Kaleigh, Diva and Angel

[caryn]

Love the pics! She's beautiful. She has such a contented look on her face while laying in her food Is that a Sundance/Hobbes silhouette I see in the third pic?

[calypso]

uh.....she was standing in her food! Here it is another one from a different angle and location:



And, yes that is sweet BIG Sundance/Hobbs



And, while we're at it... I can't find the original Frolic/Rejuvenate thread, but here is the baby, now named Phoenix. He is Diva's "boyfriend/buddy." Isn't he gorgeous! And huge!! He's only a little over 2 years old!

[swissgrl]

wow, Phoenix is huge! What a handsome young man he is!

[caryn]

HA, I could have sworn she was lying down in the second pic... Wow, that's some tall foliage

[caryn]

AWWW, haven't seen Phoenix in a while. He looks great as do all FRR horses

[calypso]

Apr 6, 2009 17:25:24 GMT -5 caryn said:

HA, I could have sworn she was lying down in the second pic... Wow, that's some tall foliage

LOL! Yeah, Diva was on cloud nine!! FRR does a good job of rotating and maintaining pasture quality. The horses were happily mowing down the front pasture until we let them into the arena for a roll. Then they were happy to "work off" all that nice spring grass! I haven't seen that many butts and feet flying in the air since I mistakenly turned on a rodeo on TV! LOL! They were having a great time playing chase and romp!

[pnp4kidz]

It was great seeing ya Caly!

and everyone please remember... Phoenix is looking for his own human!
his 2 1/2 year old teeth are just falling out, so he is a winter baby, and ready for 'kindergarden' this summer in prep for some riding next spring! :-)
keep passing the word!!!

[calypso]

I snuck out to see the girls today and got a sad surprise. I arrived to find Kaleigh's boyfriend had just been put down. I don't know what happened but apparently it was on an emergency basis. He was an older QH gelding. A sweet boy. He'd been increasingly lame, so we knew his days were numbered, but he still had a bright eye, good weight, and - even gimping around - he seemed to maintain some authority in the herd.

I thought his name was "Gyp" but I learned today his name was "Chip" or "Chipper" and that he was quiet the reigning horse in his younger days. (added later - his name is (was) Jip)

When K and Angel first moved to this place, they were being run by a couple of young geldings. After a couple of days Jip stepped in and put a stop to it. I was there when it happened and it was impressive. No kicking or biting. Just The Look and it was over. He shepherded the girls and protected them for a few days by himself, then allowed his buddy Opie to share the duties. They settled into two pairs - Jip & Kaleigh, Opie & Angel and have hung out ever since. Jip and K were probably more bonded, and I expect she will miss him.

When I first arrived she was out in the field and kept staring at his lifeless body. But this evening I went back out to check and she was in the herd grazing. Opie, on the other hand, is obviously grieving. He's a big lug of a pocket pony anyway, and he just wanted to hang his head over my shoulder. Then, when I walked over to my car to leave, he followed along the fence and just stared at me.

I went back to him. Poor boy. Jip is going to be missed.

Left-to-right: Kaleigh, Angel, Jip.

[halfwayhome]

Oh poor guys! So sorry to hear this steadfast old gentleman was put down. Yes, horses do need a chance to grieve, and it is said to be better to let them see an old friend, or baby etc., still and down so that they understand. I am sorry for their loss he sounds special. Hope hes in great and green pastures forever now.

[piopico]

I'm glad we were able to give old Jip some carrots earlier this week......he certainly was gimpy then...........maybe it was a colic. RIP fella.


modified to correct spelling of his name.

[calypso]

Cute pic of Kaleigh and Jip taken a couple months ago.

[swissgrl]

oh, I love it when they do that. Arrow and Trevor are each others favorite scratchers.

[calypso]

Haven't posted pics in awhile so I lugged the camera out there today. Miracle of miracles it worked AND the pictures uploaded to the PC and then photobucket! I guess the pictures gremlins have moved on to torture someone else.

Anway. Here they are:

Some of the gang on the pasture. That rain storm we had a couple weeks ago brought the green back a full month before it normally arrives. The horses are ecstatic!

L-> Penny, Gypsy (behind Penny), Angel (with her distinctive heart shaped star), Foxie (Angel's new BFF behind her), and Kaleigh.



Angel munching down with Foxie close behind.



Angel again. She's starting to show her age. She dropped some weight right at the end of summer when the pasture was, well, not. But a couple weeks of soaked alfalfa cubes and Safechoice and it's coming back up. It think she's doing pretty well for 23.



Kaleigh munching away. As you can see her love affair with food remains unabated.



Then sees me and comes cruising over to see if I have a carrot/cookie/peppermint (I don't. Bad mom.)



I came awfully close to having to rehome them this summer, so seeing them still with me brings a smile to my face. Thanks to those of you who helped. :-)

[swissgrl]

they both look awesome. Glad they're still with you!

[calypso]

Updated pics from Christmas Day ~

Angel



Kaleigh



K goofing around



Lunch time....



Kaleigh engaged in her favorite pastime. Notice how she's snagged the largest pile. ;D

[calypso]

And pics of Diva from yesterday. Don't give me a hard time about the surroundings - I hauled her into the hay barn to take pics cause it was pitch dark outside and the camera would NOT focus. She was a little uneasy for about 1 second and then was totally calm. She is SUCH a good filly!

My friend Debbie was with me. We pulled her out of the pasture 5 minutes after they'd been given hay. She came willingly and submitted to grooming while everyone around her was eating. Then, after pics, she walked on a loose lead back to her buddies and dinner. Amazing. Wish her mom was so good!!

Diva with Debbie





And, Diva standing in front of me to show how big she's gotten.



Sorry the pics are so dark. Even with the flash, it was tough to auto focus and all.... But, you can see she's had another growth spurt. She'll be "officially" 3 years old on Friday, but won't actually turn 3 until March 14.

[calypso]

Long time no updates. These pics were taken last weekend. (Of course the next day was sunny with blue sky.)

Both girls are happy and doing well. The herd continues to be pretty amiable, and both girls have friends. Angel had a wonderful boyfriend for most of last year. They were very attached to each other, but his owner had to move him. She has a new boyfriend now, who is nice, but she's not nearly as attached to him as she was to the other guy. This winter was a little harder on her than past winters, so I think her age is beginning to catch up with her. (vet estimates mid-20's).

Kaleigh doesn't have anyone in particular, but she tends to attach herself to whomever is the "lead" horse so she can get the benefits without having to work for them. Smart girl! She's 11 and fully committed to being a lazy, retired, ex-racehorse.

Life has been uber-busy for me, so they haven't been worked much, as you can see from the belly/lack of muscle tone. (They say animals and their owners start to resemble each other.... ) However, a friend rode Angel last fall and discovered she is extremely well trained and very sensitive. Noel said I am not allowed to ride her until I take some lessons and upgrade my skills! LOL

Perhaps this summer.... I finally have medical insurance again, so my feet no longer need to stay firmly planted on the ground. ;D

Meanwhile, they are very accomplished carrot/cookie mooches.

[swissgrl]

Awe, they look so happy with all that green grass. Mine are in the same boat. I don't have medical insurance, so riding is a bit on the backburner. I wish I had the money to send Merlin off to get finished. Oh well, someday.....
Hope all is well with you!!!

[caryn]

They do look like very happy horsies indeed Thanks for the update and pics. Love to see how these special girls are doing!

[calypso]

And now pics of Diva. She....um......grew up.

She's not exactly listening to Beth at the beginning. LOL! But, in her defense it was REALLY windy, there was a Mustang yearling in a roundpen 15 feet away, and several horses came down the hill to see who was in the arena. So, she was a bit distracted.



It gets better...





And, look at her!





She's 15.2. And looks bigger. And acts bigger! LOL!

To remind you of the beginning...... here she is 4 years ago at about 12 hours old.



Beth tells me she's ready for a job. And boy is she right!

[piopico]

Yup- she's ready for a job!! Her conformation's evened out- her front half now matches her back half- she can take a saddle real nice on that back.

[calypso]

Some long overdue updates.... Sorry the pics aren't terrific - light was lame and I was alone and it was hard to get them to stay far enough away to get ANY pics!! LOL (pets. sigh.)

Kaleigh and Angel spent the summer at the coast with a retired couple. Lots of carrots and scritches. The plan was to bring them back over to this side of the hill when the rain started, but, well, it didn't....

Angel is mid-20's. She's started having trouble holding weight, so after throwing everything but the kitchen sink at her, I threw it all aside and put her on complete feed. Her weight is coming back up. She's still as sweet as ever.



Kaleigh turned 12 on Tuesday. She's still got her combo of sweet and spice.



Diva will be 5 next month and started "school" two weeks ago. She is enjoying it (more or less LOL). Trainer said, "Your filly has opinions. Lots of them. Not shy about expressing them either.) I snickered and tried (unsucessfully) to look mortified...but she still just cracks me up!



And, taking after her mom.. her favorite activity....