickup through the corn field. Kaine, dad and Marlo did horse chores. Ben and Anna did cow chores. Marlo made us dinner, it was very good, kind of a Spanish rice type of a dish. Leo was exhausted from having everyone home and getting to run around all day. Meachams were on a family vacation, some highlights from Monday, the rode on the beach and Jaxsen learned his mom could swim.

Tuesday back to school and work. Ben had to go in early for some classes, he texted when he got to work that the roads were slick. Kaine had drivers ed after school. He assures us that he is a good driver. Marlo and dad got done doing chores. Anna had a zoom meeting with AQHA for her youth foal. Sun was shining in Mexico, but I was sad the pictures were not suns out guns out. Our friend Leonard always wears sleeveless shirts as soon as there is a little bit of sun, so we call that suns out guns out. Like sleeves ripped off of a t-shirt or button up shirt. Leonard is a good sport and finds us amusing. With Toni gone, the two little girls, Holly and Summer are just getting fed and loved on and not having to put any work in. They are pretty happy. Marlo is at the Meacham house so those dogs still get to come do chores and live the good life.

Wednesday I got to go to Olympia for WSWRA Hill day, I have not been so it was a lot of fun. Dad, mom, Ben, Marlo, Anna and Kaine were in charge. Dad took Kaine to drivers ed after chores, and then went to the football coach meeting. Dad said the meeting was a cluster. Marlo and the kids kept everything going at home. We are kind of in a lul on the calves because we are nearing the end. We are actually getting ready to buy semen and synchronizing next month. It is fun because Ben will send random bulls that he might like, or might not, and just wants to see our reaction. Sometimes Anna likes the same bulls he does. Toni and I normally don’t. The bulls we all can agree on definitely go on the list.

I was in Olympia still all day on Thursday and got home late. I had a good time. Everyone at home pulled together and got everything done. The dogs really missed me when I got home. Marlo was still taking care of the Meacham dogs and helping Dad with stuff. Marlo was also in charge of checking cows during the day. With the temperatures up and the sun kind of out the calves have been feeling better, so it is mostly just driving around admiring cute calves. The sheep was trying to breed heifers and then got out and was eating grain and hay at the feedstack. He then got into the corral to try to bred the show heifers. The cows had kind of beat him up anyway, so him getting in was for the best. I messaged the neighbor he was in and could they PLEASE come and get him. We had hauled him up already twice.

I was off Friday and the kids had a half day. In the morning I checked and got new pictures of the calves, new pictures of some of the bulls, videos of some of the bulls, etc. When the kids got home from school they worked on steers, Anna worked on her youth foal, a normal Friday. The kids’ steers are really coming along well. Anna has some pretty cool steers as this may be her last year showing because she is a Jr and U of I starts in Aug. Marlo came out and did chores with us, like she had been all week. It was great having Marlo all week. The neighbor came and got the sheep. We still think it looks like a sheep and it has wool.

Saturday we tagged calves, checked heifers, got the heifers in, sorted out the one we sold. Poured on the show animals and sorted them into different pens since the heifers were coming into heat. Hauled Gamora and Mayhem down with the other heifers, to turn out for a few weeks to freshen them up. Anna and Kaine caught their steers. I worked on Summer and Holly and Kaine and I did horse chores. We have another virtual in-hand class coming up and Toni is insisting that we show weanlings. Anna will show her youth foal, Gunny. Toni plans to show Holly. Maybe I will show Summer. I want to show Joker or one of the yearlings but they aren’t getting worked on. Lane came out Saturday and helped with chores. I guess when you are a country kid date night means you do ranch work. At least he comes from the same background and knows what to expect. Toni was stuck at an airport for awhile so she started texting me on horses she wanted to buy. I had to tell her no lots of times.

Sunday the Meachams were home and Camas came out. Again, date day for Camas and Kaine is ranch work. Camas has known us long enough that she knows what to expect. The kids caught their steers. We fixed fence down around the heifer pen, worked on Toni’s pets, etc. Holly wasn’t super great after the week off but once she got her head on straight, she was fine. Summer is actually the more laid-back easy one. But we have kept 2 full sisters to Summer so we really are going to have to sell her. Both Sally and Huckleberry are full sisters.

We got some really good news on Sunday. Pow pow is ready to come home from training. Racheal has done such a fantastic job. Kaine is really excited. He wants her home in time for the virtual in-hand so he can beat his aunt. Again, we are supposed to show the weanlings, but Kaine will probably show whoever he wants because he isn’t super into the younger horses. He likes to ride. Kade is the same. They just want to go. The other good Sunday news was we got a breeding to a Shiner Named Sioux for 2023. Mom is telling us three AI breedings is enough. With the breeding to Sioux we are rethinking which mares we are Aiing. We also have a breeding to NZ Scotch Time, the sire to our Glo filly that we like so much. The 4 mares below are who we are currently discussing the the 3 AIs. Mom is 100% to AI Annie, currently she is the pick for A Shine Named Sioux. Probably Cammie for Rip and Reba or Charlie for Davis Ranch breeding. When we were breeding to Starlight Midnight we were breeding Charlie, but they are only breeding to him onsite this year, so with picking a different stallion means possibly a different mare.

It feels like spring here! Ok, yeah, there have been a couple of days when it spit snow at us, but we are almost to February and it is time for spring. However, they say winter is coming back next week.