Gabe...

Gabe is a young Draft cross who is owned by one of our boarders, Corrie. Corrie enjoys riding Dressage and teaching Gabe the ins and outs of the discipline. Corrie leases Gabe out part-time to a woman named Ginny...you'll fond more about Ginny below....

Gabe loves attention...I had a hard time keeping him away from me long enough to take his pic!

...but then he saw Blue-dog....Gabe appears to dislike dogs, and takes to chasing Blue-dog out of his pasture stat!

First, he warns him with a "If you don't get outa here buddy....POW! Right in the kisser!)...but Blue-dog didn't pick up what he was laying down....

So Gabe had to lay the smack down...

...and put on quite the show doing it!

"THERE you pesky dog.....and STAY OUT!"

Corrie and Ginny team up to work with Gabe....

Ginny takes warm-up duty....

..and then Corrie hops up for a ride...

I think they make a great little team....that's one lucky horse!

Happy Trails,

Leah

Autumn & Lil' Bit...

Meet Autumn & Lil' Bit....Autumn & Lil' Bit are owned by one of our boarders, Jesse. Jesse rides these mares just about every single day! He enjoys teaching them reining skills such as slide stops, spins, and flying lead changes....he does all the work himself and has accomplished a lot along the way....



Here are some action shots of Jesse and his girls....

Happy Trails,

Leah

Our Herd....

With Gpa Craig in town, our herd has grown by one! Blue-dog is back! That's him in front on the right....he missed us :) Blue-dog is a 7 yr old Australian Cattle dog....Ginger is right behind him....she is a black lab and the apple of my husband's eye...Ginger is 1 1/2 now, although she is twice the size of Blue-dog....far in the back is little Ms. Nina...Nina is Gma Kathy's toy Fox Terrier...I forget how old she is, but I do know what she IS full grown! Then there's the man of the farm, ole' Boomer....Boomer is a 1995 model and keeps everyone in check around here....I snatched him up as a young pup during my USMC tour in HI and he has been my loyal companion ever since...good dogs.





Ms. Nina striking a pose...





Blue-dog always looking for attentions...

Ginger resting her weary, fat a$$...

...and I can't forget our awesome barn cat, Jake! He and his sister, Delilah, keep our far rodent free! They are star performers.....Delilah was on the job this day, and unavailable for pics.

Fiddle is the best goat in the world...she is a pygmy and is going on 3 years old now....her partner, Banjo, died in an unfortunate accident....the mini-men keep her company now....

Speaking of the mini-men, here they are! Dually is on the left and his sole purpose in life is to provide friendship to Treasure (on the right)....yep, that's about all that little stinker is good for...he's an hornery little bugger.....seriously....Treasure is Randi's first pony, and he carried her through her very first lead-line class! He also pulls a cart and makes frequent trips to the local High School for show and tell...he's a keeper...

Potter is Gma Kathy's Quarter Horse gelding....I think he is about 10 years old now....can't recall for certain...he has a great personality and is super goofy....he is also the alpha male of the field and the other geldings worship the ground he walks on...it's good to be Potter.

Then there is Bo....Bo is about 23 years old now...give or take a year...we have Bo on indefinite lease from one of my former 4-H members....he's like part of the family...the Little Brat has learned to ride on him, as will the punks I am sure...he is also a bit goofy....in the picture below, he was trying to get a horse fly off his back...SUCH a drama queen!

...and below is another tactic he uses to rid himself of those dadgum bugs!

But alas, I did get one normal shot of the ole' fella....such a handsome man.

Fancy) is a 4 year old Quarter Horse mare owned and loved by our family....her foundation is in reining, however, she enjoys chasing cows and getting prettied up for showmanship at the local horse shows too.....Fancy is a sweetheart we hope to enjoy for years to come....

Happy Trails,

Leah

A view out the front door...

Bo & Fancy enjoying themselves during their weekend turnout in the front hay field...

Sorry I have been so slow to post lately! Since I doubled up my college courses I have had a hard time scheduling in time to even breathe...it's all good though, I graduate in May and I'll be taking at least a month off to recover before I head into a graduate program....The punks are growing up fast and I just got the Little Brat's Kindergarten pictures in! I still can't get over it...Kindergarten...really? sigh...I'll have some current pics up soon of the three of them together....

Gpa Craig is on his way and we can't wait to see him! Gma Kathy left early this morning to Cali for G-G-Ma and G-G-Pa's anniversary party....wish we could be there, but we'll see them soon for Thanksgiving....

The Virginia State Fair ends this weekend, so I'd like to try and get there before it's done passed us by...wish us luck!

Happy Trails!

Leah

Not Funny, Mom.

Sorry, CJ....this is what happens when the girls out number the boys in the house. I'm putting this away for future reference.

xoxoxox,
Ma

Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo....

Gma Kathy, the Little Brat, and I saddled up to watch the Bill Picket Invitational Rodeo last weekend...the Nation's only touring Black Rodeo! Read more about the founder, William "Bill" Picket HERE.

We had a great time with our friends Jesse and Charmayne....they are members of the United Horsemen's Association here in Virginia and had several members competing in various events.

This relay, in particular, was exciting to watch. A team of 4 riders performed a sort of 4x4 relay around the arena, passing the baton after each pass...several teams had penalties for passing the baton at the wrong location or dropping it altogether...they were going FAST.....take a look closely at the rider in front....they were all sorts of crazy and obviously having a ton of fun....

Here's that same rider after he got that baton...look at him go...faster than green grass through a goose!

We made it there in time to see the current world champion make a run at steer undecorating, some steer wrestling, barrel racing, bronc and bull riding too! The rodeo staff was spot on and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely...I know we were!

The 'after party' at the trailers awaited us following the events....this group can cook...and dance too! Next year, we'll see about getting ourselves on that there relay team......stay tuned!

Happy Trails,

Leah

A cure for the stuffies....

Sophie has the stuffies...this is the only position she found she could actually get some rest in....Thank God for bouncy chairs!



...and happy babies!


Happy Trails,
Leah

Mini-Cheer!

When my coworker told me her daughters varsity cheer leading squad was hosting a mini-cheer camp as a fundraiser, I knew I would have no problem convincing the Little Brat to go...this is totally her thang! She got to spend the better part of a day with a group of kids in her age range...


They learned cheers....

They learned jumps....

...and the very next Friday they even got to cheer with the girls at their first home game!

..and she loved it more than rice crispy treats! ..and the girl REALLY likes rice crispy treats!

...I do believe she was in her element...

..once she figured out the basics, that is...

That's better honey.....

Happy Cheers!

Leah

Champion Hunter Pony for SALE!

Once in a while I have the pleasure of offering a talented horse or pony for sale to the public. It's been a while because I have been otherwise occupied with my growing family! However, a good friend came to me recently and asked my assistance in placing their daughters champion pony in a good home as she prepares to head off to college. I have known this horse/pony and this family for quite some time now, and I know what an amazing mount "Secret" is going to make for another lucky young child. Her current owner has raised her, trained her, and successfully shown her without a trainer ever taking the reins. This team has reached every goal at the local, state, and regional level they have aimed for....and now it's time to pass the torch....if you are looking for, or know anyone looking for, a large hunter pony suitable for a bareback ride around the stable or a championship ride in the show pen, take a look at this mare....you won't be disappointed!

Pepper's Mega Secret

2004 AQHA Mare

14.1 hands

*UPDATE*

Secret is the 2010 Virginia 4-H State Champion in Showmanship & Pony Pleasure....AGAIN!

Winning Pleasure Pony with beautiful movement and an aptitude for jumping. "Secret" is safe, rides out on trails, and has no vices. Patient and aims to please. Gentle, kind and kid-friendly! Great mover with a sweet expression that always brings home top ribbons. Started on lead changes...."Secret" does not need to be maintained by a trainer...take her home and let her take you to the winning circle!

2010 Season Highlights

4-H State Champion Hunter Pleasure Pony

4-H State Champion Showmanship

4-H Regional Finalist in Hunter Under Saddle out of 180 competitive horses and ponies

4th in Showmanship at 4-H Regionals out of 110

District Champion in Hunter Pleasure, Showmanship and Equitation -

Champion in Pony Pleasure in last 7 consecutive shows -

Currently Top 5 in Pony Pleasure division on the competitive VHSA and BHSA Show Circuits

Career Highlights 2009

4-H State Champion Showmanship out of 188

Regional Reserve Champion in Showmanship

Open VQHA Champion Over Fences

VQHA Champion Hunter Pleasure

Regional Finalist for Hunter-Type Mare Conformation

Career Highlights 2008

4-H State Champion Equitation

4-H State Champion Hunter Pleasure Pony

For more information on this exceptional pony:

Call 540-972-3344
Email: mdkane64@hotmail.com

View her Virginia Equestrian ad here: http://www.virginiaequestrian.com/Users/index.cfm?action=Listings&sub=viewListing&ListingID=68999

CONFORMATION:




JUMPING:




LEAD CHANGE:




SAFE FOR BEGINNERS:




HUNTER PLEASURE:




SHOWMANSHIP:




Happy Trails!

Leah