See Green, Get Mean

You all know what is coming, Muzzles.

We went from snow scapes to seeing fresh green highlights.

The biggest indication it was time for muzzles was the fact that some of the horses walked away from hay to go nibble at grass. This year we are not taking any chances. Winston and Rosemary have already started wearing muzzles. Then next month they all will start the sacrifice vs grass time. The girls will go two days sacrifice, one day grass. The boys will go one day sacrifice, one day grass. Winston will of course stay on sacrifice completely and will switch who he goes out with.

These two try to give us the sad pony eyes, but we are standing strong. No unhealthy fat allowed. As the grass comes in, we will do crest checks to make sure they are staying soft. Being young and old, Roscoe and DaVinci may get some lee way this year. We will see how it goes. Awareness will be our friend this year.
More later, dang internet is too slow for my patience right now.

Muzzle Time and More Roscoe News

Our grass is green and growing, so we have pulled out muzzles. We start with the muzzles from last year. That way the holes are a little bigger and we can work them into the new muzzles with small holes. We also put a loop of baling twine by the ears, then braid mane through it to help prevent them from pulling them off over the ears. Time to stock up on mole skin and halter fleece.

Winston resigned to his fate

DaVinci "Why do I have to wear this?"

Because your covered in bright green spots from the pretty rich grass

We offset pasture days with dry lot times so they get breaks from the muzzles. Our guys know the routine and handled the change well. So far DaVinci is the only one to have taken his muzzle off. Mom forgot to do the baling twine loop and he rubbed it off and stomped it. His opinion was clearly stated.
And now for Roscoe news.
He is still having issues with mounting. I think some of the problem is that for his whole life we have told him not to rear when attached to a human or near a human. They have been able to get him to mount the phantom and collect him, but a teaser mare has to be right next to the phantom. At one point they put the collection tube on him and it stimulated him to mount and complete the job.
The vet said he is a bit of a teenager around the mares, rushing and getting excited. Roscoe has to learn impulse control. Boundaries are such hard things to learn. The vet does believe that repetition will help him learn and that there is less chance of Roscoe becoming sour because... wait for it ...
"he has a strong libido and is always ready to go." Ha, good to know. Roscoe has always loved to work ;)
Now onto the microscope results. They reviewed his semen from one of the collections. He has great numbers of sperm count, well with in normal ranges 5-8billion. His motility 55% (the amount of sperm actively going in a forward movement) was at the low end, but with in acceptable range. Today into tomorrow they will be doing the test cool to see how best to set up the semen for shipping.
Overall Roscoe is behaving. Which as his owner makes me proud. The fact that they will be able to collect him and he is has viable semen is icing on the cake.
Friday we find out if he needs more time for training or if he gets to come home. I miss our redhead baby. Hopefully Mom will be home when it is time to pick him up. I don't want to do my first solo trailer drive to get him. But I will if that is how the timing works.
Next will be waiting for the mares that will be bred to him to come into season again. Then we start the drive through service ERC offers for collection. 3 years ago, if someone had said I would own and stand a stallion I would have called them crazy. Now we are taking it a day at a time.