HC Minis 2016 foaling line-up

[Chanda]

Oh gosh Chandra, so sorry you lost your Colt.  Hugs my friend!

thank you very much.

That may have been my last, but I'm just not sure.  so, I'll keep watching the other two exposed mares and see what happens.   Tilly, the donk, lives with my smaller stallion; but since he gives whole new meaning to hand breeding, I doubt he did it on his own, but you never know.

[Renée]

Oh Chanda, I don't know how I missed this. I am so sorry for your loss. Red bags are every breeders nightmare. I have had a few over the years and they often come with no warning what so ever. Sending hugs my friend.

[Chanda]

Oh Chanda, I don't know how I missed this. I am so sorry for your loss. Red bags are every breeders nightmare. I have had a few over the years and they often come with no warning what so ever. Sending hugs my friend.

Thank you, very much.  This was my first and feels extra scrappy as I didn't think I'd get a foal from Showy.

[Anna]

I'm a bit late Chanda, but I'm so sorry to hear that you lost your foal. Over the past few years I have had 4 red bags and managed to save all of them, but back in the mid 1900's I lost the first two (one immediately after the other) as I had no idea what was happening and in a panic i called the vet - of course too late to save the first one and the stupid vet who came never explained what was happening and what to do if it happened again. So I lost the second one - called him again.  Did my own research then and, as I said, I managed to save the later ones. (luckily soon after my tragic losses we moved and now have brilliant vets. 
Sending you ((((HUGS))))

[Chanda]

Thank you, Anna.   While I had read about them, until you experience it, you don't realize how tough that bag is.  I'm just glad she was able to pass him on her own, just sad I don't get to play with a little red head.

[Chanda]

Farrier called back today and scheduled a trim for the saddle horses for tomorrow at 6am!  I asked for a little later, so we settled on 7am.  I'm an hour out and he's branding in the afternoon, so wanted it done early.      I'm rarely up at 6am, let alone have horses ready for anything that early.   Going to have to work at getting moving in the morning.
I trim the minis, as I didn't have much luck with two previous farrier trials; if they are going to leave them unbalanced and cock-eyed, I can do that for free rather than paying them $40/head.   Current saddle horse trimmer has only done them for me, and unless I get in a bind, don't think I'll ask to have him trim minis.

[dcwolcott]

I loved your comment last night -- had me laughing!! 

...if they are going to leave them unbalanced and cock-eyed, I can do that for free rather than paying them $40/head

Boy, is that true! 

Mornings I have no problem with, it's waiting to go to work, as the morning hours between 3:30-6 seem to take forever to pass by.  Too dark to garden, nothing much on TV (although I do watch some DVR recorded programs at this time), so I check here, check emails, read or play a computer game.  Anything to keep my mind clear from thinking about what I must do when I get to work.  I try to keep work at work and enjoy my home time without work interfering.  Now if I could just get my boss to stop calling me at home when she "thinks" of something, it would be just perfect!  Those 5:30 am calls from her (because she knows I'm up) just drive me crazy -- and they are certainly nothing urgent.

I just like those hours to be "dead-minded" --

[Chanda]

I can't imagine starting my day as early as you do Diane, I'm so not a morning person.
Farrier was right on time.  Rebel was a turd, and Hayley was well behaved til the last hoof, then she got a bit fidgety.   
He loved the new babies, thought they were something else.

I opened the gate for the mares to go out on grass and they still hadn't left their paddock when I came in after we were done, will go back out in a little bit and usher them out if I must.

[dcwolcott]

I've never slept well, and my oldest boy, Tommy, took after me.  He and I used to sit up and watch TV all hours of the night.  We both need a good solid 3 hours in a row -- but it doesn't matter which 3 hours it is to me. Just as long I can get that DEEP 3 hours of un-interrupted sleep.  Then, I'm good to go!

I'll bet that farrier thought those babies were GRAND!!  They are both so beautiful -- now we know he at least has EXCELLENT TASTE!

[Chanda]

Diane, now I know why you like Topper so much...  He's a half brother to one of your mares, same sire Buckeroo's Top Cat.

Unless I just didn't notice the black points on Showy's lost colt, Topper isn't homozygous for black; thought he might be since 4 out of 5 were black based or bay.   His sire is buckskin and dam black, so thought it possible for homozygous for black, but now not so sure.  Paternal great grand dam is palomino, so that red could have carried through all that way.   Looking up his dam...  And, maternal great grandsire was Boogerman, so chestnut, so that red could have carried down, could have come from either side.    Dang, it just dawned on me right now, Topper traces to Rowdy; but I did test for LWO and he's negative.

[dcwolcott]

Top Cat was my favorite of the Buckeroo stallions.  And you'll note, that Classy Cat was an appaloosa buckskin!!  She took 3rd Nationally in AMHA in her class. 

I loved the "original" start to that line -- Gold Melody Boy -- and had a direct daughter of his here for many years.  Never really had many of the Buckeroo lines, a few, but fell in love with Classy Cat and had her shipped all the way from Washington State to Florida!  But she was worth it!!

Sounds like Topper is really heterozygous for black, getting that red little one.  But again, it's really hard to know, because some times those "red" babies blow their foal coats and wind up "black based" buckskins!

[Chanda]

Well it couldn't be buckskin as neither Showy nor Topper have cream, but bay is a possibility.

Check out these baby pictures and then older pictures of Dakota, he was registered as dun, he's bay, but his points came in later.  [A friend took the pic of him and his dam, as she bought his year older half brother out of same dam, so I can't be absolutely positive it's him, other than she said so.]
Last picture is when I turned him out with the yearling boys the first time.

[Chanda]

And, I've seen those pictures of Classy Cat, she was lovely, I thought so from the start, and I'm not usually drawn to appies.

[dcwolcott]

Yes, no cream!  I get confused which horses I'm looking at some times!  LOL

And for someone not drawn to appies, you produced a gorgeous one!!  Appy breeders will drool over him!  I know how excited I was to first see him.  I LOVE the bold, big spots!!

[Chanda]

If I had met just Tana after she was born, I may not have brought her home, knowing her sire was leopard appy, but I was in love with her dam and wanted that baby regardless.