Wave Bottoms

 In life we have highs and lows like waves. Recently there have been a bunch of wave bottoms, so I decided to get them all out in one post. Most have following highs.

Well I mentioned after camp the repercussions were ongoing. When I rode Roscoe there was a bit more resistance than normal. Now if you have been following us for a while you know that he can object quite loudly when learning new things. As the objections increased, so did my doubts. Was I too in his face? Was I pushing too hard?   

So I looked forward to my next lesson and a trainer ride. The lesson was seriously rough with tons of attitude. My trainer forgot she was going to ride, so the fun was all for me. Roscoe was throwing his head around, bucking and generally not happy. The trainer thought he needed draw reins. Those scare me, since I have seen them abused in the past. Hopefully I can use them correctly with her help. Even with all the steps backward, she still thinks we can show 1-3 and 2-1 by summer, eek!

As we drove home Mom and I thought he was also in pain. She scheduled him and DaVinci was a chiropractic adjustment the following week.  

The next hit came when the saddle fitter checked my saddle. A big fat NO. The tree size will work, but the gullet narrows too much at the back. This probably caused some hard nodules to develop on both sides of his spine. Roscoe is a tough fit, short backed and wide. We went through all our Isabels and found one she was able to fit to him by way of a Mattes pad with shim pockets she filled with wool. So my Bates is for sale and I have to start saddle shopping.

 

Wondering why someone was kicking the stall

Then a week after the lesson, a collection was requested for one of the mares that did not take last year. We had made and canceled so many appointments by this point we were wondering if the mare would ever be ready. Roscoe seemed ready to go and did all the expected actions…but nothing came. The vet tried different things with the phantom and mare placement, but nothing. Eventually we had to call it a no go so he would not get sore. That was an awful call to the mare owner. Luckily she had some frozen she could use for the mare. Unfortunately that cost me $70 and we did have to do a trial run before his next collection which cost me $135. Fortunately Roscoe did provide the goods. I worried since the handler was a small female and he was way quieter than he normally is in the breeding shed. I think he had to realize he was allowed to be a stallion with her. The collection was pretty dang smooth. Never thought hearing the word "ejaculating" would be such a relief. Of course a few days later heading to a requested collection, the same mare owner called to say cancel. The mare had ovulated. Ah well now we are even.

 

After the lesson and collection drama, we were happy to have our chiropractor come the next day. She worked Roscoe over and did find an issue with his right hind. As she had him lift and flex his back he did not want to load the right hind. Fortunately after her magic, Roscoe was so much better. That afternoon he was doing stallion stuff and we told him he was a day late. His under saddle work was night/day difference. I had my pony back. Such a relief. He got Magna Wave the next Tuesday to help lock in the chiro adjustment. He is getting more frequent Magna Wave mini sessions just in case prior to collection or lessons. 

Happier Boy

 

The relief of Roscoe was numbed as we brought out DaVinci. For about four months now we have noticed an instability in his gait. He cannot really stand well for me to do his shoes. He even has to walk a bit as he pees. Mom saw him fall down after missing the railroad tie. He is not well, but nothing we could point at say “there, fix that.” Our dread was confirmed by the chiro vet. Most likely he has something neurologic going on in his neck. She said a vet would not hesitate to put him down that day. We are heartbroken, but will continue palliative care. Hopefully we can see the right time before a crisis point is reached. DaVinci has been better since the adjustment and acupuncture. Way more mellow than he has been in a while. He actually could stand still and pee. He got Magna Wave this week and we could tell he enjoyed it because he stood still.

Must be careful he doesn't fall

Somewhat improved posture 

 When I typed this post, I did not realize the biggest low was to come. My Dad had a heart attack. If he had done the typical male thing and waited to call 911, we would have lost him. Fortunately he did call, the rescue station is a mile from our house, the hospital about 15m, so when he coded hospital staff was there to provide resuscitation. Two visits to the cath lab, three stents and lots of stress later, he was on the mend. Three days in the hospital,  two days home and then an emergency room visit which showed additional issues, had us on edge. Now two weeks later, he is much improved. He and Griffyn have Magna Wave appointments together. They commiserate about their pain. 

You never know what life will bring. The wave bottoms make us appreciate the highs even more. A happy post will be next, 2021 Foal Pool.

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Picky Procreator

Sunday Ember turned 2 years old, can you believe it? It was hot and humid so we decided to give him a bath. I don't think he appreciated the spa day. Then we tried to get some pictures of him. Black horses are hard to photograph and gangly little boys are even harder. Ember looks so much better in motion.

"I would really rather be eating grass"

And then Monday Roscoe had to go for a collection. Peggy chipped him out of the mud before we headed out. Luckily today was a one for two collection. Two mares ended up at the same repro vet and are ready at the same time. Small world is it not? Tawe's owner is breeding one of her other Cobs. She messaged me to say "Hey there is another mare waiting for Roscoe"... "A Paint." I had forgotten that the mare is a paint and looked at her picture again. She has less white than Roscoe. Tawe's owner said she is cute.

Breeding hair

Anyway Roscoe went to work. The vet did not put a tease mare in the shed. Last year that proved to be too much stimulation. This time the main vet actually handled him and another vet managed the AV. I was really impressed with his timing. He let Roscoe act like a stallion, but kept his actions within safe range. Roscoe actually mounted straight on the first approach. But the vet handling the AV was a bit too slow and did not meet Roscoe's exacting preference. So he deflated. After that he said it was too hot to get excited over an empty breeding shed.

The work he prefers

Time for a tease mare. Roscoe went outside with the main vet and got excited when he saw the mare going in. Again his approach was pretty straight, but the other vet did not get the AV on right. One more failure and the main vet decided to switch. This time the main vet got him in the AV as soon as he mounted and provided enough push to satisfy Roscoe's exacting standards. And just like that, Roscoe's portion was complete. Our picky procreator could now take a break.

Normally Roscoe goes on the trailer right after, but we found that Peggy had accidentally locked us out of the truck. Fortunately I had put my window down a few inches. An ERC worker was able to get a fly swatter in and use the little hole to pull up the lock. We were able to sponge off Roscoe and get him loaded while they processed the collection. Once they verified there was enough for two breedings, we headed home. Fingers crossed everyone. In a couple of weeks the mares will get checked. And he has another mare in the works too. She sadly was not ready and has to go another couple weeks.

Auctions Galore

This year Roscoe is taking part in four stallion service auctions. The biggest reason I went against his breeder's advice to not do auctions, is that if he gets bids, he gets free advertising which is a chunk of change I would not be able to do on my own. So many people view the auction sites, which gets him in front of people who would not see him otherwise.

Roscoe stepping up for the jobs :)

So one auction to benefit the orchard hills pit stop and docs dog food closed last night. I decided to do this one mainly because I grew up with a boxer/pitbull mix. Sadly these days they get such a bad rap so any help I can give, I will. This turned out to net Roscoe two breedings, and someone watching him for next year. Breeding season will start in March for him.

The next auction already running is put together by the New England Dressage Association. They nabbed me with their free advertising if he wins a bid. Plus that gets him seen by sporthorse people which I think Roscoe would do well with. You can see Roscoe here http://www.nedastallionauction.org/stallionauction/index.php?a=2&b=453

No we did not use these dirty Roscoe pictures

I signed Roscoe up for the Westfalen stallion auction (2/21-3/4) and a young rider will auction off a breeding to help her raise money to get on a team. Those two have not started yet.

It will be interesting to see how these work out.

Half a Hafl. In The Works

We have had a busy week going in different directions. So I am going kind in order of knowing. The week before the show I received a message from another Cob stallion owner saying she sent a mare owner my way. That is always a compliment to have someone recommend Roscoe.

The mare owners contacted me that evening by email and by the next day they had dropped a check in the mail to cover his stud fee. I love the fact that this owner is excited to breed his mare. She sounds like a sweetheart. Though there are not too many haflingers that are not. Her owner seemed to like the fact that the Cobs have good bone and good personalities. She rides and drives, so Roscoe's family background meshes. The foal will definitely be well loved.

This breeding won't promote Roscoe or earn him any sire awards, but hopefully it will allow me to fund something for him soon. The chance of him getting any more purebred mares is nil, so I will take the opportunities that come with crossbreeding.

We were on call as of Monday to go to the collection center. Mom and I both had the day off, great. Then we got the call the mare was not ready and the new date was Wednesday. Okay, that works since Mom was off and I was able to switch late days with a coworker. Then I got the call that... the mare was not ready and the new date was Thursday. Dang, that was a tangle. Luckily my coworker was willing to switch back and my boss let me leave early. I was not sure if I was flying solo with Roscoe or if Peggy would go until I was driving to the barn. Turns out Larry was my partner for the trip.

Good thing too since he knew the roads and could direct me as I drove. We arrived before our appointment time and Roscoe knew what he was there to do. He proceeded to announce to everyone the he was there. Well, we all learned not to underestimate the little stud. His handler came to put him through his "time to behave" lessons before going into the breeding shed. I did remember to tell them to leave the tease mare behind the tease bar rather than moving her by the phantom.

Male Bonding

Roscoe was "ready" as soon as he entered the shed. He let them clean and prep him. Plus he even mounted the first time, straight too. But they had lowered the phantom too much, making it difficult for the vet to reach necessary parts. Continued attempts, failed also. Turns out they also underestimated his... hmm... length and prepared the pony AV. Yeah, that was not doing for Roscoe. The vet got it in and nothing. Well frustrated stallion meant we had rearing, crooked mounting, a big buck to the phantom and finally a "screw this" lunge to the tease mare that resulted in Roscoe over the tease bar. At that point, Roscoe was sent out to cool down. They prepared the longer AV and raised the phantom. The tease mare was definitely over kill, so she was removed.
Those changes were the key. Roscoe came in, approached and mounted. And this time he was happy to do his job. The vet said it was because he was not collected enough, but we did not have such drama last year when he only breed once. Oh the things I have to remember that I never thought I would.

Fingers crossed everyone that there is a half a Hafl already in the works. Seriously, that should be one cute baby.

She's Just Not Into You

I had to laugh when I received an update from Lisa the other day. I was on the computer when my phone started beeping a bunch of text alerts. When I looked it was a stream of texts from Lisa. It seems that none of the bred mares have come back into heat, yay. She is going to tease them for another week to make sure their cycles are not off. Well, while she was checking those mares she found that Roscoe's Aunt through his sire's side, Athanasia was in heat. She is not a fan of Roscoe even though he talks to her. I think it is because Roscoe went after her adopted baby Ffafr, the yearling colt. I know Rosemary gets protective of Roscoe whenever the others go after him. This mare is one of two I worried about kicking the heck out of Roscoe. The other turned out okay, but this mare proved true.

Photo by Lisa: Athanasia with baby half brother Ffafr

Lisa decided to try the breeding and even put tape on Athanasia's nose so Roscoe could mount. He was able to mount but she said she was closed for business. That tail was clamped tight. I guess when he got close to succeeding, she started kicking. Tape can only do so much. So poor Roscoe was dealt his first rejection and was left unsatisfied. Sorry bud, she's just not into you and it is not worth an injury to push the breeding. Too bad, since she is a great Cob mare.

Love those Arab ears :)

I told Lisa this meant she needed to get back in the saddle this year :) Luckily I have been able to get in the saddle more this month. I think the horses have already worked more than they did last month. So things are looking up.

There's No Place Like Home

Friday we made the uneventful drive to Indiana to visit Roscoe and deliver his next batch of food. Plus there was the new foal to play with. As we pulled into the driveway, my boy was on his way to the turnout. A month at boot camp definitely made him more obedient and manageable. He must be hard to catch, because she leaves a halter on him. I guess the girls keep his attention.

Girl Watching

Once Roscoe was out, Lisa let out the mares and foals. That was fun to watch the foals run around. At one point the filly actually touched noses with Roscoe. He was really sweet and quiet with her. To bad it was too dark to take a picture.
The next morning, we stayed in the house and let Lisa do things in her normal routine. When it looked like Roscoe was out for a bit of turn out, I went to trim his feet. Other than moving a bit more than normal, he was good for his trim. He has lost some weight from the constant breeding, but overall he looks great. He was a bit tense, worried about doing things right, but gradually he relaxed. We played with him, doing stretches and tricks. He was happy to know the right answer. For Roscoe not being able to give Lisa the right answers during a breeding session is hard. He gets so frustrated and unfortunately takes it out on the mare. One time was long and hard, leaving him with chain rub and a sore nose. Roscoe says breeding is not all its cracked up to be. I think he will be ready to go home when his job is complete. He is tapping his hooves saying "there is no place like home."

My Handsome Boy :)

After his trim, Mom worked him in hand. He had to be told to focus and listen. This little session showed what we will have when we get him home. And that seems do able after watching him. He pushed and at one point by the mares got crazy, but Mom got him to back away. Backing has a great effect on him, getting him focused. She backed him and then moved him forward by the mares. If he focused on them, she backed him up and got his eyes back on her. He was super. He even stood and dropped his head asking for a cookie right outside one of the mares stalls. Mom ended by backing him into the stall with a mare right next to him. There was a little excitement, but he listened.
It was tough to see him acting like a new boot camp graduate, but aspects of my baby was still shining at times. He almost seemed to distance himself, to make it easier on himself. The morning we left he was ignoring us. Mom and I had to follow him around just to give him a treat. At the last moment he walked up to Peggy and touched her arm with his nose. As much as he wanted to be distant he had to say good bye to us all. Okay enough about Roscoe, I am teary eyed just typing this. He will be home as soon as the mares are confirmed in foal to the best of Lisa's knowledge.
In addition to the mares and foals, we were able to visit Tuscani Dundee (Comrade, Connor and Gavin's sire plus a bunch of others) the senior stallion at Castleberry Welsh Cobs. He is retired and spending time at the other property while Roscoe visits.

Love the copper color of him

Enjoying Cookies

This is the first time we saw him as a horse and not a stallion. I don't know if that makes any sense, but stallions seem to have two sides. When we saw him at a distance 5 years ago, he was the STUD. This time he was the awesome horse that could interact with us. Dundee is so shiny and has some cool markings. He also has knee feathers!!!

Kinda Cool, but Coarse

Of course I totally had to take a picture and swore to Lisa I would only share it on my blog. They are definitely different and definitely something even I would shave off. I guess even the super Cob Stallion Cardi grows them. I will say that I hope Roscoe does not develop them. Fetlock feathers, yes. Knee feathers, oh no.
So here are some pictures I took while I was there. I wished for my big camera, but made do with my medium one.

Ebony with Rebecca and Ffion

 

Photo bombed

The older foals

Lisa and the Ebony's colt

What should have been a great photo... darn baby

Showing off

Two hopefully expectant mares: Ebony and Ffion

Three hopefully expectant mares: Rosina, Rosalee and Dyma Hi

 

Fingers crossed the mares all took. Dyma Hi, far right, was the first one and so far she has not come back into heat. She is Comrade and Connor's full sister, so that will be a cool cross to see. Rosalee is one of my favorites and related to both Comrade and Rosemary. And yes that means this is line breeding on Rosemary's dam's line. She has the flaxen mane like Roscoe and the blaze too. Rosina is related to Comrade through Dundee and the second black mare. Unlike Ebony she is not homozygous black, so the foal color will be a surprise. Ffion is Roscoe's great Grandmother so another line breeding. There is one more mare, Rebecca, Lisa may use if she comes into heat again which would be another line breeding since she is Rosemary's sister. The last mare that could have been bred, decided she wanted nothing to do with him. Since she could really hurt Roscoe that breeding probably won't happen. So that is skinny on the breeding front. It will be a long year until we can see the foals.

Front view of the three mares taken by Lisa

A Risk Never Taken, Is One Never Rewarded

I got a break giving me time to share the big news. Four years ago Roscoe's breeder made me an offer I could not refuse, Rosemary in foal and already backed for the price of weanling. The price was more than all our other horses put together and it would be our first green pony. Not to mention first time dealing with a pregnancy. By taking that risk we were rewarded not only with everything Rosemary has given us, but by Roscoe.

Before he was born we told Lisa a colt would be gelded. Of course during the months following we decided to give him a chance as a stallion. He showed quality movement and a quick mind. BUT, if he ever became unruly or if we felt his quality of life was decreased by being a stallion we would geld him. 3 years later Roscoe has not given us a reason. Instead he has showed us a new side to the horse world. Our opinion of him has only grown with everything he learns and how he matures.
The downside is that he is a stallion with out mares. No mares means no foals. No foals means no one wants to use him and take a chance on the results. Early on Lisa asked to have him come to her farm so he could breed her mares. We could not let him go though. That time of his life was such a time of learning, he would have missed too much. That left mares coming to him or using AI. One year we tried AI, but the timing was never right. The next year plans for the mares to come to VA fell through. At this point it is about time to geld him. He will become unnecessary to Lisa in a couple years when his nephew is old enough to breed. The interest I have had from other breeders has not been shown in contracts, so maybe it is time to focus on making him my future event horse.
His bloodlines, super movement and amazing mind don't pass on if stuck in his balls.

Out of the blue a month ago, Lisa sent me a message. She wanted me to consider sending Roscoe for two months to her farm. In addition she put another one of her too tempting offers up as payment, a Roscoe foal. We have already said the next horse would be one of his foals, this is just a bit sooner than expected.
Immediately, I had to think about the accommodations he would have, the food he would need, the need to transition him onto grass, the loss of ridden training and on and on. Lisa could satisfy our accommodation questions. I know breeding is hard work, but I did not think it was enough to keep him satisfied. And when he is unsatisfied, he can get into trouble. I swear he knows if he is a pain, he will get work. So the only person who popped into my head that could help with this issue, Jen from Cob Jockey. I contacted her and asked if she would be willing. She agreed! My workaholic pony would have someone who knows Cobs, has ridden a green pony and has an awesome trainer. Any work she would do with him could only benefit his training. Plus she is much closer than I am.
After talking and considering, I sent Lisa a message on Christmas. In it a picture of Roscoe says "See you in Indiana in May."

It's time to get some foals on the ground. Now we have to plan, pack and settle our nerves. Poor Dad is really worried. It was hard to send him away for two weeks phantom training, so this will be even tougher. Most likely we will make a trip to visit him in between.

So that is the big news, Roscoe gets to play sheik to a harem of mares for two months. Then in 2016 we will see Roscoe babies and hopefully one will join our herd.

Selective Pony Pimp

I am still limping along with one hand. A return visit to the doctor only got me a recommendation to go to an orthopedic. So that will be on Wednesday.
In the meantime, I can tell you about an interesting guy who contacted me about breeding Roscoe. After his birthday I posted him with a free stud fee. This was more to get him seen than to actually get breedings. Well one person contacted me about a Sec B mare. I sent them the information about who we use for collection. Then this lady said her husband bred her C mare to a Haflinger. I was a bit confused. Was the mare a B or a C? Turns out they have both. The B mare is still waiting to foal. So they were going to breed the B this year and the C next year. Problem solved right?

Nope. When I told Roscoe's breeder about it, she said don't do it or if you do don't let them register as a purebred. What!!!
Turns out that it is highly frowned upon to breed a B to a D because the foal is going to be a C or a D. This means that the lighter bone and body type a lot of B's have will infiltrate the Cob sections. I totally got it and I hated thinking Roscoe would be looked down on due to the breeding. Until he is working, he only has his bloodlines and breeding to promote him. I was torn thinking I had to let them register as a purebred. His breeder told me to stay strong for the breed. She also said she would talk to them if they called.

My decision was made after a conversation with the guy who owns the mares. He ended up calling me before talking to the breeder. He talked about wanting to breed a bigger bodied driving pony and improve performance. His B used to be a lesson pony so she has a good mind. I figured great, Roscoe has driving in his blood. Plus if he was so into the performance side he would be open to registering as a half welsh. So I told him that if he registered half welsh, I could discount his C breeding next year. He said if he wanted a half welsh he would breed to a Friesian. I said go ahead as I would not compromise on this point. Then he got a bit ugly. "Well it's not like people are beating down the door to breed your stallion." "He is not very Cobby anyway." "You making too big a deal over all this."

Mr Not Very Cobby :P Rocking his mama's pink eared fly mask. The only one he keeps on.

Seriously that is how you think to change my mind. What is even worse, is that he said the same things to the breeder when they talked. Both of us kicked ourselves for not asking why he even want to breed to Roscoe. He came up with yet another stallion to take the B to instead. I figured that was it from them.
Well last Sunday he called me again. This time about the C mare. He said that he did not think the breeder would like her because she has B in her bloodline. So I talked to the breeder and she said that though not a great situation, the B's are far enough back in her lineage to not cause an issue. I let him know it was okay, but have not heard anything more.

I may be a Pony Pimp but I am going to be selective where I can. I wish he had bred this year so that his training was reinforced, but  I won't alienate his breeder or the Cob people to achieve it. Oh, what an adventure we have started.

Updates

Thank you everyone for your comments. Though I have not blogged long, I have found it a very good way to release and share emotions. Which in turn helps keep my stress level down.
And in the vein of support, please keep fingers crossed for Cuna over at SprinklerBandit as they try to figure out his lamness. Barry was 23 when he had to be retired due to a tendon injury, so I really hope Cuna's is fixable. I love to read about his adventures and admire Aimee for taking on an older horse. They are special.

Okay now for updates from my barn:

Roscoe, due to the holiday missed another chance at breeding. Although ERC could collect, FedEx would not pick up and the other options were too pricey. Oh well, there is always next month. I did get a surprise call at 9am from ERC asking if Roscoe would be at his 10am appointment. Turns out they tentatively put him on the books for collection when the breeder called asking if they did collections on the holiday. Unfortunately, I did not know and did not call to cancel. ERC is very good about being flexible, so no hard feelings.

Winston, is off of heavey pain medicine and only getting BL twice a day. His walking has improved and his turns are almost sound. He still has a slight hesitation especially turning right. We decided to pay the money and have our farrier do his trim. I have trimmed his feet myself for 7 yrs, but I really wanted his opinion and he is faster. Winston got a bute the night before, which made him feel too good, and stood great for our farrier. I am now armed with how to trim him and the knowledge that his right is his sore foot. Our farrier will check on him too when he does the other horses.
Since he is feeling better, stall rest is not sitting so well with him. To help we let him stall hop and play "Merry Maid" by cleaning up the fallen hay the others leave behind. Even with that his new thing is to unclip and take down his hay bag. So now we have "C" clips, that screw down, on his bag. Plus today I let him walk around the sacrifice area with the boys. I think he enjoyed squealing at Roscoe. He tends to enlist DaVinci into grooming with him. The good news is he is losing weight. He has withers for the first time. The bad news is he is still so hungry and it makes him grumpy. Diets are no good.

Winston way laid DaVinci even before his bridle was off.

And speaking of diets, Comrade and his barn budding Sonny have a new hay feeder. It soaks the hay, then can be drained so the horses can eat the hay. Both horses had no problems with the wet hay or the holders. Wish I could use it for Winston, but at $300 a piece, that is not happening.

Porta Grazer

Inside piece that slows eating.

Rosemary is still a drama queen, but she is a queen with a shrinking sarcoid. We are at just over 6 months of treatment and are really happy with the results. Here is a short photo progression.

Jan 2012: this was the beginning and was removed. The rough area above had been there since we bought her.

Jan 2013: Sarcoid at its worst after reappearing in late 2012

April 2013: After the tip fell off, notice hair growth above

Not the best picture, 5-28-13 much smaller and hair is completely grown in over the sarcoid

Joyce Harman told us she would regrow the hair on what we thought was a scar, but here is the proof she was right.

Dottie and DaVinci continue to be their awesome selves. I did have to have a conversation with DaVinci that if he wanted grass he had to wear his muzzle. Eventually after conferring with Winston he began to see my way. These older ponies think they rule the barn. Dottie is in season again and talking to Roscoe. It is all good as long as it is just talking. With our wacky weather I had to blanket Winston two nights and all one night. This meant an impromtu blanket repair for Dottie's sheet. She tore off her surcingle clip. I found another one and then realized the thread must be at home. So I improvised with baling twine. Love that stuff.

My quick fix

So overall things are good at the barn. Now if we could just figure out why our Corgi Kayla is not feeling so hot. Animals always keep you on your toes.