A Very Naughty Blogger

Oh my I have been terrible at keeping this updated! Mainly because I got a job in January and it turned out to be pants! I was never home and being winter when I was home, it was dark! Today is day one of my new job with hours of 7:30-9 then 2:30-6 so I get daylight at home! I am planning to make the most of this time and get Etsy up and running again as it has fallen into disrepair! I also plan to sort out my chickens for spring breeding season and to finally break in my horses. Though Barney has been ridden a few times I want to get him pulling the sledge!

I have been instagramming a fair bit, but with the awful weather it's been hard (also called eksterhuis on there).

A few images from the past few weeks of rain!

 One of my beautiful Silver Laced Wyandotte pullets

 Kristin doesn't like the rain!

Barney in the flood waters!

Barney's Bath Day

After having time off for my foot to not to be so broken Barney is back in training. Rump roped and ready to go! Ended up giving him a bit of a bath. Next time will get the shampoo out on him. Finally getting him used to having his back legs handled so will be able to sort out his mud fever. Vicious circle of sore legs so not letting me touch them and because I can't touch them (and treat them) they are more sore!

Anyway dead proud of my big boy! He copes with new things so well!

The Show

Two weeks ago I took my little brumby to The Canterbury A & P Show. "The Show" as it's known is a big agricultural and pastoral event every year in Christchurch (though every area has small ones, this is the biggie. It's a three day event where the country comes to town. This year was the 150th anniversary of the show. Clydesdales were to play a big part in the show as they would have been a big feature 150 years ago. 

I had three days off work (the Friday of the week is a provincial holiday) to prepare and attend. Tuesday was spent rushing about cleaning my little Kristin. Thank goodness I did so much as it obviously paid off. We placed 6th in the line up for presentation. Rather amazing and I have to thank three lovely ladies for helping me with her tail, without them I would not have placed. They helped me put in traditional tail spikes (I can't remember their name though!) The judge said that I would have placed higher if her mane was braided (which they do in Australia for 2 year olds) but I said she would be next year.

We also placed coming 3rd in the 2 year olds class and came 7th (so missed a ribbon) in the walking class. The judge commented that I walk faster than her but that will be easier when she gets bigger :)

 

Unfortunately my show was cut short by short by an accident with Barney when I came home to feed him. Leaving me in hospital with a broken toe and my friend looking after Kristin at the show. I don't want to talk about that now though... It's still in cast!

  

I am very proud of Kristin and look forward to doing it all again next year!

Introducing Barney...

So I now have two lovely Clydesdales in the paddock... Meet Barney. He is a lovely gentle 4 year old gelding with a big white face. Though he is older than little Kristin he still has a lot to learn. He's been well handled but not had many lesson so he still gets scared by simple things like being tied up. He wasn't too good at getting his feet picked up but now he is a lot more comfortable with it (though currently not his hind offside which he has taken a chunk out of while playing with Kristin and it's a bit sore...)

He's now confident having a cover put on but needs a lot more handling round his mouth as he does not like hands being held on his muzzle, though he is getting much better. This may take a bit of a back step when the dentist comes to visit!!!

New Canon Macro 60mm Lens

My Little Kristin

Just to introduce my lovely horse, Kristin. She is a rising two year old registered Clydesdale. He full registered name is Erewhon Kristin. I bought her at auction, which is not always the best way to buy a horse when you have not owned one since you were 16... But anyway I fell in love with her (even though I had not even patted her) and I had also fallen in love with the idea of having a Clydesdale. Now my evening are spent trying to catch her in the paddock! She is a rather silly little girl who is a pain in the backside to catch, but once you have her on her lead she becomes a lot easier to deal with! I have holidays coming up in a week and I will be doing a lot of work with her then. Mainly on catching, leading and being tied up, but she will also have the fun of her second farrier visit.

 

As you can see from the first picture she was a little bit on the skinny side when I got her. She had been living pretty much as a wild horse up on the mountains. It's a great start for a young horse to live up in the high country, but as she has not been handled much it creates a whole layer of difficulties of working with a 'young adult' horse. She has a bit of a defiant streak and is the sort of horse it will take a long time to trust but I think she will be one of those horses that will love one person (who I hope is me!). I am really looking forward to starting to break her in and one day ride her, but that is a while off yet! In the meantime I will start collecting harness for her as I am hoping to break her to harness as well as riding!

She has filled out a lot since I have had her at home, though when she is wet she suddenly looks very thin (her winter coat is pretty bloody long!) I have not given in and got her a winter cover this year. She wouldn't of had one if she was up in the hills again this winter! Even during the snow we had a couple of weeks back she was out there with nothing on. She will grow so much between now and next winter than it seems a bit silly to get her one after all horses in the wild don't have covers!

She is about 15hh at the moment but will grow quite a bit more, her bum is rather high at the moment, waiting for her next growth spurt!

I am really looking forward to spring when I can start working with her more as the days get longer. It will also be time then for my proper paddocks to have the fencing down along with getting a hitching post and wash bay sorted. Then bring on show season. I am really looking forward to getting one ribbon with her, it will mean so much to me!

Oh and I am already looking out for Clydesdale No 2... Watch this space! (I would love to breed them one day!!!)