He is coming home...

Drum roll please.....Remme has been accepted into the Pinto Horse Association! Ok, so it's old news for some of you, but exciting none the less!! To make his pinto world debut a success, Cheryl and I have been discussing possible training regimens for the little guy. She also e-mailed a friend who has judged multiple pinto shows to get the jist of the breed association and how their shows go. It was decided that she would take him in October, after the show season is over, as she says these horses get the best of her. She generally doesn't take breakers after the first of April, and she is booked solid! So Remme will be coming home to a pen right outside my house, to be worked every day by me. We are going to get his ground work good and solid so that he is ready for Cheryl in the fall. He will be five when he goes to her. I'm very excited about this opportunity for him! :) Aside from Remme, Chubby and Okauchee will be going back into work also. I think that Chubby will be coming with me to Cheryl's, and Okauchee will be ridden at home. He is currently being looked at by a potential buyer, so hopefully he goes onto a new home that campaigns him! Speaking of new homes...Ransom and Riot are now proudly own by McGregor Ranch! Riot will be Andrea's daughter's future riding horse, and they plan on using Ransom also. Congrats to them on these two wonderful horses! Plans for turning the property into an equine facility are being laid out. There are so many decisions to make! It is hard for me to decide where I want my round pen, paddocks, whether or not I should put a dry lot off the barn or up by the house, how many stalls I want, etc. The list goes on and on. It is actually thrilling for me to run the different layouts in my head, but I know I have to be economical and put it together the way it makes sense. I don't want to waste space or make it so chores are harder to do. Looking outside at snow (STILL!) makes me think that the ground will never thaw out enough to pound post and dig holes...isn't it sad when that's what you look forward to for spring? HAHA!!! Becky

It's been found!!

My website has been down since the new year, so I subsequently thought I lost my blog too. Apparently all I had to do was go searching and TA-DA!! Here she be! The website is now back up and should be reloaded soon. There will be some changes coming once picture weather shows up. It is supposed to break 40 this week, so hopefully the horses will start blowing hair and it'll stay nice after that!

Since I had my son, I've had the opportunity to climb back in the saddle with Cheryl Byrne of Glacial Ridge Equine in Erskine, MN. It has been interesting, to say the least. She has been giving me lessons on her 2010 AQHA Superhorse, Rocky. He lost an eye at a show as a two year old and still went on to win this award! He is a dream to ride, but has been trained much different then any of the horses I am used to riding. I am essentially in re-train mode, and it is proving difficult for me. We are working hard at it at least two days a week, and I hope to be riding youngsters her way for her in the future.

Lots more to report on but the baby is awake so I have to run! Stay tuned!

Hanging in there

I was just reading my last few posts and realized that I never explained my current horse keeping situation. Many of you know the ins and outs of my problems with boarding places and "rental" properties. Being that NDSM now has a permanent home with a bigger and better facility in the works, things have gotten a lot smoother. I cannot thank the man I am buying my house from enough! He has generously let me keep the majority of my herd on his sixty acre pasture about a mile down the road from my house. This has been an immense help to me during my pregnancy and subsequent restrictions. It has also saved me a ton of money in hay costs!!! I really am trying to think of some way to show him my appreciation. One day I will think of something awesome for him and his wife!!

Currently I am still waiting to have a baby and working on the SM rescue. There have been a few snags and road bumps, but I now have a friend helping me brain storm and work on paperwork and such. I do not have a network of SM followers and rich people behind me, so it is proving to be more difficult then I thought. We will get there though!!

I was out throwing hay a few days ago at Ron's. Everyone was waiting for me at the door and I got plenty of kisses from VERY fuzzy ponies. I did a fat check and there are definitely no ribs anywhere to be found. They seem to have gotten lazy in digging for grass and were looking for the nice alfalfa/grass mix I have for them. Ivy is getting to be quite a herd boss. I think Rain has been teaching her the ropes because I saw the little lady lay her ears back and show her teeth to a few different individuals that day. She is going to be an athletic little mare! Can't wait to see how she sheds out come nicer weather.

Speaking of nicer weather, I am looking forward to springtime!! I have "lessons" all lined up with the lady I spoke about in the last post and hope to find Kiah a well broke pony so she can come too! I also would like to get some promotional things lined up. I don't know if I can do the MN Expo, but I would for sure like to do the Fargo one (if they have it this year) and keep working on getting a show together. It seems like the last couple of years I had a ton of stuff to go too, now I can't remember what any of it was! Ha ha, must be the pregnancy brain!!

Oh the woes of pregnancy...and starting an equine rescue!

I have been neglecting my blog I swore I would put more time and effort into, now that I have the time. Not so sure about the effort anymore!!

I have been pregnant for almost eight LONG months and am ready to be done. The last few weeks have been bad, with trips in and out of the hospital for contractions and the flu with major dehydration. I have been put on countless restrictions to keep me pregnant as long as possible, including NO horses!! So you can see where that leaves the blogging about the horses. Like there was much going on before that anyways!!

It is hunting season, and the horses are locked up for fifteen days to avoid any "accidents." I stopped out at Ron's the day I got out of the hospital to go take a peek. Everyone looks good. A little dirty, a little more hair, but good condition to go into winter. Got a little loving from Chubby, who is the first to the fence even before Okauchee now, and a whinnied greeting from Rain. She's really growing up to be something. I think she will be the next one to go in the spring when Chubby goes back. Speaking of, I e-mailed an old prof (and also riding instructor when I was in college) about her schedule. I am going to try to get right back in the saddle after I pop this kid out!! Ivy is doing well out in the herd without mom. I didn't have really any worries that it would go otherwise. Although she has found a spot where she can sneak under the fence and go gallivanting around the empty field. So far she has always found her way back in when she is done moseying.

Remme and Riot are fat and sassy out at Joey's. Always excited to see me when I stop by to check on them. They love their scratches, and, of course, Remme always feels the need to show off. He tries to push Riot around, who stands and clacks his teeth at him, and gets the scolding from Mom to be nice. They are both filling out nicely. I may try putting Remme with something with a nicer hip this spring, just to see what comes out. Need to know if he deserves to keep his jewels! :D

I have been putting my time into learning the ropes and laws of 501c3 non-profit entities. I have officially (and looks like on my own) started the wheels for a Spanish Mustang rescue. I think it is imperative that our community has a place for temporarily displaced SMs and ones that need help in general. Right now I am at the beginning, looking for others interested in helping out with the incorporation. It is a lot of paperwork and hard work, but I think that we can do it!! I have already put feelers out for a transportation train and for foster homes. This way we can get started helping horses in need immediately, versus having to wait until the rescue is up and running as that might take awhile. Anyone interested in knowing more or helping out feel free to contact me!! I am always looking for people to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of!!

One day soon I also hope to figure out if this blog site does anything more interesting then just letting me write!! I also would like to try and get some decent photos for it and for a website update. Oh LUCY!!!

Becky

Part One of The Dream!

Here it is...the new, permanent home of Northern Dream Spanish Mustangs! Ok, I know that none of you want to see the house...it's all the land and the barn that matters, right? There is one of those and almost twelve acres to go with it. I will be posting pics of that stuff when there is actually something to look at. Right now the barn is an empty shell, soon to be full of hay, and my paddock area is an alfalfa field. Across the drive is going to be where my arena will go. I hope to be able to attach three stalls with run-ins and hopefully an office/tack room to it. We will see how the plans work out and whether or not there is enough room for it! I have been very busy lately moving and trying to get settled. I also am down to one job and hope to maybe get a "fun" job at Tractor Supply or something like that, working with other livestock/farming/horsey people. This bar stuff is for the birds!

Currently Lily is doing well in training. As with all range bred and reared older horses, she is taking a little extra time and repetition to get things down. I believe that she trusts Crystal now, and that is helping immensely with things. I am aspiring for her to make it to the show ring someday, but, with only one job now, I really can't be spending a ton of money getting someone else's horse trained. She is going to take some time to become a sound riding mount, and I guess that is better than nothing. I decided that she is not going to be bred this year as the circumstances surrounding the actual AI are harder in the area then I thought. I just didn't want to start trying so late in the season and possibly waste a bunch of money. Also, with only one job now, the market being so crappy, and me being at my limit, it just seemed smarter to wait. Thank you to Sharon Sluss at Rainbow's End for taking the time to speak with me about our options, and I hope to do business with you again in the future!

There is a new addition at NDSM, a nine year old cremello mare named Bright Spot. She is an own daughter of Duke of Earl and out of Sunspot. Sorry, I don't have SMR numbers right now, but Earl is a perlino and Sunspot is a palomino from the Horsehead Ranch. This cross has made many beautful babies, and Bright Spot is already showing she is one of the best conformed and easy to train out of the lot! Ok, so apparently my crappy internet connection isn't allowing me to attach any more pics. Hopefully I can get to it soon! Chubby, as we are calling her, is at Spot Collection Appaloosas with Lily. She has been there only for a few short weeks, and Crystal is already riding her. This mare should be a show stopper on the English circuit! She is such a beautiful mover with a natural presence that is sure to get her noticed!!

Keep watching for updates!!

Ok, Ok! I know...been to long!

I swore that once I got the internet at home I would write more. I guess I am not much of a blogger! But exciting things are happening here at Northern Dream Spanish Mustangs, and I finally feel like I have something to write about!

This past weekend I spent down at my mother's place, so I missed the big visit from Kim. I was offered a pasture to use for the summer and fall. Sixty acres of wonderful rolling grass. Adella and her new baby, Ivy (apparently Remme and Adella got frisky through the fence last year!), Ransom, and a mare from Kim (Sweetwater Crocus, who is by Booker T. Mustang out of Sweetwater Lily) were turned out this weekend while I was gone. Okauchee, Rain, and Ella were turned out the beginning of last month. So far so good! I called the guy who owns the place, and he told me that he hasn't seen any problems yet. I will go out and check on them myself tomorrow. That just leaves Remme and Riot at home. It'll be good to only have to feed two for a couple months!

Another mare from Kim, a full sister to Crocus named Mustang Lily, is at Crystal's (Spot Collection Appaloosas in Fisher, MN) to be trained and AI'd to Wayward Wind by frozen semen. We are still working out the details, so hopefully it all comes together and we get a baby out of the deal! Crystal is going to do the teasing and train at the same time. I am excited to have another riding horse when I can actually ride again!

Which I guess leads me to why I can't ride...I am going to have another baby! Due December 17th. I am very excited!

Keep watching for more info....there is another exciting thing brewing for us here!! :)

It's like summer!!

The weather finally broke last week. It has been in the 20's now for a few days, and I'm loving it!! It's like a heat wave out there.

The horses are all fat and sassy. Seems that the little bit of oats and alfalfa pellets they are getting are doing them some good. I will have to order some more Total Equine Supplement (good stuff, BTW) when I get all the bills paid for this month.

I am going with my friend to pick up her horse from the trainer next Sunday. I think we are going to haul Okauchee with and go for a ride at her trainer's place. It may be my first outdoor winter ride EVER. I don't remember a time when I have been out and about on horseback during the cold season. It'll be interesting to see how Okauchee does. Will have to report back after the ride. I don't know if he's been outside of the arena before!

Otherwise it's winter, not a lot going on. I have a few things in the works, but will not report on them until they materialize.

Becky

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! :)

Turns out January is going to be busier then I thought. I think the goings on of this month will most likely make or break the tone for the entire year. There is a lot of important stuff to be determined in the next few weeks. Pray everything goes well!!

The weather is still holding its own at below zero temperatures with a nasty wind chill and more SNOW! Woke up today to another beautiful dusting. Can't see any of the windows of my car sitting in the drive. It's this time of year that I begin dreaming of living somewhere tropical. Only a few months left to go! Maybe it'll be an early spring, maybe....LOL!

All the horses are fat and sassy. Well everyone except for Rain, she could use some weight. I would like to get Riot weaned. Would've liked to get him weaned two months ago. Such is life. Rain is going back on her full blown 'I'm to skinny' diet. I will have to go to the elevator and pick up some more complete feed and some more rice bran. Everyone else is on a mixture of alfalfa pellets and grain, very little of each. Basically it's for extra heat in the below zero temps. They are doing well on their free choice hay. They really seem to like the mixture they are getting.

Finished my sales page ads for the SMR sales page yesterday. Hopefully they turned out well and make sense to those reading. I'd really like to get a few more horses sold. Need to concentrate on training and showing my breeding stock. I also checked out the website for the facility in Georgetown, MN that Dr. D told me about. The one that can AI Adella. They have a very nice place, and it's not far from here at all. I have to call for a price list, but hopefully it's not to expensive. Dean said he'd pay for it for my Christmas present!! So it looks like Adella's pairing with Wayward Wind will go on as planned. I am so pumped!! I was pretty disappointed when Dr. D said they wouldn't be able to do it due to no space at the U. Leslie and I also talked about going to the SMR meeting again. I'd like to attend and haul Okauchee down there to ride some. I also need the trailer, just in case Pluma ends up coming home with me!

Gotta run. Time to get ready for another wonderful night at work!

Becky

Oh, the weather outside is frightful....

Holy moly are the holidays busy!! Work, work, work....spend, spend, spend....drive, drive, drive. I can't wait until after the first of the year, when everything calms down!! Then I can settle back into my work routine, pay bills, feed horses, keep the dream alive. This time of the year gets tough on me. Out at three a.m., in the cold, hauling water buckets cause the hose is froze really makes you remember why you do it. Rolled into bed at five this morning. Work wasn't to bad, and thank gosh it was decently warm out to feed. No jail breaks yet this winter, knock on wood. Let's hope it stays that way. Well, I guess Riot keeps escaping. But I wouldn't necessarily call that a jail break. There is a little spot between a permanent fence and a building that he somehow keeps managing to squeeze through. He has pooped up enough of the lawn for me to clean up in the spring though!

The results of the AHHA top 25 came back. Remme made it, but just barely. He scored in at #25. I thought he'd do better. They also said that only 34 were entered. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I also thought that they were only doing breeding stock, but apparently not. There were a few horses on the list that I know are geldings. Oh well, Remme will keep his cahones for another day.

Becky

Okauchee is a rock star!!!

YAY for Okauchee being a rock star!! I went to Crystal's last night for my "lesson" on him before he comes home Sunday, and he was AMAZING!! Very quiet, willing, and eager to please. A little lazy with no power steering, but hey, you can't ask for a lot from a green broke horse. It felt so good to be on a horse again after such a long hiatus, and a Spanish Mustang to boot! :) He is very light on the bit, moves off your leg like a dream, will go over tarps and the bridge, and really concentrates on his work when he is alone. He does still have some herd issues. He likes to be in it, constantly. I guess it's something we will have to work on.

On a side note, my trainer, who is also a friend from college, really enjoyed working with him. She said he was a challenge and that she really took to heart what I had told her when she got him and actually RESEARCHED the breed before she started. She had had one BLM mustang in for training when Maggie was still there that had issues up the wazoo. She said that she knew these guys had a different mind, but wanted to know as much as she could before she started. She said he is a bit stubborn, but that he will make a great riding horse and partner for someone!! Another good thing, is that she is willing and eager to take more of my horses in the future. I am so excited!! Mainly for the fact that she does mostly QH and breeds Appys (in this area that is the norm and mustangs are looked down upon, mostly due to ignorance) and will get the word out about how wonderful of an experience it was to work with him.

Anyways, I am going to ride him again Sunday. In the indoor, then outside, and then again when we get back home. We did get pics, but they're not very good. Jess, my photographer, was sick and couldn't come. Dean, my boyfriend, took most of them. The arena was dusty so most of the pics are spotty. Oh well, you get the jist of what's going on. I'll see if I can get Lucy to post some on the website until we can get some better ones.

Becky

P.S. The big guy is still for sale and is going to make one heck of a riding horse!!