I’m having trouble finding interesting news for the blog. This may change when the pandemic is over. Or not. Who knows? So in the meantime I have decided I may as well just post some of the things that are happening here on the ranch.
Dave and I were having coffee in our little garden the other day when he commented that this summer reminds him of summers of his childhood. Like most farm kids we didn’t go anywhere in the summer. Perhaps to the fair although Dave had to work in the dairy barn with his uncle so even that was a different experience than the town kids. Not to say it wasn’t even better. You got to sleep over and hang out on the midway until late. You got to visit friends and other kids who were involved with the animals at the fair. And mom made fried chicken and potato salad and sliced up a big watermelon.
Fried Chicken, potato salad, watermelon and family at the fair. Good times.
Imagine being dropped off in the middle of a country where the locals are out to get you, you don’t understand the local customs, and the food sources, water, rules and terrain are completely different. You have no map, in fact you are not even sure why you got moved here. Not a single one of your friends in your past life are with you. The first day you broke an, unknown to you, important local custom and there is a good chance you could be soup.
That’s pretty much what happened to Rio.
By horse standards Rio was raised and lived in a fairly protected world. A pretty black mare with a popular pedigree, she was destined to be a show horse. Her coat was kept smooth, soft and shiny, her mane groomed and her tail washed and braided and protected.
She was trained and had proven herself in the show world when we met her. She was loved, being cared for and shown by a very nice young man and his family. He was ready to move up. Rio was offered for sale. We bought her.
Grab the old folks and the kids. There is something happening in west central Alberta this weekend that they all will enjoy. Wild Rose Draft Horse Field & Pioneer Days on June 1 & 2 at Double Tree Village Museum. Gates open at 9 AM. It is 2 whole days of fun with something for everyone.
I’m going to start right off with my favorite part. It is the Draft Horses working in the field. Few people remember when that was “how it was done”. The turning point – when the amount of tractor power overtook the amount of horse power on American farms – was 1945. Jobs for draft horses were pretty scarce after that.
The draft horses at the Double Tree Museum give all those youngsters under 75 a chance to see horses working in the field. Actually putting in a crop. In a beautiful setting which includes a whole village filled with interesting things from the past.
You can tour a village reminiscent of the early villages in Alberta stocked with thousands of items. Join in the Jam Session and Cowboy Poetry Sat. at 5:00, vendors, Handicrafts, Pack Horse Demo, Hand work demos, Mini horses and much more…
There is a concession but if you are trying to have some fun with the family but on a severe budget, bring some fried chicken and potato salad, a nice big watermelon and lots of water and enjoy a whole day of fun for just a General Admission of $5.00 per person. There are places to sit and eat or rest. There are wagon rides to and from where the horses are working in the field.
Maybe you would like to purchase supper provided by the Spruce View Lions Club on Saturday evening during the jam session. Or breakfast which includes Cowboy Gospel singing as breakfast is served. You will be welcomed with true western hospitality.
6 miles west of Spruce View on Hwy 54 to RR41, turn north as the sign and follow the road into the village.
He has been living in the Jenny Craig pen all summer even though he has been my main riding horse. It is true this wasn’t a great summer for horseback riding. Some days were just too hot. Many days were too smoky. Then suddenly it was cold, snowing and windy. Eddie might not be quite so fat if I rode him more.
He used to get more exercise come fall and winter when he got to go out on winter pasture with the herd but he ended that luxury a couple of weeks ago when he decided he was now the boss of the herd and beat hell out of Dreamweaver. Continue reading “Slow Feeder”→
Most of our cats originated from a female whose previous owner dropped at the ranch. Pregnant of course. She managed to get herself run over on the highway about the time the kittens got their beautiful green eyes open. One of the grandchildren found them crying in the Quonset. We raised them the rest of the way and got them on the ranch medicare plan. I have a special bond with them. They think I am their mother.
Then there is FuzzyWuzzy. I’m not quite sure where she comes from but she meows to me, runs beside me, eats 2 feet away from me but doesn’t like me to touch her. She is afraid of the other cats. She will only come to the barn and eat if I am there. She is afraid of anything that moves. She has the same green eyes. Continue reading “The Barn Cats”→
Every day each of us gets a little older. It does not matter what industry you work in or what job you do, days go by so quickly and none of us get any younger. This is especially important to remember if you want to ensure your way of life, your business, and your passion will continue long after you are gone. The horse industry is not immune to this circle and unless we get our kids to exchange remotes for a set of reins, we could find ourselves in a bit of a conundrum down the road.
It is with this potential pitfall down the road, that our ranch started to work on a vision of getting Youth Back in the Saddle several years ago. Our mission is to encourage up and comers of all ages to get involved in the industry and contribute to ensuring this way of life that we all love will be around for future generations. One of the projects that our ranch is undertaking to meet this vision, is our 60-day Colt Starting Challenge. This challenge focuses on promoting up and coming trainers who are trying to ensure that people of all ages get back into the saddle and stay in the saddle! Continue reading “Exchanging Remotes for Reins..”→
A Life With Horses 