Blue Moon Spanish Mustangs

Almost the weekend...

2010-05-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

it is almost the weekend and have 3 days of, looking to get some serious saddle time in and the kids are out of school and ready to ride;0
The sun was shining all day today, weather was nice. A little humid but we are spoiled here as we don't have much humidity. But I can live with it just to see the sun all day.
Here is hoping for a good weekend with great weather and riding with the kids.

Here we go again.....

2010-05-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Another tornado watch, more rain, more hail, more crappy weather.
Just one full day of sunshine would be nice, I am starting to grow fins.

Rain, rain, rain

2010-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Well it seems the rain never stops around here lately. Yesterday gave us rain, hail, thunderstorms, lightening and tornados. Okay that was fun, now bring on the sunshine:) We are ready.

A day at the lake with the Young Dakota Riders

2010-05-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well after a week of hard work, bake sales and yard work the Young Dakota Riders got a well deserved break.
We took them to Bismark Lake in Custer State Park for a day of fishing and BBQing.
The fish were uncooperative but the kids didn't care. They had a great time and the day was beautiful.
They all worked hard and deserved a day of fun and relaxation.

Young Dakota Riders bake sale:)

2010-05-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our second Young Dakota Riders bake sale. It was a great success and sold most everything except a few cupcakes. The kids have also been working and doing odd jobs for some of the elderly here in town and have been making some extra money for their group and events this summer. The folks they have been working for constantly comment on how hard these kids work.
We have some more jobs lined up this week for the kids but today is play day for them.
We are taking them to Custer State Park for a day of BBQ and fishing as reward for working so hard.
What a great group of kids we have:)

Managed to squeeze in a ride:)

2010-05-22T16:05:00.001-07:00

Well in between all the rain, thunderstorms and tornado warnings, and in general crappy weather we managed to squeeze a quick ride in Thurs night:)
It was a nice night and we got back in just in time before it started raining again. At least we had a few hours of sunshine and fun before the clouds rolled in and put a damper on things.
Don rode Ladybug, I rode Charlie, Phil rode Mouse, Trystan rode Houdini and Skylar got to ride my mare Blue Valentine. I keep telling him not to get to attached to my horse:) She is every 11 year old's dream horse, she loves to go, and will go all day long if you ask her:)
Of course we all had to have a race of which of course Valentine prompty whupped our butts:) No fair she is carrying a kids that only weighs about 60 lbs:)

Surprise, surprise...meet Angel's Rendevous:)

2010-05-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Our little filly Whisper blessed us Sunday with a beautiful filly. What a surprise as we didn't know she was bred:) When we were out at the pasture a few weeks ago we noticed she was quite huge, but then they all are:) Our landlord called us Sunday and said you will never believe this but your little filly had a baby:)
Last summer Ghost got out and made a jaunt down the road to the mare and filly pasture. He was only loose for a few hours before he was corraled and taken home, but obviously our man is quite a charmer and did some fast sweet talking to Whisper and got the job done:)
What a wonderful surprise and a delightful little filly out of Ghost in the Grass and An Angel's Whisper who has been dutifully named Angel's Rendevous:)

Meet Tuffy

2010-05-09T07:25:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to introduce our newest addition, Tuffy.
He is our new puppy, someone abandoned him and his brother at a friends place. We were quite smitten with him when we first met him.
Tuffy is turning into quite a character, tons of personality, just a love bug.
Zip has decided to appoint himself Tuffy's big brother and is showing him all the ropes. He is taking good care of the little guy.
We went to the lake with the dogs and Tuffy had a blast running around and playing.
I think he will do just fine here:) Everyone is already in love with him.
We know he will never replace Sabbath but we weren't looking to replace him either. Tuffy just brings a new soul into our life.

The circle of life just keeps going on...

2010-05-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

Just when things settle down a bit, boom, everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
Phil and his boys were blessed with a beautiful little grulla filly two weeks ago out of Trystans mare Little Bit. She was quite a petite and striking young lady with her mom's wonderful disposition.
The kids were all smitten with her and she was aptly named Mischief for her personality;)
Last weekend Mischief was attacked and killed by a mountain lion in her pasture. She was laid to rest by Don and Phil and boys. And she will be greatly missed even though she only spent a small time in our life.
Thurs morning after a terrible diabetic attack that left permanent brain damage, Phil lost his brother Claude. We send our prayers to the Young family for their loss and hope their journey to Sheridan Wyoming to lay Claude to rest is a safe one for the whole family.
But also Thurs afternoon my niece Samanatha gave birth to a healthy baby boy in Illinois. Pics will come soon as I get them.
Jerrod Ray is his name and mom and baby are doing great:) I am a great aunt, kind of overwhelming:)
Hopefully we have an uneventful weekend.
I am ready for some normalcy around here and I know everyone else is also.

California Dreamin'

2010-04-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

Here is the new girl we have all been waiting for, California Dreamin', because as crappy as the weather has been we are all dreaming of someplace nicer.

Chica has finally foaled

2010-04-22T10:06:00.001-07:00

Chica had her baby last night, a very petite and exquisite bay filly with a nice crescent shaped blaze.
The day is cold, rainy and dreary but both mom and baby are doing good.
Pics to follow:)

A week of great losses and new beginnings

2010-04-17T05:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a very emotionally hard week for Don and I. Things have went so many different ways it has been hard to get a handle on our thoughts, emotions and feelings.
It has been a week of terrible losses.
Earlier this week we lost our good friend Bob. He was 92 years old. A great man and a good friend. We met him 3 years ago when he was avidly looking for a new horse to ride. Bob had ridden endurance rides all his life and has ridden the Tevis Cup 6 times, finishing 4 of the 6 times. He was one of the founding members of the AERC, and his dream was to run the Tevis Cup in his 90's. He came out several times and looked at our gelding Concho. Rode him, liked him and they made a great team. Of course being on SS and such Bob didn't have a lot of money to spend, but his heart was sure in the right place.
We were asking $3500 for Concho, remember he was a dead broke kids horse, registered spansh mustang with 2 years under his belt riding in parades and being in the public. We sold Concho to Bob for $1500. It was a match made in heaven.
People gave us a terrible time about it, saying why in the world would you sell a horse to a 89 year old man. Why because he needed Concho, he needed a reason to get up every day, he needed a purpose, and horses were his life.
It was the greatest decision we ever made and Bob had 3 happy years riding that horse they were a great team and we loved to watch them out and about.
Bob passed away to cancer this week, it is a great loss to us and the horse world as he was a great man with tons of logic.
We will miss him, but Concho will continue his life at a Theraputic Riding Center for handicapped kids.
Ride on Bob we will miss you.
Wed. evening our wonderful big black dog Sabbath passed away. We had him for 9 years, he was Dons traveling buddy and best friend. Never could convince all 120 lbs of him he was not a lap dog. He went on every long distance trip Don went on traveling all over the US with him. His big lovable nature and special personality is greatly missed and there has not been a day since we lost him either of us has not cried.
We will miss him on all of our horseback rides as he always went with. He loved exploring new country and being out and about and if we went 20 miles you know he went 40. He loved to run, loved to play, loved to visit Aunt Ruth the Chicken lady, you never know when she may lose a chicken and he would get it as a prize to bring home and bury. He loved the kids, always slept by our bed and was the biggest gentle soul I ever knew.
Good by Sabbath, you are greatly missed and there will never be another like you.
Thursday morning my cat Secret blessed us with 5 beautiful kittens. Two calico, a solid black, a gray with white feet and a black white. Mom and babies are doing great all kittens have already been spoken for and when the time is ready will go to their new homes.
The kids love the kittens and they love to sit at the kennel and watch them and momma.
We decided Thurs night after such a trying week we would all put our grief aside and have a celebration of life.
We brought out the grill, cooked hot dogs, pork loin, chicken, baked beans potatos and chips.
We laughed and remembered and had a good time. We watched the two mares who are ready to foal, Splash loved all the scratching and attention she got.
it was a good night, after dinner we started a fire and the kids roasted marshmallows.
At 11pm Splash blessed us with the most perfect and beautiful black and white appy filly we could have ever wished for. She has been named Starstruck and she truly fits her name.
The circle of life truly goes on.

An evening at the lake

2010-04-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Took a night to relax and enjoy the nice weather that floated in. Went down to the lake with Makayla and the dogs and had fried chicken potatos and watched the dogs play in the water and watched the sunset.
It was a beautiful time and it was nice to have some sunshine after the never ending snow.

Guess what...

2010-04-10T06:37:00.003-07:00

It is snowing again!!!
Imagine that got 4 inches last night and still going strong. Sigh, I believe spring will never some.

Training the Silver Bullet

2010-04-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

Don has been working on Silver Bullet and we are quite impressed with his mentality and ability and willingness to learn. He came to us pretty much an unhandled 3 year old and has turned into quite a pocket pony. He has a wonderful disposition, very curious and mischivious, with a sparkle in his eye which is a combination of "what can I get into" and "who me I would never do that"
He is just fun to sit around and watch, always looking for some kind of trouble to cause:)
He had has first full grooming session, head to toe, to remove the winter build up of hair and such. Once he figured out that it actually felt good and we were not going to flay his skin away with the shedding blade, he stood quietly. Had a few camel lips going along the way:)
He is getting real good about being caught now, will stand and face nicely and Don can walk right in at catch him without a hitch. He remembers everything, his retention of information is amazing to see. ONce you show him something he has it and doesn't forget. He is a very willing and giving young man and he is being groomed to be a nice kids pony and maybe a future prospect for an up and coming Young Dakota Rider.
Then we worked on saddling and unsaddling, blankets, weight, flex, etc. Took everything in stride, very curious about everything going on around him.
Finally Don stepped up in the saddle after all the prep work was finished and Silver just walked away like he had been saddled every day of his life.
Quiet and calm, he did fantastic. Don kept the ride short, just a few trips around the pen, then dismounted, unsaddled, groomed and loved on him some more and let him play.
Repeated the next day without incident.
What a fantastic young man, this guy will make a fine saddle horse for anyone.
The kids are already fighting over who gets to ride him first:)

the mare stare continues....

2010-03-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

The mare stare for Chica continues, she is being quite contrary about giving up that baby:) I don't think her bag could be any fuller, milk veins are full, she is starting to resemble a Jersey cow.
Even the dogs are joining in on the baby watch:)

another great ride to Mt. Rushmore

2010-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Went for another beautiful ride up to Mt. Rushmore with the kids. Clint came over from his place and rode with us on Alley. They were both pretty pooped by the end of the ride.
Had a great time, beautiful scenery. There was some snow still left in the park in place but that made everything look nicer.
Rode up to Rushmore and had lunch and then rode back down again. Got lucky and seen some moutain goats who were hanging out at Rushmore. Dogs had a ball except Sabbath who got sprayed by skunk on the trail and had to go to the Doggy Wash when we got home and get deskunked.
Glad spring is here and looking forward to longer and nicer days.

a nice ride

2010-03-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

We went for a nice ride yesterday with the kids and had a ball. Traveled up to the old mica mine that is 5 miles from our place. It was a nice easy ride and Patch's first long ride out and he did quite well.
Finally got Sammy jo enough confidence to get into a trot;) She did very well and after a bit was relaxed and confident. She is turning into quite a rider.

Still on baby watch.....

2010-03-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Chica is still holding out, she is really getting soft in the hindquarters and getting very close. Any day now, she is in the foaling pen and got all the new straw and bedding in there. The foal blanket is ready in case the weather gets chilly.
I know she is not feeling well, because when we get up in the morning and I let the dogs out she always talks to me. Today she was very quiet, with a droopy lip. Looks very tired. Poor girl I know how she feels.
Going for a nice ride when we get off work, a few of the Young Dakota riders are going with us. Snowing a bit now, but warm so it shouldn't be too bad:)

Baby watch

2010-03-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well we are officially on baby watch, our little mare Chica is getting very close. She has been up and down all morning, bag is full and you can tell she is very uncomfortable.
So keeping a close eye on her:)

The great Llama adventure

2010-03-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well we had an interesting day. Our landlady called in a panic. Her llama, Song, had escaped through a gate that was left open and was running amuk on the forest service. After a day and a half of hiking and looking they couldn't find her.
The plea was please bring out your horses and round up my llama.
Okay we are always ready for an adventure, even a llama roundup. Not that I had ever rounded up a llama before but we are game for anything:)
So we load up Icicle and Valentine, our two best riding horses, and headed up north to the Limestone area. Song was running loose in the old mining area of Custer Camp, with 1000's of acres of forest service around her.
Did I mention she was a white llama with black markings, which would blend in perfectly with the white snow and dirt showing through.
Luckily the weather has been warm and the snow is melting and also creating alot of mud which makes llama tracking much easier.
We started riding a grid back and forth through the area, one riding the road looking for tracks and the other riding just a little ways away looking for tracks.
After about 45 minutes, eureka, I found what I thought was llama tracks(though not sure as I have never tracked a llama before:)
Bingo she had wandered down this road, and not too long ago either.
Off we went, Don followed the road, and I followed the ridge line looking for our wayward llama.
After a short ride, I came up and over a ridge, and right there behind a large slash pile, was Song.
I hollered at Don, she was about 100 yards ahead of us and watching us quite intently.
Don came down the road, and around the slash pile and I followed the ridge down towards her.
And about the same time both Icicle and Valentine spotted the llama. Now remember neither of them had ever seen a llama before and at this very moment were not impressed with her at all.
Valentine was a little concerned that said llama was so close but seemed to settle down after a few moments.
Icicle was having core meltdown and was not only concerned said llama was that close, but was concerned that said llama was sharing the same hemisphere with her.
Boom, Song decided it was time to exit stage left. Off she went, and I might add llamas are quite graceful bounding through the downfall and brush in the forest, very similar to a deer.
Don headed north of her following the ridge to her left(with much protesting from Icicle who decided whatever direction the llama was going she really needed to be heading the opposite direction)
I headed off to the left to flank her and try to push her back to the road where we could box her in and herd her back to the gate, if you can actually herd a llama which I am not sure is possible.
What a merry chase it was, Valentine was hot in pursuirt, swiftly over her llama phobia. Icicle agreed to chase as long as the llama didn't come her way and kept a safe distance.

Song was pulling ahead, it was hard to keep a steady pace with all the brush on the ground, but I kept her in site. Don managed to push her towards the road, then I cut her off as she tried to turn back. We got her on the road, and Don pushed on ahead to get to the gate before she did. He really didn't need to urge Icicle on to hard and she was gleefully running AWAY from the llama. I kept her at a steady pace along the road and when we got to the corner post of her pasture she jumped the ditch and started to follow the fenceline. She knew she was getting close to home.
Don made it to the gate about the time Song did, he got the gate open but Song backtracked and jumped the ditch trying to get back across the road.
Valentine was on her though, and quickly cut her off and got her headed back in the right direction.
Once she figured out there was no escape route she reluctantly headed through the gate and home.
Landlady was so happy to have her Song home.
It was definately an adventure to remember.

2010 Denver St. Patricks Day Parade

2010-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up again:) Last weekend on March 13th we were honored to be a part of the 2010 Denver St. Patricks Day parade which is the biggest parade for St. Patricks Day west of the Mississippi.
What a fantastic event to be part of. We worked hard the last few months with bake sales and raffles to help raise money to go to this parade. This was something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives:)
We left Friday morning and headed out. It was decided that eating out every day would be way too expensive so we packed lunch meat, chips, fruit, pop, juice, our pizza oven and frozen pizzas for dinner that at the motel room.
It was a nice easy trip with no problems all the way to Denver. We stopped along the way and picked up our friend Susan in Wyoming so she could come and watch.
Had motel reservations already and had a place picked out at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden for the horses to spend the night. it was very nice facility with great accomodations for the ponies. Rolled in around 6 pm, unloaded the horses and let them stretch their legs, got their hay and water ready and tucked them in for the night.
Off the to motel, unpacked, got the pizza oven out and fixed dinner.
The kids were beat, and really hyped for the next day.
We spent several days cooking ham and beans, hamburger and beans, bbq roast beef and buffalo stew which was packed in ice for the trip. When we went to bed we set up crock pots with all the food and let it cook all night long.
Voila lunch for the next day.
Up and at it early, out the door by 6 am. Got to the fairgrounds, bathed the horses, loaded up and headed to Coors Field where the staging area was.
Minus a slight problem with directions we made it virtually without incident except running out of fuel in the truck pulling the big trailer a few blocks to the staging area.
But never fear, hooked the truck and trailer to Tom's truck and trailer and he towed us right in:)
Never fails have to make a interesting entrance.
Got the horses unloaded, groomed, tacked and ready. We had several hours before it was our turn, so the kids had a ball watching the parade, we sat and had a leisurely lunch, played around and got the horses accustomed to all the hubub around them.
It was something none of us will ever forger. Over 330 entries, 10,000 participants and approximately 250,000 spectators for this parade. It took over 4 hours to complete the parade.
Our horses and kids made us proud as they were calm, cook and made a fantastic showing.
The parade committe invited us back again next year and we are excited and looking forward to it.
We are very grateful to the business in Custer who donated the gift certificates for the raffle and especially grateful to the Custer Lion's Club and Custer Chamber of Commerce for the generous donations to help get us to this parade.
The horses and riders were
Don Harwood on Icicle Moon
Terri Harwood on Blue Valentine
Jazzmine Hitchew on Maggie Doby
Sammy Jo Zetner on Blue Ribbon
Makayla Miller on Houdini
Sondra Miller on Sagebrush Cenisa
Phil Young on Preacher
Skylar Young on Valentino
Trysten Young on Little Bit
Can't wait for 2011:)

Catch up time again...

2010-03-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

I promise to get caught up tonight and tomorrow. Computer time has been few and far between since we got home. Been chasing our tail all week and hoping to have a nice calm night at home to get some emails answered and such:)

Counting down...

2010-03-11T10:06:00.001-08:00

2 more days until liftoff:) Can't wait, news at 11:)

Just a few more days....

2010-03-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

Four days and counting until the big day, stay tuned for details:)

the weekend is here....

2010-03-05T05:52:00.001-08:00

the weekend is here and the weather is suppose to be perfect. I am ready to ride:)

I think Spring is right around the corner:)

2010-03-01T05:34:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday was a wonderful day. We got up early, got all of our hay unloaded and all the ponies in the pastures with new hay bales. Caught Pacino and Doolittle and brought them in, got Pacino situated in his new pasture. Doolittle will go home to Jazz's tonight when she gets out of school:)
The Young Dakota Riders were chomping at the bit to ride:) By the time we got back they were all outside patiently waiting with their saddles. We have a new addition to our group, Sammy Jo, and this was her first big ride out and she was quite excited.
Caught all the ponies, got all tacked up, and off we went. There was 9 of us in the group, quite a site headed down the trail through the trees. One couple stood at their patio window and waved as we went by.
Don made sure to give Sammy Jo plenty of instruction, but it wasn't really necessary as the other kids took over and talked her through any trouble she seemed to have. I got to giggling listening to all of them explaining to Sammy Jo how do ride, how to hold the reins, how to steer, what to do, how to sit up right. Then of course Jazzmine had to pipe in and say, "You don't worry Sammy Jo, we will help you out whenever you need it and if you have any question just ask. Because remember we are the Young Dakota Riders and work together as a team."
The kids are sure learning to work together, learning good behavior and good habits and we are very proud of them.
The ride was great, weather got a little chilly towards the end, but there were no complaints within the group.
It was a shorter ride as we didn't want Sammy Jo to get too sore:) I know how sore you can be if you are out of shape and not ready for a long ride.
Came home later in the afternoon around 3.
Now was time for the big surprise.
Took Sammy Jo out to one of our pastures, and gave her the good news. She got to meet her new Spanish Mustang, One-Eyed Jack, aka Jackson. He was a git from us to her. You see Sammy Jo has type 1 diabetes, very severe. She has to wear an insulin pump at all times and check her blood sugar at least 10 time a day. Her mother told us most groups don't want to involve Sammy Jo because she is sick and they don't want to be responsible for her or her diabetes. And all she really wants is for her daughter to have a normal life(now I don't know how normal we all are:) That is why her riding and participating with us is so important to her. This gives Sammy Jo a chance to be a normal kid without anyone judging her by her sickness.
And this is why we chose Jackson for her, but he is a whole different story within himself(stayed tuned for a later date for that:). He is a special boy who needed a special person, and Sammy Jo is that person.
Jackson is turning two this year, Sammy Jo will spend the year learning how to ride and such, and then next spring Jackson and her will start training together. Keep watching the newest Young Dakota Rider.
Like I said the ride was great, we all had a wonderful time together.
The group was Don on Ginger, Terri on Charlie, Ruth on Fox, Sondra on Cenisa, Makayla on Houdini, Jazzmine on Maggie, Sammy Jo on Ribbon, Skylar on Valentine and Trystan on Domino.
We are very proud of our kids but equally proud of the horses for taking such good care of their precious cargo.

Another great day and another great ride

2010-02-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

Well today was another beautiful day and we had another fantastic ride. Don rode Ginger, I rode Domino, Sondra went with and rode Cenisa, Makayla rode Houdini, Ruth rode Fox and the neighbor joined us for a ride and rode the ever faithful Ribbon.
Had a blast, the weather was perfect and all the horses did grand, even going through the tunnel under the highway, which can be scary especially with cars going overhead.
Have to pick up Pacino and Doolittle tomorrow and take them home, deliver some hay, then will be another day for another ride.
Don't know for sure where we are going to head to, but anywhere is better than subzero weather and too much ice. Spring is peeking out and I am sure getting spring fever. Ready for this winter to end and some nice weather.
The kids are getting some terrible cabin fever and driving all the adults crazy:)

A great ride yesterday

2010-02-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

The weather finally broke yesterday, the sun came out, we hit 45 outside. Went for a ride and it was great, just traveled cross country until we hit the Mickelson Trail and rode for about 5 miles then turned around and came home. It was fantastic and had a great time. Looks like good weather all around the next week and a half. Woohoo, finally some good riding weather is here at least for a while:)

Okay I am ready for spring...

2010-02-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

Okay I am officially ready for spring, I am tired of the cold, ice and crappy weather. This is by far the longest winter I can remember here in the Black Hills since I moved here in '96.
Puma is doing great, up and at em, out and about. His one front leg was broken and I believe will always be a bit crooked, but it sure don't slow him down any.
Horses are doing great, of course Eskimo still holds the title for the worlds fattest gelding. The neighbor thought he was a mare in foal:)
Had a photographer come and visit our big herd up north. He took a bunch of pics, asked tons of questions, and asked if he could come back and take pics of the horses again. Loves them and loves the breed. Said he is doing tons of research on the Spanish Mustang and is quite fascinated by what he is finding out.
beeen an interesting few weeks. Was up in Rapid last Friday and heading out of town and had just pulled off the interestate, couldn't have went more than a mile, and the back tire FELL off the truck. That was a wild ride let me tell you. I thank God that it didn't come off on the interestate. Had some good samaritans stop and help me and got me back on the road.
Mountain lion came to visit again, got the horses all fired up. Then decided to go through the fence and go on a walk about at 3 am:)
Looking forward to the nice weather they are prediciting. WE have been having to trailer other places to ride, way to much ice here.

Cold weather again...

2010-02-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Boy the cold weather is back, it was -20 this morning when I got up. The high yesterday was -5. Hard to get anything done in this weather. We got hay delivered, got he horses watered, and cut some firewood and got it all split and ready to go.
But when the weather is this cold you have to stay up all night and keep the woodstove going or the house is freezing when you wake up. Got snatches of sleep in between stoking the fire, until about 1am when Silver Bullet decided to start playing the bongos on his feed pan in the pen. So I had to get up and get dressed, go outside, get his pan away from him and put it somewhere where he couldn't reach it. By that time you are wide awake. And of course our kitten Secret is in heat and I can't get her into the vet until Monday. So she is up yowling and carrying on all night long.
Oh well who needs sleep anyway:)

Time to catch up...

2010-02-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well it has been busy the last week and a half. It is snowing again here and we are up to about 6 inches and still going strong. I have decided I am officially sick of winter and are ready for spring.
We have managed to squeeze in a couple of short rides, one was Sunday with the kids. They were all gung ho to ride until we got all tacked up and started riding, then they decided it was too cold and wanted to go back home.
So we headed back and untacked, did chores and went into the house and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows on an open fire in our wood stove. Nothing like camping in Aunt Terri and Uncle Don's living room:)
Puma is doing good, recovering nicely from his dog attack. It was pretty iffy there for a while, we really thought we were going to loose him. He has one crumpled ear, missing a few toes off of one foot and still recovering from several broken ribs but doing well and getting stronger every day.
I believe he used several of his nine lives on that one.
Don's brother Jack came to visit for a few days with his wife Linda and it was nice seeing both of them. We did manage to go for a short ride yesterday before the weather turned bad and then went to Rapid to the Stock Show and went out for dinner.
Had a really nice time, and they both enjoyed their time off of work.
Trying to get caught up on all of my computer work and such, still trying to get the trip to MN over and done with, but the weather has not been cooperative for that by any means.
Praying for some nice weather this weekend but it sure don't look good.

Puma is injured

2010-01-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Well the neighbors dogs came over last night and attacked my cat Puma. He is tore up pretty bad, large gash in his throat, almost tore his ear off, punctures all over his legs. I am so angry, they are always letting their dog run loose all over the neighborhood. We have Puma cleaned up, on antibiotics, and in a large pet kennel where it is quiet and he can rest. He hasn't eaten or drank, done nothing but sleep. I am very worried he is going to make it through this. And that dog better not come back on this property.

Spring Breeze has a new home

2010-01-18T18:40:00.001-08:00

Every now and then we have to make a decision, when our mind tells us one thing but our heart tells us another. And these decisions are not easy but our souls tell us what is right and wrong even if our brain tells us something different.
Spring Breeze aka Baby was my first Spanish Mustang. I got her at age 4 in 1998, she came out of a terrible situation, and she came with issues. She was very untrusting sometimes of people, didn't like men at all, was very small and underweight, and had the beginnings of COPD.
I loved her anyone, she was my soulmate and my friend. She had her quirks that is for sure, but we had an agreement. For many years when I rode her she would attempt to buck me off at least once a week. And I truly believe it was a game to her. Sometimes she would get me off and she would win, sometimes I would stay on and I would win. When it was out of the way(usually I wound up on my behind) she would look at me as if to say, Ha I got you, now lets get on with our ride.
We went through years of aggression on the trail, she had space issues, and her space was large and widespread. And no one and I mean no one was allowed in it. If a trespasser dared enter the restricted area the punishment was fast and swift.
But I loved her anyone.
She always met me at the gate, I could take her for walks with no halter and lead and she would follow me like a dog. She loved attention, learned to trust and learned(thanks to my ex boyfriend who bribed her with many treats) that men were okay.
She would help my ex work on the truck, sometimes leaning over to peer in the hood as if there was something she could do to be of assistence.
She would play touch tag with my dog, and the dog was usually it:)
No fence could hold her, she loved her walkabouts. I think she would come in and sit on the sofa and watch TV with me if she could.
Baby was my world, I loved her with all my heart.
I made a choice to move to Washington for a while to help my ex's father who was ill. While I was gone Baby was left in the care of a friend.
I spent a year in the PNW and when I came home I came home to a pregnant mare.
She got fat and crabby, but I still loved her.
She gave me Eskimo on April 9, 2002. My big red goober headed horse whom has his mothers personality, spit, fire and loyalty. He is my problem child, spoiled rotten, and an overgrown dog.
She raised him up to be a fine young man. He was halterbroke by being ponyed off of Baby. And she had the patience of Job with him, never cranky or short.
Then she was bred to Troubleshooter, and gave me Splash of Spring. My gorgeous girl who is the spitting image of her mom. Complete with all the love and all the spark Baby seems to give to her foals.
She raised Splash, spent a year off, did some riding, but basically was a lawn ornament.
Her COPD was under control, she never got real tall, just barely 13 hands. But she is like a Great Dane trapped in a Chihuahua's body. She was the queen and no one crossed her or dared question her throne.
Her third foal was out of Painted Warrior and gave us a spectacular stud colt, a blue roan War Bonnet with two ice blue eyes. Appropriately named Sinatara. He is currently a stallion here on the Blue Moon Ranch. A true gentleman, and lover. You cannot itch and scratch him enough. Truly his momma's boy.
Decided maybe we should not breed her anymore only because we could not seem to get rid of any of her offspring:)
She had a few more years off, babysat the youngsters, kept the young girls in line.
Ruled the pasture with an iron fist, no one dare incur her wrath.
But she also gathered a fan club of people who loved her, kids and adults. Her personality and loving nature towards everyone who came to see her was infectious.
She was bred for the 4th time to Ghost in the Grass, our appy stallion. This baby was drop dead gorgeous, a red dun appy filly. Soft as velvet when she was born. Truly a beautiful little creature.
Velvet found her new home within days of birth. A friend of ours always wanted an appy and Velvet was his dream girl.
This pregnancy was hard on Baby, her COPD flared up terrible for the first time ever. We kept her in a pasture away from dust, but it seemed that nothing helped.
Cal and Nancy wanted Velvet at their place, they live on a quiet dead end road in the country. We got Baby on some medicine to help her breathing and agreed she was officially retired. No more foals, no more riding, she was to become our mascot.
The medicine helped tremendously, Cal and Nancy bought the best hay for Baby and Velvet.
And they fell in love with Baby.
Cal came and talked to me yesterday. He asked if we would let him and Nancy have Baby and they would promise to take care of her for the rest of her life, make sure she always had her medicine and do whatever was needed to help her. He said she is like one of their children and the thought of her leaving was breaking their heart.
Her infectious love, her personality, her loyalty not only won them over but all their kids and grandkids. Baby and Velvet was on all the Christmas cards to the family, she is a part of their world.
So how do you make the decision to let a part of your heart go. I could be selfish and say no way you can't have her. But would that be the right thing. I have known Cal and Nancy for over 15 years, they are great people and would take wonderful care of her. She will be comfortable, loved, doted on, and want for nothing the rest of her life. They will spare no expense for her, she is like one of their kids.
She has touched so many lives throughout the years, everyone who meets her loves her. When she is good she is very good and when she is bad, well she is bad:) But you love her anyway.
She was my first spanish mustang, even if I never rode her, bred her or anything every again I would never love her any less.
But sometimes the right thing is not always the easy thing.
So after much soul searching, weighing the pros and cons, and arguing with myself I came to the decision that Baby will stay with Cal and Nancy.
That is where she needs to be, she is home. If there ever comes a time when they cannot take care of her she will come back.
She is close by and I can see her when ever I like, the grandkids get pony rides on her in the corral. She charms everyone who walks through their place. She is a queen in her palace, and she has deserved every bit of it.
And I miss her with all my heart even though she is a few miles away.
But my heart also tells me it is the right thing to do.
She has earned this place, earned the spoiling, loving and doting she is recieving.
And she remind me everytime I see her that great things do come in small packages:)

Santana and Captain Morgan for sale

2010-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

Meet Santana and Captain Morgan, two of this years colts.
Santana is a bay stud colt out of Sugarfoot Angel(Little Chief Domingo and Spotted Rose) and Denali Sunset(Sabine and Sweet Treat)
Captain Morgan is a dun stud colt out of Sugarfoot Angel and Carolina Wind(Bright Chief and Spittin Image)
Both colts are ready to be weaned, will be halter broke, lead, load and give their feet when they head to their new homes:) Sugarfoot Angel sadly passed away this spring from a tragic accident so these are a couple of colts out of his last foal crop. Both will make fantastic geldings, they are friendly and want to be with you. We will hold until spring if you like.
Santana is a bit more reserved as Captain Morgan is more friendly and outgoing. They will both be fair sized horses as their dam's and sire were very nice sized.
We are bringing them in shortly and they will start their training as far as handling and will have a great foundation on them to head to a new home. Very wooly bully right now but we can send more pics if needed.

Carolina Wind for sale

2010-01-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Carolina Wind, our dun appy mare is for sale. We have opted to keep her 2 year old black filly instead so we are offering her for sale. She is 5 years old, solid dun, with some snowflaking on her rump. She has mottling of the appy, striped hooves, white scelera. She is also bred back for next year to Talk of Cheyenne who is a bay appy stallion owned by Susan Randall.
Carol is out of Bright Chief and Spittin Image, has fantastic bloodlines and would be a great asset to any breeding program. She is a sweet mare, easy to work with, loves people. She is a stout mare, a bit on the larger size. She is due to foal around May/June of 2010. She is a one of a kind mare with a one of a kind bloodlines, especially is someone is looking at producing color in their herd, especially appy color. She would also be a great riding horse, stout, strong and surefooted. A beautiful mover, great spanish conformation, good feet, great personality.
Talk of Cheyenne has been gelded and is being trained to be a riding horse so there will be no more chance of offspring out of him. Don't let this one get away.

The Great Mountain Lion Caper

2010-01-17T09:22:00.001-08:00

So Friday the landowner where we keep our mares, Icicle, Ribbon, Maggie, Cenisa and Valentine calls and says our mares are loose. It seems they took out the electric fence and were headed up over the mountain.
He said a mountain lion came down that morning and killed a deer right outside their fence, and then proceeded to drag the carcass through their pasture and ate it right on the other side of the fence. I believe that was a little much for our girls.
Don heads over to see if he can find them, and after 4 hours of searching(the land is totally surrounded by forest service) he locates them at a distance looking through binaculors. But the problem was how to get to them, there were no roads or nothing. And you had to cross a lot of private ground.
So he heads back to town to try and find out who owns the land. No luck, it seems no one has an idea.
By this time I am off work and we head back out, and of course they are gone. Neighbor sees them going the other direction.
Back to town we go, get halters, leads and grain. By the time we got back out to where they were seen last it was pitch black out. We started walking through the woods and kept calling for the girls. After about a half and hour I heard a noise to the left and lo and behold here they come a running out of the trees. They heard us and followed our voices.
They followed us back to the road, the neighbor let us put them in his pasture for the night, tucked them and came back the next morning and picked them up.
Never a dull moment that is for sure, but I am certainly glad our horses love us and are easy to catch. Not many horses could you walk out into the forest service in the dark at night and call them by name and have them come a running to you.
We definately love our ponies.
Moved them to a different pastuere for a few days to make sure the scent of the lion and kill disapates a bit before turning them out.
Never a dull moment around here:)

Noel's Gambler for sale

2010-01-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

After much discussion and consideration we have decided to put Gambler up for sale. He is a fantastic stallion with an award winning personality, great temperment, wonderful conformation and absolutely fantastic bloodlines. Gambler is an awesome stallion prospect for a serious breeding program, but we would have him gelded if someone wanted him for a gelding.
He has been started under saddle, is learning quickly, and is finishing his saddle training right now. He is about 14.2 and has a presence about him that people notice. He is truly what a spanish mustang should look like. His bloodlines are impecabble and there are not many Bright Chief offspring out there in breeding programs.
BRIGHT CHIEF
SMR 1598
Bay Roan Appaloosa 1989

CHICKASAW WARRIOR
SMR 650 Black 1966 CHIEF PUSHMATAHA
SMR 47 Grayish Grulla Appaloosa 1955 SORREL CHOCTAW FROM OK
SOAPY BLU/WHT OK CHOCTAW

CHICKASAW
SMR 102 Black Roan 1958 BUCKSHOT

PAWNEE
GOODTIME
SMR 1183 Red Dun Apaloosa 1984 YOUNG FOX
SMR 504 Yellow Dun 1969
YELLOW FOX
PALE FACE

ABIBA
SMR 489 Red Roan 1971
MAJUBA

DAM SORREL

SHASTA
SMR 3047
Grulla 1998
CHATO'S SHADOW
SMR 1531 Dark Grulla 1989 CHATO
SMR 633 Grulla 1974
COCHISE
GRAY MARE

CAHUILLA
SMR 1171 Grulla 1979 CRANE
BLUE MONDAY
SOMETHING SPECIAL
SMR 1736 Grulla 1991 SPECIAL WARRIOR
SMR 828 Medicine Hat 1979 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL
RABBIT
MISS COCHISE
SMR 492 Buckskin 1972 COCHISE
HATCHETA

He is a grulla but has appy traits including white scelera, striped hooves, mottled genetalia and some small flecking on his rump. What a great boy.
He is smart, willing, not aggressive, easy to get along with and is good with mares and if you have him in a pasture with just geldings he does great.
He is sire is Bright Chief a appy stallion and the dam is Shasta a grulla sabino mare. Color possibilites are endless. We will test for LWO if the new buyer requests.
I cannot brag this young man up enough. Gambler has an incredible ground eating trot, smooth and efffortless in his movements and would be an awesome endurance prospect for someone. He is ready to rock and roll and ready to go in any direction you would want to take him.

Meet Ledoux

2010-01-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

Going through pics and found some we took this summer of Don's boy Ledoux. He is quite a flashy young man and will start his saddle training this summer. He has some of the most flashy leg barring and very unique markings. Probably one the prettiest horses we have. And a great mind, learns quickly, willing and giving. Can't wait to see what this boy can do:) Ledoux is a beautiful example of a Spanish Mustang. He really turns heads when people come to see him. We were very lucky to obtain this young man and he will be used as Don's parade and show horse. A Spanish Mustang of this caliber should definately be in the public where people can see and admire him.
We sure have some nice young horses up and coming this year. There is Ronan, Big Sky, Sure Shooter, Nashville Nights, Harley, Doctor Doolittle, Hickock and Rawhide just to name a few. There is not enough good broke geldings in the SM world and we are striving to change that and have nice well mannered, well rounded horses out there in the public showing people what our horses are truly about.
Keep watching and I will feature the horses as their training starts and progresses. Especially Hickock, he is showing that is truly a wonderful example of the kind and generous nature of these horses.
We also can't wait for Sammy and Pacino and Jazzmine and Doolittle to make their debut this year. Doll is coming out of retirement to be E.J.'s mount for the summer. And we have a new Young Dakota Rider, Sammy Jo will be joining our group, learning how to ride and working for her own horse. She is so excited about being a part of this and we are honored to have her join us. This is going to be a great year for us and we have so many good things planned for the horses and the kids.
Hopefully we can make it to MN to deliver Pretty Lady and pick up our two new geldings. Let us hope the weather stays good and the roads stay clear;)
It was a lazy day here at our place, got the chores out of the way early. Don spent the afternoon trying to get Kim's water pipes unfroze under her trailer. He ended up having to dig almost 5 feet underground to the main valve. What a mess, and cold and nasty under there. But it looks like tomorrow when the hardware store opens he can get the right parts and get her water working.
It looks like Sandy is coming home, Mousse is getting huge and definately ready to be weaned. She sure fits her name that is for sure, and a mirror image of her mom. But Sandy is ready to start under saddle, and her baby is more than ready to be on her own. So when we head out to the pasture this week we will pick her up.
Emmie is looking good, finally filling out. I can't wait until she is ready to go. What a wonderful mare and she will be a great ambassador for the breed. We also can't wait to get Shasta started under saddle after her foal this year is weaned. What a great personality that horse has, a true love bug and will be another great ambassador to put in the public.
Ladybug has become quite a favorite around here also. She is the first to meet you at the gate, follows us around like a puppy. She is doing well with her training.
Babe is also coming along quite nicely, definately exceeded our expectations in her training. Now if the weather will stay clear we should be able to get quite a bit of riding in the next couple of weeks.
Ginger is home and getting a bit of a tuneup before Kim comes to see her. The weather was not cooperative this weekend for riding for her so she is going to come back around the 25th.
Somedays I feel there isn't enough time in one day, we seem to meet ourselves coming and going.
Ghost has to get ready to leave, and Gambler is finishing his saddle training this spring. Also time to get an idea of whom we are breeding to whom this spring.
As it stands Ribbon and Cenisa are going in with Sinatra and Chili and Piper are going in with Gambler.
Sandy is going out of state to be bred, and that is going to be a fantastic cross.
Better call it an evening, time to get the fire going and get settled in for the night. Finished up points and awards yesterday and will get them off in the next few weeks.
The weekend has come and gone and time to get back to the grindstone of work. Spring will be here before I know it and the Buffalo will be opening up. I am looking forward to working there again this year.
So much to do, and tomorrow is another day. The future is bright here and I am truly looking forward to it.

Pony pictures and such

2010-01-09T06:57:00.000-08:00

Just a few pony pics we have taken over the last few days. The girls are doing good and fared the cold weather well, the ponies in the BIG pasture are doing great, and the boys are fat and sassy. Tony did comment on how LARGE Ghost was looking. He definately is an easy keeper.

Went to see the girls last night and took their ususal bag of apples(compliments of Jill of course:). After much pony slobber and being thoroughly covered in apple juice they took off. Must have been feeling good, they were running and bucking and playing and in general looking pretty silly. Even Maggie was feeling frisky and she is usually too dignified to play, she is a queen you know. It was fun to watch them and of course they had to make a couple of sweeps by to see if the apple bag had miraculously filled back up and much to their disappointment it hadn't.

If it wasn't so darn cold standing their watching them I would have stayed longer, but people and cameras tend not to function in subzero weather too well. After about a dozen shots the camera was on strike and I was frozen.

Will take a few more pics when I head back out today, weather is suppose to break and get nice for the next few weeks. That would be wonderful;) Maybe get a ride or two in, I think I hear Charlie calling my name for a good long ride. I know I am getting cabin fever and so is Don.

Off to another day.

Pictures of our Bake Sale

2010-01-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well I finally got some pics of our bake sale before Christmas. The kids baked their little hearts out and I don't think my kitchen will ever recover:)

We baked cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, muffins, you name it. Tons and tons of sweets and such. We spend three days baking and wrapping our goodies, most of the work was done by the kids. They were quite the little troopers, stayed up late baking and got up early to start again.

The kids wanted to make sugar cookies with cookie cutters but we couldn't find any Christmas cookie cutters. Our friend Ruth gave us the cookie cutters she had which consisted of a dog, a polar bear, a horse, a snowman and a dog bone. We probably made 200 sugar cookies that kids decorated and we had some of the prettiest Christmas dog bones you could ever ask for:)

They definately got creative with the decorating. And the decorated cookies sold like hot cakes.

Finally the day came, it was only 30 degrees out and we set up the table and goodies. Once again the kids displayed their great attitudes and never complained about the cold. Pamida in Custer graciously let us set up our bake sale booth in front of their store.

The sale was a wonderful success, we sold almost all of our baked items and raised a good amount of money for our trip to Denver in March. It was a blast to watch the kids and they had a wonderful time. You know it is times like these they will remember when they get older. These are the memories of a lifetime for theses kids. And it is so great to be able to be a part of these moments and share these with the kids. I cannot praise these young ones enough for all their hard work, dedication to their horses, their willingness to do what is necessary to help out any way they can. This is definately a special group of kids.

The pics are of our baking, at the sale with the Young Dakota Riders and of Jazzmine and Trystan taking a nap at the end of the day at Pamida on the pallets with bags of salt.

Holy moly it is cold out there....

2010-01-07T06:19:00.000-08:00

Well it is approximately -25 outside this morning. Brrrr... Didn't get much sleep last night as we took turns staying up and feeding the fire, had to keep the woodstove roaring just to keep the house warm. Thw weather isn't suppose to break until Saturday, and that can change in a moment. Okay I am officially tired of winter and snow and cold. Where is summer. I am ready:)

Hickock came home Monday, he is settling back into the routine of working and such. Never forgot a thing. Walked right out into the 200 acre pasture and put a halter on him with no fuss and loaded him in the trailer without an issue. What a great little man. His love for people and willingness to please is fantastic. All our ponies in the pasture looks great! Moussee in absolutely huge, she is as big as some of the coming two year olds. Sweet Tart is looking great, she is coming back wonderfully after her hard start in life. Poor little thing, but she is going to make a great little mare. Still can't tell if Smokey is bred or not, but Bob is keeping a close eye on her. Splash is really starting to show, getting fat and sassy.

Made our rounds last night to make sure everyone had full round bales of hay to get through the cold snap. Poor Ghost is going to melt when he gets to Texas, he sure packed on the pounds this winter. The Great Hambino we call him:)

Hopefully the weather turns nice like they said it would next week. Even 30 is warmer than below zero. Hot water pipes are froze, but we kept the cold water pipes trickling and they are still unthawed.

School is starting 2 hours late here, hoping to get some of the ice off the roads and such. I hope the truck will start so I don't have to walk to work. That would not be fun, I can always call and have Archie come and pick me up:)

I am going to start a blog on the training of Hickock to attach to his page that way poeple interested in raffle tickets can watch what he does and how he progresses in his training. I will work on that this weekend.

Hope everyone stays warm and cozy through the nasty weather.

Here is some pics of Hickock when he came home.

Sad day...

2009-12-28T11:10:00.001-08:00

My sister called this morning, my grandfather who fell last week and broke his hip has taken a turn for the worse. It is not looking good she says.
I am very sad today.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

2009-12-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well I am going to spend today getting caught up on everything. Especially the blog:)
It has been an incredible month, fantastic things have been happening, but also lost a couple of friends to tragedy. With all the good there is always bad I guess.
Got tons of pics of the parades together, working on slideshows for YouTube, had a fantastic turnout for the bake sale, and the raffle tickets are selling like hot cakes for the local gift certificates.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone from the Blue Moon Ranch.

Some pics from Friday

2009-12-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Okay here is some pics taken Friday at Pierre where we gave the pony rides. It was a blast and everyone had fun even though the kids were pooped at the end of the day. Horses were super.

Still waiting on parade pics. Hope to have them up soon.

Rapid City Festival of Lights parade

2009-11-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

Last night we attended the 2009 Rapid City Festival of Lights Parade. According to the local news stations an approximate 30000 people were in attendance of the parade this year. We had 11 horses and riders. It was a great time, the horses did great, and this is a big parade with over 70 entries this year. Large floats, tons of lights, loud music, noise, the parade route is dark. They turn off all the street lights for the parade and you have to ride in the dark, with the crowd blocked off with cones and tape, which is flapping in the wind. There were so many people there it was overwhelming but all the horses did great:) No trouble at all, though Preacher did sidepass through most of the parade, he was starting to get a little nervous. We are very proud of our horses and kids, and other riders. It was a great showing, we had a grand time, even though we did get the honorable mention Jinx award for arriving at the staging area with a flat tire:) Waiting for pics and video to get here so I can post that.

Pierre parade of lights and pony rides

2009-11-28T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a resounding success!! We made it to Pierre, gave tons of pony rides, the Pierre newspaper came out and took pictures of the kids and horses. Then we got all ready for the parade, lit up the horses, got the glitter out. And they were all perfect angels throughout the parade. It was a great day, everything went well, the horses behaved perfectly, the kids had a great time. Frank and Echo stayed and rode in the parade with us, Bobbie also came and rode as did Don's brother Jack and his wife Linda. They horses looked absolutely great. The glitter turned out perfect and got tons of compliments on how the glitter looked so good on the horses.

We went out and had a great dinner afterwards, laughed and had a good time. Long drive home, got home about 3am. But it was well worth it.

Ruth and Fox got along great, I tell you what it takes a special horse to carry a 68 year old woman through a lighted Christmas parade.

The horses and riders, Don on Icicle Moon, Terri on Blue Valentine, Phil on Preacher, Skylar on Feather, Trystan on Maggie, Frank on Domino, Echo on Blue Ribbon, Jazzmine on Valentino, Sondra on Cenisa, Makayla on Houdini and Ruth on Fox. Can't wait for tonight, it is the Rapid City parade of lights and we are ready to rock and roll. This one is going to be televised live by the local news station.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

2009-11-26T17:47:00.001-08:00

Well happy Thanksgiving everyone, had a great dinner at a friends house. Got all the extra chores done so we can hit the road nice and early tomorrow. The weather is suppose to cooperate and be nice, heading out first thing in the am wanting to be in Pierre around 2pm to saddle up for the pony rides.
The kids are really getting hyped up, trying to get our lights all straightened out, and everything ready to rock and roll.
Hope everyones day was great and all is well with family and friends.

The clock is ticking....

2009-11-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well parade day is almost here. The kids of course are bouncing off the walls, can't wait to light up their ponies. We are planning on heading out early Friday morning to be in Pierre by noon. That gives us plenty of time to get the horses ready.
Pony rides start at 3 and go until 5 pm. Then we get ready for the parade which starts at 6:30.
Getting saddles cleaned up, tack in order, horses groomed(not that it does any good they seem to find the first dirt pile to roll in:).
We have to pull a couple of sets of shoes before the parade, safer to go barefoot. Got the hair gel and glitter ready, the glitter glue is packed up, brochures and cards are in the truck. Stockings are ready, lights are ready, just have to pick up the extra batteries.
The lineup is as follows, Don on Icicle, Terri on Valentine, Phil on Preacher, Skylar on Feather, Trystan on Maggie, Jazzmine on Ribbon, Sammy on Tino, Sondra on Cenisa, Makayla on Houdini, Ruth on Fox. Our friend Bobbie is meeting us there also, she is riding her horse and ponying her SM colt. Wants to get him some exposure I guess.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we are going to friends house. Riding there I believe, temps are going to be in the 60's and a gorgeous day to ride.
Had some excitement last night up behind the house. A mountain lion came to visit and had the horses all fired up. The were running and snorting, took some time to calm them down. We were up there for almost an hour making sure no one spooked through a fence or somethig. Just what everyone wants to do at 2am. Stand around outside in your slippers and bathroom with lights watching horses and looking for mountain lions. Welcome to the Black Hills:)
Got to finish sorting the decoration box, make sure all the lights are in working order. Got my hay hauled for the week and it is on the truck ready to unload first thing tomorrow. That way we aren't trying to do hay hauling, parades, dinner and everything at once.
Days are getting real short around here, dark at almost 4:30pm. Can't wait for a few more weeks when the days will get longer.
Kimberely is taking the day off of radiation treatments to come to the parade with us Friday. Her doctor said that would be fine as she needs a day of rest anyways. I am not sure driving 200 miles and spending the day with us is relaxation, but she sure has fun and it wouldn't be the same without her.

Working and prepping

2009-11-24T18:37:00.000-08:00

Spent all day after work getting ready for the parade on Friday. Looks like we will have 10 horses participating in the parade and 4 giving pony rides before the parade. Ruth will make her first appearance at a lighted parade with her new mare Fox. She is very excited to finally have a horse that she can ride in the parades and such with us. She said she has waited years for a horse like Fox, and couldn't be more pleased with us. It is too bad Fox did not go to KY as planned but I guess everything works out for a reason, and I guess she was meant to stay in this area.
Speaking of KY the folks down there that Don delivered horses to a few months ago have all contacted to let us know their new ponies are doing great and they are more than pleased with them. Secret's new owner is just tickled to death with her, and Rusty and his new owner are getting along great. Texas trip is planned for Dec. and Ghost will be in his new home, then Frosty and Molly will be heading for their new homes soon after. After much turmoil this summer and many postponed trips due to circumstances out of our control, it has all fallen into place finally. You know what they say, best laid plans don't always work out but most everyone has been more than patient and understanding, and the folks in KY said it was more than worth the wait for their new ponies.
Cal came and visited today, said he got his paperwork on Velvet and is just tickled to death:P But also wanted to know if we had snuck an extra horse in the pasture. I told him no, but he said he counted six not five when he left to come in town. HMMMM. So Don went out and checked out the situtation and I am sure there is going to be one unhappy horse owner next year as someones paint mare, in heat, was in our stallion pasture with our four stallions. Hopefully she did not get bred. We checked all over but no one was missing a horse, so not sure what to do with her. We moved her to a different area and hope someone comes a looking for her.
Babe our little BLM mustang from NE is doing fantastic!! She has settled in so nicely and is really receptive to everything going on around her. Domino is making progress with leaps and bounds, Trystan is riding her, and Xyla will be going home in Dec when Don heads to TX. Will miss the longeared girl.
Ladybug is turning into a love bug, just follows us around like a puppy dog. She really has come a long way. And Chica and Silver are doing great also, really taming down and loving the good life. Waiting for her DNA tests to come back and if she is LWO negative then she will be heading to her new home in MN soon also.
Boy going to get some frequent flyer miles next month, not sure if Don is even going to be home for Christmas at this point. I think he may layover in AR with Moose and his family when he drops Molly off.
They postponed Grandma Alice's surgery until tomorrow and we pray all will go well with her.

It's Monday, let the games begin.....

2009-11-23T13:48:00.001-08:00

Well it is Monday and we have a busy week ahead of us. Tomorrow Grandma Alice goes in for her second surgery and we are all praying it goes well.
Thursday is Thanksgiving, and we will be headed to Victor and Ruths for the day. Hoping to get some riding in also, may just ride out there for dinner;)
Friday it is off to Pierre, pony rides on the capital lawn, riding in the Pierre parade of Lights. We are excited this year and are planning on having at least 10 horses there.
They did a phone interview with Don last week for the paper and then the paper is also coming out to do an article on the Spanish Mustangs with a photo shoot while we are there Friday. We are excited and this is great publicity for the mustangs. The week will be spent grooming, cleaning, grooming, cleaning, etc. on the ponies. This time of year they all look like fluffy Qtips and the mud and stuff seems adhereed with glue.
But we have plenty of time.
Saturday is the Parade of Lights in Rapid City and that will be televised live on TV. This is a repeat performance for us and we are excited to be going back.

Finally back on track

2009-11-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well after a long week of running back and forth to the hospital in just in general not getting anything else done, things are settling down. Grandma Alice is doing much better, her second surgery is scheduled for Tuesday morning. It was pretty hit and miss there for a while, but she is a tough old cookie and still hanging in there bless her heart.

The whole family is here, and after a long stressful week everyone took and day and went for a well deserved horse back ride. This is the first time they have all been together of horses for over 20 years. It was a great ride and everyone had a blast. Even the grandkids who had never ridden before.

Took this pic and made a nice 8 x 10 to hang in Grandmas hospital room. She loves and said even though her kids aren't always there in person they will always be there in the pic.

A long week

2009-11-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a long weekend, and long week. We are currently going back and forth to the hospital as Skylar and Trystans grandma is in critical condition in Rapid City Regional. She goes in for surgery tomorrow and we all pray it goes well for her.

Recovering from the weekend

2009-11-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

Monday was recovery time at our house from a long, action packed weekend.

Pics speak louder than words:P

Non Horsey topic

2009-11-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Okay now for a non horsey topic. We attended Brooke Gonzalez's 1st birthday party yesterday. It was a great time for all, her folks rented the YMCA for a skate party for everyone at the party. Brooke of course is way too young to skate but we took plenty of pictures and video so when she gets older she will know how much fun her first birthday party was:)

It was a great time, Dons first go around with rollerblades was quite interesting but he finally got the hang of it. The kids had a great time skating and I got my blades out for the first time in a couple of years. Everyone was quite surprised that Aunt Terri knew how to roller blade so well.

A few bumps and bruises were inventoried among everyone today but the fun definately over ran the crashes. Even Sondra and Phil gave it a shot for a short time.

Sometimes it feels good to be a kid again.

Pink Pastures Fundraiser....

2009-11-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well our pony rides at the Pink Pastures fundraiser yesterday was a great success.

Here is a link to a slideshow of pics we took.

http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg139/bluemoonranch_2008/Pink%20Pastures%20funraiser/?albumview=slideshow

We had a wonderful time, the horses were a big hit, all the kids who rode had alot of fun, our helpers Makayla, Jazzmine, Trystan and Skylar were wonderful trooopers who spent almost 5 hours leading horses around giving pony rides without a complaint at all.

The horses Maggie, Ribbon, Houdini and Valentino were definately the stars of the day though, and perfect angels.

Raised quite a bit of money for the Pink Pastures program which works with abused and underpriveleged girls and horses.

We were honored to donate our time, horses and any money raised to this wonderful program.

Off and running today....

2009-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

We are off and running early today. Have a fundraiser to go to, we are giving pony rides to help raise money for a theraputic riding group. Getting horses tack and kids ready.
Will post pics tomorrow of the event:P

Out and about on horseback

2009-11-06T05:48:00.000-08:00

Our rider came to town yesterday to look at Charlie and went for a nice ride with us. He rode Ribbon so he could see how Charlie handles and looks. He was very impressed and liked him very much. He is kind of waffling between Charlie and another horse we have Harley, only because Harley is a little shorter and easier for him to mount.

He is going to spend some time up here riding and with both of the horses to see which one suits him better.

The ride was great and I think we saw something I don't believe none of us had ever seen in the forest service before. We were passing a patch of trees and in the trees was a young deer with a dog cone around her neck. It took us a minute to decipher what we were actually seeing.

All we can figure is maybe she was in the care of someone who lived nearby and was injured and being treated.

Very odd.

Couldnt get a good pic as she moved out too quickly before I got my camera out.

Another gorgeous ride.....

2009-11-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

The weather was perfect yesterday so Don, Phil and I saddled up and went for a ride. Took the forest service loop and had a great time. I rode Charlie as the gentleman who is interested in him is coming today to take him. I forgot what a nice ride Charlie was, a little froggy at first but settled right in to his old self. But they were all anxious and ready to go, even Preacher who is a steady eddy.

Don took out Domino, who is owned by a lady in Mn, he is a pintabian and quite a nice young man. He even took the gunshots from the guys target practicing with a grain of salt. Never even batted an eye.

Don also took him uptown last night to see how he would handle that and there was no issues there at all.

He is coming along nicely and will be heading home soon. His owner can't wait to get him home and start riding again.

Looks like another gorgeous day, too bad I have to work this morning but we have an afternoon ride planned when I get hom.

Good friends....

2009-11-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

I want to take a few moments to thanks all my good friends for all they do for us. We had some major projects this weekend, and as always everyone stepped up to the plate and pitched in and helped out, including the kids. It is never really work as we have a wonderful time as a group, there is always tons of food, drinks and laughter.
We are very thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful "family" that we do. Most people never experience the joy and friendship, laughter and good times we do.
Thanks again everyone for just being there.

Wild Rose

2009-11-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. Would have been a perfect day for riding but we had other plans. We got a new mare from our friend Victor, a spanish mustang mare named Wild Rose. She is a beautiful chestnut sabino, bred to Victors stallion Shota. At age 9 Rose is an unhandled mare, been around people, but never even had a halter on. So our day was planned, spend the day with Rose and work with her and get her home.

Don said it has been a long time since he worked with a horse as smart and willing as Rose. She was receptive to everything he asked of her, never got worried or upset, always faced Don, as if simply asking "Well what is it exactly you want from me?"

It only took two hours of working with, had her locked on and at the end of two hours she was leading nicely with a halter, following Don willingly around the round pen, and walked right into the trailer behind him, stood quietly tied with no fuss. It was absolutely amazing from a basically untouched mare.

Don is in love. Can't wait to get her started lightly under saddle. She is going to be an awesome riding horse.

Brought her home, unloaded her without a fuss, and she is settled in nicely in her new paddock.

Couldn't ask for a better performance from a horse.

Another nice day is in store for us, hoping to get a ride in, but have tons of chores to do first.

Snow, snow and more snow.....

2009-10-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

Boy the snow hasn't stopped all day. Don was suppose to be in Rapid today to help trim a horses feet and the weather turned so bad he had to cancel. Got several inches, but the horses are all tucked in and doing great. The weather is going to get nicer this weekend, so they say, and we have three colts that are going to be gelded Saturday. Nothing like a little brain surgery to make a new and better male. Be interesting to see how much accumulation we have all together, I know Deerfield and Rochford got the worse of it. Bob said the horses up north are doing just fine, he didn't get as much snow as we did.
Funny weather we are having this year.

A good ride.....

2009-10-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Took me a couple days to catch up, Saturday was hay hauling day and running water to the horses. Then I got called into work Saturday night so that eliminated riding at all that day.

But Sunday we finally got out and about. Picked up Ruth in the morning and headed over to Hell's Canyon to our friend Dave's place. Windy and fairly chilly, but nothing bad or untolerable. We were all bundled up, packed and lunch and hit the trail. Dave was riding Sparky, Austin was riding Domino, Ruth was on Fox, Don was on Charlie, and I was on Mouse. Rode about 7 miles out to an old abandoned ranch on the forest service. Really neat snooping around. Then we had lunch alongside the canyon walls, and packed up and headed home. Just a nice short ride, but it was wonderful. And of course had a nice pot of beef stew in the crock pot when we got home.

Absolute heaven and another great day with friends.

Hickock-updated photos

2009-10-23T19:15:00.001-07:00

This is Hickock-he is a coming 4 year old bay roan appy gelding. A true pocket pony, a love, easy to catch and work with, very sweet and giving. He will make a great kids horse, you can catch him anywhere, one of the first to meet you at the gate. He is a very striking young horse, and will be started under saddle in the spring. He will mature out at about 14 hands tall.

Please contact us for more info and pics

mustangsmiley@yahoo.com

Rawhide, updated photos

2009-10-22T08:31:00.001-07:00

Our webmaster has been busy so I am posting some updated pics of Rawhide here. He is a coming 4 year old grulla roan gelding, absolutely striking young man, would be an awesome endurance prospect. He is very eyecatching, and put together very nice. Strong feet, nice bone, good temperment, very willing and eager to learn.

He is going to be about 14 hands tall, a lean built horse that will cover some miles for you. Rawhide is going to be started under saddle in the spring when he hits 4 years old, and will be fantastic I am sure.

He is a Bright Chief and Shasta cross, and we have his full brother here as one of our studs. Noel's Gambler. If someone is looking for a great saddle prospect for trail or endurance this boy would be it.

We are very pleased at how this boy has turned out. Please inquire to mustangsmiley@yahoo.com if you are interested in Rawhide. We can work it out to where his training is complete when he leaves us.

Rain, rain and more rain

2009-10-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

It has been raining for two days, hoping for a break so we can ride again. Got a little spoiled with the nice weather over the weekend. Don't work the next two nights so will be spending some considerable time on the trail. Have a lady coming up from Co in two weeks to ride Mouse, she is looking for smooth gaited trail horse and Mouse is definately smooth. Also have to go and pick up Charlie as someone is coming up from Hot Springs to look at him next week. Gonna be busy, planning our Texas and SC trip, and headed to MN again sometime next month. Should be getting paid by the mile out there and Don would be doing good.

Beautiful ride on Saturday

2009-10-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous and had a great ride out in forest service. Weather was absolutely perfect couldn't ask for nicer.

Here is Sondra on Cenisa with Zip just moseying down the trail. Hunting season is upon us so everyone, including the dogs, must wear orange.

It was too bad we had to cut the ride short as I had to work last night, but had a great time while we were out there.

Went out Friday and got all the hay unload in the pastures for the ponies, and took some shot at the stallion pasture. Sinatra and Phantom were have a great old time playing "I are a stallion" But Sinatra is a dirty pig right now, whose brilliant idea was it to own a solid white stallion.

Off to feed the ponies and then head to work for the day.

Finally the weather breaks......

2009-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

So finally we got a break in the weather and sunny skies allowed for a beautiful ride last night. Will be heading out again shortly as soon as I get the hay unloaded. Chores must come first, work before play they say.

This is Frosty, she a 4 year old APHA mare that is going to a special home in SC to a 10 year old girl that is anxiously awaiting her new horse. Frosty is an exceptional mare with a wonderful disposition and very willing and loving. We are pleased with how she has turned out, a fantastic riding horse and I know will be quite happy in her new home. Plus it is much warmer there, she is going to think she has died and went to warm horse heaven:) But she is such a nice mare she deserves it!

Off to unload hay and then saddle up and head out, looks like it will be another late night ride but that is okay with us.

Monday and the work week is starting again

2009-10-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well the weekend is over. Didn't get as much snow as we thought but still cold and yucky. But on the good side, the weather is clearing up and we are going to be in the 60's by Wed I believe.
Just had to post to say how thankful I am for good friends and family. Last night we all got together, ate elk stew, had a good time, watched Last of the Dogman and just in general hung out. It was a great night and reminds me how lucky we are for the friends and family we have. Sitting around in front of the fire laughing and telling stories with the kids. So many people don't have that and I believe we are truly blessed.
And we were all brought together by the horses.

brrrr, it is cold out there today

2009-10-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to -1 outside. Yuck, and it is only mid October and I hope this is not a prelude to what winter is bringing us.
Hauled a bunch of hay yesterday so all the ponies are standing on full hay piles in addition to what they already had. Spend two days getting everyone wormed here, but they are set for the next 3 months now, then we will do it all over again:)
Headed up to Rapid this a.m. to help a lady up there trim her horses feet. She usually has to sedate the mare to have her feet done, but Don is going to spend the day working with her and her horse to get her to give her feet so trimming is not so traumatic. But at least it is 28 degrees up there and warming up as we speak. It will be an actual heat wave up there.
Hoping the weather breaks so we can do some riding. Ghost will be leaving at the end of the month to go to Texas to his new home. His new owner is really excited about him coming and looking forward to his foals he will have in the future. Ghost is going to think he died and went ot heaven with the nicer weather down in Texas:)
Well stoke up the fire and get ready for the day.

Friday morning, ready for the weekend

2009-10-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone, Friday has not brought any nicer temps to the area. Looks to be cold and yucky this weekend. Planning on doing some riding Sunday, a little warmer then. Have two young horses to take out. Tomorrow we are trimming feet for a friend, she has an older horse that needs some hoof work done. Better break out the carharts for that one. Hopefully the weather will turn nicer next week, not used to it being this cold this time of year, got spoiled the last couple of years. Got the wood stove fired up and headed out the door for work. I have to pull a double today so that won't be any fun. But it is only for a few more weeks.
All the horses have definately got their wooly winter coats on and ready. The ones of north are sure enjoying their new pasture, 150 acres of belly deep grass. Couldn't hardly see little Sweet Tart when we turned her out. All you could see was her ears and head. The land owner was truly fascinated with our Spanish Mustangs, said he had never seen such a beautiful group of horses. And friendly, he says they come up to the fence to greet him every day. He just loves Echo and Glory, the grullas he calls them, said they are two of the prettiest horses he has ever seen. Little Mousse is quite a character also, definately showing off her stuff. He said he is a dyed in the wool Quarter Horse man but sure is impressed with our horses.

First Day at Blogging

2009-10-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to setting up a blog, everyone check back, I will definately keep posting as to our everyday activities around here.