A Tuff Story and a New Mare

<-- Tuff gettin his dinner in early Sept.

So I decided to blog since its been forever! Even though I really don't have much to say. Did have an interesting day with Tuff the other day though. Not really interesting in a good way either.

So Rusty, the BIL's gelding sliced open his foot just above his hoof the other day, and the FIL had him out doctoring him. So I decided to call Tuff up and feed him, then get him out to play a bit. Also, HE got cut up the other day and I wanted to assess the damage. (apparently he got out of his pasture and into Daisy and Rustys SOMEHOW! I wish we had a camera out there! The bottom wire on the fence was loose. Did he roll under it?? The cuts are all on his belly and neck. So weird. The FIL found him running he** bent for leather with his mommy hot on his butt, TERRIFIED! She is so evil to him!)

Anway, got him out and fed him, then walked him over to a tree I usually tie him at. Well he was definitely not in the tying mood. Rusty was hollering for Daisy, and every time he did, Tuff would. Then the new mare (more about her later) would holler, etc. And it was windy and a little cool, all of you know what that does to a horses temperament, lol.

So I brushed him for awhile, brushed his tail out, that takes awhile, its so thick and long. He was standing okay, not relaxed, and a little antsy, but okay. Then I walked off from him and he would wiggled and turn and kept trying to wrap himself around the tree. *SIGH* The tree I had him tied to was not a great place, but all that I had. The FIL had Rusty at the other tying spot and I didn't want to get close to him. SO, everytime he wrapped himself up (yes, I had him tied short enough, the tree was just too skinny so he could walk around it. EDIT: Actually, looking through my old posts, its the the same one he's tied to on June 26th Yearling Fuglies)

I would walk over and put him back in place and step back again. He also tried rearing up at the tree a few times to see if it would let him loose, lol. (something he did when we first started tieing him as a foal) And of course he did the ever popular pawing routine, but I would throw a pine cone at him if he did that (usually missing him completely).

Well one time he wrapped himself up and I didn't move fast enough and he snugged himself up so tight to the tree he got upset and tugged a bit and SNAP, there went the thin leather crown piece (actually the hole where it adusts stretched and broke) and he was free free free! *SIGH*

So I didn't panic! I just walked calmly after him (he trotted over to the fence. His buddy Skip and the new mare had left him earlier, causing him to be even more worried, and he wanted in there to find them!) and started rattling his feed bucket, thankfully still where I had left it, and calling him like I do when I call him up to feed him. He came over to me in just a few moments and I got the lead rope around his neck and put the halter back on as best I could. PHEW! So I drug him over to the shed and miraculously found a halter in there that fit him (he has such a little head) and I took him over to the tree Rusty was at (at some point in time after he got lose the FIL had walked him back out to the pasture). So I tied him up there, but my knot kept coming undone -_-.

Finally the FIL got back and he did a better knot for me and I just sat in the grass and watched him. He wiggled around some more, pawed, hollered, and acted like a little brat, but eventually he started to stop and put his head down, cock a leg, for a few moments, and then wiggle again. Finally he did it for a good few minutes so I got up and untied him and we walked around a bit working on leading skills etc, then I put him back up. At this time he was MUCH calmer, acting like a good boy, and I was pleased. It was funny, but every time the knot I did came loose, and I went over to retie it, he would be still and act happy that I was there, lol, he was lonely. But he needed to learn a lesson!

When we got to the gate Skip was there waiting for him :). Tuff touched noses with him for a while and you could tell how happy he was, lol.

SO, not a great outing, but ended well. I am glad he never sat back and pulled. He will go to the end of his rope and come back, like a yo yo, he has never pulled while tied, thank God. The only reason he got loose is because that halter is a breakway, which I wouldn't have tied him in that if I wasn't right there to watch him. (which, a lot of good that did, geesh) And really its the only one that we have that fits him. (or so I thought) So he now has a ugly faded red white and blue one he can wear, ugh, till I can get the money for a new one, durn breakaways are expensive!! But that is all I will turn him out in, so now he is 'naked' for the time being. I will not have a injured/dead horse on my hands from getting hung up in a nylon halter in the pasture somewhere.

So! Onto the new mare!! Skip, the SIL's (sis in law) little palomino colt came from the same place that this mare did, my husbands aunt and uncle. She is also a palomino, and old as dirt. LOL, well not really, I think she is 21. But she LOOKS 21. Daisy is will be 19 this spring but she looks like she is in her early teens. Or younger. She is short also. MAYBE 15 hands. I have money on 14.3, lol. She could definitely use some groceries, but try convincing the all-knowing FIL of this *SIGH*. (I seem to be doing that a lot this post) The uncle says she was a show horse "with a ton of blue ribbons". Really, says I, in what? "Oh I dont know, that was before I bought her". Nice.

So she has pretty decent conformation, the way she is set up kinda leans me towards some sort of pleasure? But she has the FASTEST walk I've ever seen. And I'm talking about just walking in the pasture! Its very purposeful, lol, kinda funny. So maybe a gaming horse? Around here a barrel racer would be right on target. She is short and seems to like to be moooving. (another clue to this comes up below)

Sorry, no picture yet, but will definitely get one soon.

So here's the funny thing. Well one of them, another later. She was out in a huge pasture with at least 9 or 10 other mares and geldings, and has been for years. I think they rode her last, um, 5 years ago? Lol, yeah. When we picked her up, Lees uncle says, "Oh, I ride her in a tie-down" as a passing comment to my BIL. BIL goes "okay." And I'm thinking in my head "WHY??" Because people don't just ride a horse that behaves in a tie-down for the heck of it, lol. But of course he didn't ask, and I wasn't going to ask (I barely know him).

So, the BIL rode her the other day (I wasn't there sadly) and found out why, heheh. She tosses her head alll over the place apparently. Lovely. See, she is supposed to be a mount for the little BIL (see: 3rd Ride and Bareback It). Who has rode a few times, yes, but doesn't know how to RIDE. You know? And I'm not altogether sure she is as great a choice as his uncle thinks. He said she also doesn't want to stay stopped. As in one of those can we go now? now? now? NOW? horses. Ugh. So we know she is a head tosser, fast walker, and apparently has a bit of 'fire' to her. For a young person who hasn't rode a lot. Yeah! *SIGH*

But I can't really judge her till I see her ridden myself, or even better, ride her myself. So I will reserve total judgement until a further date, lol. She is super cute though, and has a loving personality. She is usually staring at us from the fence wanting someone to come get her out or pay attention to her. And will stand there all day if you want to pet her or brush her, etc.

Oh, the other funny thing. She limps at will. As in, the uncle says she will walk sound all day long in the pasture but as soon as you come at her with a saddle she is lame. Its just a quirk of hers, and she will walk out of it eventually. (they trail rode her, apparently she will go anywhere on one easily) So I asked the BIL about this and he said she was fine for awhile, and then he got off for some reason, and back on, and she started limping a bit on a front leg. Great. I just find it hard to believe that this is something a horse would cook up in its head, lol. The uncle says he has taken her to numerous vets and they can't find anything wrong, but who knows. Still sounds a bit odd.

She is in with the two colts right now, she deals with them well. If they get near her she will pin her ears and make sure they KNOW she doesn't want them there, and they will get away with their baby mouths going, lol. But she wont bite or kick at them, thankfully. So all is well there I guess, for now. I just hope our pasture will last. And that we bought enough hay for the winter.

Anywho, as usual I've written a book, geesh. I guess I'll end with that. I put a pic up top of me feeding Tuff one afternoon, Lee and I rode the 4wheeler out there and I just set the bucket there and he ate out of it haha, poor Skip is like wheres mine?? He looks much better now, filled out nicely.

Here are a few random pics I've taken over the last two months.

Tuff and Lee Lee after dove hunting one afternoon

Tuff lookin perty

Rusty pretending to be a pleasure horse.

And looking more like himself there, lol, he still looks like a stud geesh. (they did geld him late)

Ta ta everyone!